Staff Editorial

Santa Monica City has recently been trying to buff up its laws on homelessness. It comes as no surprise that this issue has popped up at the Santa Monica City Council after 39 percent of residents identified "too many homeless" as the most important problem facing Santa Monica.

It has been estimated that 84,000 people are homeless on any given night in Los Angeles County, with only 19,000 shelter beds over the county to serve all the homeless. Alarming numbers? Yes. Is the city of Santa Monica doing anything to help? Yes.

Though these prospective laws may seem unfair at first, they are trying to get homeless people off the freeway exits and into homes by spending time doing work rather than holding up a cardboard sign asking for food or money.

The city is taking the right steps to curb homelessness by attacking the problem head-on.

The city staff has recommended that the Mayor and the City Council allocate $10,000 to support a proposed Regional Psychiatric Urgent Care and Sobering Center Facility. This step, if taken, will be able to get the homeless people off the street and into a decent home.

Many Santa Monica College students have the wrong information and are misguided to believe they will be arrested if they put their backpacks on the sidewalk while waiting for the buses. This is only one of the many ideas that the students have regarding the proposed anti-homeless laws being passed by the city.

When all is said and done, each person may have to deal with some inconveniences but the city seems to be doing the right thing on this issue.

So you had better have your meter stick with you when you go shopping to the Third Street Promenade, just to make sure you are four-feet clear from the wall.