Tent City - Joe Rodota Trail, Highway 12, Sonoma County

Sonoma County's largest tent city springing up on the Joe Rodota Trail in west Santa Rosa toward Sebastopol on Highway 12. According to the Press Democrat newspaper, as of 12/22/19 there are 210 residents. The the county or city has placed detour signs around the encampment section of the trail as well as portable toilets for the residents. It's certainly an eyesore but the aesthetics are the least of the problems facing the residents there. When discussing the causes that have lead to the emergence of the tent city with friends and colleagues, half of them blame Trump and the other blame the policies of liberal politicians in California... Wherever the truth may lie, we're never going to achieve our full potential as country if an increasing number of citizens adopt a Civil War mindset and disrespect our fellow-countrymen simply because of differences of political opinions or social status.

From Today's Press Democrat:

Sonoma County supervisors set to take action on west Santa Rosa homeless encampment along Joe Rodota Trail

By Tyler Silvy

Faced with an unrelenting homelessness crisis on the eve of Christmas, Sonoma County supervisors on Monday will decide whether to shovel nearly $12 million into potential solutions for the growing west Santa Rosa homeless encampment that has confounded city and county leaders for months.

Even the quickest proposed solutions, detailing sanctioned camps in and around Santa Rosa, have a 100-day timeframe, meaning the puddle-filled and rat-infested illegal campground that’s become a flashpoint for controversy will remain in place along Highway 12 for months, a highly visible reminder of what county leaders have called an overt societal failure.

Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose district includes the Joe Rodota Trail encampment, called the timeline for action unacceptable and vowed to spend all day Monday crafting a plan to address the camp.

“It’s freezing cold, it’s raining, it’s people living in the largest homeless encampment in Sonoma County,” Hopkins said in a phone interview Sunday afternoon. “It’s not a good situation for the people on the trail. It’s not a good situation for neighbors. It’s not a good situation for trail users. In the end, it’s a disgrace.”

The camp has recently swelled to include 210 people, and this past weekend featured temporary fencing at the Brittain Lane entrance to the encampment, which stretches more than a mile from Stony Point Road to South Wright Road on the south side of Highway 12. It’s unclear who installed the fencing, as county housing staff denied involvement. Community Development Commission spokeswoman Janelle Wetzstein said such a move would come only as a direct result of instruction from the Board of Supervisors, and no such instruction has been given. Sonoma County Regional Parks owns and maintains the trail, but department staff could not be reached for comment.

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10501852-181/sonoma-county-supervisors-set-to