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From:April Vargas <br />To:publiccomment <br />Subject:Fwd: VOTE TONIGHT IN RWC ON POLICY TO JAIL UNHOUSED PEOPLE <br />Date:Monday, July 21, 2025 3:59:33 PM <br />You don't often get email from aprilsmcdemocrats@gmail.com. Learn why this is important <br />Dear Councilmembers: I'm not a resident of Redwood City but I do live in San <br />Mateo County and yesterday I learned that you will vote tonight on a policy to <br />charge unhoused people who don't accept housing in a shelter with a misdemeanor <br />that includes a $100 fine and if they can't pay they can be jailed. I oppose this <br />policy and urge you not to adopt it. If you do decide to enact this proposal, I urge <br />you to direct that the RWC Housing and Human Concerns Committee be actively <br />involved in the creation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of this policy <br />and that the public remain informed about the effects of the policy within the <br />community. <br />There are many reasons why individuals and families cannot accept the offer of <br />shelter housing. Key among them: <br />Hours when shelter guests must arrive each evening are often not flexible so <br />some residents would have to quit a job that is helping support their families <br />because they have to work later than the shelter curfew. <br />Some people with histories of incarceration or abuse are triggered by being in <br />noisy environments surrounded by people they don't know. <br />Pregnant women or parents of young children have concerns about the threat <br />of communicable diseases when being housed so closely with others. <br />I urge you to seriously consider the ways in which your decision will affect the lives <br />of individuals and families in Redwood City who are already experiencing <br />unimaginable levels of stress, fear and desperation. <br />Thank you, <br />April Vargas <br />Montara resident <br />April Vargas <br />650-207-2729 <br />"POLITICS IS THE BELIEF IN A SYSTEM <br />THAT WILL PRODUCE A SET OF DESIRED <br />OUTCOMES." <br />What those outcomes are