COUNCIL AGENDA: 02/04/2025
FILE: 25-085
ITEM: 3.3
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Councilmember Peter Ortiz
Councilmember Domingo Candelas
Councilmember David Cohen
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: January 31, 2025
APPROVED:
SUBJECT: Options for Expanding Alternative Response and Co-Response Programs to 911 Calls for Service.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Direct the City Manager to prepare a Manager’s Budget Addendum outlining budget options for:
a. Utilizing opioid settlement funding to maintain investment in the San José TRUST team.
b. Targeted outreach augmenting the County of Santa Clara’s community education campaign to raise awareness of services available through 988, including TRUST, to address emergencies related to mental health and substance abuse.
2. Direct staff to include continued engagement with members of the disability community with physical disabilities, including deaf, blind, and wheelchair-bound community members.
3. Direct staff to continue coordination with the County of Santa Clara on transferring appropriate 911 calls to the 988 call center,providing regular updates to the City Council.
BACKGROUND
We appreciate staff’s update on its continued work in exploring opportunities to expand alternative and co-response programs to 911 calls to enhance community safety. We
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
1/31/2025
Subject: Options for Expanding Alternative Response and Co-Response Programs to 911 Calls for Service.
strongly believe that civilian-based solutions represent an important tool in the City’s response to evolving public safety needs.
The most important way the City can continue that investment in community safety is to sustainably fund the work of the San José-based TRUST team. It is encouraging that the California Department of Health Care Services advises that alternative response programs like TRUST are potentially eligible for opioid settlement funding. In addition, a clear opportunity for improved outcomes is enhanced education on the alternative response services available at the 988 Call Center.
To address both these pressing concerns in the next budget cycle, we believe an MBA exploring applying opioid settlement funds toward another year of funding for the San José-based TRUST team, as well as options to augment the County’s ongoing community education efforts on the safety services available through the 988 call center, would best serve the Council on finding ways to continue this important work in the coming fiscal year.
Initial engagement with the disability community has been fruitful – including the finding that the community generally prefers alternative response programs. In order to make sure that the diverse perspectives of the disability community – and the multi-faceted nature of the community’s interactions with law enforcement – are reflected in this work, we want to explicitly direct staff to include engagement with the whole disability community, including those with physical, mental, developmental, and sensory disabilities, as part of the ongoing work plan.
Finally, continued coordination with the County to expand the 911 calls to the 988 call center is essential. We ask that staff continue to engage the County and regularly update the City Council on redirecting appropriate categories of calls to the services best equipped to address the underlying public safety concerns.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.
Rev 1/2018