Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dozens of residents urge San Bruno council to settle police contract as staffing and services are cut
Summary
Public comments dominated the regular meeting as union leaders and residents described staffing losses (K-9s, SWAT), threatened service cuts, and urged the council and city manager to resolve a police bargaining impasse; the city manager provided negotiation dates and a tentative-agreement valuation.
A large portion of the regular meeting's public-comment period focused on ongoing contract negotiations with the San Bruno Police Association and the operational impacts of the bargaining impasse.
Multiple speakers representing the police association and dozens of residents described lost specialized services, including canine teams and reduced SWAT capacity, and said nonessential services such as vacation checks, traffic enforcement and outreach are being scaled back. Tommy Ledesma, who addressed the dais from the podium, said union members had believed recent city commitments and described bargaining proposals the union considered insufficient: "I blame myself for believing that that the phrase good faith meant the same to everyone," he said.
Mary Anne Lindblom, identifying herself as a police clerk, and other speakers called on the council to prioritize public-safety negotiations and to avoid cuts that they said would degrade service and risk officer departures. Several speakers argued that San Bruno officers are paid below peninsula peers, citing recent separations and recruitment losses.
The city manager, Peter McIntyre, provided a factual timeline of the negotiations in response: negotiation began Aug. 13, 2025; a tentative agreement with comparable market adjustments was reached on Jan. 8, 2026; the represented members later rejected that tentative agreement and the city declared impasse on March 6, 2026. McIntyre said the tentative agreement had been valued at $3.13 million and that the police unit's revised proposal would add about $640,000 (roughly 20%) to that value. He urged continued negotiation.
Council members acknowledged the public's concerns and emphasized they welcome both renewed bargaining and continued dialogue. The mayor announced a short recess for the audience and asked staff and negotiators to continue efforts to resolve the impasse.
Next steps: the city manager said the city remains open to talks and urged both sides to return to the table; several speakers said they would continue to organize letters and calls to the council until the contract is settled.
