Residents trip over trail patrols

homeless advocates and students are protesting the treatment of the homeless people in the area that was cleared out.

Imran Shaikh

Community News & Feature World Editor

Since 1929, Valley Water has provided Santa Clara county residents with clean water, flood protection and stream supervision. As a microbiologist for Valley Water, Kelsey Friedt tests source and drinking water for microbes, parasites and invasive species, ensuring that the water is clean and safe for the community.

Friedt has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. She started out working in multiple different laboratories, including environmental and wastewater plant laboratories, which—although she describes them as gross—helped her gain the experience she needed to land many of her jobs, including her current job at Valley Water.

“There is no real ‘normal’ day for me. In the mornings, I usually work on paperwork, validate data or work on tests which take longer to conduct. Afternoons are geared towards setting up new tests and reading back any tests that were already set up. We are also assigned a lot of special projects, and we work on them whenever sampling plans and staff availability permit,” Friedt said.

Since her routine varies every day, Friedt explains that it is hard to get bored of her job, which is made more enjoyable by the people she works with. However, not every part of the job is entertaining; Friedt’s least favorite assignment is writing Standard Operating Procedures— step-by-step instructions meant to help workers carry out routine operations—which involves extensive knowledge about standards and methods.

Friedt has learned a lot through her career. She says it is of the utmost importance to always step outside of your comfort zone and put your full effort in everything you do, even if you struggle at first. Friedt also explains that it is crucial to never stop learning since the more knowledgeable you are, the more comfortable you will feel in anything you do.

“I would recommend this job not only because it helps protect the environment and the community, but also for the versatility it offers as a science career. Additionally, working for the government is rewarding because they allow for a good work-life balance, which not all private companies offer. When you first start out, you should take advantage of every opportunity; apply to everything since you never know what you might learn and what new roles you might like to pursue as a job,” Friedt said.

As a result, the Coyote Creek Trail fell out of use, allowing the homeless population there to grow to several hundred.

Intending to regain residents’ faith in the trail system, San Jose has introduced the Trail Safety Plan, which installed two police officers on a three mile stretch between William Street and Tully Road. The officers bike along this segment of the Coyote Creek trail for 10 hours every day, looking out for hikers’ safety.

The city had implemented this program once before on the Guadalupe River Trail, which saw a 48% drop in usage between 2019 and 2022, as reported by San Jose Spotlight. Residents felt unsafe, in part due to the high homeless population— several hundred homeless people had pitched tents near the trail. After the camp was cleared out last year, the trail exploded in popularity. However, not every trail user agrees with the decision;

“Clearing out homeless camps is only a temporary solution. Without designating an alternative place for the homeless people to stay, the city is only prolonging the issue of homelessness,” Junior Justin Lai said.

While more hikers are frequenting the Guadalupe River Trail, it provides far more than just a course for nature lovers. Having safe and clean public spaces allows people to congregate outside and become more active in community discussions, according to San Jose Spotlight.

The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to spend $400,000 to have police officers permanently monitor the Coyote Creek Trail. Coupled with another $400,000 from Valley Water— which hopes to lower illegal dumping rates after 931 tons of trash were rumored to have been cleared from homeless encampments in 2022—the Coyote Creek Trail has shown similar results to the Guadalupe River Trail; residents have expressed their appreciation for the police patrols since their introduction.

“Not only would the police be able to respond to emergencies faster, their presence alone decreases crime

Staff Writer

on trails. This would also help inexperienced hikers, since they would be less hesitant to use the trails. I would feel much safer while hiking knowing that there are police nearby,” Senior Brandon Shoji, hiking club member, said.

Although many residents are fond of the changes trail patrols have brought, the story is different for the previous occupants of homeless camps. Many homeless people have been put into contact with housing assistance or introduced to the few tiny homes throughout California—singleroom, double-bunk buildings meant to serve as temporary housing for the homeless. However, as per the Mercury News, only 43% of tiny home residents in Santa Clara County were able to acquire permanent housing through the program in 2022. Others were simply swept out of the camp and forced to migrate and wait until their next camp was cleared out.

The city’s trail program is a double-edged sword. To the public, it seems that the homeless are being taken care of, when in reality, their situations rarely improve. Although local trails are returning to their initial popularity, their success may come at the expense of disrupting the lives of the homeless people that live along the routes.