County Community Engagement Report — City Council and Authorities Concurrent, April 25, 2023 (part 2 of 2)

For the upcoming 3/22 meeting, I strongly urge the city and county to change the meeting to in-person or add a co-host nominated by the Benton neighborhood to host the virtual meeting together. We also urge the city and county to stop presenting the view of incentivized participants as the view of the local residents in all future meetings.

From: Hongliang Fei
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Cc: [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 4:06:37 PM
Hi there,
As a resident of Santa Clara, I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood. This action gave false impressions of public support for the project and set up a plot to manipulate public opinion. It clearly violated law and democracy. I have zero-tolerance towards such behavior.

Lee
From: Hongliang Fei
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Cc: [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 4:04:47 PM
Hi County officials,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

This action gave false impressions of public support for the project and set up a plot to manipulate public opinion. It clearly violated law and democracy. I have zero-tolerance towards such behavior.

Resident of Santa Clara,
Hongliang
From: Junyu Zheng
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 4:04:36 PM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Junyu Zheng
Santa Clara
From: Ray
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 2:50:17 PM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From: Jeff Leon
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion, Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 1:05:31 PM
Hi,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Jeff Li
From: Yunqi Sun
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 12:18:28 PM
Hi Consuelo,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From: Gurinder Dhillon
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Cc: [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:31:38 AM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf.

THIS IS SLEAZY on so many levels although expected from politicians.

Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood.

Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood. This action gave false impressions of public support for the project and set up a plot to manipulate public opinion. It clearly violated law and democracy. I have zero-tolerance towards such behavior.

Toward a fair and open dialogue between the government and the people, we hereby request that 1) a representative from the neighborhood join the virtual meeting as a cohost alongside Ms. Consuelo Hernandaz. 2) The co-host shall have the same meeting permission and control, and host the meeting from the same physical location, for example, in Ms. Hernandez’s office. 3) Make sure that live comments and participant list are always visible to everyone. These are essential to ensuring that community outreach meetings are transparent and unbiased.
--
Gurinder Dhillon
From: hardik darji
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:16:32 AM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Toward a fair and open dialogue between the government and the people, we hereby request that 1) a representative from the neighborhood join the virtual meeting as a cohost alongside Ms. Consuelo Hernandaz. 2) The co-host shall have the same meeting permission and control, and host the meeting from the same physical location, for example, in Ms. Hernandez’s office. 3) Make sure that live comments and participant list are always visible to everyone. These are essential to ensuring that community outreach meetings are transparent and unbiased.
--
Hardikkumar Darji
From: Sun Eva
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:11:53 AM
Hi there,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Thanks,
Eva

From: Shea Shea
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:10:17 AM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Toward a fair and open dialogue between the government and the people, we hereby request that 1) a representative from the neighborhood join the virtual meeting as a cohost alongside Ms. Consuelo Hernandaz. 2) The co-host shall have the same meeting permission and control, and host the meeting from the same physical location, for example, in Ms. Hernandez’s office. 3) Make sure that live comments and participant list are always visible to everyone. These are essential to ensuring that community outreach meetings are transparent and unbiased.
--
Regards,
Jason Shea
From: Amber Hung
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:09:09 AM
Hi Sir,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From: Amber Hung
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:08:19 AM
Hi Sir,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

Toward a fair and open dialogue between the government and the people, we hereby request that 1) a representative from the neighborhood join the virtual meeting as a cohost alongside Ms. Consuelo Hernandaz. 2) The co-host shall have the same meeting permission and control, and host the meeting from the same physical location, for example, in Ms. Hernandez’s office. 3) Make sure that live comments and participant lists are always visible to everyone. These are essential to ensuring that community outreach meetings are transparent and unbiased.
-A Santa Clara resident
From: Eric Kyungwoo Sung
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:05:56 AM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From:

To: Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom!
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:00:11 AM
To Representatives of Santa Clara City and Santa Clara County:

As a local resident, I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. THEY DON'T EVEN LIVE HERE AND THEY DON'T CARE!!!!!! As the representative of residents, how can you let such things happen? Do you truly represent us?
Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood. This action gave false impressions of public support for the project and set up a plot to manipulate public opinion. It clearly violated law and democracy. I have zero-tolerance towards such behavior.

Toward a fair and open dialogue between the government and the people, we hereby request that 1) a representative from the neighborhood join the virtual meeting as a co-host alongside Ms. Consuelo Hernandaz. 2) The co-host shall have the same meeting permission and control, and host the meeting from the same physical location, for example, in Ms. Hernandez’s office. 3) Make sure that live comments and participant list are always visible to everyone. These are essential to ensuring that community outreach meetings are transparent and unbiased.

By A Long term residents of Benton Neighborhood.

From: Yi Huang
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 10:59:28 AM
Hi,
I'm a current resident in the area that will be affected by this project and I'm writing to express my disappointment and concerns with what is going on recently. I heard that institutions and individuals that do not live in the community were taken into serious consideration in this matter, which I found unacceptable and unbelievable. For them, it is just one politically right thing to say with no costs to them at all. For us that are currently living in this area, there is a huge price to pay including sacrificing the safe community because of those unstable and dangerous peeple. The political right needs to stop! Do not act kind when you have nothing to lose.

Regards,
Yi Huang
From: Shaun Shroff
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023 10:54:37 AM
Consuelo,
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From: Zhe Liu
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop astroturfing and misrepresenting public opinion; Make 3/22 meeting in-person or add neighborhood co-host for Zoom
Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 6:14:05 PM
I am extremely disappointed that you invited some supporters of the Benton project, portrayed them as members of the local community then asked them to speak at the March 9th Benton public hearing on the neighbors’ behalf. Everyone is free to express their opinion. But it is completely unacceptable that institutions or individuals with a vested interest in the project were invited to speak for the project and disguised themselves as local neighbors. In the 3/9 meeting, at least 5 speakers are from housing advocate organizations, who don’t live in the neighborhood. Ken Yeager, a professor from SJSU and former county supervisor, brought a dozen of college students to support and speak for the project. None of them are from the Benton neighborhood.

From: Frank WONG
To: Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop Benton Lawrence Shelter
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 10:49:32 PM
Dear Mr/Ms,
My name is Long Wang living in 3073 Adams Way, Santa Clara, CA 95051.

I'm strongly against the Lawrence-Benton Shelter. This location is the heart of South Bay, has high populations, with 4x schools and many communities nearby. I can not imagine there are hundreds of homeless of mental-illness live here and how scary our kids will be. You can not hear the voice of elementary kids but you know this shelter will hurt them. Shelter should build in industrial area, not residential area, it is so obvious but why county ignore this. We pay property taxes every year to the county. Such residential shelter may drive many high-tech employees to leave this area to other safer cities.

Stop this Benton-Lawrence Shelter and move to industrial or Mountain view area!!!!! That's my comments to it.

Thanks!
Sincerely,
Long
From: Dan Li
To: Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop the Benton Shelter for Homeless Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023 5:25:41 PM
Hi Hernandez,
As a citizen and voter in Santa Clara County, I'm writing to express my grave concern on the proposed homeless shelter at the corner of Benton Street and Lawrence Expressway in Santa Clara.

Please see the rationales attached.

Thank you!
Dan

From:

To: [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo Subject: [EXTERNAL] STOP the homeless shelter at Benton and Lawrence!! Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023 10:34:10 AM
Elected Officials of Santa Clara City and
Santa Clara County:

I am writing to express my strong
opposition to the proposal of constructing
a homeless shelter at Benton Street and
Lawrence Expressway.

This location sits within walking distance
to quite a few elementary schools,
daycares, public parks and a sprawling
neighborhood of single family homes,
apartments, senior homes. Families stroll
in the area with their kids. Young
students walk to and from their schools
daily. Senior citizens enjoy their
retirement life in the communities.

The county has clearly indicated that this
shelter shall admit people with prior
criminal background, with prior or ongoing
drug abuse, with mental health issues. We
believe people living a difficult life
deserve a helping hand, and it is a good
and noble cause to help them. I strongly
feel that mixing the “most challenging
elements of the population” with some of
the most innocent & vulnerable members of
the community shows a lack of
thoughtfulness and sincerity on the part
of the county/city in their effort to
locate such a homeless care facility.

The potential safety threats to the
community, particularly nearby schools and
residents, are too great to ignore. With
over 15 schools and over 10 thousands of
students in close proximity, and research
showing that crime rates increase by 56%
within 300 feet of a shelter, it is
imperative that the City Council finds a
safer location for the shelter. We cannot
afford to take such risks with our
community's safety and well-being.

I urge you to vote NO on any and all
upcoming proposals/projects associated
with homeless shelters at Benton Street
and Lawrence Expressway.

Regards,
B. Wo and family
Residents of Santa Clara
From: B W
To: Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stop the Horrible Shelter Proposal at Lawrence and Benton Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023 1:05:00 PM
My name is Brian West, resident of Santa Clara. I strongly oppose the Benton shelter proposal. This is absolutely the wrong location. I urge you to stop considering this location, and vote NO as our representative.

County conducted a live poll in the last community meeting and it showed over 80% of the community strongly oppose the Benton project. In the other three meetings the opposition rate is even higher. There are 8 major reasons that the community opposes the Benton project and the location selection. 1) Low barrier housing allowing criminals and addicts, problematic occupants are unlikely to be removed from the site by the city or police.
2) Tremendous safety threat to 11,000 students and families. 3) Milpitas and Mountain View with similar sites are seeing striking crime statistics (Milpitas total police calls increasing by 300% and total fire calls by 400% in 2022; MTV LifeMoves site police call has risen from 3 in 2019/2020 to 94 in 2021 and 141 in 2022!) 4) The 2nd shelter in the same neighborhood. Our neighbors have shouldered more homeless issues than any other area already. Enough is enough! Don’t bring more homeless to our neighborhood.
5) High operation cost of $4.3M as an estimate for now. Note that Palo Alto LifeMoves’ construction cost estimate doubled from $17M to $34.4M only one year after its approval! 6) Critical shortage of staff and licensed nurse in any homeless shelter will only create more problems than it solves.
7) Location selection is far from public transit, grocery and jobs, totally opposite to the stated goals of the proposed shelter.
8) County providing false and misleading info
300+ community’s questions unanswered as to date.

This reckless project will certainly take police resources away from the rest of the community, and put all our lives in danger. It will also lead to significant debt for the city of Santa Clara. We need the city council to reject this radical experiment as soon as possible.

I’m counting on you to vote NO. Thank you.

Brian West
and family
From: B W
To: [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo Subject: [EXTERNAL] STOP the Proposed Homeless Shelter at Lawrence and Benton. Please vote NO!! Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023 1:27:34 PM
My name is Brian West, resident of Santa Clara. I strongly oppose the Benton shelter proposal. This is absolutely the wrong location. I urge you to stop considering this location, and vote NO as our representative.

County conducted a live poll in the last community meeting and it showed over 80% of the community strongly oppose the Benton project. In the other three meetings the opposition rate is even higher. There are 8 major reasons that the community opposes the Benton project and the location selection. 1) Low barrier housing allowing criminals and addicts, problematic occupants are unlikely to be removed from the site by the city or police. 2) Tremendous safety threat to 11,000 students and families. 3) Milpitas and Mountain View with similar sites are seeing striking crime statistics (Milpitas total police calls increasing by 300% and total fire calls by 400% in 2022; MTV LifeMoves site police call has risen from 3 in 2019/2020 to 94 in 2021 and 141 in 2022!) 4) This is the 2nd shelter in the same neighborhood. Our neighbors have shouldered more homeless issues than any other area already. Enough is enough! Don’t bring more homeless to our neighborhood.
5) High operation cost of $4.3M as an estimate for now. Note that Palo Alto LifeMoves’ construction cost estimate doubled from $17M to $34.4M only one year after its approval! 6) Critical shortage of staff and licensed nurse in any homeless shelter will only create more problems than it solves. 7) Location selection is far from public transit, grocery and jobs, totally opposite to the stated goals of the proposed shelter. 8) County providing false and misleading info, 300+ community’s questions unanswered as to date.

I’m counting on you to vote NO. Thank you.

Brian West
and family
From: y xx
To: Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; khardy; [email protected]; [email protected]; Supervisor.Lee; Ellenberg, Supervisor
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strong objection!
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 5:41:22 PM
To whom may concern,
We strongly oppose building the low barrier tiny home homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton.

We understand the helpless for the homeless, however, the policy should think about the residents more. Before deciding, think about some questions below:

Have you guys consider the safety of the city and the community? Have you guys consider the use of the taxed money from the residents? What the residents really need?
Have you guys think about the duties? Why the residents vote for you guys? For the worst environment?
Please listen to our residents’ voice! And choose the locations of low barrier tiny homeless shelters cautiously! Better for far from any cities!
Regards,
Lily Xiao
From: Yuan Yao
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strong Oppose the development of Benton Homeless shelter Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:40:59 PM
To whom it may concern
The proposed Benton Homeless shelter brings a significant safety threat to nearby schools, including my kids' school. I urge the city council to stop consideration of this location Regards
Yuan Yao
From: Larry wang
To: mayorandcouncil@santaclaraca org; [email protected]; rchahal; Kathy Watanabe; khardy; [email protected]; [email protected]
Cc: Ellenberg Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; Hernandez Consuelo; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strong oppose to Benton and Lawrence homeless shelter Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 10:31:47 PM
Dear Mayor, city council members,
cc. county council members,
I am writing to strongly oppose the project of Benton homeless shelter.

The homeless have been an issue for us for a couple of years. We understand that Santa Clara county and city are pushed to find a location for shelters. However, I do not think the cross street of Lawrence and Benton is an good choice. The noisy place with a low transit score to the bus stop and the traffic appears dangerous to pedestrian crossing Benton street. Like white oaks, where is rejected years ago, is a bad choice for those who need support. It brings huge concerns to local communities as well.

Here is a notable research paper posted in 2019. Bad transit score place can nigatively impact access to employment and educational opportunities, healthcare and social services. In particular, it has been found to prevent individuals' upward mobility out of homelessness.

https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/sites/default/files/Murphy%20%282019%29Transportation%20and%20Homelessness.pdf The transit score of Benton shelter is calculated under 40 by walkscore.com.

I do believe if we do really wanna support homeless, please choose some other places closer to the transportatio.

I do wish you can listen and accept my point.
thank you so much.
regards,
-Larry
From: Puan Xu
To: Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee
Cc: [email protected]; khardy; [email protected]; [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo Subject: [EXTERNAL] strong opposition against shelters at Lawrence & Benton Date: Monday, February 27, 2023 8:47:22 AM
My name is Richard Xu, a resident of Santa Clara County.

I strongly oppose building the low-barrier container-style homeless shelter at Lawrence & Benton. Here are a few points of concern. I’d appreciate it if you take them seriously and respond with a detailed answer to address them.

Major concerns:

Too close to 24 schools and daycares. Serious safety concern.

No serious and prior research on the impact of this shelter on the surrounding neighborhood.
80-100 rooms are too many for this tiny land.

Admission of people with a criminal history and drug issues, essentially no screening procedures.

Admission of people with mental issues.

Stacked-up, container-style tiny homes create a subpar living environment even for the unhoused.

No specific plans for management; no guarantee for neighborhood safety and quality of life.

Proposed staff/residents ratio of 1:100, and a plan that would utilize only volunteers to treat the mental illness of residents
This location is only 0.5 miles from another shelter, Bella Vista.

There is no solid data or evidence showing that LifeMoves’s Moutain View homeless shelter succeeded in reducing the homeless population in the city or improving the homeless's mental issues.

Homeless families with kids and/or some belongings will very likely avoid moving into this shelter due to fear of crimes and drug use. Since the shelter will design to have a “low entry barrier” (essentially no screening of residents at all), it is quite likely that people with a criminal background, history of drug use/dealing, and repeat offenses will stay here. It will not be surprising that homeless from other states with questionable backgrounds will show up in our neighborhoods.

From White Oak Lane to Benton & Lawrence, these choices of location have repeatedly shown that some of the elected officials put spending up taxpayer’s dollars before ensuring the safety of the community.

Requests:

I request that you address the 300+ questions raised by the attendees in the first community meeting held on Feb-13, 2023 instead of cherry-picking a few to answer and ignoring the majority.

I request that you provide the date, time, and location of the April meetings to be attended by LifeMoves, and city and county staff to discuss community feedback. and I request that info be shared online & publicly accessible, so members of the community have a chance to join the discussion.

I request that the County always provide a virtual way (e.g. Zoom) to join the meetings that are held in person so that busy parents like me can participate.

I request that you provide verifiable research/study/data on how an interim/emergency shelter impacts the neighborhood.

I request that you share the plans about how you are making sure that young kids and students are safely walking to/from schools.

I request that you share the plans about how to handle the potential increase in parking and traffic gave that 80-120 units will be introduced to an already overcrowded neighborhood.

I request that you share how you would help the city of Santa Clara cope with the inevitable requirement to increase police funding/staffing in response to the increase in incidents/crimes in this area due to this shelter.

Are there any rules/regulations applicable to residents of the shelter? If they break the regulation, what accountability will be enforced?
What does the move-in process look like? Is there a maximum of time a resident can stay in this shelter? What is their day-to-day schedule (e.g. curfew)? Is the shelter designed to accommodate unhoused people from the city of Santa Clara only, or from the county, or from anywhere in the country? How do you enforce geographical restrictions, if any?
Please share the details of resident management, including Lifemoves’ plan, and source of first-year and long-term funding.

Thank you for your consideration
From: Nanxi Li
To: Nanxi Li
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strong opposition to Benton & Lawrence Low-Barrier Shelter Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:19:22 PM
Hi,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Benton & Lawrence Low-Barrier Shelter that is proposed to be established in our neighborhood. As a concerned resident, I believe that this shelter would be a wrong location for several reasons and poses significant risks to our community.

Firstly, the location of the proposed shelter is currently being used for a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot, which attracts many families and children during the holiday season. The establishment of a low-barrier shelter would change the character of this area, and the presence of individuals with mental illnesses or addiction issues could create an unsafe environment for families and children.

Secondly, the proposed location is too close to the expressway, which poses significant risks to individuals with mental illnesses who may wander and walk around the area. It is essential to consider the safety of these individuals and ensure that they are not at risk of harm from the nearby traffic.

Furthermore, the proposed shelter is located in close proximity to several schools. I am deeply concerned about the safety of children, as well as the potential impact that the shelter could have on the community as a whole. The presence of a low-barrier shelter could attract individuals with criminal records or addiction issues, leading to an increase in crime and other undesirable activities in the area.

In light of these concerns, I urge you to reconsider the establishment of the Benton & Lawrence Low-Barrier Shelter in our neighborhood. While I understand the importance of providing support for those in need, it is essential to consider the impact that this shelter could have on the safety and well-being of our community. I believe that there are other, more suitable locations that could provide a safe and supportive environment for those in need.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Nanxi Li, resident in Santa Clara
From: zhe yin
To: Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee
Cc: [email protected]; khardy; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] STRONG OPPOSITION to the proposal of building homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton Date: Friday, February 24, 2023 12:22:24 PM
Hello,
My name is Zhe Yin, a resident of Santa Clara County.

I strongly oppose building the low barrier container style homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton. Here are my reasons and requests. Please seriously consider my reasons, and reply back with detailed answers to all my requests.

Reasons:

Too close to 24 schools and daycares. Serious safety concern.

No prior research has been done on the impact of this shelter to the neighborhood. 80-100 rooms are too many for this tiny land.

The shelter has no screening procedures and accepts people with criminal history, drug issues and mental issues to live in which brings safety concerns to the neighbourhood.

Oppose tiny removable homes, instead of concrete buildings.

No plans for management, no guarantee for neighborhood safety and quality of life.

With a 1:100 staff/homeless ratio and only volunteers onsite, there are not enough professionals to treat mental illness.

This shelter is only 0.5 miles from another shelter, Bella Vista.

No research and evidence can show LifeMoves’s MTV shelter succeeds in reducing the homeless population, and improving the homeless's mental issues.

Kids love the pumpkin patch here. It brings good memories to them over the years. DO NOT turn the good memories into nightmares!
Requests:

I request you provide the date, time and location of the April meetings among LifeMoves, city and county staff to discuss community feedback and share the information to the public.

I request that the County also set up a zoom meeting for the in person meetings, so that people who need to take care of kids at home can also participate.

I request you provide research/study on how an interim/emergency shelter impacts the neighborhood.

I request you provide a solid plan for the steps to ensure the neighborhoods are safe and secure, especially how to make sure young kids and students are safe walking to schools.

What’s the weapon policy? How can you make sure they do not have weapons with them?
Will the city increase its police force?
Who will be sent to this shelter? Will it only for Santa Clara City's homeless, or homeless from anywhere can come and live here?
How will the maximum 240 homeless people be managed? By whom? Where does the funding come from?
Regards,
Zhe
From: Wenyu Cai
To: [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly appose building the low barrier homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton Date: Monday, February 27, 2023 10:41:15 PM
Dear Mayor and Council,
We are very shocked to know that there is a discussion or plan to build the low barrier homeless shelter on
Lawrence & Benton. It is so hard to believe that in an area surrounded by 24 schools and day cares, people would think
to build buildings and give the opportunities for those with criminal history and drug issues wandering around. That is such
an irresponsible plan and can potentially hurt our community hard. Safety is already a big concern for many people in
nowadays and it is terrible to try to do things like that to make it even worse. If you have kids going to school surrounded by
this, would you be comfortable and rest assured for this whole thing? As a Santa Clara citizen, we strongly appose building the low barrier home homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton!!! Please
help to stop this. Thanks very much for your time and help! Thanks & Regards,
Vera
From: yun zou
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly concern about the lack of transparency in the homeless shelter project @Benton&Lawrence Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7:12:27 PM
Hi,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed low barrier homeless shelter at Benton and Lawrence. While I understand that the issue of homelessness is a complex and pressing one, I am deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and community involvement in the decision-making process.

It has come to my attention that many residents in the surrounding neighborhoods were not notified or consulted about the proposal to establish a low barrier homeless shelter in the area.

This lack of community involvement is deeply concerning to me, as it suggests that the decision was made without proper consideration for the needs and concerns of the community.

It has come to my attention that many residents in the surrounding neighborhoods were not notified or consulted about the proposal to establish a low barrier homeless shelter in the area.

This lack of community involvement is deeply concerning to me, as it suggests that the decision was made without proper consideration for the needs and concerns of the community.

The fact that most of the neighborhood was not notified of this proposal is suspicious and raises questions about the transparency and accountability of the decision-making process. As residents, we have a right to be informed about proposals that will impact our community, and we deserve to have a say in decisions that will affect our safety and well-being.

I urge you to reconsider the proposal to establish a low barrier homeless shelter at Benton and Lawrence and to engage in a more transparent and inclusive decision-making process. This could include holding public meetings, soliciting feedback from community members, and ensuring that all relevant information is made available to the public.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns. I hope that you will take these concerns seriously and work to ensure that the decision-making process around this proposal is fair, transparent, and inclusive of the needs and concerns of the community.

Sincerely,
Reed
From: yun zou
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly concern about the lack of transparency in the homeless shelter project @Benton&Lawrence Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023 4:21:40 PM
Hi, do you still hear voices from us through this email? I haven't got any response yet, so will keep sending the emails.

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed low barrier homeless shelter at Benton and Lawrence. While I understand that the issue of homelessness is a complex and pressing one, I am deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and community involvement in the decision-making process.

It has come to my attention that many residents in the surrounding neighborhoods were not notified or consulted about the proposal to establish a low barrier homeless shelter in the area.

This lack of community involvement is deeply concerning to me, as it suggests that the decision was made without proper consideration for the needs and concerns of the community.

It has come to my attention that many residents in the surrounding neighborhoods were not notified or consulted about the proposal to establish a low barrier homeless shelter in the area.

This lack of community involvement is deeply concerning to me, as it suggests that the decision was made without proper consideration for the needs and concerns of the community.

Sincerely,
Reed
From: Sophy Zhu
To: [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo; Supervisor Simitian; Chavez, Cindy Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly Oppose Benton Shelter
Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023 11:40:30 AM
My name is Sophy Zhu, a parent and resident in the neighborhood close to Benton & Lawrence intersection.

I want to express my great concern and opposition about the Benton project. This low barrier homeless housing initiative for male singles is a potential safety risk to our children, and it is unacceptable that it would allow criminals, drug addicts, and sex offenders to stay. This was confirmed in all three community hearings that have been held so far. We need to ensure the safety of our children and prevent our community from becoming a magnet for crime.

Again, I oppose the Benton Shelter!
From: Rui Liang
To: [email protected]; kleincouncil; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lisa Gillmor; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly Oppose Benton shelter. This is the wrong location.

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023 9:19:24 PM
Hello,
My name is Rui Liang , resident of Santa Clara. I strongly oppose Benton shelter. This is the wrong location. I urge you to cease consideration of this location, and vote no as our representative. City and county need to find a non-residential land for the facility like this.

I’m counting on you.
--
Best Regards,
Rui Liang
From: Jing
To: [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo; khardy; [email protected]; Kathy Watanabe; Lisa Gillmor; [email protected]; rchahal; [email protected]; [email protected]; Chavez, Cindy; [email protected]; kleincouncil; [email protected]; MeltonCouncil; [email protected]; Ellenberg, Supervisor; Supervisor.Lee; Supervisor Simitian Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly Oppose Benton Shelter
Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023 1:00:27 PM
Dear officers,
I’m a resident near the proposed Benton shelter. I’m living 0.2 miles from this location and I strongly oppose this plan.

I’m a father of two kids. We were living in Sunnyvale last year. There was a person with mental health issues in our neighborhood and often shouted aloud during the day. My kids were so scared and not willing to play outside of the house. This causes both mental and physical harms to my kids and forced me to move to the current home in Santa Clara. I have learned that a significant portion of the homeless people in this proposed shelter have mental health issues. The would be a serious threaten to the safety and mental health of the kids in our community. As a father, I don’t want the same bad thing happen again on my kids. This proposed shelter is not acceptable to me. Please understand the concerns of a father. I’m only fine with building townhouses for the screened low-income families at this location.

Thanks,
Jing Liu
From: Co Liu
To: [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo; [email protected] Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; khardy; [email protected]; [email protected]; Supervisor.Lee Subject: [EXTERNAL] Strongly oppose Benton Shelter
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 3:46:40 PM
Hi,
I’m strongly oppose the Benton St shelter project!
Regards
From: Wenyu Cai
To: [email protected]; Hernandez, Consuelo
Subject: [EXTERNAL] strongly oppose building interim housing on Benton!! Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 8:15:16 PM
Dear Santa Clara Council members,
My name is Vera. I am a santa clara resident. I strongly oppose building interim housing on Benton
consider it's a no barrier, no screen homeless shelter. I attend today's meeting and 80% of community
residents oppose the project. 90% of people opposed from previous meeting and thousands signatures
are collected from people who oppose the project. What else you need to show you listen to the community
and residents?
Data from both San Jose and Milpitas similar project shows the crime rate increase dramatically after project
versus before project. Same storied are repeatedly happen again and again from big cities and small used to
be quite cities. Santa Clara is not special and will not be special in terms of crime rate increase if reckless decision
like this not getting prevented.

Even homeless people are scared of those with drug addicted, with criminal background and rather to stay in tent.

Who you really want to help here? Project like this won't end homeless for sure just like numerous project like that
because that's not the right way. They are creating more severe issue to the community rather than helping people.

Please be responsible to the residents and communities who used to support you, if not, people will learn
from those and will choose the right people who can represent them and do the right thing for community.

Thank you,
Vera
From: Hong, Lu
To: Ellenberg, Supervisor
Subject: [EXTERNAL] strongly oppose building the homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton Date: Friday, February 24, 2023 9:24:27 PM
Dear Sir or Madam,
As a Santa Clara resident & 3-kids mother living in Lawrence and Benton area, I strongly oppose building the low barrier homeless shelter on Lawrence and Benton. Below are my reasons and requests. Please seriously consider my reasons, and reply back with detailed answers to all the requests.

Reasons:

This place is too close to 24 schools and daycares that raises serious safety concerns.

We oppose any actions without considering the impact of this shelter to the safety of the neighborhood.

We oppose a shelter accepting people with criminal history and drug issues, especially accepting those people without formal screening procedures.

We oppose anyone with mental issues living in this shelter with so many kids living in this area.

We oppose tiny removable homes in such a small place. 80-100 rooms are too crowded there.

We oppose any action that doesn't have any guarantee for the neighborhood's quality of life.

We oppose this shelter with a 1:100 staff/homeless ratio, and only volunteers onsite to treat mental illness.

Also, this shelter is only 0.5 miles from the other shelter, Bella Vista. This action doesn't consider the neighborhood at all.

No research and evidence can show LifeMoves’s MTV shelter has succeeded in reducing the homeless population, and improving the homeless's mental issues.

Requests:

I request you provide 300+ questions the attendees entered in chats during the first hearing meeting, and your answers.

I request you provide the date, time and location of the April meetings among LifeMoves, city and county staff to discuss community feedback. and I request that info be shared to the public. and we all get notifications of the meetings.

I request that the County also set up a zoom meeting for the in-person meetings, so that people like me who need to take care of kids at home, can also participate.

I request you provide research/study on how an interim/emergency shelter impacts the neighborhood.

I request you provide a solid plan for the steps to ensure the neighborhoods are safe and secure. and a detailed plan for funding and leading the effort? I request plans on how you are making sure young kids and students are safe walking to schools.

I request a plan on how to solve the potential problems on parking and traffic given that 80-120 units will be introduced to an already overcrowded neighborhood.

I request you to plan to address the increased police funding and numbers needs, given the tremendous increase in population.How will community's safety be endured? What's your plan and city's plan?
How can you ensure homeless people can be well-behaved? Are there any regulations for the occupants in the shelter? If they break the regulation, what's the penalty? :KDW·VWKHZHDSRQSROLF\"+RZFDQ\RXPDNHVXUHWKH\GRQRWKDYHZHDSRQVZLWK WKHP"
Will the city increase its police force?
What's their move-in process look like? How many days can they stay? Will they be allowed to get out of the shelter?
Who will be sent to this shelter? Will it only for Santa Clara City's homeless, or homeless from anywhere can come and live here?
+RZZLOOWKHPD[LPXPKRPHOHVVSHRSOHEHPDQDJHG"%\ZKRP":KHUHGRHVWKH IXQGLQJFRPHIURP"
6LQFHUHO\\RXUV
$PEHU
From: Shuhong Chen
To: Ellenberg, Supervisor
Subject: [EXTERNAL] strongly oppose building the homeless shelter on Lawrence & Benton Date: Friday, February 24, 2023 9:59:19 PM
Dear Sir or Madam,
As a Santa Clara resident & 3-kids dad living in Lawrence and Benton area, I strongly oppose building the low barrier homeless shelter on Lawrence and Benton. Below are my reasons and requests. Please seriously consider my reasons, and reply back with detailed answers to all the requests.