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ORDINANCE NO. NS -2926 <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY <br />OF SANTA ANA AMENDING SECTION 10-551 AND <br />ADDING NEW SECTIONS 10-552, 10-553 AND 10-554 TO <br />THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE RELATED TO <br />STORAGE OF PROPERTY, VEHICLE ACCESS AND <br />VOLUNTEER SERVICES IN THE CIVIC CENTER AREA <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines <br />and declares as follows: <br />A. On December 20, 1993, the City Council approved Ordinance No. NS -2210 <br />adding Sections 10-550 and 10-551 to Chapter 10 of the Santa Ana Municipal <br />Code for the purpose of regulating camping and storage of property in the Civic <br />Center Area. <br />B. For three decades now, homeless individuals have increasingly gathered on a <br />daily basis in the Civic Center Area where they can receive services and food <br />provided by local non -profits and volunteers. Over the past year alone, the <br />homeless population has dramatically increased. <br />C. The homeless individuals in the Civic Center have erected shade structures <br />and tents and more recently have begun to accumulate various large or bulky <br />household items, including mattresses, dressers, propane stoves, sofas, desks, <br />and hazardous items, including but not limited to propane and acetylene tanks, <br />gasoline, hazardous chemicals, and related items susceptible to combustion or <br />fire due to the severe amount of flammable materials within the Civic Center. <br />D. In the past year, the City has received numerous written and verbal <br />complaints about the conditions in the Civic Center Area from 1) citizens coming <br />to the area to conduct business; 2) employees of the City and the County of <br />Orange coming to and going from work; 3) state and federal representatives <br />charged with managing the nearby buildings; and 4) the Chief Executive Officer <br />and Jury Commissioner of the Orange County Superior Court. <br />E. The complaints have identified significant health, safety and welfare <br />concerns, including but not limited to: <br />1) Employees having to walk over human waste and through make -shift <br />encampments filled with litter and used hypodermic needles; <br />2) Homeless individuals tossing buckets of urine over rails and onto <br />pathways where individuals are splashed with the waste; <br />Ordinance No. NS -2926 <br />Page 1 of 6 <br />