Some parents are causing an uproar after Chula Vista City Councilmembers voted to temporarily close Harborside Park because it had become overrun with homeless encampments and is located right next to a school.
They’re concerned city leaders shut it down without a plan in place to deal with the illegal activity happening there.
Ana Ramirez and her three children are Harborside Elementary School students and have seen the problems at the park.
The school is only separated by a fence now covered with a tarp.
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“It’s very sad that my kids have to be seeing all these things. They see people using drugs, having sex and almost dying," Ramirez said.
The illicit activity was confirmed in pictures park rangers shared during the Chula Vista City Council meeting Tuesday night, resulting in council members voting unanimously to shut down the park for at 90 days while they find a proper fix.
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But during a town hall meeting for parents and community members at Brentwood Mobile Home Park Wednesday night, parents expressed worry that after years of illegal activity, which led to the bathrooms at the park being shut down and the playground equipment being removed, the temporary closure is just part of the city’s plan to kick the problem down the road.
“The timing is convenient," said Tom Antoniewicz. "Ninety days is right after the election. Then what happens after 90 days? They take the fence down and they all move in or spend another nearly half-million dollars and keep the fence up for another three months?"
The city is spending more than $300,000 to fence the park once outreach members help find the park residents somewhere else to live.
During the town hall, former Harborside Elementary teacher and Chula Vista Elementary School Board member Laurie Humphrey suggested adopting a law similar to one in Los Angeles that prohibits encampments within 500 feet of schools.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Mary Salas said, after speaking with the City Attorney, that likely wasn’t possible because it could violate civil liberties and the city didn’t have the money like Los Angeles to fend off potential lawsuits.
“Civil liberties are being violated here in this mobile home park," Humphrey said, looking around at the parents whose children can no longer play in the park and go to school next to the problem.
Twenty-four-hour security is just one of the potential solutions Ana Ramirez and other parents suggested. Some of them planning to take their suggestions to the council and school board, hoping to change the homeless haven at Harborside Park into a place their children can play once again.
A statement from the Chula Vista City Manager notes that once the park is closed for 90 days starting Sept. 1, they plan to reach out to Harborside Elementary School parents and other people in the community to help figure out options to safely reopen the park.
