Police association voices disapproval over financing of new San Gabriel police facility

By Jim E. Winburn

Although the San Gabriel City Council decided to move forward with plans for a long-awaited new police facility, the Police Officers’ Association at Tuesday’s meeting voiced their disapproval over financing concerns they feel will burden its community.

At a study session before the meeting, the council authorized the release of environmental impact report documents for a construction plan that would provide the city with a new police facility and new city public works yard, while tasking staff to examine funding alternatives.

According to City Manager Steven Preston, the city has been studying how to build the new police facility for the last 10 years. Current proposals for financing the project include increasing transient occupancy taxes, parking fines and business license taxes. However, these funding measures would all go to the voters to decide, Preston said.

Representatives and fellow supporters of the San Gabriel Police Officers’ Association filled the City Hall chambers to capacity to express their disapproval over the fiscal impacts of the project.

Police Chief David Lawton said that the labor group is opposed to spending money to finance the project during these hard economic times. “I think they (the SGPOA) recognize the need for projects to benefit the community but are somewhat opposed to the city spending money at a time like this.”

Detective Fabian Valdez, president of the SGPOA, told the City Council Tuesday night that the timeliness was inappropriate, the method of funding inadequate, and that the decision would neglect other city interests. “If San Gabriel moves forward with approving these two projects, it will show how much the council is out of touch with the city’s business needs,” Valdez said. “The police association supports a new station when the city is able to financially support it. Please don’t gamble with risky tax increases — it will potentially drive businesses away.”

According to Preston, the combined project of the new city police facility and new city public works yard will cost a total of $36.5 million. The city has been putting aside $875,000 a year since 2004 for the project. The money is not taken out of the general fund, rather it is earmarked to finance the future construction of the facilities. This leaves the city to finance the balance of the cost, which is $27.3 million.

So to cover the remaining amount for the project, estimated to be about $2.1 million a year, Finance Director Tom Marston said revenue mechanisms, such as increasing transient occupancy taxes, parking fines and business license taxes, were proposed to cover the funding gap. “With these proposed revenue increase mechanisms, we are trying to give strong respect to the community,” Marston said, “providing valuable new facilities to residents, but not having them pay for it.”

Citing the staff’s proposed timeline, Preston estimates the public works facility will be completed by December 2013, while the police facility, to be built at the current public works site, will be completed by November 2015.

Lt. Darren Perrine, project manager for the new police facility, said the current station was built in 1962 to support about 40 personnel. “We currently have about 95 working here,” he said. “We’re desperately in need of improvements to our building, which according to today’s standards should be three times that size for our current needs.”

Perrine said the current facility was besieged by the recent windstorms that rendered the station’s dispatch and radio systems inoperable. “The building was never designed to support the current technology, and it needs to be addressed,” he said, adding that the new 33,500 square-foot facility would be outfitted with a modern communication center, community room, and an outdoor firing range.

Although Valdez recognizes the benefits of a new police facility for the force, he said he does not understand how the city is willing to take extraordinary measures to build two new buildings by raising taxes and fines.

With the San Gabriel Police Department currently in labor negotiations with the city, Valdez said there is a bigger community issue than compensation for police officers. “It is the lack of a business-friendly environment in San Gabriel,” he said in a phone interview. “We believe the public values public safety as an important issue, but we’re not asking for a raise at this time, just no further cuts. We get it, do they (the council)?”

Preston said he respectfully disagrees with the police association’s analysis of San Gabriel’s economic condition, noting that the city is debt free and capable of floating a bond without taxing the citizens. “Well, if their argument is that they don’t want to tax anybody, then the council will look at it closely,” Preston said. “And if we can find a satisfying way to fund construction, then we will.”

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