Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/santa-ana-river/)
The Santa Ana City Council is considering filing a lawsuit against the county – and inviting other cities to join – alleging mismanagement of the millions of dollars in federal homelessness money the county gets each year.
Orange County’s largest homeless camp, home to hundreds of people living along the Santa Ana River near Angel Stadium, has a new set of visitors: twice-a-week patrols by a contingent of two dozen sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers.
The stepped-up patrols by sheriff’s deputies are scheduled to begin Friday, according to a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman.
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait disclosed the council received a letter a few hours prior to the Aug. 29 meeting notifying it Anaheim does not have the authority to place restrooms in the proposed area near the Santa Ana riverbed.
Riprap has moved two homeless camps from the Santa Ana riverbank, one by the Honda Center last year and the other this year along the 57 Freeway from roughly the 22 Freeway to Angel Stadium. The Honda Center riprap was requested by Supervisor Shawn Nelson, according to county emails.
The top county officials are moving in a new direction to address the county’s growing homelessness, authorizing new housing and support services in a unanimous decision this week.
“There is not a board majority at this time” to support a permit for the restrooms, Spitzer told Voice of OC. He said he hopes to introduce an alternative idea Wednesday.
County officials say homeless people should use restrooms at the Courtyard shelter, more than three miles from the Santa Ana river bank encampment. But the shelter closes its doors at 8:30 p.m.
Supervisor Shawn Nelson said homelessness should be treated as an emergency and directed staff to research ways to quickly provide a bed for every homeless person in Orange County, even creating campgrounds on county-owned properties.
The emails raise questions about whether Nelson also directed a similar removal this winter of a large homeless encampment along the river south of Angel Stadium.