HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/12/2021 Item 08, Garcia
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Serena Garcia <
To:Johnson, Derek; Harmon, Heidi; E-mail Council Website
Subject:Please revise SLO 2021-2023 Financial Plan
Name: Serena Garcia
Date: 12/15/20
Re: SLO City 2021-23 Financial Plan.
Dear San Luis Obispo City Council, Mayor Heidi Harmon, City Manager Derek Johnson, and all those with the
power to make a change in SLO,
I am Serena Garcia, a senior Food Science student at Cal Poly. Being a Native and Mexican woman, I was a
little nervous coming to SLO because of the fairly low minority population. However, I grew to care so much
about my community here and I feel a certain responsibility to speak up for how the government is treating
our long-standing crisis of racial inequity. Since I was young, I have experience contempt for the police since
seeing them profile my family members. Recent calls for the current police system to be abolished, not only
reformed has finally given me hope for a better future I under no circumstances do I want the momentum of
this movement to stop. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, the largest Black liberation movement
of our era are working tirelessly to secure a meeting with our president elect, Joe Biden. I believe if people in
power took the time to really hear these leaders out, our current policing system could be abolished,
leaving room for a new system that can be beneficial to every community. Until we can make these changes,
I strongly urge you to:
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1. Halt all plans to build a new police station, and instead conservatively update the current police
station so that it is up to code.
2. Divert 3% at least of the of the sheriff coroner budget to cover all demands from Black Lives Matter
Community Action - SLO.
3. Allocate money for helping houseless members of our community - affordable housing, public
sanitation rooms, public housing that does not discriminate on job status or relationship to drugs
and alcohol, job search programs.
4. Invest in local healthcare - community centers for mental and physical well-being.
5. Invest in local community programs and organizations, such as a community/public garden
network, afterschool childcare, libraries, etc.
6. Providing funds for small businesses and workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
1. An overfunded police department is not the answer to the problems in our community. If anything,
more police would only add to the problems of houselessness, systemic racism, and a lack of funds to help
underprivileged community members amidst the pandemic. The roughly $50.5 million dollars planned for
the new police station would be much better used investing in community programs that actually address
the roots of the problems, rather than criminalizing the problems themselves.
2. BLMCA-SLO has analyzed the city budget proposal and created their own budget
recommendation. On their Instagram (@blmcaslo), they have a story highlight which states every single
direct action they recommend for the SLO county budget. This organization is doing amazing work, and
their recommendations are much more thorough and concrete than mine, so please give them your
consideration.
3. Ever since I moved to SLO, I have seen the problem we have with the number of houseless people
in the area. I believe it is our duty as neighbors to extend a helping hand to those who need it. Even if they
made poor choices that led them to the place they are today, they still deserve our help. Would you turn
your back on your brother, sister, son or daughter, or your best friend, just because they need help?
4. The pandemic has exposed the flaws in our public health care system. Until something is done at
the federal level, it’s up to us to invest more in community mental health services and affordable public
health distributors like public clinics.
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5. A community garden network would do wonders in helping to rebuild our local soil and the
plant/animal life that it supports, while simultaneously beautifying our city with the natural wonder of plant
life. It would also help to provide food for our houseless population in SLO - two birds with one stone. After
school childcare would help parents who have to work many hours to feed and support their children while
providing another outlet for children to learn and grow. Local libraries are centers for community
interaction and learning and play an essential role in allowing our citizens access to the knowledge
necessary for making them productive citizens.
6. The law of supply and demand work at all times and all around us, and often times in ways we
don’t expect. For instance, people don’t really expect how their decision to save money because of an
economic recession can actually make the recession even worse. When they decide to save money, they
don’t end up buying from businesses that need their sales to stay afloat and pay for their workers. This leads
firms to shut down and send their former workers into unemployment, and the cycle continues. To stop
this, the consumers need to have enough money so that they don’t have to save as much as they previously
thought. Some form of direct payment or other services to cover the economic disparities caused by the
COVID-19 crisis is a must.
I believe real revolutionary change is coming, and I don't think millions of dollars towards a new
police station that might not be needed in the future is a good idea for this year's budget. I would love
to see SLO starting trends for cities to really hear the pleas of their citizens and allocate police
funding towards other programs that will better help our communities, wouldn't you?
Sincerely,
Serena Garcia
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