I am the mayor of a green district and the future of homelessness scares me

The short life of the Ghost of Christmas Present ended at midnight on Wednesday, and the children began to count down to their brother's appearance, one year from now.

This Christmas, as I always do at Christmas, I read Dickens' “A Christmas Carol.” There is a scene, right after Marley's ghost leaves, where Scrooge sees different spirits, destined to roam the earth. These spirits beg and plead, unseen and unheard, by the poor, the homeless and the disenfranchised. What they complain about is their inability to help – a sad irony, since they had the opportunity to act while they were still alive but, now without physical bodies, there is nothing they can do.

This made me think about homelessness. Is it the same thing? As the mayor of El Cajon, California, I have been an outspoken critic of the state's handling of the homelessness crisis. I asked myself, “Could it be that, like Scrooge, I've been building my own tough streak every time I criticize voucher programs, lawlessness and housing first policies?” I asked myself: if I were given the same gift that Scrooge received, what revelations might my attacks reveal?

DR. PHIL WITNESSES INTENSE HOMELESS CONNECTIONS DURING SUBWAY TOUR WITH MAYOR ADAMS

The Ghost of Christmas Past, which reminds me of the 1970s, can show me a California without homelessness. At the time, California was a relative paradise, characterized by a sense of law and order.

But didn't Christ say, “The poor will always be with us?” I know the 1970s were full of poor people – I was one of them. Most of the people I knew were poor. However, we could travel around the city without experiencing homesickness. Crime existed, but the police were empowered to protect communities. Beaches were beautiful places, not camps full of filth and despair.

Why? What has changed? In my opinion, it was a smart decision to make homelessness a viable option – by funding the lifestyle of the homeless, eliminating laws that kept communities safe and clean, dealing with addiction and ending ostracism (to use the bad language of the 1970s). In my mind, the ghost wouldn't make a decision but let me draw my own conclusions.

Can the Ghost of Christmas Present show me dark, dangerous camps, full of rape, violence and despair? I believe he would. But does the blame fall on those trapped in this hell, or on the politicians? Can he show me the backroom deals and development contracts that support homeless industries – a system where a select few profit from $25 billion in wasted money while the crisis worsens, leaving NGOs begging for more?

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Would the Spirit look at those who are suffering and say, “Don't blame me for this suffering.” This is man-made”? Can he point to the people dying in the streets and say, “I see the tent is left empty. If these policies don't change, will this be their end?” Can he show me the Christmas dinner tables where people laugh, shake their heads and cry about the self-destruction of California?

The last ghost, like Scrooge's, may be the one I still fear the most. He was showing me California where the cities are deserted and the residents are scattered across the country like refugees. He will expose the lawless chaos in the streets, where sexual harassment and excessive death are the accepted consequences. He would show closed shops, overcrowded hospitals and unsafe public places. He was leading me to the ruins of the home where I was born. And, with his skeletal hand, he might silently point to places like Haiti, forewarning what's to come.

It is my Christmas wish that the true recipients of this trend are the political decision makers who are dealing with this problem. May they wake up on Christmas morning with a new vision and energy – one that puts the well-being of all Californians above greed and failed ideals.

If I were Dickens, I'd write an ending where the homeless industrial complex is torn down and replaced with viable solutions. Most importantly, I can write a happy ending for those caught up in homelessness and addiction – not by allowing them, but by enforcing laws that prevent living on the street while providing, and sometimes needing, proper treatment. I can see municipalities regaining the tools to clean up their cities and reverse the policies that have made California so unlivable.

Why? What has changed? In my opinion, it was a smart decision to make homelessness a viable option – by funding the lifestyle of the homeless, eliminating laws that kept communities safe and clean, dealing with addiction and ending ostracism (to use the bad language of the 1970s).

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When I think about this, I see a disconnect between the poor and homeless of Victorian England and the problem we face today. In 1843, there was no safety net and options were few. I believe that Dickens's poor would have accepted modern shelters, job opportunities and rehabilitation programs – not because they were better people, but because the harsh conditions demanded it. “Are there no poor people? Are there no workhouses? There are many who would rather die than go there,” they said. This was their painful reality.

However, today our responsibility to the poor and homeless must be matched by their responsibility to participate in their recovery. The real Scrooge in this story is the political class that imposed a failed social experiment on the people of California – a failure by all means. May we all see the truth to declare, “God bless us, everyone.”