YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Homelessness is an issue that affects us all as a community.

For more than a decade this issue has continued to grow larger nationwide while counties and cities have attempted to resolve it. The City Council and County Board of Supervisors jointly strive to protect and improve the quality of life for our residents in a safe and prosperous manner.

Both the city and county, as well as our residents and businesses, have seen an increase in homeless living in cars and recreational vehicles parked on our streets, in parking lots, and on public park land. We continue to work together to tackle this very controversial issue, but enforcement to move these vehicles is difficult because we’re legally required to have a place for people to go. 

We recognize that there is too much confusion about this project being circulated in the community to move forward with the proposed solution. The sign of real leadership is the ability to adjust, listen, and work collaboratively with stakeholders, and we acknowledge the need to adjust, listen, and collaborate. While doing nothing is not an option, together we will be pausing the current plan at the county owned former Kmart parking lot.

In the days ahead, the county and the city will be coming together to develop a complete plan to address and answer the questions many have. We will not do this alone though. We will reach out to engage members of our community to meet, discuss, and design the next steps as we move forward in addressing homelessness issues affecting us all. Community members will be jointly selected to work with the city and county to give different perspectives and to join together to find real solutions to homeless issues. If we are truly going to make the quality of life better for everyone in our community, we must not stand opposed to each other. This is about the future of our community and the future for generations to come.

Should you wish to be considered as a community member to work with both the county and city, we would ask that you send an email to [email protected] and provide your name, address, and contact information. In addition, please provide a brief explanation, 100 words or less, as to why you want to serve on this task force.

Thank you, and both the county and the city look forward to making our community even better than it already is.