From Supervisor Lynda Hopkins
Hi Stuart —
We’ve never met (at least to my knowledge). Rather than immediately launching a recall campaign against me, maybe you’d consider first sitting down over coffee and discussing with me what solutions you’d like to see implemented regarding homelessness? I’m always open to new ideas and would be happy to sit down and discuss the situation with you.
I have been working 13 hours/day, 7 days/week on the job since the Kincade Fire, with as much of my time as possible devoted to trying to come up with solutions for the Joe Rodota Trail. I’ve been pushing County staff, who have a very traditional and institutional approach to addressing homelessness, towards more creative and community-based solutions (like outdoor shelters, which would allow us to voluntarily move the encampment with the support of residents and advocates. This could happen much more quickly than a formalized camp closure process which would have to abide by both the Boise decision and the injunction from Judge Chhabria as a result of Vannucci v. County of Sonoma et al).
A couple of things are important to recognize. One: as a result of these two court cases, we cannot legally arrest people for vagrancy, nor can we force them off public property unless we have provided an alternative, adequate place for them to go.
As County Supervisor,
I have oversight
over social services ...
However I have
no authority over any
law enforcement agency.
Secondly, I think your ire against me for lack of law enforcement regarding urination and defection is misguided. As County Supervisor, I have oversight over social services — hence the $11M in investments approved last week to try to provide housing opportunities, addiction treatment, wraparound services, and outdoor shelters to address the Joe Rodota Trail encampment. However I have no authority over any law enforcement agency. In unincorporated areas, law enforcement is the sole purview of the Sheriff and District Attorney, both of whom are independently elected. In the case of Joe Rodota Trail, it’s actually under the purview of SRPD, who reports to the City Council, not the Board of Supervisors.
The District Attorney has told me in the past that she will not prosecute nuisance crimes related to homelessness, but I don’t like providing secondhand information, so you should check with DA Jill Ravitch directly to discuss her policy. Ultimately, arrest is the wrong answer to unaffordable housing, poverty, low
jail costs nearly
$200/day per inmate.
wages, inadequate healthcare, mental illness, and addiction, which are just some of the causes of homelessness in Sonoma County. In addition to that, criminalizing homelessness wastes taxpayer dollars. Jail is one of the most expensive forms of housing we have in Sonoma County. As Sheriff Essick told me at a recent meeting, jail costs nearly $200/day per inmate. And the jail is full, so if you want to suggest arresting homeless people and jailing them for public urination, you need to think about who you’re going to let out in order to let new inmates in.
With regards to public health concerns, this is absolutely a top concern of mine and I have been urging public health to consider declaring a public health emergency for months. They previously did not feel that the encampment met the criteria for a public health emergency, and ultimately it is our public health officer, Dr. Celeste Phillips, who makes the call so as to avoid “politicizing” these kinds of decisions. While they are the experts, I agree with you that the Joe Rodota Trail has presented a public health emergency for months.
I absolutely support
the fairgrounds as an
alternative camping location
Finally, I absolutely support the fairgrounds as an alternative camping location and was the one who brought the idea into the public discourse. I met with advocates to assess the fairgrounds site and got the idea incorporated into a board agenda item. Staff subsequently backed off the idea. While it’s not exactly “on” the table right now, it’s not yet “off” the table, either, and the Board of Supervisors has granted budgetary authority for $2M to solicit proposals for indoor/outdoor shelters which could include the fairgrounds. So — stay tuned, line up support, and keep advocating for this proposal. I’m only one vote of 5 on the Board of Supervisors, and two of my colleagues have expressed public concerns regarding the use of the fairgrounds.
The amount of time it has taken to mobilize County forces is frustrating. I have been pushing the County of Sonoma to address the deteriorating situation on the JRT for months. In fact, I’d requested that the encampment be agendized for public discussion by the Board of Supervisors in mid-October, and was urging staff to come up with creative solutions to address the growing crisis — but then the Kincade Fire hit, and staff was forced to turn their attention to emergency operations, sheltering, and short-term fire recovery.
One last note — the Joe Rodota Trail is inside the city limits of Santa Rosa. The City of Santa Rosa is now broken into political districts, just the way the County is, but we don’t yet have any locally elected representatives for the area of southwestern Santa Rosa that includes the JRT. (Southwestern City Councilmembers will be elected in November 2020.) Because we have no locally elected representation at the City level, I have been meeting with Mayor Tom Schwedhelm to discuss solutions and I appreciate his availability and attention to the issue. But I am also hoping that the City will step up and provide further assistance. I have managed to secure $11M on the County side to address the Joe Rodota Trail, which includes more General Fund money than the County has ever spent before on homelessness. But regular police or fire department patrols from the City of Santa Rosa to address concerns like open flames and public safety would be very helpful, and unfortunately this is not a service I can provide from the County side of things.
Take care,
Lynda
PS — the best way to reach me about this topic for followup is via my work email at [email protected].

Posted in reply to the post by Stuart:
...Supervisor Hopkins let this situation start, did nothing about it and now everyone is wringing their hands. How would she feel about having 200 people camped out next to her organic farm and providing organic input to her soil with months of organic feces and urine? This is what she has allowed in our neighborhood, and now the Supes wail because they have not done their number one job: Protect the public.
..