Sonoma County To Appoint New Director Of Community Development

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Geoffrey Ross resigned Thursday as the executive director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, which along with the county's Department of Health Services is grappling with solutions to the county's homeless problem, county officials said.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is scheduled to appoint Department of Health Services Director Barbie Robinson as the new CDC director. Robinson will continue serving as director of the Department of Health Services.

In the news release, Robinson said she is honored to lead the Community Development Commission on an interim basis.

"I plan to work with the cities and community partners to develop housing solutions that support the housing continuum to meet the needs of our community," Robinson said.

Ross was the assistant director of the CDC and he was appointed director after director Margaret Van Vliet resigned. He was among several county employees who recently were receiving performance reviews in a special closed session meeting with the Board of Supervisors.

Among the county's estimated 3,000 homeless population are 220 people who have been camping along a section of the paved Joe Rodota Trail on county land located in the city of Santa Rosa.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in December declared a homeless state of emergency on the trail due to health and safety threats and unsanitary conditions including a recently disclosed rat infestation.

The supervisors directed staff from the Community Development Commission and the Department of Health Services to provide other proposals to house the homeless countywide and on the trail.

On Dec. 23, the supervisors approved seven recommended actions that include shared housing in 30 units in six multi-bedroom houses capable of housing 60 people at a cost of about $5.5 million to purchases the homes within 100 days.

The plan also called for multiple indoor-outdoor shelters, which would include recreational vehicle hookups and safe parking. Each site would accommodate 40 homeless people at an annual lease cost of $2 million dollars from the county general fund.

County staff also proposed hiring seven full-time staffers and making budget adjustments of up to $11.69 million to finance the whole plan.

Elements of the plan could take between 60 and 180 days to complete.

The supervisors Tuesday are expected to disclose some of the sites for the indoor-outdoor shelters in the county for relocating the Joe Rodota Trail campers.

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