From: David Cameron
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2024 3:06 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: comments on homelessness ordinance
Hello -
I keep reading about spacing requirements, not blocking sidewalks, and generally keeping belongings contained, and the reality of the situation is so much worse than I could ever have imagined. We have shanty towns through the city with filth, drugs, excrement, and mentally ill people harassing citizens. The snake path, Anderson Dr and Tamalpias are the encampments that I see virtually everyday and it is such a disgrace and sad situation. I saw one guy completely naked sitting on the sidewalk on Tamalpias just out of his mind or something. The city has completely lost control of the situation and downtown is like a ghost town with mentally ill people yelling and wandering around. San Rafael was a vibrant community 20 years ago and now is in rapid decline with no plan to provide shelter and services to make it livable again.
I will learn more about what I can do as a private citizen but this situation is out of control and all I see from the City is "donate to Homeward Bound" and "look what we learned with our survey". What is the plan? These ordinances are stop-gap measures that don't address the magnitude of the problem. How about we put portable housing on public property and at least start to provide some housing options that don't create a public health nightmare?
David Cameron