Resident Advisory Council Meeting - Dec. 16, 2004

I attended my first Resident Advisory Council Meeting on December 16, 2004 at 1415 Del Monte Avenue in Salinas. When the meeting was underway it was apparent the President, the Secretary, the Vice President, and the Treasurer were unfamiliar with parliamentary procedures and needed help to begin the meeting. Help was provided from Maria Hernandez who directed the officers all the way to adjournment.

Mr. Mike Nichols was present. He had recently been appointed by Housing Authority to be their representative on the Resident Advisory Council, and he was acting as Chairman. Mr. Richard Rangel, who was recently appointed Tenant Commissioner for the Housing Authority in the position Mr. Nichols vacated, was also present. He was asked by Mr. Nichols to provide Spanish translation for the evening because 85% of the attendees were Hispanic.

Mr. Nichols began by explaining to the audience he had been tenant commissioner for ten years and done a good job, but he had been replaced by Mr. Richard Rangel because of politics, and from now on the residents should bring their complaints to him.

Mr. Nichols noted businesses were in business to make a profit. When something did not make a profit they got rid of it. He went on to explain that the biggest money loser for Housing Authority was Rippling River. He said Housing Authority had tried to move these people to new facilities somewhere else in Monterey County so Housing Authority could demolish the current facility. He said the residents and the community had stopped them from doing that and are now making Housing Authority repair the old buildings.

It soon became clear that he was telling the people at this meeting to go home and tell the other residents of their Housing Authority facility that the money allocated for the rebuilding of Rippling River will come right out of their allocations for maintenance and repair of their own facilities, and this condition will last for the coming years of the new five year plan.

He exhorted them to get everyone at their complex to attend the important Advisory Council meeting next month to ask questions about holding up funds to rebuild the complex in Carmel Valley, and vote to advise Housing Authority to not repair Rippling River.

Please understand that the residents at this meeting have never had the chance to meet the residents at Rippling River and have never had a chance to see the independent life style that disabled people have made for themselves in Rippling River. They mostly had heard nothing of the complicated situation at Rippling River.

Last August Mr. Nichols attended a meeting held at Rippling River that was also attended by HUD and other government officials along with Rippling River and local community members. Mr. Nichols related to his audience his amazement at how strong the community support for the residents was. He told how a minister of a small non-sectarian church in Carmel Valley stood and announced that their congregation is donating $30,000 to Rippling River (Reverend Rick actually said $15,000), money which was desperately needed by the residents for expert consultants in construction, ADA rules and regulations, and a HUD knowledgeable lawyer to verify Housing Authority's claims the property was dangerous. As it turned out this was money well spent, because up to that time the Housing Authority documents, that were the basis of eligibility of Rippling River's demolition, had not been vetted or verified. Subsequent study by the Corp of Army Engineers showed that repair of the facility is the correct solution. The preferred solution presented by Housing Authority senior staff is move the residents to new quarters and demolition the buildings.

There is a meeting to finalize a five year plan for expenses for the Housing Authority Monterey County for the next five years. It is imperative everyone from Rippling River be there to vote. The meeting is to be held January 20th 5:30 P.M. at 123 Rico Street, Salinas, CA, at the Housing Authority office.