Homeless, Solutions Lead MAC Meeting
Homelessness and solutions to helping the unhoused was the big topic at last week's Castro Valley Municipal Council (MAC) meeting.
Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy Jawad Hammad shared a report on homeless encampments and Alameda County Healthcare for the Homeless Director Lucy Kasdin spoke about street health outreach resources.
Hammad said that there were 111 calls for service in July relating to transients and there are 36 transient encampments in Eden Township Substation Area. The deputies visit known encampments weekly, but Hammad said that they don't have the authority to arrest anyone for trespassing. The main encampment with 14 residents is in the creek near Grove Way is a Caltrans property and the Sheriff's Office no longer have an open-ended complaint to make those type of arrests, according to Hammad.
Instead, Kasdin’s office offers resources such as information on where shelter beds are available of where people can receive counseling services, food, and other basic necessities. While the county’s hands may be tied, the California Highway Patrol can make trespassing arrests on Caltrans property.
"We keep a handle on it," said Hammad of the Sheriff's Office's frequent visit to the encampments. "We don't want these encampments to grow so that we can't do anything about it."
Hammad added that lately, fires have been a cause of concern in the encampments, as people frequently are using propane, so the officers have been passing out fire extinguishers. Ultimately, Hammad said the best solution they have currently is to provide resources and hopefully, get people housed.
Kasdin then provided some statistics, saying that the most recent figures from 2019 show a total of 8,022 homeless individuals in Alameda County overall, with 321 unsheltered and 28 sheltered individuals in the unincorporated area specifically.
Later, Michelle Starattt, the county's Housing and Community Development Director and Housing Specialist Michael Drane reported on homeless services provided by the department.
“The only solution to homeless is an affordable home. Most folks become homeless because they can’t cover the exorbitant cost of rent in Alameda County.”
She added that major efforts are made to prevent homelessness, as stopping someone from becoming homeless is much easier than helping get them out of homelessness once they are in it- fair housing services, tenant/ landlord mediation, and emergency rental assistance is all available at the county level.
Finally, the MAC rejected a draft ordinance proposed by the County that would prohibit smoking in and around apartments in the unincorporated area, including all multi-use residences.
Paul Cummings from the Public Health Department's tobacco control program told the MAC that the issue of smoking in multi-unit hosing has been a prioritized concern for the county since at least 2019 when it was first bright in front of the Unincorporated Services Committee. they are now seeking input from the various MACs in the Eden area,
Saying that there is no "safe level" of secondhand smoke exposure and adding more complexities that have popped up with the relatively recent legalization of cannabis smoke as well as the increasing popularity of vaping, the officials shared that there is overwhelming support (72 percent of polled public) for a ban on smoking in the multi-unit housing where they live.
The proposed ordinance would include all indoor and outdoor areas, including living areas, parking lots, patios, laundry areas and a 25-foot smoke-free buffer around all doors and windows. "Multi-unit" refers to all apartments, townhomes, condominiums, senior and assisted living facilities, and long-term health care facilities.
Enforcement would involve up to three warnings from the Public Health Department and, if escalated through the county channels, unpaid fines can result in a lien against the property if self-owned or be sent to collections for renters,
The MAC said they believed in the spirit of the multi-unit smoking ban, but that it was too weak and inconclusive regarding enforcement.
MAC member Chuck Moore said that he wants to encourage the cessation of smoking, but simply doesn't think it would be enforceable - and besides, most apartments and hotels already prohibit smoking.
"It's not completely thought-through and I have a tough time supporting it," said Moore.
Most MAC members agreed, saying the ordinance needs more "teeth" and need to be redrafted with strict enforcement capabilities.
"I think this is an ordinance that is destined to cause more trouble than it fixes," said MAC member Bill Mulgrew. "There has to be an ability at the building-level to enforcement non-smoking."
MAC Chair Ken Carbone encouraged Cummings to reach out to rental housing groups to strengthen the proposed ordinance. When Cummings asked for a MAC motion to brings back to the County Board of Supervisors, the MAC ultimately voted 7-0 to not support the ordinance as drafted.