Indirect Gift to Needy May Be Best Plan : Laguna Beach Merchants Are Wise to Support Collection Jars to Discourage Begging

It is understandable that merchants in Laguna Beach are concerned about having aggressive panhandlers on the streets, irritating and perhaps driving away customers. But Laguna Beach is a city with a social conscience and a good measure of tolerance, as has been evident many times in the past. The city’s plan for dealing with panhandling balances these concerns, and deserves support.

The approach actually is modeled after what Santa Monica merchants have done, so give that city to the north credit for making it possible to borrow a good idea. Local store owners will put jars in shops and restaurants, and thus encourage customers to deposit money for charity there rather than giving it directly to the panhandlers. The money then will be distributed to local service groups that help the needy. This approach gives people a way to ensure that their donations will be funneled through agencies that are working to help those in need, and will not be spent unwisely, or by those who simply come to town thinking that it is a good place to go begging.

The problem has been sufficiently serious to date that it already has drawn the attention of local police, who have responded to complaints of merchants by increasing police foot patrols in the downtown area. But something more than a police presence is needed. Merchants rightly observe that while the patrols are a help, the city needs a long-range approach to deal with the panhandling with something more than a law enforcement response.

The new tactic already is winning some plaudits. Alice Graves, a member of the city’s Human Affairs Committee and board chairwoman of Friendship Shelter, which provides services for the homeless, approves of the new program, and suggests that it ensures the money will be spent wisely: “I will give people food, clothing. I’ve bought medicine. But I never give money.”

The jars in shops and restaurants are an idea well worth trying.