HomeMy WebLinkAbout4A Public CommentAnthony Mejia
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joe joeenos.com <joe@joeenos.com >
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 3:27 PM
Christy Holstege; Geoff Kors; Grace Garner; Dennis Woods; Lisa Middleton; Justin
Clifton; City Clerk
PUBLIC COMMENT: Item 4a, 6/10/21
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Dear Mayor and Council-
I'm writing you again to express my concerns about Well in the Desert and the proposed move to the highly-visible
location on El Cielo Way.
First of all, I hope that you (ie the city) have the responsibility of cleaning up the areas adjacent to the WITD's current
location, since all that you're doing is moving a problem from one side of town to the other. This would include areas
starting at the wash on S Palm Canyon near the KFC, the bus stop at S Indian Canyon and Ramon, and the vagrancy that
extends from Ramon up Indian Canyon and through the downtown core. I also hope you realize that you're not only
moving WITD, its day use clients and others, but you're also disrupting the movement and traffic patterns of the
homeless from one area that is reliant on tourism to another which is quite literally the first place visitors see upon
arriving to our destination. I can only trust your judgement-and the operating agreement you hope to enact-that what
is agreed to does not allow the airport to be taken over by the homeless as they did in the Encillia residential
neighborhood and the downtown business district. We're not doing a great job of keeping our streets and, for example
the common area of Smoketree Shopping Center maintained, so residents have every right to question your ability to
keep the airport free of blight and an invasion of the unhoused.
Secondly, I want you to find a more permanent solution to this issue, beyond the drop in/soup kitchen approach WITD
has operated under for years. It's not working. The homeless population deserves better treatment and that includes
intensive drug rehab, behavioral health care (and other interventions) in addition to temporary housing in a permanent
location. Spending $4 million of the $10 million grant on housing projects that may or may not happen, but are definitely
not happening in the short term, is not solving today's problems. How many beds could you have bought today for
treatment at Michael's House or Betty Ford? How many people could you have put in behavioral health care today at
Desert Regional, or even given money to DAPHealth to help you manage the current crisis? There's much more needed
than housing to solve this problem, and it seems as if Greg Rodriquez and the country agree to that (Desert Sun,
6/8/21).
This is an issue that affects the long term desirability of our dear small town ... an issue bigger than "hero" pay, parklettes,
de-funding Desert X, Frank Bogert, and Forever Marilyn. I hope you take a more serious, reflective and long-term
approach to this problem now, instead of waiting until the next election cycle. Palm Springs residents deserve better
leadership and a solutions-oriented council.
Joe Enos
Joe Enos & Co. I Palm Springs
760-322-7476 office
310-746-7530 cell
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