San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 13, 2026
San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 13, 2026
The Public Safety Committee met on May 13, 2026, chaired by Vice Chair Campio. The meeting included non-agenda public comments, approval of consent calendar, and three agenda items: a psychological services contract for the San Diego Police Department, an agreement with the County of San Diego for detention facilities, and an informational presentation from 211 San Diego on disaster relief and preparedness. All votes were unanimous among the three members present.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of Committee Minutes (April 15, 2026) – The minutes were approved unanimously (3-0) after a motion by Councilmember Whitburn and second by Councilmember Campbell. One public speaker, Blair Beekman, commented on prior discussions about towing and best practices post-George Floyd.
Public Comments & Testimony
Non-Agenda Public Comments:
- Blair Beekman (Oakland resident) expressed support for Oakland’s measured approach to surveillance technology and urged San Diego to learn from their community-engaged process.
- Fran Shepard (Claremont Town Council member) raised concerns about disaster preparedness at Kaiser hospitals, citing immovable boulders blocking emergency access and lack of training for security guards.
- David Dumas (former NASA employee) opposed ALPR data sharing, citing that SDPD shared data with Homeland Security and CBP (violating California law) and that the success rate was 0.77%. He emphasized the importance of public libraries and parks as safe spaces for children.
- Hector (caller) argued San Diego’s economy is defense-driven and criticized focusing on Trump budget cuts; he advocated for more public services south of Highway 8.
- Becky Rapp opposed California Assembly Bill 2697 (marijuana drive-through sales), citing safety concerns for children and increased impaired driving.
- Maxine Francine Maxwell requested a hearing on the Central Division bike unit, citing injury incidents and use of pepper spray on innocent bystanders in Gaslamp.
- Joyce Sanyata praised Police Chief Wall and Fire Chief, supported surveillance technology (drones), and emphasized trust and safety.
- Judy Strang (during national Prevention Week) highlighted the costs of marijuana-related incidents to first responders and urged reduction of marijuana billboards.
- Kathleen Lippett raised concerns about tourist safety, sidewalk cafes, noise, and homelessness in hospitality districts.
- Terry Ann Skelly (planning group member) advocated for policy "guardrails" to counter marijuana myths, drawing parallels to tobacco industry tactics.
Comments on Consent Calendar (Item 1):
- Blair Beekman commented on the importance of best practices from the George Floyd era, including towing wage theft issues.
Comments on Discussion Items:
- Item 2 (Psychological Services): Speaker Blair Beekman supported funding for psychological services and whistleblower protections. Callers Joyce Sanyata, Hector, and Francine Maxwell voiced support, with Francine Maxwell noting the city paid more to a family than the George Floyd family (Kona's case) and emphasizing privacy for wellness access.
- Item 3 (County Detention Agreement): Blair Beekman raised concerns about deaths in county jails and urged addressing the issue. Callers Hector (suggested outsourcing to El Salvador), Joyce Sanyata (questioned delays in contract negotiations), and Juliana (expressed alarm about jail deaths) commented.
- Item 4 (211 San Diego): Anthony Ralphs (in-person) supported 211 from personal experience and suggested exploring a bio-organic flame retardant (Citrotech). Callers Joyce Sanyata (noted homeless users found 211 ineffective) and Blair Beekman (asked about integration with 311 and accessibility for non-English speakers and homeless) commented.
Discussion Items
Item 2: Authorization to Enter into Contract with Focused Psychological Services for SDPD
Lieutenant Corey Stosh presented the request for a five-year, $3.8958 million contract to provide psychological consulting for sworn staff, civilian employees, and their families. Services include individual/family counseling, critical incident intervention (responses within one hour), and embedded clinicians at police facilities. The IBA noted that the FY27 budget for wellness is $600,000, while the annual estimate is $779,160; actual spending expected to be closer to budget, with growth over the term. Councilmember Campbell moved approval, seconded by Councilmember Whitburn.
Vote: Unanimous (3-0).
Item 3: Authorization for Agreement with County of San Diego for Detention Facilities
Lieutenant Brian Breck presented a five-year agreement (retroactive to July 1, 2023) not to exceed $5.2 million for booking city misdemeanor arrestees into county jails. The contract consolidates male and female bookings and establishes a per-arrestee fee of $320.46 (FY26). The FY26 budget includes $2.4 million for prior and current year costs; FY27 budget includes $1.4 million. Councilmember Whitburn motioned approval, seconded by Councilmember Campbell.
Vote: Unanimous (3-0).
Item 4: Informational Presentation – 211 San Diego Disaster Relief and Preparedness
Paul Redfern, CFO of 211 San Diego, outlined the organization’s role in connecting the public to resources during disasters (wildfires, floods, health crises). Key points: 430,000 calls in 2025, 300 staff, 3,000 volunteers, and partnerships with county OES, SDG&E, and Airbnb.org. The presentation highlighted recent responses (2007 wildfires, COVID, plane crash) and the need for integrated city planning. No action was taken; the item was for information only.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Item 2 (Psychological Services Contract) – Unanimous (3-0).
- Approved: Item 3 (County Detention Agreement) – Unanimous (3-0).
- Received: Item 4 (211 Presentation) – Informational, no vote.
- Next Meeting: scheduled for June 17, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Very good. Good afternoon. Welcome to the public safety committee meeting of May 13th, 2026. Our committee liaison Sarah Jordan will provide information and instruction for the public to comment on today's meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chair Campio. While 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 virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. 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're watching via City TV 224 or online, there may be a delay. Your hand will be lowered. Thank you for reviewing the instruction for the benefit of the public, a quorum being present. Uh non-agenda uh comment. Let's um why don't we start with non-agenda public comment if we can. Um, go ahead. Let's uh sorry, I know that's a little out of order. We're thinking about taking it towards the end, but let's jump straight to it if we can. Thank you, Vice Chair. Per Rule 2.7 on agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda but are within the subject matter jurisdiction of this committee, and each speaker will have two minutes. And again, if you're watching on City TV or the live stream, you can call 1669-2545252 and when prompted input webinar ID 161-398-0144 pound. Before we jump over there, Sarah, the council members respect and appreciate the public's input and fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at Council and Committee meetings. How many speakers do we have? Thank you, Vice Chair. We have two slips here in the committee room, so we'll begin with in-person testimony. And so far we have four hands raised in the virtual queue. We will begin testimony with Blair Beekman. You will be followed by Fran Shepard. So if Fran Shepard would like to move to the reserve seat at the front of the room, and Mr. Beekman, you'll have two minutes. If you're in person for comment, please join us near the podium. Hi, Blair Beekman. One of these mics has been acting really funny lately. It totally sculptes out a person's voice when they speak into it. I'd like to hopefully it's been fixed. Uh we'll I'll leave it alone this time and then um I'll listen to the broadcast tonight and see what it does. And report back. Um hi, Blair Beekman. Afternoon meeting. I guess to start with. I spoke at uh the uh morning meeting today uh on items and that I thought would be of interest and concern to council person campillo. I had like five seconds left, and I blurted out Campillo, and I I didn't say I didn't preface it by saying councilperson Campio, and it sounded awkward and I'm sorry about that. Uh what I was discussing at that time to discuss now is um I hopefully I can be more clear that Oakland is really really working on technology issues. Um they're trying to find a future of our surveillance tech and data collection that uh serves community voices that are really demanding change, and um I we I think we're all aware of what they can be doing with AOPR stuff. They're gonna uh you know wait uh for the next year or two and in that time period, you know, search out a new vendor and an involve community, and they just have something called Cell Bright technology, which is a data collection tool for police departments. It's really helpful to police, but it's questionable, and um the community's questioning it, and it's quite possible they're gonna be working towards uh a new technology that can do that, and it's a long process, but they're it's a measured process, they're gonna take their time with it, involve community, and work towards change. That is what they're sharing with the community. That's the process, and I think that's beautiful. And I hope we really want to take those lessons seriously here. Uh what we have to be working on here in San Diego.
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