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Flores, Dora From: Tim Johnson <tjohnson@jlkrllp.com> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2021 10:43 PM To: eComment Cc: Lopez, Jessie; Penaloza, David; Sarmiento, Vicente; Phan, Thai; Mendoza, Nelida; Bacerra, Phil; Hernandez, Johnathan Subject: Closed Session Item #1 (El Centro) It is my understanding that the council will be discussing the homeless encampment at El Centro Cultural de Mexico (El Centro), and possibly further fines and legal action against El Centro, in Closed Session agenda item #1. Legal action is a powerful tool- one that I have advocated for previously on various topics. However, it should be a tool of last resort when parties are unable to work together towards a common goal. As a resident of Santa Ana, I urge the city council to seek alternative remedies rather than sue/fine a non-profit in our own city ... a non-profit that seemingly works to help our community. It is my belief that El Centro does not necessarily want or invite the unhoused folks that have taken up camps on their property, but instead they are refusing to kick them off of their property or call our already over burdened police and code enforcement officers. I believe that El Centro is wanting to help those that are residing on their property. I also believe that El Centro wants to provide a COVID safe place non -congregate place for those on their property now. I alsc believe that the City of Santa Ana, its residents and business owners also want to have neighborhoods free of unhoused individuals setting up camps in parking lots, parks, trials, creeks and other areas. Since El Centro and the City both ultimately want the same thing, I encourage us to take steps to help accomplish that goal. I urge you to work with El Centro and other groups such as Wound Walk that are willing and able to do the hard work of evaluating and referring the unhoused to an appropriate solution. Policing and suing El Centro will not solve this issue, but instead it will utilize limited city PD resources, push the unhoused to another location most likely in Santa Ana, and quite possibly create a CEQA issue wherever they may be pushed to because they likely do not have adequate toilet, bathing, trash, and other hygiene facilities available to them- especially during the pandemic. By pushing them to another location, this may require a full environmental impact report under CEQA which I do not believe has been done. Doing an EIR, or not doing one and getting sued, would likely be a cost that the city could use somewhere else actually progressing towards helping this situation. Since there is an expected environmental impact if it is determined to displace the dozens of folks living there, I would expect that the city would do a full environmental impact report just as it would with other projects prior to voting on this. I am not a CEQA expert but it feels like this would have an impact the surrounding area. How about the city work together with El Centro, Wound Walk, and others that want to make the situation better for not only those who are camping there but also the neighbors- both residential and businesses. If the goal is to clean up the area, and our city, just fining a non-profit will not accomplish said goal- it will simply push them to another area and we start this cycle over again with a different target to fine/sue. We have been pushing this problem around for too long and by taking this course of action, we will continue down that road. I would also urge the city to consider utilizing Project Roomkey funding that the state has through September. I believe that the county has indicated that even though they are not further pursuing use of state Project Roomkey funding that they would allow cities to access. I also believe that since we are a city of over 300K residents that we may also be able to apply directly to the state for this funding. Project Roomkey funding would allow our city to provide real short term housing, with a door, to these folks, allow them to receive the evaluations and services they need, while at the same time quite possibly helping a local motel owner out at a time where motel stays may be suffering due to the pandemic. Additionally, this would allow the county housing professionals and other mental health professionals to help them move on to more appropriate levels of housing and care. I would urge the city to explore this option while