San Mateo County residents gathered Tuesday night for a community open house on a proposed substance abuse treatment center. At the center of the debate was the location.
“Treatment, yes. Location, no,” neighbors chanted throughout the night.
The proposed 69-bed treatment center, operated by Horizon Services, would be at 101 North El Camino Real, near El Cerrito Avenue in San Mateo. Neighbors say the site is too residential and too close to an elementary school.
“We want services. We’re all for treatment services,” said Taso Zografos, a community representative. “But the location is bad.”
PREVIOUS: San Mateo residents voice concerns over proposed substance abuse treatment center
San Mateo residents spoke up during a county Behavioral Health Commission meeting on Wednesday, in opposition to a substance abuse treatment center.
The County Board of Supervisors approved a $2 million funding commitment for the project last October. At a Behavioral Health Commission meeting in February, residents made their concerns clear.
Supervisor Noelia Corzo, who represents District 2 where the center would be located, has faced criticism from opponents who say she pushed the project forward “quietly” and without transparency.
“They’ve done it backwards,” Zografos said. “They’ve gone forward with this project without engaging the community, and that’s going to be a problem. It’s a trainwreck. So here we are trying to stop this from moving forward, trying to get a location that’s better, more suited.”
Corzo said she did not learn about the concerns until February’s meeting and that the goal of this month’s open house was to hear those concerns.
“I can guarantee you if this were to be in another neighborhood, it would get similar pushback, and that’s an unfortunate reality against the stigma of these services,” Corzo said.
Supervisor Jackie Speier, who represents District 1, the neighboring district, took accountability.
“I actually believe the site is a poor site,” Speier said. “Shame on us for not recognizing that it wasn’t a consent item. It should’ve been on the regular agenda.”
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Had the proposal been listed on the regular agenda, residents would have been able to comment publicly instead of the item being approved in a single vote without discussion.
Tuesday’s event was structured as an open house, where neighbors could speak one-on-one with experts and Horizon Services CEO Jaime Campos. Campos addressed claims that the company did not seek community feedback.
“I think the timeline of the grant funding announcement from last year imposed some challenges,” Campos said.
He was referring to Proposition 1, which provides grant funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities in California.
Campos said Horizon sought initial feedback from stakeholders such as the San Mateo County Behavioral Health Commission and the county medical center.
“Here we are today on the back end of community engagement,” he said. “If the project is awarded, let’s lean in, let’s talk to the community that’s been selected by the state, and let’s talk about how to make this successful together.”
Speier disagreed.
“I think Horizon’s done a very poor job of engaging with the community,” she said. “Community engagement happens before you make your application and before you receive the grant.”
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Shortly after the event began, a crowd gathered around Corzo. San Mateo resident David Long led the group with a microphone, followed by other neighbors who wanted to speak.
“Everyone is in favor of the treatment center. That’s unanimous,” Long said. “The risk is not inaction. It’s choosing the wrong site.”
“While the popular image of people addicted to drugs is violent criminals, most look like our neighbors, family and friends,” said Skyler Paoli. “Drug detox centers improve our community.”
At one point, Corzo addressed the crowd.
“Why would you approve this before explaining the details?” one neighbor asked.
Tensions escalated, and Corzo walked away. She later returned before the event ended.
Mike Swire, who has lived in the county for 15 years, said he supports the treatment center and came to learn more.
“Unfortunately, it devolved into a shouting match with a lot of emotion, not a lot of data, and a lot of outright othering,” Swire said. “It’s always gotta be in someone else’s backyard. We shouldn’t be making people with substance abuse disorders feel like they’re othered.”
Some residents said the event should have been structured as a town hall initially, where questions were asked publicly so everyone could hear the same answers. They felt the openhouse format diluted their voices.
“It was designed poorly. It should have been a town hall,” Speier said. “That’s what’s been requested, and that’s what we need to have.”
“Supervisor Corzo should bear 100% of the blame,” Zografos said. “She should be facing those questions and answering those questions forthright. We sent questions and hundreds of emails in advance. When people called her out, she ran away.”
By the end of the night, people seemed to find some common ground.
What happens next remains unclear, given the controversy over the proposed site.
“It’s very difficult in this day and age to get the community together,” Zografos said. “I’m so proud of the community that came together today to rally and stand together in a very grassroots way.”
“Now as I walk around the room, people are connecting with each other, and that feels really good,” Paoli said. “Now it feels like I’ve done something and maybe helped create a bigger movement of the people who agree with me.”
“I think there’s a solution,” Speier said. “I’ve talked with Jaime of Horizon, the state, and I think we’ll come up with a solution that works for everybody.”
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