DEAR WEHO: Letters you wrote to City Hall

Council postponed their Public Safety Update on Monday night, but here’s what the community wanted Council to hear.

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Dear City Council, ABC News recently reported that the crime rate in West Hollywood has increased by 137%. I have lived in West Hollywood, a city I love, for over two decades, and have personally been both a victim and witness
of increased crime in the neighborhood. I have been extremely grateful for the help provided by the Sheriffs Department and recognize the great need for their service in our community.
I oppose any decrease in the city’s Sheriff budget and staffing.

Many thanks and Best Regards!
Jo Carey

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Conspiring to violate the Rules of Order at a Public Safety Meeting in order to move business not on the agenda is, let’s say, overly-energetic even in an election year. To violate the rules to make new ones is antithetical to progress. To claim such an action as victorious is objectionable. To unapologetically double down on it is due of reprimand.
On another note, I don’t smear myself with bacon grease before I go out camping in the woods though I am free to do so. But chances are that in the process I’ll report that wild animals are vicious and that the forest is a dangerous place. Being provocative does nothing for our City’s reputation. The West Hollywood crime blotter is replete with preventable crime. Humility, modesty and thoughtfulness go a long way these days and the influencers might want to begin telling their followers that at an early age.

Increasing our density is very provocative of crime and many other things like climate change. We do not hear much about that though. Sacramento’s privileged notions delivered to us in the form of dictates for density are not only undemocratic, they are an existential threat.
I’ll throw in support for 4.C. and 5.A. and be done. Have a great meeting.

Best, Mike Carter
Please make these comments a part of tonight’s City Council Meeting. Thank you.

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Dear Commissioners
This is a conclusion that I wholly believe in. Please do not reduce funding for our police department.
“The MET, (Mental Health Emergency Outreach teams) will divert people out of the criminal system who should not be there but this does not translate out into people permanently being removed from the streets. It will relieve some of the need for Sheriff deputies to respond to calls regarding homeless but hardly all. While the MET teams are a great idea, they are no silver bullet and they are certainly not a replacement for Sheriff’s deputies, at least in the current climate. The Public Safety’s naive recommendation to cut ten deputies in order to fund the MET teams will make West Hollywood less safe.”

Thank you
Pierre Follari

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Dear City Council,
Please do not eliminate 10 deputies from protecting the residents of West Hollywood. More then ever dangers on our streets with people with guns all around us. Many residents are afraid to eat outside at restaurants or even inside restaurants with all the desperate gun toting people roaming the streets of Los Angeles/West Hollywood. Due to Covid many of us if we eat at restaurants want to sit outside but fear we will be robbed or even worse. Reducing the police presence will make this all worse and dangerous.
The police presence needs to be increased!

If budget cuts are needed then cut the gardening budget. It is much better to be safe than have more plants, especially during a drought, or some program that does not potentially endanger our resident and visitors to the city. Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. are two of the most famous streets in the country, they need to be two of
the safest streets in the country.

West Hollywood businesses have suffered. as all business in the U.S. have, do not add to the burden to make these businesses hire additional security (if they can even afford iii:) for
their individual businesses. Reducing their income even more.

The Sheriff’s Department budget needs to be increased not reduced. One of the
responsibilities of Government is to protect the citizens, cutting the police presence can only make the residents less safe.

DO NOT REDUCE THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT CONTRACT! Please increase the budget!

Thank you, Long time resident of West Hollywood.
Joyce Heftel

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Honorable City Council Members:

I oppose the plan to reduce the sheriffs department by 10 deputies. The streets are not as safe as they used to be and a reduction in deputies will not help the situation.

Thank you.
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Dear Madam Mayor and Council Members,

The West Hollywood West Residents Association strongly urges council to reject the Public Safety Commission’s alarming recommendation “to reduce the Sheriffs Department contract by $3,200,000 or 10 deputies” from the upcoming budget.

At one time West Hollywood had 67 sheriffs deputies. There are now 60 and the Public Safety Commission is recommending an additional reduction of 10 more, or approximately 15% of the entire sheriffs deployment in West Hollywood. Reducing their numbers is irresponsible given the 51 % increase in Part I crimes for July through December 2021.

The recommendation also ignores the very real concerns of residents for their safety and business owners who depend on tourism and visitors. Indeed, there is now a near-constant news stream about the rising crime rates in West Hollywood on local television news, and in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine and other media outlets -which can only result in fewer visitors to our city. Residents in the West Hollywood West neighborhood have reported residential and auto burglaries, armed robbery, trespass, vandalism, and hearing gunshots on our streets. Some have moved to safer areas.

We need more deputies visible in the community, on bikes, on foot and in cars, not fewer. Please reject the Public Safety Commission’s recommendation.

Sincerely,
Leslie Karliss. President

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Dear Council Members,
I am strongly opposed to any “defunding” of the LASD in West Hollywood, or reduction in their services. They are here to enforce the laws, protect the residents, and literally save lives during emergencies. They are not here to coddle law breakers. With the number of home invasions, murders, assaults, armed robberies, automobile crimes, etc rising dramatically throughout the County the last thing we need to do is lower our guard.

The homeless situation is totally out of control. Our streets are filthy with their urine and feces, they threaten unprovoked, take over our bus benches, etc. You cannot just throw more millions of dollars at the situation, building housing, and other. Most of the people that I have seen are either high on drugs or crazed because they are out of drugs. They need to be institutionalized with rehabilitation services. This is the time for interventions not further enabling.

Security Ambassadors and kiosks do nothing to deter crime, but are merely perhaps a “feel good” concept at seeing some uniforms around. If you reduce our Sheriffs services in any way, when your home is invaded by armed thugs “who ya gonna call?”

Thank you for your consideration.

Kevin G Ritter

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To WEHO city Council members,

We need more West Hollywood Sheriff and law enforcement, not less. Crime is rampant. I have stopped walking to restaurants from my home into West Hollywood-don’t make the quality of life worse in our areas by reducing law enforcement.

Claire O’Connor

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Dear Commissioners

This is a conclusion that I wholly believe in. Please do not reduce funding for our police department.
“The MET, (Mental Health Emergency Outreach teams) will divert people out of the criminal system who should not be there but this does not translate out into people permanently being removed from the streets. It will relieve some of the need for Sheriff deputies to respond to calls regarding homeless but hardly all. While the MET teams are a great idea, they are no silver bullet and they are certainly not a replacement for Sheriff’s deputies, at least in the current climate. The Public Safety’s naive recommendation to cut ten deputies in order to fund the MET teams will make West Hollywood less safe.”

Sincerely Louise M Petosa

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Dear Council Members,

I am strongly opposed to any “defunding” of the LASD in West Hollywood, or reduction in their services. They are here to enforce the laws, protect the residents, and literally save lives during emergencies. They are not here to coddle law breakers. With the number of home invasions, murders, assaults, armed robberies, automobile crimes, etc rising dramatically throughout the County the last thing we need to do is lower our guard.

The homeless situation is totally out of control. Our streets are filthy with their urine and feces, they threaten unprovoked, take over our bus benches, etc. You cannot just throw more millions of dollars at the situation, building housing, and other. Most of the people that I have seen are either high on drugs or crazed because they are out of drugs. They need to be institutionalized with rehabilitation services. This is the time for interventions not further enabling.

Security Ambassadors and kiosks do nothing to deter crime, but are merely perhaps a “feel good” concept at seeing some uniforms around. If you reduce our Sherift’s services in any way, when your home is invaded by armed thugs “who ya gonna call?”

Thank you for your consideration.

Kevin G Ritter

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Dear Madam Mayor and Council Members,

At the last City Council meeting, last week’s Public Safety Commission meeting, on social media and in numerous emails to the council-WeHo residents have come out en masse to express their anger and outrage over the City’s Public Safety Commission’s recommendation to “Decrease the Police”.

WeHo residents (and voters) don’t want less police, we want them returned to pre-pandemic levels and then increased. Reinstate the Sheriffs Entertainment Policing Team on Sunset that was put on hold when businesses closed for COVID. Mayor Meister suggested this as part of the increase in Block-by-Block funding.

New programs, such as Mental Health Outreach are in addition to services the West Hollywood Sheriffs Department provides-not instead of. Funding should come from additional Public Safety dollars and supplemented with Human Services funding.

We see crime increasing in and around West Hollywood; deadly stabbings, robberies by gunpoint, people being hit and harassed on our streets, car break-ins and mail theft.

The Public Safety Commission’s recommendation to “Decrease the Police” by nearly 20%, while our population grows and new hotels, retail, office space and bars increase was out of touch with what residents want and ill-conceived. This motion seemed more like a political publicity stunt.

We need more deputies visible in the community, on bikes, on foot and in cars, not fewer. Please reject the Public Safety Commission’s recommendation.

Lastly, to quote President Joe Biden in his recent State of the Union address: “The answer is not to defund the police.

It’s to fund the police. FUND THEM”

Thank you, Patrick Shandrick

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I am appalled at the idea of reducing the department by any amount at all. Lust last week read about the massive increase in crime in West Hollywood, up 135%. It’s insane to think of cut-backs now.

I’m afraid to walk my dog at night. ..

Barbara Stone

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Dear City Counsel Members,

Occasionally, a person has such a profoundly bad idea it is hard to respond respectfully. I strongly oppose reducing the Sheriff budget and staffing. I am going to highlight the obvious:

West Hollywood sits in the middle of Los Angeles. It isn’t a walled city. There is no moat to prevent criminals from crossing the invisible line that denotes where Los Angeles ends and West Hollywood begins. Understanding this fact -we need asses how our fair city is doing.

We have a homeless crisis, a murder crises and a violent crime crisis.
In 2021, Los Angeles had its highest homicide rate in 15 years with a 12% spike. LA had nearly 400 killings. The Fairfax district had several murders.
1
In a city that has largely decriminalized non-violent crime, crime rates are up.
We still face a homeless crisis. Homeless advocates have long told us that the homeless were not mentally ill, criminals and drug addicts. Turns out, our eyes didn’t deceive us. In more recent studies by the LA Times and others, it is shown that nearly 70% of homeless were previously incarcerated and 30% of the population were incarcerated within the last twelve months.
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30% have mental health issues.
In 2019, 1,267 homeless people had a drug overdose. Drug overdoses have been the leading cause of death among homeless in LA and the overdose rate increased 84% from 2016-2019.
How could anyone think that a previously incarcerated, mentally ill and drug addicted population could be a safe population? I am not suggesting we don’t have compassion; however, I am suggesting we not be naive. This is not the time to be reducing our safety measures and cutting from the Sheriff’s budget.
Again, I support increasing the Sherriff’s budget and staff and strongly oppose any reduction.

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Good morning,

My name is Michael Wilson. I am a resident of West Hollywood residing at 942 1/2 N. Sweetzer Avenue 90069. I am contacting you today to express my opposition to the recommendation from the Public Safety Commission to to reduce the Sheriff’s Department contract by $3,200,000 or 10 deputies. With the uptick in robberies and other various crimes now is not the time to defund the sheriffs department. In fact we need more funding for more patrolling. My catalytic converter was sawed off of my truck last spring on the corner of Sweetzer & Romaine one block south of the city hall. Thank you for your consideration.

Best Regards,

Michael Wilson

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Dear Commissioners

This is a conclusion that I wholly believe in. Please do not reduce funding for our police department.
“The MET, (Mental Health Emergency Outreach teams) will divert people out of the criminal system who should not be there but this does not translate out into people permanently being removed from the streets. It will relieve some of the need for Sheriff deputies to respond to calls regarding homeless but hardly all. While the MET teams are a great idea, they are no silver bullet and they are certainly not a replacement for Sheriff’s deputies, at least in the current climate. The Public Safety’s naive recommendation to cut ten deputies in order to fund the MET teams will make West Hollywood less safe.”

Thank you

Pierre Follari

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Earlier this year, the West Hollywood Residents Association hosted a meeting regarding crime and safety in the city. Guests included a West Hollywood Sheriff’s Lieutenant and the Public Safety Commissioner.

Virtually every resident and businessperson expressed alarm at the rising crime rate in the City of West Hollywood.
In response, the Public Safety Commissioner attempted to assuage community concerns by assuring it was only the audience’s “perception” that crime was increasing, and provided statistics indicating that the crime rate was, supposedly, “flat”.

Please note the following article from Los Angeles magazine which contradicts the representation that the crime rate in West Hollywood was/is “flat”:
https://gcc02 .safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2 F%2Fwww.lamag.com%2 Fcitythinkblog%2Fcrime-in.west-hollywood-skyrockets-137-percent-in-one.year%2F& data=04% 7C01 % 7Cpubliccomment%40weho.org°/o 7Caa05ce3f9fcf4 70948dd08da0b 78c67 a%7C0432d4aa 7 c0a41beaa40f696e053e546% 7 CO% 7C0% 7C63 7834910623031094% 7CUnknown% 7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWljoiMC4wLjAw
MDAilCJQljoiV2IuMzlilCJBTil6IklhaWwilCJXVC16Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata::A6VRwkDJQWhvSJx5eEL7z0agnsjpwHT %2FEbc%2FSOSF8xA%3D&reserved=0

Taking all factors into consideration, there is no justifiable reason to reduce the Sheriff’s Department by 10 deputies during this era of expanding crime.

Public Safety Ambassadors on bicycles are fine, but they are no substitute for trained law enforcement officers with police authority.

If the suggestion of reducing the Sheriff’s budget is based upon an overall municipal budget shortfall, then ALL city expenditures should reduced at the same rate across-the-board, rather than targeting the Sheriff’s Department.

Do not cut the Sheriff’s Department budget. Instead, negotiate more measurable results with the Sheriff…AND be more prudent regarding ALL City of West Hollywood expenditures.

JB

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Regarding Agenda Item 4C:
I believe that the motion by Commissioner Soon-Shiong to reduce the Sheriff’s Department contract by $3,2000,000 or 10 deputies is one that should be voted down and not accepted. At this time we need more policing rather than less.

Defunding the Sheriff’s current staffing is a really bad idea.

I would encourage Council member Horvath to let West Hollywood residents know, as well as Los Angeles County voters, whether she supports this motion proposed by her appointee.

Richard Best
West Hollywood Resident

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Dear Council:

As a resident of West Hollywood for over ten years, I am writing to voice my objections to decreasing the Sheriff’s Budget and Staffing. We need to make certain our city remains safe and I am strongly opposed to any cutbacks.
Thank you.

Cameron Faber

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Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers,

Protect the residents. Protect the neighbors. Do NOT cut back on security and police.

As a West Hollywood resident of many years, I am extremely disappointed and concerned that our very own Public Safety Commission would recommend that the City reduce the number of sheriffs deputies by 10 (nearly 17% reduction). Their sole goal is to ensure the residents are and feel safe first and foremost!

I have spoken to many of my neighbors who are also against cutting the Sheriffs budget.

If anything, people are asking for MORE sheriffs deputies as people are afraid for their safety. And we’ve already seen some cities that advocated for less policing reverse course in light of rising crime.

Residents are NOT asking for you to cut the sheriffs budget. Residents do NOT want this.

We ask you to remember that you’re number one priority as elected leaders of our city are to protect the people. Voting in favor of reducing the number of sheriff deputies (especially during a period of a rise in crime) would not be acting to protect the citizens of our city.

Do NOT vote in favor of this dangerous recommendation of cutting back on security.

Sincerely,
Michael Fisk
West Hollywood Resident

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I am writing to express that I deeply oppose the recommendation from the Public Safety Commission to reduce the Sheriff’s Dept contract by $3.2m (Agenda Item 4C).

This is not the time to be making budget cuts to law enforcement. I’ve been a resident of West Hollywood West for the past 4 years, and I have never felt less safe in this area.

I’ve heard gunshots (twice) in the middle of the night in the past 2 months. I’ve had 2 friends get mugged in high-traffic areas. My neighbor’s house was broken into.

And I’m sure you’re aware of all the high-profile crime that makes the headlines specifically in West Hollywood, most recently the Sunset Plaza armed robbery last week.

I had personally stopped walking home by myself after 11pm from any restaurants/bars.

This is a time to be adding more police patrol in the area, not less.

Any councilmembers who don’t understand that this is the least safe West Hollywood has been in years are completely out of touch with this city. I will be paying close attention to any person who votes to cut the Sheriff’s Dept budget and will do my very best to ensure they are not re-elected.

Sincerely,
Brett Klasko

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City Council Members

Crime in West Hollywood up 137% per LASO.

AND

The Public Safety Commissions recommendation is:

ACTION:Motion by Commissioner Soon-Shiong to recommend to the City Council to reduce the Sheriff’s Department contract by $3,200,000 or 10 deputies, seconded by Commissioner Oliver, and approved with Chair Berger and Commissioner Balbone voting no.

This is INSANE!! Keep our citizens safe! Please do what you were elected to do and that duty is to protect the Quality of Residential Life and Public Safety.

Eliminating 17% of sheriff’s sworn personnel, will not make us safer. If you want to institute other programs, fine, but DO NOT eliminate these positions, if you are interested in upholding our city’s core value; “To protect the personal safety of your constituents and safeguard the community.”

I find it weird that we have a Public Safety Committee that lives in a different reality than the general public. Where do you live? I live West Hollywood, more specific the Norma Triangle. Living here since 2014 I’ve seen first hand crime increase and happen before my own eyes and ears. I’ve seen people attacked, a friend ran over by a truck, a woman desperately screaming “someone help me, someone help me”, gun shots, sirens blaring, people chased by the police and arrested just outside our front door …. l can keep going however us residents know what is happening but our Public Safety Committee/ government leaders have no idea or care so I have to say this in order for it to be real. Crime is happening and the criminals are doing what they want because of the people we have in control of our government would rather save face than to help their community that is iln need.

Get a clue! Increase the public safety budget, don’t reduce it! Increase the number of public peace officers, don’t do the opposite. Involve the community more, we love to volunteer and help! I’ll walk the streets! We want a prosperous and safe community! West Hollywood will spend $100,000 to paint a rainbow crosswalk with an open checkbook but when it comes to public safety whine about the budget and sit on the sidelines with blindfolds and ear plugs in saying nothing is happening. I should feel 100% safe in my community however I don’t now, I use to

Kevin Mora-Smith
West Hollywood, CA

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Hello City Council,

I would like to state that I strongly oppose a reduction of law enforcement services. I find the idea of cutting the sheriffs department by $3.2M (or approx 10 deputies) completely outrageous, especially since crime in West Hollywood has increased 137% since last year. This is not the time to decrease funding for the sheriffs department.
I have lived in West Hollywood for 14 years and the crime has gotten much worse these last few years. I am strongly opposed to this.

Charisse Sanzo
Resident

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Dear West Hollywood City Council:

As 31-year residents of the City of West Hollywood, we are writing to strongly oppose agenda item 4C, the proposed cuts to the Sherriff’s Department staff and budget by $3.2 million or 10 officers. We need law enforcement to improve public safety more than ever.

Public safety of our residents is the number one priority of city government. Cutting law enforcement officers in a time of rising crime is the worst possible action to take. The direct consequences of this cut will be additional crime directed at both West Hollywood property and people, possibly resulting in permanent injury and perhaps even death of our fellow residents. Approving Agenda item 4C will make this inevitable.

West Hollywood is a city whose revenue is based primarily on tax revenues from travel and entertainment, such as hotel and sales tax. Cuts to law enforcement staffing and budget will ultimately reduce the tax revenue available to the City of West Hollywood as residents, workers and visitors reduce their exposure to dangerous situations. As the City of West Hollywood progresses through the long road to economic recovery from COVID-19, our residents, workers, businesses, and visitors must be safe from crime; agenda item 4C will do the opposite. With reduced tax revenue, all city services will be threatened through funding shortfalls.

Being a leader sometimes means that difficult and unpopular choices must be taken. If budget cuts genuinely need to be made somewhere, then the last place they should be made–especially at this time–is with public safety and law enforcement.

Maria Montgomery
Erron Silverstein

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hello there
the following is my e-comment for item 4c on the 3/21/2022 agenda.

As a resident and long time community member of west hollywood, I do think we need to assess the contracts and programs we currently have in place. We all want a safer city and it is a layered and nuanced topic, the issue of safety. Safety comes in different forms and we need different levels of support for different community members and situations. It is time for a robust conversation around safety, what is needed in 2022, what we have learned works and doesn’t work and how we can get the best service out of all providers for our community.

Jackie Steele
Jackie Steele (she/her/hers)
@jackiesteelecomedy
Work Hard. Play Hard. Give Back. Kill your ego.
Black Lives Matter. #heartsofsteele
XO

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Dear Council members

I have been a resident and business owner in the city of West Hollywood for 20+ years
I have not seen the dramatic increase in crimes as it was in 2021 Please do not cut and/ or reduce law enforcement services in West Hollywood . i It will have a distressful impact on quality of life of all residents

thank you
gianluigi tacci

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March 21, 2022
RE: AGENDA #4.C.

Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers,

On behalf of the West Hollywood Design District BID Board of Directors, we are writing to encourage your support to increase the budget fo,r our Sheriffs and Public Safety teams. We need more deputies on the street, not less. Our members are experiencing more issues related to the unhoused and mentally challenged, smash and grabs, break-ins and other criminal activities impacting the district businesses, visitors, and surrounding residents.

Our Sheriffs have been an exceptional partner with our city and business community. The City’s Public Safety team are the best in the County. The issue of community policing is an important issue, but it has become so politicized that it is exacerbating the situation of public safety and unrest rather than supporting a safe environment for our community members.

The leadership Captain Ramirez, Lt. Moulder and the entire public safety team is exceptional and cannot be overstated. During some of the most trying times, they have protected us, kept our property as safe as possible and helped support peaceful protests as part of our core values. They have faced adversity in some of the most volatile and difficult times we have experienced over the last two years. We are extremely fortunate to have them on our team.
We strongly urge you to reinstate the open positions and consider adding more deputies in addition to the newly created Behavioral Unit, as both will be a tremendous help in addressing the issues we are all currently facing, and give the community confidence that its leadership is listening to their concerns as public safety must be our first priority.

Thank you for taking time to consider this important issue impacting all of us.
Sincerely,

Nick Rimedio
Chair,
West Hollywood Design District

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February 14, 2022

RE: AGENDA#

Dear Public Safety Commissioners,

On behalf of the Sunset Strip Business Improvement District (BID) Board of Directors, we are writing to express our gratitude and support for our Sheriffs and Public Safety teams, and hopeful that you will see fit to recommend to Coundl that an increase in deputies for our commercial nightlife districts is needed and a justified, necessary expense.
The Sunset Strip BID was created in the late 90’s when there was a need for a collective to focus on “clean & safe”. The BID used its budget to contact with Block by Block and cleaning and maintenance vendors to address the issues facing the Sunset Strip. It took over a decade, but the work of the BID paid off with the focus shifting to marketing and promoting the business on Sunset Blvd and signature events and programs. Now over 20 plus years later, crime is on the rise and businesses and residents do not feel safe.

Our Sheriffs and the City’s Public S~ety team are the best in the County. To lump them in with other cities or even County Sheriffs working in other locations is too broad a brush to accurately describe the proactive community work they do for Wehoans. The work they perform goes far beyond the duty of a police officer. With every Captain we have had, there is a deep sense of care for the city they work with. As first responders, they act immediately, the reactive part of their job. With community, they are proactive and take their role in the community not as cops but as genuine members who engage, educate, and show compassion. Never has this been more apparent than with Captain Ramirez and Lt. Moulder.

The leadership they have shown in some of the most volatile and difficult times we have had, was bar-none -strategic, thoughtful, well planned, and executed brilliantly. We are extremely fortunate to have them on our team.
Protecting our property, our lives, and the West Hollywood brand of clean and safe takes funding and professional labor. Having more boots on the ground in law enforcement is what our community needs right now. Please support the concerns of our residents and businesses by reinstating these positions to the entertainment districts.
Sincerely,
~
Brett Latteri Chair,
Sunset Strip BID Advisory Board

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RE: AGENDA #4.C.

Dear Mayor and City Council Members,

We are writing to express support for our Sheriffs and Public Safety teams with the hope that while recognizing the value they bring to our city in community-based policing, you will increase their budgets to supp01t more deputies. They are an integral pait of what makes this city such a safe-haven for our citizens, businesses and visitors.
We agree that the entire country needs refonn in policing, and our conununity needs to always seek new effective methods for addressing public safety issues, it is our desired expectation that you will look at this through a non-political lens to help reenforce our public safety teams .whether it is the contract with the County for Sheriffs, Block by Block, MET and Behavioral Health Crisis Units, our staffing at City Hall -we need this support!
We have had exceptional service and response from our Sheriffs department and our Public Safety staff over many decades. The work they perform in our community goes far beyond the duty of a police officer. With eve1y Captain we have had, there is a deep sense of care for the city they work with. Never has this been more apparent than with Captain Ramirez and Lt. Moulder.

The leadership they have shown in some of the most volatile and difficult times we have had, was strategic, thoughtful, well planned, and executed brilliantly. We are extremely fortunate to have them on our team. Under the leadership of Public Safety Director, Kristin Cook they have navigated the most challenging times of vi1us pandemic, closures, civil unrest, peaceful demonstrations, and managing the adverse environment of ever-changing protocols -bar none, we have the best there is. Given that we have the most exceptional team, it would be incumbent upon us to listen to and strongly consider their recommendations. They are on the ground and see what the community needs from a true public safety lens and metrics.

The development of MET has been a key asset to assisting the Sheriff in the health crisis we face with mental health issue helping to alleviate the burden and the ramifications of arrests, fines and being put in the criminal justice system
Please consider increases to the Sheriffs -we need more, not less law enforcement during these challenging times. Protecting us, our property, the West Hollywood brand-Cityhood.

Sincerely,
Genevieve Morrill President and CEO