The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors met Monday to address the county’s challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, including its funds and vaccine distribution process.
In an annual State of the County address livestreamed on YouTube, Mike Wasserman, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, said despite damage to collective health, livelihood and the economy, the county is in a strong position.
“2021 will be the year of seizing [Santa Clara County] from the jaws of a virus that has crippled our health, our economy and our well being for too long,” Wasserman said in the address.
He said the county has a $8 billion budget for the 2021 fiscal year and is facing at least a $100 million deficit even after budget reductions within the last month, but not many layoffs will occur.
Wasserman said the county has also been challenged by the state, federal systems and policies that have restricted funds and COVID-19 vaccine doses. But the county is fully prepared to utilize and administer the vaccines once available.
“If we were given as many vaccines as we and our partners are prepared to give out, we could easily vaccinate 100,000 residents a week,” Wasserman said.
He also recognized the thousands of health care and community workers that he said have helped keep the county afloat.
Restaurant owner Alex Holt was one of many San Jose residents recognized.
He was acknowledged for his “Feed the Need” campaign, that has raised more than $100,000 in emergency funding and delivered more than 10,500 meals to families, isolated seniors and hospital workers on the front lines.
Homeless encampments
San Jose residents spoke during public comment about the city’s unfair treatment toward the homeless community.
Resident Scott Largent was disappointed in the county for dispersing a homeless encampment on Spring Street in Downtown San Jose.
“I get up pretty early to check on people, I bring my generator to different encampments in that area, charge people’s phones, bring over some coffee,” Largent said. “It’s my routine before I go to work.”
He said city officials came to the encampment, largely made up of cars, trailers and mobile homes, Monday morning to spray chemicals including Roundup, a toxic weed and grass killer, on surrounding lawns.
“Right now there are so many people living in motorhomes and cars, there’s no real safe parking programs for those people and the city is gassing them,” Largent said.
The “sweeps” are against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines which state if individual housing options aren’t available, people should be allowed to live unsheltered or in encampments and remain there during the pandemic.
Largent said it made him “sick” and was not the first sweep he’s witnessed within the last week.
San Jose resident Robert Geary said there are several ongoing lawsuits in the county where people have contracted various cancers from the harmful chemicals.
Santa Clara County hasn’t adopted a temporary prohibition of Roundup’s use as opposed to other counties, according to Geary, but said he begs the board of supervisors for action.
“People are criminalized for the mere fact that they have no place to go. They’re trespassing no matter where they go,” Geary said. “[The county is] excluding people from certain areas and moving them from place to place [and] it’s not healthy for them.”
