* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] BEGIN CALL THIS MEETING OF KKO MARCH KKO MEETING, UH, INTO ORDER. IF YOU CALL THE ROLE WITH EVERYONE, WE'LL BEGIN WITH. COMMISSIONER HOPE. JUST A MOMENT. NOPE. CHAIR SWANSON AT ONE O'CLOCK. WE CAN START THE MEETING. WE HAVE ONE MINUTE NOW WE GET, I'M SORRY. LET'S SINK, LET'S SYN IT. LET'S NOT BE SYNCED UP, BUT YOU'RE GOOD TO GO NOW. OKAY, GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE'LL [CALL TO ORDER] CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AND WE WILL BEGIN. UM, CALLING, [ROLL CALL] UH, ROLL. UH, COMMISSIONER HOPE. GOOD AFTERNOON, RANDY. HOPE HE, HIM. PRONOUNS COMMISSIONER, WHITE MALE IN HIS MID FORTIES, UH, SHAVED HEAD, UH, BEARD, WEARING, UH, EYEGLASSES, UH, TO AID WITH SEEING, UH, AND A GRAY POLO SHIRT. CHAKA GARBUTT VICE CHAIR. UH, SHE, HER PRONOUNS. UM, AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE WEARING A BLACK SWEATER, WHITE TOP. THANK YOU. UH, GRETCHEN SWANSON CHAIR. UH, SHE HER PRONOUNS. I'M AN OLDER WHITE WOMAN WITH WHITE, CURLY HAIR, SHORT, WHITE, CURLY HAIR AND GLASSES. AND TODAY I AM WEARING, UM, LIGHT BROWN TOP AND A NECKLACE THAT'S BEIGE AND BLACK. HEY, GOOD AFTERNOON, ARTHUR ROMA, COMMISSIONER, UH, MALE HISPANIC, 60 ODD YEARS OLD. UH, DARK HAIR MUSTACHE, ORANGE SHIRT AND TAN PANTS TODAY. HELLO, I'M KATE COT, SECRETARY JULIE DEAN. I'M A CAUCASIAN WOMAN IN A MOBILITY SCOOTER WITH SHE HER HERS PRONOUNS. I HAVE SHORT AUBURN HAIR BLUE GLASSES, AND I AM WEARING A TIE DYE COLORFUL DRESS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS. I'M CONFIRMING THAT WE HAVE QUORUM. UM, COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ IS EXCUSED AND, UH, COMMISSIONERS ADAMS, VONG JONES ARE ALL UNEXCUSED. THANK YOU FOR THAT. JUST A, A COUPLE OF COMMENTS BEFORE WE, WE START. THIS IS PRETTY EXCITING. UH, MARCH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALL THESE MONTHS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, IT'S THIS MONTH, IT'S THAT MONTH. WE CELEBRATE, WE REMEMBER, AND I THINK WE'RE STARTING INTO THE SEASON OF AWARENESS. SO TODAY'S SPEAKERS SPEAK TO THAT POINT. ONE FROM OUR OWN CITY. UM, CRISIS RESPONSE, REALLY IMPORTANT, CRITICAL PART OF OUR FIRST RESPONSE SYSTEM. AND THEN WE HAVE AN EXPERT IN AUTISM. AUTISM AWARENESS IS NEXT MONTH, BUT WE WANTED TO BRING IT NOW SO WE CAN BEGIN TO PREPARE, UH, CERTAINLY, UH, A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE HERE, UM, IN LONG BEACH THAT WE WANT TO BECOME MORE INFORMED ABOUT. SO LET'S LISTEN AND ASK QUESTIONS, UM, THAT WILL HELP US SUCCEED IN THAT AS A CITY. ALRIGHT, MOVING FORWARD WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE, RECOMMENDATION [1. 26-54545 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting of February 12, 2026.             Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12TH, 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? NO MOTION. I'LL SECOND. SO, AND CAN YOU CONFIRM FOR US THE MOTION AND THE SECOND PLEASE? CHAIR. UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR CORRECTIONS ON THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MONTH? UH, WE'LL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS IF THEY'RE, IF ANY OF THE MEMBERS IN PERSON WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW, SEEING NONE, WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE ANY ZOOM ATTENDEES TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. WE ARE CONCLUDING PUBLIC COMMENT. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. ALL RIGHT. COMMISSIONER DEAN. AYE. COMMISSIONER ROMO. AYE. CHAIR SWANSON. AYE. COMMISSIONER GARBUTT AYE. AND COMMISSIONER HOPE AYE. MOTION PASSES. AYE. ITEM NUMBER TWO, [2. 26-54546 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Health Department on the Community Crisis Response Program.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ON THE COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE PROGRAM. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? SO, MOTION. SECOND. ALL RIGHT, CHAIR, THE ITEM HAS BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER ROMO AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DEAN, [00:05:05] MAY WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION? AWESOME. HELLO COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY. MY NAME IS ANTHONY MONTALVO. I AM A LATINO MALE IN HIS THIRTIES, UM, BROWN HAIR, UH, WEARING A GRAY JACKET, BLUE SHIRT, AND BLACK PANTS. UM, AND I AM, UH, ATTENDED HERE TODAY WITH, UH, CHRISTINA BOATWRIGHT. INTRODUCE YOURSELF, LEE. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CHRISTINA BOATWRIGHT, RESOURCE CONNECTIONS DIVISION OFFICER OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, LATINA FEMALE IN THEIR FORTIES, UH, BLACK GLASSES, BLACK SHIRT, AND A SKIRT. THANK YOU. YES, AND I'M THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR OUR COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE PROGRAM. I'M HERE TO, UH, HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR YOU ALL. UH, NEXT SLIDE. OH, THANK YOU. SORRY. DIFFERENT SETUP. UH, SO OUR COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE PROGRAM WAS BORN OUT OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR RECONCILIATION, AS WE ALL KNOW. UM, IN 2020 FOLLOWING THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD, THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL ENGAGED IN AN EARNEST CONVERSATION ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THE NEED TO RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST AND CITY GOVERNMENT. UM, AND IN THAT CONVERSATION, REALLY RECONCILING THE GAP BETWEEN EXPERIENCES OF IMPACTED AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE WITH CERTAIN CURRENT CITY POLICIES, ESPECIALLY THE BLACK COMMUNITY. UM, OUR CITY, UH, THROUGH THAT PUBLIC OUTCRY LED A CONVERSATION THAT UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED THE FRAMEWORK FOR RECONCILIATION. UM, WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK FOR RECONCILIATION, ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR ADDRESSING NONVIOLENT CALLS FOR SERVICE WERE SPECIFICALLY NAMED FROM WHICH OUR ALTERNATIVE CRISIS RESPONSE WORK WAS BORN. UM, AND LOCALLY, OUR COMMUNITY CRISIS OR RESPONSE TEAM, UH, WAS CREATED. UH, THIS SLIDE, UH, DEPICTS THE GENERAL PROGRESSION OF OUR PROGRAM, STARTING FROM THE ADOPTION OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR RECONCILIATION, IDENTIFYING CCR TEAM, UM, MOVING INTO THE ADVISORY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, PART OF OUR WORK WHERE AN ADVISORY WORK GROUP WAS FORMED, UM, MEMBERS OF THE CITY FROM THE CITY MANAGEMENT, HEALTH DEPARTMENT, FIRE POLICE, UM, MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY, UM, HUMAN RELATIONS AS WELL AS VARIOUS OTHER MEMBERS ACROSS THE CITY AND REGION, CAME TOGETHER TO, UH, WORK WITH OUR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, PROVIDER, HARVARD GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE LAB TO IDENTIFY DATA AND BEST PRACTICES IN ORDER TO ADOPT AN ALTERNATIVE CRISIS RESPONSE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION AND SEVERAL YEARS OF WORK, UH, WE MOVED INTO OUR EARLY PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT HOW THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WHETHER IT WOULD BE CONTRACTED IN-HOUSE, UH, WHAT THAT TEAM WOULD LOOK LIKE, HOW MANY MEMBERS WOULD BE ON THE TEAM, WHAT CALLS WOULD THE TEAM GO ON, ET CETERA. AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THAT INFORMATION TO TODAY. DURING THAT PRESENTATION, UH, WE MOVED INTO OUR PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR FIRST YEAR OF RESPONSE, WHERE THE CCR PROGRAM PRIMARILY RESPONDED IN WEST LONG BEACH. THAT'S THE AREA, UH, WEST OF CHERRY, UH, NORTH OF ANAHEIM, REALLY KIND OF WEST OF THE SEVEN 10, UP TO, UH, THE BORDERS OF, UH, CARSON COMPTON, THE VARIOUS, UM, WESTERN PARTS OF THE CITY, UH, WHERE THE PROGRAMS PRIMARILY RESPONDED, UM, TO POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE. UM, FROM 10 TO FIVE, UM, AFTER THAT FIRST YEAR, WE MOVED INTO OUR FIRST SERVICE AREA EXPANSION, WHERE THE PROGRAM PROVIDED RESPONSES TO POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE IN WEST AND SOUTH LONG BEACH, INCLUDING THE AREA WE ARE CURRENTLY STANDING IN, UM, UP UNTIL ABOUT A CHERRY. UH, AND THEN LAST SUMMER, OUR PROGRAM HAD A CITYWIDE EXPANSION WITH TWO TEAMS RESPONDING TO ALL PARTS OF LONG BEACH, UM, FROM THE HOURS OF 10 TO FIVE. AS A QUICK BREAKDOWN, UH, THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM, UM, IN A VERY SIMPLISTIC FASHION, UM, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE CALLING FOR SERVICES LOOKS LIKE THIS, UM, YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL MAY CALL 9 1 1 OR THE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER, UM, WITH A CALL, A CONCERN, SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN YOUR COMMUNITY. UH, WHEN YOU CALL THAT NUMBER, UM, WHETHER IT BE 9 1 1 OR NON-EMERGENCY, EVENTUALLY YOU'LL GET TO A CALL TAKER. AND IN THAT PROCESS, THEY GENERALLY WILL ASK YOU WHETHER YOUR CALL NEEDS A POLICE RESPONSE OR FIRE MEDICAL. UM, OUR CCR PROGRAM EMBEDS INTO THAT RESPONSE. WE WORK WITH OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER. SO WHEN YOU CALL THE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER, UM, WHEN YOU GET TO THE DISPATCHER, UH, WHEN YOU ASK FOR A POLICE RESPONSE, CCR IS ONE OF THE AVAILABLE UNITS THAT CAN COME OUT. SO LONG AS THE CALL FITS WITHIN C CCRS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, WHICH WE'LL GO OVER IN, IN A MOMENT, UM, CCR R SERVES AS AN ADDITIONAL OPTION FOR THOSE TYPES OF CALLS FOR SERVICE. [00:10:02] UH, SO WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN 2023. UM, CCR IS A SPECIALIZED NON-LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAM, AND WE SPECIFICALLY RESPOND TO ELIGIBLE NONVIOLENT 9 1 1 CALLS FOR SERVICE FOCUSING ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES, INCLUDING HOMELESSNESS. WE HAVE FIELD RESPONDERS IN THE TEAM, UH, WHICH CURRENTLY EACH TEAM COMPRISES OF A CRISIS INTERVENTION SPECIALIST. THAT IS SOMEONE WHO IS MAIN ROLE IS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE. THEY'RE OFTEN A SOCIAL WORKER, UH, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST, OR SOMEONE WHO HAS THE CREDENTIALS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL WITH SUPERVISION. UM, AND A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE WHO HAS THE CREDENTIALS TO ACT AS A NURSE IN THE FIELD, PROVIDING MEDICAL RESPONSE, UH, LIGHT WOUND CARE, MEDICATION ASSISTANCE, UM, SOME HEALTH MANAGEMENT, UM, AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE CALL IS, THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE EYES ON PHYSICAL HEALTH. AND WE'RE NEVER MISTAKING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN A PHYSICAL HEALTH CRISIS BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY CAN'T LOOK LIKE ONE ANOTHER. OUR TEAMS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE PROGRAM MANAGER, MYSELF AND AT ALL TIMES, A LICENSED CLINICIAN TO SUPERVISE ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEAM SO THAT WE'RE ALWAYS REVIEWING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MENTAL HEALTH FOCUSED ON OUR CALLS. THIS MAP IS JUST AS MAP OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, AS YOU MAY WELL KNOW. UM, PREVIOUSLY, AGAIN, WE ONLY PROVIDED RESPONSES IN SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE CITY. AS OF JULY, 2025, ART PROGRAM OPERATES TWO TEAMS THROUGHOUT ALL OF LONG BEACH. OUR OPERATING TIMES ARE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 10 TO 5:00 PM CURRENTLY, OUR COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM HAS A VERY SPECIFIC SUBSET OF POLICE CALL CODES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CCR RESPONSE. UM, THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS, A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, UM, CODED AS A 51 50. THOSE ARE YOUR CLASSIC MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, CALLS THAT HAVE SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS THAT WE MAY SEE IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, THAT MAY UH, BE DESCRIBED AS, UM, ACUTE OR NEEDING MORE HIGH ATTENTION FROM A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. UH, WE DO TAKE SUICIDAL CALLER CALLS. THOSE ARE 9 2 9 A. THOSE ARE CALLS WHERE INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE, MAY HAVE THOUGHTS OF DYING, UH, MAYBE DON'T HAVE A PLAN OR MEANS, BUT ARE HAVING ACTIVE THOUGHTS AND ARE IN NEED OF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE OR SOMEBODY TO TALK TO. UH, WE RESPOND TO PUBLIC INTOXICATION CALLS BOTH 6 4, 7 F, AND FD. UH, THOSE ARE ALCOHOL AND DRUG RELATED CALLS, WHERE THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR THE TEAM IS TO MAKE RAPPORT, CONNECT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, ASSESS THEIR HEALTH, ENSURE THAT THEY'RE NOT, UH, IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, AND CONNECT THEM WITH SERVICES IN THE LONG TERM. AS OUR TEAM DOES DO FOLLOW UPS, OFTENTIMES OUR FIRST CALL IS REALLY THAT IT'S THE FIRST CALL TO PROVIDE SERVICE OVER MULTIPLE CALLS. UH, WE ALSO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO FOLKS WHO ARE AT THE CENTER OF UNWELCOME PERSON CALLS OUR UNWELCOME. UH, THOSE CALLS CAN INCLUDE ELEMENTS OF EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT CAN ALSO INCLUDE CALLS WHERE INDIVIDUALS MAY BE IN A LOCATION AT A BUSINESS, AT A HOME WHERE SOMEBODY HAS DETERMINED THAT THEY ARE NOT WELCOME. UM, SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE A FAMILY MEMBER IN A FIGHT WITH THEIR FAMILY AND SOMEONE SAID, HEY, I NEED THEM TO LEAVE. SOMETIMES IT'S A PERSON EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WHO MAY BE ON THE SIDEWALK. UM, BUT IT CAN ALSO JUST BE A CALL OF, HEY, I SEE SOMEONE IN MY ALLEY AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY'RE THERE. AND OUR TEAM GOES OUT AND WE MAKE CONTACT TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE ALL RIGHT. WE DO OUR HEALTH ASSESSMENT, UM, AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE MEET THEM HEALTH FIRST AND THEN HELP THEM WITH WHATEVER THEY'RE NEEDING IN THAT MOMENT. UM, AS WELL AS WE DO HAVE WELCOME, UH, SORRY, EXCUSE ME, WELFARE CHECKS AS A PRIMARY FOCUS OF OUR CALLS. UM, SO WELFARE CHECKS ARE ABOUT 40% OF OUR CALL CODES. THEY COMPRISE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE. UM, THAT INCLUDES MENTAL HEALTH CALLS THAT ARE MAYBE LOWER ACUITY, MAYBE SOME SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT NOT SPECIFIC, UH, ACUITY, HIGH ACUITY CALLS, AS WELL AS CALLS WHERE YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN CHECKING ON A FAMILY MEMBER, A FRIEND. UM, YOU SEE SOMEONE OR HEAR SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT, BUT NOT SURE IF IT'S A CRIME OR SOMETHING HAPPENING. BUT AS A CONCERN CITIZEN, YOU MAY CALL THE NON-EMERGENCY LINE. THOSE OFTEN ARE ON OUR WELFARE CHECKS WHERE OUR TEAM WILL GO OUT AND CHECK ON THE INDIVIDUAL, ASSESS THEIR HEALTH AND SUPPORT THEM. AND THEN ALSO DISTURBANCES, WHICH ARE OFTEN JUVENILE DISTURBANCES, UH, WHERE WE SUPPORT YOUTH, UM, IN PUBLIC SPACES WHO MAY BE, UM, CAUSING A DISTURBANCE FOR THE FOLKS AROUND THEM. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME EXCLUSIONARY CRITERIA. UM, THERE ARE SOME ELEMENTS OF CALLS THAT CCR IS NOT ABLE TO RESPOND TO, INCLUDING ANY CALL WHERE THE PERSON IS EXHIBITING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR. THE PERSON HAS IN POSSESSION A WEAPON. UH, IF THEY ARE COMMITTING AN ACT OF CRIME, IF THEY'RE EXPERIENCING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, THE COMMUNITY CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM WILL NOT RESPOND. [00:15:01] THAT REQUIRES AN AMBULANCE. AMBULATORY SERVICES, UH, AND FIRE WILL LIKELY BE DISPATCHED. UH, AND IF PERSONS ARE THREATENING OR AN IMMINENT RISK OF HURTING THEMSELF OR OTHERS, THAT IS LIKELY A LIGHTS AND SIRENS RESPONSE BECAUSE WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT LOSS OF LIFE IN THOSE INSTANCES. THE WAY TO CONTACT CCR IS BY DIALING THE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER, WHICH IS 5 6 2 4 3 5 6 7 11. UH, YOU'LL GET A CALL TREE THAT ASKS FOR YOUR LANGUAGE, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE SEVERAL PROMPTS. UH, WE USUALLY SAY DIAL FIVE. UH, THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO A CALL TAKER. UH, IF THERE'S ANOTHER NEED, GO TO THE NUMBER THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR YOU. BUT DIALING FIVE WILL GET YOU TO NON-EMERGENCY CALL TAKER, AT WHICH POINT WE ASK COMMUNITY TO DESCRIBE USING DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE. UM, WE, WE DO FIND THAT SOMETIMES IN CRISIS IT CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING FOR FOLKS TO BE DESCRIPTIVE, AND OFTENTIMES OUR EMOTIONS DICTATE OUR LANGUAGE, AND WE CAN FIND THAT OUR COMMUNITY IN THE BEST WAYS WILL DESCRIBE THINGS WITH ELEVATED LANGUAGE, WHICH CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE IT HARDER FOR OUR CALL TAKERS TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER IT'S AN APPROPRIATE CALL FOR CCR. UM, SO THE BEST WAY TO GET CCR IS TO DESCRIBE THE CALL WITH WHAT YOU SEE PLAINLY. UH, IN THIS EXAMPLE, YOU COULD SAY, I'M CALLING BECAUSE I SEE A PERSON WHO IS BEHAVING ODDLY ON THE CORNER OF ATLANTIC AND WILLOW, FOR INSTANCE, THEY'VE BEEN CRYING OUTSIDE THE BUILDING FOR 30 MINUTES, AND I'M CONCERNED THEY MAY NEED SUPPORT. UH, THE PLAIN SIMPLE LANGUAGE MAKES IT EASIER FOR OUR CALL TAKERS TO UNDERSTAND THE RISK INVOLVED IN THE CALL, AND ALSO FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER IT IS MENTAL HEALTH RELATED OR WHETHER THE CALL MAY NEED TO ESCALATE TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE. IF THE CALL IS ELIGIBLE AND CCR IS IN SERVICE, DISPATCH WILL TAKE THE CALL, UH, AND THEY'LL, UH, SEND THE TEAM OVER TO C-C-R-C-C-R WILL LIKELY RESPONDS IN UNDER 30 MINUTES. OUR CURRENT RESPONSE TIME IS ABOUT 17 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS. IF THE CALL IS INELIGIBLE OR CCR IS NOT CURRENTLY IN SERVICE, THE CALL TAKER WILL STILL TAKE THE CALL. UM, WE ASK THAT FOLKS DO NOT ESCALATE THE CALL AS ALL CALLS WILL RECEIVE A RESPONSE, ANOTHER UNIT WILL BE DISPATCHED. UM, IT'S ALWAYS BETTER NOT TO SPECULATE IN ORDER TO TRY TO ESCALATE A CCR RESPONSE. UH, THE CALL TAKERS AT THE END OF THE DAY ARE USING THEIR RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL CALLS GET AN ACCURATE AND ADEQUATE RESPONSE. WE HAVE A PUBLIC DASHBOARD AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE IN THE PUBLIC TO VIEW TO REVIEW. UM, WE UPDATE THIS REGULARLY. UM, THOUGH I WILL SAY CURRENTLY THERE IS A BIT OF LAG IN THE DATA DUE TO, UM, SOME LICENSING ISSUES WITH THE, UH, DATA PROVIDER. UM, BUT WE DID PROVIDE SOME HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE DATA. UM, THIS IS A BIT BEHIND, BUT IS STILL FAIRLY ACCURATE. UH, OUR TOTAL CALLS RESPONDED AS OF THIS LAST POLL WAS ABOUT 15 NINE. UM, CURRENTLY IT SITS CLOSER TO ABOUT 1700 CALLS FOR SERVICE, UM, CLOSER EVERY DAY TO 2000 ABOUT PEOPLE SUPPORTED WAS ALSO ABOUT 1700 AND A RESPONSE TIME SITTING AT ABOUT 17 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS, MEANING IT TAKES OUR TEAM ABOUT 17 MINUTES FROM THE POINT THAT WE RECEIVE A CALL FROM DISPATCH TO ARRIVE ON SCENE WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBER IN QUESTION. OUR CALL TYPES, ABOUT 40% OF OUR CALLS ARE CHECK WELLS, AS I HAD MENTIONED PRIOR. UH, AND ABOUT 30% OF OUR CALLS ARE UNWELCOME, WHICH OFTEN ARE CALLS RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO INCLUDE OTHER ELEMENTS OF CALLS, UH, WITH PUBLIC TALKS, UH, BEING OUR, OUR THIRD HIGHEST, UH, CALL CODE WITH VARIOUS OTHER CALLS FALLING AT SEVEN, TWO AND 6%. UM, WE DO SEE CHECK WELLS AS A MAJORITY OF OUR WORK IN TERMS OF CALL RESOLUTION. ABOUT 60% OF ALL CALLS FOR SERVICE ARE RESPONDED TO AND RESOLVED ON SCENE WITH THE SUPPORT OF INDIVIDUALS AT THE CALL, MEANING THAT OUR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WERE ABLE TO USE INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR EXPERTISE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND, EVALUATE, AND SUPPORT THE PERSON WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. UM, HOWEVER, NOT ALL CALLS ARE ENDED THAT WAY. ABOUT 20% OF OUR CALLS ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO REFUSE SERVICES. THEY DECLINE SERVICES IN THE MOMENT. UM, AS MOST OF THE INDIVIDUALS AT THE CALL FOR SERVICE DO NOT MAKE THE CALL FOR THEMSELVES. THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE. UM, AS FOLKS DO NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHY THEY ARE HAVING A CCR CALL FOR SERVICE. HOWEVER, OUR TEAM DOES CONNECT WITH THEM, PROVIDE THEM SERVICES, AND CONNECTS THEM WITH RESOURCES. AND IF THEY SAY NO, WE KINDLY STEP AWAY. LET THEM KNOW HOW TO CONTACT US AND FOLLOW UP WHEN APPROPRIATE. UH, ABOUT 5% OF OUR CALLS ARE UPGRADED BACK TO PD OR FIRE, MEANING THAT THOSE CALLS HAD SOME ELEMENTS WHERE THE CALL WAS NO LONGER APPROPRIATE FOR A CIVILIAN TEAM. UM, AT WHICH POINT WE HAND THE CALL TO FIRE WITH INFORMATION OR TO PD WITH INFORMATION SO THAT THE CALL IS SAFELY ADDRESSED. UH, AND ABOUT 12% OF OUR CALLS ARE RESOLVED BY TRANSPORTING THE INDIVIDUAL TO SOME OTHER SERVICE. SOMETIMES THAT'S TO MEDICAL CARE, SOMETIMES IT'S TO SHELTER. UH, SOMETIMES IT'S TO PLACES FOR OTHER BASIC SURVIVAL NEEDS, FOOD, CLOTHING. UM, SOMETIMES IT'S TO CONNECT THEM WITH FAMILY WHO ARE THEIR SUPPORT PERSONS [00:20:01] AND IN THEIR CRISIS, WE'RE THE BEST PLACE FOR THEM TO RECEIVE SUPPORT. THIS HEAT MAP SHOWS WHERE CCR SEES THE MOST OF THEIR CALLS CURRENTLY. UH, WE SEE ABOUT 30% OF OUR CALLS COMING FROM THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF LONG BEACH, WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND, UM, AS WELL AS THE AREA KIND OF CLOSER TO ANAHEIM, UH, REALLY CENTRAL AND SOUTH LONG BEACH HAVING THE PREDOMINANT NUMBER OF CALLS. HOWEVER, WE DO GET CALLS IN ALL OF LONG BEACH, AND AS WE'VE EXPANDED, UH, WE HAVE SEEN MORE CALLS IN EAST AND NORTH. UM, HOWEVER, WE, WE DO MAINTAIN TRANSPARENCY THAT THE HIGHEST VOLUME OF CALLS COMES THROUGH OUR DOWNTOWN CORE. IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, UH, OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE PRIMARILY RELIES ON FOOD AND WATER AS A RESOURCE IN OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE PROVIDE WHEN NECESSARY. AS WE SEE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE LACKING ACCESS TO BASIC SURVIVAL, FOOD, WATER, UH, SOMETIMES EVEN CLOTHING. UM, WE DO KEEP THOSE ITEMS ON OUR VEHICLES WITH US, UM, PARTLY FOR POOR, BUT PARTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT ESPECIALLY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, THAT FOLKS ARE SAFE, UM, IN HOT WEATHER LIKE TODAY, UH, THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP PEOPLE COOL AND TAKE FOLKS INTO OUR VEHICLES, INTO COOLING CENTERS WHEN POSSIBLE. UM, BY RACE ETHNICITY, ABOUT 47% OF THE INDIVIDUALS WE SERVE IDENTIFY AS BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN, WHICH WE, UH, MAINTAIN IS DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE CENSUS POPULATION FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, AND ABOUT 32% OF THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE IS WHITE OR IDENTIFYING AS WHITE WITH 16% IDENTIFYING AS HISPANIC OR LATINX, AND 5% A COMBINATION OF ASIAN MULTICULTURAL OR OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER. UM, AS THE DATA SETS ARE SMALL, THOSE HAVE BEEN COMBINED. FOR THE REST OF THIS PRESENTATION, I WANT TO SHARE SOME STORIES. DATA IS IMPORTANT. I LOVE TO SHARE THAT, BUT IT'S ALSO REALLY HARD TO SHARE THE WORK WE DO WITHOUT SHARING WHAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD. UM, SO I'LL READ OUT A FEW, UH, QUOTES THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED HERE. UM, OUR FIRST ONE IS CCR RESPONDED TO AN ELDERLY WOMAN IN A WHEELCHAIR WHO FELT UNSAFE AT HOME UPON FINDING HER LIVING CONDITIONS UNSUITABLE. THE TEAM COORDINATED WITH HER CASEWORKER, FACILITATED NEXT STEPS ON HER HOUSING APPLICATION, TRANSPORTED HER TO A HOSPITAL, AND SUBMITTED A REFERRAL TO SENIOR LINKS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT, ENSURING HER HEALTH AND SAFETY WERE PRIORITIZED. IN ANOTHER EXAMPLE, CCR RESPONDED TO A YOUNG WOMAN WITH SUICIDAL IDEATION AND ALCOHOL USE WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSESSED BY FIRE IS NOT NEEDING TRANSPORT. THE TEAM DISCOVERED THAT HIS APARTMENT WAS NEARLY EMPTY AND HELPED HIM RECONNECT WITH THE TREATMENT CENTER. AFTER LEARNING, HE LACKED A PHONE. THEY WALKED HIM TO OBTAIN ONE ENSURING HE COULD BE REACHED FOR A TREATMENT BED. THIS FOLLOW UP MARKS A TURNING POINT FOR THAT COMMUNITY MEMBER AS NO FURTHER CRISIS CALLS HAD BEEN MADE FROM THAT INDIVIDUAL. AND ONE THAT WE HEAR A LOT IS JUST, THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH ME. A LOT OF THE CALLS THAT CCR RESPONDS TO ARE CALLS THAT FOLKS MAYBE DIDN'T HAVE TIME OR DIDN'T KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL. AND OUR TEAM WILL STAY FOR AS LITTLE AS FIVE MINUTES IF THE PERSON IS NOT INTERESTED IN SERVICES TO UP TO 3, 4, 5 HOURS IN THE WAITING ROOM OF A HOSPITAL WHERE THE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE VERY CHAOTIC AND VERY OVERWHELMING. AND SOMETIMES, REALLY WHAT THE TEAM DOES IS HELP FOLKS THROUGH AN INTENSELY STRESSFUL, CHAOTIC TIME IN THEIR LIFE UNTIL THEY CAN GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED. WE HEAR A LOT OF SMALL THINGS TOO. LIKE IT'S NICE THAT SOMEONE CARES. IS THERE A WAY I CAN CALL YOU DIRECTLY IF SOMEONE I KNEW NEEDS HELP? WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. I'M HAPPY THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS EXISTS TO HELP PEOPLE. THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH ME. AS I HAD SAID, WHEN WILL THIS BE AVAILABLE WHERE I LIVE? THAT ONE WE'VE ACTUALLY CHANGED. IT'S AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW, BUT THAT WAS A QUOTE WE USED TO GET A LOT OF, UM, ONE THAT WE LOVE AND HAPPENS FAIR FAIRLY FREQUENTLY. I DIDN'T CALL FOR YOU AND I'M NOT HAPPY YOU'RE HERE, BUT I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT NOT EVERYBODY CALLS FOR CCR, BUT CCR WILL STILL RESPOND TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND TRY TO REALLY UPLIFT HUMAN DIGNITY IN THAT PROCESS. AND IT'S OKAY IF FOLKS ARE MAD THAT WE'RE THERE, WE'RE HAPPY TO WALK AWAY. BUT WE DO CENTER FOLKS' HEALTH AS THE MAIN, MAIN PRIORITY IN EVERY CALL FOR SERVICE. UM, WE ALSO HEAR, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO COULD USE YOUR HELP JUST AROUND THE CORNER OVER THERE. AND WE DO, WE WALK AROUND THE CORNER AND CHECK ON FOLKS AFTER A CALL FOR SERVICE. AND I WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO CALL YOU GUYS DIRECTLY. I HAVE CLIENTS WHO COULD REALLY USE YOUR SUPPORT, BUT WE WOULD NEED A DIRECT LINE. UH, WITH THAT I END MY IMPACT STORIES AND WOULD LOVE TO OPEN UP THE PRESENTATION FOR QUESTIONS. UM, FIRST, UH, JUST A SIMPLE CLARIFICATION FROM THE, UH, COMMISSION, ANY CLARIFYING, UM, QUESTIONS AND WE'LL MOVE INTO, UM, [00:25:02] PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, I HAD ONE CLARIFYING IN YOUR DATA OF NUMBER OF PEOPLE ASSISTED AND RESPONDED TO. WAS THAT FOR A YEAR OR SINCE INCEPTION? YES. I CAN GO BACK TO THAT. THAT'S QUITE A FEW SLIDES BACK. RIGHT? HERE WE GO. ALMOST WENT BACK TOO FAR. TOO FAR. OH, AND THEN I CLOSED IT. AH, THERE WE GO. TECHNOLOGY. THERE WE GO. FOUND IT. UH, SO WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY, THIS WAS AS OF THE END OF DECEMBER. IT WAS ALL TIME. SO FROM START OF PROGRAM TO END OF DECEMBER, IT WAS ABOUT 1,594. UM, WE'RE SEVERAL HUNDRED HIGHER THAN THAT. GETTING CLOSER TO 2000. UH, BUT YEAH, THIS IS ALL TIME DATA. OKAY. ON THE DASHBOARD. IT'S POSSIBLE TO RESTRICT THE TIME FOR ONE YEAR, IN WHICH CASE, UM, IT'D BE MORE ACCURATE. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, PUBLIC COMMENT. IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NOW, IF YOU'RE ATTENDING IN PERSON, SEEING NONE, WE DO NOT HAVE ATTENDEES IN ZOOM TO PROVIDE POWER. EXCUSE ME, PUBLIC PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. UM, SO THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. COMMISSIONERS, UH, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONSIDERATIONS, SECRETARY, DEAN. UM, I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE HOURS AND DAYS OF THE WEEK. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU MIGHT BE MISSING BY NOT BEING 24 7? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. ASKED THAT FREQUENTLY. UM, OUR DATA IS SHOWING THAT MANY OF THE EARLY MORNINGS, SO ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT, AS BUSINESSES START TO OPEN UP AGAIN, UM, THEY TEND TO BE A LOT OF CALLS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WANT FOLKS MOVED ALONG. UM, SO WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE IF THAT IS NECESSARILY THE BEST FIT FOR CCR, ALTHOUGH WE ARE HAPPY TO RESPOND. UM, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE SEE THAT MAYBE OUR, UH, HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAMS COULD ALSO BE SUPPORTING IN. UM, WE DO SEE SOME OVERNIGHT, UM, INCREASE, UH, KIND OF BASED ON YOUR LIKE ENTERTAINMENT ZONES. AND AGAIN, THOSE CALLS MIGHT NOT BE, WHILE THEY INCREASE IN THOSE AREAS, THEY WOULD BE EXCLUSIONARY TO WHAT CCR CAN RESPOND TO. UM, 'CAUSE WE DON'T SEE A, A HUGE INCREASE AROUND THE CALL CODES THAT WE ARE, UM, ALLOWED TO TAKE OR ELIGIBLE TO TAKE. UM, SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT WE WOULD MISS, YOU KNOW, A HUGE SUBSECTION OF DATA. WELL, OF COURSE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE, WE ARE MISSING THOSE. UM, AND RIGHT NOW IT REALLY IS BASED ON CAPACITY. WE ONLY HAVE THE FOUR RESPONDERS AND ONLY TWO TEAMS. SO WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST OF HOW MUCH WE CAN GET THE, THE FOLKS OUT INTO THE FIELD WITHOUT ALSO LOSING TOO MUCH COVERAGE. IF SOMEONE CALLS OUT SICK, LIKE TODAY SOMEONE WAS OUT SICK, BUT WE JUST CONDENSED TO ONE TEAM AND WE'RE STILL ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICE FOR 10 TO FIVE BECAUSE YOU DON'T, IT'S UM, I IMAGINE IT'S PRETTY DIFFICULT TO TO GATHER ANY REAL DATA, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAVE TURNED INTO A CCR CALL ON THE OVERNIGHTS. YEAH, THAT'S TRUE. OR THE WEEKENDS. THAT'S TRUE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR DISPATCHER'S, UH, PARTNERSHIP IS THAT THEY WILL, UH, TAG WHAT THEY CALL TAG OUR CALL WHAT COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR CCR IN THEIR DATA. SO IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT COMES IN THAT SOUNDS LIKE COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR CCR, THEY CAN MAKE A NOTE OF IT IN THEIR SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN PULL THOSE PAST RECORDS, UM, TO SEE WHAT ARE THE TRENDS AND WHAT THOSE MAY LOOK LIKE ACROSS THE WEEKENDS AND THE 24 HOUR PERIOD. UM, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD END UP AS A CCR CALL. THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE GET IS, UM, HANDOFF WARM HANDOFFS FROM POLICE OR FIRE WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, OH, THIS ACTUALLY IS MUCH BETTER SUITED FOR CCR BECAUSE WE CAN'T STAY 45 TO AN HOUR WITH SOMEBODY IN CRISIS, BUT YOU ALL CAN. UM, SO WE ARE MISSING KIND OF THAT END RESULT OF WHAT THAT CALL COULD BECOME. SO IS IT A MATTER OF BUDGET? YES. THANKS. MM-HMM . HAVE THESE BEEN THE, THE SAME HOURS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM? SO THERE'S BEEN LIKE NO ALTERATION TO THE TIME PERIODS THAT YOU'VE OFFERED SERVICES? NO, WE'VE BEEN THE SAME. UH, WE, WHEN WE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND, THAT WAS OUR CONVERSATION. IT WAS LIKE, DO WE EXPAND OUR HOURS OR DO WE EXPAND GEOGRAPHY? AND WE THOUGHT GEOGRAPHY FIRST TO KIND OF WHAT IS THE TEST OF THAT? UM, AND THEN TO THEN LOOK AT HOURS WHEN FUNDING IS APPROPRIATE. YEAH, SO IT'S, IT'S OBVIOUS YOU'RE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING. BUT UM, AS YOU'RE HEARING, RIGHT, A LOT OF THINGS DO HAPPEN ON THE WEEKENDS. I KNOW SUN SUNDAY CAN BE A VERY LONELY DAY FOR PEOPLE. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SAYING, NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT, RIGHT? UM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? I THINK OUR OPPORTUNITIES WHERE MORE SERVICES COULD BE OFFERED. SO ARE [00:30:01] YOU GUYS, DO YOU HAVE LIKE CERTAIN GOALS MAYBE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF OFFERING OTHER SERVICES? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY AND IS THERE A WAY THAT THE COMMISSION CAN SUPPORT YOU? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO ONE OF OUR NORTH STAR, UM, WELL, LET ME BACK UP. SORRY. AS ANTHONY MENTIONED, DURING KIND OF OUR RAMP UP, WE WORKED WITH HARVARD, JPL TO LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE NATION. AND ONE OF THE JURISDICTIONS WHO IS KIND OF LEAPS AND BOUNDS AND THE NORTH STAR FOR MANY FOLKS IS DORM NORTH CAROLINA. AND THEY OFFER CITYWIDE 24 HOUR 365 AND VARIATIONS OF THIS TYPE OF WORK WITH EMBEDDED DIS UH, DISPATCHERS. SO ULTIMATELY THAT'S OUR NORTH STAR. UM, TO GET THERE IS GOING TO BE A FEAT, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH THE BUDGET REALITIES THAT WE'RE IN. UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A THIRD TEAM AND ADD A THIRD TEAM SO THAT WE COULD REALLY LOOK AT EXPANDING INTO AT LEAST AN 18 HOUR KIND OF SHIFT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE SOME OVERLAP. 'CAUSE AGAIN, THE ONE THING WE DON'T WANNA LOSE IS IF SOMEONE IS OUT ON WELL DESERVED VACATION OR IS OUT SICK THAT WE LOSE THEN RESPONSE. AND SO THAT THIRD TEAM KIND OF IS THAT CONTINGENCY PLAN SO THAT WE CAN EXPAND OUR HOURS. OKAY. UM, WOW, YOU HAVE A LOT TO DO AND FOUR PEOPLE OR EIGHT PEOPLE TO DO IT. I MEAN, IT'S, COME ON, LET'S BE SERIOUS. UM, OKAY. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. UH, 'CAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO WRAP OUR, YOU KNOW, ARMS AND HEAD AROUND ONE A FEW YEARS AGO. IT WAS JUST AN IDEA AND IT WAS CONTROVERSIAL AND PEOPLE COULDN'T IMAGINE IT. OKAY, SO NOW WE'RE HERE, WHICH IS FABULOUS. I ALWAYS SAY EXISTENCE IS NINE TENTHS OF LIVING, YOU KNOW? UM, DO YOU HAVE FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THE TEAM THAT YOU HAVE? OKAY, GOOD. YES, WE DO. WE HAVE, UM, WE RECEIVED ACTUALLY A FEDERAL EARMARK FROM SENATOR PADILLA'S OFFICE. UM, IT TOOK THREE YEARS, BUT WE FINALLY RECEIVED IT. AND THAT WILL TAKE US THROUGH, UM, FY 27 AS, UH, INCLUDING A MEASURE A ALLOCATION FROM THE COUNTY. SO, UM, I'M LOOKING AT YOUR MODEL, LOOK AT WHAT YOU DO, AND IN JUST IN THAT OBVIOUSLY MORE WOULD BE GREAT. IT'S AN ALTERNATIVE TO A MASSIVE POLICE RESPONSE AS A FIRST RESPONSE ONLY RESPONSE. THAT'S IMPORTANT. I'M WONDERING THOUGH, AND AND SORT OF READING BETWEEN THE LINES IS THAT YOU DO A WELLNESS CHECK, SO THAT OPENS A A LOT. I WORK WITH, NOT WORK WITH, BUT I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE SENIOR POLICE PARTNERS AND THEY BRING IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? SO I'M WONDERING FOR SOME OF THESE CALLS YOU CAN'T GET TO WITHIN THE HOURS THAT YOU'RE AVAILABLE, IS THERE A MECHANISM TO GO BACK OUT TO FOLKS THAT HAVE CALLED IN REQUESTING, MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REQUEST, BUT COULDN'T BE RESPONDED TO THAT WAY? SO ONE YOU START TO WRAP OURSELVES AROUND MAYBE THAT SITUATION HAS TAMPED DOWN, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT REOCCUR? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE ACTUALLY RECENTLY MET WITH, UM, UH, LONG BEACH'S MET TEAM AND THEIR OFFICERS, SO THE CLINICIANS AND THE OFFICERS, AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WERE LIKE, OH, CCR COULD ABSOLUTELY DO KIND OF THAT FOLLOW UP, ENSURE THAT MAYBE THAT CONNECTION WAS MADE, UM, AFTER THE CALL TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING. AND SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THAT TEAM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT MECHANISM IS, UM, BECAUSE THERE IS SOME DATA SHARING BECAUSE IT'S DMH AND WE'RE THE CITY, AND SO THERE'S SOME OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FUN, FUN THINGS WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SYSTEMICALLY. UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN CONSIDERING. EXCELLENT. THAT, THAT GIVES ME GREAT HOPE. THE OTHER PIECE IS MAYBE THIS IS THE MET TEAM, WHICH IS TO DEESCALATE TO SUPPORT A DEESCALATION SCENARIO. SO THINGS ARE FLUID, PEOPLE CALL, AND AT FIRST IT SEEMS IT'S X, BUT THEN IT BECOMES Y UM, AND JUST, UH, SCUTTLEBUTT IS THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FOLKS IN THE SYSTEM, MENTAL HEALTH FOLKS TO COME OUT AND SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THIS CHANGING ESCALATORY, DEES ESCALATORY, UH, SITUATION. IS THIS WHERE YOUR TEAM COULD COME IN OR IN SOME OF THESE MODELS NOT YET HERE IN LONG BEACH, BUT ARE, ARE THEY BEING USED TO HELP? UM, I'M THINKING ALL THE COMMUNICATION ISSUES WE HAVE WITH PEOPLE ARE IN CRISIS [00:35:01] OR NEAR CRISIS, WHETHER IT BE LANGUAGE, UM, AUTISM, UH, A VARIETY OF COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES. SO IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL DO OR WHO DOES THAT? I'LL START AND ANTHONY'S GONNA FILL IN MAYBE BEFORE I LEAVE OFF. SO I THINK ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND I THINK IT GOES A LITTLE BIT BACK TO HOW CALLS COME INTO THE DISPATCH CENTER. SO FOLKS ARE USING VERY EX, YOU KNOW, THEIR EXCITED LANGUAGE AND THEY'RE AFRAID FOR THEIR SAFETY. THE MOMENT THEY SAY THEY'RE AFRAID FOR THEIR SAFETY, CCR WILL NOT BE DISPATCHED. UM, BECAUSE THEY, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE THE AGREEMENT OF LIKE, YOU ARE CIVILIANS AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE SAFE TOO, RIGHT? UM, SO IT DOES HELP WHEN COMMUNITY CALLS IN, AND IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE AFRAID FOR THEIR SAFETY, BUT I WOULD JUST WANT THEM, I REALLY WANT THEM SUPPORTED. I REALLY NEED THEM TO GET THE SUPPORT THAT THEY MAY NEED. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY MAY NEED SOME MORE HELP. UM, AND I THINK WE WOULD BE A PERFECT RESPONSE FOR THAT. UM, AND WE HAVE GONE THROUGH SIGNIFICANT TRAINING. I WOULD SAY ALL OF OUR RESPONDERS HAVE GONE THROUGH SIGNIFICANT TRAINING TO WORK WITH KIND OF A CROSS SECTION OF OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW CRISIS MAY SHOW UP. 'CAUSE CRISIS FOR ONE PERSON MAY LOOK AND SOUND VERY DIFFERENT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. UM, AND OUR TEAM IS REALLY GOOD AT ASSESSING WHAT THEY'RE HEARING AND DETERMINING ON WHETHER OR NOT IT, IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT YESTERDAY IN A, A CHECK-IN IS JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS REALLY LOUD DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE A SAFETY RISK. AND THAT'S TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO REALLY ASSESS AND HAVE THAT SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN BE REALLY A GOOD USE OF SELF IN THAT SPACE AND NOT ELEVATE TO A POLICE RESPONSE WHEN IT REALLY IS JUST VALIDATING, SITTING WITH BEING PATIENT WITH WHOEVER THEY MAY BE WORKING WITH. BUT I THINK IT, IT ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO IS HOW THE CALL COMES IN. AND ANTHONY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING? YEAH, I CAN ADD A LITTLE BIT. SO YEAH, THERE DEFINITELY IS AN ELEMENT OF SCUTTLEBUTT, UM, IN TERMS OF DETERMINING WHETHER A CALL IS A CCR CALL, WHETHER IT'S A, A MORE HIGH RISK CALL. UM, AND I THINK ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE, UH, THROUGH OUR DISPATCH CENTER IS THE FACT THAT OUR TEAM CAN BE DISPATCHED MID CALL, NOT JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL. SO OFTENTIMES WHAT WE'LL SEE IS FIRE OR PD OR ONE OF OUR OTHER UNITS THAT RESPOND TO PD CALLS, WE'LL GO TO THE SCENE AND SAY, HEY, WE, WE CAME TO THIS CALL, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS A CRIME OR SOME OTHER, SOME OTHER CALL. UH, AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS APPROPRIATE. THEY GOT THERE, THEY DID SOME WORK, AND THEY REALIZED, HEY, THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'RE SET UP FOR. AND WE THINK THAT THE CCR TEAM IS A BETTER USE OF RESOURCES, UH, AND WE WILL DO THAT WARM HANDOFF. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ACTIVELY LOOK FOR. UM, AND WE ACTIVELY, UH, FOSTER THOSE PARTNERSHIPS IN PD AND FIRE TO ENSURE THAT WHEN OFFICERS ARE FEELING LIKE THE CALL IS NO LONGER A PD NECESSARY CALL, THAT THAT SCUTTLEBUTT IS LIMITED. AND THEY CAN SAY, OH, ACTUALLY, CAN WE GET THE CCR TEAM? CAN WE GET CCR TWO OUT HERE? UH, THIS PERSON'S HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, BUT WHAT THEY REALLY NEED IS RESOURCES RIGHT NOW. AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT. UH, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AND A LOT OF GROWTH THERE AND REALLY WORKING WITH THE OFFICERS TO DETERMINE, HEY, SOMETIMES A CALL ISN'T A POLICE CALL, AND THAT'S OKAY, BUT ALSO FOR A CCR TO SAY, HEY, SOMETIMES THIS ISN'T A MENTAL HEALTH CALL. AND IT'S REALLY HARD FOR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ALL EXPERTS, WE'RE NOT ALL PROFESSIONALS. UM, AND THAT'S OKAY. UH, BUT YEAH, EVERYTHING THAT CHRISTINA SAID, AND ALSO JUST REALLY UNDERSCORING THE FACT THAT THERE IS A LOT OF IN-BETWEEN WITH CALL CODES AND A LOT OF OUR CALLS END UP AS CHECK WELLS BECAUSE OF THAT SCUTTLE. BUT A LOT OF CALLS THAT DON'T NEATLY FIT WITHIN ANY OF THOSE OTHER CALL CODES WILL END UP AS A CHECK. WELL, AND OUR TEAM WILL MAKE THAT ASSESSMENT AND YEAH, THEY ARE VERY WELL TRAINED TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT IT IS A SAFETY RISK, A MENTAL HEALTH CALL OR SOMETHING ELSE. JUST ONE, UM, FINAL POINT, ANOTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM HERE IS THE CALLER. UH, IF IT'S NOT THE PERSON WITH THE SITUATION, SOMEONE OBSERVING, UM, I I'M HEARING IS THAT WE CAN DO MORE WITH COMMUNITY EDUCATION SO PEOPLE CAN START WITH CLEAR, UM, COMMUNICATION. AND WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO ASK YOU, UH, TO COME OUT TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND REALLY TAMP DOWN ON, YOU KNOW, NOT ESCALATING WHEN IT'S REALLY BEING INFORMATIVE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO CURRENTLY, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH ANY ASSOCIATION INTERESTED. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. I I'M GETTING A NUDGE FROM, UH, VICE CHAIR GARBAGE. SHE HAS A QUESTION. THANK YOU. WELL, FIRST I WANNA SAY THAT I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE RESPONSE TIME, THE 17 MINUTES. THAT'S A GOOD TIME. I LIKE THAT. UM, MY QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, HOW DO YOU [00:40:01] DISTINGUISH BETWEEN, UM, MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND A DISABILITY RELATED SITUATION WHEN RESPONDING TO A CRISIS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I THINK THAT HARPS ON THE LAST QUESTION. YEAH. A LOT OF THE CALLS COME IN AND CALLERS DESCRIBE WHAT THEY SEE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE. AND SOMETIMES FOLKS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION WHEN THEY CALL IN, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE JUST SEEING A SITUATION UNFOLD AS THEY DRIVE THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD, GO TO WORK, COME BACK FROM SCHOOL, ET CETERA. UM, SO WE DO RELY HEAVILY ON DISPATCH FOR THE INITIAL DESCRIPTION. OFTENTIMES THAT'S JUST THE SITUATION DESCRIBED, A CLOTHING DESCRIPTION AND ANY LIKE VISUAL APPEARANCE TO HELP US FIND THE PERSON. ONCE THE TEAM IS ON SCENE, WE MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS. THE FIRST THING WE DO IS ASK WHAT'S GOING ON AND ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR HISTORY. WHERE HAVE YOU CONNECTED? WHAT'S HAPPENED? UM, WE DO NOT ASSUME THAT WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A PERSON AND WE WILL ASK DIRECT QUESTIONS. OUR NURSE WILL TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS ABOUT MEDICAL HISTORY, DISABILITY, UH, MEDICATIONS, ANYTHING THAT MAY BE GOING ON SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE DO KNOW THAT SOMETIMES FOLKS, IF THEY HAVEN'T HAD ACCESS TO LIKE A MEDICATION OR A THERAPY IN A LONG TIME BECAUSE OF INSURANCE, 'CAUSE OF COST, SOMETIMES THE SYMPTOMS OF NOT HAVING ACCESS CAN LOOK TO AN UNTRAINED EYE LIKE A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. BUT REALLY IT'S MAYBE MEDICATIONS INTERACTING, SOMETHING HAS CHANGED IN THE PERSON'S LIFE THAT HAS MADE THE APPEARANCE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY A CRISIS ON THE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH FRONT. UH, WE REALLY RELY ON THAT PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE KNOWLEDGE, UM, TO IDENTIFY THAT. AND THEN THE REST OF THE CONVERSATION IS REALLY LEANING ON, LEANING INTO THE PERSON'S SELF-DESCRIBED EXPERIENCE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE UPHOLDING WHAT THEY NEED IN THEIR LIFE AND THEIR DIGNITY. UM, CHRISTINA, DO YOU HAVE MORE TO ADD? YEAH, JUST ADD THAT. UM, BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH OUR CRISIS INTERVENTION SPECIALIST AND OUR PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE ARE TRAINED, THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING TO SEE, UM, LIKE BEHAVIOR. SO OVERSTIMULATION FOR ONE FOLK, ONE PERSON MAY LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. AND IT MAY LOOK LIKE ANTHONY WAS SAYING TO THE NIGHT AS A CRISIS WHEN REALLY THIS PERSON JUST OVERSTIMULATED AND MAYBE NEEDS, UH, TO BE, TO SIT IN OUR VAN. AND, UH, ONE OF OUR VANS THAT IS A DA COMPLIANT HAS AIR CONDITIONING. IT IS QUIET, IT IS DARK, IT CAN BE DARK, WE CAN TURN THE LIGHT ON AS WELL. UM, BUT IT CAN MAYBE JUST HELP SOMEONE REG, UH, LIKE REREGULATE, WHICH I THINK IS MAYBE TO THE, LIKE THE SPIRIT OF THE QUESTION IS WHEN THEY GO ON SCENE, IT'S ALL ABOUT ASSESSMENT. THERE'S NO ASSUMPTIONS WE'RE TREATING THE PERSON, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FIRST TREAT THEM AS, YOU KNOW, THE EXPERT IN THEIR EXPERIENCE, UM, A LOT OF DIGNITY AND THEY KIND OF LEAD US IN HOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS OUR OUTCOME. THANK YOU. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THIS IS, UH, THE CCCR IS, UH, SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL PROGRAM AND A GREAT TEAM, UH, TO EXPAND UPON, UH, CHAIR SWANSON'S, UH, QUESTION, UH, RELATED TO, UM, EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY, I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW, UM, WHAT IS BEING DONE? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU BEING HERE TODAY IS ONE WAY. UM, BUT WHAT IS BEING DONE TO EDUCATE, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL AS, UH, POTENTIAL PARTNER AGENCIES ABOUT CCR? THANK YOU. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UM, SO WE DO SEVERAL THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY IN ORDER TO ADVOCATE OR REALLY PROVIDE AWARENESS FOR CCR. ONE IS ATTENDING COMMISSION MEETINGS, UH, ASSOCIATION MEETINGS, COMMUNITY EVENTS. WHEN WE'RE INVITED, WHERE WE GIVE PRESENTATIONS LIKE THIS, WE'LL BRING THE TEAM OUT AND REALLY LIKE ALLOW FOLKS TO ASK THEIR DIRECT QUESTIONS AND UNDERSTAND THE TEAM. UH, WE ALSO RELY ON A NETWORK OF AGENCIES AND PARTNERS TO REALLY LIKE, SUPPORT THE EDUCATION OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. 'CAUSE WE FIND THAT A LOT OF TIMES THOUGH THE COMMUNITY IS THE FIRST LINE AND WE DO REALLY RELY ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CALL IN. IT CAN BE REALLY HARD FOR FOLKS TO FEEL COMFORTABLE KNOWING WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS AND STILL NOT KNOWING WHEN TO CALL AND WHEN NOT TO CALL. HOWEVER, WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES, FOLKS IN THE COUNTY ACROSS THE REGION, IT'S A LOT EASIER FOR US TO CONNECT WITH THEM, TO TEACH THEM AND HAVE THEM IN THEIR SMALLER GROUPS, CIRCLES AND NETWORKS PROVIDE THE INFORMATION. WE PROVIDE FLYERS, WE PROVIDE, UM, VIDEO CONTENT. UM, AND THEN WHEN THEY'RE READY, IF THEY WANT US OUT THERE, WE WILL COME AND SET UP A PRESENTATION. WE'LL HAVE A COMMUNITY MEETING, WE'LL, WE'LL LEAN INTO THOSE NETWORKS. UM, WE DO FIND IT REALLY CHALLENGING TOO, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A SEPARATE PHONE LINE. IT CAN BE REALLY HARD FOR FOLKS TO FEEL COMFORTABLE CALLING NON-EMERGENCY. AND THAT TENDS TO BE THE BIGGER BARRIER, UM, IN EDUCATING FOLKS ON WHAT THE PROGRAM IS BECAUSE THAT POLICE ELEMENT SOMETIMES GETS IN THE WAY WITH OUR PARTNERS. WE HAVE A LOT MORE ROOM FOR UNDERSTANDING PARTNERSHIP AND SOMETIMES EVEN DIRECT CONNECTIONS. SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO AND WE DO DO FOR OUR PROGRAM [00:45:01] IS WITHIN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, OUR OTHER HEALTH PROGRAMS HAVING MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO OUR CCR PROGRAM. SO IF THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON AT NORTH, AT OUR MAIN HEALTH FACILITY AT ANY, AT THE MAC, AT THE MSC, UH, WE HAVE DIRECT CONNECTION AND WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CALLS A LOT MORE FLUIDLY BECAUSE WE CAN GO OUT THERE AND HAVE THAT CONNECTION TO THEIR CASE MANAGER CASE WORKER. AND HAVING THAT PRE CONNECTION REALLY SOLVES A LOT OF THE, GOING BACK TO THE LAST QUESTION SCUTTLE. BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, WE ARE ALSO ACTIVELY WORKING ON NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO TRY TO IMPROVE OUR AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, IT'S, IT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS. COMMISSIONERS, LET'S JUST TAKE ONE MORE QUESTION ON THIS ITEM. WE DO STILL HAVE ANOTHER, UM, PRESENTER TO GET TO. UM, THANK YOU. AND IF WE WANTED TO GET OUR HANDS ON, UH, SOME OF THOSE FLYERS AND TO CONNECT, UM, WHERE WOULD WE DO THAT? JUST LET ME KNOW. I CAN SEND THEM OVER. WE HAVE THEM IN EVERY, UH, THRESHOLD LANGUAGE FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH DIGITAL PRINTED OR OTHERWISE. AND YOU CAN ALSO GO TO LONG BEACH.GOV/CCR. YES. AND OUR CONTACT INFORMATION IS THERE TOO. YES. GREAT. THANK YOU. OF COURSE. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND NOW WE CAN PROCEED TO THE VOTE. YES. UH, COMMISSIONER DEAN AYE. COMMISSIONER ROMO AYE. COMMISSIONER JONES. AYE. CHAIR SWANSON AYE. COMMISSIONER GARBUTT AYE. AND COMMISSIONER HOPE AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM [3. 26-54576 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from Pools of Hope regarding Autism Awareness, including an overview of upcoming community activities and inclusive practices designed to support individual with autism and their families.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM POOLS OF HOPE REGARDING AUTISM AWARENESS. UH, THE PRESENTATION WILL INCLUDE AN OVERVIEW OF UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND, AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES DESIGNED TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM AND THEIR FAMILIES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM I MOTION? SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. UM, IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER HOPE AND SECONDED BY PICK ONE. OKAY. UM, VICE CHAIR GERBERT. UM, MAY WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION? HI, MY NAME IS MIKO PEREZ. I AM A BOARD MEMBER OF POOLS OF HOPE. UM, I'M HERE TO PRESENT A PROPOSED, UH, PROGRAM FOR AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH. I HAVE A VIDEO. UH, I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER THAN A 30 SLIDE POWERPOINT. UM, AND IT SHOULD BE READY TO GO. WE ARE LONG BEACH INCLUSIVE TOGETHER. GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TODAY. MY NAME IS MIKO PEREZ. I AM AN AUTISM ADVOCATE, A BOARD MEMBER OF POOLS OF HOPE IN LONG BEACH FOR OVER 10 YEARS, AND A BUSINESS LEADER FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT FAMILIES WHILE STRENGTHENING OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. TODAY I AM INTRODUCING A COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC INITIATIVE CALLED WE ARE LONG BEACH INCLUSIVE. TOGETHER THIS INITIATIVE HELPS POSITION LONG BEACH AS ONE OF THE FIRST AUTISM INCLUSIVE CITIES IN CALIFORNIA, BEGINNING WITH A VISIBLE COMMUNITY DRIVEN LAUNCH DURING AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH IN APRIL, 2026. BEFORE DISCUSSING THE INITIATIVE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THE AUTISM COMMUNITY IN LONG BEACH. THIS IS NOT A SMALL POPULATION. AUTISM FAMILIES REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT AND ACTIVE SEGMENT OF OUR CITY'S RESIDENTS, WORKFORCE, AND LOCAL ECONOMY. THEY ARE PARENTS, STUDENTS, WORKERS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO CONTRIBUTE TO LONG BEACH EVERY DAY. THIS INITIATIVE RECOGNIZES THAT PRESENCE AND CREATES A COORDINATED WAY FOR THE CITY TO SUPPORT IT. CURRENT ESTIMATES INDICATE BETWEEN 10,000 AND 15,000 AUTISM IMPACTED HOUSEHOLDS IN LONG BEACH, REPRESENTING A COMMUNITY IMPACT OF ROUGHLY 30,000 TO 50,000 RESIDENTS, AND AN ESTIMATED $100 MILLION TO $300 MILLION IN ANNUAL LOCAL SPENDING POWER. THIS REPRESENTS A LARGE AND ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE COMMUNITY, YET MANY FAMILIES STILL RELY ON INFORMAL NETWORKS AND WORD OF MOUTH TO LOCATE SUPPORTIVE BUSINESSES AND SERVICES. THAT GAP REPRESENTS BOTH A CHALLENGE AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LONG BEACH LEADERSHIP. DESPITE THE SIZE OF THIS COMMUNITY, SUPPORT RESOURCES ACROSS THE CITY REMAINS SCATTERED AND DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE. FAMILIES OFTEN STRUGGLE TO IDENTIFY BUSINESSES THAT ARE WELCOMING AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND PUBLIC SPACES THAT FEEL ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE. ADDRESSING THIS GAP ALLOWS LONG BEACH TO BECOME A LEADER IN PRACTICAL [00:50:01] COMMUNITY-BASED INCLUSION. WE ARE LONG BEACH INCLUSIVE TOGETHER ESTABLISHES A CLEAR PATH FORWARD BY CREATING A UNIFIED CITYWIDE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, A VISIBLE NETWORK OF SUPPORTIVE BUSINESSES, A CENTRALIZED RESOURCE HUB FOR FAMILIES, AND A PATHWAY TOWARD BECOMING AN AUTISM INCLUSIVE CITY. THE APPROACH IS STRUCTURED, PRACTICAL, AND SCALABLE OVER TIME. THE FIRST STEP IS STRAIGHTFORWARD. THE CITY HOSTS ONE CENTRAL AUTISM RESOURCE PAGE ON ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE. THIS PAGE WOULD INCLUDE THERAPY AND SUPPORT PROVIDERS, EDUCATIONAL AND FAMILY RESOURCES AND EMERGENCY AND COMMUNITY CONTACTS. INSTEAD OF SEARCHING MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, FAMILIES WOULD HAVE ONE TRUSTED PLACE TO FIND INFORMATION. THIS BECOMES THE CITY'S OFFICIAL ACCESS POINT FOR AUTISM RESOURCES. THIS INITIATIVE CREATES A FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION ACROSS LONG BEACH. IT ALIGNS RESOURCES, IMPROVES ACCESS TO SERVICES, AND STRENGTHENS ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION FOR AUTISM FAMILIES. RATHER THAN ISOLATED EFFORTS, IT CREATES ONE COORDINATED CITYWIDE MOVEMENT. THE PROGRAM BEGINS WITH A SIMPLE AND VISIBLE FIRST STEP AND GROWS INTO A BROADER MOVEMENT ACROSS BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS. THE FIRST VISIBLE STEP IS THE AUTISM SUPPORT PARTNER DECAL PROGRAM. PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES DISPLAY A WINDOW DECAL INDICATING THEY WELCOME AND SUPPORT AUTISM FAMILIES. THE PROGRAM IS EASY FOR BUSINESSES TO JOIN, VISIBLE TO FAMILIES, AND QUICK TO IMPLEMENT ACROSS THE CITY CREATING IMMEDIATE AWARENESS AND CONNECTION. LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATE AS AUTISM FAMILY SUPPORT PARTNERS. PARTICIPATION INCLUDES DISPLAYING THE PROGRAM DECAL, SUBMITTING THEIR BUSINESS LOGO FOR PUBLIC RECOGNITION, AND COMMITTING TO MAINTAINING A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR AUTISM FAMILIES. THERE ARE NO CERTIFICATION BARRIERS AT LAUNCH, ALLOWING PARTICIPATION TO GROW QUICKLY. INITIAL OUTCOMES ARE MEASURABLE. THE PROGRAM AIMS TO ESTABLISH 500 PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES ACROSS LONG BEACH, A PUBLIC LISTING OF SUPPORTIVE BUSINESSES AND A QR CODE SYSTEM LINKING FAMILIES DIRECTLY TO RESOURCES. FAMILIES GAIN ACCESS TO SUPPORT WHILE BUSINESSES RECEIVE PUBLIC RECOGNITION FOR PARTICIPATING. THIS BUILDS VISIBILITY, TRUST, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THIS INITIATIVE IS BOTH A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT AND AN ECONOMIC STRATEGY. A COORDINATED INCLUSION EFFORT STRENGTHENS LOCAL SPENDING, BUSINESS PARTICIPATION, AND COMMUNITY TRUST. CITIES THAT ACTIVELY SUPPORT NEURODIVERSE FAMILIES OFTEN SEE STRONGER ENGAGEMENT FROM RESIDENTS AND VISITORS FOR FAMILIES. IT CREATES A RELIABLE WAY TO IDENTIFY SUPPORTIVE BUSINESSES AND SERVICES FOR BUSINESSES. IT INCREASES COMMUNITY TRUST AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY FOR THE CITY. IT IS EFFICIENT TO IMPLEMENT VISIBLE AND CAPABLE OF EXPANDING INTO A LARGER INCLUSION PROGRAM. THIS REPRESENTS PRACTICAL POLICY THAT PRODUCES MEASURABLE COMMUNITY BENEFIT. INCLUSIVE CITIES CONSISTENTLY EXPERIENCE HIGHER LEVELS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND LOCAL SPENDING. BY SUPPORTING AUTISM FAMILIES. LONG BEACH STRENGTHENS ITS REPUTATION AS A FAMILY SUPPORTIVE AND FORWARD THINKING DESTINATION WHILE CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC VITALITY AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING. TIMING IS ALSO IMPORTANT. LONG BEACH WILL RECEIVE GLOBAL ATTENTION WITH MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS, THE OLYMPIC GAMES, AND INCREASED INTERNATIONAL VISITORS. LAUNCHING THIS INITIATIVE IN 2026 POSITIONS LONG BEACH AS INCLUSIVE, FORWARD THINKING AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP. I COME TO THIS WORK AS BOTH AN ADVOCATE AND A PARENT. MY GOAL IS SIMPLE TO HELP LONG BEACH IMPLEMENT PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT FAMILIES WHILE STRENGTHENING OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. TOGETHER WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A MORE INCLUSIVE CITY AND A STRONGER COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO LONG BEACH. AND THAT'S THE END OR THE BEGINNING. UM, WITH AUTISM AWARENESS COMING, UH, IN 2026, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER EVENTS THAT ARE COMING TO THE CITY, THIS TO ME, I I, I HAD THIS IN A DREAM ONE NIGHT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO, UM, BE IMPACTFUL, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO COME INTO THE CITY AS WELL AS THE PARENTS WHO ARE HERE. AND TO ME AND TO OTHER FAMILIES, [00:55:01] FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP. THE FIRST STEP IS, UM, A DECAL FOR COMPANIES IN THE CITIES TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. UM, WHEN I STARTED DOING THE NUMBERS AND RESEARCHING HOW MANY FAMILIES WERE ACTUALLY IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, THIS IS LONG OVERDUE. SO THANK ALL QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF PROCEDURE HERE. UM, THE FIRST IS A CLARIFYING QUESTION FROM ANY OF US, JUST NOT A Q AND A, BUT A CLARIFYING QUESTION. OKAY. AND THEN WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT, SEEING NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE AUDIENCE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT? THANK YOU. AND THERE'S NOBODY IN THE ZOOM TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME. OKAY, GREAT. NOW WE CAN HAVE SOME COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS, UM, TO YOU. THANK YOU. UH, AGAIN, SOME, SOME THOUGHTS BY MY COLLEAGUES HERE. YES. COMMISSIONER POPE. YES. THANK YOU. UM, THIS IS, THIS IS A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION AND I THINK A GREAT STEP FORWARD, UM, FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, TO BECOME, UH, THE FIRST, UH, AUTISM INCLUSIVE CITY IN CALIFORNIA. THAT, THAT IS AMAZING. UM, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, PERSONALLY HAVING, UH, PEOPLE WHOM I LOVE, UM, BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS, UM, WHO ARE LIVING WITH AUTISM. UM, I, I DEFINITELY SEE, UH, THIS AS, UH, A GREAT STEP FORWARD. SO, UM, THANK YOU. UH, THE ONE QUESTION, UH, THAT I DO HAVE, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN, UH, VICE CHAIR, UH, GARBE AND I, UH, WITH OUR PHONES, UH, WE'RE WONDERING, I BELIEVE I'LL, UM, ASK THIS QUESTION ON BOTH OUR, UH, PARTS, UH, THE, WITH THE QR CODE. UH, IS THAT LIVE AS OF YET? UM, WE'RE STRUGGLING, NO. OKAY. . AND, AND I THINK THAT'S THE INPUT THAT I'VE BEEN GETTING FROM OTHER FAMILIES IS, IS THAT WHEN THEY DO GO TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, THAT PARTICULAR DEMOGRAPHIC IS LEFT OUT. UM, AND THEY TYPICALLY HAVE TO CALL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, UM, AND THEY STAY ON HOLD FOREVER. UM, AND THAT'S WHY THIS QR CODE, UH, COULD U BE USED AS A, UM, WAY TO START THAT CONVERSATION, UM, AND HAVE THESE FAMILIES BE INVOLVED. UM, BUT NO. YEAH, THE QR CODE WAS JUST FOR, FOR THE PRESENTATION. BUT IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR IT, YES. YOU JUST PROVED THAT WE NEED THIS PROGRAM, UM, IN PLACE. OKAY. THANK YOU COMM SECRETARY. DEAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS, IT LOOKS GREAT. UM, HOW, WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO GET THE CITY ON BOARD AND, UM, HOW CAN WE HELP? THIS IS THE FIRST STEP. UM, AND THAT IS, UH, BRINGING THIS PROGRAM, UM, TO THIS COMMITTEE, UM, TO HELP, UH, TO HELP US MOVE THE PROGRAM ALONG. OKAY. SO, HOWEVER YOU CAN HELP, WE'RE HERE. OKAY. AND, UM, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR NEXT STEPS, NEXT STEPS, UH, CONTACTING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, POSSIBLY SITTING DOWN WITH, UM, FOLKS IN HIS OFFICE TO PRESENT AS WELL. UM, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT I PRESENTED THIS PROGRAM TO THIS PARTICULAR COMMITTEE, THIS ADVISORY BOARD. UM, YOUR APPROVAL TO ME, UM, LETS ME KNOW THAT, THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE CITIZENS OF LONG BEACH. THANK YOU. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. UM, ONE SUGGESTION I HAVE IS, UM, UH, SITTING DOWN WITH EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. OKAY. WOULD YOU REPEAT THAT AGAIN? SITTING DOWN WITH EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU. TO GET THEIR BUY-IN. 'CAUSE THEY ALL VOTE . YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I DID THE NUMBERS ON 500 DECALS, THERE IS A $1,500 BUY-IN TO THIS IMPACTFUL PROGRAM THAT'S $3 A DECAL. I THINK THAT IT'S WORTH IT. IT'S WORTH IT FOR OUR FAMILIES. IT'S WORTH IT, UM, FOR THE ORGANIZATIONS WHO PROVIDE, UH, SERVICES TO OUR FAMILY MEMBERS. UM, SO I WILL DEFINITELY DO MY PART IN MAKING SURE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE AWARE OF THIS [01:00:01] SMALL GESTURE, UM, HOLDS AN EXTREMELY BIG IMPACT, UM, FOR THE CITY. BECAUSE WHEN I DID THE NUMBERS AND I SAID, WOW, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, THIS IS OUR FIRST START COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE. THEY'RE AWARE OF ONE OF THE PROGRAMS, NOT THIS ONE. YEAH. YEAH. WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. UM, WITH THE GRANDSON COMING TO STAY IN THE SUMMERTIME WHO HAS AUTISM, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. SO, GOOD JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES. OKAY. I'M GONNA TRY TO NOT DO, I USUALLY TRY TO KEEP IT SUCCINCT, BUT I JUST, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. UM, SO OBVIOUSLY ALL OF US ON THE COMMISSION, UM, ARE HERE BECAUSE WE HAVE AN INTEREST IN SUPPORTING THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY. BUT I REALLY LOVED YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, BECAUSE I'VE TAUGHT DANCE FOR DISABILITIES. I'M COMING UP ON LIKE 10 YEARS IN OCTOBER, AND I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT EVERYTHING WITH OUR STUDENTS IS WORD OF MOUTH. UM, AND THIS IS TRUE OF ALL CITIES. UM, SO OUR PROGRAM, WHICH I DO AT SEHAM CENTER FOR THE ARCH IN ORANGE COUNTY, UM, WE CONSTANTLY HAVE WAIT LISTS AND IT'S ALL LIKE FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS. UM, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO SUPPORT, UM, OUR STUDENTS. AND, YOU KNOW, I SAY STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY OFTEN ADULTS, RIGHT? LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE 35 THAT ARE LOOKING FOR TOOLS AND RESOURCES. UM, I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH YOU THAT THIS IS A VERY LIKE, AFFORDABLE AND EASY PROGRAM TO IMPLEMENT. UM, I SHARE SECRETARY DEAN'S THOUGHTS. UM, TWO OF OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS DO HAVE DISABILITIES. UM, AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER DUGAN DID SPONSOR THE WAVES OF ABILITY EVENT, UM, WHICH I THINK YOU ATTENDED. UM, SO I KNOW IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT THE FOREFRONT IN MANY OF THEIR MINDS. UM, AND THEY'VE BEEN HAVING, NOW THAT THEY HAVE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER, SEAN DEVEREAUX, THEY'VE BEEN DOING MORE ACTIVITIES, LIKE I'VE NOTICED AN INCREASE IN ACTIVATION. UM, SO I THINK IT MAY BE LIKE WORKING WITH KIND OF THAT NEW TEAM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO KIND OF CONSIDERING THINGS GOING FORWARD FOR THE UPCOMING PARALYMPICS. AND SO LIKE THOSE DECALS ARE GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE, WHO ARE VISITING BUSINESSES. SO I THINK ALSO AS YOU BEGIN TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, UM, POINTING OUT HOW IT'S A BENEFIT TO THE CITY LONG TERM AND THE THINGS THAT ARE UPCOMING AND THE PRIORITIES FOR THE CITY, BECAUSE WE CAN RECOMMEND MM-HMM . RIGHT? BUT WE DON'T TRULY DECIDE ANYTHING AS THE, AS THE COMMISSION. SO, UM, YOU DEFINITELY, I THINK HAVE OUR SUPPORT AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS HOPEFULLY I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR US . UM, AND THEN ALSO I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, TO MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE LIKE POOLS OF HOPE IN YOUR PRESENTATION. LIKE THAT IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE A PART OF THIS. IT WASN'T LIKE ON THE NOSE FOR ME. UM, AND THEN JUST THE LAST THING, REQUESTING HOW WE CAN CONTACT YOU. OKAY. UM, WOULD BE GREAT. THAT WAS A LOT. YEAH. THANK YOU. NO, IT'S PERFECT. AND I'M ALSO AN ORANGE COUNTY RESIDENT AS WELL, SO, UM, I'M HERE BECAUSE OF POOLS OF HOPE, UM, AND I'M HERE FOR LONG BEACH FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS AND WE'RE THRILLED THAT YOU ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS. UM, YOU CAN TELL THAT WE THINK THIS IS BRILLIANT, UH, BECAUSE IT'S DOABLE AND NEEDED. UM, WE LOVE THAT. A COUPLE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO KIND OF GO BACK BECAUSE IT'S A CITY, RIGHT? UM, BUT WE DO HAVE A RESOURCE PAGE, UH, CONNECTED TO, UH, THE ACCESSIBILITY OFFICE. AND WHAT I WILL DO, UM, AS CHAIR IS TO LOOK AT THAT AS A POTENTIAL SITE ALREADY THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO RECREATE ANYTHING. UM, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. SO WE'LL LOOK AT THAT, THAT PIECE OF IT. THE OTHER IS THE BUSINESS CONNECTION. WE HAVE A LONG BEACH BIZ DEVELOPMENT, UM, GROUP THAT IS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING BUSINESSES, UM, WHO, UH, ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, BUT ALSO SERVE THAT THOSE COMMUNITIES. SO I THINK THERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL CONNECTIONS HERE THAT CAN HELP, UM, MOVE THIS FORWARD. UM, I DON'T HAVE, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT'S WITHIN, AND I LEARNED TODAY THIS IS BEING TELEVISED LIVE. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE, UH, WHEREWITHAL TO SUGGEST FUNDING. UM, THAT WOULD BE WAY OUTSIDE OF OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, JOB DESCRIPTION. BUT, UM, BUT WE'LL BE THINKING ABOUT IT AND I THINK ONCE YOU GET THE SUPPORT THAT THAT FUNDING, UM, WILL COME. [01:05:01] ANY OTHER LAST. OKAY. UM, SO YES, SO I DON'T KNOW THE PROCESS ON THIS, BUT, UM, CAN I RECOMMEND THAT WE, UM, AS A COMMISSION WRITE A LETTER TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR SUPPORTING IT? YES. UH, RIGHT NOW THIS AGENDA ITEM IS, UH, DRAFTED FOR YOU TO RECEIVE AND FILE THIS PRESENTATION. OKAY. HOWEVER, THERE IS A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM THAT I, UH, WHERE YOU DISCUSSED AD HOC COMMITTEES. OKAY. UM, I DON'T, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS MY FIRST MEETING WITH YOU ALL. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY AD HOC COMMITTEES ARE ACTIVE RIGHT NOW OR WHO'S ON WHICH AD HOC COMMITTEES, BUT PENDING CAPACITY, THAT COULD BE AN APPROPRIATE SPACE. THIS MAY NEED TO BE SOMETHING THAT YOU BRING BACK AT A LATER TIME AS WELL. SO I, THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION RIGHT NOW. OKAY. THANKS. OKAY. SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. YES. SO AGAIN, THAT'S TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE PRESENTATION. I'LL, UH, GO DO THE ROLL CALL VOTE. UM, COMMISSIONER DEAN. AYE. COMMISSIONER ROMO. AYE. COMMISSIONER JONES. AYE. CHAIR SWANSON. AYE. COMMISSIONER, GRAB IT. AYE. AND COMMISSIONER HOPE AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ITEM FOUR, [4. 26-54547 Recommendation to approve the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities’ participation in the Abilities Expo outreach event, scheduled for March 27-29, 2026, to conduct community outreach related to the Disability Data Community Survey.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMISSION ON DIS DISABILITIES PARTICIPATION AND THE ABILITIES EXPO FROM MARCH 27TH TO 29TH TO SUPPORT OUTREACH EFFORTS FOR THE DISABILITY DATA COMMUNITY SURVEY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? MOTION. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY SECRETARY DEAN AND COMMISSIONER JONES. UM, IS THERE A PRESENTATION? NO, THIS WOULD BE JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM. MM-HMM . UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GIVE VERBAL COMMENTS ON THE ABILITIES EXPO AS YOU, UH, RECOMMENDED IT. DO YOU WANT ME TO GIVE THAT? SORRY, AM I, AM I GIVING THAT IF YOU WOULD LIKE, IF NOT, I CAN. YES, I'D BE HAPPY TO. UM, SO, UH, WE'RE PULLING THIS UP BECAUSE, UH, THIS IS A THREE DAY EVENT AND I AM ASKING THE, UH, INDIVIDUALS HERE ON THE COMMISSION TO HELP PARTICIPATE. WE ARE ACTIVELY GETTING WORKING TO GET RESPONDENTS FOR THE DISABILITY SURVEY. WE BELIEVE THE ABILITIES EXPO 27TH, 28, 20 9TH OF MARCH WILL BE AN EXCELLENT PLACE FOR US TO GET RESPONSES. UH, WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN AND THAT SHOULD BE PUBLIC FACING. PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT WE WERE OUT THERE AND DOING IT. UM, I THINK, UH, PROBABLY THE BEST THING PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THEIR SCHEDULES AND SEE IF THEY CAN PARTICIPATE ON ONE OR TWO OF THOSE DAYS, WOULD BE GREAT, AND CAN INFORM ALANA ABOUT THEIR PARTICIPATION. IS THAT SUFFICIENT? UH, YES. CHAIR. SO WE WOULD RECOMMEND JUST NOT TO, UM, CONFLICT WITH THE BROWN ACT THAT WE HAVE LESS THAN A QUORUM PRESENT AT THE ABILITIES EXPO. UM, I CAN CIRCULATE A SURVEY ONCE I CONFIRM THE SCHEDULE, UM, FOR BEING A, A RESOURCE VENDOR, UM, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM WHICH, YOU KNOW, SLOTS TIME SLOTS WORK BEST FOR WHICH COMMISSIONERS. BUT OUR ASK IS THAT WE HAVE MORE THAN JUST, UH, THE TWO AND THREE COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF OUTREACH ON THE DISABILITY SURVEY PRESENT. SO IF WE COULD GET THE FULL BODY INVOLVED AND AT SOME POINT THROUGH THIS, UM, EXPO, THAT WOULD BE AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. EXCELLENT. UM, THAT WAS A MOTION. COULD WE HAVE A VOTE? UH, LET'S MAYBE DO PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST AND THEN, UH, COMMISSIONER COMMENTS, PUBLIC COMMENT. IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS ITEM, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. IF YOU'RE ATTENDING IN PERSON, IF YOU'RE JOINING VIA ZOOM, USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE OR DIAL STAR NINE IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY TELEPHONE. SEEING NONE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKEY DOKIE. YES, THERE IS. I'M JUST, I'M LOOKING AT THE, THE SCHEDULE FOR THE THREE DAYS. SO FOR OUR SURVEY RIGHT, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE SERVING SOLELY LONG BEACH RESIDENTS OR PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTIVE AND PARTICIPATE IN LONG BEACH. CORRECT. SO IF FOLKS ARE COMING IN FROM LIKE THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, LIKE, UM, ARE WE, ARE WE CONSIDERING THOSE SURVEYS? ARE WE TRYING TO LIKE, KIND OF WHAT WOULD THE STRATEGY BE TO CONTROL THE POPULATION, I GUESS? NO, WE WANT PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK, PLAY HANG OUT IN LONG BEACH. NO. OKAY. SO WE'RE JUST GONNA BE KIND OF CLARIFYING AS THEY COME TO OUR BOOTH LATER. SURE. OKAY. WE'LL, WE'LL ORIENT FOLKS TO, UM, THE, THERE'S TWO KEY QUESTIONS. IT'S A GREAT POINT. [01:10:01] UH, ASHLEY IS THAT ONE WHO GETS TO DO THIS AND, AND ONE IS THAT LIVE WORK PLAY PIECE, AND THE OTHER IS A PERSON IDENTIFIES AS HAVING A DISABILITY. THOSE ARE THE TWO QUESTIONS. OR GOING TO SCHOOL WHAT? OR GOING TO SCHOOL HERE OR ATTEND SCHOOL. YEAH. YEAH. SCHOOL, ANYTHING. CHURCH THAT GO DOWNTOWN ON FRIDAY NIGHTS. IT'S, THERE'S A, IT'S A WIDE, UH, RANGE OF, UM, PARTICIPATION IN THE CITY. YEP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE WE READY TO VOTE? WE'LL VOTE FOR A VOTE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER DEAN. AYE. COMMISSIONER OMO? NO. AYE. COMMISSIONER JONES? AYE. CHAIR SWANSON. AYE. COMMISSIONER GARBO AYE. AND COMMISSIONER HOPE AYE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM FIVE, RECOMMENDATION [5. 26-54548 Recommendation to receive and file a report from current Ad Hoc Committees; discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve or create Ad Hoc Committees.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT FROM THE CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEES. DISCUSSED ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE OR CREATE AD HOC COMMITTEES. MAY HAVE A MOTION. A MOTION A SECOND VICE CHAIR, GAR AND COMMISSIONER. HOPE. ARE THERE ANY REPORTS FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEES? ARE THERE ANY COMMITTEES? YES, WE HAVE THE DISABILITY DATA COMMUNITY SURVEY AD HOC COMMITTEE. SO, SO THAT IS THE AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT IS CURRENTLY LIVE AND ACTIVE. IS IT ONLY ONE? UH, WE'VE DEPENDED ON JENNIFER, UH, TO DO THAT REPORT, BUT WE ARE AWARE OF THE DISABILITY SURVEY AD HOC. OKAY. CHAIR, WOULD YOU MIND GIVING A VERBAL UPDATE ON JUST ALL THE AMAZING WORK YOU'VE BEEN DOING? I AM HAPPY TO GIVE A VERBAL ON THAT. UM, THE, IT LAUNCHED JANUARY 15TH, WE'VE HAD A SLOW UPTAKE, UM, AND WE'VE MET WITH FIVE OR SIX COMMISSIONS. WE'VE GONE TO A COUPLE NEIGHBORHOODS. WE'VE BEEN OUT ON THE STREET. UM, WE'VE BEEN PLACES, UH, WE HAD A WONDERFUL, UM, UPTICK AT THE PARALYMPICS EVENT LAST FRIDAY. UH, AND WE CAN CHART THE, UH, RESPONSES VIA THE SYSTEM, UH, ONLINE. UM, BUT WE'RE COORDINATING IT WITH MANY LARGER GROUPS AND WORKING WITH A LONG BEACH FORWARD TEAM OF INTERNS AND FELLOWS AND THEIR TABLETS TO GO OUT AND GET PEOPLE DIRECTLY TO, UH, COMPLETE IT ONLINE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF ACTION. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE, UH, TREADING WATER OR WALKING IN MUD IF YOU GET THAT SENSE. BUT ONCE IT STARTS ROLLING, I THINK WE'LL DO A VERY NICE JOB. YEP. THAT'S MY REPORT. THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, COMMISSIONER DEAN ON A PREVI, UH, ITEM THREE, YOU MENTIONS WANTING TO DRAFT A LETTER. SO PERHAPS WE COULD CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE OF MAYBE TWO MEMBERS, UM, TO WORK ON THAT ITEM FOR YOU. YEAH, UH, YEAH, SO, UM, IF, DO WE ALL NEED, DO WE, DO WE NEED TO ALL AGREE RIGHT NOW THAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE A LETTER? UM, I'D SAY MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION AND THEN IF WE'LL, WHEN WE VOTE, THAT'S HOW WE'LL DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT. GOT IT. SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE COMMISSION, UH, CREATE A, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEE OF TO PEOPLE-ISH, UM, TO WRITE A LETTER FOR THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND POSSIBLY THE CITY MANAGER, UM, APPROVING AND, UM, UH, ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORTING POOLS OF HOPE. I'LL SECOND, BUT I'D LIKE TO HAVE A FRIENDLY WITH THAT. I, I I'D SUGGEST THAT WE NOT MAKE IT SO SPECIFIC TO A LETTER, UM, THAT, UH, THERE WERE OTHER TOOLS THAT WERE PRESENTED, UM, THE DECAL PROGRAM, THE WEBSITE RESOURCE THAT WE MIGHT USE THE LETTER AS A, UM, ONE PART OF A AD HOC TO HELP SUPPORT AUTISM AWARENESS IN LONG BEACH. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, COMMISSIONER UH, CHAIR, WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU ASKING? I'M ASKING THAT IT NOT JUST BE LIMITED TO A LETTER. SO AD HOC COMMITTEES ARE TIME AND TASK BOUND. I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU HAVE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT DRAFTS THAT LETTER AND MOVES THAT FORWARD. AND THEN IF WE NEED TO FORM ANOTHER AD HOC COMMITTEE [01:15:01] THAT DOES MORE EXTENSIVE WORK ON AUTISM PREFERENCE, I SEE SOME THINGS HAPPENING IN THE NEXT TWO OR THREE MONTHS. IT WOULD BE HARD FOR US TO MOVE ON ALL THOSE IF WE DO IT MONTH TO MONTH TO MONTH. BUT WHATEVER YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST. WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE OTHER ITEMS? I'M, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE COMMISSIONER'S, THE COMMISSION'S CAPACITY FOR ALL THESE OTHER PRIORITIES. WHAT ARE THE OTHER ITEMS? WELL, I I'M THINKING THE DECAL AND THE RESOURCE, THE WEB RESOURCE, THOSE ARE TWO ELEMENTS IN ADDITION TO THE LETTER. SO WE SEND THE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THESE AND THEN, WELL, THE LETTER IS IN SUPPORT OF THE DECAL AND THE WEBSITE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SORRY, I, I SEE IT DIFFERENT, BUT FINE. YEAH. SO THE WAY I SEE IT IS THE LETTER WOULD TO THOSE THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE WOULD BE SUPPORTING POOLS OF HOPE AND THEIR, UM, DESIRE TO MAKE, UH, LONG BEACH A UM, AN OFFICIAL, SORRY, AUTISM APPROVED. YEAH, THE, THE AUTISM APPROVED CITY. I CAN'T REMEMBER THEIR EXACT WORDING. THAT WOULD INCLUDE A WEBSITE WITH RESOURCES AND, UM, THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE DECALS. OKAY. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S GOOD. YEAH, I SECOND THAT. OKAY. CAN I GET TWO COMMISSIONERS TO SIGN UP OR COMMIT TO SERVING ON THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE? SO I SEE COMMISSIONER JONES HAND AND COMMISSIONER DEAN. ALL RIGHT. ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMISSION ON MAYBE UPCOMING ITEMS, UM, OR PROJECTS FOR AD HOC COMMITTEES? OKAY, SEEING NONE. UM, LET'S TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN PERSON THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE COMMENT, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM NOW. AND IF THERE ARE MEN, ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE COMMENT, PLEASE USE THE RAISED HAND FEATURE. NOW. SEEING NONE THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC, WE CALL FOR THE VOTE. SURE. UH, COMMISSIONER DEAN. AYE. COMMISSIONER ROMO? AYE. COMMISSIONER JONES? AYE. COMMISSIONER, UH, CHAIR SWANSON. AYE. COMMISSIONER GARBO AYE. AND COMMISSIONER HOPE AYE. MOTION CARRIES. SO AT THIS TIME WE'LL TAKE ANY [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Citizens' Advisory Commission on Disabilities on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, SEEING NONE IN PERSON, WE ALSO HAVE NONE IN ZOOM. OKAY. AND THEN WE MOVE TO [ANNOUNCEMENTS] ANNOUNCEMENTS. ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS TIME? COMMISSIONERS? YES. I'M TALKING SO MUCH TODAY, YOU GUYS. UM, SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU, SO I THINK, I THINK EVERYONE ON THIS COMMISSION KNOWS, UM, I'M, MY DAYTIME THING IS THAT I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PARTNERS OF PARKS AND SO IN TANDEM WITH LIKE WHAT MY PASSIONS ARE AND ALSO IN SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH COMMISSIONER VONG, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE OUR EVENTS AND THINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE. SO, UM, MY PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMS MANAGER CAME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA TO ACTIVATE SOME LOCAL PARKS, UM, THAT TYPICALLY DO NOT HAVE AN EGG HUNT. UM, AND WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE EXCEPTIONAL DAY OF PLAY, WHICH IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD OF THIS GROUP, IT WAS STARTED BY A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. UM, AND SHE'S NOW IN COLLEGE. AND JUST HOW SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO CREATE THIS, THIS SMALL LITTLE NONPROFIT ON HER OWN IS PRETTY FANTASTIC. BUT THEY'LL BE PROVIDING, UM, SENSORY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES. WE WILL HAVE, UM, AN ADAPTIVE ROUND OF EGG HUNT. UM, AND THEN I HAVE FRIENDS COMING FROM SEGERSTROM TO DO, UH, KIND OF ASSIST WITH ART AND CRAFTS. SO THAT PARTICULAR SETUP WILL BE HAPPENING AT ADMIRAL KIDD. UM, WE HAVE A HUNTS AT, UM, SOME OTHER PARKS, BUT SPECIFICALLY, UM, OUR DISABILITY FRIENDLY A HUNT WILL BE SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH AT ADMIRAL KIDD. SO I HAVE FLYERS FOR EACH OF YOU. I CAN HAPPY TO SEND YOU A DIGITAL FLYER AS WELL. UM, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH, UM, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AS WELL, UM, TO KIND OF PROMOTE THIS VERY SPECIAL ACON. GREAT. OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE, ARE THERE STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS? WE WANNA THANK ALANA FOR JUMPING IN THERE AND HELPING US THROUGH THIS. I WANNA THANK ALANA FOR DOING THAT. IT'S A LOT, SO THANK YOU. UM, AND WITH THAT, I [ADJOURNMENT] BELIEVE IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, UM, UM, [01:20:02] THE MEETING WILL ADJOURN. OH, ISN'T THIS THE SWEETEST LITTLE THING? THANK YOU, , HOW MANY DO YOU NEED? THAT'S THE THING. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.