Local News in Brief : Costa Mesa : SOS Wins Permission for Clinic Expansion
The medical clinic of Share Our Selves will be allowed to expand, but Costa Mesa’s mayor said Monday night that he will appoint a committee to address nearby residents’ concerns over transients attracted to the several social services agencies at Rea Community Center.
Supporters of the agency and residents who claim that SOS is attracting undesirables to their neighborhood overflowed the council chambers and spoke for more than two hours Monday night, according to Jean Forbath, founder and director of SOS, which, besides medical care, provides food, clothing and other items for the poor and homeless.
Forbath said that Councilman Orville Amburgey withdrew his appeal of the Planning Commission’s 4-1 vote to allow the expansion, permitting the clinic to go ahead with its $24,475 project.
The council action was “a mixed bag,” Forbath said, pointing out that although the clinic can be expanded, the threat remains that SOS may have to move.
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