Council hears public-safety staffing and equipment requests as part of FY27 budget study session

Two department presentations focused on public safety needs during the city's FY27 budget study session. Police Captain Veronica Salceto summarized a package of program and equipment requests that included a crossing‑guard pilot for school zones, an upgrade to tasers (department proposal: Taser X10) and regional participation in a San Gabriel Valley COG bear‑management program. Salceto said some purchases could be funded by donated money from the Meadows development or by grants; the department also plans an explorer club and community police academy to expand youth outreach.

Fire Chief Bartlett emphasized crew training, EMS outcomes and wildfire preparedness, asking the council to consider an additional full‑time deputy fire chief who would also take on community risk reduction duties and continuity of operations. Bartlett described equipment and technology investments in the budget proposal: phase‑in of POS‑free turnout gear (partly offset by a developer contribution), a second LUCAS mechanical CPR device to improve cardiac arrest response, and a records‑management system to consolidate scheduling, training and reporting.

Councilors pressed staff on practical constraints: ambulance and apparatus availability, anticipated revenue from potential BLS transport services (staff presented conservative, moderate and optimistic revenue scenarios), and the logistics and cost of replacing aging ambulances (roughly $300,000350,000 per unit was discussed). On equipment, Captain Salceto said the taser upgrade proposal could be supported with donated funds; Chief Bartlett said some turnout and safety costs were already partially funded by a Toll Brothers agreement.

Ending: Council members generally signaled support for prioritizing firefighter leadership and gear that directly affect response capability, while asking staff to return with clarified funding sources and cost allocations ahead of the June budget adoption.