Why did Christopher Rodriguez write such a politically charged statement as his recent Letter To The Editor in this very same O’side news media outlet titled “Mayor Sanchez has Failed Oceanside and Perpetuates the Homeless Crisis”……huh?
Has Mayor Sanchez really failed as Rodriguez claims? Or is this just a politicized opinion from a failed mayoral candidate? It is a fact that Ms. Sanchez quite handily won the Mayor’s seat over then candidate Rodriguez, as well as many other candidates in the recent November 2020 election; and that’s only four months ago, just now past BTW.
I do not agree that Mayor Sanchez has failed anything, anyplace, anytime in the Management of this city. Mayor Sanchez has a lifelong association and commitment to our city. Read her local public history in this O’side City public web page….. https://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/council/sanchez.asp.
AND what about the article published in the San Diego Union Tribune “Local Section” for Sunday’s edition of 03/07/2021. It bears a BIG LEAD HEADLINE titled ” OFFICIAL PROPOSES HOMELESS PLAN”. What’s that about, huh?
That article emphasizes that Rodriguez, City Council Member for O’side District 2, insists upon a new and better emergency quick fix deal for the longstanding Homeless Problem in O’side. That an improved plan is soon to be revealed in detail by him. I doubt that Rodriguez can really get this extremely complex task very well addressed with some kind of emergency order, and within the quickie timeframe of any 365 day program as he declares in his LTE here on this site.
Oceanside already has a good Homeless Plan. Read the details here in this O’side City Public web page; City of Oceanside, California – Homeless Services
And what about the $33.4 MILLION DOLLARS….. REALLY BIG BUCKS which O’side is planned to be allocated from President Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan”; and as described in the SD Union Tribune “Politics Section” by Rep. Mike Levin on March 05, 2021. Why is that stupendous, and soon to be a reality opportunity to fund massive assistance for The Homeless not mentioned anywhere by Council Member Rodriguez?
IN my not so humble opinion, a really strong and well organized assistance for the San Diego Homeless Population is being achieved right now by the famous “Father Joe’s Villages” organization. They currently house overnight 2,000 plus individuals. They provide a plethora of services to those many unfortunate folks in need. A bit of that $33.4 Million Dollars could go a long way toward achieving an effective and strong AFFILIATE of this very effective same Father Joe’s Villages right here in O’side. They are professionals who know how to do the job already. I suggest we should contract Father Joe’s and let them do the heavy lifting, incorporate appropriate segments of our already existing plan as needed, and not start over from scratch. It won’t work and makes no sense to start over with a potentially gimcrack plan by a “relatively new” member of the O’side City Council.
NO POLITICIZING OF THE ISSUE IS NECESSARY; just a lot of money, together with good solid experienced City Management. And remember that O’side is about to get that $33.4B of extra money from “Uncle Sam”, courtesy of President Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan”.
I think “We The People” should share much of it with The Homeless among us via Father Joe’s Villages. Thus to achieve improved assistance for The Homeless among us relatively quickly in our little town. For we all know the old line “money talks and BS walks”. It’s all about the money is THE bottom line. And dipping into the city’s relatively paltry $9 million “inclusionary housing fund” as Rodriguez is said to suggest for providing housing vouchers will not help. That is definitely a BAND-AID approach, and Police Officers carrying firearms most certainly should not be handing such items out to Homeless folks as suggested. The Homeless would most probably just sell them or trade them without going to a hotel in many cases anyway.
Let’s just make this an action of pure “Good Faith”. Let’s just save those unfortunate homeless folks without politicizing it.
JUST DO IT, and don’t “grandstand it”, “politicize it”, or “mudsling it”. That is not the way to get this job done my friends……….such a problem as this must only be addressed with absolute kindness and good faith. It is the only way to heal the wretchedly ill, many times very weak, and soul weary among us. They are so needy of our help.
Only a compassionate PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH person is really capable of properly addressing Homeless folks in an interpersonal contact. Strict, and yet most importantly an appropriate and compassionate disciplinary enforcement will be necessary to make it work.
WE MUST NOT NOT SEND ARMED CRIMINAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL IN THE FORM OF OPD ON ANY MISSION OF DISCIPLINARY ENFORCEMENT. That would be an enormously dangerous mistake, it should not be an OPD job at all.
WE CANNOT CRIMINALIZE THE HOMELESS!!
You will have to do much better indeed to get my vote, Council Member Rodriguez.
Richard Burton
Oceanside Resident Voter in District 2