Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Recognition Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Calimesa marks city anniversary with awards; police and fire report public-safety metrics
Summary
At its Dec. 1 meeting celebrating the city’s anniversary, Calimesa presented posthumous community awards, recognized a firefighter’s five-year anniversary, heard a citizen praise emergency responders, and received police and fire reports including an $18,000 OTS grant and the fire department’s ISO Class 2 rating.
On the city’s anniversary Dec. 1, Calimesa honored two posthumous recipients — Walt Pyle (Legacy of Service Award) and Colonel Joseph Perilla (Community Enrichment Award) — for long-running contributions to youth programs, concerts and community traditions. Mayor recounted both men’s roles in creating and sustaining regional recreation and youth sports.
The council also recognized Fire Captain Matt Vega for five years with the department. In public comment Donna Johnson thanked the fire department for a recent emergency response and praised the crew’s speed and care, while noting unrelated concerns about ambulance service.
Sheriff Captain Northrop presented partial November crime statistics: 2 aggravated assaults, 2 burglaries, 1 auto theft and 11 larceny/theft incidents; he reported a total of 424 incidents for the month and reminded residents about holiday-related DUI risks. Northrop announced an approximately $18,000 Office of Traffic Safety grant to pay for DUI saturation patrols and distracted-driver enforcement from Dec. 12 through Jan. 1.
Battalion Chief Chad McAtarian reported the Calimesa Fire Department maintains an ISO public-protection classification of Class 2 — placing it among the top 4% nationally — and described a 20.62% year‑to‑date increase in call volume with 1,661 medical aid responses and mutual-aid activity. McAtarian cautioned that maintaining the rating requires continued staffing and investment as call volume and geographic coverage grow.
These recognitions and reports were presented before regular business and were followed by councilmember comments and the meeting’s reorganization items.
