San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - January 30, 2026
San Diego Public Safety Committee Special Meeting Summary – January 30, 2026
The San Diego Public Safety Committee held a special meeting on January 30, 2026, to discuss and receive information on prosecution of anti-Semitic hate crimes, ghost gun prosecutions, the Real-Time Operations Center, and the Intervention Services Team. The meeting included presentations from the District Attorney's office, San Diego Police Department, and public testimony. The committee also addressed non-agenda public comment at the end of the meeting.
Consent Calendar
- Agenda item number one (approval of minutes from December 12, 2025) was approved unanimously (4-0). Public comment was received from two speakers, one of whom requested more thorough documentation of public comments in future minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 2 – Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes: Multiple members of the Jewish community and allies testified. Rabbi Lieberman described an attack on a Jewish student at a local public school where eight students shouted anti-Semitic slurs and physically assaulted the victim. He alleged school police instructed a witness not to speak to rabbis and attempted to suppress the incident. Liat Cohen Reese (Director, Anti-Semitism Task Force, Stand With Us) listed numerous anti-Semitic incidents in San Diego over the past year, including synagogue defacement, a fraternity attack, and a violent assault on an Israeli man. Diana Rosenstein reported that her NextDoor posts about Jewish events were removed as “non-local,” while anti-Semitic comments remained. Jacqueline Schneider recounted an event at the Legacy Resort on September 7, 2025, where protesters used sirens, megaphones, and blocked attendees, calling for better protection of peaceful assembly. Romy shared personal attacks on her children, including a classmate telling her daughter to “go back to Germany so Hitler can finish the job.” Tammy Little (spoke as Litki) described being blocked and harassed at the Legacy event, noting police did not intervene. John Sorentino, a pastor, reported threats against his church for supporting Israel, and that members have obtained concealed carry permits due to safety concerns. Wendy Batterson (House of Israel volunteer) described armed security requirements and incidents including a fake bomb at the cottage. Stephanie Nissan (President, House of Israel) spoke about researching vendors for anti-Semitic views and the fear of sending her son to school. Tamar Caspi (Co-founder, Pure K-12) testified that a human swastika formed at a local school targeting a Jewish student was not reported to police, despite meeting the legal threshold for a hate crime. She called for standardized reporting protocols. Bill Ganley (Community Security Director, Jewish Federation of San Diego) reported coordinating extra patrols in response to incidents in New York City, and urged the public to report suspicious activity via SDLECC.org. Craig E. described experiencing more anti-Semitism in the past 27 months than in 40 years, including being stalked and receiving death threats, and expressed frustration that investigations were not pursued.
- Item 4 – Ghost Gun Prosecutions: Two speakers from the public commented. Andrea Ebbing expressed concern about campaign contributions to the District Attorney from individuals involved in gun cases. Blair Beekman urged the DA's office to coordinate with Bay Area agencies on corporate import of ghost guns.
- Item 3 – Real-Time Operations Center: Two speakers commented. Andrea Ebbing questioned whether the system would have caught past failures in her case. Blair Beekman urged adherence to well-principled data practices.
- Item 5 – Intervention Services Team: Three speakers commented. Catherine Douglas praised the team based on ride-alongs. Andrea Ebbing alleged kickbacks and exploitation in rehab programs, citing Transparent California data on officer pay. Blair Beekman commended the effort but urged more community-based mental health services.
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Speakers addressed concerns about police promotions, marijuana advertising, nitrous oxide use among teens, and data integrity.
Discussion Items
- Item 2 – Prosecution of Anti-Semitic Felony Hate Crimes: Stephen Markwart (Chief, Special Operations Division, DA's Office) presented on hate crime definitions, prosecution, and examples. He explained the legal elements: bias, motivation, and criminal act. He distinguished hate incidents from hate crimes, noting that offensiveness alone is not criminal. He provided two successful anti-Semitic hate crime prosecutions: (1) an individual who threatened Friends of the Israeli Defense Force via Instagram, who pleaded guilty to stalking and a hate crime and completed anti-Semitic prevention education; (2) an individual who spat on and threatened a person wearing a Star of David necklace, sentenced to two years in prison. Markwart encouraged reporting all incidents via sdcda.org/helping/hatecrimes. Committee members expressed unwavering support for the Jewish community and affirmed the city's commitment to combating hate in all forms. Councilmember Campillo highlighted the need to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
- Item 4 – Ghost Gun Prosecutions: Christina Aralado (Deputy District Attorney, Assistant Chief, Gang Prosecution Division) reported trends: 123 ghost gun cases in early 2025, 218 in 2024. Half of gang cases involve ghost guns. Juvenile gun petitions decreased 40% from 2023 to 2024. She discussed challenges: accessibility, sourcing, and lack of significant sentencing enhancements. Two successful prosecutions were cited: Hans Nanduka (sentenced to 30 years for armed robbery and shooting a clerk with a ghost gun) and Gonzalez (sentenced to 86 years to life for a shooting spree with a ghost gun that killed one and injured three). The DA's office participates in gun buybacks (over 4,000 firearms turned in since 2021) and prevention programs (Families in Motion, Project Impact, juvenile diversion). Committee members praised the work and acknowledged local ordinances banning ghost guns.
- Item 3 – Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC): Lieutenant Chris McAndrew presented. The RTOC went live July 2025, cost under $90,000 (over half from private donors). It has eight workstations and a video wall. Since July 2025, it has assisted with over 500 events. Examples: a stolen vehicle case solved in 30 minutes, a felony hit-and-run solved within hours, and an assault with a deadly weapon solved in 30 minutes. The RTOC uses authorized technology (Prepared 911, ALPR, smart streetlights, helicopter/drone feeds) in compliance with the city's trust ordinance and does not violate the Values Act or California law. It operates approximately 40 hours per week. Committee members noted its effectiveness and compliance.
- Item 5 – Intervention Services Team: Captain Steve Shabloski (Neighborhood Policing Division) presented. The team (1 sergeant, 4 officers) builds on Officer Dave McGowan's work. Success stories: an individual arrested 163 times over 6 years now out of custody for months and in treatment; four high-utilizers responsible for 927 calls to 911 in 2024, reduced to 92 after intervention (estimated $542,750 savings); a top 911 caller who cost the city an estimated $250,000 now under conservatorship; a chronic alcoholic who completed treatment, moved to home state, maintains sobriety and employment. The team works with RAP (Resource Access Program), Life-saving Intervention for Treatment (LIFT), City Attorney's Office, and others. New officers rotate through Neighborhood Policing for three months. Committee members praised the work and noted the need for county support on conservatorships and Care Court.
Key Outcomes
- Item 2: Councilmember Von Wilpert announced she will advocate during the budget process to expand the “Ruth Remember Us the Holocaust” traveling exhibit. She and Councilmember Campillo will write to the state to renew the California Nonprofit Security Grant Program for security enhancements for targeted communities. The committee expressed support for adopting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
- Item 4: No formal action taken; committee received information.
- Item 3: No formal action taken; committee received information. Lieutenant McAndrew confirmed the RTOC is not used for immigration enforcement and complies with California law.
- Item 5: No formal action taken; committee received information. Members noted the need for county assistance with conservatorship and Care Court improvements.
- Committee Vote: The consent agenda (item 1) passed 4-0.
- Next Meeting: The next regularly scheduled Public Safety Committee meeting is Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, Vice Chair Campio. Would you like to do a sound check really quickly? Great, thank you. We can hear you. And welcome to the special public safety committee meeting of January thirtieth, twenty twenty-six. Our committee liaison, Sarah Jordan will provide information and instructions for the public to participate in today's meeting. Sarah, please proceed. Thank you, Chair Von Wilbert. Well, members of the public are able to attend the meeting in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. 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. This will allow allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair Von Wilbert. Thank you very much. I will now call the special public safety committee meeting to order. Sarah, please call the role. Vice Chair Campio. Here. Committee member Campbell. Here. Committee member Whitburn. Here. Chair Von Wilpert. Present. And Vice Chair Campio, if you would like to provide your virtual declaration at this time. Yes, thank you, and good afternoon, everyone. I'm informing the committee and the public under the rules of the Brown Act that I am participating virtually today through just cause exception related to child care. Very, very new child care. And there is no one over the age of 18 in the room with me. And I will update that declaration if it so changes. And thank you very much. Thank you. Also attending today's meeting is Daniel Orla from the Office of the City Attorney and Baku Patel from the office of the IBA. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the table at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins. And members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669-2545252. And when prompted, input webinar ID 161-398-0144 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and it will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Please note that if you are watching via City TV 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV and computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak to a particular item, please wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you're a call and participant by pressing star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. Thank you very much for reviewing the instructions for the public's participation today. A quorum is now present, and uh I'm gonna go over the agenda items that we the order of the agenda today. Um we are going to go out of order. We'll take um our consent agenda and uh then we will jump to item four, then three, then end with item five.
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