HomeMy WebLinkAboutTammie Bullard - comment (Items 9 & 10)1
Blankenhorn, Regina M
From:tammie@
Sent:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 11:12 AM
To:City Council
Cc:
Subject:Proposed Opioid Clinic
Attachments:Opioid Clinic Letter to City Council.docx
Hello All,
I apologize if this is a duplicate email. I tried emailing both the City Council as a group and individually last night and cc'd
myself and I haven't received an email. I'm sending this again due to the serious nature of this matter. Please see my
attached attached letter regarding the proposed opioid drug treatment center that is on your agenda tonight.
Kind Regards,
Tammie Bullard
Hello Esteemed Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing to you to urge you to deny the appeal that is coming before you in tomorrow night’s City Council meeting
for the proposed opioid addiction treatment center at 535 E First Street.
As a 30+ year resident and a 26+ year business owner (both of which are located within 400 yards of the drug treatment
center), I am very concerned about the change in quality of life for both the nearby residents in my condo complex and
the safety of customers who visit my business and other in the area. Many of the neighboring businesses service
children, elderly adults and those who are medically and physically fragile. I have been participating in all of the
hearings/meetings since this was brought to the Planning Commission last year.
I don’t feel the presentation to the Planning Commission on January 10th by the center’s regional director and attorney
was truthful and has been contradicted by others who have direct knowledge of how that clinic has been operating.
When a Planning Commission member asked the regional director for actual dosing numbers for a recent week in
January at the clinic located in Santa Ana, the director read daily numbers from her laptop that were significantly higher
and close to double the stated dosing numbers that are included in their application (140 daily). The proposed clinic is
approximately double the size of the current clinic and will afford the new location the ability to serve many more opioid
addicted patients. Why would we not think this is their plan? They are a for-profit business with shareholders who
expect a return for their investment. It was also incredible to listen to the attorney threaten the Planning Commission
members by stating, “I don’t think you want to go down that road” when discussing another city that was sued.
The regional director was horribly unprepared to answer questions regarding “drive-up” dosing, the potential need for
additional security for both inside and outside the building and contradicted herself on more than one occasion. I don’t
think she or the attorney were truthful when describing the type of patients they treat or potential risk to the
community. At one point, the director was making it sound like the majority of their patients are working class people
who come to get dosed then leave to go to their 9 to 5 jobs. I’m sure that is the case for a few of them but I am not
aware of a huge number of professional businesses that employ current opioid addicts due to the liability that would
come with that. She then later admitted that they needed the “end of the bus route” to get many of their clients to the
proposed clinic. This clinic is going to bring opioid addicted people who are not residents of Tustin to our community for
long-term treatment. By the director’s own admission, the treatment can last many months, if not years. And they will
be adding new patients every week and every month.
Additionally, a nurse from the dialysis center that relocated from where the current opioid clinic operates to the
proposed location, gave first-hand accounts of the issues they faced by being located next to that clinic. She spoke of
break-ins occurring due to the drug addicts assuming that the dialysis center was part of the opioid clinic and that drugs,
needles and other items could be found inside. She also spoke about how scared many of their patients were to have
dialysis done at that center and the horrible conditions that surrounded that area due to the loitering and crime that
was occurring. She said the dialysis center was so relieved to move away from all of the issues caused by the near
proximity of the opioid addiction treatment center.
Having served for 24 years as an elected board member to the Tustin Unified School District, I am very well aware of the
process of filing applications for doing business within a governing agency, public hearings, receiving public feedback,
staff research and recommendations, etc. The applicant has continued to state that they have been denied the right to
hold meetings with city staff regarding the application and concerns. This process is supposed to be transparent and be
done in properly noticed public meetings. It is my opinion the applicant wants “back room” meetings to test the waters
and try to reach agreements outside the public process. I thank the City and the staff for following the proper
procedures and keeping this in front of our community.
The language in the agenda states that the basis of the City Council’s decision cannot be formed by “unsubstantiated
fears, prejudice or stereotypes related to persons recovering from opioid addiction.” The concerns and issues that have
been raised by our community since last year are NOT unsubstantiated. The issues are well-documented by the city
staff, Santa Ana Police Department reports, photos and first-hand testimony of those who have been impacted by the
current treatment center.
I don’t deny there is a need and obligation to help those who desire to be treated for their addiction. I think putting a
large opioid addiction treatment facility right in the heart of our city is the wrong decision. There are better areas that
wouldn’t create such a negative impact on close proximity residents and businesses. Many of us small businesses in
Tustin are still recovering from the COVID pandemic. Our businesses haven’t bounced back as well as we hoped they
would. The pandemic changed so much about the way people shop. Please don’t add to this already challenging position
many of us find ourselves in by allowing the well-documented loitering, increased homelessness, and crime to be
another reason for people not wanting to visit our businesses in Tustin.
I sincerely thank you for your time and attention.
Tammie Bullard