Blockade of Maryvale transitional housing project considered successful by Chinese_1
In a recent protest that lasted until the early hours of October 23, lawyers Deng Hong and Liu Longzhu rallied community members in Rosemead, aiming to overturn Proposition 47 and SB 330, legislation they deem harmful. Their efforts have reportedly been successful to an extent, reducing the proposed expansion plans for Maryvale from nearly 400 beds to just 14, effectively preventing the establishment of facilities like the one in Hargan from appearing in the San Gabriel Valley.
Deng highlighted that many speakers at the city council meeting voiced concern over the perception that homeless single mothers are synonymous with homelessness itself. They called for transparency from the city government and for the public’s opinions to be heard. Initially, Maryvale attempted to leverage a “grandfather clause” established before the city was incorporated to bypass expansion applications, but under pressure from city attorneys, they submitted a proposal two years ago. This application not only allocated $1 million in funding provided by Congresswoman Judy Chu for the renovation of 29 existing units for single mothers but also included plans for constructing up to 374 units for homeless individuals. This drew criticism from local residents when they discovered the intent to build homeless accommodations, resulting in substantial turnout during protests at the city council meetings on October 8 and 22.
During the October 22 city council meeting, Mayor Li Zhi stated that due to the SB 330 law passed in California in 2019, local governments cannot reject or delay applications for homeless shelters. The California Attorney General has successfully prosecuted multiple cities for noncompliance, leading to significant penalties for several local governments and direct state approval of certain applications. To protect public safety, the Rosemead city government decided to impose additional conditions on the permit, requiring Maryvale to modify several critical terms. These include maintaining the existing 29 units for single mothers while capping the new homeless units at 14, as well as ensuring licensed security personnel are present from 5 PM to 6 AM to bolster safety in the surrounding area.
