The City of Santa Cruz- Businesses under Siege

All statements taken from Public Correspondence to City Council unless otherwise marked

“My car has been broken into multiple times in the past two years and the area by Days is already littered with trash and needles.”

“A year ago my year old son & I were walking on the side of Days market. I was pushing him in his stroller when a homeless man on drugs, who had set up camp there, assaulted us with a knife.”

“We used to walk downtown through San Lorenzo Park and occasionally play disc golf at the Park. Now we avoid San Lorenzo Park due to trash , neglect, debris, too many people on the walking/cycling path and a general feeling of not being safe.”

“One of the main reasons we are faced with this problem is that no one at the City has been willing to enforce any laws (trespassing, public urination, defecation, camping, theft, burglary, assault, etc.). People who are arrested are back on the streets within hours.”

“We have already lost count of the number of times over the years we have had to bring the kids in early from recess because of a hostile, unstable person shouting obscenities and threats as they walk past our playground. Or the numerous camper vans parked for days on the Gault street selling drugs out of the back while our students arrive and depart from school.”

“I am a one person business. I had my front window broken 2 times last year and my front door lock had also been messed with. I would lock my front door most of the time with a note that stated just knock and I will let you (clients) in.”

“Since we opened Midtown Surf Shop just three years ago, we have had ongoing issues with theft, vandalism, and most recently, a suspected arson that nearly destroyed our entire business. Just this month, a fire was started in the garbage bins outside our building, which led to over $40,000 in damages. Our shop is not alone. Since our fire, there have been at least six other businesses who have had suspicious fires start outside their building in the evening on Soquel Ave.”

“Due to our proximity to Ocean Street, San Lorenzo River, the jail, Homeless Service Center and Emeline we have been absolutely bombarded with every possible problem you can image‐ Ferrells Donuts, McDonalds and Valero have been a constant horror show for us all.”

“Most mornings,, we are cleaning and power washing our sidewalks and front door steps and cleaning off the grafitti on the newly painted walls of my business. I have gotten to the point that I lock my front door if my technicians are away from the shop as I have had several crazy people pop in to take a shower in my restroom.”

“We were vandalized again last night. This time they broke a water pipe in an attempt to steal our key lock box. Caused some major flooding, so we are opening late today. Police told us just now that this is so common. Even if they got him, he’d be out in an hour. Business flooded inside and out.”

“Feces and urine on the sidewalks (and not from dogs) from RVs and other car-residents is already a problem, as is trash and the trampling of landscaping and bushes. The police have been wholesale inadequate in its response unless there is a gun or weaponry involved.”

“ I used to walk my dog every day along that route to go to Starbucks. But there were always 1 - 5 RVs parked in that area and after quite a few unpleasant run-ins with the residents of the campers, not to mention the smell and the trash in the surroundings, I stopped going to Starbucks and instead chose a different morning route. Just an example of the way this kind of thing restricts the life of people in the neighborhood and impacts business foot traffic.”

“Let me start with some photos I took just today, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at lunchtime on Doyle St. across from the Darco Printing & Paper Store while walking over to Whole Foods to get some lunch. In the photos, you can see the Santa Cruz Police removing an RV camper that had heroin syringes and a heroin "cook box" on the sidewalk and street around the camper.”

“Nowadays our streets are full of meth, heroin, bloody syringes, urine, garbage, and feces. Just in the last couple weeks there has been feces in front of my salon, and I found a used bloody needle behind my salon.”

“Stench, filth and aggressive panhandling have prevented me from supporting downtown businesses for years now; and I am just one of MANY.”

“Perhaps it’s time we lawful citizens collect the needles, feces, urine and filth these ‘campers’ regularly subject our personal properties (and our businesses) to and dump-it-out on your front porches?”

“We watched the impact of Ross Camp on the Gateway Plaza businesses and fear that would happen to Seabright small businesses.”

"Encampments on Coral St have cost a nearby business $100,000.00 due to repeated thefts and vandalism" (Sentinel)

"The previous 'Ross Camp' created numerous problems for nearby businesses, including a bathroom at Java Junction being lit on fire and bikes and tips being stolen" (Sentinel)

… numerous beer cans spread out and a box of food. I peeked out the door about 15 minutes later and she moved down to my neighbor's door. I walked over and said, "I'm sorry, but you can't camp here. This is private property. Can you please leave?" She threatened to kill me. I was empathetic to her struggle. She was scathing but moved along. I didn't know at the time she was seen shooting up here an hour before.”

“It (owning a small business) is a constant challenge for us and all too often results in our staff, my wife, and myself being threatened, and verbally and physically assaulted. Our staff has been spit on, received death threats, been personally insulted, screamed at, and forced to deal with numerous issues they/we are not equipped to handle including mental illness, drug use, campers blocking entrances, and more.’

“When I ride my bike to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, or want to take my friends to walk towards Wilder Ranch Park, I pass RVs, debris, and folks that are lingering with their dogs tied to posts on property that is market Private Property No Trespassing. I feel unsafe, and embarrassed that this is still happening near Natural Bridges Park, and so much of the property in the general area en route to Wilder Ranch Park or the Wrigley Building.”

"Our residents and small businesses are greatly effected by the individuals that are parking on the street. They are violent, leave trash all around their vehicles and pose a threat to the customers and residents in these areas."

“Daily we are confronted with wandering, often screaming addicts , panhandling outside local businesses ( outside my credit union! ) and the stench of public excrement, potentially disease carrying feces, pepsi bottle s of urine left in high traffic areas (as in front of BofA ATM and office of Dr. Bjorn Bostrom, or by the Staff of Life, by the Frederick St Park ) as well as used needles in the parking area of the Seabright Brewery, all public hazards, to name just a few!”

“... We are a business here and we constantly are having issue with sewage in our little creek and trash on property as well as the aesthetic to our customers and clients and vendors. We provide a lot of low, medium and upper income jobs for the community and love to work here. But the constant parking and dumping of the large vehicles campers, vans, etc… As well as the hazardous waste they leave, oil, coolant, parts, fluids, bodily fluids and drug paraphernalia make it unsafe for some of our vendors, clients and staff to come on site.”

“Our Transit Van has been vandalized three times in the last 6 months. The last time, they got under the van, drilled a hole in the gas tank, what gas they couldn’t catch poured out down the driveway and into the street. I have spent thousands of dollars repairing my van and installing anti‐theft cameras. People have defecated in our yard and left trash. I never see any police patrolling here.”

“I work on Delaware Ave and know first hand the damage to our neighborhoods and businesses resulting from the dozens of RVs parked there daily.”

"Small salon burglarized Thanksgiving Day. (Owner) spent the holiday cleaning broken glass and cleaning up ransacked belongings instead of spending time with family"

~Reader submission

"The trash heaps and environmental disasters we allow at the entrance to our city and along our precious river is disgraceful."

"Officers made entry into the business with the assistance of the SCPD K9 Unit and safely took (suspect) into custody. During the standoff, (suspect) caused thousands of dollars worth of damage attempting to create an escape route."

~SCPD

“Too dangerous to visit Long Marine Lab and Butterfly area (via Delaware) due to the unscrupulous behavior in the area due to (transient) campers.”

“SCPD was sent to what was described as a fight detail on the 1500 Block of Pacific Ave. The report was that a male on a bike was fighting with “people.” Multiple callers then began stating that the bicyclist had physically beaten and robbed a female of a backpack and possibly a purse.”

“The drug dealing, drug use, crime, garbage, defecation on the street and sidewalk, needles being discarded on our business property and the streets is a constant. We call the police, often daily and the occupants of the tents and motorhomes do not move until threats to tow them come often enough that they move to a street nearby.”

“Trash, public urination, no assured enforcement of the rules and crime are all super concerns of mine. We've already experienced our visitors' cars get broken into at two different times.”

“I work on Mission Ext on the Westside and the RV parking is out of control. I often fear for my safety when I arrive early. The mammoth amount of trash disposed of on our streets is unbelievable and out of control. It’s disheartening to see such filth in our beautiful neighborhoods. Unfortunately, there on Mission Ext there is a feeder creek that the homeless use as a disposal site and this feeder creek heads straight out to the ocean. We can’t have this for the health of our local waters and those who work and play in our ocean.”

“I work on the lower Westside Delaware. We are a start up ... company trying to grow and stay in Santa Cruz. The RV have caused us several problems including noise from their generators, trash and human waste. I am concerned about the growing number of Oversized Vehicles and the accompanying environmental damage, discarded waste on our streets, and the increased crime in our neighborhoods and businesses.”

On October 26th, about 5:00pm, a business on the Westside (Fair Ave) reported they'd been burglarized. SCPD has no suspects.

~SCPD Case# 21S-06637

On Saturday, October 3rd, 2021, at or about 2:34pm on the 500 Block of Seabright Ave, a "subject interfered with a business' operation and battered two employees."

~SCPD Case# 21S-06634

On November 1, 2021, at or about 9:59am on the 400 Block of Front Street, an employee of a long established business was attacked by a transient.

~SCPD Case# 21S-06682

SCPD responded to two suspects who had battered staff and damaged property inside the restaurant." (One of the victims was a juvenile).

~SCPD Case# 21S-06386

" I feel like our voices are wasted on deaf ears. It feels like nobody cares anymore. It’s so sad because I grew up here, and am disgusted that this is what it’s become."

1100 Block of Pacific Av- "A display window was smashed."

~21S-07485

600 Block of River St- "Male stole miscellaneous items throughout the store."

~21S-07459

"Not sure how a business is able to stay there (Downtown). If you can't conduct your business and keep the ledger in the black, you eventually need to move the business to a place where you can do that."

~Business Owner

“I decided to have a walk around the streets where there have been concentrated parking problems on the Westside. I thought it would be a good idea to check‐in with as many businesses as possible. Boy, did I get an earful of all the issues that these businesses have been dealing with for years because of the transient population living in these vehicles parking and camping, disrupting their businesses. I heard of a nude prostitute getting in cars over and over, losses from their properties including most recently propane tanks and auto batteries, the accumulation of trash and furniture left on the sidewalks and roads, the sewage leakage, the arguments and people yelling, trespassing using water and electricity, trespassing to search garbage containers and contaminating their recycle containers, some fear for their own personal safety, observations of drug use and generally the unruliness and not following laws. What they have been subject to has been unacceptable.”

"It’s so frustrating to email people that are supposed to be looking out for the community as a whole, only to be told that your voice and opinion doesn’t matter."

"My office is downtown. The city charges a tax which is given to the Downtown Association, around $500 a year. Last year I refused to pay it — I’d seen two transients pooping and was fed up. I told the City that until they cleaned up downtown I wasn’t paying it. Many emails and letters followed. I was told too bad, you have to pay. My response was no, I don’t. We’re at a standoff."

"Until they (the City) clean it up downtown I refuse to go there. Believe me I am not the only one saying this. I feel for the business's but my safety and sanity are my top priority."

~Tax payer- Consumer

"We had a burglary last night. Lots of things taken: jewelry, tapistries, oils, tote bags, wind chimes, ... Still trying to assess all the loss. There goes the opening. Damn."

~store owner