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DRAFT MINUTES <br /> Page 8 <br />December 3, 2007 <br />City of San Leandro City Council and San Leandro Redevelopment Agency Joint Meeting <br /> <br /> <br />12. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS <br /> <br /> wedding was this past Saturday, and <br />now that it is past, she will be able to attend more City functions. <br /> <br />Councilmember Starosciak attended the Tree Lighting and Lighted Boat Parade, and she <br />commented that the events were really well done and a lot of fun was had by all. She <br />expressed some disappointment at the small number of boats that participated. <br />Roland Paul Sobek, father of Police Sergeant Mike Sobek; Vincent Calcagno, former San <br />Leandro Fire Captain and great uncle of Police Officer Doug Calcagno; and Mary Ray, <br />English teacher at Chabot College and a personal friend of hers. Councilmember Starosciak <br />commen <br />by acknowledging and expressing police officers for their <br />good work in the community. She commented on recent articles in the local newspapers <br />regarding crime in San Leandro, and she pointed out <br />great job. She suggested that the Council consider a strategic plan for enhancing the <br />community support of the Police Department, including renovating police facilities and a <br />plan for community engagement to build trust and respect for the department. <br /> <br />Councilmember Stephens concurred with Councilmember Starosciak, suggesting that the City <br />eat agenda. He noted that <br />there have been high profile events in the past few months, as well as auto thefts, vagrancy <br />and panhandling, and traffic issues, <br />in the City. Councilmember Stephens commented that we must ensure the individual safety <br />of our residents and make San Leandro known as the safest city in the East Bay. <br />Councilmember Stephens requested that a crime analysis of key indicators over the past five <br />years be performed, and that a report of the results be provided to the Council prior to its <br />retreat. He also requested that the PD provide its views on what things it could use to better <br />combat crime, i.e., technology, community assessment, community assistance, lighting, <br />communications, deployments, tactics, etc. to advance crime prevention. <br /> <br />Councilmember Prola thanked the staff involved in organizing the Tree Lighting ceremony <br />and the Thanksgiving lunches for seniors at the Main Library and Marina Community Center. <br />He commented on a news article in the San Leandro Times regarding Betts Springsout <br />of San Leandro, and he remarked that it hurts the City when major manufacturers move out of <br />town because employees cannot afford to live here. Councilmember Prola encouraged the <br />City to make an even greater effort to develop affordable housing. Councilmember Prola <br />commented on the , which would affect San Leandro Hospital and <br />other Sutter hospitals. <br /> <br />Mayor Santos commented that he also attended the Tree Lighting and Lighted Boat Parade. <br />He noted that a good sized crowd showed up for the Lighted Boat Parade, and he was <br />impressed with the number of students that volunteered to help with the event. Mayor Santos <br />commented on the crime problem in San Leandro, and recalled that a report on police staffing <br />a few years ago stated that the more police officers a community has, the better the crime <br />statistics. Regarding plastic grocery bags, Mayor Santos noted that this would be a major <br /> <br />