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Hayward residents ask council to investigate unlicensed room-and-board home on Spring Drive
Summary
Multiple Spring Drive neighbors testified at the March 22 council meeting that a nearby home operating as an unlicensed room-and-board facility has produced repeated disturbances, police and emergency calls, drug overdoses and incidents that residents say have made them feel unsafe.
Several residents from Spring Drive urged Hayward City officials on March 22 to investigate and enforce regulations against a nearby home they described as an unlicensed room-and-board facility housing people who need care and oversight.
Rebecca Eastman, who said she has lived on Spring Drive for four years, told the council she is “absolutely terrified” and described repeated incidents she said have endangered neighborhood safety, including a death she said resulted from an overdose at the property and a recent incident when “1 of the residents dropped his pants in front of the in the front yard and was witnessed by a neighboring child.”
Eastman asked the city to investigate whether the property is operating as an “unregulated room and board home, neither licensed nor properly supervised,” and to enforce related rules. “I no longer feel safe, comfortable walking out of my own front door,” she said.
Anna, another Spring Drive resident, told the council she and neighbors have faced years of disturbances including “screaming at all hours of the night, physical fights … indecent exposure” and said the operator has multiple homes in Hayward. “The behavior of some of the men living in the independent living home has made many of us feel unsafe in our own homes,” she said.
Gracia Ruiz, who said her children witnessed the indecent-exposure incident, told the council the family had considered moving because of the problems. “We just want this to be resolved,” she said.
Council members acknowledged the public comments and said staff would follow up. Mayor Salinas said staff would call the residents and that Community Services Manager Dr. Amy Kolblum and the chief of police were in the chamber and could be contacted. “We will certainly give these cards to [the] city manager, and then we will have a much thorough response for you,” he said.
What residents asked the council to do was specific: investigate the property, confirm whether it is licensed or licensed where required, and enforce regulations that apply to room-and-board operations. Several speakers asked that homes of the type they described be placed in industrial zones rather than residential neighborhoods.
Ending: Councilmembers and staff told the residents they would follow up and provide more information; staff contact details and a city follow-up phone call were promised the next day.
