After blocking Orange County’s plans to open a cold weather shelter in Downtown Santa Ana earlier this month, the federal court judge presiding over the dispute pushed local officials to find an alternative shelter solution that will allow walk-ups instead of just referrals.
“It’s just inhumane to have people sit in the rain,” U.S. District Judge David O. Carter said during an Oct. 21 hearing. “I can’t let people sleep out in the rain because of a squabble between the county and city.”
The judge issued a temporary ruling Oct. 14 to stop the county’s plans to open the cold-weather shelter—run in partnership with Salvation Army—saying the city had enough shelter beds….