SANTA ANA, Calif. — A police radio dispatched the partners — but there were no sirens, flashing lights, guns or handcuffs.
They pulled up in an electric-blue van, with “Hope HAPPENS HERE” emblazoned on a side, this time near a McDonald’s off of Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove.
A half-dozen homeless people stood, sat, or laid on the front lawn of Coventry Meadows apartments. A year ago, officers would have taken the call, a typical one, asking them to remove the gathering. Instead, mental health crisis workers Victoria Tran, who is also an EMT, and Victor Reyes approached the group armed with Kirkland granola bars and water.
