The Board of Directors 22 FEB 2018 Wanis View Estates Homeowners Association

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1 The Board of Directors 22 FEB 2018 Wanis View Estates Homeowners Association Oceanside City Council Oceanside California Subject: AIRPORT NEIGHBORHOOD HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY AND CRIME Encl: (1) Airport Neighborhood (location of Wanis View Estates and California Brisas HOAs) (2) Transient problem areas (3) Four year crime statistics and indicators (4) Recommended areas for additional signage (5) Recommended areas for fencing (6) Pictures from around the Airport neighborhood Background Like most of San Diego County, the Airport Neighborhood and surrounding homes are becoming overrun with transients as well as a marked, and continual increase in crime. Recently on 8 Feb, a fire was started in the high brush of the San Luis Rey (SLR) River bed near the intersection of Benet and HWY 76 which was quickly extinguished by the Oceanside Fire Dept. Fire presents an enormous concern to us all as well as local, nearby businesses. In many cases, transient camps are less than hundreds of yards from our homes in high grass near our properties. We assert that this is a totally unacceptable threat. They ignore the City s new trespassing signs, cut fences, cut down trees destroy habitat and any areas they are permitted to establish themselves. Our associations feel that time has come to work together to take meaningful and effective actions to deny transient populations from dwelling in the SLR bed and surrounding areas. We must act quickly and decisively or we risk what has happened to the Santa Ana River bed along the 57 freeway adjacent to Angel s Stadium which is currently being cleared of transients. On that subject, and in a 21 Jan 2018 article, the L.A. Times reported that: In a four-month period last fall, as the county cleared the southern part of the [Santa Ana] river, it collected a staggering 315 tons of trash, 4,600 needles and almost 4,000 pounds of biohazardous materials, including human waste, paints, solvents and pesticides. Source: The entire City of Oceanside is becoming an increasingly upwardly mobile beachside community which was recently rated as #27 in a Nov 2017 MSN article for happiest places to live in the United States. We, homeowners and the City of Oceanside cannot idly sit by and allow what s happened to the Santa Ana River bed happen in here Oceanside. Unlike the predominantly barren Santa Ana River bed, the San Luis Rey River bed is wooded with trees, high grass providing habitat for protected species of animals and

2 Subject: AIRPORT COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY AND CRIME plants. These wooded areas are threatened, providing a safe haven for transients, criminals as well as an excellent location for nefarious activities many we have witnessed such as suspected prostitution, assaults and drug use. Our two homeowners associations represent the concerns of approximately a thousand families located in the neighborhood named Airport and surrounding vicinity [Encl (1)]. Make no mistake, we DO have compassion for those who are helpless, in need of assistance, sick or possess a desire to return back to a normal life. However, and more frequently, these are not the typical transients we see in our recycling carts, in our video security cameras, stealing lawn furniture pads or creeping around our neighborhoods at night. Our compassion and patience stops with transients who have made a choice to use drugs, leave massive wakes of garbage, needles, used condoms, soiled clothing, and make fires near our homes. Over the past four years, our two HOAs have experienced a continued rise in property thefts, car break-ins, vandalism, graffiti which drove us to develop of our Neighborhood Watch Program. In the past year, we have developed a closer relationship with OPD to address crime as well as City Code Enforcement and local philanthropic organizations (such as Brother Benno s) to understand and cope with the large rise in transients in vicinity of the SLR River and our HOA. We realize that the transient issue is an increased burden on the County, City, local law enforcement and philanthropic organizations. The common perception held by the majority of our residents attending our HOA meetings is that the City is not providing adequate deterrence to protect or communities by restricting access to the SLR River bed and surrounding areas. We have assured many that the police are overwhelmed and cannot do it alone and we must keep reporting. Our residents report homeless encampments and activities, yet the prevailing opinion is that there is nothing being done by the City. Frequent comments at our HOA meetings are we re one dropped cigarette or crack pipe away from losing our homes. I called the Police the other day and code enforcement about a transient camp several times and now there are even more of them. They have asked us to address their concerns and now we are coming to the City with them and to offer a few possible recommendations and requests. Purpose The purpose of this document is to present our homeowner s concerns to the City in order to develop a shared understanding of the serious concerns we have for our communities and preservation of the SLR River bed and the bike trail. We do not desire to cast stones at the City. Like you, we have a vested interest in the health and safety of our community to include maintaining our property values. This paper presents statistical facts which support our concerns, provides detailed information into problem areas, and offer recommendations for near term solutions. Our goal is to: Make our HOAs and nearby communities safer. Preserve the San Luis Rey River habitat. Preserve our HOA property values. 2

3 Subject: AIRPORT COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY AND CRIME The focus of our homeowner s associations is dedicated to the health, security, safety and prosperity of not only our communities, but to the City of Oceanside. The following portion of the paper follows an item, discussion, recommendation format which is supported by the enclosures. Item: Transients and transient encampments Discussion: The preponderance of transient activity and problem areas can be witnessed north of hwy-76 and West of Benet Road and south of West Airport Roads along the SLR bike trail all the way to the Interstate 5 underpass [Encl (2)]. At first blush you don t always see them on the roads, but there is a very significant trail system which leads into the underbrush and trees. Transients in the Airport area threaten homes in several ways. First, the most concerning threat to us is fire. (The recent fire on 8 Feb 2018 is proof of this reality). During colder months, transients may use fire for warmth or cooking. Discarded propane bottles, fire pits and camp stoves have been observed near our homes. Second, is a concern of health. Transients leave feces, used condoms, needles, soiled clothing and incredible amounts of trash all of which pollute the SLR and water habitat for animals. Considering the recent Hepatitis outbreak, these discarded soiled items are a health threat to our community as well as others who use the SLR bike trail. A few weeks ago at the intersection of hwy 76 and Benet (one of two entrances into our community) we noted that the County (not the City) that had established a portable wash station and one, 50 gallon trash can. We shared a video of a transient woman washing her panties in the handwashing station which has since been removed. Currently, only the trash can remains at this location. While some transients are placing trash in the receptacle, it s continually overflowing and being piled up against the short brick wall along with other discarded items and shopping carts. It takes the City a very long time to empty the trash can and remove the piles trash that over flow the area compounding health concerns. Several homeowners are trying to sell their homes. Seeing many transients and their trash and the entrance to our HOAs is not a favorable selling point for someone considering spending $650 to $700k on a home. Third, area of concern to us is security [Encl (3)]. Transients harvest recycling from our recycling carts late at night causing dogs to bark, discarding other trash in our neighborhoods etc. Last year, following a crime spree, some personal property that was stolen from our HOA was recovered by OPD Code Enforcement in Tuley Canyon (intersection of West Airport Rd and Wala Dr Hill). A few of our families who frequently use the SLR bike trail have been in uncomfortable and potentially threatening positions when encountering transients. Some have witnessed them fighting, swearing and even urinating in full view of small children. Two months ago, a transient man riding his bike through Wanis View estates with his Pitbull running alongside of him. The dog ran after a leashed, Yorkshire Terrier of one of our residents and killed it in front of her. The same man and dog were seen again in which the dog tried to attack another resident who was able to escape onto the hood of a car. A picture was taken of him by one of our neighborhood watch members and he was identified through the assistance of Brother Benno s as a former resident. The matter was turned over to the Police and Brother Benno s. He was later observed again in our HOA. OPD was called but he had vacated the area before they arrived. Lastly, transients threaten protected wildlife species and are likely contributing to the growth of invasive bugs, flies and animals such as rodents and coyotes. Furthermore, many are habitual drug users. With drug use comes gangs and criminals who sell drugs 3

4 Subject: AIRPORT COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY AND CRIME as well as other nefarious operations such as prostitution. It is impossible to stop these actions without active Police presence and enforcing trespassing laws. Recommendation(s)/potential way ahead: We will continue to ask our residents to immediately report transient encampments, and suspected criminal activities to the OPD non-emergency line and Code Enforcement. In the meantime, we feel with the City s assistance we feel we can mitigate transient access to the SLR River bed in several ways. The priority is to those particular areas near our HOA areas by doing the following (please refer to [Encl (4) and (5)] as needed. A few options include: We request an increase of Police patrols through our HOAs during periods of darkness to deter would-be criminals. Enforce the City ordinance for trespassing in the SLR River bed. Within the last year, the City has placed numerous signs which state that the SLR River bed is a protected habitat area, forbidding trespassing by law. This first line of defense against transients is wholly ineffective and does not appear to be an effective deterrent. Additionally, giving citations to people with no money, or people who ll spend any money they have on food or drugs is not likely to be effective either. We would defer to the Police for their opinion, but it would seem that the threat of being jailed would serve as a more effective deterrent. An alternate possibility may be to have them pick up trash in the areas that transients are destroying in lieu of jail or fines. We would like the City to place NO PARKING AFTER DUSK. VEHICLES WILL BE TOWED signage as well as adding additional NO TRESPASSING PROTECTED HABITAT signage along Benet Road (particularly near the intersection of Benet and West Airport Roads in vicinity of Wala Dr Hill/Tuley Canyon), north of hwy 76 on Benet Road and along Alex Road just west of the skate park [Encl (4)]. These areas are critical to the safety of our homes. In many of the areas within Encl (5) there is some existing fencing. By placing additional fencing along Benet road from hwy 76 past the Prince of Peace Abbey and salvage and recycling yard. Fencing should be placed in gaps where no fencing exists and where practical, incorporate natural and man-made features that deny movement into the SLR such as heavy rocky areas or where the bike trail comes astride of hwy-76. We would like to ask for an increase in OPD patrol frequency and Police presence in the SLR River bed not just the bike trail, but actually going into the SLR trail networks. We realize this will require a larger manpower footprint. On a recent bike trip along the bike trail, many camps were observed that if active patrolling was being conducted would have precluded them being established in such a large scale. A particular eyesore in the I-5 underpass which looks like a huge garbage dump. This may drive the requirement to increase the number of Code enforcement Officers to assist in dealing with transient issues. We would like the City to look into what other cities are doing to address transient issues such as the City of Carlsbad to see if there are other methods to helping and controlling transient behaviors that may be equitable for Oceanside. While listed last, the most important and expensive need is to create additional shelters for those transients who desire and deserve our help. We feel that those who do not desire help, choose to use drugs or simply prefer living a transient lifestyle, should be jailed for trespassing until they 4

5 Subject: AIRPORT COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY AND CRIME understand that we taxpayers have the say on what they can and cannot do. With Governor Brown extoling the growing California State coffers Rainy Day Fund, it may be time to tell him it s pouring and that providing assistance to the homeless of our city and county is a high priority. Item: Derelict cars and recreational vehicle/camping Discussion: There are quite a few derelict car and recreational vehicles that attempt to set up in our neighborhood. There are several cars that park on West Airport Road near the intersection of Benet/Wala Drive Hill and camp near their vehicles daily. We ve witnessed them unload passengers and personal effects and head down into the river bed. Frequently they leave a large pile of trash wherever they park. These vehicles were reported as transient campers yet nothing has been done to dissuade them from parking near us or using their vehicles to move large amounts of trash into the SLR River bed. The larger recreational vehicles tend to park along the sides of the south part of Benet Road (across hwy 76) near the salvage yard behind the ice factory. We ve seen some that are unregistered. If they do leave after 72 hours, they leave their trash behind as well. Other times we ve seen vehicles with no license plates park for days on the dirt at the intersection of Benet and hwy 76 after being reported. Recommendation(s)/potential way ahead: Explore the options of placing adequate signage. Enforce signage by towing violators. Appropriate signage, paired with fencing, will preclude long term camping near our homes. Closing comments We feel that our community s homeowners and the City should work together to address this issue quickly. At a minimum, the previous recommendations for area denial fencing and appropriate signage will help reduce transient camping with adequate and increased enforcement of the law. We understand the demand on law enforcement, and that the resources of the City and San Diego County are limited. However, the Police are the critical link in ensuring that transients are not permitted to destroy our environment or threaten our homes. We will continue to work with Oceanside Police Department, all City Offices as well as with local philanthropic organizations as much as we can to ensure these efforts are firm, fair, effective, consistent and maintained. Point of contact on this matter is the Wanis View Estates Board of Directors. Joe Corbett, Vice President Wanis View Estates Homeowners Association JCorbett@wanisview.com 5

6 Encl (1)

7 Encl (2)

8 Encl (3)

9 Encl (4)

10 Encl (5)

11 FEB 8 TH FIRE TRANSIENT CAMP FIRE SOILED PANTIES AND USED CONDOMS FECES AND TOILET PAPER TRASH PILES VEHICLE WINDOW VANDALIZED TRANSIENT OPENING FIRE HYDRANT HOA WALLS Encl (6)

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