SAN PEDRO : Harman Joins the Fight Against Homeless Shelter

San Pedro community leaders and local politicians have enlisted Rep. Jane Harman (D-Marina del Rey) in their fight to stop a large homeless shelter from being set up on surplus federal land.

The shelter is expected to open on a 27-acre site on Taper Avenue after the Navy moves out this summer.

Harman told a meeting of about 50 homeowners on April 9 that she may introduce amendments to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The legislation gives homeless programs priority on surplus federal land.

“I think the act ought to be changed and I will work with the (Los Angeles) mayor and others to get it changed, but that doesn’t do anything for this particular issue,” Harman said.

It was her first meeting with the San Pedro community since controversy over the shelter began last month. More than 1,000 protesters gathered at several meetings to oppose a project they say would dramatically change their community.

Harman brought with her Department of Health and Human Services representative Judy Breitman, who reviews applications for surplus federal land.

Breitman fielded questions about how a South-Central Los Angeles homeless advocacy group, Turner’s Technical Institute, was given permission to use the Taper Avenue site and buildings. She said the group had shown suitable experience and the ability to apply for program funding and “we had no reason to disapprove it.”

The issue is not unique to San Pedro, she said. Other communities are angry about bases being transferred under the McKinney Act because the law does not allow for public discussion of the applications. Approval of the shelter does not mean it will be on the site permanently, she said.

Under department regulations, Turner’s must have its program running in a year, provide a written report to the department every year and undergo on-site checks every three to five years.

The City Council is expected to approve four recommendations by Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., who represents San Pedro, when it meets next week.

The recommendations, which were unanimously approved at a meeting of the council’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee last week, would allow the city to join lobbying efforts to ensure that the community is consulted on future decisions about federal surplus land.

Although opposition to the project is growing, Turner’s has no plan to give up its application, director John Marzet said. However, Turner’s will continue to work with Svorinich’s office to find an alternative site, he said.