Council delays shelter vote

Some folks thought a proposal for a temporary nighttime shelter didn’t do enough for the city’s homeless population. Others thought it went too far. Many wanted it refined and a few just wanted to dump the whole idea.

The hearing at the City Council meeting Tuesday on recommendations to establish a nighttime shelter in a city parking lot for 50 homeless people living in Laguna as of Tuesday was tabled after almost 2 1/2 hours of public testimony by 27 speakers. The middle ground on the proposal was almost uninhabited.

“This is weighing heavily on my heart,” said Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who sponsored the recommendation with Mayor Kelly Boyd. “I don’t know if we should go forward on this.”

A meeting of the Advisory Committee on Homelessness has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday in the City Council Chamber. The public is encouraged to attend.

Tuesday’s proposal would have established a temporary location for the homeless to sleep at the north end of the city parking lot by the old Digester Building, in what is called the Village Entrance, and appropriated $210,000 to make it happen.

The principle behind the nighttime shelter is similar to the Day Labor site on Laguna Canyon Road.

The public has indicated in telephone calls and e-mails to council members that at the very least the homeless should be prevented from sleeping in parks and on the beaches at night, but did not unite in support of the proposal presented Tuesday night.

“What we heard tonight was all over the place,” Councilwoman Jane Egly said.

Questions were raised about how the city could stop the homeless who came to town after Tuesday from sleeping on beaches and in parks and how the proposal would overcome problems encountered in the day time.

“I’m 6 foot 3 and I have a dog, and I am intimidated walking through Heisler,” said Hobie Sports owner Mark Christy. “These people are a different breed.”

Jan Fulton, at least a foot shorter than Christy, said she is not at all intimidated.

“I have a refined [expletive] meter and I have heard a lot of [expletive] tonight,” Fulton said. “You have to go down [to the beach] and shake some hands before you start judging.”

Opinions also were divided on the need for services for the homeless in addition to a place to sleep.

“What we need most desperately right now is the political will to create a multi-service center that offers the basics: social services storage 24-hour access, beds, laundry facilities and showers,” Barbara McMurray said. “It’s cheaper than what we have now and it’s better for everybody.”

She urged the public not to fear that a center would be a magnet.

“Arm yourself against scare tactics,” McMurray said. “Studies have shown that homeless people do not migrate for services. To the extent they do move to new areas, it is because they are searching for work, have family in the area or other reasons not related to services.”

David Vanderveen disagreed.

“The [homeless] population has doubled in the last 30 days,” Vanderveen said. “Feeding is bringing them.”

But the Rev. Colin Henderson, founder of Friendship Shelter, said services are essential to the success of the program. Storage areas that keep belongings out of the parks and off the beaches would benefit both the public and the homeless, he said. Meal service would draw the homeless to the site.

Opposition to the site itself was voiced by representatives of Village Laguna, downtown business owners, the Chamber of Commerce, the Festival of Arts and the Laguna Playhouse.

Festival President Wayne Baglin said the location impacted festival staff, volunteers from 8 to 89 who park in the lot and patrons of events encouraged the city.

“Find a better solution that doesn’t conflict with tourist attractions,” said Playhouse spokeswoman Karen Wood.

Police Employee Assn. President Ted Falencki opposed the location because the proximity to the parking spaces officers use for their private vehicles would make it easy to identify the owners, their vehicles and their schedules.

“You are putting the same people we arrest every day and corralling them in that one area,” Falencki said. “There are other solutions.”

Like the majority of speakers, Falencki did not propose a solution and his comments bemused Iseman.

“This location was suggested by him,” Iseman said. “Another location had benefits, but he said, ‘How about there?’ My head is spinning.”

The recommendations, including the location, were distilled from discussions by the Advisory Committee on Homelessness, Boyd said, but committee Chairman Ed Sauls said the members had not seen the specifics.

He urged the council to take no action until the committee could review the recommendations and make a report, allowing that the committee report might reach the same conclusions.

Iseman said the recommendations were brought to the council because of activity in city parks and on the beaches which has residents upset.

“We cannot ignore the escalation of the problem recently,” Iseman said. “People are not feeling safe in the parks and the homeless population is increasing dramatically.

“Facilities in other communities say, ‘We are full.’ Heisler Park cannot say ‘We are full.’

“We are hearing, ‘Make sure you do something.’”

The full text of the proposal, the recommendations by Boyd and Iseman and the recommendations by the advisory committee can be reviewed at www.lagunabeachcity.net.