San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - April 25, 2018
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San Diego Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting - April 25, 2018
The Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee met on April 25, 2018, to discuss several items including the transfer of the Family Justice Center to the City Attorney's office, the annual work plan of the Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, the FY19 recreation center funds budget and recreation council transition updates, an update on the designated online transaction space pilot, and an informational update from the Community Review Board on Police Practices (CRB). The meeting included public comments on a variety of topics.
Consent Calendar
- The adoption agenda for February 21, 2018, was adopted by unanimous consent.
- One consent agenda item was moved and passed unanimously (specific item not detailed in transcript).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Francine Maxwell (Fourth Council District resident) spoke on multiple items. She complained about the condition of Willie Henderson's sports complex (roaches, mice, weeds, lack of supplies), stated police patrols had reduced drug dealers from 30 to 7, and requested investigation of encampments at the complex. She also criticized the Gang Commission presentation, alleging lack of real dialogue and that workforce partnership jobs are inaccessible via MTS. She commented on rec center transition, expressing concerns about equity, Wi-Fi registration challenges, nepotism in hiring, and lack of diverse area managers. She also spoke on the CRB, urging a more independent board.
- Marcia Gresco (retired peace officer) supported an autonomous community oversight commission for SDPD, stating that internal investigations are not trusted and criticized the carotid restraint policy, which she said was classified as lethal force in her former department.
- Kate Yavendetti (Women Occupy San Diego, National Lawyers Guild) acknowledged improvements at the CRB but argued the board lacks community trust because it only reviews IA investigations. She urged adoption of a proposed charter amendment to create an independent commission with subpoena power for civilian witnesses and independent legal counsel.
- Mary Lou Finley supported an independent elected review board, noting no officer has been indicted for killings in San Diego.
- Martin Eder (Activist San Diego) stated the CRB is seen as toothless, citing cases where police reports were later proven false, and called for subpoena power and real investigation capability.
- Yusuf Miller supported an independent CRB, mentioned unarmed shootings, and called for banning the carotid restraint.
- Cornela Spouser (Racial Justice Coalition) urged banning the chokehold (carotid restraint) and prosecuting officers who use excessive force.
- Darwin Fishman (CRB member, speaking personally) stated that the CRB structure makes true independence difficult, that police testimony is given great weight, and that the CRB almost always agrees with IA findings; he supported independent counsel and investigators.
Discussion Items
- Family Justice Center Transfer (Items 2 & 5): City Attorney Mara Elliott presented proposed amendments to the municipal code to transfer the Family Justice Center from the San Diego Police Department back to the City Attorney's office, effective July 1, 2018. The Family Justice Center serves as a one-stop shop for domestic violence victims, with about 31% of clients coming from outside city limits. The budget impact was clarified: the Family Justice Center budget remains constant, but the general fund increases by about $504,000 due to transfer of positions. The City Attorney outlined plans to grow services, regionalize, and create a foundation for financial sustainability. Councilmember Gomez made a motion to amend the municipal code, which passed unanimously.
- Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention Annual Work Plan: Executive Director Ricky Laster and Commission Chair Dr. Rodney Hood presented the 2018 work plan based on the 2015-2020 strategic action plan. Programs include Teen Nights (8-week summer program, 2,051 participants in 2017), Game Changers (community-police dialogue), Connect to Careers (2,051 at-risk youth placed in employment in 2017), and trauma-informed approaches. Commissioner Dana Brown described the youth committee's work using ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) science. Councilmember Zapf questioned outcome measurement; Dr. Hood acknowledged a need for better data. Councilmember Gomez asked about restorative justice partnerships. The presentation was informational.
- FY19 Recreation Center Funds Budget and Rec Council Transition: Director Herman Parker and Marcella Barthwell (Park Board co-chair of working group) reported on transition from recreation councils to city-managed operations. Accomplishments include issuing P-cards, contracting with 70 recreation service providers, and establishing a working group to revise Council Policy 700-42. The working group reached consensus on an advisory model for recreation councils. The proposal authorizes new recreation center funds for two new parks and the FY19 budget. Motion passed unanimously.
- Designated Online Transaction Space Pilot: Captain Christopher Knighton (Northeastern Division) presented an update on the pilot program providing a safe public exchange zone for online transactions at the Northeastern police station. Upgrades included LED lighting, signage, and security cameras. No negative feedback received. The pilot has been shared with other agencies. Councilmember Cates requested evaluation for expansion to other divisions. The item was informational.
- Community Review Board on Police Practices (CRB) Update: Executive Director Charmaine Mosley and Chair Doug Case provided an update. The CRB reviewed 35 cases from July 1, 2017 to April 10, 2018, with 88 allegations. The board agreed with Internal Affairs findings on most allegations. In 4 officer-involved shooting cases, the board found all within policy (two unanimous, two not). In one in-custody death case, the board found actions within policy (vote not unanimous). Body-worn camera use was high. Policy recommendations included requiring officers to write reports before reviewing body camera footage, adopting a de-escalation policy, and reclassifying unlawful detention as a Category 1 complaint. The board is awaiting implementation of Measure G (passed 2016) to fill vacancies and update procedures. Public comment urged greater independence and subpoena power. The item was informational.
Key Outcomes
- Items 2 & 5 (Family Justice Center): Motion to amend Municipal Code to reflect transfer of Family Justice Center to City Attorney's office passed unanimously. Direction to provide updates to committee.
- Item 3 (Recreation Center Funds): Motion to approve FY19 budget and authorize new recreation center funds passed unanimously.
- Item 4 (Online Transaction Space): Staff directed to evaluate expansion of the pilot to other police divisions.
- Item 7 (Gang Commission): No formal action; presentation received.
- CRB Update: No formal action; informational item.
Meeting Transcript
Public comments. We have one speaker today, Francine Maxwell. You will have two minutes. Good morning. Francine Maxwell, Fourth Council District resident. I'm here to make a complaint because it's a livable neighborhood committee in reference to Willie Henderson's sports complex. I want you to understand that I don't live in a neighborhood where I enjoy walking past a man on a journal to go to the meeting room one. Then you go to the women's restroom and you have to dig out of this to wash your hands. Then Gordon put this here like it was going to do something, and the rec center does not have the supplies to fill this. And then they just painted the building for some reason, but they didn't want to patch up any type of holes. The disrespect that is being shown to the Fourth Council District. They make beautiful flyers, but the children will not come when you walk in the kitchen and there's roaches, there's mice droppings. Willie Henderson's sandbox has weeds in it. So let's ask Gordon, let's ask the deputy district uh for Park and Rick. When's the last time that you walk the grounds? The mowers are wonderful. Grounds people do their job beautifully, but the sports complex is more than grass. I also like for you to find out from our big five when are they going to go to the encampment? There are so many storage bins at Willie Henderson that they have bunk beds. My neighbors that are housing challenged, they find bunk beds to build on this because people are not walking the complex. I asked for your assistance because this is the public safety livable neighborhood. Although the police have um stepped up their patrols, so instead of me counting 30 drug dealers, I'm down to counting seven. I can show up at any given time because I have relatives that live right across the street, and I can sit there and I can watch. The workers have kidney infections, they have UTIs because they refuse to go to the bathroom that while they're during their work hours. So if they cannot jump in their car and leave, these people are missing work because of this. And I'd like for you to ask specific questions on what they're going to do because it's my understanding that we are upgrading and doing everything else in the city of San Diego for the park and rig. Thank you. We'll go on to committee member comment. Any Alan will come grab those for you. Any committee member comments? See none. Any city attorney IBA mayoral comments? See none. We're going to move right along. Our adoption agenda is the record of action items for February 21st, which will be adopted by unanimous consent unless pulled otherwise. See none. We have one item on the consent agenda. Is there a motion on the consent agenda? Aye. That passes unanimously. We're going to take a few things out of order today. We're going to take items two and five together, uh, which is regarding the family justice center. We have uh our city attorney, Mar Elliott. Good to see you this morning, who is going to present uh on a couple of proposed amendments to the municipal code. We're gonna take both items and then we'll do public comment after both items and then move on to committee member comment questions. So Madam City Attorney, the floor is yours. Okay, thank you, Chair Kate, for allowing us to do this together. I think it's gonna be easier for the committee to understand where we're going with the presentation by linking these two items. Before I get started, I wanted to introduce a few of the key players to my right is Chief Deputy City Attorney Nicole Crosby. She oversees our sex crimes and domestic violence unit.
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