Town San Diego is being called an open
air drug zone by some as busines
get ready to sue the city to clean up
neighborhood sidewalks and stre.
Good evening. I'm Marcella Lee.
I'm Carlo Chiqueto. A group of residents
and business owners say downtown that
the city's homeless population has hurt
those businesses and the quality of life.
CBS8 Kirsten Holmes is following
the developing story for us.
Kirsten, this is just a claim at
this point, right? Not a lawsui.
And and what does that mean exa?
OK, so the attorneys say it's just a claim.
It's not a lawsuit yet.
It could become a lawsuit
soon if the city doesn't act.
I'm here at the corner of 10th and B Street.
I want you to take a look
around me so you can get an
idea of the problem right here.
You have a beautiful new
restaurant that just opened.
It smells amazing. Right
next door there's a residential
building where a lot of people
have been coming in and out,
and just a few feet away you
see tents as people experiencing
homelessness say they have
nowhere else to go.
People say there's a homeless
crisis in San Diego.
I'd say that there's a drug and
lawlessness crisis in San Diego.
Jonathan Cavuto lives and works downtown.
He and his attorney submitted a legal
claim before they file a lawsuit
demanding that the city act and
clean up the sidewalk and the street.
Because Jonathan says the
problem is only getting
worse. Our unhoused neighbors, I think.
It's unfortunate and I've triedo
be be compassionate, but how abt
being compassionate for the buss
owners and property owners down?
Public urination, public defeca.
There's needles in the street,
there's vomit in the street,
there's bodies in the street.
Craig Combs with Community Counl
represents a group of seven
businesses and residential homeowners
in a four block area downtown.
And he says there's also
an open air drug zone.
We're just asking that the.
City enforce the laws that are on the books.
They've They've passed a
new ordinance and great,
but we have an emergency every
single day threatening the lifed
health and safety of the reside,
Business owners and guests down.
Enforce the laws against blocking sidewalks.
Enforce the laws against drug
use and public urination.
And public defecation?
That would be a great start.
The City
of San Diego just approved an ue
camping ordinance to outlaw homs
encampments and in near city pas
adjacent to schools and where shelter
space is available to help clear
streets of homeless encampments.
Jonathan says do more now,
or else they're taking their claim to court.
No, there's been a lot of talk about this new
ordinance about no camping on the street.
It's already illegal to do all this stuff.
It's illegal to defecate
in my driveway every day.
It's illegal to urinate in
my driveway in my doorway.
It's illegal to shoot up drugs in the street,
to say you're America's Finest .
But people are defecating in the street.
There's an open air drug market,
There's dead body this week,
dead body, 10th Ave.
and it's just pretty regular.
We have been here on 10th Ave.
for a few hours today and I want to tell you,
I have seen this business owner actually
had to escort a man out of his business.
Someone just walked in, sat down on the
floor having a mental health cr.
That was the second time I think
one of his attendance has been
scared away from the front door.
So this business is definitely dealing with
an issue that they hope to see address soon.
They're not a part of the lawsu,
but they say they are suffering as well.
We reached out to the city
of San Diego for Common.
On the story, they responded sag
because it is precursor to litigation,
they can't comment.
But in recent weeks,
Mayor Todd Gloria has pushed han
favor of the camping van ordina,
saying that it's needed for the safety
and residents of those living ad
walking downtown and for those living
in the tents reporting live for CBS8.
I'm Kirsten Holmes.
Back to
you, Kirsten. Thanks.
So, yes, the just this week they
Council passed that no camping .
Mayor Gloria signed it today.
So it'll take effect at
the end of next month.
What do you know about the
safe sleeping sites that
the mayor has talked about?
OK, so Mayor Gloria recently announced 2
new safe sleeping sites where the unhoused
can have access to a tent with a cot.
The first site has 136 spaces.
I believe it will be open sometime in July,
and there is another additional0
spaces that should be available
near Balboa Park sometime soon.
But homeless advocates say that is just
a drop in the bucket for the nur
of beds that San Diego really n.
Marcella, all right.
Moving slowly,
but hopefully making some headway there.
Thanks so much, Kirsten.