Loading...
PSC 02-12-2015 s , CUPERTINO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Thursday, February 12, 2015, 6:00 p.m. Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner McCoy called to order the regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety Commission at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2015 in the Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A, located at 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino,California 95014. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Robert McCoy Andy Huang Gerald Tallinger Bob Cascone Mike Jerbic Commissioners Absent: None Staff Present: Captain Rick Sung, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Staff Absent: Battalion Chief Ron Vega,Santa Clara County Fire Department Others Present: Pooja Baxi,Annabelle Chan,Shail Trivedi,Ajay Prasad,Justin Yun, Rizwanulla Mohammed III.REPORTS 1. Santa Clara County Fire Department Battalion Chief Vega reviews the January 2015 report. Response times are overall very good and average. They are still working with the City to install upgraded controls for the signal lights, which will help speed up response times. EMS calls remain the highest percentage of their call type at 72%, consistent with the county-wide 75%. There were only three small fires, creating a very low total fire loss of$1800, mostly for a vehicle fire. He then explains how County Fire is in the process of changing communication platforms, over to an Wad based system using technology very similar to that utilized by the PulsePoints App. Most fire agencies use PC based systems, but Santa Clara and Alameda Counties are the first to switch to the Apple system. He reassures Commissioner Jerbic that it will be a secure system, stating that information can only be pushed out and no one can enter the system. He also confirms for Commissioner McCoy that County Dispatch will still receive the calls for service and push information out to the fire apparatuses. The iPads will improve communication by allowing firefighters to update call status in real time and have access to a kind of mobile office. Eventually, they intend to move towards GPS dispatching, which will further speed response times. 1 a ; 1 2. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Captain Sung reviews the January report. There were 778 calls for service with priorities one through three. Response times for Priority One calls averaged 4.18 minutes, 6.11 minutes for Priority Two, and 12.03 minutes for Priority Three. Residential burglaries reduced from 16 to 14, but vehicle burglaries increased heavily from 6 to 33. When asked why it increased so sharply, Captain Sung answers that the passage of Proposition 27 has made it so thieves, burglars, and drug-users only receive a citation now, instead of going straight to jail, for possession of stolen items and/or drugs. Since these crimes were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, the punishment is less severe and usually involves the weekend work furlough program, collecting garbage along the freeways. With less severe consequences, vehicle theft increases. The Sheriff's Office has therefore been performing more targeted burglary suppression activities, and may arrest suspects they catch if they are under the influence of drugs at the time. Captain Sung reminds everyone to call in any suspicious activity they see, because when deputies are called immediately, crimes are often prevented. Simple awareness of your surroundings plays a huge factor. Moving on, there were again 2 vandalism cases, domestic violence cases dropped by one to 5 in January, and simple/aggravated assaults dropped from 4 to 2. Identity theft has been steadily decreasing across the whole county, possibly due in part to financial institutions utilizing more strict security practices. There were 717 citations issued in January, by traffic and patrol units combined, of which 389 were moving violations, 103 were speeding violations and 225 were for other violations such as expired registration, mechanical issues or illegal handicapped parking. Commissioner McCoy suggests that Captain Sung host a'Meet the Captain event at a coffee shop, like Assistant Sheriff Binder did as Captain last year, to try to strengthen lines of communication with the community. He also asks if it would be beneficial to use citizen volunteers as crime monitors in key retail parking lots. Captain Sung answers that it is very unsafe for untrained citizens to try to detain suspected criminals,but that video footage and high definition photos are really helpful in identifying possible suspects. 3. Commission Reports Commissioner Jerbic begins by discussing his meeting with Mayor Sinks regarding his proposal to pilot a cost-benefit analysis project on the green bike lanes around schools. Mayor Sinks was amicable to the idea, giving authorization to solicit help from the Public Works Department, and asked what else they would like to work on. Commissioner Jerbic told him to let the PSC know what topics would be of value to the Council for the PSC to work on. He states that he will begin this pilot project on his own, possibly recruiting students where he works. Commissioner Jerbic also attended a Sheriff's Office presentation on Cyber Safety and was astonished by the information. He believes it should be more widely distributed among residents, to inspire a movement to improve the state of things online. Lastly, he reports the TICC is in transition between chairs and he was out of town during their recent meeting. Commissioner Tallinger begins by saying there were no public safety items discussed at the Library Commission meeting, so he will read minutes and check agendas moving forward but not attend as regularly.The Teen Commission is planning an intergenerational event"Sounds of the City" at the Senior Center on April 10th in the evening, with live jazz and 60's music bands. All PSC Commissioners are encouraged to attend. The Teen Commission also is trying to organize a talk forum of interesting speakers, and will help with this year's Big Bunny Fun Run. Commissioner Tallinger again requests a list of each commissioner's school liaisons and contact information, so Commissioner Jerbic offers to get the info from Commissioner McCoy through Captain Sung and put together a quick spreadsheet for all commissioners to have. Commissioner Tallinger also 2 expresses interest in attending the Leadership 95014 program, but Commissioner McCoy states it is not something the PSC can sponsor; he is welcome to apply and pay individually. Commissioner Huang answers Commissioner Tallinger's questions about various budgets. Commissioner Cascone reports the Parks& Recreation Commission has 2 new members and a new chair. They discussed the city park planned within the Main Street project which is private property, including a proposal to continue the public use agreement through future property owners. In a related matter, the City will soon try to renew the MOU with school districts that expires late 2016 so the public may continue to use school campuses during off-hours.At the Mayor's Meeting,9 out of 10 commissions were represented, and Mayor Sinks focused heavily on wanting to get feedback on each commission's work plan. He is thinking about shifting more authority to the commissions. Commissioner Cascone suggested re-establishing a relationship between commissioners and Council members directly,either with monthly meetings or by Councilmembers attending occasional commission meetings. Commissioner Huang simply reports that the Housing Commission's meeting was canceled again, claiming a lack of business. Commissioner McCoy begins by describing a community workshop he attended on the General Plan housing element, where he only observed and the results are pending. At the Planning meeting, they reviewed a proposal for a 15 unit apartment complex on Foothill Blvd. between Alpine and Vista Knoll. There were many people against the proposal due to increased traffic concerns, and the developers were asked to revise the entrance-exit plan for safety reasons. Commissioner McCoy also attended the City Council meeting, where they mainly focused on how to revive Blackberry Farm and the golf course. A famous golf course architect recommended a complete overhaul of the irrigation system infrastructure. The biggest obstacle to revival is a settlement between the City and neighborhood residents, which disallows school busses from entering the parking lot and forces children to walk very far to enter the park, and also greatly changes the allowed hours of operation. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Pooja Baxi, of the Green Society at Monta Vista, discusses current plans for the Spring 2015 WOW(Walk One Week) program, scheduled for the week of March 30 — April 3. The Green Society is collaborating with the Cupertino Teen Commission, but solicits the PSC for support through approving school grant applications. She submits a list of 12 schools they believe will participate, including 6 elementary, 3 middle and 3 high schools. Each school will submit an original and unique grant application, limited to$500.00 each, and pick a style of event. The Green Society offers three models, geared towards elementary, middle and high schools, with different approaches and suggested incentives.They plan to help facilitate each school's event as needed or requested. They also plan to focus heavily on data collection, the week before, during and after, using an updated survey and photographic evidence of how traffic looks at each school.Volunteers will hand out one ticket from a double ticket roll to each participant, and keep the twin for number tracking. They also plan to involve the community more by asking businesses to donate incentives, such as movie tickets, bowling packages, food, etc., in exchange for publicity. Ms. Baxi asks specifically for the commissioners to contact their assigned schools and encourage participation, consider the grant applications, and specify what data is required for their updated survey. Commissioner Jerbic reminds Ms. Baxi that the applications need to specify which school or PTA the check should be issued to, since it may not be issued to an individual. Commissioner Huang also reminds her that the applications must be original and unique to each school. They discuss the time deadline, since there is only one more PSC meeting scheduled before the WOW events. All grant applications must be submitted by Friday, March 6, in order to be included on the agenda produced Monday, March 9, for the meeting Thursday, March 12. Captain Sung agrees to receive applications electronically as they come in. 3 Justin Yun states on behalf of the Teen Commission that it is great to work with the PSC and with the Green Society,and they have renewed resolve to help with WOW this year and take more of a lead moving forward. Ms.Baxi adds a request for a police presence at participating schools the week during WOW,to help mitigate safety concerns among elementary school parents, especially in the Lincoln area. Captain Sung says it should be possible and asks her to send an email request. Commissioner Huang emphasizes three action items. First, the Teen Commission must have a motion and pass a resolution at their next meeting, asking the PSC to assist with WOW this year. Second, all grant applications must be submitted and on the agenda for the next PSC meeting. Third, the Green Society may make one presentation covering the results data for all schools; however, each school should send a representative to attend the presentation. Commissioner McCoy discusses an issue as a resident. Apple-owned bicycles are continuously discarded all around his building, sometimes 3—6 per night, blocking stairs, driveways, the elevator and sidewalks. They are just left abandoned for days,until the security guard for his residence building physically takes them back to an Apple building.He is concerned because it is a safety issue and it may invite more theft into the area. Commissioner Cascone mentions that his own townhome complex recently held an HOA meeting with guest speaker Deputy Strickland because they intend to start up a Neighborhood Watch program. It was the most attended meeting in a long time, and he was impressed how the deputy handled tons of questions. V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS Commissioner McCoy details four items. First, he explains that he recently made some remarks at a City Council Meeting, trying to clarify the city truck ordinance. What he said was emailed to David Brandt, and found to be in conflict. The ordinance is currently under legal review and the PSC will be briefed on the outcome when the revision is complete.He apologizes for any trouble his remarks may have caused,and says he learned from this experience that anything he states to members of the public may be construed as official PSC opinion rather than personal conjecture. Next, Commissioner McCoy says he learned that Cupertino is not a charter city, but an ordinance city, and the ordinance controlling the PSC is very vague and broad. To ask for a clear definition may place uncomfortable limits on the PSC. He also learned that the PSC is to review traffic matters, which he thought the Bike/Pedestrian Commission normally advises on. Third, he revisits the crosswalk issue on Torre Ave. near City Hall. A resident named Steven presented the issue to the PSC last year, and has emailed about his continued frustration with drivers consistently making illegal U-turns there. He is further upset because the proposal for the new City Hall/Civic Center includes no solution for this trouble spot. Commissioner Huang reminds the PSC that their response last year was to request video footage of the copious violations, but no video was ever submitted. The Sheriff's Office continues to monitor the area regularly. Lastly, Commissioner McCoy discusses the crosswalk at Stelling and Alves, near the Quinlan Center. He personally witnessed two vehicles violating the traffic signs, and would like to ask City Staff if the rationale still exists for the signs to be this way. If drivers chronically disobey the signs, maybe Public Works should review the traffic dynamics there.Captain Sung agrees to make the Traffic Units more aware of this issue. 4 VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. January 8,2015 ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION:CASCONE SECONDED:TALLINGER 5 to 0 Commissioner Cascone motioned to approve the minutes of January 8, 2015; Commissioner Tallinger seconded the motion;votes taken, all in favor to approve the minutes of January 8,2015. VII. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion of Walk/Bike/Carpool to School(WBC) project(All),the Boltage program(Tallinger),and Surveys to Schools(Tallinger) Commissioner Tallinger reviews the Survey to Schools data he has compiled.Unfortunately, only about 6 out of 10 schools returned the surveys this last fall, so there are a lot of holes in the data. Although Commissioner Tallinger composed a cover letter to explain the purpose of the survey and highlight some past data, he doesn't believe it was widely distributed among teachers at the schools. He thinks the SRO deputies should continue to deliver and retrieve the surveys,but he believes the PSC commissioners need to be much more active in asking the schools to participate and following up to ensure it gets done. Looking at the current results, he noticed that many parents are dropping kids off a few blocks from school so they can walk in. Among reporting elementary schools, only 6% walk but now 25% walk the last few blocks. He noticed a big drop in biking at Collins. Stevens Creek Elementary has a large hill to contend with, and Faria is comprised mostly of commuter students. Lawson was the only reporting middle school,noting a significant increase in the use of family vehicles.He notices that carpools are used more at departure than arrival, and Boltage makes a big difference at Kennedy. Hyde is missing a lot of data,but Commissioner Huang reminds the commission that historically Hyde does not participate. Commissioner Tallinger suggests schools publish "safe routes" to encourage walking/biking, but Commissioner Huang states that the one compiled by Public Works was not published due to City liability concerns. Commissioner McCoy adds that Recology has begun completing garbage pickup before lam to avoid most kids traveling to school. Commissioner Tallinger mentions the many articles he has written for the Cupertino Scene on school safety matters. He also suggests that Captain Sung request time at the first PTA meetings of the school year since they are the only ones well-attended by parents, and coffee/ice cream socials sponsored by school principals to establish more community contact.Captain Sung mentions there are three new deputies filling various SRO positions, and agrees to forward the new contact information to the commissioners. ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION:TALLINGER SECONDED:JERBIC 5 to 0 Commissioner Tallinger motioned to schedule the next Survey to Schools for the week of March 23—27, 2015; Commissioner Jerbic seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to send out the next Survey to Schools during the week of March 23-27. Commissioner Tallinger recommends doing the next Survey to Schools on three consecutive weeks, coinciding with the WOW programs, and making it a requirement for the grant money. After much 5 discussion, including reasonable requirements,relative value and authority, resource workload,historical background, data cohesion and purpose clarification, the commissioners decide not to change the format so the data measures remain consistent for now. They agree to schedule the survey for a date that falls before the spring WOW events to gather the most accurate picture of current student travel habits. Commissioner Cascone, however, offers an idea for the future, to have the Surveys done once a month at all schools, to obtain more consistent data points and as a way to better see the effect other programs may have over time. ACTION: YES VOTE: YES MOTION: HUANG SECONDED:JERBIC 5 to 0 Commissioner Tallinger motioned to decommission the Boltage equipment at Lincoln Elementary School and reinstall it at Regnart Elementary School for a cost not to exceed $2250.00; Commissioner Jerbic seconded the motion;votes taken, all in favor to move the Boltage equipment from Lincoln to Regnart for $2250.00. Commissioner Jerbic updates the PSC that Lincoln Elementary has given a final decision and does not want to renew their Boltage program. The commissioners discuss the costs of moving the unit at Lincoln to a different school and decide on Regnart,planning to then install a new unit at Hyde. 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 Huang reports that at the end of February, there will be a presentation at Seven Springs about the ARK and including CAS. Commissioner McCoy adds that Fire Chief Kenma has appointed Stephanie Stuhler to oversee outreach activities for the PulsePoints App. Under consideration is a possible AED Hunt in a couple months. The public would register through the new AED app, and through the Fire Department's website, and then take pictures of all the AEDs they find in the West Valley region. When they text the pictures and information, that data will be automatically uploaded to the PulsePoints system. The Fire Department is asking how the PSC might help, and the commissioners agree to discuss this at the next meeting due to time constraints. VIII. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Cascone proposes a topic for the next agenda, aligning the PSC public outreach with the Santa Clara County EMS outreach. He explains that County EMS already has a calendar of public safety/awareness topics and produces information to support those topics that are openly available for distribution. For example, they highlight disaster preparedness in September, fire safety in October, etc. He suggests making these flyers available at City Hall, distributing to their school liaisons, and even to City volunteers. Commissioner Tallinger points out the questions of who will cover the cost of printing these materials.Commissioner Huang agrees to propose this topic as a future agenda item. IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING 6 1. Discuss Reports from County Fire,County Sheriff's Office and Commission Liaisons. 2. Discuss the PSC sponsored programs. a. Sub-committee for Walk/Bike/Carpool to School Project and Boltage Program b. Survey to Schools 3. Discuss promotion plans for CAS,AlertSCC and the Pulse Points App. X. ADJOURNMENT This regular meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m. XI. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday,March 12,2015 at 6:00 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: Jennifer Roth Executive Assistant West Valley Patrol Division Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff February 23,2015 APPROVED BY: Robert McCoy, Commission Chair Date 7