June 2015 General Meeting Minutes

By
Pete Rockwell
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0
476

Culver City Democratic Club – 63 Years

General Membership Meeting – Veterans Auditorium Rotunda

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

  1. Call to Order at 7:07 p.m. by Sylvia Moore, President.
  2. Pledge of Allegiance – led by Neil Rubenstein.
  3. Approval of May 13, 2015 Minutes. Moved to approve by Darryl as corrected, seconded by Theo. Approved.
  4. Announcements:
  5. Meeting Sponsorships – $50 to sponsor a meeting if you wish to honor someone. See Sylvia.
  6. Fourth of July Picnic, Carlson Park, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. under the covered benches. The Club has reserved the space. Club furnishes the charcoal and watermelon. Bingo with prizes.
  7. Officer Reports
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Eric Fine) Total funds as of April 30, 2015 were: $4,715.61 and May 31, 2015 were $4,319.18.
  2. Membership (Diane Rosenberg) 114 paid members. www.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com/RENEW. New promotions for new members: buy a membership and get a free DVD. Membership eligibility reminder for September CC School Board endorsement forum.
  3. Fundraising (Amy Cherness) – Raffle, prizes were described. Tickets $5 for 6 tickets or $1 for 1.
  4. Outreach (Sylvia Moore) – Completed our MOE (Mobilize, Organize, Elect) application to send out information to boost our membership.
  5. Correspondence (Stephen Murray) Executive Board approved AB 356 to set up ground water standards for wells. It failed in the 3rd reading in the Assembly. Stephen reported on the CCDC State Convention: Loretta Sanchez announced her candidacy for US Senate. Kamala Harris is running for US Senate (Barbara Boxer is retiring). Elizabeth Warren was outstanding. Channing Hawkins won the District 14 Director position, The following resolutions passed: Trans-Pacific Partnership, Better Working Conditions/Equality for Working Women; Repeal of Personal Beliefs Exemption to Mandatory Vaccinations; Fighting Inequality by Expanding Economic Opportunity; Rebuild CA by making the commercial property tax code fair; Calling the Republican Party to Stop Blocking Student Loan Debt Relief; Support of Divestment from Fossil Fuel Companies; Medical Aid and Transparency in Policy Encounters and Investigations, known as the “I Can’t Breathe” resolution; CA Senior Bill of Rights; Calling upon the Republican Party to Address Climate Change Now; and the Resolution in Opposition to Arctic Oil Drilling Permit.
  6. Legislation (Nyabingi Kuti) No quorum to vote on the resolution which was to be presented by Nyabingi calling for the release of County Incarceration Diversion Funds.
  1. Program –CC Police Chief Scott Bixby followed by audience Q & A. Chief Bixby is a “local hero,” living and going to school in Culver City. Worked patrol, investigations, narcotics and inter-agency task forces. Promoted to Chief in August 2014. Chief described departments and responsibilities (including the red light photo lights). Traffic, Property, Forensics, Records, Community Relations, Social Media, Neighborhood Watch, Investigation and Public Safety Bureau, IT, Personnel and Training (Continuous Professional Training); Adult Detectives, Robbery & Homicide, Burglary, Grand Theft Auto, Theft, Juvenile Detectives and Sex Crimes, School Resource Officer, Crime Impact Team, Vice and Narcotics, LA Impact Task Force; CalMet (targets methamphetamine); AB 109 Task Force (post release of parolees) with Gardena, Hawthorne and Inglewood.

Measures of effectiveness: 1) Response time; 2) Case clearance (45%); 3) Crime prevention (violent crime was up 4%); 4) Effective Traffic and Parking Enforcement; 5) Morale which includes accountability. A strategic plan is in place for crime reduction, organizational communication and those items above. Created the 5 “Ps”: 1) Proactive; 2) Professional; 3) Pride; 4) Passion; and 5) Partnership. Vehicles outfitted with dash cams. In process of researching body cams (he’s for it). Established a Parking Committee.

Explorer Program Academy for youth (Scouts – Boy and Girl). Requesting a Crime Analyst position to crunch data. Approved for a Parking Supervisor. Getting a Records and Property Supervisor and a Senior Forensics Tech. In the process of “mental health training,” to establish dealing with issues on the street. Current events: unjustified use of force (of 50,000 contacts, 16 complaints, 4 were for use of force, none were sustained.) Community Outreach; Homeless Committee (My Brother’s Keeper); Checks and balances for arrests and MOU with LAPD who does the investigation if in the case of an officer involved shooting, Diversity in the police department is more diverse than the city itself. Recruitment on college campuses and military. Q and A followed. No racial profiling from this department. There is criminal profiling. Chief Bixby received only sleeping bags from the Dept of Defense – no assault weapons were received or requested. The department has several non-lethal means. Photo enforcement yellow phases are 2 seconds longer than other cities’ lights. Neil recommended that the Chief go weekly to Council Meetings to make himself available to the public. Neil also brought up the “shoot to kill” attitudes of other police departments. Chief addressed the mental health issues with this matter. Citizen Police Academy will be held in July. Gives the public a taste of what police go through in training (8 weeks). Charlotte spoke of a stolen wallet and lack of response from CCPD when she reported it. Chief Bixby said he’d follow up. Stephen addressed racial bias and arrests. Chief, although couldn’t spell out the stats, related that arrests were in alignment with the racial diversity of the city; Meghan Sahli-Wells reminded us of the social media that CCPD uses including Smart 911 (where the department receives your medical information, house description, names of children, etc..) which is available on CulverCityPD.org.; Animal Control services is under the department’s supervision.

  1. Resolution regarding the long-term unemployed (Darryl Cherness) – has yet to go to Executive Board.
  1. ByLaws Revision: New provisions required by the CA Democratic Party regarding club participation in Pre-Endorsement Conferences. Pat moved to accept the changes, Judy Alter seconded. Motion carried.

While other changes of the By-Laws will be reviewed, those presented tonight had a deadline of July 1.

  1. Announcements
  1. Executive Board Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at Pat Levinson’s home at 10 a.m.
  2. Fiesta La Ballona – There will be a booth on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 & 30. Please join us for the Friday afternoon CCDC gathering at the Wine on August 28.
  3. Kelly Osajima from Evolve to talk about reforming Prop 13 to split corporations from residential taxes. She has asked someone to call in to a radio show, AirTalk on 89.3. Senator Loni Hancock will be on the radio to speak about “Make It Fair.”
  4. Tom Camarella has informational pamphlets for “Bernie.”
  5. Message from Ruth Weisman, about her husband who passed away. She thanked the Club for remembering David. A memorial will be held by Ruth’s grandson at 511 Broadway St. in Venice on Tuesday, June 16, 3 p.m.
  6. Next general meeting will be on an Incarceration Panel on July 8.

IX. Motion to adjourn this meeting in honor of David Weisman, Alice Silbiger, Jimmie Woods Gray’s mother, and Bea Cohen, longest surviving WAC at 105 , by Eric Fine, seconded by Stephen Murray. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Pat Levinson, Recording Secretary