Council hears update: Community Care Alliance adopts one‑for‑one syringe exchange and expanded cleanups

Councilwoman Gonzalez told the Waka City Council on June 1 that Community Care Alliance (CCA) has changed syringe distribution practices following recent resident complaints about needles in public spaces.

Gonzalez said she met with Michelle Taylor, CCA's vice president, and that CCA instituted new policies effective May 25. Those changes include a strict one‑for‑one exchange (CCA materials characterize this as "clean in, dirty out"), placement of larger sharps containers at strategic community locations, expanded weekly community cleanup teams and on‑demand cleanup responses, and incentives (gift cards) to encourage returns and volunteer cleanup work.

Gonzalez described flyers and messaging that emphasize exchange conditions and said CCA will work with the city to identify optimal container locations. Several council members asked whether the council could tour CCA facilities to better understand program operations and frontline challenges; Gonzalez said CCA has been responsive and offered tours with appropriate scheduling.

Council members also discussed the need to coordinate with other agencies and to confirm whether other providers follow the same policy. Gonzalez noted that the new policy applies to CCA and that conversations with other agencies are ongoing.

Next steps: councilmembers asked staff to help arrange a CCA tour and to continue coordination with regional partners to ensure disposal access and cleanup coverage.