Cathy Murillo, one of three Democratic candidates currently running for the Santa Barbara City Council, makes it clear she is not a homeless advocate. True, she reported on, and wrote sympathetically about, the homeless when she was on staff at The Santa Barbara Independent. But, she said recently, the issue has become too complex to take sides.
She had an “ah ha” moment last December while shadowing social worker Ken Williams on his rounds to the street homeless. After talking to people who are on the streets and hearing their challenges, she returned to Casa Esperanza and saw that the shelter does in fact have an impact on the neighborhood. She saw that homeless folks drinking and hanging out on lower Milpas are causing a problem for some business owners. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.