AgdaPkt 2020-10-26 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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From: Somalee Datta To: GRP -City Council; MGR -Melissa Stevenson Diaz Subject: Oct 26 meeting followup Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 9:56:00 PM Dear City Manager Diaz and council members: I would like to thank the city manager and her team for all the work in putting together the revised budget. Back in summer, when the council promised a revision, I wasn't sure what to expect. What you presented yesterday was thoughtful. This is particularly appreciated given the impact of the pandemic on our city. I also want to take the opportunity to thank your staff for all their hard work during COVID- 19. Today I speak in solidarity with the city staff. As an employee of Stanford Academic Medical Center, watching the collapse of our public health ecosystem and its impact on healthcare and education has been heartbreaking. Back in April, Stanford put a hiring freeze in place, as well as a salary freeze (and these are expected to continue until we start to recover from the pandemic). Hearing you today, I felt that your staff are not unlike mine, working extremely long hours, and working with an unprecedented sense of urgency. I confess that I don't understand the entire budget and service level changes, but I do understand the proposed changes to PD staffing, the upcoming mental health pilot and the proposed police advisory committee. I have written to the council several times raising my concerns with our PD. Today, I am writing in support of hiring freeze of 9 officers in RCPD. I also trust that the council will make the details available on the mental health pilot (e.g. the proposed metrics by Stanford) and how the police advisory committee will be made effective. I hope that the city will continue its commitment towards data centric approach and divert many of the RCPD's current responsibilities (e.g. deliver water to those in need) towards other service (i.e., unarmed) personnel. Given the department's high turnover rate, I trust that the natural attrition will allow us to course correct thoughtfully and do so rapidly. Thank you for participating in voca community feedback. I also hope that your commitment to data and transparency will allow residents such as myself to participate in the process of change with you, contribute constructively and in the process, build a trusted partnership. I wish that we weren't in the middle of a pandemic. However, it is also possible that without this pandemic, we would have continued to be MLK Ys "white moderate". Perhaps our city will rise out of this adversity to become the poster child for inclusive betterment. With my best wishes to the outgoing council members, thank you for your services to the city. Somalee