City Signals It Won't Disclose Its Records Of Homeless Services Contacts -- Or Failure To Contact -- Homeless Man (Mitchell Morales), Familiar Sight In Los Altos. He Was Pushing His Belongings In Shopping Cart Across Stearns St. When Struck/Killed By Alleged DUI Driver) <p>

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City Signals It Won't Disclose Its Records Of Homeless Services Contacts -- Or Failure To Contact -- Homeless Man (Mitchell Morales), Familiar Sight in Los Altos. He Was Pushing His Belongings In Shopping Cart Across Stearns St. When Struck/Killed By LBPD-Alleged DUI Driver

LBREPORT.com Sends This Letter To City Attorney Seeking To Resolve Disclosure Issues Before They Escalate; We Receive No Response

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(June 23, 2021, 6:45 p.m.) -- City of Long Beach's Dept. of Health and Human Services Director, Kelly Collopy, has indicated that her agency (whose duties include providing homeless services) will block public disclosure of its contacts -- or failure to contact -- Mitchell Morales, a homeless man who was a familiar sight in Long Beach's middle class Los Altos neighborhood, pushing his belongings in a shopping cart. On June 12, he was doing so in attempting to cross Stearns St. at Radnor Ave. when he was struck/killed by an LBPD-alleged DUI driver. (LBREPORT.com background here and here plus publisher's podcast perspective audio here.)

On June 23, LBREPORT.com sent City Attorney Charles Parkin an email, cc'd to Ms, Collopy, attempting to resolve disclosure issues before they escalate. As of the end of the June 23 business day, we received no response from either office.

Our letter (text below) speaks for itself. Further to follow.

Mr. Parkin [cc to Ms. Collopy]:
LBREPORT.com is bringing a matter your attention before it needlessly escalates.
On June 15, we asked LB Health and Human Services Director Kelly Collopy if her agency (through its Continuum of Care of otherwise) had contact with Mitchell Morales, a homeless man killed in a June 12 LBPD-alleged DUI on Stearns St. trying to cross at Radnor Ave. (while pushing his possessions in a shopping cart.) Ms. Collopy replied by June 16 email: "[W]e do not release information on a person that is deceased without the authorization of next of kin. This is to ensure that people’s privacy is respected and that family are able to weigh-in on whether they want their loved one’s history of services released to be available to the public."
If Ms. Collopy's agency had no contact(s) with Mr. Morales, Ms. Collopy can and should tell us immediately.
If Ms. Collopy's agency did have contacts with Mr. Morales, (a) he has no continuing privacy rights as he's deceased (and the LA County Coroner's office has identified him to us as "homeless"); (b) we know of no legal authority letting a family member or other third party to veto release of public records of City homeless services regarding a deceased individual and (c) we know of no legal authority letting the City agency decree a blanket policy withholding release of public records of what it did or didn't do in the case of this deceased homeless individual.
We believe this isn't about protecting privacy or family interests; we strongly suspect it's about this City agency attempting to block public and press scrutiny of its record. Taxpayers have allocated millions of dollars in homeless related services. There is an overwhelming justifiable public interest in knowing what the city agency did or didn't do for this man.
Please consider this matter, counsel your client agency accordingly and advise us on how you wish to proceed. Thank you.
s/ Bill Pearl, publisher
LBREPORT.com

[Two typos corrected in letter text above]