HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 04 2026 - Item 8.2 - Judith Wendt1
Stefan Mercer
From:Judith Wendt <tdnew4@msn.com>
Sent:Thursday, April 30, 2026 10:45 AM
To:All Council Members
Subject:EXTERNAL - Approve of Abatement of Camp Hope in May
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
Previously via email, I expressed to the City Council my opposition to the 90-day extension of Camp Hope. Yet
on February 9, the council voted to extend Camp Hope for another 90 days. At the last council meeting, Jan
Chagrin of Pitstop Non-Profit voiced that she wanted another 90- day extension for the camp or even month
by month when it expires in May. Again, I am opposed to an extension for a number of reasons as follows:
Per Jans' recent Facebook post, she indicates that other cities are willing to put up tents at Camp Hope to
house our homeless. Camp Hope already received a grant for Porta-potties. if the council lets this extension
continue, all this communicates is an acceptance that the City will further support homeless encampments in
perpetuity. Other cities will continue to ship their homeless down South and with donating a few tents
alleviate these cities of further responsibilities for their own homeless.
In addition, by the city council giving an additional extension to Camp Hope in February that they have now
exposed the City to legal ramifications if anyone living in Camp Hope is injured, killed, didn't get medical
treatment and died, etc. Personal injury lawyers would be happy to take cases on a contingency basis if they
could sue the City for up to millions of dollars. Afterall, the camp is located on city land! Legal exposure must
be taken into consideration if the city council decides to approve the extension.
I have observed on Next Door and other social media sites that the vocal proponents for continuing Camp
Hope can personally reap benefits for its continuance. Many of these individuals are tied to non-profits which
support these endeavors and personally benefit financially. On the Guidestar website, all IRS 990 tax returns
for foundations and non-profits are available to the public for review. Since Jan Chargin is one of these vocal
proponents and frequently appears before the city council, I have reviewed Pitstop's IRS 990 return for last
year. She received donations in excess of $100,000. Although her colleague Marie McCauley frequently has
posted that Jan helps homeless "for free," this is not the case. Jan has paid herself a salary, claimed utilities
payments, gas, car repair, and shows other unidentified purchases, etc. Her nonprofit is truly
lucrative. Likewise, Marie supports a local organization that has 16 employees and a large multimillion plus
budget which provides support for the homeless to get jobs and find homes with apparently little results! At
the last council meeting, Jan claimed that only 5 individuals in Camp Hope have been housed in the last 90
days. I would rather see individuals speak before you to retain Camp Hope that did not have biased reasons
beyond human empathy. Please keep this in mind when individuals tied to non-profits appear before you to
advocate for extensions of Camp Hope.
CAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or
responding to this email.
2
Many of us in the community have grave concerns about the homeless who have overtaken our community.
Gilroy is now identified as having the highest number of homeless in the state and probably rank nationally in
that area as well based on pro-rata homeless to population size. Unfortunately, at city council meetings, you
mostly only hear from the outspoken advocates for non-profits while the local residents do not often express
their concerns. Instead, many neighbors and other community members voice their concerns on social media,
such as, Facebook, Next Door, and others about the influx of homeless who create ongoing safety and
environmental issues in the City. You may not be aware that you have a broad base of Gilroy's population
who are unhappy with the direction that the Gilroy city council has taken. Please sre-evaluate and vote
against the continuance of Camp Hope and enforce our local ordinances that prevent camping in public
spaces.
Respectfully, thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Judith Wendt
15 years citizen in Gilroy
Gilroy General Plan 2040 citizen-at-large member