City Council Committee -
Community Improvement and Crime Prevention

March 22, 2006 Meeting Minutes

PLACE: South Hall, Civic Auditorium, 525 N. Center Street

ATTENDANCE:

Committee
Councilmember Rebecca Nabors, Chair
Councilmember Steve Bestolarides, Alternate (absent)

Staff
Natalie Rencher, Library Services
Patty Wong, Library Services
Dennis Smallie, City Manager’s Office
Susan Gregory, Public Works Department
Susan Krietemeyer, Public Works Department
Eric Jones, Police Department
Jim Ballard, Police Department
Juan Zermeno, Police Department
Ron Stansbury, Police Department
Isabel Fragoso, Police Department
Brice Hammerstein, Police Department
Karen Daly, Police Department
Cathy Hudlin, Police Department

Others
Paul Arong, San Joaquin County Probation
Gloria Nomura, Concerned Citizen
Pat Carido, Concerned Citizen
James Jones, Concerned Citizen
Jan Alexander, Concerned Citizen
Rosa Aguilar, Concerned Citizen
Kim Tomasi, Concerned Citizen
Robin Williford, Concerned Citizen
Deborah Crawford, Concerned Citizen
Lupe Manzo, Concerned Citizen
Bob Margarone, Concerned Citizen
John Bayley, Concerned Citizen
Pat Gonzales, Concerned Citizen
Mary Ann Bulawit, Concerned Citizen
Harry Montgomery, Concerned Citizen
Pauline Canas, Concerned Citizen
Velia Gable, Concerned Citizen
Katie Nilsson, Concerned Citizen
Melissa Tilford, Concerned Citizen
Elaine Dunlop, Concerned Citizen
Terry House, Concerned Citizen
Lance Jacobson, Concerned Citizen
Jason Piltaur, Concerned Citizen
Dan Casteline, Concerned Citizen
Krystal Krietemeyer, Concerned Citizen
Art Garbiso, Concerned Citizen
Dorothy Bageby, Concerned Citizen
Willie Gray, Concerned Citizen
Stephenie Chastain, Concerned Citizen
Rich Bodendorfer, Concerned Citizen
Armand Rios, Concerned Citizen

Committee Deliberations

Patty Wong, Deputy Director of Library Services, announced the Notice of Availability of Funds for the Homework Center grants. She explained the City has been providing funds for the past nine years to be used for existing Homework Centers and as seed money to get new centers up and running. These centers can be located on school campuses or private sites, utilizing high school students as well as senior citizens for tutoring and mentoring purposes. In the past, the City awarded $100,000 to these programs, and this year with budget approval from City Council, the City is planning to award $150,000. Groups can apply for a maximum of $10,000 each. The Library will be holding two pre-application workshops to review the application process and provide technical assistance. The first workshop will take place on April 6 from 3:00-5:00 p.m., and the second workshop will take place on April 14 from 9:00-11:00 a.m., both in the Stewart Hazelton Room at the Cesar Chavez Library. Both paid and volunteer positions are available for these programs. The Homework Centers provide youth development opportunities for children being mentored and tutored and teens seeking community service opportunities and paid employment. These programs are not limited to Stockton Unified School District (SUSD), but can be utilized by private schools as well. SUSD has an after-school tutoring coordinator who trains participants.

St. George’s Neighborhood Betterment Committee has been in existence for about 15 years. It resulted from a Town Hall meeting attended by approximately 200 people, including Police, Councilmembers, Board of Supervisors, business owners, and citizens. The group works together to make their neighborhood safe, healthy, and a desirable place to live. They work diligently to deter crime in their area. They also explore health services available in the community and find ways to make them accessible to everyone, thereby increasing their quality of life. Communication is vital to the success of the group; therefore, they prepare their meeting calendar a year in advance and make meetings more than just reporting sessions. They periodically have cultural celebrations with speakers presenting information on the respective culture. Members also attend Planning Commission meetings, addressing issues of interest.

The group participates in various events throughout the year, including National Night Out, Make-a-Difference Day, and Red Ribbon Week. They also sponsor a health fair in conjunction with St. George’s Church Festival. Another successful aspect of the group is the relationships they have formed along the way. One of the goals of the Safe Stockton Program, when it was implemented in 1991, was for residents to be able to access resources themselves. Even though the City and County have provided assistance, members of St. George’s ventured out and formed collaborative relationships. St. George’s partners with various coalitions in San Joaquin County, such as Communities Taking Charge Collaborative and Healthy Children’s Collaborative. The group also has an outreach worker who makes presentations to parents, in addition to scheduling screenings for citizens free of charge. They also provide translation services. Members of St. George’s are concerned with conditions in their own neighborhood and are willing to reach out to other groups and work together toward the betterment of the entire community.

There were 331 calls to the hotline during the first two months of this year. During that period, we provided seven $250 graffiti rewards compared to five during the same time period last year. There were 295 graffiti arrests and counts charged in 2004, of which 38 charges were against females and 257 were against males, 45 were for felonies and 250 were for misdemeanors. In 2005, there were 365 graffiti arrests, with 52 females and 313 males charged, of which 116 were juveniles. Graffiti removal costs in 2005 totaled approximately $225,000.

The COPS program continues to receive a steady amount of referrals. There were 12 referrals in December 2005, 22 in February 2006, and 14 in March 2006. (No classes were held in January.) Classes include first-time vehicle theft and vandalism referrals and are held on the first Saturday of each month. To date, there have been 41 classes held, with a total of 388 offenders completing the program. Of 232 minors completing the first 29 classes (from April 2002 through March 2005), only 54 re-offended.

V. CODE ENFORCEMENT UPDATE

Since Code Enforcement is now part of the Police Department, employees are able to take a more proactive approach toward violations, especially when they occur on weekends and during hours when Code Enforcement Officers are not working. The City Council has affirmed that graffiti is a significant problem in Stockton and has approved a third graffiti trailer that will be staffed on weekends by Public Works employees. Equipment has been ordered and the employees are currently being trained. The City has implemented a consent form procedure for businesses that are continually hit with graffiti. City employees will custom mix paint for the business, paint over the graffiti once, and leave paint with the business owner so he/she can paint over any future graffiti. The City will also replenish the paint supply once it has been depleted. If a consent form has been signed by a business owner who has been provided paint but fails to paint over graffiti, the owner can be cited. The Post Office has agreed to allow Code Enforcement to paint over graffiti on mailboxes. Both graffiti trucks have recently been equipped with power washers which make painting over graffiti in hard-to-access places much easier. Code Enforcement has begun issuing citations for the Public Works Department.

Progression of a Violation Notice begins after a complaint is received by Code Enforcement and they issue a Violation Warning Notice. If the violation is not corrected within a specified timeframe, an Administrative Citation with a $56.40 inspection fee and processing fee of $56.40 is issued. A Notice of Intent to Record can also be issued along with an additional recordation fee. If the violation is not corrected, a $200 fine is issued, along with an inspection fee of $56.40. At the time of the next inspection, if the property is still not in compliance, a $500 fine is issued, with another inspection fee of $56.40. At that point, there is an option of pursuing civil penalties. One Deputy City Attorney focuses on code enforcement-related issues and works diligently toward finding solutions.

Issues for discussion included:

• Property owner’s responsibility versus tenant’s responsibility regarding violations
• Garbage cans being left in view on pick-up day
• Big rigs, motor homes, and tow trucks being parked on residential streets
• Abandoned shopping carts

VI. LEALES PROGRAM

In response to an increase in robberies against migrant workers who typically carry large amounts of cash, the Police Department joined with others in implementing the above-referenced program. In the past, these citizens were reluctant to report crimes due to their immigration status and fear of deportation, but that is changing. The program involves numerous educational components to assist this group of citizens in avoiding victimization. One of the main goals of the program is to implement a process to issue them cards instead of checks that must be cashed, thereby reducing the amount of cash they carry. Many organizations recognized and trusted by the target group of citizens who have come on board and assisted in the effort include numerous Spanish-speaking newspapers, radio, and television stations; the Catholic Diocese; and El Concilio. This program has proven to be successful, as the number of arrests for such robberies has increased.

/csh