Dear Council Members,
Though I serve on the Environmental Quality Commission, I am writing in now as a private Menlo Park resident.
I volunteer extensively in the Ravenswood District and see first-hand how the pandemic has disproportionally burdened that community in almost every major respect. Please prioritize substantial American Rescue Funds to the part of our city that needs it most desperately.
Specifically:
1) Belle Haven has had much higher COVID infection rates than rates in other parts of our city.
2) Belle Haven has a much higher incidence of co-morbidities with COVID, especially with asthma. This means: on average, each COVID diagnosis in Belle Have will continue to lead to more severe illness and more likelihood of death than a COVID diagnosis in other parts of our city.
3) Combine increased COVID illness and risk + inevitable upcoming wildfire smoke + a closed local cooling center + less access to plug-in air purification devices than wealthier dwellers and you have what I’ve decided to call a “Pandemic Perfect Storm” for Belle Haven for yet another summer.
4) Ravenswood District students have, on average, had lower quality, less consistent internet infrastructure than their west of 101 counterparts, inflicting larger learning gaps on a population that is already struggling to meet math and reading standards.
Please make sure that Belle Haven receives fiscal priority to address what I refer to as this Belle Haven “Pandemic Perfect Storm”.
Thank you very much.
Angela Evans
Menlo Park Resident
