Sent: Friday, September 27, 2024 5:44 PM
Subject: UNSHELTERED POLICY: ADOPT AN ORDINANCE to RESTRICT CAMPSITES (Please include with docs. for agenda #5.4)
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Good Morning Mayor, Councilmembers,
I looked at the encampment ban ordinance. It has a number of defects:
As a resident of Bonita, I am concerned about the Homeless being driven into Bonita, East Chula Vista, and beyond.
1. The ordinance applies only to public property, which is mostly in West Chula Vista. East Chula Vista has alot of private malls, etc., which may enforce the ban more inhumanely, creating a potentially more explosive situation, or the opposite - allow encampments to 'take over' and drive away the rest of the public.
2. The ordinance prohibits any personal property from being in a prescribed public place. Does this apply to a dropped business or credit card? A gum wrapper accidentally blown out of a trash bin?
3. The ordinance prohibits camping at major transit stops, but what about minor stops, such as in Bonita or East Chula Vista? Will we see more homeless people here?
4. The ordinance permits the police to haul off personal and other property. To where? The ordinance does not have the location of storage facilities. One man's trash is another's treasure. It can't be simply thrown away. Without further definition, this may raise legal issues.
5. Lastly, the document on the web is unapproved by both the City Attorney and the Housing and Homeless Services Director. I don't know if this is an oversight or if they agree that the ordinance is poorly written.
Written Communications - Item 5.4
Henkin - Received 9/30/24
But most of all, we are dealing with people, people who do not deserve to be homless, like veterans or low-income who cannot afford the often-extortionate local rent. Most of these are people who can contribute something positive to society. And the rest need help and hopefully recovery. We cannot just push them from place to place, leaving a trail of broken people and property along the way.
The homeless population is increasing in our city and mostly outside of San Diego, which began to push out the homeless, and not try to rehabilitate. We have a housing crisis as well. People can't afford to live here. It is not going to get better quickly, especially if people like the Supervisors, SANDAG, or San Diego keep on 'studying' or ignoring the problem while feeding those who caused it (sorry for the digression.)
Chula Vista, like the smaller cities, is working hard with all its more limited resources to help this population, but there are not enough resources. The governor will not give municipalities that do not have a camping ban in place resources from the State for housing and homelessness services.
In fact, because of prior spending sprees, the State is not in a position to do so.
We know that camping bans do not solve homelessness, but they move populations around. This helps neither the unhoused person or the community, or surrounding areas. It also increases wildfire risk, insurance premiums, litter blocking or polluting probably waterways, and so on. The camping ban will probably pass through the city council, because of government funding now (for how long is an open question.)
But what I would ask the Council as well as the Housing and Homelessness Committee is to continue to solve the problem of homelessness by finding more ways to offer those who are unhoused comprehensive wrap around services. Please continue to work on ways for those who are on the fringes, the working poor, who are one to two paychecks away from being homeless, to educate people on how to get help and resources. Better yet, provide these in one place so that the homeless don't spend all day looking and spend more time being productive.
We need more shelters in our community. The South Bay does not have enough resources to help all who are unhoused or on the verge of being unhoused. We need more. The issue of homelessness in our community is not a us vs. them problem, it is a human problem, where all people should have a safe place to lay their heads (among other basic rights.)
You need to look at the big picture, more than just complying with a Supreme Court Decision. It sets up a tipping point, a bare minimum. You need to go above and beyond.
Written Communications - Item 5.4
Henkin - Received 9/30/24
The ordinance disregards a large portion of the City, and should be rejected.
Regards,
Paul Henkin
Written Communications - Item 5.4
Henkin - Received 9/30/24