Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting – September 12, 2022
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Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting – September 12, 2022
The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission met via teleconference on Monday, September 12, 2022, from 6:05 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. Chair Graciella Castillo-Krings presided, with eight commissioners present (Quorum achieved: Commissioners Carter, Falcon, Jefferson, Marion, Rose-Haymer, Williamson, Vice Chair Bliss, and Chair Castillo-Krings). Three commissioners were absent: Guerrero, Espinoza Salazar, and Elkarra). The meeting included updates on the elimination of ad hoc committees, military equipment policy, the City Auditor’s 2022 Community Survey, and the Inspector General’s Officer-Involved Shooting report.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Meeting Minutes (May 9, 2022 and August 8, 2022) and Follow-Up Log: The consent calendar was continued to a future meeting because the draft minutes were not attached for review. Commissioners noted this was the second consecutive meeting without accessible minutes. No action was taken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Barry Boyd (community member) spoke during matters not on the agenda and again during discussion items. He expressed strong opposition to the city council’s decision (5–4 vote) to eliminate ad hoc committees, stating the change originated from the Mayor’s office and undermines community engagement, particularly for persons of color. He also raised concerns about the lack of a formal process for handling commission recommendations and parking policy impacts under state law SB9.
- Meg White (concerned community member) spoke in support of the commission’s recommendations for the Military Equipment Use (AB 481) policy but expressed concern about the commission taking over community outreach, questioning whether the police department would be accountable without direct engagement.
Discussion Items
- Chair’s Update – Ad Hoc Committee Elimination: Chair Castillo-Krings reported that the City Council (by a 5–4 vote on August 23, 2022) approved an ordinance eliminating the ability of boards and commissions to form ad hoc committees. Effective end of 2022, no new ad hoc committees can be created; existing ones will disband. Commissions may petition for standing committees through the Personnel and Public Employees Committee, but without guaranteed staffing. Chair Castillo-Krings and Vice Chair Bliss expressed disappointment, noting the ad hoc system was effective for policy work and enhanced transparency. Commissioner Bliss criticized the ordinance for potentially increasing Brown Act violations by removing formal mechanisms for subgroup coordination. Commissioner Williamson questioned the rationale; Senior Deputy Attorney Audreyell Anderson-White noted legal questions could be addressed case-by-case.
- Military Equipment Use Policy (AB 481): Chair Castillo-Krings updated that the policy will be heard by City Council on September 13, 2022. Five commissioners signed a letter calling for stronger transparency (demographic reporting of equipment use, independent oversight by OPSA/Inspector General/Commission, and restrictions on spending without Council approval). The Police Chief agreed to collaborate with the commission on a community outreach plan for 2023. Commissioner Bliss added that state law (AB 481) requires independent oversight entities, which the current policy lacks.
- City Auditor’s 2022 Community Survey Report: Farishta Ahrary, Principal Fiscal Policy Analyst, presented the survey methodology and key results. A random sample of 7,000 households (increased from 5,500 in 2021) yielded 700 representative responses (95% confidence, ±4% margin of error) and 1,319 open-participation responses. Key findings: Only 59% rated overall quality of life excellent/good; 33% felt safe overall (80% during the day in their neighborhood, 57% in downtown). Affordability and safety were top concerns. Measure U priority spending: community-based mental health and wellness ranked highest, followed by community response services, affordable housing, and homeless services. Commissioners Falcon, Williamson, and Bliss discussed response rates (10% representative), benchmarking (cities over 400,000 population), and suggestions for increasing engagement, including stipends, community-led surveys (e.g., Black Brilliance Research Project in Seattle), and extending outreach to historically disenfranchised groups.
- Inspector General OIS Report Update: Mary Opler from OPSA reported that the Inspector General has completed the report on officer-involved shootings, but it is pending review by the City Attorney’s office before being presented to the City Council. No firm timeline was provided; the report will be agendized for the next available meeting once released.
- Introduction of New Commissioner: Commissioner Robynne Rose-Haymer (District 5) introduced herself and expressed eagerness to serve.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken on any discussion calendar items; all were received and filed or heard as oral reports.
- Consent calendar continued to a future meeting due to missing meeting minutes.
- Ad hoc committees will be phased out by December 31, 2022; commissioners were encouraged to self-organize in groups fewer than five for policy work outside formal meetings.
- Military equipment policy recommendations will be presented to City Council on September 13, 2022; the commission will draft a community outreach plan for 2023 in coordination with the Police Department.
- City Auditor’s survey will be used by city management for budgeting; commissioners committed to sharing results with their networks.
- Inspector General’s report is expected to be released after City Attorney review; a timeline will be communicated to the chair and vice chair.
Meeting Transcript
Chair Staff is ready when you are. Great, let's get started. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon, Commissioners. Good to see everyone. Hopefully, everybody's doing well. I know we have a couple of absence absences, and um, hopefully, hope hope hoping that those commissioners are um recovering quickly. But I know some of things are going around. Flu season is starting earlier, I think. Um, so but before we begin our agenda, I see we have a new commissioner, and I know we're gonna get to her soon, but Commissioner Rose, welcome to your first meeting. We're really excited to have you join us. And I know that comes, it's a little later in the agenda, but just really excited to have new a new face joining us. Great. Um, let's go ahead and let's start uh at the top of the agenda one second. So good evening, everyone. Welcome. It's Monday, September 12th. Um, and we are here with the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the role to establish a quorum? Thank you, Chair. Commissioners, please unmute and turn on your video for roll call. Commissioner Guerrero is currently absent. Commissioner Carter. Present Commissioner El Kara is currently absent. Commissioner Falcone. Present Commissioner Jefferson here, Commissioner Mayor. Thank you. Commissioner Marion appears to be absent. Commissioner Rose. Thank you. Commissioner Espinoza Salazar appears to be absent. Commissioner Williamson. Present. Vice Chair Bliss. Here and Chair Castillo Kring. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. Great. Uh so this meeting, as you all can see is via Zoom. For members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you have joined the meeting and you wish to speak, raise your hand to provide public comment when the chair, when I confirm that the public comment speaking period on your item has begun. If you are online, go ahead and raise your hand on the bottom of your screen. If you're calling in through a mobile, um, in the mobile app, you can raise your hand by simply tapping on the raise hand feature. Um, or there's going to be a more tab that can provide you that information as well. If you're calling via telephone to raise your hand, dial star nine, then to unmute or mute the call, dial star six. Speakers will be called by the last four digits of the phone number. I want to make a quick announcement. We're going to change things up just a little bit.
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