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Orozco, Norma <br /> From: Chelsea Castaneda <chelsea_castaneda@yahoo.com> <br /> Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2022 2:03 PM <br /> To: eComment <br /> Subject: Budget Workshop - Agenda Item #1 <br /> Greetings Mayor Sarmiento and other members of the Council, <br /> My name is Chelsea Castaneda and I live in Ward 5. 1 am writing today to express my opinions on our city budget. The <br /> budget for fiscal year 2022-23 needs to prioritize community organizations and services that help our most vulnerable <br /> residents, including the youth, immigrant individuals, houseless community members, low-income neighborhoods, and <br /> more. <br /> Last year, 40% of our general funds went to SAPID. I believe this is a gross misallocation of our city's funding due in part <br /> to the frightening statistics listed below, but also due to the fact that our community stands to progress through services <br /> and programs that help nurture and prevent our youth and community from resorting to criminal activity. The statistics that <br /> make the militarization of our police force a further cause for concern include the fact that: <br /> SAPID is the 10th deadliest police force in California <br /> SAPID has the 6th highest rates of police shooting in California <br /> There have been reports of gang-like activity within SAPID <br /> SAPID played copyrighted music to avoid a resident posting footage of their actions on social media <br /> Hardly any community complaints rule against SAPID <br /> SAPID punishes and criminalizes our community <br /> SAPID often escalates situations, rather than de-escalate <br /> A lot of the officers do not have respect for our community <br /> This year, we need our Council to put this community first. Funds from SAPID should be re-allocated to fund the following <br /> programs: <br /> Youth services <br /> Services for systems-impacted youth <br /> Services for houseless community members <br /> Services for DACA/undocumented community <br /> Youth internships and job opportunities <br /> City-sponsored youth center <br /> The houseless community is a grave cause for concern and if we take preventative measures that assist and support this <br /> community instead of using our funding to punish and criminalize, then we might see some positive outcomes. Not to <br /> mention the fact that most of these police officers are not native and are therefore insensitive to the issues our community <br /> has faced for years. <br /> Respectfully, <br /> Chelsea Castaneda <br /> 1 <br />