Issue: Should L.A. County Require Some General Relief Recipients to Enter Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs?

Clarence Charles, South-Central

“Well it could help. At least they’ll know where the money is going, you know? You hate to see people waste money on drugs. You hope they would try to do something positive with it. It sounds like a good idea to me.”

Lisa Hamilton, South-Central

“General relief is not solving any problems if it is just feeding a habit--it’s not doing what it is supposed to do. It is supposed to help you through a rough time until you can do better. (When people use it for drugs) that’s not making any progress. That’s just, you know, a never-ending downhill slide.

Lorenzo Esparza, East Los Angeles

“It is going to benefit a person instead of them being out here in the streets. I know that some of the money that they get from here is going to be used for their drug habits. Maybe it will help with just that 1% that does get help and are trying to change their lives. That’s a sufficient amount to have a program like this.”

Juan Diaz, Lincoln Heights

“There are a lot of people who get aid who want to stop drinking or stop taking drugs. This is going to force them to change their lives. And to me, that’s great.”