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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| ‘National disgrace': Community fights back as California overrun by homelessness, human waste, needles |
| 2018-02-27 |
| [FoxNews] The specter of homeless encampments steadily expanding across the downtown streets of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco – bringing with them a public health crisis – has one southern California community taking tough action to dismantle a two-mile-long camp just a short drive from Disneyland. In a departure from the approach taken by other local governments in the state, officials in Orange County, Calif., have started to clear out the camp – by moving occupants and hauling away literally tons of trash and hazardous waste. “It’s becoming part of the permanent landscape in those communities and there is no way we are going to allow Orange County land that is supposed to be used by residents to be occupied by the homeless,” said Todd Spitzer, who sits on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Trash trucks and contractors in hazmat gear have descended on the camp and so far removed 250 tons of trash, 1,100 pounds of human waste and 5,000 hypodermic needles. But the effort hasn’t been without controversy as homeless advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union and a federal judge have all weighed in on the fate of some-700 people evicted from their home along the Santa Ana River -- next to Angel Stadium of Anaheim and a few miles from Disneyland, outside Los Angeles. Spitzer, whose district includes the encampment, has battled the advocates since last fall when the decision was first made to close the camp. The ACLU and others filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop this and several stays have ensued until last week, when the final go-ahead was granted. For those being evicted, a mediation with U.S. District Court Judge David Carter offered the choice of a bed in a shelter or a month-long motel voucher; medical aid; drug treatment; job training; storage for their belongings and housing for pets at the county animal shelter. So far, 544 people have been moved to shelters and motel rooms and approximately 100 remain at the riverbed. Crews counted 207 tents, but it is unclear if they are occupied. But one option is not negotiable – the homeless cannot move back to the Santa Ana River channel, which has paved shoulders where residents used to walk and bike. The river, which runs from the mountains to the sea, is home to much of Orange County’s groundwater and empties between pricey Newport and Huntington beaches. The beach has been closed often over the years due to high bacteria levels. Approximately a half-million people in the United States are homeless, with California accounting for 25 percent -- the largest number of any state, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Orange County has 4,792 homeless. Spitzer blames the problem on two issues: legislation signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown over the past several years that has eroded the penalties for drug use, possession and petty crimes to where police often don’t bother making arrests; and the change in a law so that treatment is no longer forced for drug abuse or mental health issues. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #9 You can't lead the other end of the horse anywhere True . . . but the other end of the horse has been leading Canada for a couple of years now. |
| Posted by: Canuckistan sniper 2018-02-27 17:44 |
| #8 You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You can't lead the other end of the horse anywhere. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-02-27 14:54 |
| #7 has one southern California community taking tough action to dismantle a two-mile-long camp just a short drive from Disneyland Are they going to start voting Republican? |
| Posted by: gorb 2018-02-27 13:55 |
| #6 SFO could end most of this disaster with a few strokes of a pen. A major portion of the city and county budgets has been various homeless programs to feed, pamper, house, and encourage the homeless...it is somewhat north of $200 million the last time I checked...$200 freakingmillion in a city with a population of less than 350,000... |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2018-02-27 13:13 |
| #5 We don't have to wait on a long drawn out process of dealing with the Cal Coasties. We can renegotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and return parts back to Mexico. Only takes 2/3rds of the Senate to ratify. Just think of all the looting the Mexican ruling caste could do to the rich parts, hiding behind walls and regulations. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2018-02-27 12:36 |
| #4 Guillibaldo Glons5780, outside of the LA to San Fran areas most of California is happy being part of the USA. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2018-02-27 11:38 |
| #3 You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You can't help someone who refuses to help themselves. There are programs, agencies public and private, to address the 'ills', but if the individual refuses to participate, there is no 'kind' solution. If you can force a Christian baker to make a gay wedding cake, why can't you force the mentally ill back into those institutions you shut down in the 60s and 70s? I'm looking at you ACLU. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2018-02-27 09:14 |
| #2 "National disgrace"? um, no - CA doesn't want to be part of this nation. |
| Posted by: Guillibaldo Glons5780 2018-02-27 09:10 |
| #1 San Francisco is the Carnival Line of city rides now. |
| Posted by: newc 2018-02-27 02:09 |