Council to Consider Security Cameras at Villa Parke as Part of Monday’s Consent Calendar

The City Council on Monday will consider a $115,543 contract with CelPlan Technologies for security cameras at Villa Parke. 

“The security cameras will cover prime areas where the public gathers. Independent studies have shown that security cameras are effective in reducing crime by at least 25%,” according to a city staff report. 

The item is part of the council agenda’s consent calendar, which contains several matters that all can be passed with a single sweep vote. Individual items can be held for separate discussion and possible passage.

“In recent years, Villa Parke has experienced a number of incidents that have led to concern about park safety,” the report states. “Both regular park visitors and nearby local residents have expressed concern and requested increased security in the park.”

It will take about two to three months to complete the installation under the proposed contract assuming that equipment delivery is not adversely impacted by the global supply chain disruption.  

An Enterprise Building Security Management (BSM) Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project was created in fiscal year 2016 to provide a citywide enterprise standard for facilities access control and security camera systems. 

The project will help secure city assets and resources, safeguard against loss, improve facilities’ access management controls, limit public access to staff areas, and improve incident response time during incidents. The project was fully funded in 2020.

Under the project, cameras or access controls will be placed at 13 locations. Phase one covered the Police Department and City Hall.

The project is currently in phase two, which includes Villa Parke and La Pintoresca Park. 

Phase three will include the Central Library and the Allendale, Hastings, Hill Avenue, Lamanda, Linda Vista, Santa Catalina and San Rafael branch libraries.

The following are the other items on Monday’s consent calendar. 

• A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The IUOE represents the personnel that operate and maintain the city’s power plant under the Department of Water & Power’s power supply division. The most recent MOU between the city and the IUOE expired on Sept. 30. Negotiations for a successor agreement began on Aug. 10 and the parties reached a tentative agreement on Sept. 28. The IUOE ratified this agreement on Oct. 7.
• Separate $950,000 contracts with J Lee Engineering Inc. and Jason Addison Smith Consulting Services for plan review services. 
• Approval of the terms of a public benefit agreement with the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA) for CSCDA’s acquisition of the 480-unit apartment property located at 231 De Lacey Ave. “As a member of CSCDA, the city has the ability to approve the financing and acquisition by CSCDA of apartment projects for conversion to affordable rental housing by entering into public benefit agreements as the local host agency,” according to a staff report in Monday’s City Council agenda.
  

Currently, the city participates in three CSCDA projects totaling 618 units — The Hudson, Westgate Apartments Phases 2 and 3 and The Theo. CSCDA is currently under contract to acquire a fourth project in Pasadena, Westgate Apartments Phase 1 consisting of 480 units located at 231 S. De Lacey Ave. One measure of the public benefit from this proposed transaction is the comparison between the projected $282 million that Westgate Phase 1 residents will save in rent spending over the next 30 years, and the city’s property tax loss over the same period in the amount of approximately $7.42 million.