Dave Breitenbucher doesn’t just talk the talk.

He walks the walk.

Dave is a neighbor.

He is a man of faith.

He is a Manteca native.

He is a volunteer coach.

He is a retired firefighter.

Dave is also a City Council member.

You may not like his politics.

But rest assured, he is trying to make things right.

And so are his colleagues on the council.

There are a lot of things they want to do right by the people they represent.

But near the top of Dave’s list is “the” problem..

It’s “the” problem that has perplexed career politicians and career bureaucrats.

In San Francisco. In Los Angeles. In San Diego. In Sacramento.

You name the city, or the state.

Even those that deny their community has the “problem.”

They are perplexed even though they deny it exists,

That’s because they don’t know why “they” exist in “their” community.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

But there is a little problem what that approach.

The “problem”, which is homelessness, isn’t going away.

And if it isn’t addressed, it can only do one thing.

It’ll get worse.

The first step to fixing a problem is to admit you have one.

Manteca did that.

The next step is to devise a game plan.

Look at all the angles.

Even those you believe you adamantly oppose.

Weigh the pros. Weigh the cons.

Then come to a decision.

And once you reach a decision, put aside your differences.

Then make it work.

Which brings us back to Dave.

And to Manteca

The city has come a long ways since a homeless man refused to stop blocking the sidewalk in 2016 outside of McDonald’s on East Yosemite Avenue while strumming his guitar.

That, of course, was followed by a class-action lawsuit pursued by four homeless men

Manteca settled.

And in doing so, they got ahead of the curve.

The curve was the 9th District, and the ball they put into play with their decision in the Boise, Idaho “homeless” case.

The 2018 case involved that city’s anti-camping ordinance.

The same ruling as a friend of the court that Manteca joined 40 other cities in urging the United States Supreme Court to consider hearing an appeal.

The high court declined to do so.

That has since changed.

They have agreed to hear an appeal of a similar case in Oregon.

There are some people who think that if the court essentially overturns the Oregon case that it undoes the need for Manteca to do all of the things they are doing with the homeless.

That is the wrong thing to think, by a long shot.

Manteca needs to get the homeless situation under control.

And it needs to do it in a humane, legal, and effective manner.

This is where Mayor Gary Singh’s skill of building consensus comes into play.

In a big way.

It produced a $15 million state grant for the holistic homeless navigation/transition housing/affordable housing solutions on 8 acres at 682 South Main Street was secured with the help of State Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman.

Manteca’s holistic, far-sighted approach complete with a location that made sense as opposed to being an area that would treat the homeless as if they were lepers impressed Eggman,

It also impressed the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

It is moving forward as fast as regulations allow.

A groundbreaking should occur this year.

Do not misunderstand.

Addressing the homeless and their impact is a priority and concern of the entire council including Charlie Halford, Jose Nuno and Mike Morowit.

Singh’s role in securing the grant has well-positioned the city to make even more inroads than it did with the game plan that was put into play in 2016.

It centered around police officers dedicated to homeless efforts and assorted city ordinances that adhere to court decisions.

That said, Breitenbucher is on the frontlines every week.

His personal interest in working to improve the lot of the homeless and to address the issues the homeless cause for the community is likely on a level that no other elected official in San Joaquin County can replicate.

It enables him to bring a perspective that is invaluable to the ultimate success of the City of Manteca’s efforts.

And it is safe to say Breitenbucher tempers his empathy with a strong and consistent “tough love”, if you will, approach.

It’s the exact balance that Manteca needs of the community to help get the homeless off the streets and back to more productive lives and to reduce the potential for people to become homeless.

The city is never going to eradicate homelessness.

It is something that has plagued humanity since the dawn of civilization.

It may not be happening fast enough for some people.

Some, may not think it’s enough.

But here’s the thing.

It is a measured approach.

And it is a proven approach with a fairly high degree of success.

It does, however, require one thing, tenacity.

Follow through is the only way that it will succeed.

Breitenbucher gets it.

Singh gets it

Halford gets it.

Morowit gets it.

Nuno gets it.

And that is why Manteca is on the right path.

Everyone is on the same page.

That bodes welll for the homeless.

And it bodes even better for a community that is getting homeless fatigue.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com