Roosevelt PTA is putting the word out on something quickly to respond to a developing matter before the Redwood City City Council. Please help spread the word.

If you haven’t heard, there is a retailer trying to open a gun store in Roosevelt Plaza. A group of concerned parents at Roosevelt Elementary School have been in touch with Mayor Giselle Hale who said the City is considering an emergency ordinance on the topic at their meeting next Monday 10/24 at 6:00pm (agenda to be released Thursday 10/20).

Roosevelt parents have developed a letter to the council with their concerns regarding a firearm store opening in close proximity to an elementary school and in a plaza that so many children and families frequent. Here is a Google form where you can sign on to a letter supporting the urgency ordinance. The council needs to pass this by 6 of 7 votes for it to take effect. This will provide the needed time to make a decision that reflects the values of our community.

Comments can be submitted by emailing council@redwoodcity.org up until the meeting start time on Monday 10/24, and/or can be voiced at the meeting itself in person or via Zoom.

The City Council will publish its agenda for the Oct 24 meeting on Thursday Oct 20.

Here is a statement from Mayor Hale and the City Manager

“I wanted to confirm that the City has received a business license application for a firearm retailer seeking to locate at Roosevelt Plaza in Redwood City. Currently, Redwood City does not have regulations specific to firearm retailers, and so a firearm retailer is treated like any other commercial retail business. Retail uses are permitted by right at Roosevelt Plaza, meaning no City Council review is required.

On October 24, the City Council will consider an urgency ordinance that would temporarily prohibit any firearm retailers in Redwood City while the City studies potential regulations for firearm retailers, including where such uses may be permitted. If the ordinance is approved, the City would conduct research and community engagement to propose regulations for future City Council consideration.

The agenda packet for the October 24 City Council meeting will be published Thursday evening and available here.”

Thank you for reading, and if you are interested in signing the letter with us in support of the urgency ordinance to temporarily halt approval of new firearms retail applications until further review is conducted, you can do so here.