Preparing to go to work at about 4:30 a.m., she found a homeless man sleeping in her car (not parked on the street but inside a gated driveway.) She says he ransacked the inside of her car. She called LBPD; a large number of officers showed up; handcuffed the man; interviewed him and her; and ultimately told the woman that the man sad he was just looking for a warm place to sleep. She says the officers said there was nothing they could do. They let him go and advised her [in the current COVID-19 pandemic] to disinfect her car.

LBPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Ivan Garcia confirms to LBREPORT.com that LBPD responded at about 4:45 a.m. to the 700 block of St. Louis Ave. (one block east of Cherry Ave., 2nd Council district), found a man sleeping in the car's front driver sear, interviewed the man and the woman who owns the vehicle, learned the vehicle was left unlocked, cited the man for unrelated charges and released him at the scene.

(LBREPORY.com tried without success during the day to reach the woman victimized in this.)

Because the vehicle apparently wasn't locked, what took place doesn't appear to us to be a felony auto burglary but rather a misdemeanor (perhaps several misdemeanors) but these pale in the context of other matters.

• What took place occurred not far from one of LB's specially established COVID-19 homeless shelters in Central LB at MLK Park (a little less than two miles away), plus others in Silberado Park (WLB), the former NLB Library (5500 block Orange Ave.) and in the WLB industrial area on Hayes Ave. Taxpayers are spending large sums to provide them. This man had warm tazpayer-paid places to sleep.

• During the current state and city declared public health emergency, this man's behavior has public health consequences Allowing him to walk away has allowed him to risk his health, and the health of others, beyond the woman he victimized.

• Based on this man's current behavior, we doubt that he prioritizes singing "happy birthday" while frequently washing his hands, sanitizing surfaces he touches or wearing a LB Health Dept. ordered facial covering.

A COVID-19 public health emergency makes it irresponsible to enable behaviors by anyone --homeless or otherwise -- accepted in pre=COVID-19 conditions. When City of Long Beach officials effectively allow a de facto carve out for LB's homeless/vagrant population leaves them at greater risk, puts countless others at greater risk and prolongs the current emergency for all of us.

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April 19, 12:30 p.m. Text amended to note that LB have four specially established COVID-19 homeless shelters (one in Central LB and three in WLB,) LBCC's PCH campus offers rapid medical assessments and some testing but isn't a shelter.

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