Story from Elk Grove News rebuked, Elk Grove citizen tells city council many concerned about growing homelessness
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2024/02/story-from-elk-grove-news-rebuked-elk.html
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| Elk Grove citizen Jackie Perez tells Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her city council that Old Town Elk Grove's homelessness is worse than being reported. | |
During the Wednesday, February 14, 2024, Elk Grove City Council meeting, the mayor and city council heard comments claiming the city's growing homeless population in Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove is worse than reported.
The comments from Jackie Perez appeared to address a February 13 Elk Grove News story about the city's plan to open another winter sanctuary later this year at a yet-to-be-identified location. The current winter sanctuary in Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove drew resistance before its November 1, 2023 opening.
Although Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen does not usually respond to comments on non-agenda items, she instructed the city's housing manager, Sarah Bontrager, to address the concerns.
During her comments, Ms. Bontrager downplayed any role the winter sanctuary, located at Waterman Road and Elk Grove Boulevard, might have with any increase in homelessness in Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove.
Bontrager instead said any increase in Elk Grove's homeless population is the result of policies in other communities. Perez's entire commentary and Bontrager's reply can be seen in the video.
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You can really tell a lot about a community by listening to its residents. Listening to countless three-minute comments from the podium over the years, I have concluded that Elk Grove is nothing more than a jigsaw puzzle of neighborhoods with their respective residents concerned primarily about their property values. Nothing more, nothing less.
On the subject of neighborhoods, the City is divided up into council districts.
On the subject of affordable housing, each neighborhood says "not in my backyard".
On the subject of the homeless, each neighborhood says "keep them away from us".
While our Mayor and City Council pursue the almighty sales tax dollar, our jigsaw puzzle of a town may exhibit great ethnic diversity, but a town of compassion and tolerance Elk Grove is not.
It seems to me that 180,000 people by their vocal actions are saying "keep those blase chain stores coming, but get those renters, homeless, and winter sanctuaries out of here!"
Well, "Proud Tradition, Bright Future" sounds catchy at least.
This commentator is using vailed messages. She's saying the city is being run over by the homeless people while using that term only once. Instead, she used terms like people meandering (implying drunk or drug-induced stumbling) and "people from every culture" (not just the Old Town MAGA crew who is the most upset) as cover. Sarah Bontrager's comments were interesting, as she blamed other cities for pushing the homeless to Elk Grove, but that's a whole nother story!
I believe the term for her comments is dog whistle!
I've learned two things after reading this story -
1. If you want the mayor to respond to public comment, cite a story on Elk Grove News.
2. This site has increased its readers from 19 to now 20!
What's the deal with Angela Spease? Keeping her husband on a short leash?
Ditto on Blutarsky’s comments. Every word is right on!
It’s very sad, but true.
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