Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee Meeting - April 16, 2026

The Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee met on April 16, 2026, to consider a consent calendar item, the Innovation and Technology Project Status Report, a follow-up audit on police staffing and workload, the Fire Department Annual Operational Report, and the Fire Department Staffing and Recruitment Annual Report. The committee also heard public testimony from residents impacted by encampment sweeps. All motions were approved.

Consent Calendar

• The committee unanimously approved the bi-monthly financial report for January and February 2026.

Discussion Items

Innovation and Technology Project Status Report

• Chief Information Officer Callan Tolfik, Division Manager Jesse Juarez, and Project Manager Shirley Young presented. The PMO manages large, cross-department projects. Of 24 active projects, 22 were on track (green), one yellow (minor vendor delays), and one red (requiring rebidding). Major launches included a new business tax system (supporting $30 million in annual revenue), a CRM for council offices (9 of 11 offices onboarded), and the SJ Learning Portal (over 150 courses). The IT strategic plan focuses on community engagement, innovation, AI, cybersecurity, and data. Over 800 staff completed baseline AI training with an 85% satisfaction rate. Councilmember Kamei asked about the 70% customer satisfaction metric, requesting industry comparison context. Chair Dwan inquired about integrating 311 with county/state systems and using AI without eliminating jobs. The CIO noted plans to potentially offer the 311 system to other agencies for a fee. The committee accepted the status report.

Police Staffing, Expenditure, and Workload Audit Report

• City Auditor Joe Royce presented a follow-up to the 2021 audit. In FY24-25, the police budget was $561 million (up from $459 million in FY19-20). Budgeted sworn positions remain lower than 20 years ago, active sworn numbers have declined, and the average response time for priority one calls was 8.1 minutes (target: 6 minutes). Overtime costs reached $72 million, a 53% increase over five years, with 124 sworn staff each working over 1,000 overtime hours. New overtime controls for follow-up and report writing were implemented in February 2026. The report made eight recommendations; Chief Paul Joseph accepted all except a minor point on CSO call types. Councilmember Kamei moved acceptance; Chair Dwan praised the department’s safety record despite staffing challenges. The report was approved.

Fire Department Annual Operational Report

• Deputy Chief Aaron Fryler and Chief Robert Sapien presented. The department responded to over 111,000 calls in FY24-25. EMS calls account for over 60% of workload. Call volume increased 22% over five years while the city’s population decreased 5%. The response time goal is 8 minutes 80% of the time for priority one emergencies; the department met the county standard (8 minutes 90% of the time) 10 out of 12 months. Late responses concentrate in the urban core, where Battalion 1 handled over 26,000 incidents. Initiatives include closest unit dispatch, telemedicine, community paramedicine, and developing stations 32 and 36. Councilmember Kamei expressed concern that the department was meeting timelines only 64% of the time (based on an unspecified metric) and deferred recruitment questions. The report was accepted.

Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report

• Chief Sapien and Administrative Services Deputy Director Athena Treaty presented. The FY24-25 budget authorized 855.48 positions; sworn vacancies averaged 8.01%. Attrition is primarily retirements (75%). The department runs two academies per year (25–30 recruits each). A statewide paramedic shortage has created staffing imbalances. The recruitment budget is $642,000, including $122,000 in overtime for oral boards and events. The department has 151 bilingual sworn staff; field responders meet language needs 95% of the time. Councilmember Kamei asked about rolling eligibility lists and recruitment strategies. Chair Dwan requested clarification on budget breakdown and outreach to the Vietnamese community. The report was accepted.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Several residents from an encampment near Happy Hollow (“the jungle”) opposed the city’s encampment sweeps, stating that promised housing has not been delivered and that they are being moved to “Tent City” instead. They described lost belongings, lack of communication from caseworkers, and language barriers (Spanish-speakers not receiving responses). They asked that residents be allowed to stay until housing is actually provided and urged councilmembers to meet with them. A separate speaker raised concerns about a construction project on Rosewood Avenue that could block fire truck access on dead-end streets, calling it a preventable engineering oversight.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar (financial report) unanimously.
• Accepted the Innovation and Technology Project Status Report.
• Accepted the Police Staffing, Expenditure, and Workload Audit Report.
• Accepted the Fire Department Annual Operational Report.
• Accepted the Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report.
• No action was taken on public comments; the meeting was adjourned.