Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting - October 6, 2022
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Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Meeting - October 6, 2022
The Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee met on October 6, 2022, at 10:00 AM (local time) to discuss and receive updates on several items, including the approval of consent agenda items, a performance audit of the San Diego Police Department's body camera usage, the development of an Opportunity Fund policy for parks, allocation of citywide Park Development Impact Fees, and an update on the annual service contract with the San Diego Humane Society. The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format due to the state of emergency, with in-person and virtual participation options.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved committee actions from September 7, 2022.
- Approved Item 1: Authorization to enter into a five-year agreement with Life Technologies Corporation for materials and post-warranty instrument maintenance for DNA testing, including sexual assault kits. Councilmember Von Wilpert noted the department is current on testing with about 300 historical kits remaining.
- Approved Item 2: Authorization to enter into a five-year contract with MFY Holdings for jet turbine fuel for police and fire air support units. Councilmember Von Wilpert inquired about future renewable jet fuel options, and staff confirmed the contract allows flexibility.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Multiple speakers addressed the committee.
- Janice Wilde criticized Mayor Todd Gloria's new police policy requiring unsheltered individuals to take down tents between 6:01 AM and 9:00 AM, calling it inhumane and counterproductive to housing goals.
- Peggy Walker (public health educator) urged the committee to consider prevention strategies such as THC caps and warning labels on marijuana, citing rising mental health issues and suicide rates among young adults.
- Becky Rapp (parent and youth group mentor) urged stricter policies on marijuana businesses, including limiting billboards and maintaining current caps on retail outlets.
- Laura Zadania stated the new police practices increase harm to unsheltered people and asked the committee to investigate EMS response delays.
- Jean-Lee (community organizer) urged support for the Protect Ordinance (C-Path), arguing that police stops often escalate into larger problems and lead to incarceration.
- Lauren Odemba (Golden Hill resident, ACLU) encouraged support for the Protect Ordinance, citing data showing people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities are disproportionately stopped and searched by SDPD.
- Judy Strang (parent advocate) recommended prominently displaying the 988 crisis hotline on the city website and warned that politicians are again ignoring warnings about high-concentrate marijuana leading to addiction.
- Tasha Williamson (community advocate) urged passage of the Protect Ordinance, alleging that SDPD uses pretext stops and that officers in Southeast San Diego face increased stops and illegal searches, while officers in La Jolla are idle.
- Shaherazad Crombie Wayland (Camp Pendleton, ACLU) cited Campaign Zero data showing SDPD is 32% more likely to search individuals with disabilities and twice as likely to use force during stops involving disabled persons.
- Max (Mission Hill, ACLU) stated that Black San Diegans are stopped 85% more often than white individuals and urged support for the Protect Ordinance.
- Item 3 (Body Camera Audit) Public Comment:
- Tasha Williamson argued that the audit's findings show officers have discretion not to follow policies, and called for audits comparing body camera footage to officer reports, citing a recent incident at 47th and Market Street.
- Catherine Rhodes described difficulty obtaining body camera records from SDPD, requesting an online request form with receipt tracking.
- Martha Sullivan stated officers have had eight years to implement body cameras, and called for consequences when policies are not followed.
- Item 4 (Opportunity Fund) Public Comment:
- Sally Small (Sally) thanked staff and requested multilingual access at workshops and outreach to schools and community-based organizations.
- Item 5 (Park Impact Fees) Public Comment:
- Sally Small asked whether new park land acquisition under the fee would specifically target park-deficient communities or communities of concern.
Discussion Items
- Item 3: Performance Audit of SDPD's Use of Body Cameras
- City Auditor Andy Hennes presented the audit, with findings that officers frequently fail to record enforcement encounters as required. Data showed 40% of officers dispatched to incidents that required recording did not have a corresponding video (over 243,000 instances). Specific call types: 29% of calls ending in arrest, 41% of battery calls, 42% of assault with a deadly weapon calls lacked video.
- Recommendations included officers recording all dispatch calls (rather than determining potential enforcement encounters), clarifying when to stop recording, extending accidental recording retention to 60 days, and documenting public release policies.
- Chief Nisleit agreed to implement all recommendations, noting policy updates are already in routing and will be finalized within 30 days, with some changes requiring meet-and-confer with the police association.
- Committee members (Chair Montgomery Steppe, Campio, Von Wilpert) praised the audit and police department cooperation. Concerns were raised about privacy for victims, children, and sexual assault survivors. Chief Nisleit stated exceptions could be crafted.
- Item 4: Opportunity Fund Policy Development
- Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field and Program Manager Sarah Irazo presented a plan for a new Opportunity Fund, generated by a fee on permits and facility use, projected to collect $1 million annually. The fund aims to increase recreation programming in communities identified by the Climate Equity Index.
- Proposed process: Recreation center directors in communities of concern submit proposals evaluated by a committee using objective scoring. Nine in-person public input workshops (one per council district) will be held, with a draft policy expected in early 2023.
- Committee members expressed support and asked about scoring details and outreach to nonprofits. Staff confirmed applications for fee waivers have been streamlined.
- Item 5: Citywide Park Development Impact Fee Allocation
- Assistant Director Tom Tomlinson presented a proposed allocation of $6.4 million from the $7.2 million accumulated citywide Park Development Impact Fee. The funding would support 12 projects across all council districts, with 86% in park-deficient communities and meeting the 50% requirement for communities of concern. 10% ($720,000) reserved for land acquisition.
- Criteria included project scores, broad distribution, and advancing projects to next stages. Committee discussed balancing completion of existing projects versus starting new ones, and how to ensure parks serving communities of concern but located just outside designated tracts are included.
- Staff committed to robust public outreach including virtual options.
- Item 6: Annual Service Contract with San Diego Humane Society Update
- Deputy COO Christina Peralta and Director Juliana Tetlow provided an update on the five-year contract expiring June 2023. Key metrics: over 21,000 city animals served, 85%+ live release rate, no healthy or treatable animal euthanized since 2015, 24-hour dispatch, community veterinary program, and humane law enforcement.
- Challenges include staffing shortages affecting dedicated park patrols, which are expected to resume by January 2023. A new contract will be negotiated through an RFI process this fall.
- Committee members thanked the Humane Society for their work, with Councilmember Campio highlighting animal cruelty prosecution, and Councilmember Von Wilpert noting the organization's response during Hurricane Ian.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved unanimously.
- Audit recommendations accepted by SDPD; policy updates to be implemented and brought back to committee.
- Opportunity Fund outreach plan approved; staff to return with a draft policy in Q1 2023.
- Park Impact Fee allocation list to be refined after public outreach; staff to return with a formal proposal in early 2023.
- Humane Society contract negotiations to begin; new contract expected in early 2023.
- Meeting adjourned; next meeting scheduled for November 16, 2022.
Meeting Transcript
I am ready. Good morning, everyone. Until further notice, committee meeting meetings will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of California Government Code Section Five Four Nine Five Three, Subsection E, added by Assembly Bill Three Six One, which allows the city to use teleconferencing and to provide the public an opportunity to address the city council via a call-in option or an internet best based service option during a proclaimed state of emergency. While the public is allowed to attend the meetings in person, we encourage you to maintain six feet of social distance as well as follow California mask guidelines where masks are strongly recommended. In addition to being able to attend in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee liaison will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Additionally, members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or an internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. I will now call the public safety and livable neighborhoods committee meeting of October 6, 2022 to order. And I will now uh call the roll. Committee member Von Wilpert. Present. Committee member Campio. Here. And Vice Chair Moreno is absent. Also attending the meeting is Laura Easton, Office of the City Attorney, Baku Patel, Office of the IBA, and Chloe Madison, Office of the Mayor. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the speaker's lectern at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble preamble language of the agenda on the city's West Web page. The link to join the committee meeting webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone is listed on the agenda. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669-254-5252. When prompted, input webinar ID 160-780-2331 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or an internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of the meeting. And so please note that if you're watching via City TV 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it when it is your turn to speak. When I introduce the item you would like to comment on, please raise your hand by either tapping the raise your hand button on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, or by pressing star nine on your phone. You will then be taken in the order in which you raise your hand. You may only speak once on a particular item. When your committee, when our committee consultant indicates it is your turn to speak, uh she'll call you by your name as it appears on the Zoom webinar attendee list, or she'll read out loud the last four digits of your phone number if you have called into the meeting. That's how you'll know it is your turn to speak. If you're uh in person, please come up to the reserved seats at the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the electern in the order called. If you have joined the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone, you will receive a pop-up notice to select to unmute your device. If if you've called into the meeting by cell phone or landline, press star six on your phone to unmute yourself. We will review these instructions briefly again when the public comment period on an item is open. And please wait until the item you wish to speak to has been called before uh raising your hand to speak. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, it will be lowered. When you are announced as the next speaker, please unmute yourself and offer your comments. And also please remember to mute the volume on your TV or computer before you begin to speak. A quorum is now present. And we will now take up the approval of the committee actions of September 7th. Tiffany, please proceed. The public comment period is now open. If you are in person, please be sure to have your speaker slip submitted and come up to the reserve seat at the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to electronic in the order called. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via call-in or internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. If you already joined the Zoom webinar online or by phone, please raise your hand if you wish to speak. If you're watching on C T V or the live stream online and would like to call into the meeting to speak, please call 1669-254-5252 when prompted input webinar ID 160-7082331 pound. As a reminder, virtual speakers, please raise your hand to speak. You can do so by selecting the raise your hand button or input star nine if by phone. I will announce when it's your turn to speak. Unmute yourself by either selecting the unmute button or by putting star six. Hello, this is Mark Sullivan.
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