Private panel dives into Redding’s public safety needs
By Jenny Espino, Redding Record Searchlight, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The ad hoc committee delivers its recommendations in the fall, the same night Police Chief
Leading the
"This is the city I am going to live in. I'd love to help it become a safer place, so that I along with everybody else gets to enjoy a home where we feel secure and we get to enjoy the beauty of
The issue is a personal one for LaFrance and her husband,
The LaFrances filed claims with their insurance for the first two thefts at their business,
They've had a trailer stolen, which police later recovered. But thousands of dollars in tools were gone. One of their home project's was broken into and painting sprayers and other equipment were stolen.
She said someone broke into one of the vacant houses her business, We Stage It, was working at and stole some items.
LaFrance on Thursday was not prepared to release any names in connection to
When it is, the group will be pulling the expertise of law enforcement officials, and they will be combing through the
A meeting is scheduled next week with the chief at his downtown
LaFrance also spoke of one-on-one meetings with city, neighborhood watch and business leaders. She has been exploring what
Updates on the panel's progress will be posted on the
And although participation on the committee is by invitation largely because of the tight timeframe it is under, LaFrance said anyone who has a suggestion can submit it through the website. If someone feels they have unique qualifications to serve on the committee, she encourages them to submit an application.
To be sure, the private panel will not be subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act, California's sunshine law.
City Attorney
Additionally, the council is not dedicating any city resources and has not agreed to even provide a meeting room at
All the council is agreeing to is receiving the report, similar to what it would do if the
Still, the subject the committee is tackling is one that potentially affect all residents who live in the city.
Ewert said the panel would benefit from conducting its work as openly and publicly as possible.
"A transparent approach would ensure input from many disparate groups on an issue that is at the forefront of discussion in nearly every community in the country today," he said.
The public will get its chance to weigh in on the work of the committee once the report is submitted to the council.
"That document will be subject to disclosures once its gets into their hands and there is discussion," Ewert said. "There will be ample opportunity to understand how it impacts the city."
Vice Mayor
Oftentimes the problem with ad hoc groups is that they come up with recommendations without also considering how they will be paid.
She pointed to the group that spent four months studying the city's street repair and maintenance needs and concluded the council needed to come up with a way to fix the funding problems.
"The good ideas are not so mysterious. Most of us know what would make the city safer," she said.
LaFrance said the committee will take into account each recommendation's feasibility. That means looking at what is doable for a city the size of
That also means that the group will not work under the assumption that revenues from Measure F, the public safety tax that will be on the November ballot, are available.
"It would be great if we had an answer, but we don't. So, we're not going to assume it is there," LaFrance said.
Councilwoman
The fact that LaFrance stepped in with her proposal for a private citizen panel deserves praise, she said.
"I always think that in the economy we suffered through, when people step forward, we should be grateful, especially when they are doing things on a volunteer basis," she said. "You don't kick them in the teeth."
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