Residents urge supervisors to reserve Measure A funds for health care, criticize recent encampment sweeps
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Summary
Dozens of public commenters told the Board of Supervisors to restrict Measure A revenues to health care backfill and condemned a recent Gilroy encampment sweep; speakers demanded emergency housing declarations, specialized shelters for seniors and criticized any diversion to public safety.
Public comment at the Nov. 18 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting was dominated by appeals to protect Measure A revenues for health care and to stop encampment sweeps after a Gilroy operation over the prior weekend.
Several callers and in‑person speakers said voters authorized Measure A to shore up the county’s hospitals and health services in the face of federal funding cuts; they warned that diverting the revenue to public safety or other purposes would betray voters and volunteers who canvassed for the measure. Commenters named the district attorney’s office as a proposed recipient of Measure A funds and urged supervisors not to reallocate resources.
Many speakers also described a sweep in Gilroy that removed people living near a Valley Health Clinic. Speakers said the sweep displaced pregnant women, seniors and disabled residents and called for an emergency housing and homelessness declaration, immediate shelter for seniors, and collaborative city‑county solutions. Several speakers linked demands for Measure A protections to concerns about IHSS caregiver pay and the impacts of federal cuts on local safety‑net providers.
What’s next: Supervisors and staff heard the concerns during the public comment period; several items later on the agenda—homelessness reports and shelter planning—address related issues, and the board directed staff follow-ups on housing and shelter gaps in South County.