Petaluma pledges to create citizen committee, continue talks about police reform

Petaluma leaders have committed to creating a citizen-led advisory committee to continue discussions about police reform, the result of a long-awaited public workshop to address simmering concerns about racism and inequity in Sonoma County’s second-largest city.

The nearly five-hour virtual meeting Jan. 21 marked the first time representatives from the City Council, community organizations and police publicly discussed concrete policy proposals since a town hall meeting last summer and a pair of listening sessions designed to collect the opinions of Petaluma’s BIPOC — or Black, Indigenous and people of color — community.

Thursday night’s discussion did not lead to any council votes, though members directed staff to return in 30 days with a proposal to create an ad-hoc citizen advisory committee and address a list of 15 recommendations submitted by community groups.

“I think the (community advisory committee) group will help us do a deeper dive and make some solid recommendations and necessary next steps for the council,” City Manager Peggy Flynn said in an interview Tuesday.

City Council is expected to deliberate over the details of the citizen-led committee’s functions and membership at its Feb. 22 meeting, though Flynn said it will be tasked with assisting the city in making informed recommendations about police oversight and reform.

Thursday’s workshop kicked off with an introduction and presentation by Tracey Webb, the city’s diversity consultant, who was contracted in part to help navigate these discussion. It also featured presentations by representatives of North Bay Organizing Project, Petaluma Community Relations Council, Petaluma Blacks for Community Development and the Team for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity.

A total of 228 people tuned in through Zoom, along with an unknown number watching through an alternate online streaming platform and the city’s public access channel. Patrick Carter, management analyst with the city, said it was the highest turnout he’s seen at a virtual public meeting since the pandemic began.

More than 20 residents, many from underrepresented groups, shared personal experiences of racism or prejudice in the city, which is home to 60,500 people, nearly 80% of whom are white, according to U.S. census data.

Several residents expressed exasperation with the monthslong process that precipitated the workshop, and shared skepticism over officials’ promises to reform policing.

“You guys don’t do nothing, you talk and talk and talk,” resident John Hanania said. “Words can lie. Actions speak louder than words.”

Others commended the city for its efforts, though still urging the city to translate discussion into policies that touch not only on policing, but on other institutions as well, including the city’s education system.

The council’s pledges come more than six months after the community-led listening sessions and more than four months after a resulting list of policy recommendations were published by the group. It’s a delay that led to a growing push for action from activists and residents of color in recent weeks.

Zahyra Garcia, vice president of North Bay Organizing Project’s executive board, said she was “left hanging” at the end of the Jan. 21 workshop, unsure of why the city didn’t take any action. She said she understands the city may need more time, but is also concerned that the list of policy recommendations will be watered down and kicked down the road.

“They’re reinventing the wheel,” she said. “We did the work, we listened to community, we presented the framework, and at this point, I think it’s just a matter of political will and it seems to me like they’re stalling.”

Vice Mayor Brian Barnacle delivered some of the most urgent calls for immediate action during the meeting.

“I don’t see how we can keep asking the BIPOC community to come to the table for listening sessions if we don’t make policy actions a priority tonight, and set a date for when we want to see something done,” he said.

It’s a criticism that has led some residents to doubt the city’s level of commitment in analyzing police policies and listening to the concerns from its residents of color.

Mayor Teresa Barrett echoed the sentiments of those who expressed frustration with how long it took to hold the latest workshop. City officials say it’s not for lack of effort, but rather a product of operating through back-to-back emergencies with a skeleton staff, along with an intensive review by diversity consultant Webb.

Flynn said even though the city has been criticized over the speed of the process, the staff intentionally did not offer action items in the workshop agenda, honoring requests from the community to listen first.

“We didn’t want to make assumptions in a vacuum,” she said. “Not once, since the murder of George Floyd, has the city taken its eye off the goal of making sure that all of our residents feel safe in our city. To quote Tracey Webb, this work takes time, and we want to do it thoughtfully and in concert with our community.”

Police Chief Ken Savano, who attended the workshop alongside Deputy Chief Brian Miller, said the workshop was a necessary and welcomed next step, throwing support behind the citizen-led advisory committee.

Additionally, Savano said the department is already moving forward with a CAHOOTS model of policing, which stands for Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets. The community policing initiative, which started about 30 years ago in Eugene, Oregon, creates mobile intervention teams trained to respond to mental health crises, thereby limiting interactions with uniformed police officers. Several Sonoma County cities, including Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Healdsburg, are also exploring the model.

The police department hired an experienced consultant last week, Savano said, and has launched a review process he says will identify resources and chart a path forward in adopting the CAHOOTS policing method.

“We’re going to make it happen, it’s the right thing to do,” he said Friday. “We’re also looking at mental health services and staff to work alongside officers, we want that, too.”

Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.