Lost customers, tenants and clients. 'I feel very empathetic with the people, but I have a business to run.'

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Downtown business owners have filed a claim seeking millions from San Diego over what they see as the city's inaction on homelessness

The business owners range from architects to attorneys to empanada chefs. They all have similar stories.

Matias Rigali, an immigrant from Argentina, is seeking $360,000 in lost profits. He said business at his Market Street restaurant Empanada Kitchen is down 40 percent during what had been his best time of the year. On a recent weekday visit to the seven San Diego businesses, there were no homeless encampments directly in front of their buildings. They were either directly across the street or just down the block.

He recalled confronting one person who was urinating at the encampment while facing his outdoor dining area, where people were eating. Bermubez said the person became belligerent. William Lowe and Ric Davy said they keep the front door of their 10th Avenue business, Davy Architecture, locked because homeless people would walk in each day. Now, they just occasionally pound on the window, the men said.

Both men said tents began appearing across the street about 18 months ago, and clients no longer want to come to their office. Ric Davy , CEO of Davy Architecture and his business operation manager William Lowe look out the window of their 10th Avenue office where a homeless encampment is set up across the street.

“It just dawned me that, hey, this is ridiculous, why are we fighting this singularly?” she said.” “We should get together and figure something out, all of us together.”“Everyone was in agreement that they were doing everything about contacting the city regularly, and never getting any kinds of results,” she said.

She isn’t confident that the new encampment ban will help, because she believes people will just be released back onto the street.

 

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