HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/5/2021 Item 6a, Hamblet
Delgado, Adriana
From:Karissa Hamblet <karissa9@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, October
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Open City Council Seat - Public Comment
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Dear San Luis Obispo City Council,
I am writing to you today to lend my support to Robin Wolf as one of the people up for the open city council
seat.
Leading up to the 2020 local election, I saw candidates claim they cared for our community, they cared for
BIPOC lives here (even going so far to show up to protests just to try to get protestors’ support), they cared for
our disabled community, they cared for our LGBTQ+ community, they cared about the housing crisis, they
cared about the tireless mutual aid work I do day in and day out to try to fill in the gaps where our city and
county are failing. Then after the election, where did they go?
I can tell you who did not disappear. Robin Wolf. She has continued to care, be available, show up, and show
her support.
As a survivor myself of sexual assault both in San Luis Obispo and abroad who never received justice in either
places, Robin Wolf has shown me how much she cares. For me, it’s the fact that I felt safe and could trust her
to tell her part of my story. For me, it is the fact that she cares about addressing the rape culture that has been
allowed to continue to exist in SLO, Cal Poly, and SLO County bars. Twenty years after Kristin Smart was
never to be seen again, and her case has garnered national attention, she is hopefully close to receiving
justice-- yet it is still not safe for women, girls, and non-binary people to be walking home alone at night here.
Robin Wolf wants to change that, and the trust I feel for her will hopefully indicate where her heart is. I am sick
and heartbroken from all the stories I have heard from young female college students here who confide in me
their stories, yet with no power ourselves to change how these stories end in an endless system that would
rather preserve an image of a fairytale town than address men’s violence against women here. We need Robin
Wolf.
Robin has seen her own business impacted by Covid-19, and yet she continues to be vocal about the
importance of making sure our area is vaccinated and wearing masks. Why? Because she has seen the pain
her own sister has gone through working as a new ICU nurse all through the pandemic here on the Central
Coast, and she doesn’t want more people to die, more businesses to close. I believe she is the perfect
candidate, and the only candidate, who can help bridge the gap between frustrated business owners and
citizens, and the reality of the steps we need to take in order to not have more lives lost to Covid and rising
numbers.
In the past couple of months, I have had numerous young, productive people (disproportionately BIPOC
people) reaching out to me from SLO and our surrounding towns, experiencing houselessness for the first time
and having no idea where to go for help. As one individual, it is too much on me to help every single person,
despite how hard I try. Imagine if we had an elected official who cares so deeply about the housing crisis and
what renters are facing here. Imagine if we had an elected official, who actually cares when I put mutual aid
requests out for people who should by no means be facing homelessness based on just how hard they work,
but yet here they are. Robin Wolf not only has the desire to make change for renters here, but knows the
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struggle herself as a renter. Robin Wolf has continued to care about these individuals when I put their stories
out there, and I know she will fight for all of us. Without her, I believe the housing crisis will continue, the racial
economic gap will intentionally grow, and I will only continue to wake up with more desperate pleas in my inbox
for help.
As a queer person in this community, Robin Wolf is the only candidate I have felt supported by. As a disabled
person in this community, Robin Wolf is the only candidate I have felt supported by. As a woman and a
survivor in this community, Robin Wolf is the only candidate I have felt supported by. As someone who
regularly connects BIPOC community members with mutual aid, Robin Wolf is the only candidate I have felt
supported by. As someone who cares so deeply about our environment and the environmental racism that
exists right within SLO County, Robin Wolf is the only candidate I believe in to continue the legacy of Mayor
Heidi Harmon in pushing to make sure SLO is carbon neutral by 2030.
If you truly want someone who has continued to represent our community, care about our community, and
genuinely want the best for our community not just through words, but through her actions, Robin Wolf is the
only reasonable candidate for this open council position.
I believe in her ability to make our community better, because she already has. I know that some of you may
have had someone in your mind about who you think is right to fill the role heading into this meeting, because
at the end of the day, politics are politics. I am asking you to put any preconceived thoughts aside about who
you think will be best for you, what decision will help you retain your position on council, and appoint the
person who has shown up for us and is best for all of us. Please appoint Robin Wolf to the open council
position. I need her, and our community needs her. This is our second chance to get this right, let’s not mess
this up.
With my heart and soul,
Karissa Hamblet
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