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Residents tell Tuolumne supervisors the county violated encampment grant contract, cite water and eviction struggles
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the June 9 meeting alleged contract violations related to encampment funding, described inadequate water infrastructure in Chinese Camp and recounted eviction and lost possessions at Camp Justice; one caller also alleged document tampering and named law-enforcement officials.
During the Board of Supervisors' oral communications on June 9, multiple residents raised concerns about county contracting, water infrastructure and enforcement at homeless encampments.
Jen Salazar told the board the "Encampment Resolution Fund proposal is a legally binding contract," and warned that according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development the state could demand a full refund of grant funds if the county implements sweeps or punitive measures that violate a person-centered plan. Salazar said the proposal included a safe-parking lot in collaboration with Compassion Outreach and Social Services, that "$45,395.01 was expended for safe parking" and that the safe-parking program in the contract opened on 11/01/2023; she said Camp Justice is a different project that did not open until July 2024 and asked the county where funds went for a program she said never existed.
Don Nessel described Chinese Camp as an "underserved community" with shallow wells and limited storage. He said he collected 12 signatures for a petition and that extending water service from nearby infrastructure could cost "about $12,000,000" to run several miles of pipeline; he suggested a roughly 150,000-gallon tank as part of a shovel-ready grant proposal and said he had discussed options with the local school and TUD.
Carol Burrard, who said she used to reside at Camp Justice, told the board she was asked to leave after missing a deadline to move her possessions; she described multiple write-ups, arrest on a warrant and said her belongings were stolen or ransacked while she was away. Burrard asked for help recovering her possessions and said she is distressed.
John Flynn, who identified himself as a "political watchdog," alleged an illegal lockout eviction and claimed court documents had been tampered with. He named local law-enforcement officials and cited multiple California code sections while urging the board to investigate; no response from law enforcement or county officials is recorded in the meeting transcript and these allegations remain unproven in the record.
The chair invited other public comments and the board proceeded to staff and consent items.
