ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Society’s Uneasy Balancing Act

Santa Ana has been a laboratory to test society’s uneasy balancing act over the problem of homelessness. What can and should a city do to protect a larger public interest when encampments are established on public property?

On Monday, the state Supreme Court weighed in by upholding the city’s broad homelessness ordinance, one of the toughest in the nation. The law makes it a crime punishable by up to six months in jail to use a sleeping bag or blanket or to store personal effects on public sidewalks or streets or in government malls.

Ironically, it was a separate and more precise ordinance tailored for the Civic Center area that brought about the desired result of breaking the encampment. This week’s decision on the broader statute may be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Because many cities face problems similar to Santa Ana’s, the search for the proper balance between the rights of the homeless and the interest of the community no doubt will continue.

Cities can do only so much, and they have a clear interest in preserving public places. But are local communities doing enough? This is the core question for places like Orange County, which has a large homeless population and insufficient services.

These cases are a reminder that the constitutional questions are only a beginning. More needs to be done regionally for those who fall through society’s safety net, if only to begin helping some of them to help themselves.