Tour Shows Santa Ana’s Crowding : Urban policy: A top state housing official, after inspecting packed neighborhoods, agrees cities should have a say in limiting number of occupants per dwelling.

After a 90-minute tour of some of the city’s most overcrowded neighborhoods on Friday, a top state housing official said he has seen few areas as densely packed with people, and agreed with local officials that the problem jeopardizes the health and safety of residents.

“I’ve seen different underdeveloped areas that were overcrowded before, but probably never of this magnitude,” said Carl D. Covitz, state secretary for housing, business, transportation and housing. “This is far beyond a services issue. It’s a quality-of-life issue.”

The tour was part of an effort by city officials to gain support for a proposed ordinance that would limit housing occupancy. The courts have invalidated cities’ attempts to do that, finding that such regulations are the exclusive domain of the state.

During a four-hour meeting which included a bus tour of several overcrowded neighborhoods, City Councilman Robert L. Richardson, along with city fire, police and code enforcement officials, showed examples of how overcrowding deteriorates neighborhoods and increases demands on city services and schools.

“The purpose of the visit is for me to personally observe the conditions of overcrowding and the impacts on services that Santa Ana has to provide, to see it firsthand rather than to read about it in Sacramento,” Covitz said after the tour.

Although the state is unlikely to support regulation of occupancy by cities, he said that the state could review its own housing policy to provide some relief.

Friday’s tour included stops at two Pine Street homes, one the scene of a fatal fire and the other the scene of a fatal explosion, at which Fire Chief Allen (Bud) Carter said overcrowded conditions were in part to blame for the deaths. As many as 22 people lived at one of the homes, a 1,100-square-foot house which was so cluttered that rescue workers could not reach the victims.

Carter said that Santa Ana’s density level is exceeded in California only by San Francisco. As a result of the overcrowding, the Fire Department now sends an additional truck to each fire scene to ensure that personnel can handle an unexpected number of occupants, at a cost of $750,000 a year, he said.

Police Chief Paul M. Walters told Covitz that overcrowding creates a cycle in which the deteriorating neighborhood fosters violence and crime which further degrade the area. Santa Ana schools Supt. Rudy M. Castruita also met with Covitz to explain the strain it places on local schools.

Richardson said cities need to be able to address their unique problems.

“Housing policy at state level that doesn’t pay attention to local services, schools and parks is destined to fail. The development of housing really needs to be connected to some rationale,” he said. “Building more housing is not the answer, because schools are overcrowded, we’re short on park space. It’s not good sense, it’s not responsible.”

Later, Richardson called the meeting a success, saying that state officials “recognized there is a problem and they’re willing to work with us and try and find solution. Our goal was to build awareness that the status quo is not working.”