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PSC 10-09-2014 CUPERTINO PUBLIC BLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Thursday, October 9, 2014, 6:00 p.m. Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Huang called to order the regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety Commission at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2014 in the Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A,located at 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California 95014. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Andy Huang Robert McCoy Gerald Tallinger Bob Cascone Steven Michael Jerbic Commissioners Absent: None Staff Present: Captain Ken Binder, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Staff Absent: Santa Clara County Fire Department Battalion Chief Others Present: Deputy Aaron Baker III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There are no oral communications to discuss at this regular meeting. IV. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS There is one email to discuss from a resident who is concerned about the manner in which the Cupertino Courier is delivered. He writes that the delivery driver drives down his street, the Courier is thrown from both sides of the vehicle, and he requests help in getting this driver to stop what he views as unsafe driving. The commissioners discuss the issue and ask for Captain Binder's input. He states that he knows of no accidents related to paper delivery practices, so there seems nothing to support the idea that this poses a serious public danger. It is a private 1 matter between the resident complainant and the independent contractor driver. Commissioner Huang will respond through email. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. September 11, 2014 ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: MCCOY 4 to 0 Commissioner Tallinger motioned to approve the minutes of September 11, 2014, with no corrections; Commissioner McCoyseconded the motion;votes taken all in favor to approve Pp the minutes of September 11, 2014 with Commissioner Cascone abstaining due to his absence last meeting. VI. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion of Walk/Bike/Carpool to School (WBC) project (all),the Boltage program (Tallinger), and Surveys to Schools (All) Commissioner Jerbic opens discussion about the request (from Sarita Mallya) for bicycle racks at Kennedy Middle School. Captain Binder states that buying racks for one school may open up requests from multiple schools. The current grant portion of the budget, for WBC programs, is limited and will not be replenished automatically when used. Commissioner Tallinger reports speaking with Toby Smith, Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation for the Cupertino Union School District, about the overfull bike racks at Kennedy. Mr. Smith offered to cover the cost and oversee installation of bike racks and security fencing by November, through an improvement project already in progress there. Commissioner Huang instructs Commissioner Jerbic to send an email response to the requestor (Sarita Mallya), copying Captain Binder and Commissioner Huang. Commissioner McCoy would like to recognize Mr. Steve Vhaskar who also voiced this issue at the last PSC Meeting as a visitor; unfortunately, the PSC does not have his contact information. ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: CASCONE 5 to 0 Commissioner Tallinger motions to recommend a change to the Cupertino Municipal Code 11.08.180 Exemptions, as indicated uz red, underlined and italicized font below; Commissioner Cascone seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to recommend this change to Code 11.08.180 Exemptions: 2 1 , "Children under the age of ten years and children under the age o fourteen years zvho are traveling to and,from school shall be exempt from the provisions of Section 11.08.160; provided that the exemption shall not apply to children under the age of ten years arid children under the age of ourteerz years zvho are traveling to and fi•oni school who fail to exercise, or are incapable of exercising, due care for the rights and safety of all others using any sidewalk or pedestrian path; and provided further, that in any event the exemption shall not apply to the operation of bicycles on any sidewalk or pedestrian path in front of any business or commercial establishment." The commissioners discuss a request to revise Cupertino Municipal Code 11.08.180 regarding the exemption provided to allow children under 10 years old to ride bicycles on sidewalks. Commissioner Tallinger met with Deputies Baker and Torres, who suggested changing this code to allow students under age 14 to ride bicycles to and from school on the sidewalk for safety reasons. Roads surrounding many Cupertino schools are narrow and congested with vehicles both driving and parked at the curb, leaving no room for bicycles to pass. Deputy Baker adds that the only option for students currently is to get off their bikes and walk them on the sidewalk. He adds that traffic deputies report a noticeable decrease in violations following the bicycle safety classes given by School Resource Officers at various schools. Commissioner Huang prepared search results for comparison, finding that the age limit in San Francisco and Georgia is 13, Chicago is 12 and Vermont and Idaho have a limit of 16 years old for sidewalk bike riding. Commissioner McCoy voices concern for the children under 10 sharing the sidewalk with older children who often bicycle at faster speeds and with less care. Commissioner Huang states that through grants, the PSC has encouraged students to walk, bike or carpool to school and found a 50% success rate. The other 50% believes it is unsafe for their children to do so, as evidenced by surveys, so the commissioners hope that increasing the age limit for bicycling on sidewalks will garner more parent encouragement. Commissioner Jerbic summarizes discussed points by composing the following rationale: "Traffic congestion along elementary and middle school roads prevents bicyclists from safely riding on the road during peak traffic hours at school. To encourage more bicycling to and from school, the PSC recommends that 10-13 year old student bicyclists be allowed to ride on sidewalks. The PSC believes this to be consistent with current City Council interests in the Walk Bike Carpool (WBC) program. The intent of this proposal is to let elementary and middle school students use the sidewalk to safely ride their bikes to and from school." ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: JERBIC 5 to 0 3 r Commissioner Tallinger motions to approve the pursuit of his recommendations, listed by number below as 1, 1a, 3, 4, 7 and 8, to address the issues surrounding school traffic and parental safety concerns; Commissioner Jerbic seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to approve the pursuit of continuing the WBC Survey to Schools and develop other monitoring methods, work with the Teen Commission on the WOW program, work with the Sheriff's Office to continue safety education and traffic enforcement around schools, search for helpful apps, and try to access schools' existing mass media to disseminate traffic and safety information. Commissioner Tallinger presents his findings and recommendations surrounding the Boltage program. He has reviewed existing surveys and spoken with Sheriff's Office deputies, school officials and former Boltage program operators. He also met with Dave Stillman at the City of Cupertino's Public Works and with Director Toby Smith from the Cupertino Union School District's Maintenance, Operations &Transportation Department. At Kennedy Middle School, there are 350 students registered for the Boltage program, up from 199 last year, and around 25-30% bike to school. Lincoln Elementary School's Boltage equipment is not in operation due to lack of a parent volunteer coordinator. Mr. Smith from CUSD voiced support of the Boltage program to help reduce traffic and safety issues. Officials at Eaton Elementary School report a significant problem with distracted parent drivers not paying attention to the operation of their vehicles, lots of minor car accidents and a lot of jay walking violations. Hyde complains of obsolete signage and parents often violating students' safety. Kennedy deals with horrible congestion on Bubb Road, with a reported 30 minute wait to drop students off in the morning and several near-misses surrounding the school. Garden Gate Elementary School also reports a lot of traffic issues, especially with parents crossing Mary Avenue. Regnart Elementary School expresses the need for additional bicycle lanes, although Commissioner Jerbic clarifies the road is simply too narrow to accommodate this desire. Regarding the WOW events, Commissioner Tallinger states more documentation is necessary to prove a positive effect. However, Eaton reports three times more students walking and biking during WOW events, reaching about 60-70% student participation. Commissioner McCoy suggests it should be extended to a three week long time frame to try to alter student habits more permanently. Commissioner Tallinger reviews his advice to the Teen Commission for improvement of WOW coordination. Commissioner Tallinger then reviews various survey findings. The recent Bicycle- Pedestrian Commission's Survey to Parents revealed 70% would prefer not to drive their children to school, but 75% have major safety concerns, such as the lack of safe routes, bike lanes and crossing guards. 50% of survey participants would like green bike lanes around the schools, improvements in crosswalks, and increased police patrol during commute hours. The survey also revealed some logistical reasons parents choose to drive students, 4 J such as it being quicker or more convenient to drive students, or the students having to transport heavy bags and large instruments. Only 12% of participants indicated that no improvements would change their mind about driving their children to school, so Commissioner Tallinger points out there is great room for safety improvements that may relieve parental concerns. Some interesting details from the Regnart Parent Survey include that 80% of participants believe their neighborhood is safe enough for children to walk to school, 53% believe it is safe for 3rd to 5th graders to bike to school, and 86% state that Regnart effectively communicates information on traffic safety to parents and students. The Saratoga School Traffic Calming Program report still must be reviewed, and Commissioner Tallinger agrees to email a copy to Captain Binder. Commissioner Tallinger goes on to list multiple recommendations to the PSC: 1. Continue the WBC Survey to Schools to monitor progress, and a. develop other monitoring methods 2. Move forward the campaign to equip and implement Boltage program at all willing Cupertino elementary and middle schools 3. Work with the Teen Commission on the WOW program, encourage hosting it twice a year and issuing kits to the schools for self-sufficiency 4. Work with the Sheriff's Office to continue the effort of safety education and enforcement around schools 5. Work with Cupertino Public Works to identify and address traffic and safety issues around schools, like crosswalks, signs, etc. 6. Explore options through the VTA and possible Clean Air Grants for electric busses 7. Look for apps to promote at schools that may help with carpooling, parent escorts, walking or biking groups, etc. 8. Explore tapping into the established mass media at schools (i.e.- newsletters, web sites, email groups, etc.) to distribute traffic/safety information Commissioner McCoy responds, saying #6 would be in the domain of the Bicycle- Pedestrian Commission, #8 would require going through the school board, and #3 is the domain of the Teen Commission this year. Commissioner Jerbic then voices strong questions about the efficacy of installing the Boltage program at multiple schools when the cost is so high and will require nearly the entire remaining grant portion of the PSC budget. He believes that schools need to have a more vested interest in such a program succeeding to justify the expense. Also, he states that schools should share accountability with the City for the congestion problems, and work together towards solutions. He then suggests instituting a toll be placed on school streets as a way to directly change parent driving behavior. The other commissioners respond that such a plan would never be accepted, for multiple reasons including resident revolt, school board denial, and the fact that roads are public property not used exclusively for student drop-off. Commissioner McCoy adds that the school superintendent of FUHSD estimates an increase of 18,000 students by 2021, 5 which will necessitate 53 more classrooms be built, so as the city grows the impaction will only get worse. Commissioners then discuss creating additional horse-shoe drop-off locations at schools that have unused areas like the grassy field at Regnart, or just instructing parents to drop- off kids a block away and walk in to decrease the congestion, but those improvements would be up to the individual schools or the school board. Commissioner Tallinger then retorts that the Boltage program is working, as evidenced by the fact that the schools with the most student bikers use Boltage. Commissioner Jerbic says that Boltage may be a correlation but not necessarily the cause of students choosing to bike to school, and this situation seems ripe for a private bus service to step in. ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: CASCONE 5 to 0 Commissioner Tallinger motions to approve the above listed recommendation number 2, modified to reflect that the PSC will focus on equipping and installing Boltage at Regnart and Hyde, and reinstating the existing Boltage program at Lincoln; Commissioner Cascone seconded the motion;votes taken, all in favor of this negotiated course of action. Commissioner Jerbic again voices concern that the goal should be smaller and more attainable, without risking the entire grant budget, since he has seen no compelling data to prove the effect Boltage may have on student behaviors. Also, there is no parent volunteer to administer the program at Lincoln. Commissioner Tallinger states that more research would take a couple months and push out realization of this proposal past the next school year. Captain Binder reiterates that the City still needs to approve such a large expenditure of any funds and should see supportive data. ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: HUANG SECONDED: TALLINGER 5 to 0 Commissioner Huang motions to modify the motion passed above, to reflect that the PSC will prioritize reinstating the existing Boltage program at Lincoln, then pursue installing a Boltage program at Regnart since they requested it, and then pursue installing a Boltage program at Hyde pending review of the existing data on what effect the discontinuance of Boltage has had on the statistics at Lincoln; Commissioner Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor of this modification to the motion passed above. 6 ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: HUANG SECONDED: CASCONE 5 to 0 Commissioner Huang motions that the Subcommittee contact Boltage directly, asking to reactivate the equipment at Lincoln temporarily, to test that it all still functions properly; Commissioner Cascone seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor that the Subcommittee contact Boltage and test the Lincoln Boltage system, before asking Lincoln to reinstate the program. 2. Discuss participation in the Alert SCC Program, the CAS Program, and the Pulse Points App (Huang/McCoy) ACTION: YES VOTE: NO MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0 Commissioner McCoy reports gathering 17 signups for CAS at the Fall Festival, but gathered none at the Bike Rodeo, possibly due to extreme heat. Commissioner Tallinger gathered about 20 signups at a class his wife recently presented and about 30 signups at the Eaton school ice cream social. He will try to gather more at a neighborhood presentation this coming Sunday. There are no updates regarding PulsePoints. VII. NEW BUSINESS There is no new business to discuss at this regular meeting. VIII. REPORTS 1. Santa Clara County Fire Department There was no Battalion Chief present at this regular meeting to present a report. 2. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Captain Binder reports that the Sheriff's Office met all response time goals in September. There were 767 calls for service, and only 3 priority one calls. There was another "swattu-ig" incident on Lhady Lane, in which someone calls dispatch claiming they have committed serious crimes and are holding someone hostage. The Sheriff's Office responds, even though the call did not seem credible from the start, but found no evidence at the reported residence of any crimes. It is suspected that the caller is based in a different country. 7 Among selected crimes, robberies and commercial burglaries are down, but residential and vehicle burglaries are up. Burglars still target rental cars, since travelers often leave their laptops and valuables lying in view on a seat instead of securing them in the trunk before they leave work. Most cases are crimes of opportunity. Identity theft and assaults are down, domestic violence cases stayed at the average. In combined Traffic and Patrol Citations, there were 402 moving citations issued, 156 speeding citations and 362 other non-moving citations. Deputies made 6 DUI arrests, responded to 6 injury accidents and 46 non-injury accidents, and there were no reported DUI accidents. 3. Commission Reports Commissioner Tallinger reports that the Teen Commission discussed the WOW program, plus their upcoming Pizza & Politics event on October 22 from 7 — 9pm. The Library Commission discussed nothing relevant. Commissioner McCoy has no Liaison Reports at this time. Commissioner Jerbic still reports no response from his assigned schools, so he will try other methods to contact the principals. He attended the Mayor's Meeting where they discussed why the cell tower issue was denied as an agenda item. There is a Council Appeal planned on October 21 regarding the Planning Commissions cell tower decision, and Mayor Wong invited PSC commissioners to voice their appeals there as concerned citizens if they wish. Commissioner McCoy states he will be there anyway because it is an important meeting that will include a final decision on the general plan amendment adding 12,000 homes to Cupertino. Commissioner Jerbic also mentions that a Bicycle-Pedestrian Commissioner suggested that the school district likely has bike racks floating around, advising not to buy more. Mayor Wong was relieved when he heard that the school district would cover the labor to install the bike racks. Commissioner Cascone reports that Garden Gate had a Safety Night last month where he gave out many CAS signup postcards. Captain Binder adds the Sheriff's Office had a large presence there with a K9 unit, two SROs, a motorcycle unit, etc. The Bicycle-Pedestrian Commission is revising the Transportation Plan and hosted a Bike Rodeo recently. The Parks & Recreation Commission has a consultant designing signage for the corridor of parks along Blackberry trails, and Commissioner Cascone asked them if the PSC could provide input on the content. They are also considering building a facility for the Shakespeare in the Park events. Commissioner Cascone has a meeting scheduled with an EMS Director to discuss possible monthly reports for the PSC and attending a meeting to give a presentation. Commissioner Huang states that he gave three emergency preparedness presentations in Mandarin in the last month, at a church, a school and a private company. He gave out all the CAS signup postcards, but couldn't signup the attendees because they were mostly minors. Commissioner Tallinger reminds Commissioner Huang to send an email to Mayor Wong regarding the PSC's concerns about the City of Cupertino not signing the MOU for AlertSCC, so Mayor Wong can work on obtaining approval. 8 IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING 1. Discuss the PSC sponsored programs. a. Sub-committee for Walk/Bike/Carpool to School Project and Boltage Program 2. Discuss promotion plans for CAS, AlertSCC and the Pulse Points App. 3. Discuss the County Fire Report, County Sheriff's Office Report, and Commission/Liaison Reports. X. ADJOURNMENT This regular meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m. XI. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: Jennifer Roth Executive Assistant West Valley Patrol Division Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff October 23, 2014 APPROVED BY: is Commission Chair Date 9