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PSC - Minutes - 08-24-23MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 24, 2023 The Regular Meeting of the Rosemead Public Safety Commission was called to order by Chair Michael Cao at 7:04 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Commissioners Fonseca, Foutz, Garcia, Kuang, Martinez, Ta and Wu ABSENT: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: was led by Commissioner Fonseca INVOCATION: was led by Chair Wu ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE The Oath of Office was administered to the newly appointed Commissioners Jeff Foutz, Stephanie Garcia, Sarah Kuang, Tommy Martinez, and Yin Yin Ta. REORGANIZATION: Commissioners provided a brief introduction prior to reorganizing. Commissioner Garcia nominated Commissioner Wu for the position of Chairman, the nomination was seconded by Commissioner Ta. Motion carried by the following vote: A YES: Fonseca, Foutz, Garcia, Kuang, Martinez, Ta, and Wu. Chair Wu opened the nominations for Vice -Chair. Commissioner Fonseca nominated Commissioner Foutz, seconded by Commissioner Garcia. Motion carried by the following vote: A YES: Fonseca, Foutz, Garcia, Kuang, Martinez, Ta, and Wu. 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE Chair Wu opened the Public Comment period. No Public Comments were received. Chair Wu closed the Public Comment period. 2. CONSENT CALENDAR: Vice -Chair Foutz made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 22, 2023, Public Safety Commission Meeting, and was seconded by Commissioner Garcia. Motion carried by the following vote: YES: 7-0 3. MATTERS FROM STAFF Assistant City Manager Bruckner invited Commissioners to provide a brief introduction. A. Overview of Commission Purpose & Duties Assistant City Manager Bruckner introduced City and County Staff: LT. Kevin Tiwari, Interim Chief of Police, Daniel Perez, Sergeant, Gerald Gonzales, Assistant Fire Chief, Wayne Co, Public Safety Manager, Mandy Wong, Public Safety Supervisor, and Jennifer Pineda, Management Analyst. Thereafter, a presentation was provided discussing the purpose and duties of the Public Safety Commission. Assistant City Manager Bruckner explained that the purpose of the Commission is to facilitate a citizen -based community effort to organize, promote, advocate, and participate in public safety efforts concerning matters relating to public safety, including understanding police and fire operations, crime prevention, and emergency preparedness to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life in Rosemead. The duties of the Commission include serving in an advisory capacity to the City Council and staff on public safety efforts, advising on other related items as assigned by the City Council, receiving and reviewing crime incidents and trends provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and Public Safety Department, receiving and reviewing staff recommendations on emergency preparedness information for recommendations to the City Council, to participate in the efforts of the Community Academy, which has not begun, receiving homeless encampment issues for recommendation to the City Council, receiving crime prevention and public awareness programs and events for recommendations to the City Council, make recommendations to the City Council regarding policies and services related to public safety, and lastly to provide the City Council with the year-end review and recommendation report. Assistant City Manager Bruckner reviewed the Brown Act, which requires local government business to be conducted an open forum and public meetings, except in limited situations to be available to the public. The Brown Act is based upon state policy that the people must be informed so that they can keep control over their government. When there is a meeting, they are noticed 72 hours in advance. Special meetings or emergency meetings require a shorter timeframe of 24 hours. The provisions of meetings were explained along with things to avoid under the Brown Act such as serial meetings or the discussion of non -agenda items. Assistant City Manager Bruckner asked the Commission to think about items that they would like to be presented in the next several meetings. A copy of the year- end report will be provided to new Commissioners to view the topics that were previously discussed. Commissioner Ta asked why the City of Rosemead does not have its own police department like the surrounding cities of Monterey Park or Alhambra. Is it budgetary or the size of the city? Vice -Chair Foutz mentioned he is concerned about burglaries and catalytic converter theft by Savannah Elementary School and would like to know if thefts have lowered or risen. Commissioner Fonseca asked in what area was West Nile detected. Assistant City Manager Bruckner clarified that a mosquito was found contaminated with West Nile; however, there was no actual positive case of West Nile. Public Safety Supervisor Mandy Wong invited the Commission to a presentation from the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control on the topic of the West 2 Nile virus. The town hall will be held on September 13 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Rosemead Community Recreation Center. Commissioner Fonseca asked whether the Rosemead SAO team is making connections with all of the school personnel at each school and patrolling in the mornings or evenings during drop-off and pick times. She also thanked the City of Rosemead for the hard work in preparing for Hurricane Hilary. The social media posts on Instagram and Facebook were great reminders. She appreciated information being shared on where to get sandbags and how to prepare. Public Safety Supervisor Wong and Lieutenant Tiwari were commended for the Community Area Watch and the information presented. The app used to present was interactive and presented questions for all to see. Commissioner Garcia thanked the City Council for creating the committee to address homeless issues but would also like to discuss some of these items in the Public Safety Commission. Commissioner Kuang thanked Mandy's team because there were fallen branches over the weekend, and they were taken care of immediately. Also, she inquired about the type of resources available to help people in need and if there are ongoing programs to assist people. Chair Wu mentioned homelessness is still a big issue. Chair Wu requested to provide information to the Commission regarding the Homelessness Subcommittee and actions being taken. She also mentioned that Chief Tiwari has done a great job with business outreach and encourages more visits. B. LACoFD Fire & EMS Incidents Report (June and July 2023) This item was Received and Filed by the Commission without comment. C. LASD Crime Statistics (June and July 2023) A summary of the crime statistics for June and July 2023 was provided. Statistics include a five-year snapshot as well as an annualized basis. The report contains a monthly breakdown and breaks out by individual crime. Commissioner Fonseca mentioned that there have been a consistent 65 to 66 incidents of theft per month and asked if further breakdown can be provided, for example, are they commercial or residential, and where is it happening. Lieutenant Tiwari mentioned that the stats are considered part one crimes and are combined which could include vehicle theft or theft happening at a store like Ulta or Target. Commercial and residential are differentiated. Chair Wu asked since zero bail was reinstated, how can the City tell if it is being affected? Lieutenant Tiwari mentioned that zero bail was extended to October. Crime is going up due to zero bail because those arrested for a felony that is non-violent, are released with a ticket and typically re -offend until their court date. That date could take as long as 60 days. 3 With no additional comments, this item was Received and Filed by the Commission. Commissioner Fonseca asked if Rosemead had any flash burglaries. Lieutenant Tiwari mentioned that Macy's in Montebello Mall has had one but not as serious as others that have been on the news. Chair Wu asked if there is any consequence if there is an attempted burglary. And what happens then. Lieutenant Tiwari mentioned that there are undercover operations and monitoring of security cameras. Patrol officers are outside waiting to make the arrest. If the theft doesn't pass the threshold, then they are released. Commissioner Martinez commented that the responsibility weighs heavily on the Sheriffs Department as far as retail theft, what responsibility does the retail environment need in providing security for their own building? Lieutenant Tiwari stated that businesses need to deter crime, such as keeping big- ticket items behind locked doors. Taking preventative measures is important too, like lighting cameras. Commissioner Martinez asked if the $950 theft threshold includes damage to property. Chief Tiwari stated that damage to property is $400 for vandalism and theft is $950 D. Rosemead SAO Team Weekly Reports Assistant City Manager Bruckner mentioned that these reports detail the activities of the Special Assignment Team, which differs from patrol as these are mission specific. These reports include arrests, felony arrests, misdemeanor arrests, noteworthy operations that have occurred, any criminal activity, and where there are high -frequency issues and specific areas of concern. Commissioner Wu asked about incidents that happened at the Royale Inn Motel on June 12 and again on June 21. She asked whether this was an incident with the same individual or if it was two different individuals. Assistant City Manager Bruckner mentioned that an update will be provided at a later time. Commissioner Wu mentioned she saw that the decoy vehicle had been moved but some of the locations were left blank in the report. With no additional comments, this item was Received and Filed by the Commission. E. Crime Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Activities Assistant City Manager Bruckner informed that this item is a summary of all the completed crime prevention and emergency preparedness activities for the preceding month. These include things like the National Night Out event., weekly ham radio check, the CERT meetings, our Business Watch or Community Area Watch, any Neighborhood Watch meetings that are occurring, and any meetings that are attended related to Area D, which is our emergency response area in the county. This item was Received and Filed by the Commission. 4. MATTERS FROM COMMISSION A. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Garcia welcomed the newly installed Commissioners and looked forward to serving another year with fellow Commissioners. Commissioner Martinez thanked the City and officials for entrusting him to serve on the Commission. Commissioner Fonseca thanked Mandy and the City for the event on August 4 which was well attended. It was great to see everyone together as well as community partners. She also thanked the SAO Team who were at the Concerts in the Park which made the community feel safe. Chair Wu welcomed the new Commissioners and continuing Commissioners. She thanked Jennifer, Mike, Mandy, and the Chief for all their work. The quick turnaround to questions is appreciated. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p.m. The next Public Safety Commission meeting will be held on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. irythe Council Chambers. APPROVED: JennifeaPiheda, N(nagement Analyst J - outz, Vice -Chair