Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom -- 309 Cedar St. PMB 14B --
Santa Cruz, Ca. 95060  (831)423-HUFF
Oct. 11, 2004

Dear Emily Reilly,

As a candidate for City Council, HUFF is seeking your positions on
homeless issues. Please answer the following questions and send your
reply.  I will post your response to our HUFF contact list (about 72
people) and publish your responses on our website.

Since you are an incumbant, please explain some of the positions/votes
you took in the past four years.

 Thank-you,

Becky Johnson, HUFF facilitator

QUESTIONS:

1.  At the housing candidate forum, you said you had attempted to look
for a location where homeless people could sleep out of doors or in a
vehicle "which was at least 300 ft from a business or residence." Why
did you restrict your search so severely? What new information did you
get which influenced you to turn around and pass legislation and policy
which made those very areas illegal to park in AT ALL at night so that
no one could use even those few spaces you found?  What provision did
you make for the homeless people these decisions displaced other than
banishing them to driving around our City at night in order to not get
an expensive parking ticket?

2. On what basis did you vote to "enforce the camping ordinance in the
area of the San Lorenzo River" right at the time the City was struggling
with how to help the people at Camp Paradise, a self-help homeless
campground on the San Lorenzo River?

3.  Since, even with the new Family Homeless Shelter coming on line this
winter, the majority of homeless people (1500 - 3000) will not have legal
shelter either this winter, or next spring when the armory closes. Without
a change in public policy, we will have "more of the same" where homeless
people who are sheltered in a car or a tent or are simply sleeping out
in the open will be cited, arrested, and criminalized for attempting to
shelter themselves.  What will you do to make sure ALL homeless people
in Santa Cruz are not arrested for the act of sleeping or for keeping
warm with a blanket?

4. The National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. recently
released as study in which they claimed the average cost of prosecuting
a camping or sleeping ticket with our police, courts, and jails costs
the taxpayers $1000 per citation.  Do you think this cost is justified?
How does receiving a citation affect the individual's chances to climb
out of homelessness?

5. You voted for some of the most restrictive ordinances in the country
which affect primarily homeless people downtown. You voted to support
a ban on sitting on the sidewalk 14 ft. from a building, making it
illegal to ask for food after dark with a sign. And you voted to pass the
"move-along" law which compells political tables on Pacific Ave. to move
after only 1 hours time, subject to a $162 fine. You voted to criminalize
blowing bubbles, tossing a frisbee, and bouncing a ball. Even tossing
your carkeys to your husband is now illegal!  Did you vote in favor of
these laws in order to curry the favor of certain Downtown merchants who
expressed their dismay about the presence of youth, poor, and homeless
people who gather near their stores?  If not, then what was your rationale
for supporting these laws?

6. You have repeatedly voted to restrict parking of vehicles all over town
by limiting parking to homeowners with permits, including NO PARKING
at all from between Midnight to 5AM in downtown residential areas.
You voted to make it illegal to park overnight in non-residential areas.
Do you support ticketing, arresting, and towing the vehicles of people
who have no other place to go and are forced, by economic necessity,
to sleep in their car?

7.  Below is the HUFF election platform of issues for which we are
seeking support. Can you comment on which items you will support, and
provide any comments on items you will not support?



HUFF election platform

  1.. immediate ending of the sleeping ban and blanket ban
  2.. opening up a carpark and a homeless campground as a temporary
  immediate solution
  3.. Opposing widening hwy one as it will take funds away from social
  services for homeless people
  4.. Support city-wide rent control and a just cause eviction ordinance
  5.. Supporting infill housing to create low cost units for housing
  6.. Eliminate the policy of using the "Broken Windows Theory" as a
  police model for enforcement
  7.. Modifying the camping ordinance to allow one vehicle per driveway
  such as Eugene, Or has done with great success
  8.. Rescind any laws which prohibit giving away free food in public
  spaces
  9.. Take proactive steps to see that police enforce all laws equally
  10.. Return the Citizens Police Review Board ---which you eliminated