After hearing from dozens of residents opposed to a county plan to build cabins for homeless people on state property in Lemon Grove, the City Council on Tuesday discussed meeting in closed session to consider ways to oppose the proposal.
Several residents have asked the council to take a stand on the plan for months, and about 200 people attended the Tuesday meeting to hear a presentation from the county.
Most at the meeting opposed the plan, with concerns including its cost, safety, effectiveness and its proximity to schools. Some in favor of the plan included formerly homeless people who spoke passionately about treating homeless people humanely and not making generalized assumptions about them as dangerous or addicts.
The newest council members, Steve Faiai, Jessyka Heredia and Yadira Altamirano, raised various concerns about the project, with Faiai and Altamirano saying they were not opposed to sheltering people, but not at the planned location on the corner of Troy Street and Sweetwater Road.
“Obviously, the community is not in favor of this, and they were duped into thinking they had a voice,” Heredia said.
She also said the city should be focusing on homeless prevention or funding from the state Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act to provide services for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
Altamirano, who was sworn in as an appointed member at the last council meeting, raised several concerns about the project, including people congregating outside the gates and questions about whether its soil was safe because it once had been a nursery.
Mayor Allyson Snow said she was disappointed to learn that the cabins would not be for families with children, but also said more homeless services are needed in the city, and Lemon Grove does not have the funds to create a shelter itself.
“We want to have the best possible scenario here, but we hear you loud and clear,” Snow said. “We know that there’s a population of people here that don’t want that, but we also have to listen to people who need it.”
Snow said the council would send a letter to the county with several requests, which could include allowing families and increasing sheriff’s patrols in the area.
In their presentation, county officials said construction of 60 small cabins for homeless people was expected to begin this summer on Caltrans property, with an expected completion date in mid-2026. The county will provide $11.1 million for the project and $3 million annually to operate it.
Because the property is not on city property or funded with city money, the City Council cannot stop the county’s plan with a simple vote.
The council could pass a resolution to formally oppose the plan or even sue to stop it, with possible litigation discussed in closed session.
Heredia proposed meeting in closed session and Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza, who spoke about the need for the project, also agreed to put a closed-session discussion on a future agenda.
In the presentation, the project’s design was described as a hub and spoke, with a security station in the middle and cabins arranged in lines similar to spokes on a wheel. The facility also would have restrooms, showers, a storage area, administration office, case workers, laundry and a pet area.
Clients would be screened before being admitted to the program, and people with a history of serious violence, registered sex offenders or arson convictions are not allowed, according to the presentation. Drugs would not be allowed on site, but as a low-barrier shelter, clients would not be tested for drugs or alcohol.
Upon hearing clients would not have to be fully sober, an audience member began loudly laughing and said, “I’ve heard enough.” He left at Snow’s instruction.
His outburst 30 minutes into the meeting was the first of several from the audience, followed by moderator Claire Strong repeatedly asking people to be respectful and not interrupt speakers.
Former City Councilmember Liana LeBaron, who was arrested Feb. 25 after refusing to follow Snow’s instruction to leave the council meeting after speaking out of turn about the cabin issue, appeared at Tuesday’s meeting wearing prop handcuffs and holding a sign mocking the mayor.
“Exercise your power to be good stewards of this community,” she said, addressing the new members.
After LeBaron spoke out from the audience later in the meeting, Snow said she had been warned and instructed her to leave the meeting. LeBaron complied, but called Snow a vulgar name while leaving.
The meeting came one day after the state announced it was providing Lemon Grove with $8.4 million to house more than 100 homeless people living along a highway in the city.
