City Council - Special Meeting

Morning, everyone.

Bright and early. I'd like to call the special meeting for the City Council of Temple City to order on August 26, 2026 at 7 a.m. May we have a roll call, please?

Council Member Chavez? Here. Council Member Sternquist? Here. Council Member Yu?

Here.

Mayor Pro-Ten Chen is absent. Mayor Mann?

Here.

Move to excuse Mayor Pro Tem Chen for cause.

We have a second?

Second. All right.

If there are no objections, Mayor Pro Tem Chen is excused. Next, we move to public comments. Anyone who wishes to address the council at this time? Yes. Mr. Jan Bezi, good morning.

Good morning, Jerry Jambazian. Good morning, Mayor, council members, and staff, and deputies. When I was here probably four weeks ago, I did mention the radar indicator on Longdon, near Longdon School. And I'm wondering, is there any update on it when it's going to be operational? I know you can't give answers, but After a month, it seems like something should happen.

We will ask during the meeting. Thank you. Thank you.

There's a radar? There's two of them. It's like a speed.

You're talking about the speed?

Yeah, east and west. How fast you're going, right? Exactly. Yeah, okay. Yeah, and with school starting, it kind of would be a help.

Okay.

Thank you, Jerry. Does anyone else wish to address council at this time? Okay, Madam City Clerk, are there any virtual speakers?

There are none, Mayor.

Okay, thank you. With that, we will close public comment and we will go right into item four, communications. Mr. City Manager, do you want to say anything before we start, or should I turn it right over to Deputy Schwartz?

Thank you, Mayor Mann. If you could turn it right over to Deputy Schwartz, then we can begin our normal presentation. Thank you, sir.

Good morning, Deputy Schwartz. The floor is yours.

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to be going over for July. I think it was kind of a mishap with...

I don't know where the August came from, but we're going to be going over July. Of course, we have the volunteers on patrol. If you do want to volunteer, all the information is right there. You can reach out to Deputy Johnson if you want to volunteer to do a patrol check. Still, it's the same, the quality of life. Always checking up on the site's register, the police, burglaries, the petty theft, the larcenies, and we're just doing constant patrol checks, burglary operations throughout the city. Right here for a notable arrest, a deputy's doing a patrol check, noticed a person laying on the ground. Upon contacting him, they recovered a controlled substance. Sorry, can you hear me?

Yeah. Okay, sorry. Department resources showed that the person had prior convictions of being in possession of a controlled substance, and this is one of the new laws that passed, the 11395B1, so he was arrested for a felony. Other than that, it would have been a misdemeanor. Also, this one, I know you guys might have heard, deputies responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call where there was a gun pointed at the victims using department resources. All suspects were arrested that night and later that day just using interview and department resources throughout the city. Right here, this one is a good notable arrest. A deputy doing a patrol check was flagged down that the victim had just had jewelry stolen from her person. During the investigation, the deputy was able to get a license plate. Right earlier in that day, these suspects had committed a robbery inside Rosemead. So they were able to tie them together. Later that evening, both suspects were arrested. These suspects were also related to two prior robberies in the city. And they were also wanted in Lakewood for also committing a robbery. So with that arrest, I was able to close a lot of cases and arrest them.

Are they just part of a bigger gang or just two individuals?

Two individuals, yes. So right here, we're going to be going down the crime stats.

Deputy Shorts, just sorry to interrupt. Yes. In your previous slide at the bottom, when you said there's a notation that says the suspects were arrested for the following, could you help us understand what those? Yes, sir.

The 211 PC is robbery. And then they were also arrested for grand theft.

That's 487A.

Yes, sir. 211 is robbery and the 487APC is grand theft. Thank you. And then prior to that, they were suspects for committing a grand theft earlier and a robbery also in the city.

Just as one quick reminder, too, for the council, the team actually looks at every single report that comes in. So not only are the crime analysts doing activity, but Deputy Bowie, Deputy Felix, and Deputy Swartz are looking at all the crimes in the city and then reporting to And it dictates some of their operations, but also, too, they're pushing that up the chain as well. So they have a good handle on what is happening in the community, and I appreciate all their work. So that's why you can hear from anyone, Deputy Felix, Deputy Bowie, Deputy Schwartz. They have this very intimate knowledge of each of these crimes every single time. Thank you, sir.

So now we're going to be going down the stats from January to July as well. So for the month of July, zero homicides, zero rapes. The one robbery was actually at a business where the victim confronted the suspects, and that's how the elements were meant for a robbery. So it just wasn't a person out and about. The victim actually approached these people, and they were stealing copper wire. The assault, it's actually not five, it should be three. Sorry, is it not on the screen? It should be three. Out of the three, two are arrested. The other one is a named suspect, and hopefully by next meeting, that person will be arrested. The residential burglary should be at 10. One of them wasn't attempted, and there is some information that is ongoing with the detectives, and hopefully we'll have an answer for you next meeting regarding some arrests. Vehicle burglaries were at zero. The one grand theft is what we just talked about for the notable arrest where that person had jewelry taken from them, and they were arrested behind that. The petty thefts. One was a late reported from an unlocked vehicle. And the other one I believe is from a business. I know the Grand Theft Autos, it was up to four, but out of the four, three of them were unlocked and one of them actually had their keys inside. So this is one of the things that we talk about in the area watch meeting of trying not to be a victim of a crime, just preventing, don't leave purses visible inside your car, lock your car. So out of the four, the three were unlocked. And this just breaks down all the stats again from year to date. So from year to date, from last year we were at 100 burglaries. Currently, right now, we are at 61. And so I did skip through one. The one commercial burglary, sorry about that. The person we did arrest, commercial burglary was a side out, but using department resources, we noticed that this individual had prior convictions for theft. So we did arrest for that new law, the 66.1 PC. So that person was held. But just to let you know, I thought it was a felony. They actually charged that individual as a misdemeanor. So I know talking to a few people, we all just thought it was a straight felony, but it could be charged as a misdemeanor.

And if I can add one thing on the civilian side that we've done, that you've done as well, is that you've really strengthened the behavioral issues related to use of public spaces and activity and behavior in the public right of way. So I know the team does a really good job of coupling those two together, using what the new laws allow them from a criminal justice standpoint, but also to our laws that we have that you passed almost a year and a half ago now. They're a little bit more qualitative rather than quantitative in what you see in the numbers, but they are having effect. And I know talking to the team, and getting the captain acquainted as well. And Captain May said that that was something that he felt was really important and it's working. So I wanna thank the council for that. I know it can be a little more stringent for some folks and some communities feel a little bit more, maybe not at ease with those types of ordinances, but it is helping.

So this just breaks down exactly what we just went over, year to date from 2023, all the stats that we just went over. So these are our response times. For the month of July, the routine was 49.3 minutes, priority 12, and emergent call was 3. The total arrest for felony was 6. Misdemeanors was 40 for a total of 46 arrests, and one of them was the Prop 36 arrest, which was that prior conviction with a controlled substance, the 11395B1. The traffic issues are still, especially with school picking up right now, the speeding, failure to stop at red lights and the e-bikes. I know Deputy Felix and Deputy Bui, this past week, were at Temple City High School regarding e-bikes and talking to everyone.

Excuse me, could you explain what I was building my shoulders on?

Yeah, so that's just us driving around doing patrol checks in the cities, just how Mr. Cook said. We know by reading the reports, we kind of know the certain areas in the city that we're getting complaints regarding speeding. If there's a certain crime trend going on, that's where we'll start doing patrol checks in that certain area just for high visibility to try to deter it. These are the traffic stats from January to July and then also July. We had two traffic crashes that unfortunately had an injury. Eleven were property damage for a total of 13. For traffic citations, 101 hazardous citations were giving out. and six non-hazardous. The difference between hazardous and non-hazardous is running a stop sign, running a red light is a hazardous citation. Somebody having expired registration, a brake light out, that is considered a non-hazardous citation for a total of 107.

And, too, in this situation, I want to thank not only our We Do Our Motors, but I appreciate our team and our traffic deputies who are out, who are really trying their best to enforce but also be a presence out in the community, too. So we've seen that, especially in the last, I would say, about the last three months. And you can see it in some of the statistics as well.

Right here for the special assignment, the activities, the city meetings, the transportation and public safety commission meetings, a few weeks every night, traffic enforcement detail, meetings with the captain if we have any trends, and we're also currently doing burglary suppression operations throughout the city. And just how Mr. Cook said, always doing follow-up on active cases, assisting with DB in what we can do to try to solve some of these reports and cases. September events that we have coming up is the High Autumn Festival. And then just contacting some regarding residential burglaries with some other agencies. And that's where I said hopefully next month we can talk to you a little bit more about some arrests where we're talking to some local agencies and even some agencies that aren't so close. Public outreach, constantly going to businesses for a letter of agencies, doing the neighborhood watch meeting, which we just had a week ago, and doing the e-bike and burglary suppression. I know e-bikes right now with school starting is a big issue. And that will conclude for the month of July.

And with that, Mayor Mann, I know we're moving a little fast today, but I'd like only two and a half weeks on the job, sir. I'd like to, I think several of you met Captain Sheriff Morrissey, who is the new captain of the Temple Station. I'll allow him to introduce himself.

Good morning. First of all, I apologize for my late arrival. Pleasure to be here. I'm glad to be back at Temple Station. As you know, I was previously assigned here at Procter & Gamble 10 years ago. I'm very happy to be back. I have a great team here at the station. You have a great team at the Temple City in particular, our SAO team, who are doing a phenomenal job. And I thank you for the opportunity to be here.

Welcome. Welcome, Catherine. Yeah, we look forward to having you being part of the Temple City community. I know you're familiar with it, and you're absolutely right. We have a phenomenal team here, and the proof is in not just the numbers, but in the way that they interact with our community, not just at neighborhood watch meetings, but at so many different events. Just like Brian said earlier, their intimate knowledge of our crimes helps us better understand what we as a council need to do to help and support our partners in law enforcement, especially our amazing Temple Station team. So thank you for being here with us. And thank you, Deputy Shorts, for the presentation. I do want to allow counsel for any questions or comments. Council Member Sternquist?

I don't have any questions. Just thanks again for the work that you all do.

No questions for the mayor, but I would really want to welcome the captain back to Temple City and Temple Station. And like the mayor said, we have a phenomenal team. You know how the city works. And I think you also understand the sentiment of our residents and their expectations. So looking forward to working with you.

So I do have a couple questions, just one to try to follow up on Mr. Jambazian's question. The Longden, the speeding limit sign that's on Longden, that's under the purview of the city, right? We maintain that?

It is, Mayor Mann. I'm sorry for the delay in that. We've been replacing several of the batteries for a lot of those locations throughout. I will double check on that one. That may... I will double check on where we are with that. I apologize. Okay. So I will report back to the council and I'll get back to the community as well.

Yeah. If you can at least report back at our next regular council meeting, perhaps in your city manager's report on an ETA on that.

Good idea, sir. Will do. Okay. Thank you.

And then another thing to follow up on, I know during our last meeting we had some students from Temple City High School bring some ideas to us. In terms of how that's being rolled out or if it's being rolled out, is there anything that you can update us on?

Sure, especially on the e-bike front. We've been working very aggressively, and I know Deputy Felix, was it this Saturday or last Saturday?

This Saturday, myself and Deputy Bui.

And Deputy Bui, Saturday. We're actually out at the school doing an active level of education. I know that the Temple City Unified School District has asked us to do what we can. We're trying to balance between educating and enforcement. I think that's really the challenge. Outright bans and stuff like that, that's a little bit more difficult in terms of what's allowed under the law, but really the dedicated team has been out in force with the schools, and I think Deputy Felix and Deputy Bowie spent the weekend, and then they've been to several of their assemblies too. In terms of some of the other particular aspects of what the students brought forward with a little bit more detail beyond the enforcement and education, we'll take a deeper dive into that as well and see what's feasible as well.

Yeah, I think that I would appreciate if we did consider it. and at least provide a response. Even if we believed some of them may not be feasible for whatever reason it may be, I think we at least deserve to take a look at it and review it and determine what makes sense for us.

Yeah, absolutely. And some of those young folks are part of a lot of the leadership activities that work with us. So we're in contact with them. And we'll get back to them. Yes, Cindy?

I know that we had mentioned to Greg some time ago when I believe there were some cities in San Diego that had actually put ordinances in place that banned e-bikes. And I know of some other cities that are looking at banning them at a certain time, which is early morning and then again in the early afternoon when kids are coming and going. BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE TIME THAT, OF COURSE, THEY'RE USING THEM. YOU KNOW, I ONLY LIVE ONE BLOCK EAST OF TEMPLE CITY BOULEVARD, AND I'M GOING TO SAY IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, I HAVE SEEN AN UPTAKE IN KIDS ON E-BIKES, 90% OF THEM WITHOUT HELMETS. SO I'M WONDERING AT WHAT POINT will we decide that we're just not going to allow them or make it so difficult that these kids can't use them? I don't know what the answer is, but I am just afraid that every day, whether it's Facebook pages or the news, somebody's in the hospital, someone's having a GoFundMe. fundraiser for someone who was injured critically with brain injuries on the news. I just don't know. I mean, if one city was able to do it and it was legally okay, we've been talking about education of e-bikes for how long? You know your hands are tied. And I think we really need to THINK ABOUT THIS AND MAYBE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING AND WITH GREG OUR CITY ATTORNEY LOOKING AND OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT LOOKING AT WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM ENFORCEMENT WE CAN ALLOW IN OUR CITY THAT'S LEGAL. IT'S JUST MY THOUGHT BUT I KNOW TOM YOU HAVE BEEN SO VOCAL ABOUT THIS ALSO AND I JUST THINK THERE COMES A POINT IN TIME WHERE EDUCATION IS NOT WORKING ANYMORE. It just doesn't seem to be enough. So just my thoughts on that.

Mayor, may I just take on a comment? Yes, yes, please. So, yeah, not only e-bikes. Just last week I was driving on Huntington Boulevard, and there was a kid in an e-scooter, not a bike. And he was going between 30 and 40 miles, because I could tell, because that's by speed. And I could barely caught up with him. It was crazy. So my question is really, while we're talking about e-bikes, but there are e-scooters out there that are probably even faster, because they're smaller, lighter. And I must say, as a former... cyclists, it's harder to control a scooter than a bike. A bike can control you just with your legs, but there are no legs, you know, because you're standing on the scooter. So I just want to tack on what to Council Member Sternquist's response. So at one point, and what should we do about these things?

Okay. Yeah, so I think our city manager hears us loud and clear. I think there's a lot of information that we would need to have a substantive discussion on this matter that, of course, includes our city attorney's input. And we do know there's a lot going on in neighboring cities. And the only thing I will say at this point is not all cities are created equal. So in terms of what they're dealing with, what we're dealing with, Maybe not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but nevertheless I think it warrants a substantive discussion to see if there's anything, again, on the policy end that would help with this issue. One thing I want us to be cognizant of is that if we're limiting accessibility for transportation, that could also have another effect. So there's always going to be pros and cons to what we do. And I think that's why it necessitates a discussion at the policy level.

Sorry. I think that accessibility, yes. can be an issue. But we did without e-bikes for many years. And most children who go to school are either dropped off by their parents or maybe they walk. Maybe some parents don't feel safe with that, but they make arrangements. And I think that YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT WE ARE THE POLICY MAKERS AND WE TAKE A NOTE TO DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT WE REPRESENT. Anything that's within the law, whether it's making you get a license or whatever that might look like, I think that we should do that. And parents can get up five minutes earlier. How long does it take to get from where I live to the high school? It's just a matter of more convenience provided. It's like we live in a fast food world. And I just can't be more adamant about it that I think we're going to sit here one day and we're going to feel sorry. for the family of someone that got either killed or critically injured. And I think Tom and I see the possibilities daily that can happen with serving on CJPIA. I do from a transportation issue. because I serve on Foothill Transit. So accessibility is, people make it happen. I mean, I drove my kids to school far out of Temple City, and I made sure they got there on time, I mean, because I chose to send my kids to a religious school. But so I think parents have, the ability to enforce it, but it doesn't seem like enforcement is happening from the parental standpoint. So get up 10 minutes earlier and take your kids to school.

And if I may, I think there's a huge difference between bicycle and e-bikes. I MEAN, WE HAVE BICYCLES FOR AGES, RIGHT? WE NEVER HAD ACCESSIBILITY PROBLEMS. SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BANNING REGULAR BICYCLES.

NO.

OR MAKING ORDINANCE AGAINST REGULAR BICYCLES. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT E-BIKES, THE ONES THAT GO FAST.

THE CHILDREN THAT ARE ON BICYCLES ARE WEARING HELMETS. THEY HAVE THE HELMETS ON. I SEE THEM WITH HELMETS, BUT I DON'T SEE THE E-BIKE KIDS WITH HELMETS OR SCOOTERS.

Yeah. So what I would suggest is that our city manager will tell us when an agenda item can be prepared for this discussion matter. I would also suggest that considering the substantive nature of the discussion, it probably wouldn't fit in this current meeting's format. It would be part of our regular council meeting discussion. I would also suggest that as part of the standing committee with the school district that Councilmember Chavez and I are part of, that before that gets placed on our agenda, we get a chance to give them a heads up that this is part of that discussion and we should invite them to be a part of that input as well since they are our partners. in that, and I would go as far as saying that this extends to El Monte Unified, even though we don't hear as much of, maybe we don't hear as many issues from Clemson, but nevertheless, they are part of the city limits, as well as any kind of impacts related to the Arcadia School District side of the city.

We'll do.

Yeah, I know we...

In San Gabriel, we have the... School right behind the police station. Oh, the San Gabriel Academy? Yes. On Broadway? The Elks Club. Isn't there a school right across the street?

Oh, yes, yes. I forgot about that. Yes. Yeah. So definitely that partnership with the districts needs to be included as part of this discussion. Understood, sir. Okay. And I do want to just, on that note and on a somewhat high note on that, I will say that anecdotally for the Temple City Unified School District, even at the elementary school level, in back-to-school nights for my kids, the teachers have actually addressed the e-bike issue in the back-to-school night. They don't go into a lot of details, obviously, but they do note that Well, first they mentioned that, well, it's not as prevalent of a problem at the elementary school level, but they do tell parents, they said, hey, if your kids are coming to school on e-bikes, know that there are laws and regulations governing safety, the types of bikes, the speed, et cetera. And so they said, you need to be informed. But when I asked the teachers, they said, yeah, we don't see that as much at Longden, Cloverley Elementary. So it's probably more of a... high school or middle school issue. All right, with that, are there any final comments before we adjourn? Oh, actually, no, we have one last public comment item, so I will open the public comment for the final part of our meeting. Is there anyone who would like to address council at this time? Okay. Madam City Clerk, are there any virtual speakers on this part of the item?

Mayor, we do not have a request. Oh, excuse me.

Do we have one?

We do have a public, we do have a participant, but they're not requesting to speak.

Got it. Okay.

Thank you. Then with that, I will close the public comment and we are adjourned for this session. But Council does have a closed session following this meeting. So we will follow and open the closed session right afterwards.

Closed session is threat of litigation, facts unknown to the potential plaintiff, one potential case under government code section 54956.9, subsection D4. Thank you. All right.

Have a great day, everyone. Stay cool.