Last week the Wilhaggin Del Dayo Neighborhood Association held its annual meeting, Supervisor Rich Desmond was the featured speaker. He opened his talk by hinting at a land use controversy (we're trying to get information about it), saying he would not comment on it. Then he cited some statistics. He said all but 25,000 of his 315,000 constituents live in the unincorporated area and the County isn't able to provide them with adequate services. The $1,000,000,000 road maintenance backlog is a good example. The County has $20,000,000 a year from the gas tax to spend on that backlog.

Mostly, though, what occupies his time is dealing with homelessness. He called for balanced policies, saying homelessness should not be an excuse for crime. He referenced the County's 4 "C"s - compassion (homeless individuals need help to overcome their plight), coordination (cities and the County need to work together), capacity (new "safe spaces", tiny homes and permanent supportive housing are coming on line), and consequences (everyone deserves safety, whether in homeless camps or neighborhoods). He also mentioned retail theft and the need for reform of Prop 47. He noted the recent "Bad Elf" sting by the Sheriff was a big success on that front.

Audience questions delved into detail about homelessness, but also raised the notion of incorporation. Supervisor Desmond said he was a "born-again incorporater" and is planning public meetings on the subject for early next year.

The meeting also included presentations from the Association and the Sheriff's Department about the importance of the off-duty Sheriff's program that provides enhanced security for the neighborhood. To outsiders, the program seems a little odd in that residents have to pay extra for services which, for the most part, are routine law enforcement activities. Association residents pay for vacation patrols at their houses, for example, a service that is offered to all residents of Rocklin - the Rocklin PD even advertises that service on local TV. Still, the extra services in Wilhaggin Del Dayo are popular among the local residents and seem to work well for them.

Now, if anyone has information about that land use controversy, please let us know.