Beth Milwid
Comments for the San Rafael City Council Meeting
January 16, 2024
My name is Beth Milwid, and I am a new resident of the Vivalon Healthy Aging Campus.
What I have to say is difficult, so please bear with me if my voice shakes a bit.
When I applied to Vivalon, I asked about parking and was told I could park in a City garage at a reduced rate of $75 per month.
I was very grateful, because I am still working part-time and need my car to go to work.
On November 8th, I signed up for the parking program.
On November 22nd, I moved into my new home and was thrilled. I loved my apartment and the Vivalon programs in the building.
Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived.
In my first month of parking in Garage A, my car was broken into two times in 10 days.
My car was ransacked and vandalized, and the battery, registration, and insurance card all stolen.
On December 21st, the first time I discovered my car had been broken into, I was shocked. The second time, on December 30th, I was disbelieving, shaken, and, frankly, traumatized.
If you have ever had your home or vehicle broken into, you know that you can feel violated and unsafe for some time.
I now leave my apartment to go to work an hour early in case I find my battery missing or my car vandalized again and have to make other arrangements to get to work at additional expense.
Every time I walk to the garage, I pray. As a two-time victim of crime, I often feel afraid.
My family and friends are concerned about my safety and so are my doctors.
I have reported these break-ins to the police, the Parking Services Department, and Vivalon.
Each time I was told to bring my concerns to the City Council so we might address them together – hopefully, before my car gets broken into again.
Currently, there is security in Garage A only from 6 am to 11 pm. So professional thieves know they can easily break into cars parked there overnight.
They can also easily target vulnerable seniors.
This situation is not what I expected when I applied for affordable housing in San Rafael.
Imagine if your senior mother, aunt, sister, cousin, or friend were living in so much fear. Surely, you would want to take immediate action.
Thank you for listening. Let’s address these safety concerns together and promptly.