From: Melissa Staggs
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: Parking ordinance
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 4:18:21 PM
Dear Mayor & City Council Members,
I can't tell you all how disappointed I am that you allowed the SAVS group to strong arm you all into allowing a homeless encampment at 845 Gravenstein Hwy. My office is right next door, and my window overlooks the filth that keeps piling into that site. We have been greeted on most mornings with homeless in our dumpsters and others leaving trash and drug paraphernalia in our parking lot as they venture away from the RV village to find a spot to use.
I truly hope you are dismayed with what a blight it is on our sweet town.
That all being said, I beg you to pass a reasonable parking ordinance that would discourage others from taking up "residence" on our streets. Please stand up for the residents, employees, and students of Sebastopol who actually work hard to make this town great. Don't forget that the passing of a parking ordinance was promised with the approval of the homeless encampment at 845 Grav.
On this same note, please discourage groups like West County Health Centers encouraging other homeless to come to the commercial areas of town to illegally camp!!! They are advertising and encouraging other homeless to come here just as we're making progress getting the filth off the street.
And lastly, will someone PLEASE get an honest census of "who" is actually living in these illegal RV encampments. These are not people who are "down on their luck" or families "who have been priced out of the rental market". These are habitual drug users, mentally ill, and criminals who refuse to get clean and/or get jobs. One of the newest residents of the 845 encampment had been living on Morris St. for 6 years!!!! SIX YEARS is not an accident. It is NOT someone recently jobless who fell on hard times. 6 years is a lifestyle choice- and that lifestyle of filth and drug abuse shouldn't negatively affect the good, honest tax payers of Sebastopol.
Please do your job and represent the citizens of Sebastopol who live, work, and respect this city.
Thank you!
Melissa Staggs