RULES COMMITTEE AGENDA: May 15, 2024
ITEM:
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Councilmember Jimenez
District 2
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: May 9, 2024
APPROVED:
SUBJECT: Improve the Quality of Life of Walnut Mobile Home Park Residents
RECOMMENDATION
1. To protect the health and safety and improve the quality of life of Walnut Mobile Home Park residents, direct the City Manager to cease the storage of all trash, illegal dumping, debris, and refuse at the DOT South Yard located at 4420 Monterey Rd, San Jose, CA 95111, no later than December 2024.
2. Direct the City Manager to find funding for operational changes needed to cease the storage of all trash, illegal dumping, debris, and refuse at the DOT South Yard in the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget.
BACKGROUND
The Walnut Mobile Home Park is a small community of 40 homes located on Monterey Rd in South San Jose. The residents of Walnut MHP are working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and primarily people of color. Since taking office in 2017, my team has worked closely with Walnut MHP residents and DOT staff to mitigate adverse impacts of the DOT South Yard, which shares a fence line with the park, on residents. The concerns of noise, dust, rodents, smells, and other nuisances have been ongoing for decades. I appreciate the willingness of staff from DOT and the South Yard to work with our office and hear concerns from residents.
Together with the South Yard we have implemented some effective mitigation efforts such as using sprinklers to control dust, wetting garbage piles with a water truck before removal, placing signage to turn off loud equipment at night, and acquiring an exterminator for rodent control.
The South Yard has also provided residents with a direct contact to report concerns. These efforts have helped; however, there are still ongoing health and safety issues that have not diminished for residents.
On March 11, 2024, we hosted a community meeting with over a dozen residents from the park, and they all expressed grave concern over the ongoing practice of storing garbage at the South Yard. The South Yard has been an interim location for various departments to dump garbage,
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
May 9, 2024
Subject: Improve the Quality of Life of Walnut Mobile Home Park Residents Rev 1/2018
including mattresses, furniture, appliances, litter, illegal dumping, and other refuse. The garbage is then stored at the yard in large open piles for weeks at a time until it is collected and moved to a landfill. The garbage piles attract rodents and produce dust and odors that negatively impact the quality of life of nearby residents. Residents complain that they cannot open their windows on warm days because of the dust and smell. Furthermore, Walnut MHP has had an ongoing rat problem for many years. Rats have caused severe damage to some homes, and it is reasonable to assume that the rodent issue is correlated to the trash piles.
I appreciate the important work conducted at the South Yard, and I know that this location houses important materials, equipment, and heavy machinery needed to provide crucial city services. We understand that closure of the yard is not feasible. However, we should not have a landfill in such close proximity to a residential community. I am sympathetic to the fact that this request may have significant operational impacts on the departments and programs that dump at the South Yard, and there will undoubtedly be a cost needed to implement this change. As mentioned, the quality of life of these residents and our city’s commitment to equity is worth the investment. I urge my council colleagues to support this request so that the families and seniors at Walnut MHP can have some relief and an improved quality of life.
See Attachment A-Pictures of South Yard
For questions, please contact Vanessa Sandoval, Chief of Staff 408-535-4925.
Attachment A
South Yard debris pile and water truck used to control dust.
Multiple refrigerators and other appliances being stored at the South Yard in wait for removal to a landfill.
Soundwall that separates the Walnut MHP from the South Yard