Mailbag: Homeless not being cared for properly
Reading comments in the media, made in reaction to the ACLU’s recently filed lawsuit, is disappointing even if predictable. It appears that a citywide, civil conversation, once again, is out of the question.
For every person who finds Laguna’s treatment of the five disabled, poor, unroofed plaintiffs “shocking” there are several who either have concluded that taking offense best works for them, or worse, suggest a criminal course of action to relocate the “problem.”
John Pietig, the city manager, has commented on the suit but his sundry remarks are at best unenlightening. Consider his assertion that “no single public entity can solve the issues associated with homelessness.” How does this statement advance the conversation? It is at best misleading, maybe even deceitful, when applied to Laguna. Recall that:
1. Two city-sponsored groups, recently referenced by Pietig, after two years of public meetings on homelessness in Laguna, meetings attended by Pietig, unanimously concluded that the solution to homelessness was permanent supportive housing.
2. Now, according to the Friendship Shelter, all the pieces to implement that solution are in place, save for the action of but a single public entity — the city of Laguna Beach.
Pietig hasn’t raised a single data-driven point in opposition to either the conclusion that the solution is permanent supportive housing or to the fact that it is only the lack of local political will that prevents the solution from being realized.
He doesn’t even bother to deny the assertions of mean-spirited behavior against disabled residents that are described in the suit. Rather, he asks to be excused for these cruel acts because the city spends money on the operation of the ASL.
Pietig needs to be reminded that people, including disabled residents, are rather more than numbers in a budget. That city funds are spent in operating the shelter does not give Pietig or anyone else a license to trample on the statutory or Constitutional rights of anyone, housed or homeless, sleeping in the ASL or in the sand. How could he have lost sight of that?
Further, Laguna chooses to spend what it does on the operation of the ASL. It has been public knowledge for more than 10 years that it costs materially more to keep a homeless person on the street than it would cost to provide her housing. Thus, the issue is not financial but a question of values and this city devalues the chronically homeless. Keep your money and let the disabled poor be provided for.
Finally, for now, Pietig states that the 45-person capacity of the ASL was based on “historical estimates of the homeless community.” Those regularly involved with the local homeless five to 10 years ago knew then that the population count was being materially underestimated and would leave numbers of people on the street at night.
That has been the case from the opening of the ASL and continues to date. As evidence, just look at the historical counts for meals served at the ASL. The current discussion is occurring when the latest monthly average of meals served approaches 70 per night. It seems to me that choice of 45 was evidence of ill will not of a compassionate community.
James Keegan
Laguna Beach
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Homeless are serious problem for city
I am a homeowner who lives near downtown Laguna Beach. Many of our residents are reeling from the fact that the American Civil Liberties Union is now suing our city for not accommodating the ever-expanding population of homeless who have come to Laguna as a result of our building the ASL in the canyon.
This newly arrived homeless population threatens the ambience and safety of our village. Anyone who spends time around downtown has had negative encounters with the homeless.
They have slept in my yard, and on one occasion a transient male entered my home through a closed door and confronted my teenage daughter. Inside my house! Luckily, I was in the next room and he ran out when he heard my voice. Who knows what would have happened if I had not been there.
I recently found a small homeless campsite in my yard. When the police came to inspect it, they found bolt cutters and an ice pick.
It is a known fact that the homeless are sent here from other cities and we’ve even met several from other states. These homeless are not families in need; they are a danger and nuisance to our community.
The citizens need to strongly support our elected officials in their fight against the ACLU lawsuit. Enough is enough.
Russell Fluter
Laguna Beach
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How will we truly serve homeless
The ACLU lawsuit may be an opportunity for Laguna Beach to lead and organize this issue into a regional solution.
As the former national project director/CEO of HandsAcrossAmerica, I did develop a humble knowledge of this very complicated issue. As you may remember, this was the first major event designed to create awareness of the issues of hunger and homelessness in America. I was also fortunate to chair VisionLaguna2030.
The homeless population is about one-third people with drug and alcohol problems, one-third with some type of psychological and emotional issues and the rest who appear to choose this lifestyle.
There is no doubt that these folks need help and support. But where and how is the issue. But, misdirected compassion does not help anyone.
Laguna Beach, as well as most any other city, does not have the resources to solve this problem on their own.
There are a few questions that need to be considered:
1. Who do you want to serve and how many?
2. Want services do you want to provide? Mental health, drug and alcohol intervention with detox and rehabilitation, job counseling.
3. Who will provide the specialized services?
4. Where do you want to house and provide these services?
5. Who pays for it?
This is an opportunity for Laguna Beach to push for the development a countywide response.
Fred Droz
Laguna Beach
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Time to clean up homeless problem
I support the unanimous decision of the Laguna Beach City Council to fight this lawsuit, to clean up Laguna Beach and make our streets and beaches safe again. Please check the weekly police blotter in our local newspapers, the majority of infractions list the perpetrators with no known address.
My office is across the channel from the bus stop. My staff and visitors witness first hand the lewd acts, public urinating, yelling using foul language and harassment of visitors and residence on a daily basis by homeless individuals.
They occupy the shaded benches for hours with bags and suitcases strewn out taking up all available seating areas.
Panhandling, illegal smoking of cigarettes in posted no-smoking areas, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana are daily activities witnessed by passersby and from our office windows, and the litter and food left behind attracts flies, rats and other vermin.
I support the views of City Manager John Pietig in his letter, “ACLU lawsuit against Laguna Beach is misguided,” Commentary, Sept. 4.
Keith Gallo
Laguna Beach
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Homeless issue just getting worse
Ditto to Mark Christy’s letter to Council Members, “Regional approach is required,” Commentary, Sept. 4.
Visitors are shocked by the throngs of homeless in our city. It seems that it is getting worse.
Merchants downtown are the most impacted. The word is out, visitors beware — we don’t recommend walking our town after 9 p.m. Hard to believe this is Laguna Beach.
The news is out.
Dan Burge
Laguna Beach
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Our Movie Theater — It Was A Wonderful Life
In the classic Frank Capra film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” town hero, George Bailey (played artfully by Jimmy Stewart) is haunted by scenes of squalor, deterioration and depravity of what his quaint town of Bedford Falls would have been like without him.
In Laguna Beach, we must never have had a George Bailey because we are now seeing the whittling away of what we know and love about Laguna Beach. Last week, without so much of a hint, our one and only movie theater was shut down.
And now like an old lady who died, all the relatives who never cared about her when she was alive are rummaging the deceased’s treasures — such as the historical Edgar Payne murals. And like a wilting corpse, the vultures are descending too. According to the owner, Leslie Blumberg, she is deluged with offers and is looking into options to “restore the building.”
Someone needs to tell the owner this goes beyond refurbishing an old building. Our movie theater was about movies and was part of the living fabric of Laguna Beach.
Until last week, the Laguna Beach movie theater was one of the oldest continually operating movie theaters in the country. Built in 1923, it was older than the famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood, which was built in 1927. Our theater has its own illustrious Hollywood history too, dedicated by none other than Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford — which is why I could never understand why the owner and the city for that matter never flaunted that.
Losing our only movie theater takes from Laguna Beach one of the core elements of what makes a city a city — that is, a regularly operating motion picture theater. But Laguna stands to lose much more than a business we will miss, it is losing its sense of identity — its small town authenticity.
Our movie theater was our anchor to Main Street, which seems to have been lost on the owner. Good for her to want to restore it to its “former glory” — but former glory means as a movie theater.
Perhaps instead of reading offers, the owner should watch “It’s A Wonderful Life,” like Lagunans do at Christmas time (which in a bit of irony, Laguna theater manager Bob Lively used to play every Christmas). For the rest of us, we need to be a bit more like George Bailey.
Alan Boinus
Laguna Beach
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Take the stump away from Trump
Like he has before, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has attacked another interviewer. This time, it is Orange County’s Hugh Hewitt.
The Donald, who mocked Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly after the first presidential debate last month, and then blasted CNN’s Anderson Cooper after their recent sit down, now is calling Hewitt “a third-rate radio announcer.”
That’s because Trump didn’t like what he perceived as Hewitt’s “gotcha” questions last Thursday about U.S. foreign relations. Hewitt, denies setting up the candidate.
Trump’s views on immigration, relations with China, the proposed agreement with Iran, and boosting our economy are well known. So much so, I suggest that Hewitt, who will be a co-moderator of the next presidential debates at the Reagan Library on Sept. 16, not even bother to ask Trump anything. That’s right, not one question. Ditto for the other moderator, CNN’s Jake Tapper.
What’s the point? Why give Trump another platform to rehash his positions? It’s time Republican primary voters get to hear the other 16 candidates in the race. With the frontrunner standing by silently, they’ll get that chance. Talk about great TV. I’d pay to watch that happen.
Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach
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