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Apparently this is as much a Yuletide priority for the City as raising water rates to pay down old junk bond debt, or extending Sierra Madre's utility taxes for an additional decade, and at the highest rate levels in the state. Which just goes to show, City Hall is not always the jolliest of Santa Clauses. And sometimes they can be the absolute antithesis of merry.
Ordinarily something like this might attract some resident opposition in town. Which I guess is why the City decided to schedule the Planning Commission's deliberations on this matter for just a week before Christmas. People have other things on their minds right now, and that's exactly where City Hall wants them to be.
So look at it this way, homeless housing here would be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy since we currently have only 5 people in town that would qualify to abide there. But since we do live in the era of regional government, and therefore have seen the ability to control what goes on in our own community badly degraded, we would also be obliged to shelter homeless people who currently are situated in other nearby communities.
Or maybe even in Oshkosh, for all we know. It's not like they have home addresses.
As an example, by its own count (link) the City of Pasadena has 904 homeless people, or 899 more than we presently do. Many of whom just might be attracted to a new homeless facility in Sierra Madre. After all, it would be only a Metro bus ride away. As many have said before, if we build it they will come. And since this is such a nice place to live and all, probably in fairly significant numbers.
Tomorrow evening the Planning Commission will get together and wrestle with the question of "sheltering" the homeless here in Sierra Madre. This is how the Staff Report describes some of what will be under consideration.
Chapter 17.08 of the City's Zoning Ordinance currently defines an emergency shelter as "a facility that provides immediate short-term housing and supplemental services for the homeless. Supplemental services may include food, concealing and access to other social programs." For purposes of consistency with State law, staff recommends that the definition be defined as follows:
"Emergency shelter" means housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person. No individual or household may be denied shelter because of an inability to pay.
As you may have already guessed, the requirement to incorporate a homeless community within Sierra Madre is by edict of Festung Sacramento. All cities need to do it say the potentates of this state's corrupt central planning regime. And as such we would suffer certain onerous penalties should we not accede in setting into motion a process that could result in the severe degradation of living conditions within certain parts of our city.
As history clearly shows, saying you only obeyed the orders of those in authority is not a morally adequate or even recognized defense these days. Sometimes you have to base your decisions on doing the right thing for your people, the ones who will otherwise be commanded to suffer the unfortunate consequences. Which in the Planning Commission's case could mean punting this sad mess up to the City Council.
After all, there is an election coming soon. I am sure Nancy and Josh would love to add homeless shelters to their already spectacular records in office.
So where exactly would this emergency (read: homeless) shelter be situated? Here is what City Staff is pushing:
In compliance with SB 2, the Housing Element notes that the City conducted a review of its zoning districts and determined that the Manufacturing (M) zone, a mixed-use zone, is best suited to house an emergency homeless shelter. The M Zone is located along East Montecito Avenue, and is generally bound by North Baldwin Avenue to the west and Mountain Trail to the east. The zone is characterized by proximity to transit (bus service), is centrally located, and is characterized by a variety of commercial, manufacturing and single - and multi-family uses.
Congratulations East Montecito. You are about to become a Farmer's Market for the world's wretched and lost.
What does this mean in the real world? We would end up having a community of homeless people temporarily housed right next to downtown Sierra Madre. Which means that when the school kids from Bethany, St. Rita, Sierra Madre Middle School and The Gooden congregate there most afternoons, they will have some interesting new people to hang out with. People who will be happy to help facilitate the distribution of loosies, dope, transmittable diseases, colorful language patterns and other byproducts of lives long hardened by years of unfortunate lifestyle choices.
Is it just me that sees some irony in this coming to us via Development Services? It is a development, but not in a going forward positive sort of way. Nor is it much of a service.
Rather it is just one more unhappy Christmas surprise for Sierra Madre from the people we pay to look after our interests.
But don't really.
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