These minutes will be considered for approval at the Public Safety Committee Meeting of 2/25/2025.
CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
JANUARY 28, 2025
City Hall
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
910 Calle Negocio
San Clemente, CA 92673
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Berkuta called the Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of the City of San Clemente to order at 3:01 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Member Hazelton led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Committee
Members Present: Chair Nick Berkuta
Vice Chair Michael Greenwald
Tom Hazelton
Mark Rhoden
Chief Rod Mellott
Chief Cheyne Maule
Captain Cruz Alday
Committee
Members Absent: None.
Staff Present: Adam Atamian, Community Development Director Racheal Perez, Administrative Assistant, Public Works
Danielle Sorahan, Code Compliance Manager
Natanya Wilcher, Office Specialist II
4. SPECIAL ORDERS OF BUSINESS / PRESENTATIONS
None.
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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of January 28, 2025
5. MINUTES
A. Minutes from the Regular Public Safety Committee Meeting of December 17, 2024
MOTION BY VICE CHAIR GREENWALD, SECOND BY MEMBER HAZELTON, AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY to approve the minutes.
MOTION BY VICE CHAIR GREENWALD, SECOND BY CHAIR BERKUTA, AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY to reorder the agenda to hear Item No. 8 prior to Item No. 6.
8. NEW BUSINESS
A. Consideration of Amending the Current City Municipal Code to Allow Temporary Tent Camping on Selected Church Properties
Tom Streeter, Co-Chair of the San Clemente Homeless Collaboration, indicated the proposed temporary tent camping was not feasible, therefore, they would be looking into alternative options.
6. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Matt, San Clemente Resident, discussed teens targeting, harassing and threatening him, with no action by the Sheriff’s Department.
Jody Giles, San Clemente Resident, discussed escalation of harassment towards Matt and expressed fear of violence. He suggested proactive enforcement and care for all residents.
Bernice Giles, San Clement Resident, expressed concern for Matt’s wellbeing.
Captain Cruz Alday indicated he was serving as interim chief during the process of obtaining a new chief; discussed his experience; and offered his assistance.
7. REVEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Marine Safety Performance Measures FY2024 Q4 (deferred from previous meeting)
Chief Mellot indicated attendance was down due to the sand replenishment project.
Chair Berkuta noted another quarter with zero drownings.
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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of January 28, 2025 B. Care Ambulance Performance Measures FY2025 Q1
Chief Maule discussed response times and Falck ambulance service.
C. OCFA Performance Measures FY2025 Q1
Chief Maule provided an overview of the Q1 performance measures.
In response to Committee questions, Chief Maule discussed the response time goals; efforts to increase services; and work on brush clearance, education and home hardening.
Director Atamian discussed the City’s efforts for property maintenance, specifically open space areas, best practices, and use of volunteers for maintenance clearance.
Chief Maule discussed Orange County assistance and takeaways from the LA County Fires; and recent fires in Orange County. He anticipated attic fires caused the majority of the destruction in LA County and discussed the usefulness of attic sprinklers.
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Public Safety Committee Annual Work Plan FY2024-2025 The Committee updated the subcommittee assignments to add Member Hazelton to Homelessness and Best Management Practices for Public Safety Personnel Project Update; Vice Chair Greenwald to Technology Review; and Member Rhoden to Neighborhood Watch.
(1) Communications and Disaster Preparedness Project Update Chair Berkuta discussed a recent communication with City Maintenance staff for an updated inventory on tsunami signage and efforts to have Team Rubicon present at an upcoming Committee meeting.
(2) Homelessness and Best Management Practices for Public Safety Personnel Project Update
None.
(3) Neighborhood Watch
Vice Chair Greenwald discussed a successful Neighborhood Watch meeting at Seaview Townhomes led by Ryan Case, San Clemente Crime Prevention Specialist. He inquired how the approved funds for the DRAFT
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of January 28, 2025 Neighborhood Watch Project could be accessed for purchases. Director Atamian explained that Natanya Wilcher, Office Specialist II, could help facilitate reimbursement for any associated costs.
(4) Statistical Information and Review
None.
(5) Human Trafficking
None.
(6) E-Bicycle/Traffic Safety
Captain Alday explained that the current reporting of OCSD statistics did not distinguish the type of bikes; but internal tracking suggested approximately 20 cites for e-bikes and over 30 cite/tows of dirt bikes and Surron e-bikes between April and June.
(7) Technology Review
None.
(8) Review of Urgent Matters
None.
(9) Park Ranger Program
None.
10. REPORTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STAFF
A. Police Services – Orange County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Alday None.
B. Fire Services – Orange County Fire Authority, Chief Maule None.
C. Marine Safety – Marine Safety Division Capt. Mellott Captain Mellott provided an overview of recent statistics; notable incidents; upcoming tests for junior lifeguards; and phase 2 of the sand project.
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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of January 28, 2025 D. Committee Chair
Chair Berkuta thanked staff and the first responders for their support.
E. Committee members
None.
F. City Staff
None.
11. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION BY CHAIR BERKUTA, SECOND BY MEMBER HAZELTON, AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, to adjourn the meeting at 4:12 p.m., to a Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Committee scheduled to be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at City Hall in Council Chambers at 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, California.
Respectfully submitted,
______________________________
Nick Berkuta, Chair
Attest:
_______________________________
Adam Atamian, Community Development Director
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