Joe Rodota Trail

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Joe Rodota Trail
Length8.5 miles (13.7 km)
Location
Sonoma County, California, United States
Surfacepaved
Joe Rodota Trail
Legend
 Prince Greenway
Santa Rosa Creek
California 12.svg SR 12
SMART Trail
Dutton Avenue
Stony Point Road
Homeless encampment
Wright Road
Sebastopol Road
Merced Avenue
Llano Road
Laguna de Santa Rosa
Sebastopol
West County Trail

The Joe Rodota Trail is a 8.5-mile (13.7 km) paved rail trail in Sonoma County, California that spans from near the intersection of Mill Station Road and Highway 116 in Sebastopol to the area of West 3rd Street and Roberts Avenue in Santa Rosa. The trail provides a safety separation for pedestrians and bicycles from motor vehicle traffic on the parallel California State Route 12/Luther Burbank Memorial Highway.[1]

The trail has hosted a homeless encampment that grew exponentially in the late 2010s. The encampment was a topic of concern for residents and politicians, resulting in elected officials approving $12 million for housing units. In January 2020, the encampment was dispersed and some of its campers and inhabitants relocated to other areas in Santa Rosa or Sonoma County.

History

The trail was built on the former

Sonoma County Regional Parks Department after declining freight traffic caused abandonment of rail service over the route in the 1980s.[3] The trail is named after Joseph “Joe” Rodota, Sr, father of writer and political consultant Joseph Rodota, Jr.; Rodota, Sr. was the county's district's first director.[4]

Homeless encampment

Following housing losses of the

court injunction preventing officials from taking matter over homeless camps unless they had shelter and storage for campers’ personal belongings. Sixty percent of the people from that encampment relocated to the Joe Rodota Trail encampment.[6] Incidents such as fires and arson took place in the encampment three times in a span of two months from November 2019 to January 2020, including a tank explosion on New Year's Eve 2019.[7] A county supervisor voiced concern that the campsite had steered away many would-be trail pedestrians and cyclists, and had become a nuisance for people who live in the neighborhood.[6]

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to provide housing for some of the homeless campers, in a $11.63 million leasing that will provide at least six units for at least twenty people.[8] The county will spend up to $5 million to buy six multi-bedroom houses that could shelter 60 people, $3.2 million to hire seven new staffers and fund contracts for drug treatment beds and medical support, and $750,000 into annual leases of six to seven units to serve another 20 residents.[9] In January 2020, the encampment was dismantled by local authorities, and some of its inhabitants moved elsewhere locally, including a homeless community in Oakmont.

References

  1. ^ "Joe Rodota Trail". Sonoma County Regional Parks. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Ellison, Robert; Sievers, Walt (1952). "Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad Company". The Western Railroader. 15 (148). Francis A. Guido: 3–14.
  3. ^ "West County Regional Trail". Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  4. ^ Rush, Laura Hagar (May 29, 2017). "Sonoma County Regional Parks celebrates 50 years". Sonoma West.
  5. ^ Johnson, Doug (10 October 2018). "How the Tubbs Fire Affected Santa Rosa's Homeless Population". FOX40. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b Fagan, Kevin (December 16, 2019). "Santa Rosa struggles with biggest homeless camp in county history". San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. Press Democrat
    .
  8. ^ Lanaras, James (January 11, 2020). "Sonoma County supervisors scheduled to vote on housing proposals for homeless". KTVU.
  9. ^ Silvy, Tyler (December 24, 2019). "Sonoma County supervisors approve $11 million in emergency spending on Santa Rosa homeless encampment". Sonoma Index-Tribune.
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