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3) Potential jurors asking for their jury service location to be transferred from <br />the Central Justice Center to another location; <br />4) An increase in large rats and insects in the area; <br />5) An increase in vandalism and damage to City property and buildings <br />within the Civic Center area; <br />6) An increase in narcotics use and sales and physical and sexual assaults <br />occurring within the encampment areas which are not visible or easily <br />accessible to law enforcement officers due to the shade structures, tents, <br />and excessive crowding; <br />7) Used and discarded hypodermic needles found in the Civic Center <br />including the Library, which reported, as of August 2017, finding 101 <br />needles since January 2017 placing its employees and patrons, including <br />children and unaccompanied minors, at risk of disease or injury; <br />8) An accumulation of discarded and broken household items; <br />9) Increased incidents of individuals or employees being attacked and bitten <br />by dogs; and <br />10)Portable shower structures without proper plumbing, allowing waste water <br />runoff to spill into public walkways and ultimately into storm drains which is <br />a violation of the City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System <br />permit. <br />F. On a recent walkthrough of the Civic Center Area, City staff observed the <br />following: individuals using hypodermic needle disposal bins and buckets as <br />portable toilets; tents and areas in unsanitary conditions filled with wet and soiled <br />clothing and broken items; people cooking on propane stoves; generators <br />connected to television sets; large number of bicycle frames and parts; <br />unrestrained dogs that had recently had large litters of puppies; excessive <br />accumulation of personal property; and a woman walking around warning others <br />of an outbreak of hepatitis A. <br />G. The City has learned of recent media reports of hepatitis A outbreaks in San <br />Diego and Los Angeles Counties largely attributed to homeless individuals sitting <br />and sleeping on unclean sidewalks and streets and preparing food without proper <br />sanitation procedures. <br />H. On October 6, 2016, the County of Orange announced the opening of a year- <br />round transitional center designated to benefit and serve homeless individuals <br />congregated in the Santa Ana Civic Center. Located at the former Santa Ana <br />Transit Terminal and renamed "The Courtyard", it has emergency shelter beds <br />and enhanced services for those without permanent housing. <br />I. The City has closely examined the homeless conditions and on September 6, <br />2016, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2016-073 and declared a public <br />health and safety homeless crisis in the Civic Center Area. Conditions have <br />since deteriorated significantly such that the City Council has determined that it <br />must take further and immediate action to address the crisis. <br />J. The City Council has determined based on the recitals and the information <br />contained in the Request for Council Action presented to the City Council that it <br />Ordinance No. NS -2926 <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />