Editor,
On my morning dog walk in downtown Millbrae, I’ve encountered sketchy men with straws twice this week. One dirty, skinny man, pants hanging off, wandered about with an empty stare. I took special note of what he was carrying because I was afraid it was a weapon. No, just a straw.
A few days later, a shirtless young man muttered to himself in the middle of the street. A vandalized e-bike lay in a heap nearby. He flicked a straw in his fingers.Â
I’ve learned the straw is for snorting drugs like heroin, fentanyl, etc. These guys are drug addicts. Will they soon be residents of the La Quinta hotel in Millbrae? Or friends of residents? In the Aug. 18 town hall, County Executive Mike Callagy was evasive about vetting criteria for La Quinta residents. Why? Probably because the county doesn’t want us to know that many drug/alcohol abusers will be part of a La Quinta population. And, because of California’s permissive policies like Housing First, substance abuse is allowed within government funded housing units. So, while drugs are consumed, drug dealers and partiers flock to that housing, creating danger and blight for the community. All this is planned near an elementary school. Worse still, Millbrae will suffer a budget hit between $700,000 and $800,000 per year, with estimates varying. That’s taking away community benefits from Millbrae residents. The proposed La Quinta housing project is too expensive, and wrongly sited in the middle of a family-based community.
Laura Smith
Millbrae
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(1) comment
Unfortunately, Ms. Smith, it appears your city’s leaders have taken a knee to the powers-that-be and have turned their backs on the ones who’ve elected them. Think of this during the next few election cycles. BTW, you may want to read JustMike650’s comments from other letters and his experiences with homeless hotel housing issues. The folks in Millbrae should take heed.
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