Living close to encampments: a candid perspective

The Thousand Oaks neighborhood is in the Blossom Valley area of San Jose, bordered by Capitol Expressway, Pearl Avenue Branham Lane and the Guadalupe Creek. For residents in this neighborhood, the externalities associated with living close by homeless encampments are not an abstraction, they are a day-to-day struggle. The following is an excerpt of a letter from Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association president Ted Earle to local officials and describes the sad, broad, and dangerous realities of our local governments' failure to address homelessness.

The evolution of terms used to describe individuals living along our waterways - from homeless to unhoused to campers - implies that a solution is nowhere on the horizon, and we simply must learn to live with it. Regardless of terminology, the fact remains these are trespassers, living along the creek illegally. Their presence causes serious harm to the waterway itself, the wildlife that is dependent upon the surrounding habitat, and the health, safety and security of adjacent neighborhoods. Gross pollution of the creek eventually makes its way to the bay, ultimately affecting the entire San Francisco Bay region.

Inhabitants of encampments are allowed to have open fires for warmth and/or cooking, making fire danger a constant threat to life and property. This type of activity often spills over into the larger community, as evidenced by the recent fire that almost completely destroyed the Chabad House on Branham Lane, very near the creek. Two weeks later, at the north end of our neighborhood, a large wooden encampment structure, located in close proximity to several homes, was consumed by flames. This was the latest of at least ten known encampment fires along Reach 11 (between Capitol and Branham) in the past 24 months. Open fires are currently prohibited in public campgrounds due to extreme drought conditions; creeks and waterways should be no exception.

Increased human presence in the creek translates directly to increased neighborhood crime. This became abundantly clear in February 2019 when Bambi Larson was brutally murdered by a homeless individual known to frequent creek encampments. Since that time, we have maintained the Thousand Oaks Incident Log, a record compiled from news media, social media, eyewitness accounts, and reports made directly to TONA. These incidents include car break-ins, home break-ins, property theft, mail theft, vandalism, creek fires, etc. The log has now grown to 15 pages.

Our extensive efforts to keep our rivers, creeks and waterways free of destructive encampments have been successful to some degree. We are deeply grateful to Councilmember Pam Foley and her staff for ongoing support of our efforts, and for organizing creek clean ups. County personnel have been instrumental in removing makeshift bridges across the creek, trimming vegetation along Almaden Expressway, and trash removal. On many occasions, Valley Water has responded quickly with assistance and advice, and has partnered with Thousand Oaks in our attempts to make the creek bank cleaner and safer. However, without definitive regulations and/or legislation protecting these sensitive areas from the negative impact encampments bring, the assault on the environment continues unabated.

While our neighborhood is unique in many ways, we know health and safety issues are concerns for the broader community as well and must be addressed in a collaborative way. We value our partnerships with our elected leaders and public agencies and know that we will successfully meet these challenges when we address them with shared purpose. We look forward to working with you to ensure that a safe and healthy neighborhood is recognized as a fundamental quality of life issue, worthy of your highest priority.

We look forward to your response, in particular your specific plans for establishing and/or enforcing policies that would mitigate the ongoing threats to health and safety resulting from human habitation of our creeks and waterways.

Sincerely,

Ted Earle, President

Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association

Contact Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association at tona.sanjose@gmail.com

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