PSC 01-14-2016 (2)_revised 8/10/23CUPERTINO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, January 14, 2016, 6:00 p.m.
Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A
I. CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Tallinger called to order this regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety
Commission at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 14, 2016 in the Cupertino City Hall,
Conference Room A, located at 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California 95014.
II. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Andy Huang
Gerald Tallinger
Robert McCoy
Bob Cascone
Commissioners Absent: Mike Jerbic
Staff Present: Captain Rick Sung, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Chief John Justice, Santa Clara County Fire Department
Staff Absent: None
Others Present: None
III. REPORTS
1. Santa Clara County Fire Department
Deputy Chief Justice states that the December Fire Report again shows average statistics for
targeted response times. There were two fire incidents. The first incident was a kitchen fire in a
single family residential home on La Mar. Fire personnel put it out quickly and Sheriff's
deputies provided traffic control. Damage reached around $75,000 which usually indicates a
delayed call for help. The second incident took place at a restaurant on Stevens Creek Blvd,
when the fire alarm was tripped by a detector. At first it seemed like a false alarm, but they
investigated and found it was a small fire that was put out by their Ansul (dry chemical
extinguishing) system that is installed over the cooking surfaces, sustaining a minor loss at
$1,000.
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Deputy Chief Justice reports that Assistant Deputy Director Christie Moore in Community
Education Services is working on pulling together all the training information from the last
year, because it is agreed the information would be useful to the City. In the meantime, she has
created a flyer to advertise upcoming CERT training dates across all the cities/towns County
Fire serves. Residents can attend the most convenient date for them since all training is the same
across all cities/towns served by County Fire. A second flyer details the PEP Class dates and
locations. Next year, she plans to produce similar flyers of all Refresher Classes. Commissioner
Tallinger expresses great appreciation for these flyers and asks Deputy Chief Justice to pass
along his thanks to Christie; he agrees that she and her team have been doing great work.
Deputy Chief Justice mentions a County -wide project the Fire Department is working on called
the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Last year, he received a grant from the State to put
together a CWPP. There are four existing but separate CWPPs in the county, the Lexington
Basin, Palo Alto, East Foothills and Croy. The CWPP team will host community meetings in
four separate locations in an effort to reach as many people as possible. The purpose of
community outreach efforts is to bring a variety of people together hear their concerns about
wildland fires and to provide input for fire prevention to help protect the community, such as
shaded fuel breaks, community education, etc. The Core Team for the CWPP consists of County
Fire personnel, landowners such as County Parks, County Open Space, Midpeninsula Open
Space, FireSafe Council and residents, etc. There is a group of individuals involved in creating
GIS data layers such as fuel types, historical temperatures, and winds. The Cupertino meeting
will take place in the evening on Monday February 22nd.
Deputy Chief Justice also presented a booklet authored by Robert Sieben. County Fire has
purchased 1,000 of these books, which will be available to residents at community events where
County Fire is in attendance. Mr. Sieben survived the terrible 1991 Tunnel Fire in Oakland. His
home and whole neighborhood were lost, and it inspired him to extensively research what
homeowners can do to prevent and protect their homes against wildfires.
2. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Captain Sung reviews the year-end report for 2015. Response times averaged very well at 3.77
minutes for a total of 74 Priority One Calls for Service. Priority Two and Three calls met the
targeted response times as well. He is obviously unhappy with the significantly increased crime
rate across the City. Robbery and residential burglary were both higher than previous years.
Commercial and vehicle burglary are actually down, but grand and petty thefts are still very
high. The Sheriff's Office made lots and lots of arrests throughout the year, taking criminals off
the streets. Captain Sung goes over the details for a recent arrest involving juveniles in the
process of committing burglaries. He also announces that the first ever Community/Citizen
Academy will start on February 24. It will last 12 weeks and there are 20 spaces open. It is
sponsored by the cities of Cupertino and Saratoga, and the Sheriff's Office plans to host two
academies per year.
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3. Commission Reports
Commissioner Tallinger reports that he attended the Safe Routes to Schools meeting. They
received a disappointing 9% participation from parents to their resent survey. Teen
Commission is hosting a WOW week, with four schools participating this time. There was a
funding meeting to sort out funding issues. They are also planning another "Sounds of the
City" event on January 29 at 5:30pm at the Senior Center. He encourages everyone to go and
bring their kids because the event was great last year. The Teen Commission is still talking
about an idea conference — Commissioner Tallinger recommended they ask Commissioner
Huang to speak. The Bicycle -Pedestrian Commission has not held their first meeting so far this
year
Commissioner Cascone reports that the County has been setting up a group to develop Annexes
to the County level Emergency Plan, pushing for a Flood Annex to become effective in
February. They are doing a wonderful job, involving a large number of people and keeping a
proactive pace.
IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Commissioner McCoy presents a conversation on NextDoor that he was monitoring and then
joined. Someone in the Saratoga area was requesting a list of all CERT members in his area, stating
that he has corporate world emergency training and would like to join the local resident CERT
group. The response was at first open-ended, but the requirements to join were later clarified.
Commissioner McCoy is concerned about the possibility of training requirements being waived and
how it may affect CERT groups working in unison during a real emergency.
V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Commissioner Tallinger presents a concern from a resident regarding Pasadena Avenue, which is a
major route between Stevens Creek and McClellan. He has noticed a lot of parents speeding to get
their children to school in the morning, racing from stop sign to stop sign, up to 45mph in a 25mph
zone. He wants to know what can be done to slow drivers down. Dave Stillman told Commissioner
Tallinger that he would put some counters out to get data on speeds and times, and then speak
with Captain Sung.
VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. December 10, 2015
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: TALLINGER 4 to 0
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Commissioner McCoy motioned to approve the minutes of December 10, 2015; Commissioner
Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to approve the minutes of December 10,
2015.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
1. Discuss participation in the Alert SCC Program, the CAS Program, and the Pulse Points App
(Huang/McCoy)
ACTION: NO
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A
SECONDED: N/A
Oto0
Chair Huang reports that he has lined up some Chinese Schools for the upcoming training. He
then adds the Chinese New Year falls on February 8th, and the Lunar New Year, celebrated by
multiple cultures, is actually the same weekend as the Superbowl this year! He recommends the
Fire Department put out a message to the community to avoid using firecrackers, especially
since emergency services will be heavily strained surrounding the Superbowl.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
1. Discuss the Transition to the Bicycle -Pedestrian Commission of the Walk/Bike/Carpool to
School (WBC) project, the Dero program and Surveys to Schools
ACTION: NO
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A
SECONDED: N/A
Oto0
Commissioner Tallinger happily reports that the Bicycle -Pedestrian Commission approved the
grants discussed last meeting. He learned that prizes for the Dero Program are not allowed to
be gift cards, because it's perceived to be like giving away money and conflicts with school
district rules. Chair Huang interjects that is why Monta Vista had awarded movie tickets rather
than movie gift cards for a past event. There is a target to get the program up and running after
spring break. Commissioner Tallinger had a follow up meeting with Sean from the Bicycle -
Pedestrian Commission regarding WBC items. A question arose as to whether any more
Surveys to Schools were returned to the SROs, because Sean only received Surveys for six or
seven schools out of the thirteen. Commissioner Tallinger agrees to bring up at the next Bicycle -
Pedestrian Commission meeting that they will need to establish liaisons for all the schools since
the PSC will no longer be affiliated with the WBC Programs.
2. Discuss the Continuation of Public Education and Outreach
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
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MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: TALLINGER 4 to 0
Commissioner McCoy motioned to move the topic of "Continuation of Public Education and
Outreach" from New Business to Old Business as a perpetual discussion item; Commissioner
Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to move "Continuation of Public
Education and Outreach" to item 2 of Old Business.
Chair Huang suggests that the PSC move this discussion item from New Business over to Old
Business as an ongoing topic, and all agree. Commissioner Tallinger suggests exploring themes
like positive roles that citizens can play in making the whole City safer — such as reporting
suspicious activity, preventing fires in the home, slowing down when driving, etc. He would
like to get support from City officials, look into funding for flyers, and use multiple media
platforms. He also suggests researching venues, like the Senior Center or Community Center,
where they could host, events. He adds that event days and times should vary and only last up
to 1.5 hours. He envisions it as an educational forum, possibly utilizing dynamic guest speakers.
Commissioner McCoy states that they should first get an idea what the public would be
interested in, to focus on topics that will have the most impact. He suggests the PSC put
together a survey through the City website, simply asking residents what their top three
concerns are, and then plan educational events on those topics with the highest percentages.
Commissioner McCoy states that he has always thought it would be a great if they could
simulate a crime in progress, during a City event like the Fall Festival, and find out afterwards
how many people actually notice what happened. Captain Sung agrees that it is a very good
idea. Commissioner Tallinger suggests making a video of a crime in progress and then show it
at a presentation, asking attendees what they noticed. Commissioner McCoy insists it would
have more impact if done live. Chair Huang agrees, saying that they could call up attendees,
and have a demonstration about something like pick -pocketing. Chair Huang also recalls how a
former commissioner would purposely take a child away, every year during the safety
presentation at Garden Gate Elementary, then talk to the audience at the end of the presentation
to point out how everyone saw what she did and no one spoke up. Live demonstrations can be
most effective, take less time than a standard presentation, and spark interest in a broader
audience.
Chair Huang recommends that they form a sub -committee to explore this; asking
Commissioner Tallinger to forward his power point information to Captain Sung so all
commissioners can take a closer look. Whoever volunteers for the sub -committee will need to
speak with the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department to prioritize topics, for discussion at the
next PSC meeting.
Commissioner McCoy then talks about an idea for a Public Safety Expo event, similar to the
National Night Out, but more hands-on with booths and demonstrations. He also likens it to
the Hero's run in that it could occur annually and draw a large number of people. Captain Sung
interjects that the most successful event he's ever seen locally was Dave Cortese's Day on the
Bay, because there was a lot of hands-on activities, free food barbequed by firefighters, and
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every booth had free give-aways. Deputy Chief Justice agrees, saying that what made that event
so successful was that it took place on the weekend, not on a school night, and it involved the
whole family, providing very easy and inexpensive food. So there was a lot for the family to do
while officials reached out to the adults. Commissioners McCoy and Tallinger agree to form the
subcommittee.
Captain Sung states that the PSC Commissioners most likely have a very accurate pulse on
what their neighbors are interested in. Chair Huang brings up a common question he hears
regarding what a woman should do if someone tries to take her purse off her shoulder. This
leads to Commissioner McCoy stating that one goal might be to teach some general self-defense
tactics to the public. Captain Sung offers that he may know a great expert that loves to teach.
Commissioner Cascone adds that the City endorses classes by a particular Financial Planner, so
it may be acceptable for the City to endorse some form of self-defense as well. Chair Huang says
that a self-defense demonstration may be a good starter at the first event — educational and
entertaining.
3. Discuss the Collaboration/Cross-Training of Volunteer Groups
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: TALLINGER 4 to 0
Commissioner McCoy motioned to move the topic of "Collaboration/Cross Training of
Volunteer Groups" from New Business to Old Business as a perpetual discussion item;
Commissioner Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to move
"Collaboration/Cross Training of Volunteer Groups" to item three of Old Business.
Commissioner Huang reminds the PSC that this discussion topic is based on the idea of
bringing together the various groups of CERT, MRC, CARES, Block Leaders and Neighborhood
Watch who currently have separate training, and try to cross -train them so they may collaborate
more effectively when needed during both scheduled City events and emergency events. First
and foremost, Chair Huang proposes that all groups should be able to operate under the
standardized ICS structure alongside the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department. Perhaps
downloading PulsePoints and CAS could be another item. Commissioner Tallinger brings up
the participation issues he has noticed, such as members simply not attending the scheduled
training sessions and drills. He also asks who is in charge of participation, to follow up with
members who do not attend. Commissioner Cascone adds that the mentality among those on
the steering committee has already shifted significantly towards collaboration, and an
overarching objective at various drills and training has been to bring the various groups closer
together. They are defining the groups along FEMA guidelines, using the same vocabulary, and
the focus is shifting to a larger umbrella of trained volunteers which even includes the
volunteers at the Senior Center, Teen Center and Parks & Recreation. Commissioner McCoy
responds that he as a member has not received any communication about these changes, and
would like to be informed. After further discussion, Commissioner Tallinger offers to
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summarize the changes that have been implemented within Citizen Corps over the last couple
years at the next meeting, and Commissioner Cascone offers to have an After -Action Report
copy forwarded to the PSC for review when they occur. Commissioners Tallinger and Cascone
agree to be the liaisons on this topic.
4. Discuss How to Align Public Safety Outreach and Established County Materials
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: TALLINGER 4 to 0
Commissioner McCoy motioned to move the topic of "How to Align Public Safety Outreach
and Established County Materials" from New Business to Old Business as a perpetual
discussion item and list it as a subsection of the Public Education and Outreach item;
Commissioner Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to move "How to Align
Public Safety Outreach and Established County Materials" to a subsection of item two under
Old Business.
The commissioners recall how Commissioner Cascone presented a County EMS -produced
schedule of safety topics with associated flyers/material, and that he received approval from the
OES Director to make those materials available to Cupertino volunteers. Commissioner Cascone
offers to contact the Cupertino PIO so he is aware this information is available for distribution
and that it's already been vetted by experts which removes much of the potential City liability.
Commissioner McCoy asks if Commissioner Tallinger incorporated last year's topic series into
his articles for The Cupertino Scene so they don't duplicate efforts. Chair Huang recommends
moving this topic into Old Business as a subsection of public education, and for Commissioner
Cascone to bring the 2016 schedule for incorporation moving forward.
IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING
1. Discuss Reports from County Fire, County Sheriff's Office and Commission Liaisons.
2. Discuss promotion plans for CAS, AlertSCC and the Pulse Points App. (Huang/McCoy)
3. Discuss the continuation of public education and outreach. (Tallinger/McCoy)
a. Discuss how to align public safety outreach and established County materials. (Cascone)
4. Discuss the collaboration/cross training of volunteer groups. (All)
5. Discuss the transition of the Walk/Bike/Carpool to School Project, the Dero (formerly Boltage)
Project, and Surveys to Schools to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Commission. (Tallinger)
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X. ADJOURNMENT
This regular meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
XI. NEXT MEETING
The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.
SUBMITTED BY:
Jennifer Roth
Executive Assistant
West Valley Patrol Division
Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
January 21, 2016
APPROVED BY:
Andy Huang, Commission Chair
Date