Community Watch Minutes (1/15/2020)
6:57 pm Meeting was called to order by Kevin. Went over housekeeping rules (silence phones, meet and greet, please be courteous of speakers).
7:01 pm Tamaryn was introduced to explain what we do as a community watch association and go over crime stats. Crime stats were passed out and explained. Crime has been on an overall decrease year over year for ECV. More calls = More Service. We need everyone’s help to report suspicious activity and crimes in progress. Discussed the common crime of “porch pirates,” people stealing packages off porches. Also spoke to consideration for “grumpy” neighbors. It may be tied to something deeper (struggling financially, physically, with addiction, etc.) so take the extra step to be compassionate. Kevin spoke to Merch prior to introducing Cpt. Allen 7:09 pm Cpt. Allen was introduced to go over crime stats and answer questions. Started explaining the difference between assault and robbery. Larceny theft is considered $1,000+ (felony theft) can be a single item or cumulative. County wide, GTA is on the rise, but in ECV, down 30%. Spoke to Sherriff’s townhall meeting. Budget is at a deficit. Primary services never get cut, but contracts that are paid through the supervisor are generally the first to go. Asked about the status of full time “summer team”. (The board made a written request to the Supervisor’s office requesting additional funding for this). No update as of yet. Addressed homelessness. For the whole county, there is a team of 12 deputies. Looking to be increased to 40 deputies. According to the Cpt. We’ve had about 6 sweeps of the channel. Kevin asked about deputies being able to go after lingering homeless that are known to be problematic/dealing drugs. Cpt. Responded that you must catch a person in the act of selling drugs. Narcotics team is stretched pretty thin. If you’re able to give specifics (description, times, dates of activity. Kevin asked about 3 reported rapes. Cpt. Allen advised that all 3 were dating relationships (not a random, serial rapist). Jerry posed a question regarding funding for law enforcement. For unincorporated areas, the county supervisor’s office pays for contracts. X amount of $ is paid for X number of deputies to be in a given area for a certain number of minutes. Biggest factors are population, crime stats, etc.
Questions were asked,
Q: Is there a minimum distance for homeless to be from a school?
A: It’s not illegal to be homeless. A homeless person must be committing a crime for them to be arrestable.
Q: What about a registered sex offender that becomes homeless?
A: If a person is identified as a sex offender, they will be arrested if posted around a school.
Q: Anything we can do regarding illegal fireworks?
A: Reality is, there are 2 cars patrolling a large area. Response times are going to be grossly slowed down. Other cities pay for “firework cars,” deputies specifically looking for firework use. The county doesn’t have funding for additional deputies/cars. Calls are taken in the order they are received.
Q: If there is a known troublemaker, and a group of neighbors call in to complain, can they be cited after the fact?
A: For misdemeanor crimes, they have to be witnessed.
7:39 pm Officer Lance Nieves was introduced, one of the community outreach officers. CHP Office number: (424) 551-4000 / Lance Nieves: lnieves@chp.ca.gov Srgt. Joe Diaz - Main purpose is to improve our quality of life. Will respond to “hotspots” if you request. Traffic and parking around Mark Twain is an ongoing problem. There is an officer assigned to that school. Can’t be there every day, and most folks obey traffic laws when officers are around. But while there, officers will regulate. Neighbor asked for officer to be there tomorrow for early pickup.
Q: How can we be proactive with getting presence officers prior to summertime activities at the park.
A: CHP works with parks & recs to strategize and collaborate efforts to prevent or shut down hazardous/reckless behavior.
7:53 pm Kevin began speaking to 11th annual Santa visit to ECV. Recognition began with Karol Scotta – Options For Life, Jay Richmond Hugh Kunkel, Kevin Porizek 8:01 pm County Board of Supervisors District 2 candidates are introduced: Jan Perry, & Herb Wesson. Jan Perry began expressing the importance of voting and the position. Responsible for $30 billion budget on an annual basis. Spoke to homeless challenge in Dominguez Channel. Worked first hand on Skid Row, very confident she can put systems in place to help with that challenge. Is aware of desire for more Sherriff deputies. 29 years of experience. Will show up to meeting. Will return phone calls.
Q: What will you do for us as an unincorporated area? (red headed stepchild)
A: Highly active staff with strong field operations.
Q: Homeless concern, as a supervisor, do you have much say in how do deal with the challenge?
A: Every elected official in our state should be active in getting people off the streets and into care. Leaving people on the street is never going to be the answer. “Have Nots” – maybe a triggering/tragic event in their lives. Can usually be helped quickly with support,”Cannots” – Implement immediate programs and follow up with supplemental social services, “Will Nots” – most challenging group. Service resistant. Requires intense, continuous, nonstop focus for law enforcement and services.
Q: How can you really help the “Will Nots”?
A: 51/50. Work with officials to revise legislature/wording to better classify these folks. Take social work to another level.
Q: How do we get the Sherriff’s dept. budget healthier for more officers?
A: It’s supervisor’s responsibility to make sure people get the services they need with the support they need.
8:16 pm Herb Wesson was introduced. Former Chief of Staff, elected to State Assembly, and then elected to City Council. Dedicated to helping other people. Known as a people person. Believes he has the skillset to help move the people’s agenda forward. Dedicated to meeting 3 times/year to cover any pressing issues in the community. Experienced, problem solver, and prefer to be in the streets vs. sending a staff member. Supported by local law enforcement, fire fighters, first responders, and neighboring cities. In Los Angeles, there is a neighborhood council. Each representative will be given direct contact information.
Q: What’s your stance on how to help the homeless situation
A: Partner in bill HHH. Moved 26,000+ people into permanent housing. It’s more cost effective to be proactive with grants/loans to help those in jeopardy of becoming homeless.
Q: Is there a way to intercede in people coming in from out of state that maybe don’t have the programs that we offer?
A: A majority of homeless people are from a relatively local area. But with the right support systems in place, people can be organized into designated areas where they feel safe, have security, trash and bathroom facilities, we can get counselors in to help with services. Tamaryn requests that we have a discussion regarding Sheriff’s office budget cuts. Herb is willing to have that discussion and believes in re-prioritizing and coming up with a comprehensive plan to restructure allocations. First responders need to be taken care of (more people, better equipment, etc.) Campaign grand opening is Sunday 1-4 on Obama Blvd. and La Brea.
8:35 pm Jerry spoke to “free tree” program from county. Waste Management has 2 free bulk item pickups per year. Next meeting will be 4/15/20. Meeting was adjourned.
Community Watch Minutes (10/16/20)
7:05 pm Meeting is called to order by Kevin. Housekeeping items (silence phones, side bar conversations/take outside). ECV Merch (t-shirts & stickers). Agenda was reviewed.
7:10 pm Randy opened with merch options. We’re looking for feedback and if you would like a particular style or color, please let us know! Also considering hats.
Advised community that email blasts are going out prior to the meetings. If you did not receive an email, we probably don’t have your email address. Please provide if you would like to be on the distro list.
Events were discussed (Halloween at the park, Thanksgiving Luncheon, Alondra Christmas Program & Santa Visits the Village).
7:13 pm Kevin reviewed crime stats (YTD). Also spoke to article regarding homeless population increases throughout CA.
7:18 pm Cpt. Allen was introduced. Updated crime stats (through Sept.)
3 burglaries – 2 cars / package theft
Being homeless is not a crime. Sheriffs address crimes. With that in mind, there will be a sweep tomorrow (10/17). Went over protocol for sweep (requires 5 days advanced notice, need counselors, multiple parties, etc.) COPS team is about 20 officers for all of unincorporated LA County.
Resident asked about a specific homeless person that staying in the park after dark even though posted “No camping”. Cpt. Spoke to conflicting laws making it hard for law enforcement to do anything. “As long as they’re not blocking anyone/creating a safety issue,” the general rule of thumb is to leave them alone. When the sweeps are completed, full criminal history does not come up, but any outstanding violations (warrants, restrictions, etc.) will come up.
Pat asked about Summer enforcement team (8 deputies/1 srgt). Is there a way to keep that type of team year-round? Cpt. Allen spoke to SAO (Special Agent Officer) funding (County doesn’t pay for year-round services). Capt. Allen is putting together a proposal to Board of Supervisors officer regarding additional funding for permanent task force.
7:43 pm Srgt. Lio went over crime prevention tips for holiday season.
• Avoid posting you’re leaving/away for the holidays
• Make any “easy” access/easy visibility harder (repair any damaged easy access/ obstruct any direct visibility to valuables)
• Timers for lights
• Lock all doors / close all windows
• Alarm systems / Ring doorbells
• Be as descriptive as possible when describing people of interest
• Surveillance systems
• Text 9-1-1 system
• Don’t leave valuables unattended
• L.A. Crimestoppers (up to $1,000 reward for a successful apprehension)
7:50 pm Kevin spoke to reporting a crime in progress vs. reporting a crime that has happened. Also spoke to perp description sheet.
7:53 pm Officer Nieves was introduced. Spoke to intersection of Lemoli and 154th. Can’t target students, if residents run the stop sign, they will be cited as well. Spoke to complaint areas (speed on MBB, intersection of Gerkin/154th, speed on Lemoli). Given a specific time frame of a complaint, officer can adjust his schedule to try and accommodate. If a complaint is outside of the “Unincorporated area”, CHP can partner with/forward information to appropriate agency.
Resident asked if officer can issue a citation based on complaint, or if they must witness themselves. Officer informed that they must see the violation themselves to issue a citation. Resident spoke to school zone enforcement. Officer advised them to continue calling CHP.
Resident spoke to bikers on MBB (gathering in park, racing up the street). Officer advised to call 9-1-1 if speeding (while it’s happening). If wanting to file a regular complaint, call CHP office and a unit may be assigned.
8:05 pm Pat introduced Jan Perry, running for Board of Supervisors (March 3rd, 2020). 29 years of experience. Experience in team overseeing Skid Row in LA. 1300 units of permanent housing. Over 5,000 units put in place for homeless. Did census in 2,000 with an active team to find and document homeless to get the funding needed to make a change.
Resident asked what Jan would do for us (ECV) specifically. Jan responded with acknowledging the overlap of different jurisdiction and planning to unify groups to make points of contact clearer and more concise (cut the red tape).
Resident asked about procedure when encountering mentally ill. First is accessing mental capacity, then if 51-50 (danger to oneself or others), admitted on 72 hr hold, and most importantly, setting up an exit protocol (housing, counseling, rehab, etc).
Resident asked if annual budget ($32 billion) would still be allocated heavily towards homeless programs. Short answer is “yes,” but depends on pending litigation and political climate at the time.
Resident posed question about 5G cell towers. Radiation concerns, etc. Should be an appeal window, but if not, Jan proposed she could possibly put resident in touch with some legal assistance.
Resident asked about level of attention/care unincorporated area would receive. Jan confirmed we would be “back at the table”.
Resident asked about art program funding. Jan responded that she would not only support the network for art and culture, but advocate for newer programs.
8:35 pm Meeting adjourned
Community Watch Minutes 4/17/19
7:00: Meeting is called to order. Tamaryn, Kevin, Randy, Jerry present. Opening statements. Kevin addressed current homeless issue progress. Advised residents to keep calling. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Also spoke about Santa sleigh and recognition.
7:10: Randy addressed upcoming events (see calendar of events)
7:12: Tamaryn (Tam) introduction. Addressed the fact that we on the board are on a complete voluntary basis. Focus is on crime, safety and beautification on the community. Spoke to the homeless initiatives and teams that have been in communication while addressing the issue. Best rule of thumb is Persistence, Persistence, Persistence. Flyers have been created to provide phone numbers for the various departments that deal with the homeless. Also, a special number for reporting suspicious activity. It’s important to create a log that can be referenced by policing agencies when determining allocation of deputies. Crime stats were passed out.
7:19: Lt. Holguin was introduced. Broke down crime stats and explained each case to let people know what is going on.
Assault
1) Domestic
2) Drive-by (triangle)
3) Brother on brother (by Lemoli). One brother hit the other with the metal part of a belt
4) Knife incident. Victim’s leg was cut
5) Bar fight. Female threw a glass bottle and struck another patron
Building crimes (burglary)
1) Commercial building
Larceny Theft (Grand theft, petty theft, vehicle theft)
1)
2) Prius catalytic converter
3) Work truck (tools were stolen)
4) Prius catalytic converter
Auto thefts:
No significant pattern or crime area
Arson:
Mark Twain shed w/ accelerant
Possible arson also at Mark Twain in port-o-potty
Total crime reduction approx. 46% (great success)
Spoke to homeless issue. New housing is being built around South LA station. 2018 census showed over 15,000 homeless in LA County. Urged residents to report crimes even if it’s minor and there spoke to going online or using an app to file. Documentation is key.
Kevin spoke to adding “homeless” to description of any report can lessen the urgency, however it can be a great description (homeless looking). Also, the type of call (blocking the sidewalk vs. actively breaking a window, the breaking of the window is going to get the urgency).
Resident asked what can be carried on your person. Walks her child to school and is sometimes harassed by homeless. Pepper spray is allowed.
There are currently 4 larger homeless encampments being monitored by HOST. They are responsible for going in on a periodic basis to clean up assess “residents”.
1) Do your part, report crimes
2) Don’t leave anything visible in your vehicle
3) Don’t have packages delivered to your home if you’re not there
7:42: Officer Nieves is introduced. CHP is hiring (up to age 36), spoke very highly of branch of law enforcement.
154th & Lemoli. Erial &154th. (monitoring stop signs). Officer Nieves is on duty 7:00 am – 4:00 pm daily. Provided email address (lnieves@chp.ca.gov). If after 4:00 pm, use the number on the yellow handout (important numbers).
Resident spoke to weekend parties, especially during summer months. Officer Nieves advised to call Sherriff and CHP will assist with intoxicated drivers/loud exhaust/donuts. Tamaryn spoke to info. on handout (rate my park).
Resident spoke to parents double/triple parking when dropping off/picking up kids. Officer Nieves advised to let CHP know.
Resident asked about double yellow, illegal U-Turns being made by college students. Officer Nieves asked for an email to follow up.
8:00: LA County Public Works – Beautification projects (Mercedes Passanisi & Aaron Chiang). Projects are in initial planning stages. Mock ups were displayed. Proposed underground reservoirs (tanks). In addition, baseball diamonds would be upgraded with lighting and drought resistant landscaping. Design phase coming up in the next couple of months. There will be a specific community meeting to get input on design and implementation. Focused on storm water run-off/re-capture. Multi-agency project.
Asked about road beautification (Marine). Advised to email and it would be handled by the appropriate channel.
8:10: Resident asked about a measure to allow students to live in their vehicles. If measure does pass, students would be allowed to live in vehicles, on campus and would be given provisions. Not in effect, but on the docket.
Crosswalks will be breaking ground (Cranbrook in June/July). In lieu of 2nd crosswalk, ECC may have traffic light put in at Cerise. If that happens, Cranbrook may not have new crosswalk put in.
8:19: Meeting adjourned
Community Watch Meeting Minutes 10/17/18
7:00 pm Meeting is brought to order beginning with Boy scout troop 785 doing the color guard and pledge of allegiance.
7:04 pm Kevin introduced panel and some of the guest speakers.
7:05 pm Meeting dedication to Pat Holmes. Kevin spoke to Pat’s life, and many many contributions to the community.
7:10 pm Crime stats were distributed. Tamaryn began with words of remembrance of Pat and shared her story of why she got involved in the Community Watch Association. Part 1 crime stats were gone over in detail to compare YTD and YOY crime stats. Showed displays with tips for saving primary contacts for different services (CHP, Sherriff, etc.). Spoke to Ring coupon for the Ring doorbell.
Homeless issue was brought up. Display (and flyer) explaining the different resources/agencies that are actively working to address homelessness. Tamaryn is working to establish relationships and set up a separate meeting to address the community’s concerns. There isn’t just one point of contact to reach out. Different agencies/resources are available and we are working on getting contact information. ECV is part of “SPA8” which is one of the designated areas the county has mapped out. There will be a listening session October 23rd in Lawndale and residents are encouraged to attend.
7:24 pm Kevin asked, by show of hands, how many people would be interested in a separate township meeting to specifically address the homeless? A majority of the room showed interest.
7:25 pm Lt. Burcher was introduced. Started by addressing Prop H. Upon its inception, there was no funding allocated to start the resources moving. We are just starting to get the momentum. Spoke to recently removing the homeless, and them coming right back. A resident requested additional police presence in the neighborhood. She lives by the channel, where many homeless congregate, and had her car broken into and items stolen. Lt. Burcher stated that there is only 1 patrol car and they are also responsible for servicing other areas. Another resident asked about homeless that are taking up residency on either side of the sidewalk by the entrance to Alondra Park. Posed the question, is that not loitering? Lt. Burcher advised that there is no way to take that amount of homeless in for loitering, and when asked to move, they will temporarily, but end up right back. Another resident brought up the fact that ECV provides a unique environment that fosters the homeless. If there is a suspicious person walking down into the channel at 2:00 am, a deputy(s) will not be forced to enter a potentially dangerous situation. Another resident brought up the fact that by the time something happens, we will be wondering what could have been done. Lt. Burcher mentioned that in order to address the crime, we have to nip the homeless issue in the bud. Bun in order to do that, with new regulations, any group of 5 or more needs a team assembled (public defender, psychiatric assessment, housing, etc.)
Resident posed a questions, if the police are called out, are they not able to run anyone to see if there are any warrants, but there is new policy that requires a 4 pg. report to prevent “profiling”.
Another resident brought up “COG” program. It is a homeless task force team that helps those in need get housing, resources, etc. Information was given to the board.
Another resident suggested we need to work together to make our neighborhoods better. Don’t get mad at law enforcement, don’t villainize all homeless, just be more vigilant and call things in as you see them.
7:50 pm Officer Nieves was introduced. Nieves spoke to school programs geared at helping educate children (plant the seed while they’re young).
Resident asked about crosswalk enforcement. Officer Nieves spoke to some of the ways they address enforcement, but reiterated the importance of establishing a rapport with children, rather than get a negative idea of all police.
A resident asked about students that come to an abrupt stop to try to get a vacant parking spot. If a spot is available, it is not illegal for a car to stop and wait for it. If there is no spot available, a car cannot just sit and wait. Officer asked for a specific time, and it was mentioned that it happens during almost all class hours.
Another resident spoke to her daughter, a college student, that sometimes has to walk to school. Asked where the police presence is enforcing the crosswalks.
8:05 pm Deputy Carol Malveaux, with Parks Bureau, was introduced. Parks Bureau covers Alondra, Bodger and Del Aire parks. Officer addressed that our park does have “closing” hours (sun down). Recently had signs in parking lot updated so that parking lot also closes at sun down. Parks Bureau dispatch number was given 1-800-834-0064. Kevin brought up the history of some of the clubs that take over the park (car/motorcycle clubs) and create dangerous environments for other park goers and people using public streets. When one agency is called, they sometimes refer to other agencies. Rule of thumb, if it’s in the park, call Parks Bureau dispatch. If it is an ongoing issue, Deputy Carol advised to email her to explain the situation.
A resident asked about Coyotes in the park. It is animal control’s responsibility. If they say they cannot help, ask to speak to a supervisor. If they still don’t do anything, email Carol.
Another resident asked about splitting Alondra park into different parks due to the size. No knowledge of that.
8:21 pm Abraham was introduced (owner of liquor store of MBB & Crenshaw). Over the past 10 years, has dedicated time to assist with the homeless through religious sources. Emphasized the importance of coming together as a community to be the eyes and ears / hands and feet of the people.
Tamaryn addressed some of the concern residents have regarding the feeding of some homeless. Speaker mentioned that the homeless will be here regardless of a meal, but everyone has the right to a plate of food. Also mentioned their approach is to talk to and try to understand each person’s story to try and help in any way they can.
8:30 pm Meeting was adjourned. Residents were thanked for attending.
Community Watch Meeting Minutes 4/18/18
7:00 pm Meeting was called to order. Members and speakers were introduced.
7:05 pm Kevin spoke in regard to current status updates – crosswalk scheduled to be worked on in beginning of calendar year 2019. Homeless problem is ongoing and we hear the concern. COPS team accompanied by psychologist to try and help relocate some of the homeless. Some took the help, others haven’t. Also spoke briefly to Refinery topic that will be address later in the meeting. Introduced Randy
7:10 pm Randy began with meeting dedication and moment of silence for Michael Washburn (parks & recs employee) and Jeanne Lescord (ECV resident). Talked about Pirate Day Parade (4/28) some street closure, may affect commute times. Possibly room for some additional vintage cars. Fishing Derby (5/12) registration at 7:30 am, event from 8 am – 12 pm. Carnival over Memorial Day weekend (5/25 – 5/28), Hawaiian Festival in June, first skater appreciation day – Skatefest! (6/21). Splash pad is currently under construction but scheduled to open soon. Also introduced James LeBlanc, newest member of park staff. Brings 26 years of experience to the table. Passed back to Kevin.
7:15 pm Kevin passed out crime stats and gave the floor to Tamaryn. Discussed current crime stats. Resident asked where a map of the crime reports can be found. Sheriffs dept. doesn’t currently have one up and running. Tamaryn recommended Crimemapping.com. Pat made mention that exact addresses can’t be revealed, but general area can. Kevin asked for email addresses for anyone looking to stay up to date on stats as we get them. Lt. Burcher was introduced.
7:20 pm Lt. Burcher spoke to homeless removal / COPS team. Psychs are a part of the team to help provide psychiatric evaluations. Team was able to remove 8 tons of materials (tents, clothes, etc.) Resident asked who can be spoken to directly to address the homeless. No direct channel. Kevin asked about homeless being aggressive towards residents. Parks bureau is responsible for making sure no homeless are staying overnight. They cannot be asked to leave during the day unless they are causing a problem and it is reported. Resident addressed people riding bikes at late night / early morning hours without lights. Also usually seen riding with plastic bags. Lt. Burcher advised to call it in and a unit will generally head towards the area (pending other priority calls). Another resident asked about response times. Call is usually dispatched immediately, but response time depends on priority of call. Try to be no longer than 20 minutes, even for lower priority calls. Higher priority, usually within about 5 min. Lt. Burcher spoke about prop 57, making it harder on law enforcement to pick up perps since more crimes have been reduced.
7:39 pm CHP – Officer Lance Nieves? Introduced himself. Officer Kovaleski has been relocated. Asking for specific problem locations that are known so they can focus their efforts on those areas. New dispatch number that can be called. There are currently 6 officers assigned to South LA area. Resident from Lemoli asked best practice for calling in speeders. If more people call, the more units/time for a unit gets allocated to specific areas. Resident asked if speed sign on Lemoli records data. It does not. Resident asked who is responsible for parking citations. CHP as well as parking enforcement. Reiterated a vehicle can only be parked on the street without moving for 72 hours.
7:50 pm Torrance Refinery Action Alliance was introduced. Mayors of both Manhattan and Hermosa Beach have written letters to urge the change in chemicals used (hydrofluoric acid). Sally came up to give power point presentation. Torrance refinery and Valero in Wilmington are the only 2 refineries in the state to us HF and MHF. Radius of chemical cloud can include much of the South Bay. Link to all information at www.traasouthbay.com. Lawn signs were distributed. Contact information was collected to be kept in the loop with ongoing events dealing with HF and MHF. Meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 6:00 pm at Sizzler on Torrance and Sepulveda.
8:30 pm Meeting concluded. Advised of next Community Watch Meeting July 18th.