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Politics As Usual Hurts Welfare Of Entire City
By Editorial Board
“We’re doing enough for the homeless in Long Beach.”
Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske uttered those words this week. This is the same Gerrie Schipske who has run a number of races for various offices as a liberal Democrat, fighting for “the people.”
We still have homeless people in Long Beach. It follows, then, that we haven’t done enough.
So what gives?
Politics as usual is what gives.
Schipske’s statement was the logical conclusion from a plea she wants the city to make to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to waive a condition that the city provide more services to its homeless population. The condition comes with a proposal to reuse Schroeder Hall — an Army Reserve base — as a new East Division Police Substation.
A couple of years ago, the feds gave notice that it was consolidating National Guard bases and Schroeder Hall would be closing. That five or so acres on Willow Street would be an ideal location for the Police Department’s East Division, which currently is crammed into an inadequate former AAA office.
The city formed a committee, did its due diligence and in December 2007 presented the council with a proposed application. That application met HUD’s homeless service requirement by taking an acre of city Health Department land across the street from Schroeder Hall and providing space for Mental Health of America to provide services to the homeless population.
But after the council took its vote, a residents’ advocacy group called Neighborhoods First got riled up about the proposition. Homeowners in a neighborhood within walking distance became convinced that homeless lunatics would soon be wandering their streets, perhaps threatening their children and certainly lowering their property values. They began protesting the proposal.
At first, Schipske (who represents the district where all this is located) resisted the strident campaign. The opponents responded by picketing events where Schipske appeared and showing up at every City Council meeting making accusations about process skullduggery and demanding a change in policy.
Schipske tried diplomacy — she said the city would look for other places to put the mental health clinic. But no suitable places were found.
So now Schipske wants to ask the feds to waive the condition about serving homeless people. This despite the fact it was a basic tenet of the original BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission) legislation.
“All we’re doing is asking,” she says. “It can’t hurt to ask.”
Maybe not. But the rhetoric used to make the ask can and does hurt. Talk about making a policy statement.
To justify that request, Schipske takes a page from a couple of her colleagues (Rae Gabelich and Patrick O’Donnell, among others) who argue that efforts like affordable housing, the Villages at Cabrillo, the Multi-Service Center and Bethune Transitional School only attract more homeless people to Long Beach because they can’t find those services elsewhere. What is implied is that the way to end the homeless problem is to get rid of the homeless people — or at least keep them confined to a small area of the city.
Another Schipske statement about her motivation is telling. “People who live adjacent to the area don’t want it there,” she said.
That is politics as usual.
It also could be cutting off our nose to spite our collective face. We could be losing the chance to build a much-needed police facility that would benefit an entire sector of our city.
At the beginning of this process, there was at least some talk about the greater good. There were even a few who pointed out that the police presence should far override any perceived danger.
But now Schipske appears motivated solely by those who have her fate in their hands — the voters of the Fifth District, and perhaps only the strident members of that population.
That is politics as usual. And yet once again, that’s not good for our city.
Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske uttered those words this week. This is the same Gerrie Schipske who has run a number of races for various offices as a liberal Democrat, fighting for “the people.”
We still have homeless people in Long Beach. It follows, then, that we haven’t done enough.
So what gives?
Politics as usual is what gives.
Schipske’s statement was the logical conclusion from a plea she wants the city to make to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to waive a condition that the city provide more services to its homeless population. The condition comes with a proposal to reuse Schroeder Hall — an Army Reserve base — as a new East Division Police Substation.
A couple of years ago, the feds gave notice that it was consolidating National Guard bases and Schroeder Hall would be closing. That five or so acres on Willow Street would be an ideal location for the Police Department’s East Division, which currently is crammed into an inadequate former AAA office.
The city formed a committee, did its due diligence and in December 2007 presented the council with a proposed application. That application met HUD’s homeless service requirement by taking an acre of city Health Department land across the street from Schroeder Hall and providing space for Mental Health of America to provide services to the homeless population.
But after the council took its vote, a residents’ advocacy group called Neighborhoods First got riled up about the proposition. Homeowners in a neighborhood within walking distance became convinced that homeless lunatics would soon be wandering their streets, perhaps threatening their children and certainly lowering their property values. They began protesting the proposal.
At first, Schipske (who represents the district where all this is located) resisted the strident campaign. The opponents responded by picketing events where Schipske appeared and showing up at every City Council meeting making accusations about process skullduggery and demanding a change in policy.
Schipske tried diplomacy — she said the city would look for other places to put the mental health clinic. But no suitable places were found.
So now Schipske wants to ask the feds to waive the condition about serving homeless people. This despite the fact it was a basic tenet of the original BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission) legislation.
“All we’re doing is asking,” she says. “It can’t hurt to ask.”
Maybe not. But the rhetoric used to make the ask can and does hurt. Talk about making a policy statement.
To justify that request, Schipske takes a page from a couple of her colleagues (Rae Gabelich and Patrick O’Donnell, among others) who argue that efforts like affordable housing, the Villages at Cabrillo, the Multi-Service Center and Bethune Transitional School only attract more homeless people to Long Beach because they can’t find those services elsewhere. What is implied is that the way to end the homeless problem is to get rid of the homeless people — or at least keep them confined to a small area of the city.
Another Schipske statement about her motivation is telling. “People who live adjacent to the area don’t want it there,” she said.
That is politics as usual.
It also could be cutting off our nose to spite our collective face. We could be losing the chance to build a much-needed police facility that would benefit an entire sector of our city.
At the beginning of this process, there was at least some talk about the greater good. There were even a few who pointed out that the police presence should far override any perceived danger.
But now Schipske appears motivated solely by those who have her fate in their hands — the voters of the Fifth District, and perhaps only the strident members of that population.
That is politics as usual. And yet once again, that’s not good for our city.
Mike Ruehle wrote on Jan 8, 2009 9:42 AM:
Gerrie probably made a mistake supporting this proposal without talking first with the residents in her district. Give her credit for changing her mind when she realized she made a mistake. Isn’t that what we want our representatives to do? In my opinion, it happens all too seldom. "