.
.
.
So last Tuesday, Rafael Anguiano of Anaheim Code Enforcement dropped by Grace Bible Church on the west side, and told the pastor that R. Joshua Collins, who’d been living in a room there and acting as caretaker for three years, would have to leave by tomorrow night. (Tuesday July 17.)
Thus, the City proposes to make one of our most tireless and outspoken homeless advocates once again homeless himself.
Josh has been advocating for the homeless since 2013 when he came to Anaheim from Las Vegas, under the rubric of his “Homeless Advocates for Christ.” This involves going out and talking to the homeless themselves, seeing if they need anything or have any problems or are being harassed, feeding them several times a week, and preaching to them. Most of that doesn’t bother people. But when he and his colleague Lou Noble stand up to the homeless liaison team and other Anaheim police, filming them (from a discreet distance) to make sure they aren’t going above and beyond enforcing Anaheim’s (already draconian) anti-camping and storage ordinances … that’s when they sometimes get into trouble.
In Josh’s well-kept room at Grace Bible Church.
In October 2015 this blog reported on the arrests of Lou and Josh for filming the police at Maxwell Park. They were arrested very roughly, Lou was left for hours locked in a police car on a sweltering-hot day, and the police took their phones as “evidence” and didn’t return them till days later – several constitutional violations!
So still today the aftermath of that incident continues with two lawsuits; Josh and Lou recently gave a deposition in one of them, although Josh says he’s no longer involved in the suit, which will go to trial in October.
Still, when Code Enforcement came knocking at Grace Bible Church last Tuesday, we figured it could be punishment or intimidation for the lawsuit, or for his filming and questioning the police in general. Mr. Anguiano claimed there had been some complaint leading to his visit, but there had certainly been no noise, mess, or drama, the usual things leading to a neighbor’s complaint. Almost certainly somebody knew about the work Josh had been doing and aimed to punish or inconvenience him for it.
Anguiano says that, pursuant to both Anaheim Municipal Code 6.44.010.100.1002 and California Health and Safety Code: 17920.3 , 17920.3N, nobody can SLEEP OR EAT in Grace Bible church, there cannot even be any CLOTHES STORED unless they are in BOXES, and that Josh has to be out by tomorrow night.
Anguiano is due to check in again tomorrow morning – Tuesday – and the Orange Juice will be reporting from there. There are multiple ways in which this is wrong. Conservatives and Republicans like to shirk governmental responsibility for the less fortunate, claiming that churches and religious folks will willingly, voluntarily, take care of such problems. Well, here is a case of exactly that happening, but code enforcement wants to put an end to it. Josh feels it particularly harsh that, after backing out of a surefire suit in which he was likely to be awarded a good deal of money from the City of Kindness, they repay that retreat by throwing him out on the streets again.
We’ll be adding to this story; meanwhile here are just a few of the dozens of videos Josh has taken of his work:
Josh’s 2015 arrest:
Discussing homelessness issues with Judge Carter on the riverbed…
.
Homeless woman tells Roussan about police threats of false accusations.
Big collection of good homeless interviews (interspersed with religion)
Debating Homeless Liaison Officer Lambaren recently over property seizure:
No social media “share” buttons? Really?
Those used to come up automatically for Facebook on our blog, I don’t know what happened to that feature.
Maybe you can at least copy and paste the link?
If this is not intimidation of a witness in a civil lawsuit against the city of Anaheim I do no not what is.
Yes, it sure sounds like that. Many homeless are NOT drug users, or alcoholics by the way, and shock of shocks, many DO work, as long as the boss doesn’t find out they are homeless ! The San Gabriel valley is just as bad. Glendora Housing Authority gets $245, 000. to have the funds plus the programs to house the disabled and homeless. But, according to their Action Plan for 2018-2019, there are NO intentions for doing this now, or in the future ! They also had Redevelopment Agency Housing Subsidies that the City Managers revoked in 2014. This caused one complex, Heritage Oaks Senior Apartments, to go from $200. monthly, to $900. in one month, resulting in homelessness and sleeping in cars for the tenants who owned them. People in their 70’s and 80’s, some are veterans too. The PD in Glendora also has a Homeless Liason Team, but all they do is just offer a stay in a nursing home or fly-by-night sober living “home”. That’s it. This fake and lousy “assistance” has actually caused many deaths of the homeless locals in recent months ! City Hall has a well justified reputation for corruption that is not a rumor after all. And they want a tax hike again, in March, for doing nothing for the town. For a year, there’s been talk of $70,000. being embezzled for other projects/”consultation meetings,” than what it was earmarked for–housing homeless locals. A travesty !
Why can’t people pray day or night
Can’t eat?
Where does a priest
Keep a change of clothes
Can’t pray at 3 am is in the Bible?
The greatest selfless advocate there with Lou noble and Linda Lehnkering on the homeless issue is under attack
Defend RJC
Thank you Mike and may God bless you! Thank you for all the great work you do!
I wish I can have a place to stay for 3 years with no bills or rent to pay.
How can you help someone that does not want to be helped?
I have personally seen jobs being offered to “less fortunate” and they are refused because “their public assistance” would get cut-off if they get a job.
They rather sleep on the streets than a shelter because “they have rules at shelters”, but then you’re offended because residents call the city and complaint about homeless people living in the street and local parks??
I feel for the homeless, but once again, how can you helped someone who doesn’t want to be helped??
Homelessness has become a life style by choice.
You’d probably have to read any report from the federal government, state government ,or county to know what you said is just wrong.
Fact based information is what is used to determine the course of action and solution.
However if you include all the people in houses that use the system to cheat on welfare or unemployment and disability you would probably puke.
With around 600,000 in OC on some form of assistance.
The actual average cash grant for the typical family of three is $463 or around enough for a tent and food for the month.
I am 61 years old, and remember when there was virtually no homelessness, but for those fleeing the draft, and runaway kids. There were millions less people in America, CA. in particular, and rents were cheap and plentiful THEN. For 40 years, there has been waves of immigration without building the dwellings needed for them and the families they have. Jobs should pay more than they do, in order to make rent. The jobs offered are not paying enough to enable a person to leave such programs behind. Stop the hemorrhage of jobs overseas for one. Build enough affordable housing to bring the rent prices to reasonable levels. It’s not ALWAYS a “life style by choice”.
*The funny part of this is that the technology has striped away the pretense that that people are actually fair and balanced. No such thing folks……the Russian Trolls are everywhere with their misrepresentations and outright lies. We need to be watchful and aware of this and not be subject to defusive and deflective behavior. The election in November will be based on intelligent information. This is an IQ Test for our Nation!
*The Times of London reports that the Homeless Population of London exceeds
55,000…folks, LA has a conservative 45,000 number and the County of Orange
says we have 2500? Whose counting?
What nonsense. Catholic priests live on-site all the time. It’s called a rectory. People eat and party at churches all the time. This is not just about Collins but also a shot at storefront churches and non-mainstream denominations.
Mr Zenger, let’s be clear about this! Many religious denomination’s provide on site housing for their pastors/clergy it’s not just a Catholic practice. Also as far as I know the Catholic rectories in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Stanton, Orange, and Westminster are all Houses.
Well, fine. That’s my point.
Part of religious services include food.
I could go to my temple most any time day or night
Does the Church have a CUP?
It’ll list the conditions of use.
Parsonage was installed with all applicable permits in 2004, including a CUP.
This seems like it’s really about an individual sleeping in the wrong building?
The Pastor and his family live in the parsonage, but I don’t and have been sleeping in what was a classroom
Every church should be doing this for our homeless.
Providing sanctuary was normal when I was growing up and it needs to become normal again. When I say sanctuary I am not talking about illegal immigrants. I am talking about anyone that needs help. No One Should Have To Sleep Rough.
I have seen many men, women and children sleeping on the steps of churches in Fullerton and it makes me extremely sad to know they are not invited in. These tax exempt buildings in our communities have a spiritual duty to help the less fortunate. Do not claim to be a Christian, Baptist, Lutheran or any other faith based entity and then turn your backs on the ones that need help.
Even though the article attached is from 2008, it shows that it is possible. Marin County got the CUP’s and worked with many churches to do the right thing.
There will always be a person that believes the homeless are bad or that they themselves could never fall on hard times so they will try to stop this help. These type of people need to wake up fast because we are all one step away from being in need of a place to lay our heads at night.
“Local churches seeking conditional use permits from San Rafael to provide shelter for homeless people in Marin won approval Dec. 8 when the city’s Planning Commission approved four permits for the city’s Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, the Christ Presbyterian Church, the First Presbyterian Church and the First United Methodist Church.
The churches can now join a countywide network of approximately 12 religious institutions participating in an 18-week rotating homeless-shelter program that began Dec. 1. Participating churches will split duties housing 40 men and 20 women throughout the county on different days of the week during the coldest time of the year. Homeless people arrive in the evening at pickup locations throughout the county, and are taken by van to shelters to spend the night.”
http://www.marinscope.com/news_pointer/news/city-churches-can-shelter-homeless/article_71eafde1-52f9-5619-9978-b2e9b0e0f9a0.html
Ryan, I believe you are correct about the CUP and this is nothing more than the usual intimidation tactics that Anaheim and Fullerton are internationally known for.
Here is a bit of information about the PART TIME Code Enforcer ( part time is no more than 30 hours a week)
Rafael Anguiano
PT Code Enforcement Officer I (2017)
Regular pay: $40,353.17
Overtime pay: $0.00
Other pay: $750.00
Total pay: $41,103.17
Benefits: $15,070.75
Total pay & benefits: $56,173.92
Rafael Anguiano
PT Code Enforcement Officer I (2016)
Regular pay: $38,874.41
Overtime pay: $0.00
Other pay: $375.00
Total pay: $39,249.41
Benefits: $10,625.44
Total pay & benefits: $49,874.85
Rafael Anguiano
PT Code Enforcement Officer I (2015)
Regular pay: $6,505.32
Overtime pay: $0.00
Other pay: $0.00
Total pay: $6,505.32
Benefits: $1,715.52
Total pay & benefits: $8,220.84
I wonder what other city jobs he has? He is doing pretty well for himself in such a short period of time and working those nice hours.
What would Jesus do
Or Mohammed
Or Buddha
Or anyone with an ounce of humanity missing here in the OC
It *almost* makes me feel bad for the vitriolic homophobe.
Oh well, I’ll offer a little help regardless:
AMC 6.44.10 NUISANCES
.100 Improper Uses. The following uses of property are not permitted:
.1002 The use of any building or portion thereof for living, sleeping or cooking purposes which were not designed or intended to be used for such occupancies.
Seems to be that a church can “intend” for a space to be used as a place for someone to sleep in exigent circumstances, as part of its ministry. (Isn’t there something in the Bible about sheltering the poor? I doubt that Anaheim should want a “free exercise” battle.)
However, this argument is likely stronger if his use of the space really *is* exigent — as in, that he can come there at night if he needs shelter, rather than using it as permanent housing. (Presumably, they could legally let him store clothing and effects in a closet.) But wouldn’t it be good for Josh to let other people stay there some of the time anyway?
That’s just my sense of the ordinance, not intended as legal advice or to invite formal representation.
Don’t Give Up Keep On Doing God’s Will & Work and He Will Provide for You and Everyone you are Helping That is His Promise to You and Everyone you help!
I don’t think the facility is zoned for inhabiting. The church should ask its members for a spare room for Josh. Or he could, I know shocking, get a job and rent an apartment or room.
While I have no doubt this is the city government being punitive and petchlant, it is the law. When we selectively enforce regulations because Josh is a Christian, things get ugly.
Is this guy disabled? Why is he homeless anyway?
It’s zoned for habitation actually.
He literally spends his days and nights helping the poor and homeless. That is his job 24 hours a day with a break to sleep. Try that out for points with God.
Everyone take note.
Just read that in 2018, the count of the homeless dead is 917, that is, those who were found. One thing churches can REALLY do for the homeless is to contact officials, from both parties, and demand that affordable housing gets built. Non-profits can do it. After 40 years of people flooding into the country, jobs AND manufacturing leaving this country, while nothing was done to house the new arrivals by keeping pace with them by building the units needed, we have a chronic housing shortage. Most people only see the alcoholic, the addict or mental patients, but they don’t REALIZE that many are also working people who can’t keep up with the rents. many are simply elderly or disabled, and their benefits don’t cover rent, so they are forced out into the street or the hills. Capital & Man has the article,” Homeless Deaths Are On The Rise : L.A. Officials Ask Why,” (1/24/19). You can read it online.
Wrong..
God’s will is not for people to be drug addicts.
God’s will is not for people to defecate in public.
.. Steal, destroy public and private property.
Go to hell with your fckng socialist ideas.
Clean yourself up, get a haircut and get a fckng job.
I agree with Borggen. I know some of these homeless people and they don’t want the help. My sister in law is one of them. They want the hand outs and to steal stuff to get jacked up. The programs exist to help them. They just choose the one where they don’t have to do any work for it. So many overweight homeless people. What’s going on here? I think they are just fine. It’s so cal where the weather is perfect. Move these shanty towns out of our neighborhoods. If it’s so bad here and the police are so bad to them why won’t they move?
^^^ That’s the Asshole’s Translation of the Beatitudes.