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Record of Proceedings

Phoenix City Council Meeting - April 15, 2025: Public Safety Reforms, Homeless Services Update, and Farewell to Councilman Galindo

City Council — Tuesday, April 15, 2025
BodyPhoenix, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:21:23

Original source
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0:39

Good afternoon.

0:40

I'll now call the Phoenix City Council meeting to order.

0:42

Will the clerk call the role?

0:44

Councilman Galinda Rida.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Councilwoman Guardado.

0:48

Here.

0:48

Councilwoman Hodge Washington.

0:50

Here.

0:51

Councilwoman Pastor.

0:52

Here.

0:53

Councilman Robinson.

0:54

Yeah.

0:54

Councilwoman Stark.

0:56

Here.

0:56

Councilman Waring.

0:58

Vice Mayor O'Brien.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Mayor Gallego.

1:01

Here.

1:03

Thank you for joining us.

1:05

We have Spanish interpretation here and available.

1:09

Mario, would you please introduce yourself?

1:12

Yes, Mayor, thank you.

1:13

Good afternoon.

1:14

My name is Mario Barajas.

1:15

I'm going to be working together with El Cid Duarte as far as uh the Spanish interpretation, as was mentioned previously.

1:22

Now I'll take a moment to introduce ourselves to our Spanish speaking audience.

1:28

We want to start this.

1:29

My name is Mario Guaranas.

1:44

Ya Caso van a dar un comentario publico.

1:47

No se requiere que Ian Pausas publico.

1:59

Muchas gracias.

2:00

Thank you, Mayor.

2:02

Thank you.

2:02

And we want to welcome Councilwoman elect Anna Hernandez.

2:05

The next time we meet, the elect will be removed, and it'll be officially councilwoman on Monday.

2:11

Which means it is a milestone meeting as well for Councilman Galindo Alvira, and I think several of us will have comments on that.

2:19

We'll begin with council information and follow-up requests.

2:22

Who would like to go first?

2:23

Councilwoman Stark.

2:26

Thank you, Mayor.

2:27

I just want to take a moment to uh say, Carlos, you have been a pleasure to work with.

2:35

It's an honor knowing you.

2:37

You are such a kind, generous person.

2:40

I'm really gonna miss you on council.

2:42

You have done a lot for District 7, but not only seven, you really cared about the rest of the city.

2:48

And I appreciate that.

2:49

I appreciate you would come to me, you reach out, you had questions, and I would do the same with you.

2:55

You really reflect what it's about being a council person, and I know in your next endeavors will be just as wonderful because you're just a wonderful person.

3:05

So a pleasure working with you.

3:08

Councilwoman Hodge Washington.

3:11

I also would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Councilman Carlos Galindo.

3:16

Um you have been on council for a little over a year, and your presence and contribution truly make a difference, and they go a long way in building trust and collaboration on this dais and throughout our community.

3:27

It has been my pleasure to serve alongside you, particularly when we work together on our shared villages of South Mountain and Louvre.

3:41

You are a gentleman in every sense of the word.

3:44

Um as the councilman for number district number eight.

3:46

I was used to always go in last.

3:48

Um, but our you have also made sure many times that I get to speak before you because you're a gentleman.

3:55

So I wanted to say thank you for that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Homelessness████████████12%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Public Comment█████5%
Mental Health Awareness█████5%
Procedural████4%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Phoenix City Council Meeting - April 15, 2025

The Phoenix City Council met on April 15, 2025, to conduct routine business, recognize departing Councilman Carlos Galindo Alvira, and receive a comprehensive six-month update on public safety reforms adopted in September 2024. Presentations covered homeless services expansion, the Community Assistance Program (CAP), police department policy changes, and the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) progress. The meeting concluded with public comment.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Angel Algarin, public health researcher and District 4 resident, raised concerns about an incident at Encanto Park on April 13, 2025, during the Outloud Sports Saguaro Cup Tournament for LGBTQ+ athletes. He stated that a parks and recreation employee called police over a clerical permit error, resulting in eight police cruisers surrounding players. He urged the council to extend cultural humility and de-escalation training to all public-facing city departments, develop clear conflict resolution protocols for minor administrative issues, and include LGBTQ+ residents in public safety planning. Councilwoman Pastor acknowledged the issue.

Discussion Items

Farewell to Councilman Carlos Galindo Alvira

  • Multiple councilmembers (Stark, Hodge Washington, Guardado, Waring, O'Brien, Robinson, Gallego, Pastor) praised Councilman Galindo for his one year of service, highlighting accomplishments such as securing chill water stations, tree plantings, shelter expansion, heat respite centers, and donating his salary. He was commended for his positive demeanor and collaborative spirit. Councilman Galindo thanked colleagues and staff, and presented commemorative street signs honoring women of the farm worker movement to two city employees.

District Presentations

  • Councilwoman Hodge Washington (District 8) reported on community events, including the reopening of Perry Park, a health fair, budget hearings, and upcoming redevelopment meeting at 24th Street and Broadway Road (April 17) and District 8 cookout (May 3).
  • Councilwoman Pastor (District 4) highlighted Cesar Chavez Day cleanup, Osborne Point (48 new units for homeless/domestic violence victims), South Central Light Rail Extension opening June 7, and a Spanish-language budget hearing on April 16.
  • Councilwoman Guardado (District 5) noted the Grand Canal Escape phase three opening and upcoming Easter Jubilee (April 19) and Maryvel Mercado (April 26).

Public Safety Reform Update – Six-Month Progress

  • Office of Homeless Solutions (Rachel Milney): Reported that 10 city-created or funded projects added over 1,200 new indoor beds and 300 safe outdoor spaces in three years. The Phoenix Navigation Center (opened July 2024) has served 400+ individuals, with 58 housed. The Safe Outdoor Space (since Nov 2023) has served 1,485 individuals, with 218 moving to shelter and 133 to housing, and 254 participated in workforce programs. OHS formalized property storage programs, with 215 bins stored and 23 returned. Police and OHS coordinate efforts, e.g., weekly at 51st Ave & Baseline for over a year.
  • Community Assistance Program (DC Ernst): CAP achieved 80% staffing (6 behavioral health units, 6 crisis response units). 24/7 behavioral health dispatcher coverage was met on March 31, 2025. Calls transferred from police to CAP dispatchers increased 170% in Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024. In February 2025, 76% of behavioral health unit responses were singular (no police/fire co-response). Average response time: 24 minutes for BHU, 23 minutes for CRT. Crisis response teams saw a 9% increase in calls year-over-year.
  • Police Department (Chief Sullivan & Chief Orinder): Provided updates on completed and in-progress reforms. Completed: Professional Standards Bureau manual updated with deadlines and de-escalation review requirements; SMART notifications launched for residents to share health info; use of force policy revised; Brady materials forwarded to County Attorney within 15 days. In progress: CIT training biennial plan (75% of CIT officers certified >2 years); cultural competency training started Feb 2025 for recruits; youth interactions policy with public survey underway; First Amendment policy draft incorporating public feedback; discipline review board now includes three civilians (policy effective Feb 18, 2025). Upcoming: public-facing canine policy for public comment in May; interacting with individuals experiencing homelessness policy in July; systems of accountability policy in September. Compliance audits to begin July 2025.
  • Office of Accountability and Transparency (Shannon Yohanny): OAT currently reviewing 138 department administrative cases, with 22 reports published. Monthly report releases started March 2025. Civilian Review Board (9 members seated Oct 2024) elected chair and vice chair in Jan 2025, trained on processes, and will hold first formal business meeting May 23, 2025. Revised MOU between OAT and PPD was signed, specifying 72-hour notices and mediation framework. A single online portal for complaints/commendations soft-launching late May/early June 2025. The department agreed with 16 of 19 OAT recommendations; 3 have documented compliance (identifying sources, written analysis, training completion).

Council Questions

  • Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked about shelter capacity and occupancy. Rachel Milney replied that beds fill quickly; the Phoenix Navigation Center is offering 3-5 beds daily and will be at full capacity within a month. She also asked about the safe outdoor space success rate (15% positive exits) and confirmed that is positive given higher acuity. She asked CAP about follow-up – DC Ernst said typically one-time interaction unless trust-building needed. She asked about measuring behavioral change from training – Chief Orinder said compliance audits will begin with new research analysts. She asked about ongoing CRB training – Yohanny described case-specific and general training opportunities.
  • Councilman Waring asked for success rates (housing/jobs) for homeless services. Milney said data is tracked via HMIS per project, and she will provide detailed numbers at a future committee meeting.
  • Councilman Galindo praised CAP's 76% singular response rate and CIT training seriousness. He asked about the First Amendment policy's effectiveness – Chief Orinder said it has been successful, citing peaceful marches with no arrests, including a 4,000-person event at the state capitol.
  • Councilwoman Pastor asked about the May Day march process; Chief Orinder offered to connect with organizers to ensure safety.

Key Outcomes

  • Council received the six-month public safety reform update and acknowledged progress.
  • Councilman Waring requested a future public safety committee briefing on homeless services outcome metrics (e.g., percentage housed). Director Milney agreed to provide the data.
  • Councilwoman Pastor noted the need to follow up on the Encanto Park incident raised in public comment.
  • The meeting adjourned after concluding remarks.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I'll now call the Phoenix City Council meeting to order. Will the clerk call the role? Councilman Galinda Rida. Here. Councilwoman Guardado. Here. Councilwoman Hodge Washington. Here. Councilwoman Pastor. Here. Councilman Robinson. Yeah. Councilwoman Stark. Here. Councilman Waring. Vice Mayor O'Brien. Here. Mayor Gallego. Here. Thank you for joining us. We have Spanish interpretation here and available. Mario, would you please introduce yourself? Yes, Mayor, thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Mario Barajas. I'm going to be working together with El Cid Duarte as far as uh the Spanish interpretation, as was mentioned previously. Now I'll take a moment to introduce ourselves to our Spanish speaking audience. We want to start this. My name is Mario Guaranas. Ya Caso van a dar un comentario publico. No se requiere que Ian Pausas publico. Muchas gracias. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. And we want to welcome Councilwoman elect Anna Hernandez. The next time we meet, the elect will be removed, and it'll be officially councilwoman on Monday. Which means it is a milestone meeting as well for Councilman Galindo Alvira, and I think several of us will have comments on that. We'll begin with council information and follow-up requests. Who would like to go first? Councilwoman Stark. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to take a moment to uh say, Carlos, you have been a pleasure to work with. It's an honor knowing you. You are such a kind, generous person. I'm really gonna miss you on council. You have done a lot for District 7, but not only seven, you really cared about the rest of the city. And I appreciate that. I appreciate you would come to me, you reach out, you had questions, and I would do the same with you. You really reflect what it's about being a council person, and I know in your next endeavors will be just as wonderful because you're just a wonderful person.

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