Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting Summary – June 13, 2018
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Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting Summary – June 13, 2018
The Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee met on June 13, 2018, at 9:00 AM (the meeting began at 17:15 UTC but local time is inferred) to discuss maintenance assessment districts, a police recruitment marketing contract, implementation of AB 953 (Racial and Identity Profiling Act), summer beach operations, and red light abatement enforcement. The committee approved consent and action items and received informational updates.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously adopted the record of action items from April 25, 2018, and approved a single consent agenda item without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Francine Maxwell (District 4 resident) shared concerns about police stops in Southeastern San Diego, citing a recent incident where Latino youth were stopped by the gang suppression unit. She urged honest dialogue, promotion of a town hall with Chief Nislight, and community engagement in the police marketing effort.
- Christy Hill (ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties) called for an annual racial impact report from SDPD, questioned compliance with AB 953 data collection, and highlighted disparities shown in a 2016 SDSU study (e.g., Black and Latino drivers were nearly twice as likely to be searched despite being less likely to have contraband). She asked for commitments to local data analysis and policy updates.
Discussion Items
- Maintenance Assessment Districts (MADs) – Items 2 & 3: Staff presented the 2019 annual reports for 64 park and recreation and economic development MADs, explaining the assessment process and that no changes to apportionment methodology were permitted. Councilmember Gomez praised the streamlined process. The committee approved a motion to forward the items to council (motion by Councilmember Gomez, second by Vice Chair Bree; passed unanimously).
- Contract with Loma Media Partners for Police Recruitment Branding – Item 4: Chief David Nislight and Captain Richard Friedman reported a 39% decline in police applications from 2014 to 2017 and 520 officers eligible for retirement in five years. The two-year, $350,000 contract (with optional extensions up to $1 million total) would create a branding and marketing campaign targeting 20-30 year olds via social media and video. Councilmembers expressed strong support, emphasizing the need to diversify the force and engage the community. Loma Media representatives discussed their digital strategy and focus group plans. The committee approved the contract unanimously, with a requirement for an annual progress report (motion by Councilmember Gomez, second by Councilmember Zaf).
- AB 953 (RIPA) Implementation Update – Item 5: Lieutenant Jeff Jordan detailed the new data collection requirements effective July 1, 2018, including 17+ questions per stop and up to 60 response options. SDPD chose the San Diego Sheriff's Department web application (allowing local data analysis) over the DOJ system. Training for all officers began with in-person sessions and online modules, including a message from Chief Nislight. The department committed to releasing data via the city’s open data portal. Public testimony raised concerns about compliance and need for local analysis. No vote required; the item was informational.
- Summer Beach Operations Update – Item 6: Captain Tina Williams and Lieutenant Steve Waldheim presented the 2018 summer plan. Memorial Day weekend drew 350,000 visitors; 4th of July expected over 800,000. Officers will focus on high visibility, scooter enforcement (over 200 citations on Memorial Day weekend), DUI checkpoints, and addressing noise, fire pit regulations, and oversized vehicle camping. Councilmembers discussed scooter safety, enforcement challenges, and coordination with other agencies. Informational only.
- Red Light Abatement Enforcement Report – Item 7: Assistant City Attorney John Hirling and Deputy Patricia Miranda explained the abatement process under Penal Code sections 11225-11235, working with SDPD's VICE unit. In 2017, eight massage parlors were closed; four have been closed in 2018, with approximately 15 cases under investigation. Councilmember Gomez requested improved communication about complaints and outcomes. Informational only.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar and Items 2 & 3 (MADs): Approved unanimously; referred to full council.
- Item 4 (Loma Media Contract): Approved unanimously; annual reporting requirement added. Total contract value up to $1 million over five years.
- Items 5, 6, 7: Received as informational; no votes taken.
- Next Meeting: July 11, 2018, at 9:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
And liberal neighborhoods committee. We have a quorum consisting of myself, Vice Chair Bree, and Councilmember Gomez. First up is non-agenda public comments. I don't think we have any, so we'll move on to committee member comments. Is there any comment by members of the committee? No. Any comments from the city attorney, IBA, Mayor's office? All right, moving along. Our adoption agenda is the record of action items for April 25th, 2018, which will be adopted by unanimous consent unless pulled otherwise. See none. We have one item on the consent agenda. Any members wish to pull it or a motion to approve. Motion by Councilmember Gomez, second by Vice Chair Bree. All those in favor, please say aye. That passes unanimously. We're going to take items two and three together regarding maintenance assessment districts. So have staff come up here, introduce yourselves for the record, and the floor is yours. Okay. Good morning. My name is Paul Saroyce. I'm assistant deputy director for the maintenance assessment districts for the park and recreation department. And I'm joined today by Luis Ojeda, who oversees the MADS for the Economic Development Department. We're here today to present companion items for the annual reports for the 64 park and recreation and economic development department MADS. In 2017, Council passed an enabling ordinance for the MADS to take the place of the 1972 Landscaping and Lighting Act, along with Proposition 218 and revised Council Policy 100-21, the enabling ordinance further defined how MADs are managed and eliminated the annual authorization to levy for existing MADs. Assessment engineers reports are created and voted upon by property owners at the time of MAD formation. The assessment engineers report describes the scope of services and budget, establishes spread and apportionment of benefit assessment to each parcel, and identifies and separates general and special benefits. Special benefits are defined as a particular and distinct benefit over and above general benefits conferred to the public at large. They're quantified and apportioned in assessment engineers report for each MAD, and only a special assessments may be assessed to property owners in the MAD. General benefits are the city standard level of service and are provided to the public, such as street lights, sidewalks, parks, etc. Other general benefits include external benefits, which are indirect or incidental benefits to those passing through a MAD. MADs provide a wide variety of services, improvements, and activities for from litter removal and decorative street lights to landscaping, security, and community events. The park and recreation department MADS manage 55 MADs through contracts with private vendors. The economic development department's nine MADs provide services through contracts with nonprofit organizations that in turn procure service providers, often in conjunction with local business associations. This slide lists the MADs managed by both departments. The 2019 annual reports remain consistent with their corresponding assessment engineers reports. They outline the basis for levying assessments, describe services, and provide cost estimates for the coming year, identify revenue sources, and provide a list of parcels assessed within the district. The annual update process does not permit changes to apportionment methodology or other dictates contained in the assessment engineers reports. Assessments may increase or decrease based on inflation factors in the assessment engineers reports as necessary to support annual budgets, which are approved each year during publicly noticed meetings. And that concludes our presentation. We're available for questions. Thank you very much. We have no members of the public who wish to speak. No members of the committee who council member Gomez. Thank you. Thank you for the report. Um I just had a question. I know that the bids have a yearly work plan. I'm just curious, do MATS have that? Uh each one is is very individual. We do work out our uh annual plan when we're going through budget with each community group that we work with.
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