Police, fire chiefs propose advisory panels; council asks staff to revisit commission handbook in 6–8 months

City public-safety leadership and councilmembers discussed the role and effectiveness of a council-appointed Public Safety Commission and whether a chief-led advisory panel would produce better community engagement.

Police and Fire Department leadership said the Brown Act and formal rules make commission meetings slow and inflexible for discussing timely public-safety matters. The chiefs proposed a separate chief's advisory panel of community subject-matter representatives (real-estate, health care, nonprofits and other organizations) who would meet with chiefs outside the Brown Act framework and report informally back to council or staff.

Councilmembers debated tradeoffs between oversight and informal liaison roles. Some councilmembers said commissions are useful as formal liaisons to the public and as a recruiting mechanism for future civic leaders; others said low attendance and long-standing difficulties with noticing and quorum have limited the Public Safety Commission's effectiveness. Several councilmembers asked staff to try to reestablish and populate the commission, while leaving the option open to try an advisory-panel model if the commission continues to underperform.

Council directed staff to return to council in six to eight months with status and recommendations on whether to continue the current commission, convert it to a chief's advisory panel model, or use a city-manager-appointed advisory group. The council made no binding structural change at the May 6 meeting.