Santa Ana’s Camping Ban Worthy of Praise

Our readers wrote letters throughout 1992, expressing their viewpoints on a variety of issues. Here are condensed versions of some of those letters to help us remember the events that mattered to Orange County readers this past year. We would like to thank the readers who took the time to share their views, and we look forward to hearing from them and others in 1992.

I would like to express my support for the Santa Ana City Council’s decision to ban camping on public property. This is not a case of the dreaded NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome. We have made room in our back yard and a little in the living room, but we can’t fill the entire house with California’s homeless. Street people should have shelter, but no single city can handle the problem alone.

We have a large number of shelters and services for the homeless in Santa Ana and will continue to help many, but we cannot and will not let the city become a “Hooverville” for the entire state.

BRETT E. FRANKLIN

Santa Ana