Monterey residents fed up with homeless at Laguna Grande Park

Stunning lake views and open grassy fields make Laguna Grande Park attractive. But Monterey residents who live nearby say there’s a problem lurking deepamong the bushes.

“I brought some friends from Salinas through here and once we hit the canyon area it was like, ehh, we don’t really belong here,” said resident Scott Hanson.

Neighbors who live around the park like Hanson said they’re tired of the disturbances caused by the homeless population camped in the area.

“Typical trash we find, (includes)liquor bottles, beer cans, discarded wrappers,” Hanson said, adding there are “people sleeping there, long-term napping going on in the park, that made it clear this not a pleasant place to spend time.”

But what makes Laguna Grande Park unique is that it’s shared between Monterey and Seaside.

Hanson lives on the Monterey side where homes back up to the park. Law enforcement officersare frequently in the area, responding to warming fires, attempted break-ins, fights and even death investigations.

“Our officers are out there 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we know who most of the individuals are,” said Lt. Bill Clark with the Monterey Police Department.

But Clark said the traditional law enforcement approach of writing tickets and making arrests isn’t working.

“If that’s not a wake-up call I don’t know what is,” said Hanson.

Seaside City Manager John Dunn said over the last year both cities, along with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, have been working to find other solutions to clean it up.

Earlier this year, Seaside tried posting signs warning people to stay out of the brush in hopes of preventing more illegal homeless encampments. But so far Dunn said the problem is just getting worse.

“They have left a great deal of trash, camping equipment and human waste. So it’s had a major effect of degrading the park and its environment,” said Dunn.

Dunn said Seaside has staff walking through the park three times a week to talk with the homeless about help and resources that areavailable. To combat crime,the city hired private security to help patrol the park at night.

“Our whole effort is to encourage them to use other community resources but to get them out of the park,” he said.

Still both sides have learned that’s easier said than done.

“Homelessness is a very complex issue. It’s not necessarily a police issue,” said Clark.

Clark runs the Monterey Peninsula Homeless Exchange, andmeets monthly with social service groups to help the homeless find housing, mental health assistance and whatever else they may need.

“Our goal is not to focus and say ‘hey you people are bad or there’s an issue.’ We try to address any problems that they may have but we want to help them the best that we can,” said Clark.

But for residents like Hanson, he said right now until the homeless problem is solved, the park is more a danger than a luxury.

“That’s why it hasn’t been seen as a destination for locals. The park is not used as much as it could be. There’s a lot of potential,” said Hanson.