Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 292-06TO: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY 5IA_NAGER DEPARTMENT: POLICE COMMUNITY SERVICES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION DATE:JULY 10, 2006 CMR:292:06 SUBJECT:HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION RECOM- MENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S 2006-2011 STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATION: The Human Relations Commission (HRC) and staff recommend that the City Council approve the attached 2006-2011 Police Department’s Strategic Plan. BACKGROUND The Police Department undertakes a strategic planning process every five years. The following were the goals and associated accomplishments from the 2001-05 plan: 1. To improve internal and external customer service for the public. Based upon the Service Efforts and Accomplishments survey completed by the City Auditor, the Police Department has received outstanding ratings in this area. The Department redesigned its website, implemented on-line reporting to make it easier for citizens to report certain types of offenses, and instituted a community access line. 2. Acquire a site and obtain financing for a new police building. While this specific goal was not accomplished during the five years of the actual plan, the City Council formed a Blue Ribbon Task Force in 2005 to develop recommendations regarding the need, size, location, and cost estimates for a new facility. CMR:292:06 Page i of 5 3. Develop and implement a plan to upgrade the Department’s technology. A considerable anaount of work was done in this area including the following: Two major upgrades of operating systems for network computers(to Windows 98 and Windows XP) were completed. ¯The public safety computer systems were isolated from main City servers to provide additional security and back-up redundancy. ¯An off-site storage system for public safety computers system (archived schedule for back-up tapes) was implemented. ¯A major electrical upgrade in the Communications Center was completed, including the installation of a Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system, connecting all critical public safety systems to the system. ¯Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management (RMS) systems were installed and implemented. ¯A major operating system upgrade to Windows 2000 for CAD and RMS software was completed. ¯A hardware upgrade for mobile data computers (about to begin a second complete hardware upgrade) was completed. ¯Public safety GIS applications for public safety were implemented. ¯Palo Alto became the first city in California to take emergency calls 9-1-1 calls from all cell phone service providers. ¯A new public safety recording system for logNng telephone calls and radio traffic was procured and installed. ¯A full transition of wireless cell phones for the department, including a change in service providers and adding cell phone capability to patrol officers was completed. ¯A new reNonal Emergency Tracking System (ETS) for tracking money stolen from bank robberies was implemented. ¯A third-party security application to enhance public safety security of mobile data software was implemented. ¯A direct connection to the Depm-tment of Justice to access Megan’s Law and California Gang information was implemented. ¯A new booking photo system was implemented. ¯A new reNonal Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) hardware was deployed. ¯Techno!ogy enhancements to the Crime Analysis Unit were made. ¯A 24x7 on-call maintenance program for public safety computer systems was implemented. Improve work relationships, recognition, training and career development for personnel. A succession plan for civilian employees was developed. Succession plans for every emp!oyee, sworn and civilian, are reviewed on an annual basis with their immediate supervisor to ensure that they receive the training, gaidance, and CM~R:292:06 Page 2 of 5 mentofing towards achieving their goals. Greater efforts were made to recognize employees’ good work. Employee colrunendations from members of the public were shared with the entire organization. 5. l_mprove the physical work enviromnent. The men and women’s locker room bathrooms were steam cleaned for the first time in many years. New flooring was installed in the work out area. Sun Microsystems donated furniture that was put to use throughout many areas in the Department. In order to reduce clutter, more lockers were purchased and installed in the police garage for storage of officers’ additional equipment. 6. Achieve and maintain a full, diverse, highly motivated and qualified staff. During the five years of the plan, 43 sworn and 39 civilian staff members were hired. Among those, 11 were Asian, six were Hispanic, and seven were African American. Of the 82 staff hired, 44 percent were female and 56 percent were male. Due to the difficulty in retaining and hiring police officers, the Department has not been fully staffed for a number of years. Currently there are nine vacant officer positions in the Department. The retention and hiring of officers has become more problematic throughout the country in the last few years. Fewer qualified candidates are available or even interested in the career for various reasons. Staff will continue working to achieve this particular goal. DISCUSSION In January 2005, a cross section of sworn and civilian employees of the Department began the process of developing a new StrateNc Plan. They gathered information from external stakeholder groups including: neighborhood associations, City Council, Youth and Child Development groups, the business community, faith community, minority communities, Human Relations Commission (KRC), City department heads, and other individual community members. The employees held several meetings where discussions took place about what they wanted to Department to look like in five years based upon the feedback from the focus groups and their own visions. The first order of business was to revise the mission statement for the Department. It is interesting to note that several people in the focus groups suggested that the word "proudly" should not be included in the mission statement as they felt it sounded arrogant. The committee discussed this at len~h and felt that it was very important to keep it in the mission statement because the sense of pride in the services the Police Department provides is a big reason why many people chose to enter the profession in the first place. It is not uncommon to see this word in other law- enforcement organizations’ mission statement. The organizational vision was developed after several discussions. The committee CMR:292:06 Page 3 of 5 determined that it was important that the core values be expressed in an actual statement rather than a list of words. The next step in the process was to develop goals with corresponding strategies, action plans, target completion dates and responsible employees. Initially, the conmaittee developed four short-term goals. However, after a discussion with the HRC on May 12, 2006, a fifth goal (To protect the public) was added to make the plan more comprehensive. The HRC also recommended that more strategies and action plans associated with diversity and improving relationships with the minority cormnunity be included. As a result, several additions were made. Staff presented the revised draft to the HRC on June 8, 2005. At that time, the HRC Chairperson entertained a motion that the HRC recommend to the Council that it adopt the Police Department’s plan. The motion passed unanimously. Because it is staffs intent to provide on going status reports to the HRC and Council on the progess the Department makes in accomplishing the goals, it was important to have measurable indices to monitor performance. The City Auditor provided valuable assistance in developing the performance measures. Staff intends to develop strategies, action plans and timetines for the long-term goals that have been identified by the end of next fiscal year. The Plan has been shared with Department personnel and will become an integal factor in many aspects of the organization. For instance, all managers and supervisors will have Strategic Action plans as part of their annual work plans. Included in all personnel annual evaluations will be reference to their ability and success in accomplishing the action plans, and most importantly, it will serve as the guide for setting priorities for the Department. RESOURCE IMPACT Police staff will absorb the costs associated with the strategies and actions plans. POLICY IMPLICATIONS This plan is consistent with City policy. ATTACHMENTS Draft Strategic Plan Minutes from HRC Meetings of May 11, and June 8, 2006 CMR:292:06 Page 4 of 5 DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: LYNNE JtOHNSON Police Chief Assis~n~t City Manager CMR:292:06 Page 5 of 5 DRAFT June 2006 Table of Contents Mission, Vision, Core Value Statement Overview: Past to Present (the process) External Focus Group Participants External Focus Group Responses SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Short Term Goals (1-3 Years) Goal #1 - Strategies, Action Plans, Target Dates, Responsible Goal #2 - Strategies, Action Plans, Target Dates, Responsible Goal #3 - Strategies, Action Plans, Target Dates, Responsible Goal #4 - Strategies, Action Plans, Target Dates, Responsible Goal #5 - Strategies, Action Plans, Target Dates, Responsible Long Term Goals (3-5 Years) A ckn owledgem en ts Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 7 Page 11 Page 13 Page 14 Page 16 Page 22 Page 24 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 To Proudly Serve and Protect the Public with Respect and Integrity Through the Leadership and Commitment of Employees, the Palo Alto Police Department will Build Trust and Respect with the Public and the Law Enforcement Profession. We value and expect teamwork, trust, integrity, accountability, a positive attitude and the professional, impartial treatment of all. 4 Overview- Past to Present In 2000, a strateNc plan was put into action for the Police Department. Information was gathered from eleven focus goups, including five internal and six external goups. The external goups consisted of representatives t~om community organizations dealing with youth, neighborhood associations, City staff and other governmenta! agencies. The plan helped guide the Department to provide improved services to the community through an enhanced infrastructure, advancement in technology and a more motivated, hilly trained and diverse workforce. A committee of 33 sworn and non-sworn Department personnel made up the Department’s Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Several hours of meetings and hard work resulted in the creation of the Department’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values. The committee identified several goals and objectives to lead the Department over the next five years. These were the short-term goals for the 2001-2005 Strategic Plan: 1.To improve internal and external customer service for the public. 2.Acquire a site and obtain financing for a new police building. 3.Develop and implement a plan to up~ade the Departments’ technology. 5 Improve work relationships, recognition, training and career development for personnel. Improve the physical work environment. Achieve and maintain a full, diverse, highly motivated and qualified staff. In 2005, the first Strategic Plan came to a close. While many of the goals were achieved, the committee recognized that the StrateNc Plan had yet to be fully integrated throughout the Depm-tment, our City govermnent, and most importantly, the Community. In January 2005, we began mapping out a new course setting clear and achievable goals. Included in our plaaa was a comprehensive review and analysis of our traditions, values and processes as well as the priorities and perceptions of our stakeholders. A new five year Strategic Plan had begun to take shape. External Focus Group Participants In February 2005, staff began the process stakeholders. Nine different external focus interest in the future of the Department officials, staff and community members): ~ City Council Members ~ Neighborhood Associations by gathering information from external groups were identified as having a key (see acknowledgement for names of City Youth and Child Development Groups Business Community Minority Leadership Faith Community Human Relations Commission (HRC) City Department Heads Individual Community Members Meetings were held with representatives from six different cormnunity interest groups. The City Department Directors and City Council Members were interviewed on an individual basis. Five questions were discussed and answered by all external stakeholders. Additionally, information about the Department’s Strategic Plan process was posted on the Department’s Web site, affording individual community members with the opportunity to answer the same five questions as all the other stakeholders and submit their answers to staff via the Internet. The five main questions are as follows: 1.What are the Department’s strong points? 2.What are the Department’s weak points? 3.What is the purpose of a police department? 4. If you were asked to develop a "mission" statement for the Police Department what would it be? 5. What are three short-term goals for the Police Department? External Focus Group Responses The following is a breakdown of each stakeholder goup and how they answered the above listed questions. The responses below represent the top three responses. NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS 1. Strengths: Professional, responsive, courteous 2. Weaknesses: Lack of feedbactdcommunication with the community, lack of traffic enforcement, failure to use community resources 3. Purpose: Public Safety, emergency response, prevention and suppression of crime 4. Mission: Provide a safe and peaceful atmosphere through the trust and collaboration with Palo ..Alto Citizens. 5. Goals: Increased systematic communication of information to the community l;egarding both crime trends and our response to their requests; increased collaboration with the community and use of information obtained from the communi~,; improved computerized mapping system to insure speed and accurate emergency respouse. YOUTH & CHILD DEVELOPMENT GROUP 1. Strengths: Responsive to needs, quick response, adaptive, good follow through 2. Weaknesses: Public Relations, building bridges of communication with the community, special needs training 3. Purpose: Solve problems, Public SafeD., build relationships with the communi~’ 4. Mission: Keep it the same as your last one but publicize it more. 5. Goals: Develop a clear and effective internal and external public relations strateg3" and implement it enthusiastically; increase partnerships with the community; improve your relationship with the nfinority community. BUSI2N~SS COM~IUNITY 1. Strengths: Responsive, cooperative, supportive 2. Weaknesses: Not enough foot and bike patrol, personal communication/contact with merchants, follow through and follow up 3. Purpose: Serve and protect, uphold the law, Public Safety 4. Mission: Protect, serve, and educate the comnmnity. 5. Goals: Develop personal relationships with the merchants while proactively checking on their needs; attend business association meetings; increase foot/bike patrol, and develop a newsletter to e-mail to merchants. MINORITY LE.AJ)ERSI-IIP 1. Strengths: Open to talking, well educated officers, quick response 2. Weaknesses: No confidence in internal affairs and police oversight, unwilling to acknowledge fault, lack of minoriD: hiring, disconnected from communiD" 3. Purpose: Serve, protect, educate 4. Mission: Use current mission, but add "with respect and equal treatment of al!." 5. Goals: Hire and promote minority officers; actively educate the community regarding race issues; improve race relations. FAJTH COMMUNITY 1. Strengths: Respectflfl and polite, willing to solicit input, responsive 2. "~Veaknesses: Lack of visibility within the community, communications with the community, long term follow-up 3. Purpose: Public SafeD’, solve problems, educate the community 4. Mission: Use the current mission but add words such as respectful and fairness. 5. Goals: Increased v-isibiliD: and outreach with the co~nmunity; more interaction on an individual basis; improve public relations and educational systems. HUklAN RELATIONS COMMISSION 1. Strengths: Open to feedbacL seek to improve, comnfitment to community involvement 2. Weaknesses: Retention of experienced officers, public relations, does not meet and communicate with the communi~; 3. Purpose: Public Safety, answer to the community, uphold peace 4. Mission: Use the current mission but add words such as positive and unbiased. 5. Goals: Increase training for officers; improve public relations; retain and recruit experienced officers. CITY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 1. Strengths: Integrity, educated quality officers, collaborative 2. Weaknesses: Loss of institutional knowledge, too self critical, lack of unified leadership 3. Purpose: Public Safety, educate the conununity, crime prevention 4. Mission: "Make it more specific and shorter". 5. Goals: Enhance public relations; increase communi~’ outreach; develop a clear succession plan. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS 1. Strengths: Good response time, good traffic enforce~nent, professional 2. Weaknesses: Negative media image, communication, communiu, involvement 3. Purpose: Public Safety, maintain cixSliD’, communiU. policing 4. Mission: The statement should retlect our character. 5. Goals: Increase number of experienced officers; increase training for officers; integrate the Department into the communiD; more; develop a clear vision in leadership; repair relations with minoriD’ and other communiU~ groups through education; increase training in conflict resolution. COMBI2YED TOP THREE LIST INCLUD~G INDMDUAL COM3~IU~qTY MEMBERS 1. Strengths: Responsive (to include both fast and attentive), open to talking!feedback, courteous 2. Weaknesses: Lack of communications with the community, public relations, low confidence in Internal Affairs and oversight 3. Purpose: Public Safety, educate, solve problems 4. Mission: Comments included: shorten it and publicize it; add words such as value, positive, leadership, proactive, respectful, without prej udice, and effective. 5. Goals: Clear and effective public relations strateg3,; increased collaboration with the community; improve relationships with the minority communities. 10 The information obtained from the external focus groups was then presented to an internal focus group comprised of Police Department employees (both sworn and non- sworn) from every division and each rank. This internal focus group became the StrateNc Planning Committee. The StrateNc Planning Committee reviewed the last five- year strategic plan, conducted an analysis of the Department’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT), reviewed the above information from the external focus groups, and decided to build on the stren~hs, resolve the weaknesses, exploit oppommities, and avoid threats. The following represents the SWOT Analysis conducted by this group. 11 SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths ¯Good, smart people ¯Function well in a crisis ¯Responsive ¯Welcoming and open ¯Response to critical incidents ¯Citizen’s Academy ¯Animal Services Opportunities ¯Education and outreach to the public ¯Resources and training ¯Technology ¯Public Relations- Media and using Weaknesses ¯Accountability & Ownership ¯Experience ¯Morale ¯Communications ¯Gossip ¯Leadership ¯Negativity ¯Public Relations ¯Community involvement ¯Reactive rather than proactive ¯Stakeholder perception ¯Education and outreach to the community ¯Can’t say "No" Threats Funding decline Established media Community perception and trust of established media other alternatives ¯Alternative funding sources ¯Outside partnerships ¯New police building ¯Shared resources for training ¯HRC ¯Changes in case law ¯Failure to recognize weaknesses ¯Retirements ¯Local cost of living ¯Competition for resources ¯Poor internal communication ¯HRC 12 The SWOT Analysis led to a discussion about what the employees wanted the Department to ~ Respected by the comn~unity (ak Cohesive ~Maintain and apply core values ~Pride ~Diversity ~ Effective ~4~ Responsive ~Competent ~Loyal ~Fah" and Objective ~Positive ~Creative ~Fun ~Committed to Excellence ~Professionalism ~Model for other deparmtents ~Proaetive ~Trusted by the Comntunity look like. The following words described that image: As the Police Department continues its transformation from a traditional, reactive model of policing to a proactive community policing model, the need for comprehensive and focused strate~es is vital to our success. The purpose of our StrateNc Plan is to assist the Department in identifying issues and problems that threaten the quality of life in neighborhoods. The plan sets forth strateNes that will guide short-term solutions, by 13 establishing what employees of the Department commit to do and how they intend to do it. The plan also has mechanisms for the Department and the community to measure the performance and results. This document is to be used as a road map that the Department can look at everyday, every week, every month, every year to see if employees are being effective. The Strate~c Planning Committee developed four short-term goals to serve as the framework of the Department’s Strategic Plan. The Draft Strategic Plan was reviewed by the HRC in May of 2006 and based on their input an additional goal was developed and is represented as the first goal listed below. SHORT TERM GOALS (1-3 YEARS) ~ To protect the public ~ To increase the trust and confidence of all members of the cormmmity To increase the trust, confidence, pride, motivation and unity of all employees within the Department ~ To increase organizational and personal accomatability To integrate the Strate~c Plan throughout the Department, City and Community 14 The StrateNc Planning Committee developed strateNes to assist in reaching our goals. Action plans were attached with target dates and personnel responsible for the implementation of each plan. Goal #1: To protect the public Strategy Proactively reduce the crime rate Action Plan Implement a Crime Suppression Team Communications will determine appropriate response to all emergency calls Investigate all criminal activity Assign follow-up and investigate viable leads to cases Address crime trends as identified in a timely manner Provide community alerts to residents and businesses about crime trends, hazardous situations, or public safety concerns in a timely manner Participate in regional meetings and task forces as needed to address crime trends Target Date May 06 On-going Responsible Chief Charlie Cullen On-going All Sworn Personnel On-going Investigations~atrol On -going On-going On-going Crime Suppression Team/P atroFInve stigations /Crime Analyst Community Relations Sergeant and Press Information Officers Investigations and Crime Analyst 15 Strategy Proactively reduce traffic ~5olations and accidents Provide assistance, enforcement and guidance to the community regarding animals Provide assistance to the community in the event of a disaster Action Plan Liaison with regional Parole and Probation offices Enforce traffic violations Participate in the Avoid the 13 Campaign Participate in national campaig-n such as "Click it or Ticket" Participate in the Safe School Campaign Respond efficiently and effectively to all alfixnal calls Target Date On-going On-going December 06 As scheduled As scheduled On -going Responsible Investigations/Crime Suppression Team and patrol designee Patrol/Traffic Team Traffic Team and Patrol Traffic Team Traffic Team Animal Control Ofcers~atrol Officers Ensure staff are trained On-going and equipped to handle disasters Assist the Fire As Scheduled Department in conducting community exercises The following Performance Measurements will be utilized for Goal #1 : Command Staff Command Staff 1. Decrease the number of violent crimes reported as documented in the previous year’s annual budget’s benchmarking measures. (85) 2. Maintain a 90% response time to emergency calls of within 6 minutes fl’om the 16 time of receipt to the first officer’s arrival. 3. Maintain a 95% rate of emergency calls dispatched within 60 seconds. 4. Maintain or increase the percentages of cleared or closed cases as reported in the previous year’s annual budget benchmarking measures for rape, robbery, and homicide cases. 5. Maintain or increase the amount of traffic enforcement as reported in the previous year’s annual budget benchmarking measures. 6. Maintain a 90% rate for animal calls responded to within 45 minutes. Goal #2: To increase the trust and confidence of all members of the communi~T. Strategy Increase quality and timeliness of citizens complaints and internal affairs investigations Train and educate all employees in the community policing philosophies; especially related to the minority communit), Action Plan Work in cooperation with Police Auditor Chief will defme community policing standards and expectations for all employees Target Date Ongoing May 06 Responsible Chief Johnson Chief Johnson Trainers will be May 06 Personnel and Training identified 17 Strategy Action Plan Target Date Responsible June 06 Identified Trainers July 06 Establish partnerships with key community groups: neighborhoods, youth, business, minority, faith, and HRC. Training will be provided to all staff Community policing standards and expectations will be incorporated into all employee evaluations Host semi annual meetings with strategic plan focus goup representatives along with City staff in order to address community concerns and differences Continue to participate in the Fast Friends Project with Stanford University Define the expectations of the Adopt-a-School Progam: time, info gathering and dissemination and then actively participate in the pro~am. Develop a structure for an Adopt-a- Neighborhood Program to be implemented in 2007. First Quarter (FY 06-07) As Scheduled July 06 October 06 All super~,isors and managers Lieutenant Burt Chief Day Shift Patrol Lieutenants & School Resource Officers Patro! Lieutenants & Susie Jones 18 Strategy Create opportunities for increased visibility & interaction with community members Action Plan Actively participate in the Night Safe Progam: providing education & enforcement for downto~ businesses. Establish and promote the Neighborhood Watch Progam PAY Progam- establish a Department liaison to provide support & leadership in the progam Deploy and use bicycle officers as often as possible Assign officers to incorporate foot patrol of parks into their daily activity, especially weekends/holidays Host a minimum of one meeting a year with members of the minority community to receive feedback Participate in the National Night Out Event Target Date July 06 July 06 July 06 July 06 July 06 As Scheduled August 06 Responsible Night Shift Patrol Lieutenants Susie Jones SRO Lieutenant Burr & Day Shift Patrol Lieutenants Patrol Lieutenants Chief Command Staff, Susie Jones and Sandra Broma 19 Strategy Increase communication with the community; especially with minori~T members Action Plan Establish a con~nunity relations sergeant as a one-year pilot program Improve the Department’s website to be more organized and user friendly Citizen’s Academy- this is an educational vehicle that helps citizens that we serve better understand the role of the police in their community and the polices and practices the Department utilizes to administer police service Conduct a follow up meeting with citizen academy alumni Continue the Access Line with an emphasis on building relationships with the minority community Provide Cultural Diversity Training to all staff Continue the collection of demogaphic data Target Date Begin July 06 November 06 On-going The quarter following the graduation of the academy On-going As Scheduled On-going Responsible Chief Jolmson Larry O’Brien Susie Jones and Captain Venable Susie Jones and Staff Command Staff Personnel and Training Lieutenant Patrol Lieutenants 20 Strategy Fully implement the MAV Program Action Plan More effective use of Community Messaging System to inform citizens of incidents and events. Continue conducting community surveys Have officers and supervisors attend City Councit!HRC meetings Complete the installation of units Target Date First Quarter FY 06107 On-going On-going By July 06 Responsible Chief Johnson & Sheryl Contois Chief Johnson and City Auditor All Supervisors and Managers Sheryl Contois 21 The following Performance Measurements will be utilized for Goal #2: 1. Maintain or exceed a 90% approval rating for resident satisfaction with the department in the SEA survey. 2. Conduct traffic stop survey with a goal of maintaining or exceeding a 55% approval rating 3. Each fiscal year, we will maintain or increase the number of commendations from the previous fiscal year. 4. Each fiscal year, we will maintain or decrease the number of sustained complaints from the previous year. 5. A Questionnaire will be given at the Community Forum Meetings that will ask participants to rate our performance. We will achieve a positive rating from 70% of participants. 6. Feedback from the HRC on a quarterly basis. 7. The first year’s number of complaint/IA investigations reviewed by Police Auditor will be used as a benchmark for the second year. The goal each year will be to decrease the number reviewed. 22 Goal #3: To increase the trust, confidence, pride, motivation and unity of all employees within the Department Strategy Action Plan Target Date On-goingEstablish regular, tnvo way communication between all staff Provide immediate honest feedback and communication. Intervene and confront the rumor mill Develop a centralized mechanism for disseminating information to employees Provide ~tten documentation to clearly communicate standards and expectations for each employee Recognize and reward good work in a timely manner Hold a vertical staff meeting at least once a quarter (4 per year) Develop individual work group mission statements Establish "360 degree" evaluations On-going October 06 July 06 On-going First Quarter of 06/07 July 06 Responsible All Supervisors and Managers All supervisors and Managers Chief Johnson All Supervisors and Managers All Supervisors and Managers Captain Burns All Supervisors and Managers By October 06 Personnel and Training 23 Strategy Target Date Responsible On-going Lieutenant KeithIncrease the quality and timeliness of Citizen Complaints and Internal Affairs Investigations Develop stronger management and leadership opportunities for the entire organization Action Plan Utilize the IA Team according to policy and provide frequent training to team members Adhere to investigation timelines per policy Provide annual training to all supervisors Establish a leadership development pro~am for all supervisors to include supervisory development, accountability, and professionalism. Update each employee’s succession plan. On-going Fiscal Year 06/07 Fiscal Year 06/07 By October 06 On-going All Supervisors and Managers Lieutenant Keith Command Staff Continue Use of Early Regularly monitor early Warning System warning system The following Performance Measurements will be utilized for Goal #3: 1. Each fiscal year, we will reduce the number of sick time hours used by 5% All Supervisors Lieutenant Doug Keith compared to the previous fiscal year. 24 2. Each fiscal year, we will maintain or increase the number of commendations compared to the previous fiscal year. 3. Each fiscal year, we will maintain or decrease the number of sustained complaints compared to the previous year. 4. Conduct an employee survey in June 2006 in order to assess the department’s internal performance and follow up each year thereafter to assess internal morale and performance. Goal #4: To increase Strategy Ensure consistent compliance with all Department policies and procedures by all employees personal accountability, Target Date October 06 Promote and reward supervisors to be actively engaged organizational and Action Plan Reinforce critical policies with all employees at least once a year. (The critical policies as determined by P&T.) Hold Supervisors accountable for not holding their employees accountable Develop a report wa-iting manual to create consistency and compliance. On-going November 06 July 06 Responsible All Supervisors and Managers All Managers Patty Lum, Zach Perron, Karen McAdams and Rita Singh Chief Johnson & Personnel and Training 25 Strategy Action Plan Continue to mentor and provide development opportunities for all supervisors Conduct "Ethics in Law Enforcement" to all supervisors Target Date On-going Responsible Al! Managers June 2006 Lieutenant Keith and Chief Johnson The following Performance Measurements will be utilized for Goal #4: 1. Conduct a compliance audit on a critical performance task/area at least once a quarter. 2. Discuss accountability and seek input at each vertical staff meeting. 3. Conduct an employee survey in June 2006 in order to assess the department’s internal performance and follow up each year thereafter to assess internal morale and performance. 26 Goal #5: To integrate the Communit)~ Strategy Incorporate the strategic plan into major Department programs the Strategic Plan throughout the Department, the City, and Action Plan Incorporate the strategic plan into the Field Training Program Include the strategic plan into the promotional process Include the strategic plan into the new" employee orientation Incorporate the strategic plan into all employees evaluations Include the strategic plan into work plans Reward and recognize good work that is in line with the strategic plan Incorporate the strategic plan into the budget process Visually place the strategic plan throughout the Department Place the strategic plan on the Department’s website Target Date Responsible July 06 Field Training Lieutenant November 06 July 06 Lieutenant Keith Lieutenant Keith July 06 All Supervisors and Managers July 06 A!l Supervisors and Managers On-going All Supervisors and Managers July 06 August 06 August 06 Pete Hazarian Personnel and Training Larry O’Brien 27 The following Performance Measurements will be utilized for Goal ,#5: 1. Insure implementation of at least 90% of the items described in the action plan each year. Implementation will be on going throughout the next five years. LONG-TERM GOALS (3-5 YEARS) After developing the framework for the Department’s Strategic Plan, the Strategic Planning Committee developed several long-term goals. These goals are directly related to the Department’s vision statement and are very much a part of our future. Strategies, action plans and target dates will be developed during the fiscal year of 2006/2007. LONG TERNI GOALS (3-5 YE.ARS) Protect the public Build a new police building Fully integrate mad update the Department’s teclmology Obtain a Mobile Command Vehicle Seek creative funding opportm~ities Increase overall retention and cominue to hire quality employees Update the succession plma for all employees Increase staffing to address community concerns Increase the number of vohmteersiReserve Officers/Explorers 28 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS City Council Jim Burch, Former Mayor Judy Kleinberg, Mayor Victor Oj akian Bern Beecham LaDoris Cordell Hillary Freeman Yoriko Kisl~moto Jack Morton Dena Mossar Human Relations Commission Eve ANewich Adam Atito Jeffrey Blum Linda Lenoir Valerie Menager Lakiba Pittman Shauna Wilson Business Community John Benvenito Jean-Paul Coupal Marc Dickow Barbara Gross Stephanie Wansek City Staff Frank Benest, City Manager Donna Rogers, City Clerk Emily Harrison, Assistant Paula Simpson, Library Director City Manager Carl Yeats, Finance Director Gary Baum, City Attorney Steve Emslie, Planning Director Sharon Erickson, City Auditor Richard James, Community Services Director Glen Loo, IT Director Nick Marinaro, Fire Chief Glen Roberts, Public Works Director Minority Co~rmaunity Harold Boyd Roy Clay Samina Faheen Loretta Green Linda Mabry Jonathon Staples 29 Faith Cormnunity Susan Adanas Anana Ansari Pemay Barrett Stephanie Brown Manzoor Ghori Bob Paugh Naryana Ramasamy JaNt Singh Palo Alto Police Department Heather Akins-Souza Kara Apple Donna Arndt Robert Bonilla Deimis Burns Lacey Burt Sheryl Contois Charles Cullen Mike Denson Chris Hammett Pete Hazarian Stacey Henderson Lyrme Johnson Linda Maratas Karen McAdams Tim Morgan Missy Morrill Child!Youth Development Andy Bernier Margo Dutton Terry Kurfess Hel~ry Neugass Gail Price Melissa Taylor Nanelle Newbom Rebecca Phillips Zach Perron Cori Preheim Sandra Pretari Christopher Quick Carla Schoof Rita Singh Sean Smith Sandy Stadler Barbara Teixeira April Wagner Marianna Villaescusa Neighborhoods Annette Ashton Arthur Keller Doug Moran Don Nielson Priscilla Williams Public Convnents All those anonymous citizens that wrote in comments on our website! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 3O 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 4O 41 42 43 44 45 46 DRAFT *****NOT YET APPROVED**_** HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Thursday, May 11, 2006 Council Chambers Palo Alto Civic Center 250 Hamilton Avenue 7:00 PM ROLL CALL: Commissioners Present: Atito, Blmn, Lenoir, Lew, Mendoza, Savage Staff: Kathy Espinoza-Howard, Jackie Rose ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. John K. Abraham, a Palo Alto resident presented a sunm~ary of facts and his analysis regarding stopping of African American citizens. Mr. Abraham also related information about his own experience during a police stop. Ms. Barbara Dawson, a Pato Alto resident addressed the council on the topic of impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The conmaissioners had asked Ms. Dawson to return with information about other cities that might have similar leNslation. It was requested that this item be on the June 8 meeting agenda. Connnissioner Lenoir asked if there is a sample resolution for review. Ms. Dawson responded they would have one by the next meeting on June 8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Deferred approval of April minutes unti! June 8 meeting. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, and DELETIONS: None BUSINESS 1. POLICE DEPARTMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN: Commissioner Lenoir welcomed Chief Johnson and asked her to give an overview as the commissioners have had the document for a while. Commissioner Blum commented he had only received his packet a few days ago. A brief discussion was held regarding the past attempts to write a police department strateNc plan. Earlier documents were prepared by a consultant and weren’t really used. This current strateNc plan was written and prepared by internal police department personnel and was coordinated by Lt. Lacy Burt and based on both public and staff input. 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 6! 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 7O 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 Commissioner Blum commented that the document was well done mad he was impressed. He suggested the following corrections: Correct title page from 2005 to 2006, suggested shortenin.g the vision statement to build trust and respect with the public and a law" enforcement profession, Page 5 removal of 100 years reference to technology, Page 6 change resource to relations, and page 20 suggested inserting a number as a bench mark for achievement. Commissioner Blum also commented that the issue of diversity did not seem to be incol-porated into the plan. For example he wants racial profiling and unfair treatment of minorities addressed. Chief Johnson responded to Commissioner Blum’s COlImaent by ageeing with the lack of diversity contained in the report. She ageed to flush out and add more details. Lt. Burt - thanked the commissioners for their -kind words and participation. She commented that the number of complaints will become the benchmark number for future years. Addressing the comments about the Mission statement, she commented the statement was hard to come up with, and the current version has employee buy-in and they felt strongly that it needed to stay the way it is. Commissioner Savage felt that the issue of diversity was addressed on page 13. She also questioned why on page 12 the HRC was listed as both an opportunity and a threat. Commissioner Mendoza commented that the document seemed to be missing a plan on measuring how effective the police department is on public safety. He was also concerned that the strategic plan is confusing and doesn’t state how it addresses the internal/external relationships with the community. He also commented that the vision statement bothers him because it doesn’t seem to tie into the job they do everyday. Chief Johnson addressed this comment by saying that the budget document includes impact measures -numbers that deal with the percentage of increase/decrease in crime, response time, as well as the city auditor’s yearly service and accomplishment report where there are specific measurements. Commissioner Blum stated if you accomplish the strateNc plan goals it will help with enforcement. Use language that addresses the issues. The purpose of the plan or its optimum outcome is to reduce crime. Chief Johnson indicated a cover memo will tie these unsaid things together. Commission Atito commented he wanted the police department and its employees to have ov, clership of the strate~c plan. He wants a better relationship between the police department and HRC. He commented he liked the outreach goals and whom they involve and would like to see them implemented as soon as possible. There was a brief discussion regarding the goal of having better relations between the HRC Commission and Palo Alto police officers. Several ideas came up including having 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 !24 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 colmnissioners ride along with police officers, and having more police officers attend HRC meetings. ConmSssioner Blum indicated he would like Chief Johnson to smrnna’ize the reasons why the HRC is considered a threat and report back to the commission. Chief Johnson responded she would be happy to do that and indicated some officers have already had a change of attitude. She wanted to know if the commission would be willing to pass on a reconm~endation in support of the plan once it is approved. She indicated she realized her request may be premature before changes are made. She committed to bring back a revised draft of the strategic plan to the next meeting June 8. Commissioner Blum a~eed to recommend support of the plan to the full council as long as the revisions were made and a cover letter is provided to the colmnission. 2.CO-SPONSORSHIP OF INTERGENERATIONAL WEEK ACTIVITIES IN PALO ALTO: Commissioner Lew reported on her meeting with Sheila Mandoli and the request to have the HRC cosponsor the event. Commissioner Blum discussed the HRC’s past co-sponsorship a~d summarized the events purpose and progam goals. Commissioner Blum made a motion to have the HRC co-sponsor Intergenerational Week events and have Commissioner Lew be the HRC representative. Seconded by Commissioner Atito, AYES: Unanimous 3.CO-SPONSORSHIP WITH STANFORD’S ETHICS IN SOCIETY OF A PUBLIC PANEL DISCUSSION OF LOCAL HOUSING ISSUES: Commissioner Lenoir gave an overview of the event and identified the reasons why the HRC should co-sponsor the event. Commissioner Blum made a motion that the HRC co- sponsor the Ethics in Society public panel discussion on local housing issues. Seconded by Commissioner Savage. AYES: Unanimous 4. PROTOCOLS AGAINST ACTS OF INTOLERANCE: Commissioner Lenoir gave backgound on why this issue is back on the agenda. Commissioner Blum led a discussion as he referred to the checklist provided on how to respond to acts of intolerance. Commissioner Savage cautioned each incident should be looked at individually and to make sure the Commissioners have all the information about what is being responded to. A quick response may be a response to hearsay. 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 Commissioner Lenoir felt that by responding to the behavior instead of people then a quick response may be possible. She stressed the need for the HRC to have an action plan and-how_t.o define their role and then act on it. Colmnissioner Blum agreed to assume the role of writing letters to the newspapers and other commissioners may assume different responsibilities to implement the Acts of Intolerance protocols Commissioner Lenoir suggested that all commissioners review protocols and come back to the next meeting with the role he/she wants to play and a plan of specific action. 5. PLANNING OF JOINT SESSION WITH CITY COUNCIL: Commissioner Lenoir and Commissioner Blum suggested putting this item off until the June 8 meeting. Kathy Espinoza Howard reminded the commissioners that this year HSRAP is on the commissioner’s agenda and September’s agenda will be when they include the HRC and setting priorities. July is when the next Police Department Demographics Report will be Nven as well as HSRAP agencies will report on information 6.DISCUSS POSSIBLE RESOLUTION REGARDING PROPOSED IMMIGRATION BILL: The commissioners discussed HRC’s role in preparing a resolution in opposition to the immigration bill before Congress. Commissioner Blum proposed to review sample resolutions adopted by other cities. He suggested other commission members e-mail him with their comments and he would prepare a draft to bring to the next meeting. At the June meeting the commissioners can review the draft document and adopt any changes that would be specific to City of Palo Alto. Commissioner Lenoir called for volunteers to work on the resolution. Commissioner Mendoza and Commissioner Lew volunteered to work on this issue with Commissioner Blum. 7.SET A DATE FOR THE HRC RETREAT IN AUGUST. Original dates that were discussed for the HRC retreat were, August 5, August 12 and August 26. These days were not good as not all commission members would be available. After a brief discussion it was agreed to look at the dates of August 14 and 15. Commissioner Wilson would be notified and asked to provide a facilitator. 8.REPORTS FROM OFFICIALS A. Commissioner Reports: 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 2O2 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 Commissioner Lew - reported on Falun Gong issue and her attempt to contact the complaining party’s phone, but she has not spoken to the complainant regarding the Falun Gong issue. Commissioner Lew reviewed the complaints; -fear of travel to China because of fear of being incarcerated and fear of being put into concentration camps where live organ harvesting has allegedly o~ccurred. A brief discussion concerning HRC’s role in the issue occurred. Commissioner Blum felt it was feasible to write a letter; however, we have already done that.. Commissioner Savage felt we could only express public sympathy. Colmnissioners Blum and Atito indicated the HRC could write to our State Senators. Commissioner Mendoza had nothing to report. Commissioner Atito reported on a house repair progam for seniors that the real estate community sponsors and participates in. Commissioner Blum reported that he attended an American Civil Liberties Union meeting and found it interesting to see what issues they addressed. Commissioner Savage had nothing to report. Commissioner Lenoir reported that she attended a Baby Boomer Task Force meeting with about 50 other participants in attendance. The purpose of the task force meeting was to find out what kind of services this population would want to have in the furore. Youth Service and the School District had a joint Cinco de Mayo celebration using both organizations staff. Commissioner Lenoir expressed her thanks to Youth Community Service for their Baylands Day of service event held several weeks ago. B.Council Buddy Reports: None C.Council Liaison Report: None D.Staff Liaison Report: Kathy Espinoza-Howard reported on the progess of the Off the Streets Team Task Force whose goal is to get this population back into housing. The task force has been working with landlords to accept vouchers. Officer Joel Fay from the City of San Rafael will ~ve a presentation to the task force about a progam in San Rafael that connects homeless people to services. Ms. Howard also encouraged commissioners to meet with their council buddies. She reported that in last Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting, council members wanted to know why we Nve 1.2 mi!lion dollars to HSRAP agencies from the general fund. Ms. Howard stated "comments like that make me very aware that the city Council members need more information about the HSRAP progams." ANNOUNCEMENTS: None 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 CALL FOR AGENDA ITEMS Resolution on impeachment of the Presidem and Vice-President of the United States Further discussion on intolerance protocols Task force report back on resolution on inmaigratation Discussion about August retreat Police revised strategic plan ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjoumed at 9:15 p.m. 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 3O 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 4O 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 DRAFT *****NOT YET APPROVED**** HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Thursday, June 8, 2006 Council Chambers Pa!o Alto Civic Center 250 Hamilton Avenue 7:00 PM ROLL CALL: Commissioners Present: Blum, Lenoir, Lew, Mendoza, Wilson-Mora Staff: Kathy Espinoza-Howard, Amy Johnson ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. John Abraham, a Palo Alto resident prepared a summary of dispositions pertaining to police department enforcement stops for purposes of determining whether racia! profiling is occuring. He stated that the statistics showed there is over stopping of Afi-ican Americans and that African Americans have mildly hitcher rates of arrests and code violations. He said that the reports indicate that African Americans are treated differently. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Lew made a motion to approve the April 13, 2006 minutes as corrected. Seconded by Commissioner Blum. Ayes: unanimous. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, and DELETIONS: None BUSINESS 1.DISCUSSION WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT REGARDING DRAFT "REVISED" STRATEGIC PLAN: Chief Johnson explained that they amended the Draft Strate~c Plan and included many of the comments received firom the HRC; a revised copy was included in their packets. Commissioner Mendoza stated that the plan looked good; he was particularly pleased to see the addition to the goals protecting the public. Commissioner Lew stated that she liked the long and short term goals. Commissioner Blum reminded Chief Johnson that she said she was going to report back regarding the item that listed the HRC as a threat to police. Chief Johnson said that she determined that the officers in 1 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 9O 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 the organization had formed an opinion that the HRC does not support them, from reading the newspapers, because the articles had not been accurate. She said that she believes the attitude is changing. It would be a good idea for the HRC to continue to look for ways to get more involved in police activities. She suggested that the commissioners go on ride-a-longs. She also commented that the officers’ input was received early in 2005 and that officers’ attitudes had already positively ct{~inged in the interim. Commissioner Blum asked if Chief Johnson has considered accessing the local media to address issues that concern the community or to use the internet access offered by the Palo Alto Weekly in its community forum format to pose questions so that the community has an opportunity to respond. Chief Johnson said that she has considered doing that. There was a brief discussion regarding having a timeline in which to review the goals of the plan, in order to determine that they are being met. There was a brief discussion about the response time of the department. The Chief explained that it is monitored because when the dispatcher inputs the call, the time is recorded automatically. There was a brief discussion about including performance measurements for increasing the trust and confidence of community in the quarterly reports. Chief Johnson agreed. Commissioner Blum asked about what kind of feedback she wants from the HRC because the draft plan does not specify. Chief Johnson said that it would be feedback based on the quarterly reports they receive. He suggested that the mission statement include "and actions" after it refers to the commitment. She said that her staff discussed the mission statement at great length, and she doesn’t feel comfortable changing it without their feedback. Commissioner Lenoir suggested that in the focus groups, there were certain words such as equality, bias and fairness mentioned, but they wanted the mission statement to be short and concise. The staff did include these same points in their core values statement. She asked about the next steps. She noticed a couple of programs that are listed and wondered if they would keep them going. She also asked if there was a chance that they could bring the PAY program back to the schools. Chief Johnson explained the development of a new program to continue to put officers together with the comrnunity to improve relations. Commissioner Wilson-Mora asked about the status of the "adopt a nei~borhood progran" in 2007. Chief Johnson said that it is in the planning stage, with no structure yet. She also has staffing issues. The plan is to set it up like the "adopt a school program" which assigns an officer to a school. Commissioner Wilson-Mora thanked Chief Johnson for her efforts in putting this together. Kathy Espinoza-Howard asked that the police department continue to support the Off the Streets Team because it has been a sigrfificant effort over the last 4 years. Commissioner Blum asked to see the cover letter that wi!l go out with the strategic plan, before the HRC votes to support the plan. Chief Johnson explained that the letter is not done yet, and she would really like to move forward on the plan. She explained what the letter will include. Commission Blum made a motion that the HRC approves the Strategic Plan, subject to the comments that were previously made at the last meeting, and this meeting, being given serious 2 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 consideration. Seconded by Commissioner Lenior. AYES: Unanimous. DISCUSSION WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT REGARDING DRAFT DISTU~.ING THE PEACE ORDINANCE. Chief Johnson explained that there has been increased concern because they have received complaints in the downtown area of people urinating in the street and setting accidental fires. Staff has had discussions with the Off the Streets Team and the District Attorney. The existing penal codes regarding urinating and defecating in the street camlot be used anymore. Lt. Burt explained that in September of 2005, staff began to meet to discuss this problem. The big issues are xvith public ~vorks which has to clean it up. It is also an issue for patrol officers because the penal code has been thrown out. They don’t have an enforcement strategy which addresses the problem. Police Department Staff met with the City Attorney to address this via an ordinance. This ordinance is the only enforcement tool the officers would have. Commissioner Wilson-Mora asked if the problem is because there needs to be more restrooms available. Chief Johnson said that there are many people who are not unhoused, who are guilty. She listed off where all the restrooms are. Commissioner Blum said that the ordinance is broader than just urinating and defecating in public. The word "disturb" should be defined within the ordinance. He also stated his concern about the vagueness of how concerts and other unauthorized activities are defined. Chief Johnson explained that the definition is on the second page and that she is considering removing that portion and relying on the current Noise Ordinance to address those types of issues. She will pass on those colrmaents to the City Attorney. Commissioner Blum said that he is aware that these types of ordinances are too broad and other cities have problems with them. He doesn’t see a penalty or a warning procedure discussed in the ordinance. Chief Johnson said that the penalty would be a misdemeanor and that there will be a warning period. She said it is getting to be a very serious issue because she gets calls from parents who have their children with them, who have come across someone defecating. Commissioner Mendoza said that he supports this ordinance and agrees with all the people who have voiced their concern about this behavior. He offered a suggestion regarding the definition of disturbing the peace is any one of the following behaviors: a,b,c...etc. He suggested that they leave in Section (D) regarding noise, because it will enhance what exists in Section (9), also to add a maximum decibel level. Commissioner Blum said that when you define something by referring to specific items, it can cause problems, because it is very limiting. Kathy Espinoza-Howard asked if twilight concerts will be affected by the ordinance because of Sub- Section D regarding noise. Chief Johnson explained that she believes it is covered in the ordinance. Commissioner Mendoza suggested that a provision be added to exempt conduct approved by the city. Commissioner Wilson-Mora asked if the noise ordinance is no longer sufficient. Chief Johnson said that when it comes to people, the noise element needs to be worked on, and is inadequate. She also said that she is thinking that the noise section should be removed from this ordinance, and that the noise ordinance should be beefed up. 148 149 150 151 152 153 !54 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 Mr. Herb Borock, a Palo Alto resident expressed his concern that there is no staff report, but now he understands this is a work in progress. He had the sane concern about the noise ordinance that has already been expressed. He believes this is an issue of the downtown, instead of the city as a whole. He said that the pay toilet that was located at Lytton Plaza should be replaced. Mr. Norn~an Ca-roll, a Palo Alto resident, commented that the definition of noise is vague depending on a person’s perspective and should be defmed better. He shared his concern about the response of people who complain about ordinances. He encouraged the public to share their complaints. Mr. Jolm Abraham, said that the ordinance applies to public and private problems. He asked for clarification if it applies to section C and Lt. Birk said yes. He said that people disagree on what is objectionable noise and wondered if it is the police officer who is left to make the decision. Commissioner Blum said that Mr. Abrahan and Mr. Borock make good points. He would like to discuss making a recommendation to City Council, to replace the pay toilet at Lytton Plaza at a future HRC meeting. Kathy Espinoza-Howard said that the bathroom situation at the train station is being discussed by Cal train, VTA, Stanford, and City Staff. There has been discussion of collaborating with the County. She may have something to bring back to the HRC on this at a future meeting. 3.DISCUSSION REGARDING REVISIONS TO THE VOTER CONFIDENCE RESOLUTION AS REQUESTED BY CITY COUNCIL. Commissioner Wilson-Mora explained briefly what transpired at the City Council meeting that she attended, during which the City Council voted to send the resolution back to the HRC for more work. She explained that she worked on the resolution and had revised copies of it to hand out. Commissioner Blum read a letter to the Editor which expressed disappointment of the City Council for their comments of the draf~ resolution. Commissioner Wilson-Mora addressed the modifications she made as follows: The provision to make voting day a holiday was removed. There was a discussion and everyone agreed. ¯The Clean money law was considered to be vague. She explained that it was left vague because of pending legislation. She went ahead and modified it so that it was not so vague. They discussed that the City Council is not aware of the laws that have been referenced that were passed by other states. The HRC had a discussion about how to make it clearer. Commissioner Mendoza stated that it is a much needed resolution. He made a suggestion to make it easier for the City Council regarding each of the points on the resolution that the Clean Money point does not relate to the other points and so it appears out of place. They discussed adding a "whereas" to include it. The provision to improve the media by providing equal time provisions, has led to serious problems. Reinstating the FCC rules is a necessary component. The provision doesn’t fit in this resolution and should be removed. 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 0a 204 205 206 207 2O8 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 2aa 234 235 236 237 238 a9 240 241 242 243 244 ¯The provision for a preferential voting system is the way elections are held and doesn’t fit in the resolution and so it was removed. ¯Commissioner Wilson-Mora said that she removed a few "whereas" because the City Council indicated that the provisions in issue stated things that were speculative. . ¯A provision was added regarding electronic voting devices. Colrnnissioner Blum sugges{~d a single word modification. Commissioner Mendoza questioned #6 and 44-,~-.~, that he felt they didn’t have a point. Commissioner Wilson-Mora will add a "whereas" and suggested that a cover letter be included to explain how the City Council’s concerns were addressed. 4. DISCUSSION REGARDING HSRAP FUNDING: Conmaissioner Lenoir said she was concerned about budget cuts. Kathy Espinoza-Howard explained that the budget was passed without any cuts to the HSRAP budget. Commissioner Blum stated his concern about the climate on the City Council, that they may not be amenable to HSRAP. Commissioner Lenoir agreed to be the new HSRAP Liaison for the HRC. Mr. Norman Carroll stated that the city pays non-profits to provide services that it does not provide to the residents of Palo Alto. They should continue to receive funding for basic need services. 5.PROTOCOLS AGAINST ACTS OF INTOLERANCE - DISCUSSION OF COMMISSIONERS REGARDING SPECIFIC ROLE: Commissioner Blum said that he wrote a Guest Opinion in the weekly on this issue. After a brief discussion, the commissioner made assignment to each of the responses listed in the protocol. 6.COMMITTEE REPORT ON RESOLUTION AGAINST PROPOSED IMMIGRATION BILL. Commissioners Blum, Lew and Mendoza explained that they met and put together a draft resolution which was included in the packet. Commissioner Mendoza said that even though there were extreme opinions on both sides of the issue, they tried to address the needs and concerns of the majority and the minority. Most of the current issues that are reported in the media concentrate on workers and it clouds the real issue of the immigrants that don’t fit into the lower smiled worker category. Commissioner Blum said that they were in agreement in what was important to protect due process for immigrants and the role they fill and how they contribute to our nation. He added that we are all descendants of immigrants. Commissioner Lew made a motion to adopt the immigration resolution as amended and forward it to the City Council. Seconded by Commissioner Blum. AYES: Unanimous. 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 Ms. Doris Dahlgen, a Palo Alto resident said that we are making a gave mistake if we think acting in an unkind, uncaring manner toward people outside of our borders who have reasons for wanting to change the place they live. She thanked the HRC for making this effort. .. 7. PROPOSED RESOLUTION TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT ANq) VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE-- UNITED STATES. Ms. Barb Dawson spoke in favor of this proposed resolution for reasons of engaging in war. She explained that Congress alone can declare war. She spoke about Patrick McCaffrey who was a Palo Alto resident who lost his life in the war. The IRS has figured the actual loss to Palo Alto, because of excessive war expenditures, is $133.8 million dollars. She stated that President Bush and Vice-President Cheney must not be allowed to continue to abuse the Constitution. Mr. John Beverley Butcher, a representative of the Multi Faith Voices for Peace mad Justice, located in Palo Alto stated that the organization feels that Richard Cheney and George W. Bush have broken faith with them and cannot be trusted because of their numerous lies. He detailed five violations. He asked for the HRC to support a resolution so that Bush and Cheney can have their day in court. Ms. Lynn Marsh, spoke in favor of the resolution. Mr. Pau! George, Director of the National Peace and Justice Center said that he has collected over 50 emails in support of the resolution. He also, said that the issue of torture violates U.S. Law and brings shame to our country. He is also against the spying on American citizens by our government. The geatest crime is the lying that has occurred. This is a criminal conspiracy. He asked for the HRC’s support. Mr. Norman Carroll said that he didn’t think we should proceed with this resolution, but that investigations should be done. We should wait until they are out of office to go after them because he was concerned about who would take over, because they would not be any better or even worse if they were impeached. He also expressed concern about what kind of advantage they would have as a refon’ned party. Impeaching them at this time would be hasty and we should think of the ramifications. Ms. Barbara Goodwin, a Palo Alto resident said that if things are going to happen it should happen here. She read from a flyer that compared President Bush to former Presidents Johnson and Nixon. She is embarrassed to be an American with our current administration. We cannot put up with this for two more years. Ms. Doris Dalhgen, said that she cannot remember a day since he’s been elected when Bush hasn’t committed a crime. The most evil crime was to appoint John Bolton as Ambassador to the U.N. Mr. Bolton threatened that any nation that doesn’t support the U.S. the US will not pay its dues. She expressed concern about how our children will be affected in the future. Ms. Lois Salo, a Palo Alto resident, and member of Women’s Peace Group spoke in favor of this resolution. She commended the HRC for taking up this issue. Commissioner Blum stated that he didn’t think this is an issue the HRC should take on, for a number of reasons: He is mindful of a number of things that Mr. Carroll stated. He has a sense that it will not go anywhere. He said that he certainly believes they should be out of office and that they have done damage to this country but he will not support this resolution at this time because the HRC needs to 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 .~0~ .~0.~ 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 .~_2 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 ~9 340 341 342 focus on what we can do to move this country forward. Commissioner Mendoza, said that he would support taking something to City Council because he sees the HRC as a bridge between the community and the City Council and it has a responsibility to do so. Based on the arguments that he has heard so far, it would be difficult to have a meaningful resolution. He stated that he feels that the idea should be taken to City Council in some maturer. He asked the public to reconsider what that action would be. Commissioner Blum said that he thought of expressing some kind of disapproval to City Council, but he feels we still shouldn’t do it. Corm~nissioner Wilson-Mora, said that she agreed with all the speakers toni~ht and that she has si~aed every petition to impeach President Bush and believes that he stole the election. She doesn’t believe that now is the time to take t!Ss to the City Council, but she does believe that we should call on the media for fairness. She spoke of the voter confidence resolution. She explained that she doesn’t believe the City Council would pass it. She thanked everyone for coming out and that she was sorry that the HRC couldn’t please everyone on this one. 8. RETREAT There was a brief discussion and it was decided to have the retreat on Monday, August 14th from 4:30pm to 9:00pm. They will contact the Palo Alto Mediation Program for a facilitator. They decided to discuss this further at the July meeting. A. Commissioner Reports: Commissioner Mendoza reported that he had a good experience working on the immigration subcommittee working on a resolution. He looks forward to his next assignment. Commissioner Lew reported that she met with LeifErickson, Sheila Mandoli and Commissioner Blum to extend the intergenerational week past one week in the future. She also reported that she attended a talk regarding housing, but was surprised that not many people were there. Commissioner Blum reported that he wrote a guest opinion in the Palo Alto Weekly regarding Acts of Intolerance. He also reported that he attended the Off the Streets Team meeting; they had a speaker from San Rafael, who spoke about an impressive program to deal with homeless persons who have mental illness problems. Commissioner Lenoir reported that she attended the County HRC meeting. Primarily they asked different organization to attend to have a focus group conversation about topics related to the HRC. Commissioner Wilson-Mora reported that she attended the Tenant Forum co-sponsored by the HRC. There were about 25 people who attended and it was very good. B. Council Buddy Reports: None C. Council Liaison Report: .~4.~ 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 None D. Staff Liaison Report: Kathy Espinoza-Howard encouraged the HRC commissioners to meet with their com~cil buddies. She also provided them with the possible dates for the joint meeting with the City Council. She also suggested that they discuss the importance of HSRAP at the joint meeting with the City Council. .A~qNOUNCEMENTS None CALL FOR AGENDA ITEMS Replacement of Pay Toilet at Lytton Plaza Voter Confidence Resolution HRC Retreat Intergenerational Event Urban Ministry Report Chief Johnson to bring Menlo Park and East Palo Alto Police Chiefs to coordinate their activities and discuss how they address diversity issues. Bring in Neighborhood Associations to discuss issues they are concerned about. Parent ~oups to discuss Tinsley school decision. HRC Awards ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.