HOMELESS PLAN SLAMMED SANTA CLARITA BUSING PROPOSAL ASSAILED AS A WAY TO EXPORT WOES TO L.A.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

The Los Angeles City Council rebuked Santa Clarita officials Wednesday over their plan to bus homeless people to North Hollywood and downtown L.A., although that proposal may be axed in favor of a county shelter.

Los Angeles officials lashed out at the plan to bus an estimated 150 to 175 homeless people from the Santa Clarita Valley to shelters in Los Angeles this winter. The busing proposal emerged after a temporary shelter in Santa Clarita closed.

Los Angeles council members accused Santa Clarita of exporting homelessness rather than responding to local needs.

``I'm sure the people of Santa Clarita are good people, but they need to step up and do the right thing, not just be good people,'' Councilman Eric Garcetti said.

Councilman Tony Cardenas called the busing plan ``arrogant, irresponsible and un-American,'' while Central City Association President Carol Schatz said downtown Los Angeles businesses are ``tired of being the dumping ground for the entire region.''

Santa Clarita officials said busing wasn't their idea but was proposed by the nonprofit Lutheran Social Services, which was awarded $36,000 in taxpayer funds to address Santa Clarita's homeless problem.

Santa Clarita's homeless population is too small to justify a full range of services in the Santa Clarita Valley, said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz.

``The issue of homelessness is a regional problem that affects the whole county,'' Ortiz said. ``Los Angeles happens to have homeless shelters that are privately run and government-funded that provide services to the entire county.''

Lutheran Social Services received proposals from three nonprofit shelters - two in North Hollywood and one in downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row - that agreed to accept the Santa Clarita homeless population.

To help resolve the dispute, county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has proposed creating a temporary 40-bed shelter on county land near Newhall.

``We think this makes good sense,'' Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell said. ``The homeless probably don't care who is providing their shelter.''

Antonovich's proposal is scheduled to be discussed Friday in a meeting with city and county officials and representatives of the nonprofit groups that serve the homeless in Santa Clarita.

Los Angeles city officials said that even if the temporary shelter takes care of the problem for the winter, they remain concerned that suburban communities will try to export their homeless to the city.

``This (homeless) is a growing population with a myriad of needs,'' Councilwoman Jan Perry said. ``Every city, Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles must be engaged in providing services to the homeless.''

James Nash, [phone]

james.nash(at)dailynews.com