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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.24.24 - Equity and Public Safety Commission Meeting MinutesCity of South San Francisco Minutes of the Commission on Equity and Public Safety Monday, June 24, 2024 City Hall: City Manager Conference Room 6:00 p.m. Committee Members: Present: Arnel Junio, Bianca Bedigian, PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard, Steven Yee, Krystle Cansino (arrived at 6:08 p.m.) Absent: Alan Perez, Carol Sanders Staff Members: Present: Devin Stenhouse, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Others: Present: Scott Campbell, Chief of Police James Delos Santos, Police Sergeant CALL TO ORDER The Meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m. AGENDA REVIEW Officer Stenhouse announces there is a late addition. There will be a presentation offered by the Police Department which will be added as the first item from staff. ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS 1. Presentation from Police Presentation Sergeant Delos Santos will serve as the LGBTQ+ program manager. He introduces who he is and why this program is important. Sergeant Delos Santos provides stats on the LGBTQ+ community and the community members’ interactions with law enforcement. He shows what he envisions for the program. He explains how the Department is always looking for ways to improve relations with the community. Sergeant Delos Santos will be training other officers on how to communicate more effectively with people in the community. He has ordered literature on hate crime, which will be posted in the lobby as a resource. Once liaisons have been selected, contact information will be provided. Questions Commissioner Cansino thanks Sergeant Delos Santos for launching the program and for offering his phone number should anyone want to contact him. She asks for more details regarding the training. Sergeant Delos Santos explains that he went through an extensive course, and that he would want all liaisons to go through the same academy. The training would focus on dealing with hate crimes and effective ways of communication. Commissioner Bedigian asks if part of the program involves reaching out to high school students. Sergeant Delos Santos says yes. They will also work with the Youth Commission. He points out that the youth could be future officers. He states that the agency accepts all people. Commissioner Cansino asks if other agencies in the County have liaisons. Sergeant Delos Santos believes some of the larger cities have liaisons, but it’s not standard across the peninsula. He mentions an initiative Seattle has that he would like to implement in the future that involves local businesses. Commissioner Yee asks what drove the creation of this program. Sergeant Delos Santos explains his personal connection to the LGBTQ+ community. He wants to find ways to better serve the community and to make the City safer for everyone. Commissioner Yee asks about one of the statistics shown in the presentation and if there is data specific to South San Francisco. Sergeant Delos Santos provides clarification on the information from the presentation, but he doesn’t not have data specific to South San Francisco. Commissioner Cansino points out that LGBTQ+ data may be skewed since it is not required for individuals to identify themselves as such in surveys. Commissioner Yee asks about the tentative action plan. Sergeant Delos Santos has a document he can share. He reiterates items covered earlier during the presentation. There are plans to meet with other liaisons in other cities to share ideas. Commissioner Yee asks if they have discovered anything surprising so far. Sergeant Delos Santos says not yet. He expresses that it has been helpful having the full support from Chief Campbell. Commissioner Cansino says it would be great to be able to share the presentation. Commissioner Yee asks what percentage of South San Francisco identifies as LGBTQ+. Officer Stenhouse explains that the information is not asked for in surveys, and so that data doesn’t exist. The data would probably be consistent with national data, but that itself is likely skewed. Chair Junio asks Sergeant Delos Santos to share his research materials so that the Commission can analyze and make suggestions if needed. Officer Stenhouse asks if there is a web page on the City’s website about the program. Sergeant Delos Santos says not yet. They have an email address set up, which will be used more when they have selected the liaisons. Chief Campbell and Sergeant Delos Santos leave the meeting. 2. Update on the Commission’s web page on the City’s website Officer Stenhouse gives an update on the City’s new website. He shares that some of the other commission pages will not be transferred over from the old website to the new website. There is concern about consistency between commissions. He will have a discussion with the City Clerk’s Office to determine if it will be possible for this commission to create a new page. Commissioner Cansino asks if it will be possible to have a form on the website for people to contact commissioners. Officer Stenhouse says he will have to discuss with the City Clerk’s Office. He says the complaint form has to be on the website, whether it’s on the Commission’s web page or somewhere else. Chair Junio asks if the complaint form is on more than one page. Officer Stenhouse says it can be on multiple pages. Chair Junio says it would be good to have on multiple pages to increase exposure. 3. Update on Current Commissioner Terms Officer Stenhouse says Commissioner Delgadillo’s term expired in April, and Salvador Delgadillo opted not to renew his term. Commissioner Cansino’s and Commissioner Sanders’s terms will expire in December 2024. Commissioner Yee’s term will expire in April 2026. Commissioner Hobson-Coard, Chair Junio, and Vice Chair Perez will have their terms expire in December 2026. Commissioner Bedigian’s term will expire February 2028. Everyone will have the option to renew when their terms expire. Commissioner Cansino asks how many times terms can be renewed. Officer Stenhouse will look into that. Commissioner Yee asks if Officer Stenhouse can share how much interest there is in people joining the Commission. Officer Stenhouse says he doesn’t know; he’s not involved in the recruitment process. Commissioner Bedigian shares that there were a good number of people in the interview process when she was interviewing to be commissioner, although she’s not able to determine how many of those people were interviewing for this specific commission. Officer Stenhouse explains that programs like Citizens’ Academy and Youth in Government are how the City recruits new commissioners. Chair Junio says the complaint form should be presented and made available during those events. Commissioner Yee asks if there is a general statement used to promote commissions at Citizens’ Academy. Officer Stenhouse says that may be an internal discussion to determine which department should cover all the commissions during Citizens’ Academy. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION 1. Approval of Minutes from May 20, 2024 Commissioner Bedigian motioned and Commissioner Hobson-Coard seconded. The Commission voted to approve the minutes 5-0. 2. “Takeaways” from Tabling at June 1 City Pride event Officer Stenhouse asks for feedback from Commissioners, specifically regarding tabling at the event. Commissioner Cansino shares a conversation she had with a 5-year-old who wanted improved bike safety around the City. She had a conversation with a school board member who was unaware of all the City’s offerings. When the topic of “equity” was brought up, this person voiced concerns about children having to be educated outside of school. Commissioner Cansino spoke with someone who said parts of El Camino Real are not lit properly for seniors to cross safely. She felt this individual might be dismissed by others because English is not her first language. Chair Junio wonders if there is action to take since he’s heard a similar concern (regarding El Camino Real) from a different individual at another event. Officer Stenhouse says they can invite someone from Public Works or BPAC (Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee) to a meeting to get an internal perspective. Commissioner Cansino suggests one actionable item is to ensure all City pamphlets and handouts are in multiple languages, not just in English and Spanish. She also thinks if commissioners point an individual to another resource, they should follow through (not just walk away) to make sure the individual is heard and understood. Commissioner Yee says that is a great point. He wants the Commission to think about the process of the experience for community members. Commissioner Cansino thinks it would be good to have the complaint form when tabling. She also would like to explore other ideas of engagement for events other than tabling. Commissioner Bedigian asks for a quick summary of the turnout for the tabling event, since she was not able to attend. Chair Junio says there was a good mixture of people. There were people looking to take something (swag) and walk away, and there were people with true concerns who wrote on the whiteboard and talked to the commissioners. He says it was a really good event with a great turnout despite the windy conditions. Commissioner Yee says his experience was different. He tabled later at the event when it was really windy. The location of the booth seemed great at first (close to City Hall), but the music was really loud. It was also hard to strike up conversations with attendees when they were all trying to make their way towards the entertainment. Since it was later in the event, attendance had tapered off, so he didn’t get to talk to very many people. He spoke to someone who is part of a “crime watch” group, which makes him think the Commission should somehow incorporate their perspectives into what the Commission does. Commissioner Yee also thinks that the whiteboard idea was good, however, it looked sloppy and messy. Officer Stenhouse thinks it’s a good idea to have the complaint form when tabling. Maybe it’s a single laminated piece with a QR code, rather than having a stack of forms. He says it’s a good idea for commissioners to discuss whether it makes sense to table at every event. He also agrees that the whiteboard looked sloppy but is still in favor of having it. He recommends commissioners with better penmanship write on the board rather than having different members of the public do it. His biggest takeaway from the event is to plan and prepare for extraordinary winds, including communicating this to vendors. Officer Stenhouse questions the effectiveness of the printouts of stats and recommends some changes. Commissioner Yee thinks that pencils as giveaways are underwhelming. Officer Stenhouse thinks the tablecloth turned out great. Others agree. Commissioner Cansino says she likes to walk around to talk to people rather than staying in one spot. She would like to have a button or a shirt that says, “Talk to me about equity!” The group agrees it would be nice to have a visual identifier so people know they are talking to commissioners. Officer Stenhouse gives a brief summary on upcoming events Concert in the Park and Festa Italiana. The group discusses availability for tabling at these events. It appears there are not enough commissioners available to table at either event. Officer Stenhouse mentions there are many other events coming up. Commissioners also do not have to table; they can attend any event and just talk to people. Commissioner Bedigian suggests putting flyers at different places, like the library, to inform people about the Commission. The group discusses putting information into the City’s weekly newsletter to promote the Commission and the complaint form. Commissioner Cansino volunteers to create a flyer. 3. Goals for the Year Officer Stenhouse reminds everyone that two goals were established earlier in the year. Commissioner Yee says they should focus on attending events that cater to the two groups (seniors and families with young children). Commissioner Cansino asks if disaster preparedness caters to everybody. She asks if instructions or handouts would be provided in multiple languages and whether the City has emergency responders who speak multiple languages. She asks if child care is provided for parents in an emergency situation. She is curious about what the City’s disaster response plan is and if it’s equitable for the population of South San Francisco. Officer Stenhouse talks about the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) and suggests a tour of the EOC or having someone from the EOC present to the Commission. Commissioner Bedigian liked the presentation by the child care providers. She would like a breakdown of the Child Care Master Plan. Officer Stenhouse will look for the right person to bring in to answer questions. 4. Future Meeting Dates Officer Stenhouse says now is a good time to consider rescheduling or canceling upcoming meetings. Commissioner Cansino motions to cancel July and August meetings and combine the November and December meetings into a special meeting. Commissioner Hobson-Coard seconds. Commissioner Yee expresses concern over canceling meetings because it would be difficult to focus on their goals and plan for events. He suggests combining July and August for a special meeting. Commissioner Cansino emphasizes that work can still be done outside of the meetings. Commissioner Yee emphasizes accessibility to the public. Commissioner Hobson- Coard reiterates the need for an identifier, like a pin, so that she can always represent the Commission. Commissioner Cansino motions to combine the November and December meetings into a special meeting. The Commission voted to approve the motion 5-0. Commissioner Cansino motions to cancel both July and August meetings. Commissioner Hobson-Coard seconds. The motion failed with 2 votes in favor and 3 against. Commissioner Bedigian motions to cancel the July and August meetings and to have a special meeting in July or August (date to be determined later). Commissioner Cansino seconds. The Commission voted to approve the motion 5-0. The group discusses possible meeting dates in July or August. Officer Stenhouse reminds everyone that the special meetings do not have to be on a Monday. The group decides to have the next special meeting on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 2 p.m. Commissioner Yee asks if there’s a minimum duration for commission meetings. Other commissioners say there isn’t. Chair Junio suggests waiting till the next meeting to decide on the November/December meeting date. The group agrees. Officer Stenhouse confirms that the next meeting will be held at the City Hall City Manager Conference Room unless the space becomes unavailable. Commissioner Bedigian says she would like to discuss location options again at some point (another meeting). ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1. Commissioner Hobson-Coard shares that she has a show Friday, June 28 at 9 p.m. at Bistro 880. 2. Commissioner Hobson-Coard shares upcoming family-friendly event. Her band will be performing 4th of July in Redwood City. The parade is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The band will go on from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. before fireworks at the Port of Redwood City. ADJOURNMENT Chair Junio adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m.