DATE: April 26, 2021
TO: Council Budget and Finance Committee
FROM: Director of Finance
SUBJECT
Findings and Recommendations from the Policy Innovation Workshop & Update on Community Public Safety Work
RECOMMENDATION
That the Committee reviews and comments on the findings and recommendations from the Public Safety Project.
SUMMARY
In response to community concerns around policing and public safety following the murder of George Floyd by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, Council directed staff to conduct community engagement efforts including community conversations and a community survey about public safety and policing in Hayward. After receiving the results of the community engagement work, Council directed staff to convene a Public Safety Policy Innovation Workshop inclusive of community members and City staff to recommend public safety policy and programmatic changes for Fiscal Year 2022.
This report and its attachments detail the work completed by the workshop participants and their recommendations for addressing four key problems community members identified from the community engagement work:
• There is a lack of trust between the community and government, including City Hall and HPD, stemming from a lack in communication and relationship building and an inadequate recognition on the long-term negative impacts of systemic racism.
• There are limited and/or uncoordinated response options for mental health crises, and an inadequate focus on the long-term negative impacts of systemic racism on this topic.
• There are inadequate response options and resources to address issues related to homelessness, and an inadequate focus on the long-term negative impacts of systemic racism on this topic.
• There are limited public resources and a possible misalignment between resource allocation and community safety needs, including inadequate transparency and focus on the long-term negative impacts of systemic racism.
Over the past ten weeks, participants have dedicated over 2,000 collective hours to interviewing key stakeholders, refining their understanding of the problems, and developing and prioritizing the solutions listed in this staff report and detailed in Attachment II. Staff compiled participants’ recommendations and provided additional analysis of cost, responsiveness to community input, racial equity, staffing, and intersections with existing City plans and projects. Staff is bringing this item to the Council Budget and Finance Committee to receive feedback that will be incorporated into a report to the full Council on May 18, 2021.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II Project Sheets
Attachment III Summary of Community Feedback