Andy Block

The Housing Element 2023-2031 for Union City outlines policies and programs to address the housing needs of all households, ensuring enough sites for safe, accessible, and diverse housing. It identifies existing and future housing needs and defines goals, policies, and implementation programs to meet those needs.

The committee meeting focused on updates on action items since the last meeting, including outreach efforts to stakeholders and the creation of a dedicated web page with meeting information and resources. The meeting also included community listening sessions with invited guests to discuss issues, concerns, and recommendations regarding policing in Union City. Specific concerns raised included the misuse of the 911 system, aggressive traffic enforcement by some officers, and the need for consistent law enforcement in addressing issues like fireworks.

The Policing and Community Engagement Committee meeting included public comments, open business items, and community listening sessions. Public comments focused on police importance, accountability, data on police activity and race interactions, police department demographics and budget, restorative justice, community relations, action plans for police reform, data on incarcerated residents, and strategies to break cycles of poverty and incarceration. The community listening sessions featured presentations from community members sharing their thoughts on policing and community engagement, including what is working, what is not, and recommendations for improvement.

The Policing and Community Engagement Committee meeting included public comments both in person and submitted in writing. The committee received written comments expressing strong opinions against defunding the police. The meeting featured a conversation with Police Chief Jared Rennetti, covering department policies, campaign zero and the police scorecard, demographics and recruiting, department training standards, mental health service calls, use of force, the defund the police movement, UCP culture, and reform. Chief Rennetti provided details on the department's policies and statistics, addressing concerns about the police scorecard's methodology and the department's demographics.

This meeting of the Policing and Community Engagement Committee included instructions for public participation using the raise hand or chat features. Public comments focused on the importance of police presence in the community, the need for additional training and social services, and the importance of de-escalation techniques. Concerns were raised about the current level of community programs and the need for increased police outreach to build stronger relationships with residents. The need for a more stringent probationary period for new officers and increased training were also discussed.