Orange County Line
OC to Move Homeless Away from Santa Ana River
County announces riverbanks shut down for months for construction—but some cry foul
The most visible sign of homelessness in Orange County is a tent city along the Santa Ana River, within eyesight of the 5 and 57 freeway. It didn't even exist three years ago, but now hundreds of people stay there. But next week, the County of Orange has announced it will clear out the riverbed for what it says is a months-long construction project. Critics, however, including supervisor Shawn Nelson, have said the sweep will just push people to neighboring cities because there's not nearly enough shelter space or services to match the demand. This won't be the first time the county has used construction to remove homeless from its property--but is this going too far?