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APPROVE RESPONSE TO THE 2017-18 CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT RELATED TO CODE ENFORCEMENT, CASE NO. 0117, AND MUNICIPALITY ETHICS POLICIES, CASE NO. 0917
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt by motion action the City Council’s responses to the 2017-18 Civil Grand Jury Report for Investigating Case No. 0117 relating to Code Enforcement and Case No. 0917 relating to Municipality Ethics Policies, and direct the City Manager to sign the response on behalf of the City Council and to transmit the response to the Presiding Judge of the San Joaquin County Superior Court.
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Summary
The 2017-18 Civil Grand Jury Report Investigation Case No. 0117 included two findings related to the Code Enforcement section of the Stockton Police Department. The report was issued on June 21, 2018 (Attachment A). The Grand Jury Report discusses its review of the Neighborhood Services Section (Code Enforcement) of the Police Department and states that it is a positive example of a proactive approach to code enforcement issues. Staff agrees with the Grand Jury that the department has taken steps and implemented programs to address and respond to code violations.
The 2017-18 Civil Grand Jury Report Investigation Case No. 0917 included one finding and a recommendation related to the City’s Ethics Policy. The report was issued on June 21, 2018 (Attachment B). The Grand Jury Report discusses the City’s extensive and comprehensive ethics policy but found that not all individuals were well-versed on policy details and recommended actions to bring greater awareness to the policy. In general, staff agrees with the Grand Jury and will implement the informational efforts as recommended.
California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05 require a response to the Presiding Judge of San Joaquin County Superior Court by September 19, 2018, to comply with the 90-days allotted to the City as a response time. A letter has been prepared for Council consideration that is responsive to the investigation (Attachment C).
DISCUSSION
Background
Civil grand juries were established by the Constitution of the State of California. They conduct investigations and publish reports. Agencies cited in the reports are required to respond to the findings and recommendations of the report.
On June 21, 2018, the San Joaquin Grand Jury issued a report entitled Code Enforcement Departments of San Joaquin County, Case No. 0117. The report discusses the various code enforcement departments within the County and points out that the City of Stockton has the largest department and is the only proactive agency. The report also calls attention to the neighborhood blitz teams approach and use of code officers, police, and community members to address all illegal activity in one neighborhood at a time. Specifically, the report states the “neighborhood blitz team is a positive example of a proactive approach to code enforcement issues.”
The findings were both positive, and no recommendations were made related to the code enforcement case. The first finding states that “Stockton has moved the code enforcement department into a section of the Stockton Police Department. This enables a response team to quickly address areas riddled with crime and blight.” The second finding found that “Stockton has implemented a number of proactive code enforcement programs that respond to code violations with a neighborhood focus.”
On June 21, 2018, the San Joaquin Grand Jury issued a report entitled San Joaquin County Municipality Ethics Policies, Case No. 0917. The report reviewed ethics policies for all municipalities in the county. In reviewing the City’s policy, it found that the City “has an extensive and comprehensive ethics policy. Stockton’s code of ethics for employees and city officials was last updated November 2, 2017. The policy is written to include elected officials, appointed staff, appointed board and commission members, and employees.”
The finding stated that not all individuals are aware of the policy which could lead to misunderstandings that violate the policy, and recommended that Council members be provided a copy of the ethics policy and attend a briefing about its contents.
Present Situation
Pursuant to California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05, a written response has been prepared for submittal to the Presiding Judge of the Superior (Attachment C).
In the response, staff agrees with the Grand Jury that the Police Department has taken steps and implemented approaches to improve the effectiveness of its code enforcement activities. In 2017, the Neighborhood Services Section of the Stockton Police Department resolved 7,923 code enforcement cases. Of particular note, during the initial Neighborhood Blitz Team efforts, the City of Stockton inspected 1,858 parcels, including 2,470 residential units. City staff identified violations at 1,226 locations and worked with occupants and/or owners to bring them into compliance. Each area was provided a Clean-up Day, and approximately 40 tons of unwanted items were removed. Conservation Corps staff assisted many elderly and disabled individuals who were unable to remove their own debris. Perhaps most importantly, meetings were held, at neighborhood venues, to give a voice to residents and neighborhood leaders and to formulate plans to reduce crime/blight, strengthen economic viability, and foster neighborhood pride. These combined efforts greatly reduced blight in all six focus areas. Each focus area also experienced a significant decrease in violent crime and has since sustained a level of reduced overall crime.
In 2018, the Neighborhood Blitz Team evolved into the Neighborhood Betterment Team and began a second phase. Phase II provides a longer-term approach to sustain the progress achieved in these focus areas and continues to improve the quality of life for these residents and business owners. Phase II extends the program’s emphasis to include the leveraging of partnerships for areas outside of our direct control such as employment, education, and health care.
In the Grand Jury response, the City also agrees that it can improve awareness of its policies relating to ethics and conflict of interest and will specifically provide City Council members with a copy of the Ethics Policy (Attachment D) and brief Council members on its contents.
The response letter to the Grand Jury Report (Attachment C) outlines the City’s perspective on the Grand Jury’s conclusion and responds to each finding and recommendation.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
There is no financial impact in submitting this response letter to the Presiding Judge of the San Joaquin Superior Court. In addition, the City’s actions in response to the Grand Jury reports will be carried out within existing resources.
Attachment A - 2017-18 Grand Jury Report - Case No. 0117
Attachment B - 2017-18 Grand Jury Report - Case No. 0917
Attachment C - Response Letter - Grand Jury Case No. 0117 and 0917
Attachment D - Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy Documents