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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 15 2026 - Public Comment - Maritza Campos1 Stefan Mercer From:Maritza Campos <maritza@chpscc.org> Sent:Monday, June 15, 2026 12:26 PM To:Public Comments; Mayor Greg Bozzo; Council Member Dion Bracco; Council Member Tom Cline; Council Member Terence Fugazzi; Council Member Zachary Hilton; Council Member Carol Marques; Council Member Kelly Ramirez Cc:Kim Mancera; Matt Morley Subject:EXTERNAL - Public Comment: Amicus Brief, No Staging Policy, Emergency Plan Attachments:6_15 CHP Public Comment_ Amicus Brief, No Staging Policy, Emergency Plan .pdf Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and City Councilmembers, My name is Dolores Alvarado, and I am the Chief Executive Officer at Community Health Partnership, a non-profit organization with some of our community health center clinics located in Gilroy. Thank you for unanimously approving the resolution opposing the proposed ICE facility on unincorporated County land near Gilroy. I'm writing to ask you to build on your resolution with three actions to provide concrete protections. 1. Before the end of June, join the amicus brief being filed by the County of Monterey with the Public Rights Project. The brief supports the lawsuit filed jointly by Santa Clara County and the California Attorney General on June 10. The counties of Monterey and Alameda and the cities of San Jose and Alameda have already signed on, with more in process. Gilroy belongs in this coalition. 2. Agendize a "No-Staging Zone" policy for your next Council meeting, prohibiting the use of City property — parking lots, parks, and other City-owned or City-controlled land — for civil immigration enforcement staging and operations. City property should be used for City and community purposes. Gilroy can move quickly, as Campbell, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View did, by adapting the policies adopted by San Jose (1/13/26) and Santa Clara (2/3/26). These were developed with thorough review by County Counsel and the San Jose City Attorney, and have also been adopted by VTA and the Counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Alameda. Gilroy benefits from that legal groundwork. 3. Establish an emergency response plan so the City is prepared to protect public safety and support residents in the event of a large-scale enforcement operation, using the models from the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County to strengthen Gilroy's existing protocols. This matters to me because nobody should feel scared to leave their home and worry about the possibility of having their family separated. Throughout our Know Your Rights community education and outreach efforts at Community Health Partnership, we constantly hear about how fear of immigration enforcement affects the daily lives, including the health and well-being of our communities. Community Health Partnership’s clinic staff and patients deserve to feel safe without worries of immigration enforcement in their community. We strongly urge you to build on your resolutions with the three actions above to protect all of our residents and ensure Santa Clara County continues to be a welcoming place for all. Beyond the immense human cost — families torn apart, children losing parents, neighbors living in fear — these protections matter for our economy as well as our safety. A March 2026 report from the Bay 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 Area Council Economic Institute found that mass deportation could reduce regional economic output by as much as $67 billion annually. Gilroy's businesses depend on workers and customers who will be driven away by fear and detention. Gilroy has been built by diverse immigrant and farmworker communities. Thank you for your leadership, and for taking these next steps for the safety and well-being of our community. Respectfully, Dolores Alvarado Chief Executive Officer Community Health Partnership CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE TO RECIPIENT: This transmission contains confidential information belonging to the sender that is legally privileged and proprietary and may be subject to protection under the law, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them. Thank you.