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Arcata City Council introduces ordinance to repeal dormant public safety committee after heated public comment
Summary
The Arcata City Council on April 1 introduced Ordinance 1584 to remove the citypublic safety committee from the municipal code, citing vacancy and inactivity; some residents urged the council to preserve oversight, saying removal would reduce accountability.
Arcata City Council on April 1 moved to introduce Ordinance 1584, which would repeal the public safety committee from the municipal code. Police Chief Chris Ortega told the council the committee has not functioned since April 2023 and all seven community seats are currently vacant. "The public safety committee is no longer active," Ortega said, urging the code update to reflect current practice.
The committee was created after a 2016'017 task force and began meetings in 2019, Ortega said, but efforts to fill vacancies have repeatedly failed. He said public safety work continues through council meetings and direct engagement between the…
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