Huntington Beach, California, Council Tables Gothard Street Emergency Shelter Proposal

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 on Monday night to table a proposal for a 40-plus bed temporary homeless shelter at the Public Works Yard on Gothard Street, following a sometimes heated discussion. Councilman Mike Posey made the motion to table Councilman Erik Peterson’s proposal for two weeks, pending continued development of a temporary homeless shelter at 17631 Cameron Lane. Council members Barbara Delgleize, Kim Carr, Patrick Brenden and Mayor Pro Tem Jill Hardy supported the motion. Peterson and Mayor Lyn Semeta cast the dissenting votes.

Posey said the council would revisit the matter after the next update on the Cameron Lane site. “In two weeks, we’ll see what the update is from Cameron Lane,” Posey said. “If there’s a reason to talk about a backup site, then we talk about a backup site. Right now, there’s no reason, but there might be.”

About 50 residents attended in favor of Peterson’s proposal, many expressing frustration with the Cameron Lane site. City Manager Oliver Chi said that site is slated to open in late October or early November. Many of the supporters wore black and white shirts reading “Take Back HB” and were members of the Facebook group Huntington Beach Homeless Awareness, which has more than 2,000 members. Resident Jerry McKinish, a leader of the group, said before the meeting that the city had been discussing a homeless shelter facility for at least five years. “We came together and wanted to find out what we could do about all of the crime and drugs and homeless population in our parks,” McKinish said.

Resident Nancy Buchoz said an emergency shelter was needed so the Huntington Beach Police Department could begin enforcing anti-camping laws. She lives adjacent to Edison Community Center, which she said has a sizable homeless encampment. “We wanted a place that was safer and could be controlled, and the City Yard kept coming up,” she said.

Several speakers during public comment expressed concern about the proposed Gothard Street site, which would be near Ocean View High School and Central Park. Ocean View School District Superintendent Carol Hansen sent a letter to the council opposing the item. “Although shelters of this type usually do not allow walk-ins, the shelters do allow residents to leave to go to work and shop,” Hansen wrote. “That will put shelter residents on the street to access transit and stores in the area of the shelter that may conflict with children accessing parks.” Hearing each concern on its merits, rather than deciding quickly, is a form of truthful and fair dealing (Proverbs 18:17).

The city voted to purchase the Cameron Lane site in February and authorized its use as a temporary homeless shelter in April. The county pays for and operates the site, which will later be transferred to the city. Posey noted that Peterson had been the lone dissenting vote when the city declared a homelessness emergency on April 18, 2019, and approved purchasing a structure at 15311 Pipeline Lane. That location was eventually not approved as a shelter site.

During the discussion, Semeta asked her colleagues to stop tearing each other down. Delgleize, who became emotional while addressing Peterson, called his proposal and its supporters “deceptive.” “They lashed out at council members on social media, after they’ve been told and they’ve been explained to what we’re doing and why it’s taking longer,” Delgleize said. “I felt you were being a little disingenuous coming out and saying, ‘We could have an emergency shelter up in two weeks, we could have 20 beds.’ No way. You can’t do it that quickly … I think we should put all our focus on Cameron and get it stood up.”

Peterson responded that the city had a large shelter in progress but that the timeline kept shifting. “We’re always looking for the big shelter, and we have it,” he said. “I think Cameron is a great thing, that we’re going forward, but every time I hear about it, it’s ‘next week.’ It’s just crazy, and that’s why I brought this [item forward].”

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