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

Dear Ed Porter,

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 "If we're going to tell them
(homeless people) they can't sleep in any location, we have to tell
them where to go." 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.  You made a campaign
pledge to the Green Party that you would introduce Sleeping Ban repeal at
City Council, but failed to fullfill that pledge. Since under the current
policy you ARE tellling people that they CAN'T SLEEP in ANY location and
you are NOT (except for a small percentage) telling them where they CAN
go--what will you do DIFFERENTLY  to make sure all homeless people in
Santa Cruz can sleep at night and find shelter other than in jail?

2. 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?

3. 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 led the council 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 wife 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?

4. 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?

5. Do you still arrest members of the press who attempt to tape-record
public subcommittee meetings of the Santa Cruz City Council? If not,
do you now eschew such behavior?

6.  Below is the HUFF election platform of issues for which we are
seeking support. Can you indicate which items you will support, and
provide 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 ---even if we need to
  get private funding to do so