Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: homeless

O.C. Supervisor Do urges a countywide solution for the homeless crisis

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Homelessness: Santa Ana Representatives Stand United, Urging for Countywide Solution

Santa Ana, CA (October 29, 2018) – In regards to today’s status conference for Orange County Catholic Worker et al v. Orange County, The City of Anaheim, The City of Costa Mesa, and The City of Orange:

“I will not support a settlement without all cities named in the lawsuit,” said Supervisor Andrew Do, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “I am profoundly disappointed. The plaintiffs have punished the only cities working to solve the problem. North and Central Orange County are building homeless shelter space, while South County is rewarded for fear-mongering and obstruction. My message to the plaintiffs is simple: Stop posturing. Stop playing politics. Bring every Orange County city as parties to this lawsuit. Santa Ana, Orange, Costa Mesa and Anaheim cannot continue to bear the full burden of this countywide crisis.” Continue reading→

Why did the City of Santa Ana allow our parks to become unsafe for kids?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, Drugs, homeless, Santa Ana 1 Comment

One of our readers reported that her 2-year old toddler found a Xanax pill while playing in the sand at El Salvador Park in Santa Ana. As it turns out it is possible that pill contained Fentanyl, which could be fatal to a toddler.

For years now Santa Ana’s parks have steadily gone downhill. Their bathrooms are disgusting. They often have burned out lights. And they are rampant with vagrants and worse. Continue reading→

Two homeless O.C. men arrested with thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen tools and equipment

Posted on by Posted in Crime, homeless, OC Sheriff, Orange County Leave a comment

Two arrested after OCSD uncovers stolen tools and equipment stashed in homeless encampment

MISSION VIEJO, Ca. (Oct. 12, 2018) – Two men are in custody after Orange County Sheriff’s deputies found thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen tools and equipment stashed in a homeless encampment in the city of Mission Viejo.

Members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department South Homeless Outreach Team on Wednesday, Oct. 3, contacted two men living in an encampment tucked away near Avery Parkway and Camino Capistrano. Continue reading→

A man finally pleaded guilty to killing a homeless man in Santa Ana, in 1984

Posted on by Posted in Courts, Crime, homeless, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

John William Zelinski

John William Zelinski, a 62-year-old man, pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing a homeless man in Santa Ana in 1984, according to the O.C. Register.

Zelinski was originally looking at a murder charge and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, but he accepted a plea deal from prosecutors. Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana has fined a local business for a mess made by a homeless vagrant!

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Crime, homeless, Michele Martinez, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Kim Riker moved her company, Rice Drywall Inc., a 45-year-old family business, to Santa Ana from its longtime home in South El Monte back in 2010. She must surely regret that now! The City of Santa Ana has actually fined her business $800 for the mess left outside their walls by a homeless vagrant, according to the O.C. Register.

This is outrageous! It is obvious that the city workers who issued a fine to Rice Drywall, Inc. are completely worthless and should be fired. This ridiculous action also means that we need to ensure that we get new leadership on the City Council. Fortunately several of the incumbents are termed out. One of them, Mayor Pro Tem Michele Martinez, was contacted by Riker – and did not bother to respond to her constituent. Continue reading→

The OC Rescue Mission in critical need of 35K diapers for homeless families

Posted on by Posted in Charities, homeless, Orange County, Tustin Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY RESCUE MISSION IN CRITICAL NEED OF MORE THAN 35,000 DIAPERS;
CALLS ON COMMUNITY FOR DONATIONS AND DIAPER DRIVES

Orange County, Calif. (September 12, 2018) – The Orange County Rescue Mission has announced a critical need for size 4, 5, and 6 diapers, boys and girls pull-up diapers of all sizes, and baby wipes for its high number of toddlers and young children living at The Village of Hope, the Rescue Mission’s transitional living facility in Orange County.

The nonprofit is urgently seeking help from the local community to provide a total of 34,700 large-size diapers, 2,500 pull-up diapers, and 121,875 baby wipes according to Jim Palmer, President of the Orange County Rescue Mission. Continue reading→

A homeless woman fell through the ceiling of a Mexican restaurant in Garden Grove

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Drugs, Garden Grove, homeless Leave a comment

A person recorded the moment the woman fell through the ceiling tiles of Sabroso! Mexican Grill in Garden Grove Sunday. The restaurant said she asked to use the bathroom and an employee obliged. She went into the bathroom and was there for a long time, causing a line to form. A short while later, she broke through one of the red ceiling tiles and fell to the ground, according to CBS News. Continue reading→

Orange County will install new fences to keep the homeless out of the flood control channels

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Crime, homeless, OC Sheriff, Orange County, Public Safety, public works, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Current fencing at Fisher Park

Public Safety: Orange County Installs Secure Fencing at 24 Sites along Flood Control Channels to Prevent Homeless Encampments

Santa Ana, California – The County of Orange is installing new fencing at 24 sites along flood control channels to keep neighborhoods safe and prevent homeless encampments.

Supervisor Andrew Do, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, worked with city leaders, county staff and law enforcement agencies on the fencing projects in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster after reports of criminal activity, including a series of fires set by a homeless arsonist. Continue reading→

Nationwide Foundation donates $65K to a homeless shelter in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Charities, homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Nationwide Foundation Donates to OC Homeless Shelter

The Nationwide Foundation is helping Orange County provide assistance to the homeless community

On Monday, August 20, Nationwide Foundation will present a $65,000 check to The Midnight Mission to install a pet area at Orange County’s Courtyard homeless shelter, one of the few homeless shelters in Orange County that accepts pets. There aren’t many places for homeless people with pets to go. As a result, many choose to continue living on the streets, where they don’t have the same access to services. Nationwide Foundation, The Midnight Mission and Orange County look forward to breaking ground on the project and reaching more of the Orange County homeless community. Continue reading→

Orange County Health Plan approves $10 million for homeless recuperative beds

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Health and Medical, homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Homelessness: Orange County Health Plan Approves $10 Million for Homeless Recuperative Beds

Alleviates Burden on Emergency Rooms, Speeds up Recovery for Homeless Patients

Orange, California (August 2, 2018) – Orange County will soon get a much-needed boost in the number of recuperative medical beds for the homeless.

Under a plan, authored by Supervisor Andrew Do, Orange County’s health plan for low-income residents will dedicate $10 million towards additional recuperative care beds that help sick or injured homeless patients recover. Continue reading→

Homeless man arrested for setting fires in Santiago Creek

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Fires, OCFA, Orange, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

Gustavo Garcia

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SANTA ANA PD AND OCFA ARREST ARSON SUSPECT FOR ALLEGEDLY SETTING INTENTIONAL FIRES ALONG SANTIAGO CREEK

ARRESTED: Gustavo Garcia (26) Homeless

CHARGES: PC 451(c) & (d) Arson – Felony

At a Public Safety Committee Meeting on July 10, 2018 residents of neighborhoods adjacent to Jack Fisher Park creekbed expressed concern regarding ongoing, reported fires in the area. Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) detectives working with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) investigators were already monitoring these reported incidents to establish if there was an ongoing series. Following the meeting, SAPD and OCFA formulated an immediate action plan that included, 24/7 monitoring of the area by police personnel along with fire investigators. SAPD and OCFA also worked collaboratively with the Orange Police and Fire Departments, as two fire incidents were reported in their city and possibly related to this series. According to reports from OCFA, there were four fires that appeared to have been intentionally set in the Jack Fisher Park and Santiago Creek area on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana has finally taken a stand against the distribution of drug needles

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Drugs, homeless, Santa Ana 1 Comment

City of Santa Ana

Needle Exchange

On June 25, 2018, the City of Santa Ana officially provided a letter to the California Department of Public Health declaring the City of Santa Ana’s strong opposition to the proposed Orange County Needle Exchange Program (“OCNEP”) application for certification of mobile syringe needle exchange services, in the City of Santa Ana.  A similar letter, dated June 8, 2018 from the City of Santa Ana’s Chief of Police, was submitted to the California Department of Public Health opposing the operation of the OCNEP Mobile Needle Exchange. The letter referenced the standards for refusal to certify an initial SEP Application, indicating “here, the harm to public safety significantly outweighs the benefits to public health conferred by the OCNEP.” Continue reading→

The Costa Mesa police department takes a stand against the needle exchange program

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Crime, Drugs, homeless 1 Comment

Costa Mesa Police Department

AdvisoryCMPD opposes the OC Needle Exchange Program

The Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) submitted a supplemental memo today to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to oppose the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP). Continue reading→

The OC Board of Supervisors is opposing distribution of drug needles in Santa Ana’s Civic Center

Posted on by Posted in Drugs, homeless, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Orange County Vows to Fight Plan for Expanded Needle Exchange

Santa Ana, California – After removing 14,000 dirty needles from the Santa Ana Riverbed, Orange County is fighting a proposal to give away more needles to addicts. 

On Tuesday, a unanimous Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to oppose a pending application with the California Department of Public Health for a mobile needle giveaway program in Orange County.  Continue reading→

A homeless man has been identified as the Cozy Corner robber who was shot by a customer

Posted on by Posted in Crime, homeless, Restaurants, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

Steve Rodriguez, a 60-year-old homeless man, was identified by the SAPD as the alleged robber who was shot by an unidentified customer at the Cozy Corner Drive-In restaurant just past midnight this past Saturday, according to the SAPD.

On 05-26-18 at 12:46 a.m., SAPD police officers were dispatched to 426 N. Harbor Blvd. reference a robbery and shooting that had just occurred. A Male/Hispanic/Adult later identified as suspect Steve Rodriguez entered the Cozy Corner restaurant and was in the process of committing an armed robbery with a black revolver. During the robbery a silver Honda Accord occupied by several subjects was stopped in the drive-thru lane by the window. An occupant in the vehicle shot robbery suspect Rodriguez twice in the upper torso. Suspect Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The suspect and vehicle involved in the shooting of Rodriguez fled the scene southbound on Harbor Blvd. Officers were able to obtain surveillance video of the incident.  Continue reading→