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Gathering Inn dispute persists as public speakers urge collaboration and court tentatively favors operator
Summary
Public comment at the council meeting focused heavily on the ongoing litigation between the city, the Western Placer Unified School District and The Gathering Inn over a proposed medical respite/low‑barrier shelter. Advocates urged the council to end litigation and collaborate; city responses disputed claims of threats and clarified licensing and
Several members of the public used the council’s non‑agenda public‑comment period on Tuesday to speak about the ongoing dispute between the City of Lincoln, the Western Placer Unified School District and The Gathering Inn over a proposed medical‑respite and shelter facility.
Darlene Colvin, identified in the meeting as “chief philanthropy, marketing and communications officer at The Gathering Inn,” urged the council to stop litigation and work collaboratively. “Now is the time to turn the page, put away the litigation that drains public resources, and move toward a collaborative approach that puts people first,” Colvin said, and she described medical respite services that provide “compassion, stability, dignity in their final days,” and said 28 individuals referred by Sutter Hospital remained on a waiting list for medical respite.
Scott Warren, a member of the public, said the Placer County Superior Court issued a tentative decision last week indicating that some objections raised by the city and school district were “conjectural and based on prejudice against poor people, not the facts,” and predicted the Gathering Inn will likely be approved to operate. Warren urged both sides to work together to make the respite center an asset in the community.
Other public speakers and community members spoke in opposition to The Gathering Inn’s leadership and tactics. Neli Collins said she is organizing residents to support the council’s legal position, telling the council she can mobilize thousands of people if needed.
Mayor Andreatta and staff responded during public comment that the council is not aware of threats of violence from city officials toward Gathering Inn staff; the mayor called an allegation of threats a “propaganda lie” unless evidence is produced on the record. The mayor also said the facility operator has described parts of the use as “licensed medical” in public remarks, but that the council understands the facility’s planned medical respite operation will not be a licensed skilled‑nursing operation and that some beds would be used as low‑barrier shelter.
Background on legal status: During the public comment period staff referenced a pending court proceeding in Placer County Superior Court. Speakers described a tentative judicial finding unfavorable to the city’s legal claims; the city said it would not discuss pending litigation’s legal arguments at length during public comment but reiterated its statutory obligations and local land‑use and school‑safety concerns raised previously in council records.
Why it matters: The dispute concerns access to medical‑respite and shelter beds for unhoused residents, local land‑use, school district concerns and litigation that city staff say consumes public resources. Several speakers appealed for a path to collaboration while others urged the council to continue litigation or community opposition.
What’s next: No council action was taken during the meeting on this item; the litigation and any related land‑use or permitting matters will proceed through the courts and separate administrative processes.
