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Mountain View council votes to dissolve Public Safety Advisory Board after debate
Summary
Following a multi‑hour discussion and public comment, the Mountain View City Council voted 4–3 to dissolve the council‑appointed, Brown Act‑governed Public Safety Advisory Board and pursue alternative community engagement methods for police oversight and outreach.
After several hours of public comment and council debate on Dec. 10, the Mountain View City Council voted to dissolve the Public Safety Advisory Board (PSAB), a council‑appointed Brown Act advisory body created in 2020.
Assistant City Manager Audrey Seymour Ramberg and Police Chief Michael Canfield presented PSAB’s history, noting several accomplishments — a school resource officer (SRO) review, work on non‑law‑enforcement mental‑health response planning and RIPA (racial identity profiling) data reviews — but also recurring challenges: a broad work plan that often required extensive staff time, member resignations and meeting cancellations in 2024 that left the board short of a quorum.
Public commenters and PSAB members offered split recommendations: some urged the city to keep PSAB and address staffing or scope; others argued a staff‑led, non‑Brown Act approach and a set of focused community meetings would provide more flexible, practical engagement. Councilmembers likewise split: proponents of dissolution cited limited attendance, large staff costs and better alternative forums (MVPDX, faith‑leader and Latino advisory groups, chief advisory councils); opponents worried that dissolving a council‑appointed body would remove an official venue for sustained public oversight.
Councilmember Ellen Kamay moved to adopt the staff recommendation to dissolve PSAB; after additional discussion the motion passed 4–3. The council directed staff to continue required statutory functions (for example, the annual military equipment community meeting associated with state law reporting) and to develop alternative community engagement approaches to ensure continued public input on policing and public safety topics.
The council did not adopt a single replacement model; staff and the police department will work to expand other engagement vehicles and report to council on how statutory reporting and community input will be handled going forward.
