CC 10-15-2024 Item No. 6 Study Session on Unhoused Services and Programs_Written CommunicationsCC 10-15-2024
Item No. 6
Study Session on Unhoused
Services and Programs
Written Communications
From:Tom Chin
To:City Clerk
Subject:Fw: Urgent Action Needed to Address Homeless Encampments and Ensure Fair City Priorities
Date:Friday, October 11, 2024 12:38:38 PM
Hi Clerk team,
I am forwarding emails that may be considered Written Communication for the upcoming City
Council meeting.
Thomas Chin
Emergency Manager
City Manager's Office
ThomasC@cupertino.org
(408) 777-1310
From: Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2024 7:45 AM
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>; Pamela Wu <pamelaw@cupertino.org>; Tina Kapoor
<tinak@cupertino.org>; Tom Chin <tomc@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Urgent Action Needed to Address Homeless Encampments and Ensure Fair City Priorities
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Subject: Urgent Action Needed to Address Homeless Encampments
and Ensure Fair City Priorities
Dear Mayor Mohan and Cupertino City Council Members,
I hope this email finds you well.
I wanted to bring to your attention the recent efforts by neighboring cities,
such as San Jose, which have taken decisive action to clear homeless
encampments with state support, as noted in this article: San Jose Spotlight
- State Aid forClearing Homeless Camps.
Unfortunately, Cupertino has yet to take comparable steps. The
encampment on Alves Drive remains a pressing concern, with no visible
progress towards resolving it. Residents, myself included, have voiced
concerns, but we seem to be met with silence from the council and staff. Is
there a process in place to address these inquiries and prioritize action?
It has become increasingly evident that our city’s resources are being
diverted toward issues like political sign removal of opponents of the
current council majority, while pressing matters such as homeless
encampments and RV parking persist without resolution. I urge you to
reconsider these priorities and direct city staff to focus on the
significant resident concerns, such as addressing and evicting homeless
encampments.
As representatives of Cupertino’s voters, I trust that you will act in the best
interest of the community and ensure that staff is properly directed towards
these urgent matters.
Thank you for your attention to this issue, and I look forward to your
response.
Best regards,
San Rao
From:Tom Chin
To:City Clerk
Subject:Fw: Homeless Problem
Date:Friday, October 11, 2024 12:37:24 PM
Hi Clerk team,
I am forwarding messages that may be considered Written Communication.
Thomas Chin
Emergency Manager
City Manager's Office
ThomasC@cupertino.org
(408) 777-1310
From: Cathy Helgerson <cathyhelger@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2024 10:51 AM
To: Tom Chin <TomC@cupertino.org>; Pamela Wu <pamelaw@cupertino.org>; Kitty Moore
<kmoore@cupertino.org>; Liang Chao <liangchao@cupertino.org>; J.R. Fruen
<jrfruen@cupertino.org>; Sheila Mohan <smohan@cupertino.org>; Supervisor Joe Simitian
<supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org>; FRYHOUSE@EARTHLINK.NET <FRYHOUSE@earthlink.net>;
Peggy Griffin <griffin@compuserve.com>; e-news@email.bayareanewsgroup.com <e-
news@email.bayareanewsgroup.com>; clerk@santaclaraca.gov <clerk@santaclaraca.gov>
Subject: Homeless Problem
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello,
I am sending this e-mail to all of you and want to address the problems with the homeless here
on our streets in Cupertino and Santa Clara County.
I have complained over and over again to Tom Chin and written e-mails addressing the
homeless women behind the Target Store. It seems that no one can do anything about getting
her off the street where she is living. I passed by behind the store this morning and now there
is another person who is homeless and he seems to have made it his home a little way down
close to the corner of the street from where she has been living in a tent. She has been on the
street for a good long time. Tom Chin is aware of the situation and he probably also knows of
the other man living there too. Seems that Tom has no solution to these problems.
I think it is time that the City of Cupertino Staff and City Council address this problem before
there are more homeless people thinking they can make this their home. One by one they will
park themselves there and this is not acceptable. This is definitely a health problem. They
throw their garbage on the street next to where they are staying. Many of them are mentally ill
and I do believe that this woman living in the tent is very sick. My e-mails and phone calls go
unheard or resolved and this is wrong. It is difficult to reach people in the City and most calls
just want us to leave a message. It seems that the City Manager Pamela Wu is always at a
meeting. I find that hard to believe. I visit the city office and no one is there except
the receptionist. The City of Cupertino needs to be transparent and there needs to be staff
working in the office. I also ask that Santa Clara County get involved, especially Joe
Simitian's office. There needs to be solutions to these problems and it seems we can not leave
it up to the Cities.
I have also addressed the RV problem of people parked behind the CupertinoTarget store and
on side streets that are living here on our streets..Things are getting worse and worse. There
has to be and should be no parking signs posted no one should park there. Sometimes there are
also very large trucks parked there and I think maybe the truck drivers are sleeping in
their trucks. All of this causes difficulty for people driving by, especially if there are cars,
RV's and trucks parked on both sides. I would consider this a safety hazard. The people living
in RV's on our streets is becoming a major problem and the Cities and Santa Clara County
needs to find solutions to the problems. Maybe it is time the Cities and County establish RV
parks for the RV's to be parked at before it really gets completely uncontrollable because it is
coming to that point at no charge. The housing problems are great and people are forced to
live under these conditions.
I have also addressed this to others with this e-mail so that they may get involved and try to do
something about what is taking place. It is time that those who can make a difference come to
the table and find decent living solutions for those less fortunate.
Please contact me about this ASAP!
Cathy Helgerson - 408-253-0490
Cupertino Citizen
20697 Dunbar Drive, Cupertino, Ca. 95014