HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/1/2021 Item 6a, Navarrette
Delgado, Adriana
From:Sophia <sonav2020@gmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Agenda Item 6.a: NO INCREASE TO SLOPD BUDGET!
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Hello, my name is Sophia Navarrette and I am Cuesta College student, SLO county resident, and a member of Abolitionist
Action Central Coast SLO. I am speaking today in opposition of the proposed increase in the SLOPD budget. Among many
other community members, I am disappointed that this drafted budget is prioritizing this department over the people’s
needs; we feel like our voice is not being heard. It is time to divest from the police and invest directly in the needs of our
most vulnerable community members! This budget cannot be passed before we see these changes. We demand that the
police department’s funding is cut by a minimum of 5 million dollars, and that another 5 million dollars is reallocated
from other sources within the overall budget to invest in rent relief for the bottom 10% income residents, as well as
100% very-low or no-income housing.
Currently SLOPD is the single highest funded department, amounting to around 25% of San Luis Obispo’s operating
expenses. This is unacceptable, and the city of SLO is not locked into the proposed increase in funding to the police
department! There is still plenty of room for this budget and officer headcount to be reduced. We do not need more
money for trainings that have continued to prove ineffective in improving a system of policing that can no longer be
reformed. We refuse to continue to see public money being poured into the downtown bike police which continually
harasses our houseless population, as well as almost half a million dollars being spent on new police information
technology, and more than 200 thousand on police vehicle replacement.
SLOPD is no exception to the harmful effect that policing has on our community’s most vulnerable members. To truly
promote community safety, we can shift funds from the police to invest in more accessible low-income and no-income
housing. Current affordable housing is directed toward 80% of the median income for the area, which in a wealthier area
like SLO, this ends up leaving a lot of low income people, especially low or no income BIPOC folks.
Full rent relief for all and relief for other expenses is possible, through shifting LRM allocations, making use of state and
American Rescue Plan funds, and private donors. 5 to 10 million of direct relief to the bottom 10% incomes in SLO would
be a massive help to those hit hard throughout the pandemic.
Thank you for your time,
Sophia Navarrette
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