Sweat rolled down Ron Jacksons face as he pondered, as he does every day just steps from the Happiest Place on Earth, where he would sleep.
The homeless mans hangout in Anaheim had until recently been a grimy bus bench across the street from Disneyland.
Then, one day, the benches around the amusement park including his regular spot outside of a 7-Eleven at Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue disappeared.
Soon, people were competing for pavement.
No more sleeping spot. Just concrete, Jackson, 47, said on a sweltering day. There were already people claiming the space.
The vanishing benches were Anaheims response to complaints about the homeless population around Disneyland. Public work crews removed 20 benches from bus shelters after callers alerted City Hall to reports of vagrants drinking, defecating or smoking pot in the neighborhood near the amusement parks entrance, officials said.
The situation is part of a larger struggle by Orange County to deal with a rising homeless population. A survey last year placed the number of those without shelter at 15,300 people, compared with 12,700 two years earlier.
Cleaning up Disneys home
Anaheim is Orange Countys largest city and home to Disneyland, one of the regions biggest draws and tax generators. The city has spent more than two decades trying to clean up the area around the park once noted for run-down motels and prostitution into a family-friendly, tourist-oriented resort district.
It breaks our heart to have to remove those benches, said Mike Lyster, a city spokesman. But their purpose is to provide seating for someone waiting for a bus.
He stressed that the bench removal was not tied to concerns about Disneyland visitors. Were not taking this action because of tourism. We never had a request from Disney, Lyster said. But we did hear from small shop owners and motel owners about the safety issues so we stepped up.
Homeless advocates said Anaheim is just one of multiple cities along Beach Boulevard, one of the countys busiest thoroughfares, to cut down on bus benches.
Some visitors to Disneyland said they appreciated the reason Anaheim removed benches.
Its a good idea, says Walton Guerrero, 59, of El Paso. He and 10 members of his family arrived in town for five days packed with Disneyland rides. This is a tourist place. We need more security so everyone can come back.
Pushing a stroller carrying his newest grandchild, 4-month-old Samuel, Guerrero said: We need to feel like we can bring older people and younger people here. We dont want the kids to be exposed to bad activity.
