HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdditional Information/~~l~l-h(~VIGcQ Zvt{~OvVj'lllfl0~
~~'~~ Councilmember Patricia Aguilar
City Of Chula Vista
276 Fourth Avenue
+~~ Chula Vista, Ca 91910
CITY OF 619.691.5044-619.476.5379 Fax
CHULA VISfA
MEMO
DATE: Feb. 21, 2013
TO: Mayor Cheryl Cox, members of the City Council, City Manager Jim Sandoval, Police Chief
David Bejarano
FROM: Councilmember Patricia Aguilar ~ 'I ~, ,
c~~'Q`7YlLC~/i. ~~tri~~ 6vJl F~r~ C<cnt1~{~J;tit~<~Y
RE: Five options for engaging with the community on public safety issues /GIN
Public safety is the city's highest priority. By far the largest chunk of the city's General Fund budget goes
to public safety. For the past seven years the City Council has acknowledged this priority by having an
active Public Safety Subcommittee (PSS), established by council resolution in 2006.
I would like to suggest some options for the future of the subcommittee.
Option 1. No Public Safety Subcommittee. Based on my experience as a member of the PSS over
the past two years, I have come to the conclusion that it serves an important purpose. It offers an
opportunity for members of the public to communicate directly with councilmembers in an informal setting
about public safety concerns, whether they are brought forward by the police or fre departments, or by
members of the public. Public safety issues are often complex and multi-faceted, and the subcommittee
discussions provide an opportunity for in-depth exchanges on these issues that is diffcult to accomplish
at formal, structured City Council meetings. Examples of the kind of public safety issues that were served
well by these kinds of in-depth discussions were medical marijuana dispensaries, synthetic drugs sold in
our neighborhood markets, Police Department protocol for responding to burglar alarms, and solutions for
the adverse impact of local bars on neighboring communities.
Option 2. Appoint two councilmembers to serve on the Police ChieFs Community Advisory
Committee (CAC). I opposed this proposal at the Feb. 5 City Council meeting because I do not think it is
a good idea to have councilmembers serve on a community group advising the Police Chief. I am
concerned this would politicize the CAC, and have a "chilling effect" on frank and open discussions
between community members and the chief. In addition, because the chief reports to the city manager,
adding councilmembers to the CAC could be perceived as an "end run" around the city manager.
Option 3. Keep standing Subcommittee status. Under this option the PSS would continue as a
standing council subcommittee. If the council chooses this option, I recommend that the subcommittee
reduce the number of meetings it holds, and limit meetings to issues where there is, or is expected to be,
significant community concern.
Option 4. Instead of a standing subcommittee, use ad hoc committees comprised of different
pairs of council members, on an issue-by-issue basis. I do not recommend this approach because I
have learned over the past two years that public safety issues are inter-connected, and I am concerned
that under this approach continuity would be lost.
Option 5. Full City Council does work of Subcommittee. As I envision this option, the council could
have quarterly, noticed informal workshops on public safety issues. If the council decides to use this
approach, I recommend that these workshops NOT be held at City Hall but at various recreation centers
around the city in the evenings, to make them more accessible to the public, and kept as informal as
possible.
Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts on this important issue