Jan 09, 2024 City Council Meeting 3pm

[00:00:04]

AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

WELCOME TO THE EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

[ CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Bill Wells]

COUNCIL MEMBER KENDRICK IS ABSENT, ALL OTHERS ARE PRESENT.

WOULD YOU ALL MIND STANDING WITH ME FOR A BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE? AND I MEAN, SORRY.

STAY WITH ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

OKAY, UH, THE CITY

[ POSTINGS: The City Clerk posted Orders of Adjournment of the December 12, 2023, Meetings and the Agenda of the January 9, 2024, Meeting in accordance to State Law and City Council/Housing Authority/Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency Policy.]

WE HAVE ONE

[ PRESENTATIONS: Proclamation: National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day]

HELLO, CHIEF.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

UH, UM, I'D LIKE TO READ THIS PROCLAMATION FOR YOU, IF THAT'S OKAY.

ABSOLUTELY.

WHEREAS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA IS IMPORTANT TO THE HAPPINESS, PROSPERITY, AND WELLBEING OF OUR CITY'S FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY.

AND WHEREAS THE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN OF THE EL CAJON POLICE DEPARTMENT PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN UPHOLDING THE PRINCIPLE OF JUSTICE, PROTECTING OUR CITIZENS AND MAINTAINING PUBLIC ORDER, THESE BRAVE INDIVIDUALS SERVE WITH UNWAVERING DEDICATION, OFTEN PLACING THEMSELVES IN HARM'S WAY TO SAFEGUARD OUR COMMUNITY AND ITS RESIDENTS.

AND WHEREAS LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE AND RECOGNIZE THE SACRIFICES MADE BY THE MEMBERS OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, THE CITY OF EL CAJON VALUES THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMUNITY TO BUILD TRUST, ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND FOSTER POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

NOW, THEREFORE, I BILL WELLS, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF EL CAJON, TOGETHER WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM JANUARY 9TH, 2024 AS LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY.

AND WE CALL UPON THE RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN US IN EXPRESSING OUR HEARTFELT APPRECIATION FOR THE DEDICATION, COURAGE, AND SACRIFICE OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.

ON BEHALF OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE EL OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT, MR. MAYOR AND COUNSEL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR RECOGNITION.

THANK YOU.

THANKS.

AND BEFORE YOU RUN OFF, I'M SURE EVERYBODY WANTS TO, TO GIVE YOU, UM, OUR APPRECIATION FOR WHAT ALL OF YOU DO, AND SO YOU CAN TAKE THAT BACK TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT.

ABSOLUTELY.

AND, AND THE MEN AND WOMEN AT THE EL OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT.

I, YOU KNOW, I TALK TO 'EM ON A, ON A DAILY BASIS, AND THEY CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF YOU AND THE COUNCIL.

UH, CHIEF, I CAN'T THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND YOUR OFFICERS ENOUGH FOR REPRESENTING THE CITY OF EL CAJON AND TREATING ITS CITIZENS FAIRLY UNJUSTLY.

AND IT'S FITTING THAT, UM, YOU'VE BEEN DOING A, A TOUR ON CAMERA.

AND I JUST GOTTA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A VOICE OF REASON OUT IN THE PUBLIC AND BEING REPRESENTING OUR DEPARTMENT WITH THE UTMOST, UM, RESPECT AND HONOR AND, UM, GETTING OUR MESSAGE OUT TO RESIDENTS OF, UM, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING IN THE COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY NEED TO BE SOLVED.

AND I KNOW THAT YOU SPEAK FOR NOT JUST THE CITY OF EL CAJON POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M NOT GONNA PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH, BUT I'M ASSUMING ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACROSS, UH, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

SO PLEASE, AGAIN, GIVE OUR THANKS TO EVERY, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, UM, THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DEPARTMENT.

APPRECIATE IT.

ABSOLUTELY.

AND THAT, AND THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO AROUND THE NEWS STATIONS AND TALK ABOUT WHAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND OF COURSE, ALL, ALL OF YOU WELL DONE, CHIEF, YOU GUYS ARE DOING, YOU'RE AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB WITH INTEGRITY.

AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, IS TO HAVE LAW, ENFORCE LAW ENFORCEMENT DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC WITH INTEGRITY.

AND I THINK THAT EVERYONE DOES THAT.

I'VE NOT MET ONE SINGLE OFFICER THAT I EVEN HAD A QUESTION ON.

THEY WERE ALL VERY NICE.

AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF WHO I AM, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE.

THANK YOU.

IT'S GOOD TO HEAR.

THANK YOU, CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR, UH, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IS WHAT I CALL IT WHEN YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO OUT AND SAY WHAT YOU'VE SAID IN THE PAST, A COUPLE OF WEEKS VIA DOCUMENTARY, UH, THAT SHOWS EL CAJON IS A LEADER IN SOME OF THESE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THIS TOPIC.

CERTAINLY, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AN OUTSTANDING TEAMMATE.

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YOU'VE HAD EXCELLENT TEAMWORK WITH HOMESTART AND SOME OF THE PROVIDERS THERE.

SO, UH, YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT TEAM THAT YOU'VE BUILT, AND KUDOS TO ALL YOUR OFFICERS.

ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHAIR.

THANK YOU.

WE'RE

[7. CONSENT ITEMS: Consent Items are routine matters enacted by one motion according to the RECOMMENDATION listed below. With the concurrence of the City Council, a Council Member or person in attendance may request discussion of a Consent Item at this time.]

COUNCIL MEMBER OR PERSON IN ATTENDANCE MAY REQUEST DISCUSSION OF A CONSENT ITEM AT THIS TIME.

COUNCIL MEMBERS, DO YOU WISH TO PULL ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS, STAFF? NO, SIR.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION THEN.

TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ITEMS, PLEASE VOTE.

SPEAKERS.

SPEAKER CARDS.

OH, I AM SORRY.

UH, ARE THERE ANY SPEAKER CARDS? JEN? NO SPEAKER CARDS FOR THIS ITEM, SIR.

OKAY, THEN, UM, DO YOU NEED US TO VOTE AGAIN? YES, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE.

THANK YOU.

STEVE.

MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE OF THOSE PRESENT.

WE'RE NOW PUBLIC

[ PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, any person may address a matter within the jurisdiction of the City Council/Housing Authority/Successor Agency to the El Cajon Redevelopment Agency that is not on the Agenda. Comments relating to items on today’s docket are to be taken at the time the item is heard. State law prohibits discussion or action on items not on the Agenda; however, Council, Authority and Agency Members may briefly respond to statements or questions. An item may be placed on a future Agenda.]

AT THIS TIME, ANY PERSON MAY ADDRESS A MATTER WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AUTHORITY SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE EL CAJON REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA.

COMMENTS RELATING TO ITEMS ON TODAY'S AGENDA ARE BE TAKEN AT THE TIME THAT THE ITEM IS HEARD.

HOWEVER, CITY COUNCIL AND HOUSING AUTHORITY MEMBERS MAY BRIEFLY RESPOND TO STATEMENTS OR QUESTIONS, AND AN ITEM MAY BE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA.

JEN, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? YES.

WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER FOR, UM, HUNTER CIA.

HELLO, SIR.

I SEE YA.

HONORABLE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR GRANTING ME AN AUDIENCE TODAY.

MY NAME IS HUNTER PLESCIA WITH FORGER DATA.

I'M HERE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION EL CAJONS PROBLEM WITH UNLICENSED BUSINESS ACTIVITY SECTION FIVE OF THE CITY CODE STATES.

THE PURPOSE OF THE BUSINESS LICENSE IS FOR RAISING MUNICIPAL REVENUE.

UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THAT REVENUE IS MISSING.

DURING A RECENT EXAMINATION, I SAW A LARGE AMOUNT OF CITYWIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITY, CLEARLY SUBJECT TO SECTION FIVE OPERATING UNLICENSED.

THIS MEANS THAT THE CITY OF EL CAJON IS LEAVING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON THE TABLE EVERY MONTH IN LAST REVENUE.

I IMAGINE THE CITY CURRENTLY HAS MEASURES IN PLACE FOR BUSINESS LICENSE ENFORCEMENT, WHATEVER THE METHODS, THEY'RE NOT WORKING, OR AT LEAST NOT ENOUGH.

THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.

I'M REFERRING TO THE LARGE AMOUNT THAT'S BEEN GOING UNDETECTED, AND IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.

WHILE I CAN TELL CITY STAFF ABOUT THIS, THEY'RE OFTEN UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT INDIVIDUALLY, LIKELY BECAUSE THERE'S NO EASY FIX.

SO IT GETS IGNORED.

THIS IS WHY I'M ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL.

THE PROBLEM OF LOST REVENUE IS NOW BROUGHT OUT INTO THE OPEN SO THE COUNCIL CAN OFFICIALLY BE MADE AWARE THIS CREATES A FORK IN THE ROAD.

WILL THE CITY OF EL CAJON ALLOW THE CODE VIOLATIONS TO CONTINUE? OR WILL THE CITY FINALLY CAPTURE THE RA THE LOST REVENUE THAT'S DULY OWED? SHOULD THE CITY DECIDE TO CAPTURE THIS LOST REVENUE, I CAN HELP.

MY COMPANY SPECIALIZES IN IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SKIRTED THE CITY'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT.

WE CAN FIND UNLICENSED ACTIVITY THAT'S VIRTUALLY UNDETECTABLE BY ALL OTHER MEANS, AND WE WORK WITH CITIES TO REPORT AND ASSIST BRINGING THESE BUSINESSES INTO COMPLIANCE.

WE'D BE HAPPY TO EXPLORE PROVISIONARY COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY, PERHAPS EVEN A PILOT PROGRAM IN WHICH WE ASSIST THE CITY IN RECOVERING LOST REVENUE.

SHOULD THIS BE YOUR PATH FORWARD, I CAN BE REACHED ATHUNTER@FORGERDATA.COM.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

HEY, LET ME SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU.

UH, MICHELLE, THAT HAS A QUESTION.

UM, HUNTER? YES.

GIMME THAT AGAIN.

THAT'S HUNTER AT FORAGER DATA.

FORAGER DATA DATA, UH, FOR FORAGER, SO F-O-R-A-G-E-R DATA.COM.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MUCH REVENUE YOU THINK WE'RE MISSING OUT OF AND WHAT TYPES OF BUSINESSES YOU THINK WE'RE MISSING LICENSES ON? SO, UH, YES.

SO I MEAN, AT THE VERY LEAST, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A MONTH.

UM, SO I, I KNOW THAT ONE BIG, UH, HOLE IN ENFORCEMENT RIGHT NOW IS REAL ESTATE RELATED ACTIVITY.

AND ALSO, UM, LANDLORDS WHICH ARE OBLIGATED TO HAVE A, UH, A BUSINESS LICENSE, BUT ALSO A REAL ESTATE AGENCY, UM, THAT MIGHT BE IN A NEIGHBORING CITY THAT ARE REQUIRED BY MUNICIPAL CODE TO OPERATE HERE.

AND THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT PAYING.

WHEREAS SOMEWHERE THAT'S, THAT'S ADDRESSED HERE LOCALLY IS, AND THEN JUST SIMPLY, THERE'S SO MANY BUSINESSES NOW THAT ARE OPERATING FROM A, A REMOTE POSITION, BUT ARE, ARE GOING IN AND CARRYING ON ONGOING BUSINESS ACTIVITY AND TRADITIONAL

[00:10:01]

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, HUNTER.

APPRECIATE IT.

THANKS EVERYONE.

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

ALRIGHT.

THERE ARE NO WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS AND NO PUBLIC HEARINGS ON TODAY'S AGENDA.

WE HAVE FIVE ADMINISTRATIVE

[9. Rejection of Sole Proposal to RFP No. 004-24 – Design-Build-Operate of Digital Message Board Re-Bid RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council adopts the next Resolution, in order, to reject the sole proposal.]

ITEM NINE IS TO REJECT THE SOLE PROPOSAL FOR THE BUILD, I MEAN, DESIGN, BUILD, OPERATE OF DIGITAL MESSAGE BOARD.

AND I WOULD ASK STAFF TO PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THIS.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UH, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, AS, AS YOU'RE AWARE OF THIS, THESE TYPE OF THINGS ARE USUALLY DONE ON CONSENT.

HOWEVER, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS, UM, UH, AN ITEM OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THE COUNCIL.

IT'S, IT'S ON YOUR, UM, ONE OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL GOALS.

AND SO WE FELT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DISCUSS THIS AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING AND TO EXPLAIN TO YOU, UH, WHAT BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT.

UM, AS YOU KNOW, ANYTIME WE DO A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, THE RESPONSIVE PROPOSALS WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE APPLICABLE GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.

UM, IN THE CASE OF WHATEVER WE'RE DOING THE RFP FOR.

SO IN THIS CASE WITH THE DIGITAL MESSAGE BOARD, THE GOVERNING DOCUMENT WAS THE ZONING CODE.

SO ANY RESPONSIVE, UH, BIDDER, UH, THAT WANTED TO BE A VENDOR FOR THIS PROJECT WOULD BE SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING CODE.

UH, WE DID GO THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS.

THIS WAS THE SECOND RFP PROCESS THAT WE DID ON THIS PROJECT.

THE FIRST ONE WAS, UH, ABOUT 18 MONTHS AGO OR SO, THAT VENDOR HAD TO WITHDRAW, UH, BE NOTHING, HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROJECT ITSELF.

THERE WERE JUST SOME ISSUES WITH THE VENDOR THAT THEY HAD TO WITHDRAW FROM THE PROJECT.

SO WE WENT OUT AGAIN WITH THE RFP, WE HAD ONE RESPONSIVE BIDDER WHO WAS INTERVIEWED BY A THREE PERSON STAFF PANEL.

AND, UM, THAT WAS A RESPONSIVE BIDDER.

UH, IT WAS A BID THAT WAS SUBMITTED THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING CODE.

AND SO WE MOVED INTO THE, UH, CONTRACT NEGOTIATION PHASE.

AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATION PHASE, NEW ISSUES CONTINUED TO BE INTRODUCED ON A PIECEMEAL BASIS THAT WOULD'VE REQUIRED THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER VARIOUS AMENDMENTS TO VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ZONING CODE THAT STAFF HAD CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH COUNCIL STATED POLICIES.

IT BECAME CLEAR AS STAFF IN THAT, IN STAFF'S OPINION, UH, AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS, THE VENDOR'S GOALS AND THEIR METHOD OF NEGOTIATION, UH, WAS GONNA BE CONTRARY TO THE CITY AND THE PARTNERSHIP WOULD NOT BE PRODUCTIVE.

SO UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, STAFF IS SUGGESTING THAT YOU REJECT THE PROPOSAL.

UM, AGAIN, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A, THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR COUNSEL.

WE ARE EXAMINING OTHER WAYS TO BRING THIS BACK TO YOU SO IT'S NOT DEAD.

WE WILL BE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS.

AND WE DO PLAN TO BRING THIS TOPIC BACK TO YOU SOMETIME THIS YEAR, PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS.

AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNSEL.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? UM, JEN, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER CARDS FOR THIS? NO SPEAKER CARDS WERE RECEIVED.

ALRIGHT.

UH, IT SEEMS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OR WOULD ALIA LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? UH, I'LL MOVE TO REJECT THE SOLE PROPOSAL AS OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT, PLEASE VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES BY UNANIMOUS VOTE OF THOSE PRESENT.

ITEM 10

[10. Review of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Program RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council receives the report as an informational item and provides feedback to staff. ]

GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN.

HI, CHIEF.

UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE ON THE AUTOMATIC, UH, AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE.

DO WE HAVE THE POWERPOINT ? IF WE DON'T, I CAN, I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU ANYWAYS.

UH, IF AS IT COMES UP.

SO WE, WE ESSENTIALLY STARTED THE PROGRAM FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES ON AUGUST 6TH OF LAST YEAR.

SO, UH, A LITTLE OVER FIVE MONTHS AGO.

AND THE PROGRAM'S FIRST FOUR MONTHS, AND AGAIN, THIS DATA IS FROM THE DATE OF THE STAFF REPORT, WHICH WAS, UH, DECEMBER 13TH.

UM, SO BETWEEN AUGUST, UH, SIXTH AND DECEMBER 13TH, UH, WE RECOVERED 68 STOLEN VEHICLES, UH, FOR A COMBINED VALUE OF $622,000.

AND WITH THOSE RECOVERIES, UH, THOSE RECOVERIES RESULTED IN A TOTAL OF 82 ARRESTS.

ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT, UH, THAT, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT IS THE, THE, THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE ARRESTING THE VEHICLES THAT WE'RE RECOVERING, THEY'RE NOT JUST, UH, STOLEN VEHICLE ARRESTS.

UH, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER CRIMES TIED TO THOSE THINGS.

AND THOSE CRIMES INCLUDE THINGS

[00:15:01]

HERE WE GO.

UH, POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL FIREARMS, POSSESSION OF NARCOTICS, POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY, IDENTITY THEFT FRAUD, AND OUTSTANDING FELONY ARREST WARRANTS.

SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST ARRESTING PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE COMMITTING AUTO THEFTS.

WE'RE COMMITTING, WE'RE ARRESTING PEOPLE THAT ARE COMMITTING A NUMBER OF CRIMES.

ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE STEAL CARS TO COMMIT OTHER VERY SERIOUS FELONIES.

AND, AND SOME OF THOSE ARE INCLUDED IN THIS LIST HERE, ARMED ROBBERY SHOOTINGS, ATM THEFTS, UH, THOSE, THE VERY HIGH LOSS, YOU KNOW, SOPHISTICATED BURGLARIES THAT WE SEE, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, DRUG TRAFFICKING, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, WE'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT IMPACT WE HAVE ON PREVENTING SOME OF THOSE CRIMES BY STOPPING THEM BEFORE THEY OCCUR, BY STOPPING VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY WHEN THEY ENTER THE CITY THAT ARE STOLEN.

AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A SHORT UPDATE.

WE WERE GONNA GIVE A A SIX MONTH UPDATE.

WE KIND OF SPED UP THAT TIMELINE FOR THIS REASON.

WE'RE CURRENTLY IN A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH OUR VENDOR FLOCK SAFETY.

UH, THEY ARE RAISING, THEY RAISED THEIR RATES IN JANUARY, SO THEY PROACTIVELY REACHED OUT TO US AND OFFERED US TO EXTEND OUR CONTRACT FOR TWO MORE YEARS.

UM, AT A SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS.

WE WOULD SAVE ABOUT $40,000 OVER THOSE TWO YEARS.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'LL LET THE CITY MANAGER TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT.

UM, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE BRINGING THIS TO YOU EARLY.

UH, EVEN IF WE DO EXTEND THE CONTRACT, THE THE CONTRACT CAN BE TERMINATED AT ANY TIME.

UH, GRAHAM, DO YOU WANT TO MENTION ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THAT? WELL, I THINK THAT WAS THE IMPORTANT THING AS WE ANALYZED IT.

MY CONCERN WOULD BE TYING THE HANDS OF THE CITY OR THE CITY COUNCIL TO EXTEND AN AGREEMENT.

BUT THE PROVISION OF US BEING ABLE TO TERMINATE THE AGREEMENT STILL EXISTS.

SO WHETHER IT'S A FIVE-YEAR AGREEMENT OR A THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT IS KIND OF IRRELEVANT SINCE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CANCEL THE CONTRACT.

AND WITH THAT, UH, I'LL BE PLEASED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

YOU MAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF? SO, IN YOUR OPINION, CHIEF, EXCUSE ME, CHIEF, THIS IS A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.

I, I THINK THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.

YOU KNOW, THE, THOSE STATS THAT I LAID OUT TO BEGIN WITH, THOSE ARE VEHICLES THAT WE LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE FOUND.

THOSE ARE PEOPLE THAT WE LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE ARRESTED CRIMINALS THAT WE LIKELY WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN OUT THE STREETS WITHOUT THE USE OF, OF THAT TECHNOLOGY.

AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THESE ARE REAL CASE SCENARIOS OR REAL LIFE SCENARIOS.

I KNOW FOR BACK IN 98, MY CAR WAS STOLEN AND IT WAS USED IN AN ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE.

SO I KNOW THAT IT DOES HAPPEN.

AND JUST THE CARS THAT WE'VE RECOVERED, JUST THE ITEMS THAT WE'VE TAKEN OFF THE STREET, THE DRUGS, THE WEAPONS, UH, THE BAD GUYS THAT WERE DOING OTHER THINGS, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW.

ONE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, SEE IS POSSIBLY AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE ABOUT THIS SYSTEM.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK WITH, UM, OUR MARKETING MANAGER OR, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA COME RIGHT OUT OF YOUR DEPARTMENT.

BUT JUST SOMETHING, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EXTENSIVE, BUT MAYBE, UH, SCREENSHOTS, UH, OF COURSE COVERING UP IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, BUT TO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.

BECAUSE THE DEMO THAT I SAW IN YOUR OFFICE WAS WONDERFUL AND IT REALLY HELPED TO, UH, ILLUMINATE EXACTLY HOW IT GOES.

AND I THINK THE PUBLIC SOMETIMES DOESN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE DOING AND THAT WE'RE NOT GOING OUT AND USING IT FOR EXPIRED REGISTRATION TAGS AND WE'RE NOT USING IT FOR OTHER REASONS, BUT IT'S SIMPLY A STOLEN VEHICLE.

AND IF THEY'RE DOING BAD STUFF ON THE, ON THE SIDE, WELL, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THEM OFF THE STREET AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND, UM, LIKE I SAID, MAYBE AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE COULD COME OUT ON THIS JUST LIKE WE DO EVERYTHING ELSE.

ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK INTO.

THANK YOU.

GO.

JUST A QUICK QUESTION.

IF, UH, AND THIS MAY BE FOR THE CITY MANAGER, DO WE KNOW IF WE WERE TO CANCEL THE, UH, AGREEMENTS SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE, WOULD THE CITY BE PRORATED A REFUND BASED OFF OF THE TIMELINE? OR IS IT, WOULD WE JUST, DO WE KNOW, DO WE KNOW THAT AGREEMENT IN DETAIL? UH, AMERICAN COUNCIL COUNCIL, WE JUST RECEIVED, UM, THE AGREEMENT.

WE, WE, WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT IN PLACE.

IT'S A ONE YEAR PLUS TWO OPTIONS TO RENEW.

THE LANGUAGE THAT I'M SEEING IS ONE THAT IF WE DECIDE TO TERMINATE, WE PAY ESSENTIALLY THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM.

SO WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS STRUCTURE IT AS ONE YEAR WITH RENEWAL TERMS. AND SO WE'RE ONLY OUT THERE ONE YEAR WORTH OF OF COSTS.

NOW, WHETHER FLOCK WILL AGREE TO THAT, I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL NEED TO NEGOTIATE IF THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO.

AND WE ARE NOT APPROVING ANYTHING TONIGHT.

IT'S SIMPLY TO GIVE US DIRECTION.

AND IF DIRECTION IS TO

[00:20:01]

SO SUPER HELPFUL.

THANK YOU.

I THINK THERE'S A TIME CONSIDERATION AS WELL.

THERE ARE SOME SAVINGS IN, IN THE, THE OFFER THEY MADE THAT WOULD REQUIRE US TO COMPLETE THE NEGOTIATIONS, UH, BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

OKAY.

THANK YOU, STEVE.

A ALONG THOSE LINES, UH, I THINK WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST, WHAT WERE WE, WE WEREN'T THE FIRST CITY IN THE REGION TO DO THIS, WERE WE? CARLSBAD HAS HAD A PRETTY EXTENSIVE LICENSE PLATE READING PROGRAM FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BUT MAYBE THE SECOND WE WERE, WE WERE, WE WERE RIGHT THERE WITH SOME OTHER CITIES.

OKAY.

IT, IT, IT'S EXPANDING RAPIDLY RIGHT NOW.

OKAY.

IT'S GONE DOWN TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO.

I THINK SHULA VISTAS THERE ARE COMING ALONG.

UH, YOU'VE DONE A DEMONSTRATION FOR LEADERS IN LA MESA SANT.

I THINK THERE'S SOME VALUE IN BEING ONE OF THE EARLY ADOPTERS AS WE LOOK AT THESE CONTRACTS.

THE PEOPLE OF EL CAJON WOULD SAY, GEEZ, EL CAJONS PAYING A DOLLAR, WHEN NOW SAN T IS PAYING 95 CENTS OR, OR 90 CENTS.

AND CERTAINLY WE SHOULD GET SOME VALUE OF BEING ONE OF THE FIRST ADOPTERS THAT MADE IT EASY TO SELL THIS SYSTEM TO ANOTHER CITY.

SO I THINK THAT'S WORTH NOTING.

UM, TELL ME ABOUT THE, THE SAFETY TO THE OFFICERS.

WHEN YOU PROACTIVELY KNOW THAT A CAR IS STOLEN, THAT WOULD SEEM SAFER FOR THE OFFICER BECAUSE HE OR SHE KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE GOING AFTER VERSUS STOPPING A CAR NOT KNOWING WHO'S INSIDE, UH, FOR A TRAFFIC INFRACTION OR SOMETHING.

WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE SAFETY FOR THE OFFICER AND THE PUBLIC WITH A PROACTIVE SYSTEM? THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

I THINK IT DOES INCREASE OFFICER SAFETY, PUBLIC SAFETY.

IF, IF, IF, IF SOMEBODY'S DRIVING AROUND THE CITY IN A STOLEN CAR, THEY'RE UP TO NO GOOD, EVEN IF THAT NO GOOD IS JUST DRIVING AROUND A STOLEN CAR.

SO, SO HAVING THAT INFORMATION, UH, AND AND THE OFFICERS KNOWING THAT IT'S STOLEN BEFORE IT'S BEING STOPPED, IS CERTAINLY A, CERTAINLY A BENEFIT AND ADVANTAGE TO THEM.

YEAH.

I I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD HAVE A, I I KNOW WHAT I'M STOPPING.

I KNOW WHAT I'M GETTING INTO.

I MIGHT NEED TO CALL FOR BACKUP RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT THAN, OH, I PULLED SOMEBODY OVER AND IT'S BECOME A HOT STOP LATER OR SOMETHING.

SO.

RIGHT.

THEY CERTAINLY APPROACH IT DIFFERENTLY.

YES.

YEAH.

THAT'S, THAT'S A FANTASTIC, UH, A BENEFIT FOR THE PUBLIC.

'CAUSE IF THE OFFICERS AREN'T ENGAGING RIGHT AWAY IN A QUICK DECISION SCENARIO, THEN THERE'S LESS LIKELIHOOD FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE, UH, NEARBY AND AFFECTED.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT SYSTEM.

SO I WOULD SUPPORT THE, UH, THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MITCHELL'S VIDEO.

WE HAD SUCH GREAT SUCCESS WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, DOCUMENTARY RELATED TO HOMELESS SERVICES.

I THINK A DOCUMENTARY THAT WOULD ANSWER A LOT OF THE MYTHS ABOUT PRIVACY, WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S DRIVING THE CAR BECAUSE IT TAKES A PICTURE OF THE BACK LICENSE PLATE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

BUT THERE'S A MYTH OUT THERE THAT, OH, YOU'RE TARGETING THIS KIND OF PERSON OR THIS KIND OF PERSON, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S DRIVING UNTIL WE STOP THE CAR.

THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT COULD GO IN AN EDUCATIONAL VIDEO TO DISPEL THE MYTHS.

AND AGAIN, THERE'S A STORY TO BE TOLD.

EITHER YOU TELL YOUR STORY OR SOMEBODY'S GONNA TELL IT FOR YOU.

THAT'S RIGHT.

LET'S TELL OUR STORY TO GO, TO GO ALONG, UH, WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN GOEBBELS, UH, IDEA OF THE VIDEO.

I LOVE THAT IDEA, MICHELLE.

IT'S FANTASTIC.

UM, I DO WANT TO, I DO WANNA SAY FIRST BEFORE I OFFER A PROPOSAL TO MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, I THINK THE IDEA THAT A MESSAGE IS BEING SENT TO THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE CAUGHT AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS IS FANTASTIC.

AND I THINK THE PUBLIC LIKES THAT, THAT WE'VE CAUGHT AN AVERAGE OF, UH, 16 AND A HALF STOLEN VEHICLES A MONTH.

UM, AND THERE'S EVEN MORE ARRESTS PER MONTH BEING MADE.

UM, I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC NUMBER THAT IS INCREASING, UM, UH, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT'S EFFECTIVENESS AND REDUCING CRIME, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.

UM, BECAUSE IN MY OPINION, THE STATE IS DECRIMINALIZING CRIME.

I DO THINK THAT AS, UH, MY SON'S FAVORITE, UH, COMIC BOOK CHARACTER SPIDER-MAN SAID, WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.

AND SO I'M GONNA FLOAT A COUPLE OF IDEAS TO MY COLLEAGUES THAT WE COULD ADOPT.

AND I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO COME TODAY.

IT COULD BE FOR A FUTURE ONE, BUT THERE ARE SOME LEGITIMATE CONCERNS AROUND THE LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM AND, UM, FROM ALL SIDES OF THE AISLE.

AND I THINK, UM, IF WE WERE TO COME UP WITH THESE THREE PROPOSALS AND ADOPT THEM, IT WOULD QUELL SOME OF THOSE FEARS AND THOSE MISCONCEPTIONS AS WELL.

SO THE FIRST ONE THAT I'LL, I'LL TALK ABOUT, UM, IS

[00:25:01]

IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT.

UH, OUR, OUR INVESTIGATORS HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENTER CARS INTO, INTO, UH, WHAT WE CALL HOT LISTS.

SO IF A CAR WAS WANTED IN CONNECTION OF INVESTIGATION MM-HMM, OR A CRIME, THEN, THEN WE WOULD SEE THAT AS WELL.

BUT AS FAR AS THE NATIONAL DATABASE GOES THAT WE RUN PLATES AGAINST IT'S STOLEN VEHICLES, IT'S AMBER ALERTS, SILVER ALERTS, AND FELONY VEHICLES.

OKAY.

AND SO I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE CODIFIED IN SOME WAY AND DECIDED UPON BY THE COUNCIL, UM, TO, UM, TO QUELL SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.

LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER MITCHELL SAID THAT THE PUBLIC MAY HAVE WITH REGARD TO, OH, THEY'RE JUST GONNA GET ME FOR AN OUT OF DATE, UH, LICENSE PLATE, UH, REGISTRATION.

AND SO I WOULD LIKE THE COUNCIL TO BE ABLE TO VOTE ON WHAT CRIMES ARE GOING TO BE, UH, INVESTIGATED AND USED BY THE, UH, LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM.

AND THAT COULD BE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAY, HEY, HERE'S THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES.

WE'RE NOT, WE'RE GONNA USE 'EM FOR THESE.

LIKE, UH, CHIEF JUST SAID, BUT I DON'T WANT IT OUT IN THE OPEN AND THE PUBLIC THINKING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING.

UM, THINGS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER MITCHELL SAID.

SO THAT'S ONE IDEA.

UM, THE SECOND IDEA, BUT JUST ADDRESS THAT FOR, IF YOU WANNA DO THAT, I THINK YOU NEED TO AGENDIZE IT.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

AND SO, SO IN A FU AT A FUTURE DATE, I THINK IT WOULD ENHANCE PUBLIC TRUST.

AND I, WE DON'T NEED TO VOTE THIS NOW.

UM, THE SECOND IDEA WOULD BE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF A THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT.

SO, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC IS THAT THE DATA WILL BE MISUSED.

UM, AND WELL, HERE, HERE'S, HERE'S TWO OF THE THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG.

THE STORY OF DATA AND SELLING IT, THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES FOR LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAMS IN THE PAST.

AND SO, UM, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS, UM, PLACING CAMERAS IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER ON, UH, UH, ON STREETS, BASICALLY MAPPING THE ENTIRE, UH, CITY.

SO YOU CAN TRACK WHERE YOU'RE GOING.

UM, I DON'T THINK WE'RE DOING THAT.

I THINK WE'RE DOING IT AT CHOKE POINTS.

IS THAT RIGHT? W WE LAID OUT THE CAMERAS WITH INPUT FROM THE VENDOR AS TO GET THE MOST COVERAGE WITH THE NUMBER OF CAMERAS WE HAD.

RIGHT.

UH, AND AS FAR AS SELLING DATA, THAT'S A VIOLATION OF STATE LAW.

THAT'S CORRECT.

IT'S ALREADY CODIFIED IN STATE LAW THAT WE CAN NOT DO.

THAT'S CORRECT.

OKAY.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT THE THREE STRIKES IN YOUR OUT RULE, IF WE'RE MISUSING THIS INFORMATION OR, OR DATA, FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE ACCESSES THE DATA TO STALK THEIR EX-SPOUSE AND WE FIND OUT ABOUT IT, UM, THAT'S A MISUSE OF DATA AND IT'S A MISUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST.

AND SO I THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF, UM, RULE THAT WE IMPOSE ON OURSELVES TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THIS IS HAPPENING CON HAPPENING CONTINUOUSLY, THEN WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO HAVE THAT DATA.

UM, SO I'LL LEAVE IT TO THE CHIEF AND, AND OUR CITY MANAGER TO KIND OF COME UP WITH SOME KIND OF A ACCOUNTABILITY PIECE, UM, THAT IF, UM, THIS DATA IS BEING MISUSED, UM, THEN, UM, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES AND HOW FAR WILL IT GO TILL WE SAY WE OBVIOUSLY CAN'T MANAGE THIS.

UM, AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS THE TIME TO KEEP DATA.

I THINK, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS, THEY SAID SOME LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM STORE DATA FOR A YEAR.

WE DON'T DO THAT THOUGH, DO WE? HOW LONG IS OURS? WE KEEP IT FOR 30 DAYS.

OKAY.

SO THAT'S A SUPER SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

UM, MAYBE REVIEWING HOW OFTEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK IN TIME TO LOOK AT DATA.

UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S ONLY A WEEK, MAYBE IT'S MAYBE FOUR WEEKS IS, IS ENOUGH, BUT MAYBE REVIEWING THAT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT HOLDING ONTO THE DATA LONGER THAN WE NEED TO.

'CAUSE THE LONGER WE HOLD ONTO DATA, THE MORE LIKELIHOOD THERE IS FOR IT TO BE ABUSED AND MISUSED.

UM, SO THE SOME, SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF A THREE STRIKES, UM, UH, ACCOUNTABILITY PIECE, UM, WHATEVER THE, UH, SYSTEM IS BEING USED FOR, IT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL.

UM, AND OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA BE GUIDED BY THE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, EXPERTISE AND THEN THE TIME TO COMPLETION OF DATA.

OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK IT'S A, I THINK IT'S A GOOD PROGRAM.

WE'RE TAKING METHAMPHETAMINE, FENTANYL, UM, FELONS OFF THE STREET, AND IT'S GOING TO, UH, IT'S GONNA HELP OUR COMMUNITY TREMENDOUSLY IF IT HASN'T ALREADY.

GREAT.

STEVE, ANYTHING? UM, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING AROUND, BUT WHENEVER WE GET TO THAT POINT WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC MORE, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT WE EDUCATE THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS NOT PART OF US BECOMING A 15 MINUTE CITY.

THERE IS, UM, SOME, UH, RUMOR FLYING AROUND THAT WE,

[00:30:01]

AND I, IT SOUNDS SILLY, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT PART OF THAT PLAN.

YEAH.

WE'RE, WE'RE USING THIS TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE EL CAJON CITIZENS SAFER BY TAKING CRIMINALS OFF THE STREET.

YES.

I KNOW.

SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE BECAUSE I GET LOTS OF PHONE CALLS ABOUT IT, SO I'LL BET.

ALRIGHT.

UM, THANKS CHIEF.

UH, I, I APPRECIATE THAT.

I THINK, UH, WE'RE GOOD.

UMM GONNA SEE IF THERE'S ANY, I I THINK STAFF NEEDS SOME FOLLOW UP.

ONE IS, WE HEARD BASED ON THE FEEDBACK, THAT WE WILL BRING BACK A FLOCK CONTRACT FOR CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION AT THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

WE'LL PUT THAT ON CONSENT.

IN A PERFECT WORLD, IF THE COUNCIL WANTED TO DO, AND WE NEED SOME DIRECTION ON THIS DIRECTING STAFF TO DEVELOP A RESOLUTION OR A POLICY RESOLUTION AS SUGGESTED BY MR. ORTIZ, THEN UM, I IDEALLY WE WOULD BRING THAT BACK AT THE SAME TIME AS WE BRING BACK THE FLOCK AGREEMENT AND HAVE TWO SEPARATE AGREEMENTS.

THE REALITY IS, I THINK THERE'S SOME NUANCES IN THERE THAT I WOULD NOT WANT TO TIE OUR HANDS.

I I WANT TO ANALYZE IT PRETTY CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPACTS ARE.

SOMETIMES THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WILL ADOPT LEGISLATION SUCH AS, UM, POLICE OFFICERS CAN'T TALK TO BORDER PATROL, AND I UNDERSTAND THE REASON WHY, BUT NOW IF THERE'S A PURSUIT ON THE FREEWAY, WE CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH THEM.

THAT MAKES NO SENSE.

RIGHT.

SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE THINK THROUGH ALL THE NUANCES AND THEN WE COULD BRING THAT BACK.

SO AS LONG AS IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD TO THAT RESOLUTION AND HAVE STAFF DO THAT, IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AT THE NEXT MEETING.

IT WOULD.

SO I JUST WANNA LET COUNCIL BE AWARE OF THAT, IF THAT'S OKAY.

GREAT.

UM, THANKS CHIEF.

THANK YOU.

UH, BEFORE WE GO FURTHER, IS THAT REALLY A THING? UH, ARE, ARE OUR POLICE OFFICERS NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO THE BORDER PATROL AGENTS? WE'RE LIMITED ON OUR ABILITY TO TALK TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ABOUT IMMIGRATION ISSUES.

CORRECT.

BUT IF IT WAS ABOUT A STOLEN CAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, COULD, COULD WE? THERE ARE SOME AREAS IN WHICH WE CAN, BUT THERE ARE SOME LIMITATIONS TOO.

OH, I'D LOVE TO GET A, I'D LOVE TO GET A WHITE PAPER ABOUT, ABOUT THAT SOMETIME.

THAT'S, THAT'S FRIGHTENING.

UM, OKAY.

ARE THERE ANY, UH, SPEAKER CARDS FOR THIS ITEM? NO SPEAKER CARDS WERE RECEIVED, SIR.

OKAY.

WELL, I, THIS IS JUST AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM.

I THINK STAFF'S GOT ALL THE DIRECTION THEY NEED.

DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE CALL IT? ALRIGHT, THANKS VERY MUCH.

ITEM

[11. Business Façade & Sign Improvement Grant RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council adopts the next Resolution, in order, allocating $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a Business Façade & Sign Improvement Grant.]

AND I'M GONNA ASK OUR CITY MANAGER TO TELL US ALL ABOUT THIS.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.

MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, THE CITY USING COVID MONEY AND SOME ARPA MONEY HAD IMPLEMENTED A SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WHICH JUST RECENTLY EXPIRED.

AND THROUGH THOSE GRANTS, WE WERE ABLE TO HELP 247 BUSINESSES.

AND AS YOU RECALL, THE GRANTS WERE TO EITHER HELP BUSINESSES WITH CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR, UM, SOME TENANT IMPROVEMENTS, OR THEY COULD USE IT TO HELP HIRE INDIVIDUALS.

AND THROUGH THAT GRANT, 333 INDIVIDUALS WERE HIRED, WHICH IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET EMPLOYMENT FOR 333 PEOPLE OR ENCOURAGE EMPLOYMENT FOR, FOR OVER 300 INDIVIDUALS.

UM, THAT, AS I SAID, THAT GRANT HAS, HAS EXPIRED, AND WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL ARPA MONEY, AND I'LL, I'LL ADDRESS THAT IN A MINUTE.

BUT AS WE DRIVE AROUND THE CITY, WE SEE THERE'S A NEED FOR, UM, THE EXTERIOR OF BUSINESSES.

THE THE LAST GRANT REALLY FOCUSED ON INTERIOR, ON CAPITAL EQUIPMENT, ON EMPLOYEES.

BUT AS WE DRIVE AROUND THE CITY, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, SIGNS THAT ARE A BIT OUTDATED, A LOT OF FACADE.

THE PAINT DOESN'T MATCH WHERE GRAFFITI ABATEMENT HAS OCCURRED.

AND SO WE THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES BY INVESTING IN THEM, UM, THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.

SO WHAT, WHAT, UM, WE ARE PRESENTING TODAY IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A GRANT PROGRAM THAT WOULD BE AIMED AT INVESTING IN OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES USING ARPA MONEY, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT OF THAT MONEY THAT WE HAVE SET ASIDE.

WE WOULD, UM, RECOMMEND CREATING TWO GRANTS.

ONE WOULD BE FOR SIGNAGE, UM, UP TO 2002, OR SORRY, $20,000 PER SIGN, AND THEN A SEPARATE GRANT FOR PAINT, $15,000 FOR FACADE PAINT.

UM, WE THINK BASED ON THESE NUMBERS, WE COULD ASSIST 30 BUSINESSES IF HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OF ARPA MONEY IS ALLOCATED TO THIS.

UM, WELL, OUR THINKING IS IF, IF THE GOAL IS TO UPGRADE THE SIGNAGE AND WE'RE USING FEDERAL MONEY, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY TO ENCOURAGE A HIGHER STANDARD OF SIGNAGE.

SO WHAT STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT WE LIMIT THE ABILITY TO USE THE GRANT MONEY FOR SPECIFICALLY THREE TYPES OF SIGNS, CHANNEL LETTER SIGNS,

[00:35:01]

I'LL SHOW YOU A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF WHAT THOSE WOULD LOOK LIKE.

SO CHANNEL LETTER SIGNS ARE THOSE THAT ARE, UM, THEY STICK OUT, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE ILLUMINATED, THEY'RE SEPARATE.

AND, UM, THOSE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES ON THE SCREEN OF, OF WHAT A CHANNEL LETTER SIGN LOOKS LIKE.

UM, DIMENSIONAL SIGNS ARE TYPICALLY ON A SINGLE PIECE OF MATERIAL, UM, BUT THEY HAVE DIMENSION, THEY, THEY POP OUT AND IT, SO IT'S PART OF ONE SIGN.

THEY'RE NOT INDIVIDUAL LETTERS PER SE, BUT THEY'RE ATTACHED TO SOMETHING.

AND THAT CAN ALSO HELP A BUSINESS HAVE ITS SIGNAGE POP AND THEN BLADE SIGNS.

AN EXAMPLE OF BLADE SIGNS.

IT'S PRETTY EXPLANATORY, BUT JUST SIGNS THAT SORT OF STICK OUT FROM THE BUILDING.

AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN OUR DOWNTOWN SOME, SOME EXISTING BLADE SIGNS, BUT IF YOU WERE TO WALK BY AND WE DIDN'T SHOW THOSE IN THIS PRESENTATION, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PRETTY AGED AND COULD USE A REPLACEMENT.

SO THOSE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND BE THE, THE SIGNS ELIGIBLE.

UM, SIGNS THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND NOT BEING ELIGIBLE WOULD BE TEMPORARY SIGNS SUCH AS BANNERS, UH, PAPER SIGNS, WINDOW SIGNS IN, IN OTHER WORDS, PAINTING IN A WINDOW OR OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

UH, NEON SIGN WITHIN A WINDOW.

ELECTRONIC MESSAGE SIGNS IN, IN PART BECAUSE THOSE ARE EXPENSIVE.

AND $20,000 WOULDN'T GO VERY FAR.

MONUMENT SIGNS, AGAIN, EXPENSIVE, DOESN'T REALLY IMPACT THE FACADE OF THE BUSINESS.

UH, A-FRAME SIGNS AND THEN CABINET SIGNS, AND THEN WHAT ARE CALLED PANEL SIGNS.

I'LL GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT, WHAT CABINET SIGNS LOOK LIKE.

UH, WE SEE THESE ALL OVER.

THEY'RE, THEY'RE LEGAL, THEY'RE ALLOWED BY, BY THE CODE, BUT THEY DON'T POP, THEY DON'T ADD A LOT OF QUALITY TO, UM, THE FRONT OF THE BUSINESS.

AND THEN PANEL SIGNS, HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF PANEL SIGNS.

TYPICALLY IT'S PLYWOOD OR SHEET SHEET METAL WITH JUST PAINTING ON IT AND THEN, UH, ATTACHED OR AFFIXED TO THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING.

THE, THE ONE ON THE LEFT IS A BIT OF AN EXTREME, BUT THAT WAS, IT WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE I FOUND.

UM, WE ALL ALSO WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE GRANT, THE $15,000 PER BUSINESS BE ALLOWED FOR PAINT.

UM, WE, WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT LIMITING, LIMITING THE SPECIFIC PAINT COLORS, BUT IN THE END OF THE DAY, I DUNNO IF THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

I THINK THERE'S, UH, SOME VALUE TO HAVE SOME DIVERSITY AMONGST PAINT.

HOWEVER, A COUPLE THINGS THAT STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT I WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE, OR WE WOULD NOT WANNA SEE THE GRANT BE USED TO PAINT A BUILDING PEP, PEPTO, BMO PINK.

I, I THINK THAT WOULDN'T FIT WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES, AND I THINK THE CITY WOULD DRAW SOME CRITICISM FOR THAT.

SO WE WOULD RECOMMEND THESE THREE CRITERIA BE IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF THE GRANT PROGRAM.

ONE IS, IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS TO BE THE EXACT SAME, BUT IT'S CONSISTENT.

UH, THERE'S SOME CONSISTENCY WITH, UM, TO AVOID OVERPOWERING OR COLORS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY MEANT TO DISTRACT OR TO ATTRACT.

UM, AND THEN OUR ABILITY TO MATCH WITH, UM, OUR GRAFFITI ABATEMENT COMPANY.

SO THERE ARE SOME STANDARD PAINTS THAT THEY USED FROM MAJOR PAINT COMPANIES, DISTRIBUTORS.

WE WOULD NEED TO BE ABLE TO MATCH THOSE PAINTS.

AND, UH, IF YOU GO TO OUR, IF YOU WERE TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF PAINT THAT EXISTS AT OUR, UM, GRAFFITI ABATEMENT CONTRACTOR, THEY HAVE LOTS OF OPTIONS, BUT THERE'S JUST SOME COLORS THEY, THEY CANNOT MATCH BECAUSE THEY'RE SPECIALTY COLORS OR ARE SPECIALTY MIXED COLORS.

SO, UM, STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND THAT AS WELL.

SO WITH THAT, UM, STAFF WOULD, IF, IF GIVEN DIRECTION TO CREATE THE PROGRAM, WE WOULD DEVELOP THE PROGRAM.

WE'D BRING, UM, IN A MEMO FORMAT THE PARAMETERS BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL, NOT FOR APPROVAL, BUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE WE'RE GONNA BE DOING.

AND THEN WE WOULD MARKET THAT PROGRAM.

UH, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE COUNCIL ALLOCATE $500,000 IN THE ARPA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MONEY TO THIS.

AND THERE IS A RESOLUTION ATTACHED TO THE STAFF REPORT, UM, THAT STAFF WOULD LIKE.

THE CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDS THE CITY COUNCIL CONSIDER.

SO WITH THAT, WE'RE HAND HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU.

GRAHAM.

QUESTIONS, MICHELLE? THANK YOU MR. MITCHELL.

IT WAS A GOOD, UH, PRESENTATION.

AND I LIKE THIS IDEA.

I THINK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, BEAUTIFY EL CAJON.

COULD YOU, UM, EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC ON WHY WE'RE USING ARPA FUNDS 500,000? WHY WE CAN'T USE THOSE FUNDS FOR SAY, HOMELESS OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER PROJECTS? WHY, WHY FOR BUSINESS FACADE AND SIGN IMPROVEMENT? SO THE CITY COUNCIL CAN USE THOSE ARPA FUNDS FOR HOMELESSNESS IF YOU, IF THE COUNCIL WANTED TO, OKAY.

BUT WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL LOOKED AT THE ALMOST $30 MILLION IN ARPA MONEY THAT IT WAS RECEIVING, THE CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATED CERTAIN POTS OF MONEY FOR

[00:40:01]

ONE OF THOSE POTS, $4 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

UM, WE HAVE PROGRAMMED A LOT OF THAT MONEY.

THE MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY, THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS LEFT OVER.

WE HAD SET ASIDE SOME OF THAT FOR A, UH, FOOD HALL ESTABLISHMENT.

AS YOU RECALL, THAT PROJECT FELL THROUGH.

SO THAT MILLION DOLLARS IS AVAILABLE.

STAFF WOULD CONTINUE TO RECOMMEND USING THAT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES.

THE, THE VALUE OF USING IT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT, IT CREATES MORE REVENUE THAN WE CAN USE THAT TO SOLVE OTHER PROBLEMS. UM, AND WE HAVE SET ASIDE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT THUS FAR FOR HOMELESSNESS.

SO I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND ANY ADDITIONAL FUND ARPA MONEY FOR HOMELESSNESS.

DON'T GET ME WRONG.

I, I APPROVE OF THIS AND, AND I LIKE THE IDEA.

I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM AND, AND THAT WOULD BE, I MEAN, I GAVE THAT EXPLANATION SO THAT'S THE PUBLIC COULD UNDERSTAND KIND OF HOW WE CAME UP WITH THAT AND HOW WE PRIORITIZE THAT, THOSE FORMS. GOT IT.

THANK YOU.

ANYBODY ELSE? UH, JUST TO CLARIFY WITH REGARDING THE PAINTING OF A FACADE, UM, PRACTICALLY, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO JUST THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING AROUND THE SIGNAGE.

IT'S, IT'S HASN'T BEEN PAINTED IN A WHILE.

IT'S FADED, IT'S CHIPPING AND SO 15 GRAND, GET A NEW COAT OF PAINT, BRIGHTEN UP THE AREA, MAKE IT LOOK GOOD.

CORRECT.

AND POTENTIALLY SOME TRIM WORK AS WELL.

YEAH.

AROUND THE DOORS, AROUND THE WINDOWS, EXACTLY.

RIGHT.

JUST REALLY JUST GET OUT AND REPAINT THE OUTSIDE.

GIVE IT A FACELIFT.

CORRECT.

WOULD LOVE IT.

GREAT.

WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT ON COMPANY OWNED OR FRANCHISED LOCATIONS OF NATIONAL BRANDS? WOULD, WOULD THEY BE ELIGIBLE? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

AS YOU RECALL, DURING THE LAST GRANT PROGRAM WE DID, UH, THERE WERE SOME BUSINESSES THAT WERE NOT ELIGIBLE.

IF YOU OWNED A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FRANCHISES OR IF THEY'RE NATIONALLY BRANDED TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM SIMPLE STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND.

WE ACTUALLY JUST ALLOW IT FOR ALL BUSINESSES.

AS WE DROVE AROUND THE CITY AND LOOKED AT FRANCHISED BUSINESSES OR NATIONALLY BRANDED BUSINESSES, MOST OF THEM HA HAVE FACADE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS, OR THEY HAVE THE SIGNAGE THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA.