City Set to Roll Out Expanded Community Warning System Alerts; Council Signs Off on Police Pay Perks to Address Staffing Crisis

Police Chief Andrew White discusses efforts to improve emergency communications with residents, as well as recruit, train and retain quality officers; city leaders look at new rules for "in-law" units

Martinez residents signed up for emergency alerts through the Contra Costa County Community Warning System can expect to start receiving text message alerts from the city for incidents where offsite health impacts for sensitive populations are possible, police Chief Andrew White told the City Council at last week’s meeting.

The issue of when residents receive automated alerts through the Community Warning System (CWS) has become a source of discussion and frustration in the wake of several incidents involving the Martinez Refining Co. over the past several months. The CWS currently only sends out automated calls/text messages for “Level 3” alerts, the highest level in the CWS system where offsite public health risks for the general population are anticipated and a shelter in place may be ordered. But none of the recent refinery incidents, including the Thanksgiving night “spent catalyst” toxic dust release and a massive flaring event on Dec. 9, rose to a “Level 3” categorization, meaning residents had to rely on communication through the county’s internet and social media platforms, or whatever local media coverage occurred, to stay abreast of developments.

In the case of the spent catalyst incident that blanketed the surrounding community with heavy metal-laden dust, the CWS wasn’t activated at all because of the refinery’s failure to communicate the accident (an issue currently under review by the District Attorney’s Office), but county health officials have said it would have qualified as a “Level 2” alert if the CWS had been utilized — meaning no automated alerts would have gone out to affected residents.

White told the council that city residents with cellphone numbers registered through the CWS that are capable of receiving text messages will now automatically receive alerts for “Level 2” incidents, which are defined as events with possible offsite health consequences for sensitive populations (e.g. those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory issues).

White was tasked by the council with finding a mechanism to improve communications of refinery-related events after community members complained about being left in the dark from the recent incidents and not being able to easily assess how serious they were or what, if any, actions they should take in response.

White told the council that he anticipated the new capability for “Level 2” text alerts to city residents to be implemented by this Friday (March 24). He encouraged residents to make sure they are signed up for CWS alerts at https://cwsalerts.com

He also said the city is working toward an additional “opt-in” component for residents that would enable it to alert them to lower-level issues, such as road hazards and perhaps some unusual “Level 1” CWS incidents that generate widespread concern; details are still being worked out about specifically which types of incidents would be covered and how residents would sign up, but White said he hopes to have that option in place within 45 days.

In a follow-up email exchange with White this weekend, he told me that although this additional opt-in notification component is still a “work in progress,” he doesn’t anticipate that “Level 1” alerts through the CWS would be communicated to city residents via text messages “unless there is some unique circumstance (e.g. we are inundated with calls because a large flare is visible, etc.).”

With the exception of the “spent catalyst” release, the multiple flares at the refinery in recent months qualified as “Level 1” incidents, which the CWS defines as events where no offside health impacts are anticipated.

Although these new notification capabilities will surely come as good news to city residents, many of the neighborhoods surrounding the refinery are in unincorporated areas outside city limits and are still subject to the county’s current notification policies for the CWS. What Martinez is doing is a unique feature for city residents, White explained (“we are technically ‘re-publishing’ their Level 2 alerts under our authority as a city”).

For residents who live in unincorporated areas outside city limits, White said that once the additional “opt-in” notification system is implemented, he believes that “folks outside the city limits, but with an interest in city notifications, could be included.”

He added that while the city could establish its own notification system outside the CWS platform, working through the CWS removes the need for residents to register their phone numbers multiple times on multiple platforms, and the potential confusion that could result.

“The path we are on now would keep everyone signing up for just CWS with the opportunity to opt-in to city-originated notifications,” he said in his email.

White also told council members he is scheduled to meet with Martinez Unified School District Superintendent Helen Rossi this week to discuss the CWS alert changes. As many readers surely know, several MUSD school campuses are in close proximity to the Martinez Refining Co.

For those interested in a deeper explanation about how the Community Warning System works and what the different alert levels encompass, see this recent post.

City Addresses Police Staffing Crisis

The City Council enthusiastically supported Chief White’s request for additional pay perks to help recruit and retain quality officers amid a staffing crisis in the department. As I reported in this post, the police department has seven vacancies among 27 authorized officer positions and is down to one detective to investigate crimes (factoring in a long-term medical leave and positions underfilled by trainees, the city said in this staff report that it has an “effective” vacancy rate of 11 officer positions).

According to the “side letter” approved to the city’s contract with the police union, officers and sergeants will receive a one-time market equity adjustment of 6.25% to their base salary; a night shift pay differential of 5% compared with the previous 3% rate; and removal of the waiting period for officers to receive receive incentive pay for possessing a college degree or Intermediate and/or Advanced POST certificate.

“This is an important step for the city to take and a strategic investment in your police department, as well as in a service we must provide to our community,” White told the council.

White also made note of the importance of recruiting officers who have advanced training and/or college degrees, noting that some studies have shown a positive correlation between officers with college degrees and subsequent incidents of use of force (i.e. college-educated officers are less likely to use force in public interactions).

“We want to look for every opportunity to increase positive outcomes,” he said.

It was also noted during the discussion on police staffing that Martinez is not alone in struggling to recruit and retain officers, with other jurisdictions facing similar challenges.

While the tight labor market has created staffing shortages across multiple industries and professions, cities such as Martinez also appear to be setting higher standards for law enforcement hires in the wake of the nationwide reckoning over police misconduct and use-of-force incidents that have followed high-profile incidents such as the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

In response to a question by Councilman Satinder Malhi about hiring and training standards as the city seeks new police officers, White said: “Our hiring process has significantly changed within law enforcement just in the last few years.”

He noted that psychological testing for officer candidates now includes vetting individuals who may have expressed bias, as well as seeking out candidates who have the “right temperament to deal with critical situations.”

“We follow that up in the police academy through extensive training, which includes dealing with crisis intervention and persons with disabilities and use of forth and so forth.”

Once an officer is hired, the training process continues, White said, on issues such as implicit bias, as well as ongoing and specialty training tailored to issues officers are experiencing in the course of duty and daily interactions with the public.

“Rest assured, there’s significant training going on, and we’re going to identify opportunities to get even better,” he told the council.

Even as the city struggles to maintain minimum police staffing levels, a mid-year budget presentation at Wednesday’s council meeting showed that roughly 44% of the city’s general fund budget is dedicated to the police department — more than twice as much as the next-largest department (public works, which consumes 17% of the budget).

The Week Ahead

The Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m., where the main item will be a proposal by the Martinez Bocce Federation for a fence to protect the city bocce courts at the waterfront from “vandalism and ongoing maintenance issues caused by foot traffic and unwanted activities at the bocce courts.” If the commission agrees with the proposal, it will go to the City Council for approval. More information about the meeting is available here.

The City Council and Planning Commission will hold a joint study session on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss proposed revisions to regulations for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Creating more ADUs, sometimes known as “in-law units,” in the city has emerged as a key component in the city’s efforts to craft a new “Housing Element” that will increase its housing supply and pass muster with the state. The city is facing a lawsuit over its failure to adopt a Housing Element by the Jan. 31 state deadline, something I reported in this post. According to the staff report for Wednesday’s meeting, state regulations pertaining to ADUs have undergone significant changes in recent years designed to remove barriers to their use, rendering the city’s existing regulations “mostly out of compliance.” More information about the meeting is available here.