December 5, 2023
Community Development
DATE: December 5, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Jesus M. Morales, Housing Manager
Subject:
Contract with American Global Security for Site Security at the Castro Encampment.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed security services will be paid for using funds from the $4.8 million encampment resolution grant received from the California Interagency Council on
Homelessness (Cal ICH) (Account String: 15061219-
400201-16G07).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
November 22, 2022, January 24, 2023, March 7, 2023.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City staff is requesting authorization to execute a contract with American Global Security to provide security
services for the Castro Encampment to address property
and public safety issues.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with American Global Security, in
an amount not to exceed $353,524, to provide security
guard services at the Castro Encampment for up to two
guards, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a term
beginning December 6, 2023, and ending on June 30,
2024 – Community Development Department (Lina
Velasco/Jesus M. Morales 510-620-6706).
AGENDA
REPORT
December 5, 2023
DISCUSSION:
The Community Development Department seeks to continue providing security services for the former Castro Encampment site, located at Hensley and Castro Streets. The Castro encampment has sunsetted, and all former occupants have transitioned into housing. Continued security is needed to discourage any further encampments, vandalism, and illegal dumping at the site until additional site improvements and safety measures are installed. This site had been a source of documented and undocumented criminal activity over the past couple of years, including illegal dumping, stolen vehicles, drug activity, burglary, and assaults.
City staff issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Security Services at the Castro Homeless Encampment on December 19, 2022. Fifteen responses to the RFP were received. Ascend Professional Services, LLC was chosen to provide security services at the site. Ascend Professional Services had been providing satisfactory security services at the Castro site; however, recently the quality of the services has diminished to the point where City staff feels a change in security firm is needed. Efforts to address the concerns with Ascend have not achieved significant improvements. Therefore, Ascend Professional Services, LLC has been provided with 30-day notice of the City’s intent to cancel the contract.
American Global Security (AGS) – the fourth recommended security firm from the RFP – shared the highest overall proposal score from the other three firms; however, the rankings were very close. The panel thought all four firms were equally qualified and able to provide the requested security services but understood they had to be ranked in order of preference. AGS was contacted because they had indicated they would be able to provide their services immediately and their hourly rates for the security staff were also the lowest of all four firms. Upon contacting them, they expressed their interest and ability to step in and provide security services at the Castro Encampment on short notice. City staff and Castro Encampment Project Manager, Way 2Love, met with senior management staff from AGS to discuss the scope of work and the proposed budget.
The scope of work and budget recommended by the City has been approved by AGS and is included in the proposed contract.
AGS is a statewide security firm that provides security services from regional offices located in Chatsworth, Riverside, Bakersfield, Sacramento, and Berkeley with a staff of over 1,000 full-time officers. AGS has provided security services for homeless related properties for a senior living Center for homeless veterans in Los Angeles, the Yolo County Public Housing office in Woodland, the San Diego Housing Commission Homeless Resource Center in San Diego, and for multiple public facilities for the cities of Glendale and Upland. They have also provided security for corporate offices, retail centers, public housing complexes, construction companies, medical facilities, school campuses, apartment complexes, and other locations. All these assignments included some level of contact with local unhoused populations which has provided AGS a wide breadth of experience interacting with this population. The AGS Berkeley regional office has access to experienced security guards that can be reassigned within a short time
December 5, 2023
frame and would be ready to take over the security at the Castro encampment within days of executing the contract.
RECOMMENDATION:
American Global Security is needed to provide ongoing security services at the Castro Encampment to address property and public safety issues to ensure that the location will not be used as a homeless encampment site.
City staff recommends approving the contract with American Global Security for security services at the Castro encampment for a total contract amount not to exceed $353,524, for a term through June 31, 2024, to be funded using the City’s Encampment Resolution Fund Round 1 award.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – American Global Security Contract
Attachment 2 – PlanetBids Report
Attachment 3 – Matrix