Some of you may have heard about a recent proposal from Santa Clara County to buy the tiny homes community near Monterey and Bernal and replace it with a jail diversion program that could house potentially dangerous offenders in our community.
Understandably, our neighbors have serious concerns about this plan – concerns that I share. The county, however has been remarkably unclear about the details surrounding this proposal – so let me be absolutely clear: I am opposed to this plan and I am urging our neighbors to oppose it too.
Our community, specifically the neighborhoods surrounding the Monterey and Bernal site, has already been impacted by more than its fair share of shelters and interim housing projects. And while I know that projects like this will have an important role in helping us end the era of encampments, it’s time for other cities in the county to do their fair share too.
To make matters worse, the county has kept our residents in the dark about our very real safety concerns with this proposal. We don’t know who exactly these jail diversion participants will be. We don’t know if they will have a history of violence or repeat offenses. We don’t know if there will be around-the-clock security on the 78-bed site, or if there will be an increased presence of police officers in our neighborhoods, or near the schools, parks or shopping centers nearby. Our community is demanding answers – and so far, the county has not provided them. That is unacceptable.
Public safety is a cornerstone of our campaign – and part of making our streets safer and cleaner, means that we will have to find creative approaches to getting people out of a cycle of crime, addiction and homelessness, and into secure facilities that can provide stable housing and support.
But how we do that matters. Our neighbors deserve full transparency from the county, and should have ample opportunities to raise their very serious concerns about what a project like this could mean for our neighborhoods. Right now, we don’t have that.
The city manager postponed the council vote on this sale – but we can be sure there will be more on this to come. In the meantime, I urge you to join me in demanding that the county hold more public hearings on this plan, and provide residents with a means of making our voices heard.
Thank you,
George