HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 15 2026 - Public Comment - Kelley Ketchmark1
Stefan Mercer
From:Kelley Ketchmark <kelleyketchmark@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, June 15, 2026 12:51 PM
To: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; Public Comments
Cc:Council Member Kelly Ramirez; Matt Morley
Subject:EXTERNAL - Public Comment: Amicus Brief, No Staging Policy, Emergency Plan
Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and City Councilmembers,
My name is Kelley Ketchmark, and I am a resident of Santa Clara County. 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 what happens in Gilroy in this moment affects the entire Bay Area. If a
staging area or other detention facility is allowed to move forward, it will result in a significant increase in
ICE activity in the Bay Area and Central Valley. The negative impact on our community will be
tremendous.
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 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.
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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,
Kelley Ketchmark
Santa Clara County Resident