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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2Bt June 27, 2023 City of Palm Springs: Mayor and City Council City Manager Scott Stiles Also, Public Comments for council meeting Subject: Vandalism reduction and the use of environmental design CRICESS LEVEL RESPONSE Greetings I understand the 2023/24 budget is prepared and ready for vote and this proposal is late to the table, however with a recent rash of glass vandalism and even one smash and grab event downtown I hope this proposal receives consideration. After reviewing San Francisco’s vandalism grant program, I am requesting Palm Springs consider a few programs to assist businesses this this expensive growing concern. When covid-19 hit downtown businesses our city council allotted the needed funds to assist our restaurants through the covid- 19 crisis. Today homelessness and a rash of vandalized windows is nearly as challenging for our business community. This past weekend Cheeky’s restaurant in uptown has windows smashed , just two days before Johannes and Division replaced broken windows. NEW PRORAM NEW EXPENSE VANDALISM GRANT PROGRAM I would like to recommend City of Palm Springs establish a vandalism grant program modeled after the program in San Francisco. It limits any business to two incidents per year and a $2,000 cap per claim. I would propose funding the SEVEN UNIQUE DISTRICTS OF PALM CANYON DRIVE CREATING ONE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE LIKE NO PLACE ELSE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH: ➢City Gateway District Palm Canyon Drive Tramway to Vista Chino ➢Uptown Dine and Design District Palm & Indian Canyons Vista Chino to Alejo Downtown Alejo to Camino Parocela THE MICRO DISTRCTS OF DOWNTOWN: North Palm Canyon Drive Tribal Cultural Center and Entertainment district Tahquitz Corridor South Palm Canyon Drive Indian Canyon Drive No & So District Arenas The Sunny Dunes Palm Canyon Drive, Camino Paracela to Mesquite, Sunny Dunes Road Industrial Place The Curve @ South and East Palm Canyon Drive Mesquite to Camino Real Smoketrees and Saguaro District Palm Canyon Drive Camino Real to Araby Backstreet Arts District & Von’s Rimrock Center Cherokee Way at Palm Canyon Drive and Palm Canyon Drive at Gene Autry Trail. PSP Matt Robinson PALM SPRINGS Promotions & The Districts of Palm Canyon Drive 7610 Calle Mazamitla, Palm Springs CA 92264 GuyInPalmSprings@gmail.com 760/567 -0473 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B grant program at $30,000 and reviewed at $15,000 and again at $30,000 for grant term/requirement adjustments and or changes to the funding amount. Two years ago, I felt businesses should have a rider on their insurance to cover glass replacement, today I see this problem as out of control. The last few days I have heard people suggesting municipal code needs to be modified to permit roll -down security shutters/doors. Roll -down security shutters are only open when any business is open and shuttered other hours would change downtown forever and I would hope it be held off as a last resort. Once these shutters are installed, they are there forever. Assisting businesses financially while we implement programs and remove rocks from the downtown seems like the right thing to do. Perhaps requiring a copy of a glass rider proposal for the business would assist development of what future programs should be knowing the cost of glass riders. Other considerations: REMOVE MEDIUM SIZED ROCKS FROM POTS AND LANDSCAPING Ten days ago, after hearing about the smash and grab burglary in the 100-north block of Palm Canyon Drive, I made a site visit to look for where the rocks for these events could be coming from. I made a similar site visit after the door at Starbucks Reserve was smashed with a rock. What I discovered both times was the tall planters in front of the Grit development are topped with rocks the perfect siz e to through a window and at a height in the planters easy to see and pick up. There are other areas downtown that also have rocks of this size. One such example is on Arenas Road alongside Zin another is the base of the waterfall in the downtown park . My recommendation is to remove any medium size rocks and where replacing them is appropriate, gold/mixed color pea gr avel be used. Pea gravel has a nice appearance and while it can be scattered, it cannot be thrown through a window. I would be happy to walk downtown and create a list of rock locations I can locate. Chief Mills agreed with me that such rocks are a risk to our windows. Too big to through or too small to break a window could be the new standard. SECURITY CAMERA GRANT PROGRAM 2023-2024 In addition to new or additional cameras at the business location, ground floor businesses should be able to purchase glass breakage sensors with the grant funds. Having glass breakage trigger an alarm and PSPD be able to respond quickly increases the possibility the criminals and or vandals are caught. I have been toldI have been told we still have businesses with no alarm at all, perhaps a safety prevention seminar by PSPD could be held on zoom for our small businesses? CLARIFY AND MODIFY GRAFITTI ABATEMENT CODE Originally graffiti abatement was an in-house position and included graffiti on both public and private property. Staff provided five star service. Recently I heard a member of council question if today’s program was not limited to public property, if so, I believe should return to any property in the city, public or private. Additionally reading the 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B code to abate graffiti, it does not limit abatement to painted graffiti. I researched companies in both San Diego and Los Angeles who specialize in acid etching graffiti , I believe the city is authorized under the code to abate acid etched graffiti as well as painted graffiti, my recommendation would be to contract with a company licensed to abate acid etching graffiti and have them schedule two annual visits to Palm Springs to address all known incidents in any of the districts of Palm Canyon Drive (aka all ground floor retail property). BLUE LIGHT SECURITY PROGRAMS Point Huiron has a program that provides a window decal announcing the business has CTV cameras as well they provide a blue light for these businesses to display. They chose to place these lights on the roofline, I found an LED light that could be placed in a corner on the storefront window next to a decal about cameras and the blue light program and these would simply plug in. The light and custom decal would be less than $25 per business or location. The City Palm Springs has many security cameras in operation to help solve crime, public security cameras can also be a deterrent to crime. There are cities whose cameras have a blue light (solid or strobe) mounted on or next to the camera. The purpose is to make people aware they are being watched and or recorded . Preventing a crime cost far less than solving a crime that has occurred. Portable camera trailers such as those in just about every big box retailers parking lot serve as a deterrent as well , a couple of highly visible trailers moved around the greater downtown and positioned at special events might be a consideration. We see you could be the message. LICENSE PLATE READERS I have been an advocate for License Plate Readers for some time, we now have neighboring cities using them. Being able to review what vehicles passed a location just before a crime or just past a crime could be a huge tool for our police. The one-way section of Palm Canyon, plus limited cameras on Indian Canyon, Arenas, Ramon, East Palm Canyon and the exit to the Indian Canyon garage all seem to be locations to consider for a test LPR installation. A strong privacy policy will be needed, and collection of other California city’s policies could guide council on the Palm Springs policy. Thank You Matt Robinson https://sfmayor.org/article/mayor-london-breed-and-supervisor-gordon-mar-launch-new-grant-support- storefronts-impacted 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B PO Box 2310, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92263-2310 I 760-322-4800 I info@psmuseum.org I psmuseum.org June 21, 2023 Palm Springs City Council City of Palm Springs 3200 E Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm springs, CA 92262 Subject: Proposal for funding Palm Springs Art Museum FY 2023/24 Dear Members of the Palm Springs City Council, I am writing to formally propose a funding request on behalf of the Palm Springs Art Museum. We are seeking financial support in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to sustain and enhance our Free Thursday Nights program at the museum. The City of Palm Springs has provided sponsorship for Free Thursday Nights at an annual amount of $25,000.00 from 1998 to 2008. In 2008, the City increased their sponsorship to $50,000.00 and it has remained at that level since. We seek a substantial increase in funding to better align with the immense cost and loss in revenue for this program. Free Thursday Nights has proven its success in providing an accessible way for the community to connect with the museum, engage with our exhibitions, and enjoy various art-related activities. In addition, it has added to economic development and the creative infrastructure of the Coachella Valley and the region. The Free Thursday Nights program takes place every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and offers complimentary access to all galleries, exhibitions, and programs for community members. Free Thursday Nights have become central to the museum’s efforts to make the museum more accessible to underrepresented communities in the region by transforming the museum into a festive and welcoming locale for families, millennials, and Gen Xers. Over the past year, we have invested heavily in programming offering no fee entry along with music throughout the museum and sculpture gardens, as well as food pop-ups. Our arts and cultural programming is also bolstered by our educational programming. We organize a special activity called "Gallery Quest" where children can participate in a scavenger hunt, encouraging them to observe specific details of each artwork. In the past six months we have distributed over 1,000 Gallery Quest books to our visitors, and an additional 500 Special Gallery Quest Handbooks for the Phillip K. Smith III Exhibition. 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B PO Box 2310, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92263-2310 I 760-322-4800 I info@psmuseum.org I psmuseum.org The music program includes established and emerging DJs and performers who reflect the diversity of the region and come from cities across the Coachella Valley and Southern California. The food program includes local pop-up vendors with strong followers and diverse cuisines reflective of the region. Together, this helps to boost the local economy and makes the museum a place for young creatives to build their resumes, expand their audiences, and continue to grow their careers. This has also been key to our outreach efforts to communities of color, low-income communities, and communities of the East Coachella Valley. These underrepresented audiences encounter a museum with live programming that values the diversity of the region, that supports local creatives, and that becomes a place of welcome and belonging. Free Thursday Nights have been one of our successes. We have witnessed a substantial increase in attendance, even surpassing our pre-Covid numbers. In the fiscal year 2022/23, we observed a remarkable 37% rise in attendance compared to the prior fully operational year of 2019. The museum projects to see over 58,500 visitors for Free Thursday Nights this year. This success, however, also comes with increased costs. The upward trend in attendance means a higher revenue loss and necessitates us increasing staff hours, which creates an additional loss in revenue. The museums’ estimated loss on admissions for Free Thursday Nights for this year will be just over $260,000. The Lost Revenue of programing, including vendors, and added staff, such as Security, Facilities and theater production team will be over $140,000. By partnering with the City of Palm Springs, we aim to solidify our longstanding relationship. We strive to make Palm Springs an innovative, diverse, and creative community. We sincerely believe that by investing in the Free Thursday Nights program, the City of Palm Springs will contribute to the cultural vibrancy and enrichment of our community. The funding will support our efforts to provide accessible and engaging art experiences for all residents and visitors. To ensure transparency and accountability, the Palm Springs Art Museum commits to submitting an Annual Report to the City of Palm Springs, showcasing the attendance figures of Night Sessions - Free Thursday Nights no later than sixty (60) days following the end of the city's fiscal year. 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B PO Box 2310, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92263-2310 I 760-322-4800 I info@psmuseum.org I psmuseum.org Thank you for considering our proposal. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss this further and address any questions or concerns you may have. Together, we can continue to nurture the artistic spirit of Palm Springs and create a thriving cultural landscape. Sincerely, Adam Lerner (He/Him) JoAnn McGrath Executive Director / CEO Palm Springs Art Museum 760-322-4809 (Direct) 760-322-4808 (Leslie Stewart) 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B 06/29/2023 Public Comment Item 2B