Sue Taylor

(PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA) July 30, 2022 — [Special Board of Supervisors meeting 7-28-2022 Public Comment.]

1. I would ask that Wendy Thomas recuse herself from this item. If Supervisor Lori Parlin cannot participate in creating design standards in Shingle Springs because it might increase the value of her home, then how on earth can Wendy Thomas not only participate in, but be driving the train in actions, to move the people living in the dirt along Broadway that is within the City of Placerville, over to the Missouri Flat Interchange at Perks Court and away from Broadway where she and her family have enormous financial interests?

2. This is a poorly thought-out plan that is not going to bring forth the stated desires of this Board. If you build it, they will come. Not only will the folks not be moving off of Broadway, the County will be putting out a beacon for one and all to come into El Dorado County for free shelter and services. You think the money you have today is going to cover the money of the future it will take to support this plan or to try and unwind it?  The same person being hired to run this program was, yes, successful in creating a resource center in Sacramento in which the program grew to where they were a permanent program that did grow enormously. This type of program is not meant to merely deal with the homeless that is currently living in the dirt. Once the organization ran out of funding the place blew up into a crime fest that could not be shut down. When this population finds out we have free services for “navigation” they will come flooding into the county. Once the transient homeless becomes familiar with our county and have a network in which to work within they will not be leaving. The Hangtown Haven was an experiment and once they shut it down those that came into the city have not left. Sacramento now has the largest homeless population in the State.

3. The Sheriff had a plan that both the County and the City agreed to, that would get those living in the dirt, currently within our county, out of their dire conditions and locate them into a safer environment. This plan would have taken the collaboration of the homeless advocates, Health and Human Services and the Board. Unfortunately, as soon as large grants became a reality, to grow homeless services, then working with the Sheriff’s department came to a holt. Therefore, without this collaboration, the Sheriff’s office moved forward with implementing elements of their plan and have reduced the transient population of homeless living in the dirt from over 200, down to 22 people that are living in the dirt in a planted location. The Hot Team is continuing to work with those people and without millions of taxpayer dollars. They are WORKING TO ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM, NOT TO GROW IT FOR MORE GRANT FUNDS. Remember Volunteers of America set up permanent navigation systems. One of their main focuses is to put this particular demographic into permanent housing. With those free services being made available, and the word gets out there will be a continual flood of new transient populations coming into the County. I watched people being dropped off at the bus station and was approached by a man with his garbage bags who had just recently arrived on Main Street asking where the homeless center was. This happened soon after the Board of Supervisors announced they would be acquiring motels for the homeless.

4. Then we have to look at the agenda of Housing El Dorado, who wants to grow this problem rather than helping people to get out off the streets. They had the opportunity to work with the sheriff over a year ago to get people off the streets and not only refused to collaborate with them but have made it clear their agenda is to create a program that will grow rather than decrease. Rather than deal with those few left in the County and work to help the City, the City’s homeless have been left to be used as a reason for grant funds. In the meanwhile, there is no mention or effort of helping the 100s of families that became homeless after the Caldor Fire in Grizzley Flats… we lost an entire town… and nothing… crickets.

5. The County is “panicking over” 22 people in the County and 50 to 70 in the City as per the Sheriff’s department and the statement from the City. When the County turned to help the city, after being successful in the County to reduce the numbers, they were turned away. Housing El Dorado did not want this interaction. Now the City wants to move their problem that the City Council has refused to deal with or take assistance, into the county so they can build a 4-story hotel in Smith Flat not far from the current Broadway Homeless Encampment. Please do not bring the City’s issue into the County.  To think individuals on the Board can just cancel this program if it is not successful is a dream. That will not be possible after spending $4.1 million to build this project. One, the Board will not likely have the votes to overturn this bad decision and two, there will be legal challenges by those that have pushed this on us, with the law on their side, and three, once that beacon is lighted and more people migrate to our County, they will not be leaving. After the City realized they created a monster with Hangtown Haven they shut it down and it became the growing problem we have today.  If the County moves forward, they are dismissing all the organizations and local service providers and handing the City’s problem over to a non-local provider whose main focus is to grow housing for the transient homeless. Do so is pulling the rug out from all the hard work that has been accomplished by the Hot Team and others that have been successful in reducing these numbers.

6. The Board needs to step back, withdraw the emergency ordinance and spend the time to vet this out the right way. Bring the Sheriff’s office back to the table. They have to be a key buy in to whatever the County decides to do. As members of the Board kept saying, without the assistance of law enforcement there will be no success in whatever the plan becomes. If this is true why has the County Board and Administrators kicked law enforcement out of the equation?

7. The project itself needs to be vetted. Why put a horrible looking structure at the entrance to the County’s core? This property is not designed for such a project. 15’ of dirt will be required to be removed and replaced with clean fill. The County will have to replace the 2” water line with an 8” line and also acquire the easements to do so. The county is planning to use a septic tank for this project… really? Access is very hazardous at this location and the roads are insufficient. Bringing the roads up to legal requirements will consume much of the property. The Board is ignoring the Community’s on-going fight for following and improving the Missouri Flat Design Guidelines. Streamlining does not mean side-stepping. There will be lawsuits on this poorly designed or thought-out project. Too many zoning and development requirements are being violated or ignored.  A truly vetted project should go out to bid after verifying that the project meets all county and state standards that are required for such a project. This project does not qualify for emergency actions. It’s only in the vortex this way to sidestep the public that will be impacted. With 22 people in the County living in a permanent dirt location, that the Sheriff’s office is working to mitigate, why is time of the essence?

Please withdraw from moving forward on this poorly planned out project. The current situation that everyone is focused on was created and perpetuated by the City Council and City Administration. Please do not allow them to push the result of their poor decisions onto the County.

Pleadingly, Sue Taylor
County Resident and City Property Owner