From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments- Open Forum
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:33:44 PM
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Good Evening Mayor Butt, Council Members and Staff, I have some comments for the Record
1. for the June 28th Agenda,
The Council Should Invite Lavonna Martin to Provide an Update on Homelessness
2. Also to have Tim Haile to provide a Presentation on Electric Vehicle Charging Station Sincerely
Cordell
From: Florence Davis
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Supporting agenda it3m W.2.a
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 1:06:39 PM
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Re
Expand The Terms of Appropriated ARPA Flex
Funds for Rydin Road Residents
As a Richmond
resident who is anxious to see the Rydin Rd
encampment come to a sunset asap . . . Pls consider making the proposed amendment.
I understand the $$$ have been promised the residents for a long time.
Some could use the $$$ for repair or registration of vehicles, but many others could use the $$$ more efficiently in different ways to be able to transition to live elsewhere sooner!
Let’s make this spending a
good investment rather than the stop-gap measure these kind’ve decisions tend to become!
Thank you,
Florence Davis
5520
Solano Ave, Richmond, CA 94805
--
Sent from Gmail Mobile
From: Katherine Rubie
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: RYDIN ROAD RESIDENTS AND FLEX FUNDS, TONIGHT"S VOTE Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 6:06:56 PM
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Dear Honorable Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and City Council Members:
I'm writing on behalf of the Rydin Road Residents and the $50K Flex Fund Account. Though I am not a resident of Richmond, I
do have family there and
I was temporarily in Richmond in 2019 when I was experiencing homelessness and had a job opportunity that also provided shelter. This community is important to me for these reasons. In addition, though I am now housed, it has become very important for me to advocate for the homes and work towards ending homelessness.
My experience taught me that no one is safe from becoming homeless: it can happen to anyone, at anytime, for many reasons. For me, I was married, had a child, owned a home, and was going to college when my husband decided he wanted a divorce that began my downward trend. My divorce left me starting over. I depended on government subsidized housing and food stamps while I finished my degrees. I graduated with a Masters and began working in a nursing care facility as a Speech-Language Pathologist, but I eventually transitioned to the public schools as I found my work more rewarding with kids who would see a lifetime of benefits from the therapy I provided.
However, I was rear-ended in a car accident in May 1998, which has proven to have a lifelong impact on me. As I have aged,
I found my injuries eventually
developed into arthritis throughout my spine, which also included degenerative disc disease. In addition, I had also developed osteoarthritis in my knees. My condition worsened to the point that I was no longer able to keep up with work,
and thus earn sufficient income to continue paying rent. After burning through every resource (including cashing in two retirement accounts) to keep me housed, I eventually faced homelessness. For 6 months I reached out to every organization, charity, and agency I could find. Most simply told me to call back when I was homeless. Others had insufficient funding to help so denied assistance in favor of helping those who could benefit from that smaller amount. And others still had so much red tape and restrictions around who, how, and what that the funds were inaccessible. And this is how I became homeless.
There are many myths and stereotypes around who the homeless are and how they became homeless and it is this that I've found often gets in the way of people having any desire to help or even change legislation or policies. It is also this I fear may get in the way of how this $50K may be distributed to the residents of Rydin Road.
However, I've met several people through my own
experiences and at Rydin Road that has shown me that most homeless people are responsible citizens that have simply falken on hard times. It is my belief that this Flex Fund amount should be divided amongst the Rydin Road residents (past and current) in a fair and equitable manor for the residents to use in the way they best see will assist them. Some never got reimbursed for expenses paid out they've already submitted paperwork for and this should be definitely be a priority. Others are seeking to leave the area which includes being with or near family, but they don't have the means to do so, in which case this money could be used to help them transition. Others have a variety of other needs that could help them in other important ways. Please support these residents in getting their lives more stabilized.
The better off they are, the
easier it is to get them ready for housing, or to find jobs, or to improve their health conditions, or use improve their financial situations.
Thank you so much for your time, consideration, and much needed action.
Sincerely,
Katherine Rubie
36954 Olive St Apt A
Newark, CA 94560
From: Lea Murray
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comment for agenda item W.2.a
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 8:36:33 AM
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Dear City Council,
I support expanding the terms and language for use of the $50K Flex Funds for Rydin Road Residents.
These funds have already been set aside for the residents and do not add an additional burden to the budget.
Please help the residents to help themselves by releasing these funds immediately.
We all know that it is expensive to live in the Bay Area and that one gallon of gas is nearly $7.
Let's help the folks at Rydin Road live with dignity by assisting with their basic needs until adequate housing is found for them.
In solidarity,
Lea Murray, MPH, MA
Executive Director
Collaborising, Inc. 501 (c) (3)
www.collaborising.org
954-736-8343 cell
From: Maeve Katherine Bergman
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment Agenda Item W 2 a
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 2:18:53 PM
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Dear City Council Members,
Happy June! My name is Maeve Bergman and I live in Richmond,
California. Hoping this
message finds you safe and well as COVID infections rise in our region.
I write in support of agenda item W.2.a.. Vehicle, RV, and structure housed neighbors alike continue to collaborate to learn and act on the needs at Rydin Road.
Sadly, flexible funding appears to remain unspent despite significant
ongoing resident needs.
In the interest of avoiding the loss or waste of funds, as well as investing to promote community health and safety.
I join neighbors to support your reallocation of funding, including those funds for an unsuccessful city effort to repair resident vehicles and ask you to direct these funds to Rydin residents directly. In the interest of transparency, accountability, and equity, also asked is you ensure:
no allocation of these funds to cover city expenses;
direction to the City to distribute the funds in a timely manner; and distribution of funds be made evenly among former and current Rydin Residents As these funds were allocated to a budget line that did not receive any successful bids but were to directly benefit the health and safety of residents, the distribution of these funds, particularly as COVID cases rise, seems not only reasonable but practical.
Thank you for considering! Yours truly, Maeve
----
Maeve Katherine Bergman, JD, LLM,
MBA
From: Paula Boyd
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments Agenda Item # W.2.a
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 11:24:45 AM
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To Whom it May Concern,
I support flexibility in how funds originally set aside for mechanic bids to fix vehicles at the Rydin Road encampment are distributed. I support the redistribution of these funds for to be distributed evenly among the former and current Rydin Residents. I also request that there be accountability and transparency in the manner in which the funds are distributed.
The Rydin Residents are working hard to turn their lives around and even a small amount of additional financial support from the City would assist them in moving forward with their lives.
This request does not add any additional expense to the City as it is a redistribution of funds already set aside to address homelessness issues in Richmond. I feel that distributing the funds evenly among former and current Rydin Residents is the most equitable and fair use of the funds.
Please redistribute these
funds for distribution directly to Rydin Residents.
Thank you,
Paula Boyd
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments - X.1 Budget Session
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:37:24 PM
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Good Evening Mayor Butt, Council Members and Staff,
I do Appreciate the Hard Work that the Police and Fire Departments for Richmond Sincerely
Cordell
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- X.3 Budget Session
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:43:56 PM
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Good Evening Mayor Butt, Council Members, and Staff
I appreciate the Hard Work of the City Manager's Office with the Assistance of the Finance Department Sincerely
Cordell
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- Y.3
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:46:50 PM
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Good Evening Mayor Butt, Council Members and Staff
I am asking that the Class and Comp Study be released to the Council and Public Sincerely
Cordell
From: Cordell Hindler
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments- Y.5
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:54:30 PM
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Good Evening Mayor Butt, Council members and Staff,
I have some comments in related to Y.5,
back in the Pre COVID Days,
Parking Enforcement would come around On The 4th Wednesday of the month People are not moving cars as instructed by the city
so I am In full Support of Citations being Issued
Sincerely
Cordell