Rancho Palos Verdes creates public safety division and approves nearly $8.9 million sheriff's agreement

Rancho Palos Verdes leaders highlighted changes to public safety operations and noted a multiyear rise in sheriff contract costs during a June 16 council update and the city's RPV City Talk program.

Host Maria So noted the council received an update and that the council approved an agreement with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for nearly $8.9 million for the next fiscal year. Mayor Paulo explained why the city created a public safety division: "our public safety contract with the sheriff's has been increasing every year" and the city could not sustain that growth if extended over a decade.

"Right now, we spend about $9 million on our sheriff's contract," Paulo said. He described the public safety division as an "overarching umbrella" for the peninsula that will take on non-patrol duties'administrative tasks, traffic safety and liaison responsibilities'allowing sheriff deputies to focus on traditional policing.

Paulo also said the division encompasses emergency management, fire safety and hazard mitigation, and will coordinate liaison work with neighboring cities. The mayor estimated the division has been active "about a year and a half, two years" and said the arrangement is "going well."

The transcript did not include staffing levels, a detailed budget breakdown for the public safety division, or the council vote roll call for the sheriff's agreement; those details were not specified on the program.

Next steps: The city will continue to operate the public safety division alongside the sheriff's contract; specifics on cost savings or reallocation were not described in the transcript.