CC SR 20161220 09 - Prop 57RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 12/20/2016
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to review Staff and the Sheriff's Department's
planned response to Proposition 57.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file Staff and the Sheriff's Department's planned response to
Proposition 57.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Gabriella Yap, Deputy City Manager
REVIEWED BY: Same as above
APPROVED BY: Doug Willmore, City Managenfr
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Draft letters to Governor and State Representatives regarding Prop 47
funding (page A-1)
B. Public Safety Strategic Plan, as revised in April 2016 (available at
httD://rDV.aranicus.com/MetaViewer.DhD?view id=5&clip id=2507&meta i
d=24694)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
At the November 15, 2016, City Council meeting, the City Council directed the City
Manager, Deputy City Manager, and Lomita Sheriff's Captain to meet to discuss a
proactive response to Proposition 57 (Prop 57), which had recently passed. This
measure increases parole chances for felons convicted of nonviolent crimes who have
served full sentences for their primary offense and passed screening for public security,
and enables them to earn credits for good behavior and educational or rehabilitative
achievements. It also allows judges, not prosecutors, to decide whether to try certain
juveniles as adults in court.
As the City Council will recall, voters approved Proposition 47 (Prop 47) in 2014, which
reduced many offenses to misdemeanors, but did not concurrently provide the services
stated in the ballot measure that would treat parolees and prevent recidivism. It
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appears that funding for these programs will not start until 2017. The City Council took
a firm stance against both Props 47 and 57, and Staff recommends sending letters
(Attachment A) to the governor and other State representatives to hold them
accountable to their promise to provide funding to Los Angeles County for the treatment
options that were promised in Prop 47.
One of the Lomita Sheriff's Station's key tactics is having their Surveillance and
Apprehension Team (SAT) perform compliance checks on out -of -area parolees who
have committed crimes on the Peninsula. The message to parolees is that the
Peninsula should not be targeted again and that the Sheriff's Department is being
extremely vigilant.
In addition, the Sheriff's Department and Staff recommend continuing to implement the
Public Safety Strategic Plan updated in April of 2016 (Attachment B), with particular
emphasis on outreach and awareness campaigns, and increasing the use of
technology.
Investing in technology that creates tools to help law enforcement prevent and solve
crimes is of utmost importance. As we have seen with the success of the Automated
License Plate Recognition (ALPR) camera network, technology can help provide leads
to detectives and lead to arrests. The primary projects that Staff will be focusing on in
the wake of Prop 57's passage are:
• Phase 2 of the ALPR camera project, focusing on the Eastview neighborhoods
along Western Avenue
• Creating a program for homeowners' associations (HOAs) to install cameras at
neighborhood entrances with a possible matching -funding program with the City.
Staff will also be working with HOAs and a vendor as a liaison to implement the
camera program.
• Instating the vacation loaner camera program with cameras that can be checked
out by residents to alert them when a motion sensor is triggered
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in conjunction with crime data to
perform ongoing analytics of the crime trends in the City to determine where to
target resources to make a visible and tangible impact on crime rates
Outreach and education is complementary to technology and of particular importance in
changing resident behaviors that make them vulnerable to becoming victims of crime.
Staff and the Sheriff's Department will collaborate to increase residents' knowledge of
prevention strategies and identifying suspicious behavior that should be reported.
These efforts will include:
Assisting with awareness activities for multi -family residential properties and
other neighborhoods that lack a Neighborhood Watch block captain, including
commercial areas
Creating awareness campaigns to target identified crime trends, such as the rise
in auto -related crimes. Tools for these campaigns will include:
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o RPVty segments and public service announcements (PSAs) for cable
television and online distribution
o Newly -created "Public Safety Alerts" listsery
o City website and social media outlets
o Council of Homeowners' Associations (CHOA) and individual HOA
outreach
Implementing a new service to assist seniors in protecting against becoming
victims of telephone scams
Proactively educating residents about the value of home audits and performing
home audits to help residents fortify their homes beyond CORE Team's visits.
The Sheriff's Department will also be leaving "You've been targeted" fliers or
hangers for residents on their cars and homes when they see behavior that
creates opportunities for criminals, like unlocked cars and open garage doors.
Adding patrol deputies is another option that both LASD and Staff believe should be
looked into at a future point in time as we monitor the effects of Prop 57. It appears that
cities will have some time before a release will occur under Prop 57 because the
measure requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to
develop rules governing who would be eligible for parole based upon the law. In
addition, there are fewer remaining inmates eligible for parole under Prop 57 due since
Prop 47 reduced many crimes to misdemeanors and gave current inmates a higher
chance of parole.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative action is available for
the City Council's consideration:
Direct Staff and the Sheriff's Department to revise the planned response
to Prop 57.
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December 20, 2016
Via FAX: (916) 558-3177
The Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr.
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
SUBJECT: Request to Provide Funding for Treatment, Prevention and Victims'
Services Promised under Proposition 47
Dear Governor Brown:
Over the past five (5) years, there have been a number of changes affecting sentencing
of criminal offenders, which local law enforcement officials allege have contributed to
recent increases in crime in California cities: the 2011 prison realignment measure, which
shifted many State offenders into county jails, thereby reducing bed space for local
offenders; and the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014, which further re -categorized many
serious crimes as misdemeanors. Most recently, voters approved Proposition 57, which
is expected to result in the early release of thousands of "non-violent" offenders, placing
cities and their residents at greater risk to both non-violent and violent crime.
Proposition 47 promised the State's voters that the savings accrued by its approval would
be redirected to a new State fund in FY16-17, the "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools
Fund." As described in the language of Proposition 47, these savings were to be directed
towards mental health, substance abuse and diversion programs for parolees (65%);
truancy prevention and programs for at -risk youth (25%); and grants to trauma centers to
provide crime victims' services (10%). However, it is our understanding that these funds
have yet to be made available to local agencies, even though local agencies have been
dealing with the effects of Proposition 47 for several years.
In anticipation of the public safety effects of the early release of additional criminal
offenders pursuant to Proposition 57, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes respectfully
asserts that it is way past the time for the additional financial resources promised to local
agencies under Proposition 47 to be made available. To this end, we urge you and the
leadership in the State Legislature to follow up on the promises made to voters in 2014
by prioritizing the distribution of Proposition 47 funding as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Brian Campbell
Mayor
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cc: Rancho Palos Verdes City Council
Senator Kevin de Leon, Senate President Pro Tempore
Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Assembly Speaker
Jeff Kiernan, League of California Cities, ikiernan(a�cacities.org
Doug Willmore, City Manager
Gabriella Yap, Deputy City Manger
Kit Fox, Senior Administrative Analyst
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