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Measure U committee adds 'public safety' to 2026 alignment, backs outreach plan and elects leadership
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Summary
After debate over survey wording and scope, the Measure U Community Advisory Committee voted unanimously to add 'public safety' to the 2026 areas of alignment, postponed final outreach strategy pending a written plan, and elected Chair Georgoff and Vice Chair McGee in roll-call votes.
The Measure U Community Advisory Committee voted Jan. 26 to add "public safety" to its 2026 program alignment and took a series of procedural steps on outreach, budgeting and leadership.
Commissioner Cook argued the committee's 2026 program recommendations should explicitly list public safety, citing the committee's 2023 community survey that placed public safety among the top three priorities. "Public safety should be 1 of the areas of alignment in this table and it's not," he said during debate.
Commissioner Sala and others urged caution: Sala warned that the survey's respondents may over-represent middle‑class, English‑language respondents and recommended a broader definition of public safety that includes prevention and youth programming rather than equating public safety solely with increased policing. "If we're going to put it, we should use a description that just doesn't say it's about adding more to the police budget," Sala said.
The chair proposed adding the 2023 survey language for "public safety" and appending language that acknowledges multiple ways to achieve public safety, including prevention and youth services. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote. According to the clerk's roll call, all commissioners present voted to approve the change (11 yes; 2 absent). The clerk announced: "The motion passes." The commission did not adopt a narrower statutory definition and left the wording intentionally broad to reflect both response and prevention approaches.
On outreach, Commissioner Sala presented a plan to bring Measure U materials and a dashboard fact sheet to monthly City Connect events and to collect short, simple feedback via QR codes or brief paper surveys. The commission discussed using a podcast slot and tabling at council-member community meetings; staff agreed to return with a written outreach plan and the ad hoc will refine survey questions and logistics.
The commission also began scheduling department presentations to inform FY26–27 budget recommendations. Staff proposed inviting five departments (Fire; Office of Public Safety Accountability; Human Resources/Office of Diversity & Equity; Information Technology; and City Attorney). Commissioners debated whether all Measure U-funded departments should be required to present and whether presentations should be limited to impact-focused responses; staff will request department presentations and return with a schedule.
Procedural votes during the meeting included extending the session by one hour to finish business (voice vote), a roll-call re-election of Chair Georgoff for another year, and election of Commissioner McGee as vice chair. The clerk recorded unanimous support among present commissioners for both officer elections (roll-call tallies: chair re-elected and vice chair elected; 11 yes, 2 absent for each vote).
