Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Alternative Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council accepts staff report; directs outreach and funding options for 988/trust alternative response expansion
Summary
Council accepted a staff update on alternative and co‑response options for 911 calls and signaled support for expanding county‑operated alternative responders, continuing a pilot Trust team and increasing public awareness of 988.
The San Jose City Council accepted a staff report on Feb. 4 detailing options to expand alternative and co‑response emergency response programs and advised further outreach and budget planning.
Staff described existing programs, including the county‑operated Trust program and the county’s 988 crisis hotline, and reported that the city used one‑time funds to help expand a Trust pilot that launched Nov. 21, 2024. Council members and staff discussed options for expanding transfers from the city’s 911 center to county alternative responders and for potentially using opioid settlement funds to extend the Trust pilot through June 2026; staff said an extension would require updates to the city‑county memorandum of agreement and additional data reporting tied to the settlement requirements.
Staff told the council it has begun polling residents to increase awareness of 988 and has coordinated with the county’s 988 team to amplify outreach. The city manager’s office said it is willing to convene a rapid stakeholder task force with county and community partners to design nimble, emergency‑style coordination for imminent threats to immigrant and other vulnerable populations.
During public comment, dozens of residents and service providers urged more non‑police responses to behavioral‑health and homelessness calls, recommended immediate funding for the Trust team, and requested funding for immigration legal services and other wraparound supports. Community speakers included representatives from YWCA Silicon Valley, Sacred Heart Community Service, Friends of the Rapid Response Network, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and multiple advocacy coalitions.
The council voted to accept the staff report and directed staff to continue county collaboration, pursue targeted outreach to raise awareness of 988, and return with budget options in the next budget cycle. Staff said they would bring a fuller recommendation in fall 2025, including Trust pilot performance data and a recommendation on any extension using opioid settlement funds.
No appropriation was adopted at this meeting; councilmembers requested staff return with cost and performance reporting before allocating permanent funds.
