On Tuesday evening, after a protest by over a thousand residents of Rosemead and its surrounding areas, the city council decided to restrict the expansion application of the charity organization Maryvale—down from allowing the construction of nearly 400 homeless units to just 14, ensuring that a homeless center similar to Hacienda Heights would not appear in the city.
Maryvale, located in Rosemead, was established by the Catholic Church in 1953 as an orphanage and preschool, while the city of Rosemead did not establish its municipal government until 1959. Maryvale planned to expand on its 13-acre campus, seeking to add nearly 400 units to provide accommodation for the homeless, in addition to the existing 29 units for single mothers.
Initially, Maryvale tried to circumvent the expansion application using terms established before the city was built, but under pressure from the city government attorney, they submitted the application two years ago.
In the application, along with the $1 million funding provided by Congresswoman Mei-Hsin Chao, besides updating the 29 units for single mothers, it slipped in permission to build up to 374 units for homeless individuals. Residents discovered this deceptive tactic and gathered for a protest at the city council meeting on the 8th of this month, leading to the issue being postponed until the 22nd for decision.
Over the past two weeks, Chinese-American lawyer Longzhu Liu, who is running for the 49th Assembly District in California, along with a large group of volunteers, collected over 20,000 protest signatures. Lawyers Fenglan Liu and Hong Deng, along with real estate influencer CJ Duan, also gathered substantial evidence confirming that Maryvale’s application was under the guise of caring for single mothers but aimed at constructing homeless apartments.
At the meeting, although Maryvale organized a large group of single mothers to speak, hundreds of Chinese residents took the stage to express concerns about public safety. Chinese council member Sean Dang mentioned that many of Maryvale’s services such as mental health services were not licensed by the city government. Council members Polly Low, Sandra Armenta, and Margaret Clark criticized the organization for its deceptive actions.
Mayor Steven Ly expressed understanding towards the residents’ backlash against Maryvale’s application. He also emphasized that due to the passing of the SB330 law in California in 2019, local governments cannot reject or delay applications for homeless shelters; the state attorney general has successfully sued several cities, leading to heavy fines, and the state directly approving such applications.
However, Ly stated that as an independent city, Rosemead’s municipal government can impose conditions on permits to ensure public safety. He and four council members demanded that Maryvale amend six significant conditions, including maintaining the original 29 units for single mothers, limiting the additional homeless units to no more than 14, and requiring licensed security personnel from 5 PM to 6 AM. The city council deliberated until 4:30 in the morning before passing the 64 conditions for restriction.
Longzhu Liu remarked that thwarting the Rosemead homeless center plan this time relied on the efforts and support of the entire Chinese community. He expressed gratitude that the city government listened to the voices of the people and rejected the homeless center. However, he also noted that cities with significant Chinese populations like Alhambra, San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Temple City, and Arcadia are all facing pressure from the state government, and voters must overturn propositions like Prop 47 and laws like SB330 to ensure homeless centers do not appear in Chinese communities.