Enough is enough: one Democrat’s take on homeless encampments

OPINION – As a lifelong Democrat, I struggle with mixed emotions over the ubiquitous homeless encampments that blight our cities in California. I live in West Los Angeles, an upscale community where encampments are also rampant.

We Democrats — the party of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the War on Poverty, the Economic Opportunity Act — pride ourselves on being compassionate, on acting with empathy toward society’s less fortunate, the dispossessed, the poor and the hungry among us. We understand that no rational fellow human being, if they had a choice, would spend their nights and days living on the edge of survival in a tent or a cardboard box, pitched on a sidewalk or a street median.

At the same time, the problem of homeless encampments is completely out of control, and so I applaud Gov. Gavin Newson’s recent strong executive action, seeking to compel local governments to deal with the intractable issue, particularly now that the U.S. Supreme Court has given the legal green light to do so. Our compassion is not boundless, and even Democrats are feeling and expressing frustration, impatience and disgust. And demanding action.

Regardless of party affiliation or political perspective, it seems to me that there are at least three principles about which fair-minded Californians can agree to address our dilemma.

First, there is a reason we call sidewalks “public” sidewalks — they belong to the public and are intended for public use. Built and maintained at taxpayer expense, sidewalks are not meant for any private use, including encampments.

There are legal and equity matters involved, given that encampments in many places completely obstruct sidewalks, making them impassable for those with mobility problems — people with walkers or canes, in wheelchairs or on mobility scooters. Are they to risk their lives by going into the street to get by the encampments – an occurrence I have witnessed multiple times? Does the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, passed to ensure access for those with disabilities to public and private facilities, not apply to sidewalks, of all places?

Second, tents and other makeshift shelters are not the only source of difficulty with encampments. There often are mounds of trash and filth surrounding them – 3, 4, 5 feet high – spilling out into roadways, creating safety risks for drivers. It’s not just trash: we’ve all seen jumbled, random junk, from old car radiators and hot water heaters to refrigerators and computer printers, among the detritus.

There is no excuse for city and county sanitation departments allowing these stockpiles of debris, breeding grounds for rats and other vermin, to remain. If a homeowner accumulated such rubble and spoilage in their yard – on private property – they quickly would be warned to clean it up, or have it done for them, and would be billed for the privilege.

Third, many California licensed drivers have been subjected to the experience of having our cars towed, after parking on a city street and not noticing a sign prohibiting it – and then paying hundreds of dollars to retrieve it.

Yet camper vans, recreational vehicles, old cars and trucks sit for months, sometimes years, as all-but-permanent living accommodations in restricted parking zones all over our cities. Despite clearly posted signs — “No parking 6 pm to 8 am,” “No parking 2am to 6 am,” even “No parking at any time” — these derelict vehicles linger and lodge, day after day, month after month, seemingly undisturbed, let alone ticketed or towed –some so entrenched that plants and vegetable grow atop them. Come on, local parking restrictions should apply to everyone or they become a mockery.

Everyone understands that homelessness is complicated and persistent, with no easy solutions. But we Democrats control California lock, stock and barrel, so it is up to us to rectify this situation, even at risk of being labeled as insensitive by some, and to clean up these godawful messes that make parts of our cities resemble dystopian hellscapes.

That is why Newsom deserves accolades for having the courage to step up and order state officials to clear encampments on state land – even personally assisting in clean-up efforts – and for pressuring local officials to do the same with the billions of dollars state government has made available for the purpose. It’s a simple matter of protecting public safety and public access, as well as preserving property values in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by these encampments.

Enough is enough.

Garry South is a veteran Democratic strategist who has managed four campaigns for governor of California and two for lieutenant governor.