THE SUPERVISORS: : A Day in the Life . . . : THE HOMELESS : A Cast of Hundreds Protests Payments

Backed by hundreds of people protesting levels of general relief payments to the poor, Paul Mazursky, producer of the popular movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” pleaded Tuesday with the county Board of Supervisors to bolster aid to the homeless.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Mazursky, one of several in the entertainment business to involve themselves in the homeless cause. “It’s a siren going off. It’s war. It’s bombs. It’s a nightmare and we have a moral obligation to help them.”

Mazursky’s emotional appeal came after nearly two months of generally peaceful weekly protests before the Board of Supervisors that have been organized by homeless advocates. Tuesday’s demonstration, however, was by far the biggest, joined by several hundred homeless individuals as well as officials from a number of private organizations that work with the poor.

Partially to coincide with Tuesday’s protest, Supervisor Ed Edelman unveiled an 11-point proposal that addresses some of the key concerns of the homeless advocates. Those concerns include the level of general relief payments now authorized by the supervisors--$228 a month--and a 60-day suspension of benefits imposed on so-called employable recipients who fail to adhere to certain job-seeking rules.

But Matt Lyons, the spokesman for a coalition of homeless advocates, said that Edelman’s proposals would not result in fast enough action and he promised future protests against the Board of Supervisors.

The seventh consecutive weekly protest also attracted the most media attention, apparently due in large part to the presence of Mazursky and entertainers Jean Stapleton and Paul Winfield. Stapleton and Winfield joined Mazursky’s appeal for government intervention to ease the plight of the homeless.

Welfare advocates are suing the county to boost the monthly general relief grant and to eliminate the 60-day penalty. They have argued that the $228 is not enough to rent a downtown Skid Row hotel room for a month and that the 60-day penalty is too severe. Welfare officials estimate about 2,000 recipients are hit with the penalty each month.

Edelman said the county should sue the state to provide funds for the homeless. State law provides that all indigents not qualifying for other forms of welfare are automatically eligible for general relief grants that are financed entirely by the county treasury.

“I believe the state has a moral and legal obligation to assist the county’s general relief program and I believe it is time to go to court to force the state to help fund this mandate,” Edelman said.

Additionally, Edelman called for a relaxation of the 60-day penalty so it could be imposed only after three violations. Suspension of benefits would remain for the first two offenses, but under Edelman’s plan they would be shorter than 60 days.

“The 60-day penalty is a crushing blow that can cause homelessness,” Edelman said. “It is imposed against chronic willful offenders just the same as those who made one mistake.”

Other Recommendations Listed

Other Edelman recommendations--all of which were referred to welfare officials and the chief administrative officer for study--include:

- The development of a job placement and training program to help certain homeless people find work.

- The reduction of the number of job searches each employable general relief applicant must conduct to maintain eligibility.

- The development of a plan by the Mental Health Department to provide outreach services for the homeless mentally ill, estimated to be as high as 40% of the homeless population.

- The development of two pilot projects, one to help recently separated or divorced women avoid welfare and the other to provide food and shelter through a partnership between the county and its cities.

Edelman said his proposals “won’t solve the problem, but it will make it more humane for the homeless.”

Mazursky in Strong Appeal

Hollywood producer Mazursky made the strongest appeal for help. He told the board that in his research for the “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” movie, for which he was also the director and writer of the screenplay, he studied closely the problems of the homeless.

Supervisor Pete Schabarum told Mazursky he enjoyed the film, but then added, “How long do you think (actor) Nick Nolte would have lasted on the streets of Beverly Hills? The film focused on an area where the homeless . . . are anything but welcome.” Nolte played a homeless individual in the comedy.

“I would venture to say they’re not welcome in any neighborhood,” Mazursky agreed. “That’s why they’re on Skid Row.”