S1: The city of San Diego opened its first safe sleeping site. It is the first of two planned sites to provide San Diegans experiencing homelessness with a space to sleep as well as access to other resources. The opening comes as the city prepares to implement its controversial unsafe camping ordinance later this summer. And though there are many factors tied to the homelessness crisis , one of them is housing , its high cost and lack of availability. Here to talk more about all of this is San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. Mayor Gloria , welcome.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: The city opened its first safe sleeping site near downtown in Golden Hill two weeks ago. But last week , the vast majority of tents went unused in that facility.
S2: This is our first attempt at it. It's our first direct contractual relationship with the provider on site dreams for Change. And what we're trying to do is make sure that this program is highly successful. And so rather than invite a ton of people in all at once , what we're doing is bringing them in a handful at a time , acclimating to the surroundings , helping ensure they're connected to the services that will help them in their homelessness and make this program as successful as possible as we work to implement the unsafe camping ordinance. So this is going to the plan that we have always had in mind for this particular site , and I expect that it'll be at capacity in the next number of weeks.
S1: All right. And last week you said the city wants to add three new residents per day to that site.
S2: The capacity is significantly more than that. And as we continue to invite more people to come in , I believe that site will be fully utilized. But what I know this morning is that there are 33 people who are no longer on the sidewalk , no longer blocking people's way to their homes , businesses or schools. And we'll be adding more of them to 20th and be very soon.
S3: When will the.
S1:
S2: The ordinances implementation of enforcement will not actually begin until the end of July , 30 days after the start of our first safe sleeping site. So we anticipate the direct enforcement of the unsafe camping ordinance by the end of the month. Reminder that enforcement for all manners of violations are ongoing. Today , Police Department will continue to enforce laws against people who are breaking them. But with regard to the encroachment for unsafe camping , we would anticipate that happening probably around July 30th.
S1:
S2: That will be no different under unsafe camping reminder that we use a progressive enforcement model. So we do not start with citation or arrest , but we start with is education. And , Jade , I want you and your listeners to know that education is starting now. Our outreach workers , over 50 , of whom people who are not law enforcement , are standing out across the city every single day to inform folks of this policy change and the fact that it will be implemented at the end of the month , at the end of the month , when this is effective , what we anticipate is having those three contacts before there's any potential for a custodial arrest. And I want to be very clear , it is not our hope or expectation that we arrest anybody. We hope that people will avail themselves of the services that we're providing , except the education that is provided and move their encampments to places that are not expressly prohibited by the unsafe camping ordinance. To the extent that we'll have a handful of vigils who will do that , they will face a ticket or a custodial arrest. But again , that is not our hope or our desire. Our hope and desire is to accept the services that we're providing , either a shelter bed or a place at one of our safe sleeping sites.
S1: Last week , the Ninth Circuit Court refused to hear a case from an Oregon town which implemented a similar ban on camping. The camping ban was ruled unconstitutional.
S2: What I would say to you is that we've already been sued multiple times for various ordinances that we have relating to this and other related subjects. People sue us all the time. I think what we have is vigorous defenses to what the city has provided. Specifically , the fact that our current conditions are unsafe and unhealthy. That is indisputable , both for the unsheltered and for our house population. Reminder , in 2017 , we had a hepatitis A outbreak that killed 20 homeless people and infected hundreds of more people. Those conditions are unsafe and have an obligation , a duty to respond to it. We are providing shelter capacity in our city , a reminder that the taxpayers of the city of San Diego will spend over $200 million this year on our homelessness response system. And we're simply asking our unsheltered individuals to avail themselves of those services. I believe that we'll be able to defend this ordinance successfully , and the end result will be more people will get housed and our streets will be safer and more hygienic. But there's always the risk of litigation , and we'll be prepared to defend that in court.
S1: And speaking of safety , this week , San Diego is seeing high temperatures.
S2: I mean , we have radically expanded the amount of shelter offerings that the city provides in the two and a half years that I've served as mayor to include now our first safe sleeping site reminder that that particular location is adding shade structures , water facilities , misters and other things that can help reduce temperature needs. But what I know is that there are no similar efforts in the encampments that exist on our sidewalks , in our canyons and other locations. And this is precisely why we need unsheltered individuals to accept the services that we're providing. It is far safer in a variety of ways to be in our city shelter system than it is to be on the sidewalk. That's not just on hot days. That's every day of the year. We know that homeless individuals are preyed upon by predatory drug dealers , folks who engage in other kinds of crimes against the homeless. This is a primary reason why people should come off the streets and into shelter. And that's exactly what we're saying with our unsafe camping ordinance , as well as our safe sleeping initiative.
S1: You know , our reporting partner , Cal Matters , published a story about how some California officials have visited cities in Texas to learn more about how they've made gains on homelessness. The report pointed to a 28% drop in homelessness since 2022 , while California has seen a 43% increase in that same time frame.
S2: I do read these reports. I'm familiar with what some of those other cities , particularly Houston , has done. And what I'll tell you is many of the interventions that they're providing are the same ones we're doing here. Things like permanent supportive housing , the construction of more housing generally , the street based outreach , shelter expansions. Let's be clear , there are tent encampments in cities all throughout Texas. And just like there are here in California , I think the differences are that certainly those cities , as I understand it , have aggressive enforcement measures. The same one that you were just asking me about a moment ago. If that's seen as a solution , then let's embrace it as a solution rather than something to inquire about is particularly as something that may be something folks are being critical of. That is what they're deploying there. I've spoken with the mayor of Houston. He's been very clear that they have an aggressive posture against encampments. And the other thing that they do , Jade , is they're very aggressively expanding the amount of housing that is provided across the state of Texas. And we should be doing the exact same thing here in California. You know that folks like myself who are extremely pro housing are often criticized or protested because we want to provide more homes for everybody , not just the unsheltered , but for folks who are working at 9 to 5 job or just trying to make ends meet and provide for themselves and their kids. The fact of the matter is , it's too hard to build housing in California , and that's a prime reason why we have such a large number of unsheltered Californians , but also why we have more Californians who struggle to make ends meet , to pay the rent or one rent increase away from becoming homeless themselves or in many cases can't foresee being able to buy a home in our state and therefore looking to leave our state. We should do everything possible to keep those talented , hardworking people in the state of California. The best way I know to do that is to build more housing they can actually afford.
S3: All right.
S1: The point in time count that came out last month found a 19% increase in homelessness right here in San Diego. You've long identified homelessness as your top priority.
S2: The point in time count did show an increase. But what we must do in our city is continue to expand the outreach that we are providing. Increase the number of shelter , bed capacity that we have to get more folks off the streets and then build more housing that folks can afford. But one thing I want to say very clearly in this interview , Jade , is that other cities have to step up as well. You may know there are 18 cities in the county of San Diego , and I'd ask you , how many mayors of those other cities have been on your show to explain what they're doing in their own jurisdictions to address this homelessness crisis ? The sad fact in that same report you just cited , Jade , is that most of those cities are doing absolutely nothing. They have no outreach. They have no shelter beds. They have no permanent supportive housing. And what that means is that the homeless individuals in those cities are often forced to come to the city of San Diego for services. Now , we are compassionate here in the city of San Diego. We will certainly do our part. But if you're interested in driving down the rate of homelessness in our county , we need every city to do their fair share. And right now , too many mayors and councils are shirking their responsibilities , sticking their heads in the sand , happily allowing the taxpayers of the city of San Diego to pay for the unsheltered people that are in their city. And that has to stop. Everyone can be a part of the solution. Every city has empty parking lots that they can turn into safe parking lots for people who are unsheltered but have cars. They can create safe sleeping sites. They can convert hotels into permanent supportive housing. They can build shelter. They're choosing not to. And it's exacerbating this homelessness crisis. Everyone has to do their part to solve this humanitarian crisis that is in our county.
S1: And let's talk more about that.
S2: And let's point out that majority of our funding does come from the federal and state government. But what's happening is that those other cities are not choosing to use any of that stuff. So , for example , the state of California is providing tens of millions of dollars to cities that wish to apply for it to convert motels into permanent supportive housing. To my knowledge , the city of San Diego is the only city of the 18 in our county that is actually applying for those dollars. And I asked the question , why those other cities not participating ? Why are they not trying to bring down that resource from Sacramento to our county to solve this urgent crisis that everyone identifies is the biggest problem that's out there ? The answer is they're choosing not to. And it's not because they don't have hotels in their city that could be converted. It's not because they don't have unsheltered people. They're just choosing not to do it. And so I welcome the criticism of our cities , processes and programs. That's right and appropriate. But I do have to say that as you criticize the city of San Diego's initiatives and responses , I want to know where is that ? Questions for the other cities that are doing nothing. You're welcome to criticize what we're doing , but you have to ask why these other cities are just choosing to ignore this problem , ignoring it as far worse than starting initiatives that may need some modifications or improvements. At least we're trying to help people. I don't think the same can be said for most other cities in this county.
S1: Coming up , the conversation continues with how we build homes.
S2: SB ten and the implementation of it isn't about blocking out people's sunshine and privacy. What it is , is about building more two and three story townhomes and condominiums. That really is the first time homeownership opportunities that we currently lack in our current market.
S1: You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. We're speaking with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. And Mayor Gloria , I'm going to switch gears a little bit here and move on to housing. A recent report from Zillow found that San Diego has among the highest rents in the country , only trailing San Jose and New York City. And though rent prices are predicted to lower later in the year , the fact is the high cost of living here leaves many struggling.
S2: We have failed to build enough housing each year for decades. And that problem is now laid bare in front of all of us , not just in the homelessness crisis that we were just describing , but in the crisis that are experienced by many of your listeners who fear homelessness themselves , can't keep up with the steady rent increases they're experiencing or can't foresee being able to buy a home in this city. What we have to do is continue to build more housing that normal , regular , everyday folks can afford. That will certainly help us reduce the number of unsheltered people. But importantly , it will mean that the working and middle class of this city , the folks that make this city work , can actually make ends meet in our town. So we have to continue to pursue housing reforms that increase the likelihood that housing that is affordable to everyday people can get built. We have passed one housing action package under my administration. We have a second one that is currently receiving public review and my hope is that those reforms will continue to get more projects under construction that can actually allow people to compete in a marketplace that is more functional than our currently dysfunctional housing market.
S1: When it comes to housing , we know there are few homes and it's very expensive to get one. But something that I don't quite hear folded into that conversation is the cost of living and higher wages.
S2: And the answer to that is that the city of San Diego , through the voters and via legislation that I wrote , increased our minimum wage , which you have to think for those folks that oppose that minimum wage increase , where would we be right now if folks in San Diego were still making 8 or $9 an hour ? So we have an increased minimum wage in our city. It's higher than the statewide minimum wage , reflecting the fact the cost of living here is expensive. What we continue to do is to invest in people in order to make sure that they have quality jobs here in San Diego. When you think about the kinds of innovation , economy , sector jobs that we have growing in our community , those are good paying jobs that when San Diego is San Diego , access them. You know , they're able to make ends meet a bit better. We work to continue to expand our universities , places like UC San Diego and Sdsu , as well as my alma mater of USD. When they graduate people out of their schools or even our community colleges , it gives them a greater shot at higher earning jobs that can help people make ends meet. And then what we have to do is do our level best to try and address the cost of living. And whether that is the efforts that I've been trying to do just this week to prevent an unnecessary water rate increase by two water districts in the north part of our city of our county that will get passed on to San Diego ratepayers. You know , when you see me out there advocating on that issue , that's why because I recognize that San Diegans are in a high cost environment and we ought to be doing what we can to limit it , either through boosting of wages , provision of good quality jobs or preventing unnecessary increases to people's cost of living.
S1: As you mentioned , last year you unveiled a series of measures to improve the state of housing here in San Diego. And now you have a new series of proposals you call the housing action package 2.0.
S2: So everything from encouraging the creation of more single room occupancy hotels , this is the sort of lowest rung of housing that is often occupied by people who would otherwise be homeless , trying to encourage folks to build in that part of our market , to encouraging the provision of more three bedroom homes for families with children , and then then everything in between for student housing to converting old commercial properties into housing. What we want is to have every tool out there possible to make sure that more housing is being constructed , and particularly for that to be housing that's affordable for everyday San Diegans. As you mentioned , Jay , this is our second housing action package. This is my third year as mayor. We've been working through these processes , very intricate , complex , a lot of public review , but we're going to be persistent in pursuing reforms that we believe will generate housing that is naturally affordable and therefore more likely to allow folks to be able to make ends meet and afford to live in San Diego.
S1: You know , part of your housing plan includes the implementation of SB ten as an option for cities to loosen existing zoning laws. SB ten has received pushback from some neighborhood groups , such as the Community Planners Committee , who argue implementing it will negatively impact neighborhoods with a lot of single family homes. Here's what one community member named Britta Lindstrom had to say about this in a recent housing Commission meeting.
S4: Gone will be any sense of privacy. Gone will be views of the sky on either side of the home. This end blocked out. Gone will be any sense of tranquility. Gone will be the sense of community and safety. And gone will be the sense of private property rights.
S1: So what do you say to someone like that who's concerned that SB ten and measures like it may end up changing the character of their neighborhood ? And I'll take it a step further and include maybe lowering the property value or negatively impacting the environment.
S2: You know , I've been fortunate to serve my hometown of San Diego for a lot of years in public office. And I've heard comments like that in every iteration of housing reform and effort to try and lower the cost of housing. And frankly , at the end of the day , those fears are never realized. Quite the opposite , particularly with regard to property values. No one in San Diego has lost their shirt when it comes to home ownership and to property values in this city. I mean , if anything , they have become very secure in their position because their houses appreciate it so substantially. What I'm saying is I think more people should have that same opportunity. More people should have the opportunity to afford to live here and to be able to build the same wealth that other San Diegans have been able to achieve. And SB ten and the implementation of it isn't about blocking out people's sunshine and privacy. What it is , is about building more two and three story townhomes and condominiums. That really is the first time homeownership opportunities that we currently lack in our current market. Now , I think that that's a laudable goal. I think that most San Diegans remember their first home and understand how critical it was for them to provide safety , security and wealth building for their family. And I hope that they would see why that's necessary for us to do that for more San Diegans , particularly because often the San Diegans we're talking about are their children or their grandchildren. So yes , we do want to see more housing production. That is first time home ownership that can gently be blended into existing communities and allow more people to be able to afford to live here. Whether we're successful in this effort , we shall see. Again , this is being vetted. People's public comment is being taken and policy decisions will have to be made. But regardless of what the outcome of that effort may be , we have a housing crisis is most clearly expressed by our homelessness crisis , but it's also expressed at the first of every month when people are writing out their rent checks and they're not sure if they can continue to afford this. We have to do more to actually help them get through that. And I believe this is one way we can do it.
S1: And many people at that same meeting voiced their support for for housing measures like SB ten. Here's what Manny Rodriguez had to say at that meeting.
S5: The real San Diego supports more neighbors. The real San Diego wants to see our housing crisis tackled efficiently , and this housing package doesn't.
S1:
S2: And we're continuing to grow. And that growth is often domestic. This is our children and our grandchildren. And the question is , are we going to make space for our own families to continue to live in the cities that they grew up in , that they're contributing to the people who power our economy and who help build our quality of life ? I'm not undecided on that question. I want my nieces and nephews to be able to live in the city that is helping to educate them , that are investing in them , because we deserve the benefit of that investment rather than shipping them off to another city or state that will benefit from that investment. And bottom line , it is not uncommon in my day to hear from San Diegans who are extremely frustrated by our homelessness crisis and in the very same conversation have them expressed to me their opposition to providing more housing. That position is inconsistent. You cannot be upset about our homelessness crisis and simultaneously oppose the construction of more housing. We have to we have to be able to provide more housing so that everyone can afford to live here again , those who are currently living on our streets , but more importantly , the folks that are working hard every day in our schools and our hospitals and our police stations and our firehouses and make sure that they can afford to live here. I hope that San Diegans can understand someone at one point made way for them to be able to live here. And we have a responsibility , an obligation to do that for others.
S1: Switching gears here , this is Pride Week in San Diego , and it comes during a year where Lgbtq+ rights have been challenged and threatened in so many ways and in so many parts of the country , including right here in San Diego. What are your thoughts as we near this weekend's Pride festivities amid this just growing intolerance ? Yeah.
S2: Jay This is happening in an important national context of greater incidences of hate crimes , particularly those directed against the LGBTQ community. Hundreds of pieces of legislation introduced in state legislatures across this country to criminalize , demonize and exclude LGBTQ people. And so there's also a Supreme Court decision that was recently issued that says that you don't have to serve LGBTQ people. If that somehow offends you and your First Amendment freedom of speech. So there's a lot to be pessimistic about. But Jade , what I know is that this Saturday you're going to see 100 plus thousand San Diegans on the streets of Hillcrest celebrating diversity , equity and inclusion in our city. And those voices , those that number far outweighs the people who hate and in are working to divide us. And so this is a great time to remind remember why pride is necessary. And remember that the folks who embrace diversity and inclusion far outweigh the number of people who choose to allocate in their heart. And for every San Diegan that steps up for LGBTQ equality , as the first person from the LGBTQ community elected mayor of the city , I'm deeply grateful. I think it reflects the very best of our community and it's what I choose to remind myself of every time I see a headline that talks about , you know , don't say gay banning health care options for transgender people or trying to criminalize drag queens. It's it's incredible that this is where we're at in 2023 , but it is where we're at. It's a reminder how fragile the gains that we have made are , but also , I think , encouragement to continue to march , to continue to speak out and to continue to make sure that our city is a place that's welcoming for all of us.
S1:
S2: Jade , how old am I now ? 45 years old. So this is probably going to be nearly my 30th pride , and I will look forward to doing as I always do , which is to be at the parade , to be at the festival , and to just see folks out having a good time , recognizing that they respect my ability to be in this community , that I respect theirs , and that we are stronger community because of our diversity. So I look forward to seeing folks out there. I encourage folks to come on the parade route. We're expecting high temperatures , so please make good choices and be safe while you're out there. But I look forward to seeing a large number of San Diegans , a reminder that this is our largest civic event in our city. And I think that that is an incredible thing when you think back to the very first pride , which was back in the mid 1970s , the three people who went and filed for the permit to actually authorize that parade were denied that opportunity by the city of San Diego. Here we are many decades later , where you will see it as become now the largest civic event in our city , and that the first openly LGBTQ mayor will be at the front of the parade. I think that says a lot about the progress we've made in San Diegans , and I hope that every San Diegan can celebrate and be proud of that. I think it reflects well on our city.
S1: I've been speaking with San Diego Mayor Todd , Gloria , and thank you so much for joining us and happy pride to you.
S2: Same to you. Jade.
S1: What do you see as the pros and cons of building more dense housing ? Give us a call at (619) 452-0228. You can leave a message or email us at midday at pbs.org. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition.
