From: Rachel Bartz
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: Public Comment for Feb 23 Council Mtg
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022 9:35:00 AM
Hi Ms Gourley,
Will you kindly post this public comment for the Wed 2/23 special city council meeting? With thanks,
Rachel Allen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- Support for Passing Parking Ordinance 1136
On Dec 2nd this Council issued a Homeless State of Emergency. If we’re in crisis, it’s one of our own making. This crisis didn’t stem from the unsheltered — it’s been created by our City Council’s foot-dragging to adopt common sense parking restrictions found in other cities in California.
Passing Parking Ordinance 1136 (recommended by our Police Department) would correct the current weak limits that invite outsiders to take advantage of Sebastopol. A lax approach may have been appropriate years ago - as our City grappled with how to handle the pandemic - but this laxity has failed, and invites RVs to park here indefinitely. Other cities (Venice Beach, Santa Cruz) have already learned this lesson (i.e. trying permissiveness until the community reaches a tipping point). They had to return to rules and enforcement, to end the crisis.
It’s frustrating that one councilmember has moved to delay the new ordinance. An agenda of activism which preferences special interest groups (SAVS , etc.) is counter to the larger Sebastopol community. Worse, some of these groups (2/15 public comment by West County Homeless Advocates and outside groups such as CRLA) are raising the specter of lawsuits in an effort to intimidate the Council and stop our city from adopting ordinances that it has every right to enact. Their threats and stalling perpetuates the crisis - Council and Mayor, reject this special interest lobbying! Our city streets are a visual scorecard of how our city is performing — and the current squalor merits an “F.” Sebastopolians should have safe, clean city streets that we can be proud of. I urge the City Council to transition to the enforcement we all need and approve Parking Ordinance 1136 without further delay
Rachel Allen,
Sebastopol, CA