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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission on Equity and Public Safety PACKET 10.16.23Monday, October 16, 2023 6:00 PM City of South San Francisco P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, CA City Manager's Conference Room, City Hall Commission on Equity and Public Safety Krystle Cansino, Chair Arnel Junio, Vice Chair Salvador Delgadillo, Commissioner PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard, Commissioner Alan Perez, Commissioner Carol Sanders, Commissioner Steven Yee, Commissioner Regular Meeting Agenda 1 October 16, 2023Commission on Equity and Public Safety Regular Meeting Agenda How to submit written Public Comment before the Meeting: Members of the public are encouraged to submit public comments in writing in advance of the meeting by emailing: [email protected] How to provide Public Comment during the Meeting: COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THREE (3) MINUTES PER SPEAKER Under the Public Comment section of the agenda, members of the public may speak on any item not listed on the Agenda. Pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on a matter unless it is listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. The Chair may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future meeting. If there appears to be a large number of speakers, the Chair may reduce speaking time to limit the total amount of time for public comments (Gov. Code sec. 54954.3(b)(1).). American Disability Act: The City Clerk will provide materials in appropriate alternative formats to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please send a written request to City Clerk Rosa Govea Acosta at 400 Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, or email at [email protected]. Include your name, address, phone number, a brief description of the requested materials, and preferred alternative format service at least 24-hours before the meeting. Accommodations: Individuals who require special assistance of a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in the meeting, including Interpretation Services, should contact the Office of the City Clerk by email at [email protected], 24-hours before the meeting. Page 2 City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023 2 October 16, 2023Commission on Equity and Public Safety Regular Meeting Agenda CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL AGENDA REVIEW ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS PUBLIC COMMENT MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION Motion to approve the Minutes from September 18, 20231 Review and approve slide deck presentation regarding the Commission’s support for the City’s Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team. (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) 2 Discussion on potential goals and initiatives for the Commission for the 2024 calendar year (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) 3 Discussion and potential action on holding a November and December commission meeting in lieu of the holidays (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) 4 ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS ADJOURNMENT Page 3 City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023 3 City of South San Francisco Legislation Text P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, CA File #:23-904 Agenda Date:10/16/2023 Version:1 Item #:1 City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023Page 1 of 1 powered by Legistar™4 City of South San Francisco Minutes of the Commission on Equity and Public Safety Monday, September 18, 2023 City Hall Conference Room 6:00 pm Committee Members: Present: Arnel Junio, Alan Perez, Carol Sanders, Steven Yee Absent: Krystle Cansino, Salvador Delgadillo, PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard Staff Members: Present: Devin Stenhouse, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Adam Plank, Captain Chanel Sotelo, Mental Health Clinician CALL TO ORDER The Meetfng was called to order at 6:14pm. AGENDA REVIEW There are no changes to the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Minutes from the August 21, 2023 meetfng were approved. ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS DEI Officer Stenhouse acknowledges the City’s new Mental Health Clinician, Chanel Sotelo. Questfons: 1. Commissioner Yee: What intrigues you about this partfcular commission? a. Clinician Sotelo: I used to do crisis work in DC. We called police in to secure scenes for safety. This response model has benefits both ways. I am passionate about crisis work, and I was interested in what this looks like since it’s a different response model. So far, I’ve been impressed with what police do each day. DEI Officer Stenhouse made announcements: 1. On September 6, the County hosted a meetfng at Rotary Terrace to share with the community their plans on Ramada Inn at Airport Blvd. The space will be utflized as housing for the un- housed. There was some controversy, but it was informatfve. 2. Yesterday the City celebrated its 34th Fiestas Patrias. Very successful. Tons of people. First one since 2019. It’s a celebratfon of several Central American countries’ independence from Spain. 3. Next Sunday is the first annual Festa Italiana. Starts at 10 a.m. and goes to 5 p.m. at Orange Memorial Park. There will be live music and food trucks. There will be a bocce tournament. 5 4. October 21 we’ll be celebratfng Filipino American History Month. Flag raising at 10 a.m. with speakers and choirs. 5. October 21 is also Halloween Extravaganza startfng at noon at Orange Memorial Park. 6. Last week at City Council meetfng, we received a few derogatory public comments. Individuals called in and made hateful comments. The City Attorney acknowledged that the First Amendment allows for free speech. The Mayor exercised her right to decrease the amount of tfme the individuals were allowed to speak. Councilmembers stood up and walked away. Many acknowledged that the City does not align with those viewpoints. Council was visibly and audibly upset. a. DEI Officer Stenhouse expresses that this incident provides motfvatfon to contfnue the work of this commission. b. Commissioner Yee: I appreciate you bringing this up. I was not aware. c. DEI Officer Stenhouse mentfons that other citfes have experienced this. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. MATTERS OF CONSIDERATIONS 1. Approval of Minutes from August 21, 2023. Commissioner Yee motfoned and Commissioner Perez seconded. The Commission voted to approve the minutes 4-0. 2. Develop the presentation to Council including date from the Gardener Reports, specific data collected from the police update to Council on 7/27/23, and the mental health clinician presentations from late 2022/early 2023. The commission is going to develop an outline to present to Council. There is enough data from the reports received. DEI Officer Stenhouse created a proposal for an outline. This commission is recommending to contfnue the mental health clinician program. Suggested 7 steps in approximately 5-minute presentatfon: 1. Intro – state that the commission is advocatfng for the program 2. Provide background informatfon (start of the discussion about the pilot program, recruitfng, hiring/training). 3. Growing trend within nearby regions and around the country. 4. Acknowledge we’re meetfng goals. 5. List the benefits to the community. 6. List the benefits to the police department. 6 7. Conclusion – South City wants to be at the forefront. We want to take steps forward, not a step back. Commissioner Yee: We are targetfng the entfre community. DEI Officer Stenhouse: When there is an emergency, there are two scenarios: 1. There is a possibility mental health risk is involved to dispatch. Clinician is notffied as the same tfme as police. 2. There’s no sign of mental stress/crisis untfl police arrives on scene. Then the clinician is called if available. Vice Chair Junio: Is it possible for dispatch to see a caller’s past history with clinician and have the clinician be dispatched instead of a unit? Captain Plank: We have not seen that scenario. We have experienced where both get dispatched, the clinician is 100% comfortable, and the setting is right, and police left. Otherwise, police are nearby for assistance. There have been tfmes the clinician has been specifically asked for. Commissioner Yee: In terms of who we’re serving, are we serving non-residents or visitors? Captain Plank: Our impacted populatfon is everyone. People who go to work here. The dispatcher recognizes the need for the clinician, the officer arrives on scene and recognizes the need for the clinician, then initfates the call. Over 80% of the tfme, it’s the dispatcher who sends the clinician. DEI Officer Stenhouse: SSF populatfon is around 66,000. During the workday, it climbs to roughly 100,000 per day. Commissioner Yee: Who we serve is beyond the residents. Commissioner thoughts or recommendatfons Commissioner Yee: Sharing notable programs? DEI Officer Stenhouse: To support that police departments across the country recognizes the benefits to programs like this. Other agencies have been practfcing for several years. The point is they’re all different, they don’t have to look the same. There is progression with each of them. Each has its own story to tell. The foundatfon is there, we’re not trying to reinvent. Commissioner Yee: There’s value added by reinforcing relatfons in the ecosystem. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Just a list of organizatfons with similar programs. Police report shows currently the program is successful. 10% mental health evaluatfons sent to DA office (meaning 7 90% are not). Of the 550 cases, under 4% require physical force. These are details we can include in the report. Suggested benefits A trained, experienced clinician is better equipped to serve during crisis. There’s follow up after the emergency with the person who received services. Decrease likelihood of shootfng occurring. Captain Plank: I would agree with that. People respond differently to fully armed officers vs someone in plain clothes initfatfng the response. Decrease likelihood of jail bookings. Captain Plank: Correct. Number one concern is treatment, getting individual to hospital or facility. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Is it fair to say, prior to the program, there would have been more bookings? Manager Ranals: Is the final Gardener report coming? DEI Officer Stenhouse: There is a September report coming, but we don’t have it yet. Captain Plank: The final will be in spring/March. Other benefits Vice Chair Junio: Having clinician respond frees up police to do other work. There’s value there where police do not have to stay. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Frees up officers to do primary crime preventfon dutfes. Is that a fair statement? Captain Plank: Yea. We don’t leave the clinician unattended, but we might free up one or two that were initfally dispatched. DEI Officer Stenhouse: With reduced arrests, we’re alleviatfng police tfme. Commissioner Yee: Is there a way to phrase that as a cost savings? Captain Plank: That’s one of the goals in the Gardener Center. Financial impact on police/fire transport. Decrease in number of tfmes transport to hospital, cost savings, reportfng that goes along with it. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Staff tfme for police and fire. 8 Police putting themselves in less risk. Captain Plank: Gardener report says that although it’s too early to tell if the pilot program reduces strain on emergency systems, we’re observing early signals of reducing strain on mental health of law enforcement. Commissioner Yee: Do we have a measurement of community perceptfon of a better community? Do we have a metric, like NPS, of recommendatfons for people to go to South City? Manager Ranals: There may be such a thing, but we have not used that. Captain Plank: One of the goals was immediate referral to resources. We have a clinician who can immediately report. There’s no downtfme to a person receiving a referral card. Potentfally reduce the number of tfmes a person experiencing crisis. Reduce the number of calls. DEI Officer Stenhouse: One of the reports mentfoned that the number of repeat calls decreased with the implementatfon of the program. Commissioner Perez: One more data point to support this program is serving individuals who are disenfranchised and underserved communitfes. How is demographic makeup of those being served compare to South City. Another program to serve that group. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Maybe we compare this to census data. It looks relatfvely consistent. Same for ages. Young people. In other circumstances, mental health evaluatfons could see the justfce system. Carol, what are you thinking? Commissioner Sanders: I don’t object to anything so far. Commissioner Yee: I thought I read somewhere there were reduced 5150s. Captain Plank: The first two months were the highest. Since then, it’s been pretty consistent. DEI Officer Stenhouse: What surprised you the most? You said individual officers were quick to get on board. Captain Plank: It wasn’t a surprise, but it was a happy, pleasant outcome. DEI Officer Stenhouse: They were happy to have the clinician with them. There was one less component to worry about. Captain Plank: A specialized individual to have with them when needed is a benefit to the officers. DEI Officer Stenhouse: That is specific to South San Francisco; it did not come from the Gardener report. It’s an internal observatfon. Commissioner Yee: A testfmonial. 9 Commissioner Sanders: We stfll don’t have a final report. DEI Officer Stenhouse: The goal here is putting together a presentatfon. This is the content. This is a 5-minute presentatfon, maybe 5 slides. As far as a report, I can put together. For the goal of today, we just want the content to be placed on slides. Commissioner Sanders: I’m speaking to draw conclusions on results based on a complete report. DEI Officer Stenhouse: We’re not the entfrety of the clinician program. As of the day presentfng to Council, the commission is in support of the program. Once the pilot program concludes, I think a final report will come from PD. Captain Plank: We can come up with end of program evaluatfon/analysis. Manager Ranals: Was this program funded through December 2023? And then county manager extended to June 2024? I don’t know if they also gave additfonal funding to Gardener Center to contfnue the study. They may be only funded through March. Captain Plank: I believe they got extended. Manager Ranals: That would be great. Final report won’t be untfl summer/fall of 2024. The other thing about tfming that is tricky is budget. Our budget comes together around January/February, so it would be good if commission brings this to top of mind for council. On the other hand, a single clinician needs to be a new budget request. I think we’re in positfon for freezing mode for next year; not in positfon of adding mode. Unless grant funding becomes available. Maybe the County can apply and extend the program. DEI Officer Stenhouse: It’s important to note if the purpose is this commission on public record advocatfng for the program. Whether the City has the resources to contfnue the program is another story. This commission can say we’re in support of it. It’s based on this informatfon provided here. If there’s an opportunity to extend or expand, that is another presentatfon to advocate. Commissioner Yee: San Mateo, Redwood City…what are they saying about the program? Have they made any public stance or commentary? DEI Officer Stenhouse: We don’t know, but we can reach out. Based on our calls, the program is going well. We were on a call last week. Each city reports on where the program is, some recent data is put out there. In terms of advocacy and presentatfon, I don’t know. Commissioner Yee: Just curious if there’s anything interestfng about their experience that’s a negatfve. 10 Captain Plank: There have been nothing in the meetfngs. They have been nothing but supportfve. DEI Officer Stenhouse: That is something that can go in here. There are three other citfes going through the same program, and all are in support. They are seeing positfve results just like the City here. Anything else, detail or support? History? Conclusion  In line with current trends  Advocacy forefront of community policing and community safety  This program represents steps forward  Community, police, are all benefitfng Commissioner Yee: With the presentatfon, are you suggestfng we have a detailed report? DEI Officer Stenhouse: I don’t think so. So, who feels comfortable putting together a PowerPoint? Something to think about. Commissioner Yee: There’s a deck and presenters. Are you asking for both? DEI Officer Stenhouse: My recommendatfon—it’s up to the commission. I believe the presentatfon would mean more coming from the Chair. Manager Ranals: I think staff should put the presentatfon together, but I agree it should be presented by the Chair. Commissioner Perez: I’m happy to put the slides together. DEI Officer Stenhouse: We can collaborate. In terms of presentatfon, it’s more impactiul coming from the Chair or Vice Chair. Commissioner Yee: Opportunity for presenter to exemplify who we are and what we’re envisioning. DEI Officer Stenhouse: If we’re coming together, collaboratfng, it would need to be at a public setting. Manager Ranals: Could you have a subcommittee? DEI Officer Stenhouse to Commissioner Yee: Would you like to be in the subcommittee? 11 Commissioner Yee: Sure. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Anyone else? Commissioner Perez: I’ll do it. DEI Officer Stenhouse: We’ll include Krystle. This could be on October 11 or 25. October I think would be the goal. If our Chair is presentfng, it would be recommended that we show in person to show support. No need for additfonal commentary. Commissioner Yee: Are we setting the subcommittee tfme? DEI Officer Stenhouse: I’ll put together a slide deck and share it. Manager Ranals: On the deadline, it’s due the week before. DEI Officer Stenhouse: I can share initfally, everyone on the subcommittee can take a look. Then we can decide if we need to meet. When you look at the slide, you can tfme yourself. Then we can have a conversatfon if we need to trim. 5 minutes is the goal. ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS Commissioner Yee: I’m glad we’re finally getting something put together. It’s why we’re here. We’re getting to end of the year, to the new year. For long term, with all the different events, and city meetfngs, are there thoughts about a shared understanding of truly echoing and bringing voices out? Vice Chair Junio: We should all do our parts to bring something to the table. Attending meetfngs or sharing something you learned. Commissioner Yee: We have enough to diversify our exposures. Each person attends a different meetfng. A regular commitment to that. Vice Chair Junio: Definitely something to discuss when we’re all present. Commissioner Yee: The next retreat. I thought the last one was nice. There could be more deliberate and tangible things coming out of it. Think about the next retreat. Vice Chair Junio: Was there a survey sent out about how that retreat went? It sounds like you have suggestfons to improve the next retreat. DEI Officer Stenhouse: I can agendize for another meetfng where we have a conversatfon about what we want to see at the next retreat. What did we learn, what did we like from the first one. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Go to events and spark a conversatfon. I would like us to have a conversatfon about community forums. We should be engaging with the public. It may be a public meetfng. On this 12 date and tfme, this commission is hostfng an open forum. This is what the commission should be doing. We should be overtly engaging with the public. Commissioner Yee: I like that. I think at least a town hall where we can be a facilitator of that. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Something to think about. A panel discussion or breakout sessions. What are creatfve, fun, engaging ways to interact with the community? Commissioner Yee: I hear about cultures united. Maybe an opportunity to connect with that. Civic hacking. Speak to younger generatfons. How can we get diverse members of community to come in to address issues. It’s a whole experience. Other commissions have events. DEI Officer Stenhouse: We can have a discussion about this. What are strategies to engage with the community at a higher rate than we currently are. My recommendatfon—there are already events taking place. Go on your own and experience, then come back with feedback. There are tabling opportunitfes, like LPR opening. We would need things like a tablecloth, logos, flyers, flag. The tfme we meet is October 16—gives us more than 10 days. Commissioner Yee: Propose agenda items for next tfme? DEI Officer Stenhouse: Retreat, further outreach to community, possibly tabling at LPR opening. You haven’t done a tour of LPR? Are there good tfmes/days of the week for everybody? Commissioner Yee: Mornings, in general. Commissioner Sanders: Monday or Friday. Vice Chair Junio: I should be able to adjust my schedule. Commissioner Perez: What tfme in the mornings? I have classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9-10. Manager Ranals: Not everybody has to go at the same tfme. DEI Officer Stenhouse: Let’s do this sooner than later. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Junio adjourned the meetfng at 7:44pm. 13 City of South San Francisco Legislation Text P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, CA File #:23-915 Agenda Date:10/16/2023 Version:1 Item #:2 Review and approve slide deck presentation regarding the Commission’s support for the City’s Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team. (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) RECOMMENDATION It is recommended the Commission review, edit, and provide feedback on the slide deck that will be presented at the City Council meeting on October 25, 2023. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION The Commission would like to provide its support for the City’s collaboration with the County of San Mateo, the Cities of San Mateo, Daly City, and Redwood City, the non-profit organization Star Vista, and the research organization the John W. Gardner Center of Stanford University. While the collaboration centers on the pilot program’s Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT), the Commission understands the program will end in early 2024 and has hopes that Council and the City of South San Francisco will be able to continue the services independently of the other collaborators beyond its expiration. Here are some details: The program assigns a mental health clinician to each participating city’s police department. The CWCRT program is based on a co-response model for calls for service involving behavioral health crises, in which police officers and the clinician respond at the same time - but separately - to the call. The officers ensure that safety is maintained, while the clinician works to assess, provide, and connect the subject in crisis with optimal services. This pilot program began in December, 2021 and will expire in March, 2024. The slide deck was created and based on feedback provided from various Bay Area crisis response team representatives, two reports on the CWCRT program developed and provided by the John W. Gardner Center of Stanford University, and the CWCRT report provided to Council from the SSF Police Department on July 27, 2023. The slide deck is summarized with a brief history of the program’s development, reference to trending crisis response teams across the Bay Area and the county, benefits to the community, and benefits to the SSF Police Department. CONCLUSION The Commission will edit and finalize the slide deck to be presented to Council at the October 25 City Council Meeting. City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023Page 1 of 1 powered by Legistar™14 Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team Presented by the City of South San Francisco’s Commission on Equity and Public Safety 15 A Brief History… •Commission on Racial & Social Equity (2021) •Goal 2: Strategy 2.1 •Consideration 1 •San Mateo County Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) •Pilot Program effective January 2022 – December 2023 •Currently Practicing 16 Mental Health Clinician Trending Similar Mental Health Crisis Response Models (Bay Area): •CARE Team •CATT •CCPCFT •CCT •FFT •GART •MACRO •MCT •MET •CCS •SCRT Similar Mental Health Crisis Response Models (Nationwide): •Memphis, TN (originated in 1988) •Aurora, IL •Bangor, ME •Brunswick, OH •Eugene, OR •Centre County, PA •Greenville, SC •Lee’s Summit, NJ •Meridian, ID •Rochester, NY 17 Benefits Our Community •Those in crisis receive immediate care from a certified clinician •Individuals are exposed to resources after the emergency •Prevents long-term problems from developing •Decreases likelihood of shooting •Decreases likelihood of a jail booking 18 Benefits Our Police Officers •Frees time for crime prevention •Financial Savings •Decrease likelihood of tragedy •Decrease likelihood of officer injuries •Additional officers in support •Officers receive mental health training •SSF Police Officers are in support of continuing the program 19 In Conclusion •This program in is line with the nationwide trends •We want SSF to remain at the forefront •This program represents a HUGE progressive step •A “win” for both community and police 20 21 City of South San Francisco Legislation Text P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, CA File #:23-916 Agenda Date:10/16/2023 Version:1 Item #:3 Discussion on potential goals and initiatives for the Commission for the 2024 calendar year (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) RECOMMENDATION It is recommended the Commission discuss potential ideas for goals for the 2024 calendar year. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION The Commission will meet two more times in 2023 and potentially only one more time if the Commission chooses to cancel one of the next two meetings due to the holiday season. Strategically speaking, it would be beneficial to discuss potential goals and initiatives that the commission can focus on for the year 2024. Potential goals and initiatives might include: ·Panel conversations with the community ·Commission retreat ·Guest speakers: o City personnel o County personnel o Local nonprofits o Other equity commissions ·Minimum appearances at City Council meetings ·Other City commissions ·City Event participation CONCLUSION A conversation regarding potential goals and objectives will be started and is expected to be an ongoing conversation throughout the year. City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023Page 1 of 1 powered by Legistar™22 City of South San Francisco Legislation Text P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, CA File #:23-917 Agenda Date:10/16/2023 Version:1 Item #:4 Discussion and potential action on holding a November and December commission meeting in lieu of the holidays (Devin Stenhouse, DEI Officer) RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Commission discuss whether to cancel either the November and/or December meetings in lieu of the holidays. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION Commissioners will discuss whether to conduct the November and December Commission meetings. The projected November meeting will take place on Monday,November 20.This is the same week as the Thanksgiving holiday (Thursday, November 23). The projected December meeting will take place on Monday,December 18.This is the week after Fridays, December 8 -15 (Chanukah/Hanukkah).Additionally,this is the week before the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day holidays (Sunday and Monday, December 24 and 25) and Kwanzaa (December 26). Commissioners may elect to cancel either or both meetings should a quorum not be available due to traveling, family or friends visiting, or any other obligations due to each of the holidays. CONCLUSION Commissioners will vote on whether to cancel either or both November and December Commissioner meetings. City of South San Francisco Printed on 10/11/2023Page 1 of 1 powered by Legistar™23