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Residents urge action on police responses, hotel‑worker safety and farmland preservation during Ontario public comment
Summary
Public commenters at the Jan. 20 meeting told the council the police sometimes fail to respond or provide accurate reports; union representatives said a proposed hotel ordinance weakens protections for housekeepers; a local farmer urged support for regenerative agriculture and preserving farmland.
Several residents and advocates used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 20 Ontario City Council meeting to raise concerns across public safety, labor and land use.
Dale Roberts told the council he has repeatedly received misleading responses from city departments and alleged the police dispatch and reporting are sometimes dishonest, and he cited ongoing parking and code violations at I Street that he said are being ignored. "Either the cops aren't being dispatched or the cops are lying in their reports," Roberts said, adding he wants city staff to follow up on the specific locations he raised.
Andrea Romero, identifying herself as a representative of "night care local 11," criticized a proposed ordinance related to hotel‑worker safety, saying it falls short of the protections in a voter initiative supported by housekeepers. Romero highlighted three areas of concern: where and when personal security devices can be activated, whether reasonable accommodations and paid time off for reporting threats are guaranteed, and the level of training and urgency staff will provide.
Randy Beckenden, who identified himself as a farmer, urged the council to preserve farmland and highlighted national attention on regenerative farming. Beckenden referenced a Dec. 10 news conference and a federal pilot program he said would provide $700,000,000 to support farmers moving away from chemical use.
Mayor Leon and staff directed specific follow‑ups: city manager Ishi was asked to speak with Dale Roberts about the locations he raised, and staff said updated materials would be placed in the public record for items affected by those updates.
The council did not take formal action in response to public comment during the meeting; several of the subjects raised intersect with items on the agenda (labor protections and hotel development), which council members addressed later in the meeting.
