Dear Editor:

A note to Donna Frye: My partner and I were greatly disappointed in your vote at city council Tuesday. Instead of voting to support the gay community, the community that voted to support you when you ran for mayor, you cast a vote for yourself.

You cast a vote to make yourself the object of attention.

You cast a vote of selfishness and betrayal.

You cast a vote against me and my partner.

You call it procedure. You said that, even though it fell within the law of the Brown Act, the fact that the item was noticed on Thursday was not good enough. I wonder how many times you voted on a supplemental issue that was noticed on a Friday. Countless, I’m sure. Nope, this wasn’t about procedure. This was about you. You, you, you.

My partner and I supported you in your mayoral campaigns. We made the phone calls and knocked on the doors. We wrote you checks, waved signs, wore your stickers. We never thought you would have so little respect for us that you would treat us in this way. We will never support you again. I hope you understand; it’s about procedure for us, too. You don’t support us, we don’t support you.

James Famolare

Dear Editor:

San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre’s recent letter was a complete distortion of the events leading to the closing of the 2200 Club. In court the City Attorney’s office presented no evidence of health and safety problems at the 2200 Club. The only charge that the court found the club to be in violation of was that two people were allowed to enter a room designated for single occupancy. The court did not rule that sexual activity was incurring on the premises, that illegal drugs were being used or that health and safety problems existed. In fact the 2200 Club had an excellent record with the Health Department. Any discrepancies that were noted in their routine inspections were immediately corrected. The 2200 Club was never closed, even for a day, due to health or safety discrepancies. The sole reason that the city attorney’s office was prosecuting the 2200 Club was for sexual activity between consenting adults and for Michael Aguirre to say otherwise is less than honest. As Russell O’Brien said in his editorial in the GLT Aguirre is turning off the water on the gay community.

Now is the time for the LGBT community to remember the published photos of Aguirre schmoozing repaired gay turned homophobe James Hartline in the city attorney’s office, to remember Aguirre’s crusade against the 2200 Club, to remember O’Brien’s GLT editorial and to remember not to support Aguirre by sending campaign contributions.

Charlie Sharples

Former General Manager of the 2200 Club

Dear Editor:

City Attorney Michael Aguirre’s letter to the LGBT community was insulting. As former GLT Editor in Chief, Russell O’Brien, stated in his editorial, “City Attorney’s Office shuts water off on gay community”, “With the SDPD down more than 300 officers and our community facing an unprecedented rise in violent crime, what logical reason could there be for sending undercover officers into a bathhouse?” O’Brien pointed out that the city attorney was going after the 2200 Club only for consensual sexual activity between adults that had been going on “for decades”. “As someone who has been following this story from the beginning, I have a hard time swallowing that this business wasn’t being targeted.“ There never was an investigation by the police department of illegal drug activity. The undercover officers did not look for drugs or ask for drugs. There were frequent inspections by the Health Department and no health and safety discrepancies were ever found requiring the 2200 Club to be closed even temporarily. In the two and a half years that the 2200 Club was in operation there was never a serious injury or death and the only time the police were summoned was by the Club’s staff to report suspected illegal activity. Now that Aguirre is seeking political donations for his reelection campaign he is trying to rewrite history. The LGBT community as well as all of San Diego need an honest city attorney and that is certainly not Mike Aguirre.

Bob Smith

The 2200 Club

“The Center’s approach is, in fact, the most effective and productive approach for ending homelessness for these youth, and for providing them with their best opportunities for recovery and independence.”

Dear Editor:

I am writing on behalf of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH, www.csh.org) in response to your 8/9/07 editorial Lack of drug testing at Sunburst doesn’t serve community. With a mission to help communities create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness, CSH is a national organization working closely with The Center for more than 3 years in the development and implementation of the Youth Housing Program. Based upon the wealth of experience and expertise CSH has gained in working with supportive housing projects for over 15 years, I must disagree with your editorial’s conclusion that The Center’s approach to services and drug testing is “counterproductive” or “antiquated” - The Center’s approach is, in fact, the most effective and productive approach for ending homelessness for these youth, and for providing them with their best opportunities for recovery and independence.

In understanding the Youth Housing Project model, it is important to recognize that it is not a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, but instead provides permanent housing with services designed to assist youth to retain their apartments and live independently. Using this well developed, well researched supportive housing harm reduction model, tenants are required to meet the terms of their lease, including a zero tolerance policy for drug possession. An in depth needs assessment conducted in San Diego documented that far too many homeless LGBT youth were not accessing the few housing resources available in San Diego – prior to Sunburst there were effectively no viable housing options. The Youth Housing Project provides a welcoming opportunity to live in decent, safe, and affordable housing, with clear rules regarding drug use. Youth have access to relevant, flexible, and responsive services that are infused with an understanding of adolescent development. At the Youth Housing Project, these same formerly homeless young adults are provided with their best chance to heal from past traumas, to enter recovery, to build strong community connections, and to develop the skills they will need to live stable, independent lives. We know that youth living at Sunburst are achieving many of the outcomes seen in other harm reduction youth housing projects across the country: 2/3 are employed, 25% attend school full time, 100% are engaged in services.

While a “tough love” approach featuring drug testing may seem like the logical philosophy, national research has demonstrated the greater effectiveness of “Housing First” programs that do not impose testing requirements and that adopt a harm reduction approach to issues of drug and alcohol use. Based upon this proven effectiveness, the creation of such housing programs have become a priority in communities across California and the United States, and these housing models have received the support of foundations with health services expertise, including The California Wellness Foundation and The California Endowment. By providing such opportunities for these young adults in San Diego, The Center offers a tremendously important and valuable service to the community – while effectively ending homelessness for youth with few other options.

Simonne Ruff

Associate Director

San Diego Corporation for Supportive Housing