Letter to the editor regarding safe parking progress

Editor:

Last month I issued a plea to local property owners willing to rent out unused lots for use as “safe parking lots” in Mountain View and Palo Alto.

We’ve made a good start in our search for “A Whole Lotta Lots,” in large part due to the support and partnership of multiple entities – the County, cities, non-profit organizations, faith leaders, vehicle residents, and local businesses working together. So, let me say thank you.

Thank you to the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce for cosponsoring our four information sessions;

Thank you to Palo Alto and Mountain View City Councils for identifying possible safe parking sites, for their work on this issue, and for their partnership with the County;

Thank you to Live Nation Entertainment for being a key partner, working with the City of Mountain View and the County to open 24/7 safe parking year-round at the Shoreline Amphitheatre Parking Lot “B” which will now be available to residents 24 hours, rather than just overnight;

Thank you to several non-profits, who are running the safe parking lots, offering expertise, and providing case management;

Thank you to the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission and faith communities, who have helped identify potential lots in Palo Alto, and to the City staff who are working with the County to make them real;

Thank you to the Mountain View Human Relations Commission for its tireless efforts reaching out to businesses to identify suitable lots; and,

Thank you to the businesses and faith organizations that have expressed interest in working together on safe parking, in both Palo Alto and Mountain View.

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has undeniably made this effort more challenging, even as it has undeniably made the effort more urgent.

Before you can have an effective, successful safe parking program you’ve got to identify the sites. It’s just that simple, and it’s just that hard. But, with the help of our partners and the work done in March, we have a clearer path forward.

Joe Simitian
County Supervisor​