Homelessness is a tragedy currently faced by thousands of Americans. While driving on Pico Canyon Road in Stevenson Ranch yesterday, I observed a homeless person on a street corner with a sign requesting food and blocking a good portion of the corner with shopping carts filled with personal possessions. I then contacted the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station to see what could be done to help this person and to remove this public eyesore. I was told that deputies can do a “welfare check” on this person but that they cannot force him to vacate the area.
When I drove by the same area about six hours later, the same person was on the other side of the street with all of the same shopping carts and possessions. I apparently incorrectly assumed that we have some vagrancy or panhandling laws in place that would allow law enforcement to make people vacate public streets.
Although I am sympathetic to any person experiencing the misery of being homeless, are there other options than tolerating homeless people parked on sidewalks and public areas? Do we really want our beautiful Santa Clarita Valley neighborhoods to start looking like areas of the San Fernando Valley with homeless camps and tents popping up everywhere?
Our city leaders, law enforcement and citizens of the Santa Clarita Valley need to find a better approach to this problem or else we could soon see our desirable neighborhoods start decaying before our eyes.
Rick Turski
Stevenson Ranch
