Santa Barbara mayoral candidate Bob Hansen appeared in court Tuesday on charges of petty theft.
A longtime homeless advocate, Hansen said the theft took place at a Casa Esperanza fundraiser and film screening on July 24, where he said he took a pile of business cards off a table next to a sculpture being auctioned. The cards were being used to signal the highest bidder.
The sculpture was donated to the shelter by artist Morris Bear Squire, and featured the names of 17 homeless people who have died this year. “We didn’t want anyone to buy it and take it home someplace,” he said. “Those 17 people should be respected.”
The high bidder donated the sculpture back to the shelter, where it is now.
Hansen also said homeless people were turned away from the fundraiser when there were plenty of seats. “I thought it was pretty rude,” he said.
Mike Foley, executive director at Casa Esperanza, said he had been busy at the time and didn’t see the police approach Hansen. He also said he was unaware that Hansen appeared in court Tuesday.
“I think for Bob, myself and others, there are consequences for our actions,” he said, adding that he respected Hansen and his past work with the homeless.
Foley said there were homeless people in the audience, and that the 250 seats filled up quickly. “It was certainly a bit more packed than we expected it to be,” he said, adding that the film screening was the first local event organized by the shelter.
A Web site had been set up to make reservations for the free tickets, Foley said, and those who showed up later were let in on a first come, first serve basis.
“Some of the people turned away were homeless, some of them weren’t,” he said. “It was simply because there was no room.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.
