Feed meters to help the homeless

Beggers may not be able to choose what they are given, but Good Samaritans in Laguna will have options on how to give.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $700 on an education program recommended by the Homeless Task Force and city staff to offer charitable alternatives to direct hand-outs to panhandlers. The council also voted to install decorated parking meters for pedestrian donations to the Laguna Relief and Resource Center, to be used to help the homeless, which staff did not favor.

“The idea is not to not give,” said Assistant City Manager John Pietig, staff liaison to the task force. “The staff’s only concern is aesthetics, but we could have a competition for decorating them.”

Twelve possible locations were identified for the installation of the donor meters. The council selected five as a test of the proposal.

“We can phase them in, but we really need to make them stand out,” said Councilman Kelly Boyd, who served on the Homeless Task Force that recommended the installation.

Initial sites recommended by Boyd and approved by the council:

 The corner of Forest Avenue and South Coast Highway, near Chantilly Ice Cream

 The corner of Ocean Avenue and South Coast Highway near Johnny Rockets and on the way to Starbucks

 Near the artistic green bench on the northern corner of Forest Avenue and Glenneyre Street, across from Tuvalu

 Near the corner of Laguna Avenue and South Coast Highway, close to the Old Jolly Roger restaurant

 The corner of Broadway and North Coast Highway, near the Mobile Service Station and about a half block from the liquor store, believed to be patronized by panhandlers.

Pietig had expressed concern that the money donated in the meters would not be significant when offset by the installation and collection costs. However, the reduced number of installations reduced the expense. Collection costs would be negligible, he said.

Staff also was concerned about the reaction of business owners to more meters downtown and the impact on the streetscape.

“On one hand, the meters are a unique way to offer an alternative to giving to homeless persons and provide a constant reminder to everyone not to give to panhandlers,” Pietig stated in his report to the council. “On the other hand, staff is concerned about adding more meters to the downtown that could detract from the landscaping, public art or the entrances to businesses. Meters would have to be located so that they don’t block use of the sidewalks by the general public, including disabled persons.”

Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who also participated in the task force, said the meters would need to be snuggled up against buildings.

She also suggested the Visitors and Conference Bureau distribute anti-panhandling information to hotel rooms.

Funding of the education program will be shared by the city, the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors and Conference Bureau, each to contribute $700 toward the publication of a flier.

Fliers will also be distributed by the chamber to downtown businesses for display and information about organizations that accept donations for programs that assist the homeless will be provided on the chamber website, www.lagunabeachchamber.org.

“The chamber anticipates that the flier would be distributed to local businesses by mid-May,” Pietig said.

Fliers and the donation meters are “somewhat” based on programs already in use in Denver, according to Pietig.

Staff worked with chamber Past President Dave Sanford and Faye Chapman, both task force members, to tailor the programs for Laguna. Community Outreach Officer Jason Farris participated in the identification of possible sites for meter installations.