ARTICLE
Over two weeks ago, we wrote about the effort by our local government leaders to come up with a strategic plan to address our homeless problems. You can re-read that article here. Normally I would not re-focus this column on the same subject so quickly but this public policy matter requires your immediate attention. After the Feb. 12th Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote for closing the Ross Camp it appeared we had consensus, but our City Council had a different disposition. Now, the February 26th City Council meeting may result in a different strategy that will be damaging to the Santa Cruz business community. We encourage you to attend the Council meeting or at a minimum send a note of concern to your council members here: citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com The Background The fate of a large, unsanctioned Santa Cruz homeless camp hangs in the balance as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BoS) on Feb. 12 passed a resolution to close the Gateway Encampment (Ross Camp) with a notice on February 15 and with a targeted March 15 closure date. That plan was a co-authored strategy between the city and the county formalized over months of extensive conversation. Community stakeholders were involved. However, on the same Feb. 12 evening, the Santa Cruz City Council attempted to mirror the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor’s motion but took a slightly diverted direction. On a 4-3 vote the majority of the council wanted the encampment to close but only after receiving updated reports from the City staff at the next two City Council meetings — February 26 and March 5. They did not agree to a firm closure date. The Sentinel’s Nick Ibarra reported (Santa Cruz Sentinel February 19 homeless-camps-residents-respond) that until now we have not heard from the homeless. The article provides another lens at the vexing problem. This is the question for all of us: Can we find a solution that addresses the business community’s needs, helps those less fortunate with a safe place to sleep in a humane condition that meets the public safety requirements of our region, and is done in an orderly fashion? The Santa Cruz Sentinel has printed two excellent guest opinion pieces from the Coastal Watershed Council and the Homeless Service Center to offer their perspective on the issue: Coastal Watershed Council Homeless Service Center To date, absent from this discussion is the impact the homeless situation has on the greater Santa Cruz County business community. It should be noted that most of the City’s discretionary funding comes from taxes, with Sales Tax and Property Tax comprising the largest portion at approximately 69.1% combined. I wanted to share this observation about the upcoming Feb. 26th Santa Cruz City Council so you are not blindsided by their motion. During the last City Council meeting, Councilmember Glover authored a Motion on Homelessness. According to background summary, the Motion was co-sponsored by councilmembers Brown and Krohn. The thoroughly defined motion was produced by Glover and fellow councilmembers, with assistance from student interns and input from advocates, community leaders, people experiencing homeless, residents of Ross Camp, and people living in cars. This Motion was approved to be discussed and reviewed at the Feb. 26th Council meeting. Some of the proposed City ordinance changes would have a dramatic effect of the rule of law, public health and safety, safe neighborhoods, use of public sidewalks, city parks, street parking, overnight RV camps and a host of city ordinance about behavior in public. A point by point of this very detailed Motion is summarized in no specific order: Summary Background • The State has sent Santa Cruz County nearly $10 million to address our homeless needs. The City & County staffs produced a homeless policy plan to seek immediate solutions to address homelessness. The co-agreed plan passed the Board of Supervisor unanimously — with specific timeline (March 15) to close an unauthorized and uncontrolled Ross Homeless encampment with 150-200 people camping on the corner of the Gateway entrance to the City. The BOS also provided immediate funds for homeless bedding, blankets and supplies, and authorized $500,000 grant to the Salvation Army to run a homeless shelter. • The City Council (now controlled by the progressive majority) said we support closing the encampment but not on any specific date. Instead the majority of the council demands the staff to report back the progress at the next two City Council meetings (2/26 and 3/5) before moving out these people and produce a report to enact the following: Proposed City Council Direction The Majority of the city council stated the following: 1. Bring back a Resolution that the city council and the City proclaim a local homeless state of emergency, identify a property where these homeless will move. 2. Remove the ban on overnight camping on a major street (Delaware Avenue between Swift and Swanton) where RVs can be parked without citation 3. Direct City attorney and staff to remove the ban on sleeping in public right-aways (sidewalks and benches), public parks 4. Remove the ban of trespassing on property, urination and defecation in public 5. Report a timeline to enter into negotiations with UCSC with the intention of leasing the vacant parking lot at the rear of UCSC Administration building at 2300 Delaware Avenue 6. And organize a format and the following ordinances to allow the council and community (not the police and public safety officers) to monitor the potentially disproportionate impact ‘residents’ without homes. The data report shall include the address of the race, gender, person cited, location, date and charge by the arresting officer — this includes the following: stay-away orders, length of tie of a stay away would include: conduct in parks, obstruction of sidewalks and benches, obstruction of sidewalks and benches at dark, sitting, lying or stooping, smoking ban in public places 7. Anyone arrested 3 times without a warrant, grant city attorney the authority to reduce misdemeanors to avoid due process 8. Allow open containers in public, Parking Garage loitering, median of a street loitering, safety zones, youth curfews, aggressive solicitation UPDATE - 02/21/2019 The following press release was recieved this morning. "COUNTY AND CITY REPORT PROGRESS ON EMERGENCY HOMELESS EFFORTS Santa Cruz (February 21, 2019) – The County and City of Santa Cruz have embarked on a joint emergency effort to address the local homelessness crisis. The plan includes an increase in health and safety measures at the Gateway-area unsanctioned encampment and an immediate increase in emergency shelter beds to accommodate the eventual March 15 closure of the Gateway encampment to protect public health and safety. Since the February 12 approval of the plan, the County and City have made the following progress: 1) An additional 40 shelter beds for families with children, women, and disabled persons opened at the Salvation Army Community Center on Laurel Street. 2) Extensive outreach at the Gateway homeless encampment to advise residents of the March 15 closure and convey shelter options. Eighteen Gateway residents accepted vouchers to move into existing shelter at the VFW Post 5888 in Live Oak. 3) Initiated site planning for a potential sanctioned camp at 1220 River St., including identification of potential camp operators. 4) Increased secured storage capacity for possessions of homeless persons. 5) Increased security at Gateway Shopping Center to 24/7 coverage. SCPD mobile command unit has been stationed on the property. 6) Relocated fencing to increase the buffer zone along the San Lorenzo River levee pathway. 7) County and City staff continue to review additional spaces for indoor shelter, safe camping, and safe parking program. County and City staff have collaborated on outreach and communications with the homeless community, as well as with nearby neighborhoods and other stakeholders. The City continues to deploy resources for waste removal, hygiene stations, camp and neighborhood security patrols, while the County continues to provide health and safety monitoring and resources." Any effort to address our growing homelessnes crisis (an issue that many cities in California face currently) should not divide our community. It is a rallying cry for collaboration,consensus driven discussion, and decisions that do not disrupt the economic vitality of our community.
Over two weeks ago, we wrote about the effort by our local government leaders to come up with a strategic plan to address our homeless problems. You can re-read that article here.
Normally I would not re-focus this column on the same subject so quickly but this public policy matter requires your immediate attention. After the Feb. 12th Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote for closing the Ross Camp it appeared we had consensus, but our City Council had a different disposition.
Now, the February 26th City Council meeting may result in a different strategy that will be damaging to the Santa Cruz business community. We encourage you to attend the Council meeting or at a minimum send a note of concern to your council members here: citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com
The Background The fate of a large, unsanctioned Santa Cruz homeless camp hangs in the balance as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BoS) on Feb. 12 passed a resolution to close the Gateway Encampment (Ross Camp) with a notice on February 15 and with a targeted March 15 closure date. That plan was a co-authored strategy between the city and the county formalized over months of extensive conversation. Community stakeholders were involved.
However, on the same Feb. 12 evening, the Santa Cruz City Council attempted to mirror the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor’s motion but took a slightly diverted direction. On a 4-3 vote the majority of the council wanted the encampment to close but only after receiving updated reports from the City staff at the next two City Council meetings — February 26 and March 5. They did not agree to a firm closure date.
The Sentinel’s Nick Ibarra reported (Santa Cruz Sentinel February 19 homeless-camps-residents-respond) that until now we have not heard from the homeless. The article provides another lens at the vexing problem.
This is the question for all of us: Can we find a solution that addresses the business community’s needs, helps those less fortunate with a safe place to sleep in a humane condition that meets the public safety requirements of our region, and is done in an orderly fashion?
The Santa Cruz Sentinel has printed two excellent guest opinion pieces from the Coastal Watershed Council and the Homeless Service Center to offer their perspective on the issue: Coastal Watershed Council Homeless Service Center
To date, absent from this discussion is the impact the homeless situation has on the greater Santa Cruz County business community. It should be noted that most of the City’s discretionary funding comes from taxes, with Sales Tax and Property Tax comprising the largest portion at approximately 69.1% combined.
I wanted to share this observation about the upcoming Feb. 26th Santa Cruz City Council so you are not blindsided by their motion.
During the last City Council meeting, Councilmember Glover authored a Motion on Homelessness. According to background summary, the Motion was co-sponsored by councilmembers Brown and Krohn. The thoroughly defined motion was produced by Glover and fellow councilmembers, with assistance from student interns and input from advocates, community leaders, people experiencing homeless, residents of Ross Camp, and people living in cars. This Motion was approved to be discussed and reviewed at the Feb. 26th Council meeting.
Some of the proposed City ordinance changes would have a dramatic effect of the rule of law, public health and safety, safe neighborhoods, use of public sidewalks, city parks, street parking, overnight RV camps and a host of city ordinance about behavior in public. A point by point of this very detailed Motion is summarized in no specific order:
Summary Background
• The State has sent Santa Cruz County nearly $10 million to address our homeless needs. The City & County staffs produced a homeless policy plan to seek immediate solutions to address homelessness. The co-agreed plan passed the Board of Supervisor unanimously — with specific timeline (March 15) to close an unauthorized and uncontrolled Ross Homeless encampment with 150-200 people camping on the corner of the Gateway entrance to the City. The BOS also provided immediate funds for homeless bedding, blankets and supplies, and authorized $500,000 grant to the Salvation Army to run a homeless shelter.
• The City Council (now controlled by the progressive majority) said we support closing the encampment but not on any specific date. Instead the majority of the council demands the staff to report back the progress at the next two City Council meetings (2/26 and 3/5) before moving out these people and produce a report to enact the following:
Proposed City Council Direction
The Majority of the city council stated the following:
1. Bring back a Resolution that the city council and the City proclaim a local homeless state of emergency, identify a property where these homeless will move.
2. Remove the ban on overnight camping on a major street (Delaware Avenue between Swift and Swanton) where RVs can be parked without citation
3. Direct City attorney and staff to remove the ban on sleeping in public right-aways (sidewalks and benches), public parks
4. Remove the ban of trespassing on property, urination and defecation in public
5. Report a timeline to enter into negotiations with UCSC with the intention of leasing the vacant parking lot at the rear of UCSC Administration building at 2300 Delaware Avenue
6. And organize a format and the following ordinances to allow the council and community (not the police and public safety officers) to monitor the potentially disproportionate impact ‘residents’ without homes. The data report shall include the address of the race, gender, person cited, location, date and charge by the arresting officer — this includes the following: stay-away orders, length of tie of a stay away would include: conduct in parks, obstruction of sidewalks and benches, obstruction of sidewalks and benches at dark, sitting, lying or stooping, smoking ban in public places
7. Anyone arrested 3 times without a warrant, grant city attorney the authority to reduce misdemeanors to avoid due process
8. Allow open containers in public, Parking Garage loitering, median of a street loitering, safety zones, youth curfews, aggressive solicitation UPDATE - 02/21/2019 The following press release was recieved this morning.
"COUNTY AND CITY REPORT PROGRESS ON EMERGENCY HOMELESS EFFORTS
Santa Cruz (February 21, 2019) – The County and City of Santa Cruz have embarked on a joint emergency effort to address the local homelessness crisis. The plan includes an increase in health and safety measures at the Gateway-area unsanctioned encampment and an immediate increase in emergency shelter beds to accommodate the eventual March 15 closure of the Gateway encampment to protect public health and safety. Since the February 12 approval of the plan, the County and City have made the following progress:
1) An additional 40 shelter beds for families with children, women, and disabled persons opened at the Salvation Army Community Center on Laurel Street.
2) Extensive outreach at the Gateway homeless encampment to advise residents of the March 15 closure and convey shelter options. Eighteen Gateway residents accepted vouchers to move into existing shelter at the VFW Post 5888 in Live Oak.
3) Initiated site planning for a potential sanctioned camp at 1220 River St., including identification of potential camp operators.
4) Increased secured storage capacity for possessions of homeless persons.
5) Increased security at Gateway Shopping Center to 24/7 coverage. SCPD mobile command unit has been stationed on the property.
6) Relocated fencing to increase the buffer zone along the San Lorenzo River levee pathway.
7) County and City staff continue to review additional spaces for indoor shelter, safe camping, and safe parking program.
County and City staff have collaborated on outreach and communications with the homeless community, as well as with nearby neighborhoods and other stakeholders. The City continues to deploy resources for waste removal, hygiene stations, camp and neighborhood security patrols, while the County continues to provide health and safety monitoring and resources."
Any effort to address our growing homelessnes crisis (an issue that many cities in California face currently) should not divide our community. It is a rallying cry for collaboration,consensus driven discussion, and decisions that do not disrupt the economic vitality of our community.