Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution to confirm the appointment of a committee to create and implement a community engagement plan regarding policing in Union City.

There is no direct alignment with the Strategic Plan.

On Monday, May 25, 2020, George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis Police.  In response to his death, protests and demonstrations erupted across all 50 states and around the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to condemn racial injustice.  These events impacted all parts of the United States, including Union City, and as such, there has been public interest in better understanding the policies, practices and procedures of the Union City Police Department. 

The City has taken several steps to address George Floyd's death and the impact this has had on the community, including a public message from Police Chief Rinetti condemning the actions that led to George Floyd's death; a similar message from Mayor Dutra-Vernaci; a virtual town hall meeting, which included the Mayor, Reverend Brown, Chief Rinetti, and Adrian Valdez (YFS Counselor).  The Mayor also signed the Obama Foundation's Commit to Action pledge for U.S. mayors, which calls for four actions related to police use of force. A web page was also created to respond to community questions regarding these Commit to Action policies and the #8cantwait demands. 

On June 9, staff provided an oral briefing to the City Council of the multiple events that had taken place in the preceding two weeks.  The City Council agreed to form a committee with City Councilmembers and Human Relations Commissioners to create and implement a community engagement plan regarding policing in Union City.

At the June 9, 2020 City Council meeting the Council approved the establishment of a committee to create and implement a community engagement plan regarding policing in Union City.   Vice Mayor Duncan and Councilmember Gacoscos were appointed and unanimously approved by the Council.  Vice Mayor Emily Duncan will lead the committee. The Council also provided direction to identify Human Relations Commissioners to serve on the committee. 

On June 15, 2020, the Human Relations Commission held a meeting and recommended to the City Council the following Commissioners: Melissa Shuen-Mallory, Michele Wms-Smith, and Jonathan Pettey.  Staff is now requesting that the City Council approve the recommendations of the Human Relations Commission. 

There is no impact to the General Fund from the formation of this committee. 

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution to confirm the appointment of a committee to create and implement a community engagement plan regarding policing in Union City.