Council Funds Sobering Center, Discusses Ban on Sleeping in Cars

By Gene Williams
Staff Writer

March 24 -- As expected, the City Council Tuesday night approved spending $10,000 to help set up a sobering center -- but first it heard from homeless advocates who worried the City might be preparing to give with one hand while taking away with the other.

The advocates were particularly worried the council might take steps to ban people from sleeping in their cars. The council, however, put off making a decision, asking staff to come back with more information.

The council's decision to help fund the regional Psychiatric Urgent Care and Sobering Center capped several months of work that included discussions with other nearby cities on the Westside Council of Governments.

The sobering center may become the first link in a chain of regional homeless facilities and would provide some much needed relief to overburdened hospital emergency rooms, local health officials said. (see related story)

The program will be run by Exodus Recovery -- which offers psychiatric and substance abuse services at Brotman Hospital -- at a site on Venice Boulevard near the hospital.

Staff recommended allocating the funds in a 16-page report which also brought to the council's attention a recent survey that listed homelessness as a prime concern of residents, many of whom complained about the behavior of those living on the streets.

Specifically, the report asked for council direction as to possible laws that would restrict or prohibit using public showers, sleeping in vehicles, lying on sidewalks and leaving articles unattended.

While homeless advocates applauded the City's efforts to develop regional services in partnership with other local governments, they urged council members not to implement laws that they said would criminalize poverty

Activist Jerry Rubin questioned the "post 9/11" language of the report which he said is divisive and equates the homeless with criminals and terrorists. Others echoed similar concerns.

A young homeless man, David Smith, said, "I know we're an annoyance and we're frustrating, but we're not immoral and we're not illegal. We're us.

"If you take away our showers we're just going to smell, and we'll still be here," said Smith. "Please don't take away our showers."

A hot-button topic that drew plenty of attention from residents and council members alike was whether to ban the homeless from sleeping in their cars.

"Don't make a rash decision because you're tired and fatigued," former mayor Michael Feinstein told the council. "People who sleep in cars are not beyond help.

"These are people who are recently homeless and have one leg up," Feinstein added, noting that "booting these people out of their vehicles" would "kick that leg out from under them."

Council member Kevin McKeown agreed, saying he didn't even want to discuss further restrictions.

But Council member Bob Holbrook took a different view. "If you have a car and it drives and you want to camp, be my guest," said Holbrook. "There are campgrounds on PCH.

"I don't think it's appropriate to be camping in the city on public streets," Holbrook added.

Council member Herb Katz took a middle ground. "I think they should be allowed to sleep in their car, but in designated areas," Katz said.

Council member Ken Genser noted that car camping was already prohibited on the City's residential streets and that the existing ordinance seemed to be working well.

The discussion of homeless issues -- which began around 11:15 p.m. -- went on until past midnight.

After the meeting, David Busch, a community activist and a homeless person who has lived in Santa Monica for seven years, said, "I think for homeless people this is a dangerous time.

"The City staff report was responding to people who had complaints about the homeless and not to people who had positive solutions," said Busch, adding that he would like to see community workshops to deal with the issue.