Residents press Salinas council on homelessness and hazardous conditions in Gavilan Creek; calls for shelter and creek cleanup

Several residents used the Salinas City Council public-comment period on Oct. 28 to press the city for faster action on homelessness and to demand cleanup of Gavilan Creek.

Yolanda, a resident who identified herself as living across from Gavilan Creek, described hazardous conditions in the waterway including human waste and alleged that people are living in and around the creek. "There was a toilet there," she told the council, and she asked whether the Environmental Protection Agency should be contacted. Frank Saunders, a downtown property owner, said the situation is "out of control" and urged the council to assemble a shelter or temporary facilities, pointing to sites of acreage near medical centers as a possible location.

Zoom commenter Wes Wise, who identified himself as co-president of a county homeless union, described a decade of work with people living outdoors and urged solutions that include sanitary services (portable toilets, handwashing stations), power, showers, laundry and spaces that encourage positive behavior. He said dozens of people living outside have died in recent years while waiting for services.

Councilmembers acknowledged the complexity of the problem and noted overlapping jurisdictional responsibilities among city, county and state agencies. Mayor Donahue and several councilmembers said the city is preparing additional conversations, including a planned housing summit the first week of November, and that coordination with county and state partners would be necessary to pursue shelter sites and wraparound services.

No new funding or shelter was approved at the meeting. Councilmembers and staff were asked to report back with options and potential costs for creek cleanup and homelessness responses during future agenda cycles.