What's Happening At St. Regis?

Targeted ICE Activity In Hayward Continues

Federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been confirmed at multiple locations in Hayward over the last two weeks. The different sightings appear to be unrelated, but were confirmed by official sources.

The first sighting, at Cherryland Elementary, occurred on Friday, November 21st around 9:30 am, was confirmed by Superintendent Chen Wu-Fenrandez in an email to the community.

The Department of Homeland Security visited one of our schools this morning around 9:30 AM seeking information. As per our protocol, the principal contacted the superintendent’s office, and we did not share any information. The officers left without incident.

Representatives from the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership (ACILEP) responded to gather information and offer support.

No detentions were made and, according to community activists, the incident was allegedly to serve paperwork—though those same activists also said that such paperwork is normally mailed.

The second sighting occurred on November 30th at approximately 11:00 am near the Lord Tennyson Apartments. The Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) confirmed on social media that ICE was present, likely related to targeted enforcement—though they said they were unaware of any arrests at that time.

Rumors of other targeted enforcement activities have circulated throughout the community, though due to resource limitations at ACILEP, they haven’t always been confirmed by reliable sources. If you, or someone you know, is concerned about potential ICE activity in your neighborhood, call the ACILEP hotline: (510) 241-4011

Crime Declines Over Summer Across The Board

During the September 24th Council Public Safety Committee meeting, the Hayward Police Department delivered their quarterly report on crime statistics. According to Police Chief Matthews, crime is down over 23% overall from the same time period last year (May-August). This continues the trend of over 20% reductions in crime compared to the same time in 2024. “We’re seeing [a reduction] almost across the board,” Police Chief Bryan Matthews said.

Of particular interest to Chief Matthews was the sharp reduction in motor vehicle thefts—over 50% lower than last year—which he attributed to improved “camera technology.” While he didn’t go into detail, it’s possible that he was referring to the FLOCK cameras which HPD have been purchasing over the last several years. The City has around 100 of the Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) around the City.

Another potential reason for declining crime, according to Chief Matthews, is the passage of Proposition 36, which can make theft of items worth $950 or less a felony in certain cases, and a more aggressive District Attorney. Chief Matthews and City Attorney Michael Lawson have commented in the past their approval of former District Attorney Pamela Price’s replacement.

The only crime categories to have increased were Aggravated Assault and broader “Crimes Against Society” which Chief Matthews described as “standard drug possession.”

Schools Continue To Rely On Calling Police

Schools around Hayward—including elementary schools—called HPD for some form of service 335 times from May to August, despite the summer break. This appears to have no relation to the fact that the Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Bureau (YFSB), which simultaneously served over 100 youth and families with counseling and diversion sessions, relies heavily on Police Officer referrals (43%).

The incidents with explanation included someone wandering onto the Winton Middle School campus after committing a property crime—it is unclear if this person was a student, and a series of burglaries at Glassbrook Elementary over Summer Break.

HMET Continues To Thrive Despite Cuts To MIHU

The elimination of the Mobile Integrated Health Unit (MIHU) has not significantly impacted how the Hayward Mobile Evaluation Team (HMET) operates, according to Police Chief Bryan Matthews. The MIHU was put on hold earlier this year due to being funded almost entirely with Fire Department overtime, incurring a significant cost. The HMET, which is staffed by a specially trained Police Officer and an Alameda County mental health clinician, served over 100 individuals in the first half of 2025.

“[HMET] has been instrumental in avoiding use of force cases,” Police Chief Bryan Matthews said. The other portion of the HEART program, the LINK—which connects people with services and handles some case management—has served over 200 individuals with the vast majority of referrals coming from the Hayward Police Department (60.3%).

Much of the work that HMET does is with unhoused residents throughout the City, seeking to prevent incidents like the September 6th, 2023 incident where an unhoused man was shot and killed by Hayward Police Officers for allegedly brandishing a weapon, despite video evidence seeming to show him walking away.

When asked by Councilmember Julie Roche what the impacts of the cuts to the MIHU have been, a representative from the Hayward Fire Department said that it is likely leading to more trips to the Emergency Room. “When we had MIHU, we were able to get them to a more appropriate resource in a more timely fashion,” they said.

Councilmember Roche asked if it was costing the City more money because of the cuts, but the member of the Fire Department said no. However they did say it was likely costing other agencies money—like St. Rose, for example—and also putting stress on the availability of ambulances, which may spend more time waiting to drop people off at the ER when wait times increase due to increased use.

What Is Happening At St. Regis?

The former site of the St. Regis Retirement community has been transformed into the REGIS Village facility, operated by Bay Area Community Services (BACS). According to many local residents, the status of St. Regis has been something of a mystery. So we’re going to both give a quick overview of what REGIS Village is, what’s on the horizon, and why it showed up on a Public Safety Committee meeting.

What Is REGIS Village?

In November of 2022, BACS partnered with Alameda County, the City of Hayward, and the Eden Health District to purchase the former St. Regis facility. The idea was to turn the facility into a suite of supportive services that could address homelessness. The City of Hayward gave some money to BACS for the purchase and has also consolidated the Navigation Center—formerly on Depot Road near the Calpine Energy plant—into the new REGIS Village facility.

According to City Staff, the site opened in some capacity in February of 2025 providing 40 units of interim housing for those in the Alameda County Coordinated Entry System. Future plans include adding 70 more units of supportive housing before the end of the year. According to BACS’s announcement in October, around 90 beds are available—45 for Permanent Supportive Housing and 44 for transitional housing, prioritizing people involved in the CARE Court system.

Future plans include opening 44 beds for the new Hayward Navigation Center sometime in early 2026—potentially February—40 medical respite beds for people recovering from hospital stays, 40 beds for substance use residential and detox treatments, and a wellness and sobering center—offering drop-in and long-term supports.

When it is fully functional in mid 2026, REGIS Village will have over 200 beds for various needs, funded by multiple different sources.

Getting Ahead Of Rumors

One thing Community Services Manager Dr. Amy Cole-Bloom wanted to emphasize was that there needs to be clearer communication around REGIS Village. “The way we’re framing the state of the project. That it is happening and there is no ‘We need your upfront input before it happens.’ It is happening, so we’re sharing information about what is going there to make sure people aren’t making assumptions about what’s going to happen at that site.”

Dr. Cole-Bloom wanted to make clear communication pathways for resident concerns about the project—or anything happening there. She is also in direct conversation with the Downtown Hayward Improvement Association (DHIA) and the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. She said that they took up a lot of time at the prior community meeting, and so will do a different community meeting without them. She also said they would bring County Staff to the meeting, which was a gap at the time.

Why Is It In This Meeting?

Part of the reason may have to do with a loud subset of residents who don’t like it. Members of Hayward Concerned Citizens have called into multiple City Council meetings to complain about the facility and express fear that it would cause increased crime. A community meeting occurred on August 16th, but according to City Staff, much of the discussion was dominated by local business groups.

According to Police Chief Bryan Matthews, REGIS Village had 35 calls for service between February 14, 2025 and the meeting in September—approximately 1 call per week. The reasons included Mental Health Evaluations (5150), Welfare Checks, Disturbance, and Brandishing a Weapon, among others. Chief Matthews said that the weapon was a screwdriver that a resident was wielding, but an officer was able to de-escalate the situation. No calls had been made to the Fire Department.

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Part of the concern from the Police Department and the Community Services Division were around security staffing. According to Chief Matthews, evenings were sometimes staffed by a lone woman staffer with contracted security only making periodic checks, while monitoring 37-39 clients. “[This] seemed to be inadequate,” Chief Matthews said.

Another member of the Police Department said that the Department meets with BACS monthly and that there have been improvements to security. “But they’re still working through some of those logistics,” they said. Increased calls to REGIS Village could impact the Police Department’s ability to respond to other calls, according to Chief Matthews. “That’s an ongoing balance that we’re mindful of,” he said.

It’s The County’s Problem

Since the facility is funded by several different contracts, there are limited options for the City to coerce BACS into improving the situation. The only contract in place at the time was one from Alameda County. According to Community Services Manager Dr. Amy Cole-Bloom, BACS’s contract has security requirements and they are currently out of compliance with that contract, but it’s up to the County to enforce those clauses.

Councilmember Julie Roche was disappointed by the situation. “I’m really disappointed to learn that they aren’t meeting the security plan for the contract,” she said. The contract, according to Dr. Cole-Bloom, requires 24/7 on-site security. But when asked what enforcement the City may have, neither Dr. Cole-Bloom nor Chief Matthews had a good answer. “I don’t know that we have the ability to force anything as it relates to a county contract,” Chief Matthews said. Dr. Cole-Bloom suggested working with the City Attorney’s Office for a legal remedy—which brought to mind the City’s lawsuit against Alameda County over the Hayward Assessment Center.

However, Dr. Cole-Bloom suggested it was a short-term problem. “I don’t think BACS was planning to open this portion of the program so soon,” she said, pointing out that as other programs open up, more staff will be on site with more resources, likely bringing the facility into compliance. She also said that once the Navigation Center opens, the City will have its own contract that it can enforce.

But Councilmember Roche remained concerned about the burden on the Police Department resources. “At some point it’s a burden on our resources,” she said, “and so then we need compensation for the burden on our resources.”

Adding Services And Concern About Drop-Ins

The addition of drop-in services of any kind did not sit well with Councilmember Roche. “We were assured there was no drop-in,” she said. Dr. Cole-Bloom reminded her that REGIS Village was never just going to be a locked facility, that was just one of the features that was frequently highlighted, though she admitted the drop-in was new from the last 6 months due to new funding sources.

Councilmember Ray Bonilla asked if BACS had any obligation to inform the City when they add new services. Dr. Cole-Bloom said they likely would tell the City, but aren’t obligated to. “They are in compliance with the use there,” she said. The only way the City would have to be notified is if they started offering a service that wasn’t allowed by the current land-use designation.

Councilmember Roche asked if the drop-in services would only be available to Hayward residents, concerned that people from across the county would get dropped off whether there was availability or not. Dr. Cole-Bloom said that a lot of things are coming soon. “A whole portfolio of stuff that’s coming and Regis is one piece of it,” she said. She said that La Familia and St. Rose will also be opening new services that will benefit similar populations, so it won’t all fall on REGIS Village.

Despite Councilmember Roche’s concern, Chief Matthews said that the Police Department likes the idea of the detox facility to avoid jail or hospital visits for people who need that kind of service. But Councilmember Roche continued, “what are we going to do to clear this up so we don’t have people being dropped off and waiting in line there?”

Chief Matthews assured her that if problems occur, the City will hear about it very quickly, but she wanted to get ahead of it. “Once it starts, undoing that is very hard,” she said. Chief Matthews said that getting the City Attorney involved changed things at the Assessment Center before the lawsuit was even filed. Dr. Cole-Bloom also emphasized that the City is attempting to work collaboratively with BACS and the County to solve the problems without resorting to punitive action.

This was something Councilmember Ray Bonilla appreciated. “At the end of the day, this is going to benefit Hayward residents and the Hayward community, as well as the broader County,” he said.