REPORT TO THE CITY OF FRESNO YOUTH COMMISSION
October 11, 2019
FROM: Jose Espinoza, Program Coordinator
Youth Leadership Institute
BY: Marco Martinez, Senior Deputy City Clerk
Office of the City Clerk
SUBJECT
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Update, discussion and actions pertaining to selection of the new City of Fresno police chief
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RECOMMENDATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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BACKGROUND
At the May 17, 2019 Fresno Youth Commission meeting, Sher Moua, program manager for Boys and Men of Color (BMOC) spoke during the Public Comments portion of the meeting in regards to the City’s efforts to recruit a new police chief. He stated that the City had held five community meetings and he urged the Fresno Youth Commission to use its platform as Council’s advisory body on issues affecting youth in order to assure that the new police chief was sensitive to issues affecting youth, in particular to the issue of police officers that worked in school campuses.
Chair Jauregui and Commissioner Villegas asked that BMOC Program Manager Moua and BMOC provide a presentation at the next Fresno Youth Commission meeting.
At the June 7, 2019 Fresno Youth Commission meeting, BMOC Program Manager Moua and BMOC youth representatives gave a presentation in regards to law enforcement interactions with youth at Fresno Unified School District high schools. They expressed concern that youth were being arrested and disciplined at disproportionate rates at area high schools by school resource officers. They urged the Fresno Youth Commission to hold a public meeting and to invite local youth to express their concerns in regards to law enforcement in high schools and city-wide. They also asked the commission to urge the City Council to use its power in order to advocate for the hiring of a police chief that is responsive to youth concerns.
The Fresno Youth Commission voted to create an ad-hoc committee to study the issue of law enforcement and youth interactions, and to coordinate a Town Hall. The Town Hall was held on July 12, 2019. The Town Hall served to provide the youth of the City of Fresno with a platform to express their concerns about the selection of a new police chief. The Town Hall consisted of workshops, and the Fresno Youth Commission approved a letter to be sent to City officials incorporating the Town Hall’s findings and youth surveys.
At the August 2, 2019 meeting, Coordinator Espinoza announced that the Fresno Youth Commission had earned a place as part of the interview panel for the new police chief. He stated that Sergeant of Arms Lopez had been selected by Mayor Lee Brand as the youth representative on the interview panel. At the August 16, 2019 meeting, Sergeant of Arms Lopez briefed the commission in regards to his work on the interview panel.
On August 23, 2019, Mayor Brand and City Manager Wilma Quan announced the selection of Andy Hall as the new police chief. Chief Hall was not part of the original group of applicants. Consequently, on September 2, 2019, the Fresno Youth Commission formed an ad-hoc committee to meet with City officials and ensure that youth voices are heard in respect to police chief selection process and law enforcement issues affecting youth.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
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LOCAL PREFERENCE
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FISCAL IMPACT
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