On February 3, 2025, Commission Chair Alexis Hill and County Manager Eric Brown made quite the presentation at the Nevada Legislature, claiming they've reduced homelessness in Washoe County by 40%.

Let's Talk About Déjà Vu:

• Haven't we heard this magical 40% number before? or was it 50% back in 2023?

• Wasn't it proven false last time?

• Where's the data to back up this recycled claim?

So Washoe County keeps telling us Commission Chair Alexis Hill and County Manager Eric Brown have homelessness under control. Hill just told the Nevada Legislature’s Senate Committee on Government Affairs yesterday, February 3, 2025, that Washoe County has reduced homelessness by 40%.

Really? Let's do a reality check:

✦ The Nevada Cares Campus is bursting at the seams

✦ Tent cities are popping up faster than new coffee shops

✦ It took community activist Lily Baran to step up and open warming centers because... where was the county?

What is it with the City of Reno’s “Gang of Seven” and the former Community Assistance Center (CAC) buildings on Record Street. Are they embarrassed that the building was allowed to fall into decay on their watches? Well, frankly, they should be, but hey it is only taxpayer money, so they don’t care. Are they afraid they will haunted by the memory of former Mayor Bob Cashell after allowing the buildings to fall into ruins. They should be, Cashell was proud to open the CAC in 2008.

Local homeless advocate, Lily Baran, has brought great ideas forward for these spaces to help homeless women and children, but no matter how good the idea the Reno City Council just don’t listen.

In the thrilling saga of "How to Avoid Accountability While Running a Homeless Shelter," starring Commission Chair Alexis Hill, we bring you the latest episode of "Why Have Meetings When You Can Just Tell The Wall Street Journal Everything's Fine?"

Picture this: Commissioner Mike Clark, apparently under the wild impression that advisory boards should actually ... advise, keeps requesting to schedule a CHAB meeting. The audacity! Doesn't he know the last meeting in May 2024 was practically yesterday? (If by "yesterday" you mean seven months ago, and before that, September 2023 - but who's counting?)

Washoe County has effectively silenced homeless residents at the Nevada CARES Campus by minimizing Community Homelessness Advisory Board (CHAB) meetings since September 2023. This started after Teresa Bacon, a resident, publicly criticized the County and Commissioner Alexis Hill about conditions at the campus. Rather than address Bacon's concerns, the County launched a counter-campaign against her.

Earlier this week Picon spoke with County Commissioner Mike Clark regarding the Point In Time (PIT) Count. After he read our article, he gave us a call about public records in his possession regarding the Wall Street Journal article we commented on. He shared the emails with us, saying, “maybe you can make sense out of them” and while we were surprised, we sure were not shocked Washoe County sunk low in order to get positive press making it appear they were reducing homelessness by 50% back in November 2023. They had absolutely no choice after the disaster of the CHAB (Community Homeless Advisory Board) meeting on September 11, 2023.

According to Washoe County Government the homeless/unhoused population that they had touted had been cut in half last year, now have bad news for all you taxpaying residents and, hey, the numbers are up, but only slightly, and Washoe County expected it.

The Good Old Boys are alive and well in local politics, while Mike Clark continues to be the outsider. Apparently seeking oversight of your tax dollars will brand you as an extremist…

Despite rampant lawlessness at the shelter, instead the County seeks to arrest a former cop…

Picon had the opportunity to learn from a business owner just what is occurring in and around the CARES campus. The owners of Zamboni Muffler, located…