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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-28 - AGENDA REPORTS - SC SHERIFF STATION (2)NEW BUSINESS DATE: SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT Agenda Item: 15 CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: February 28, 2012 SANTA CLARITA SHERIFF STATION City Manager's Office RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council send five -signature letters to Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca and Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors requesting that the appropriate individuals within the County of Los Angeles engage in a collaborative effort with the City of Santa Clarita to address the future provision of law enforcement services and facilities within the City of Santa Clarita and throughout the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station service area. BACKGROUND At their regular meeting of February 14, 2012, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized the Chief Executive Officer to finalize the terms and conditions of two option agreements to provide sites for a new courthouse and future regional Sheriff Station in the Santa Clarita Valley. The agreement between Newhall Land and the County of Los Angeles provides for option agreements on two parcels of approximately six (6) acres each. One parcel would be used for the construction of a new courthouse and the other parcel is envisioned to be used for the construction of a new regional Sheriff Station, intended to serve the entire Santa Clarita Sheriff Station service area. The proposed price for each six acre parcel is $2,890,000 or $481,667 per acre. The site is located in the unincorporated area at Castaic Junction, near the intersection of Interstate 5 and State Route 126. The current Santa Clarita Sheriff Station, located within the Los Angeles County Civic Center, at the intersection of Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway, was constructed in 1972. The current facility is 25,015 square feet. According to the County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Officer's letter to the Board of Supervisors dated February 14, 2012, the current facilities "are deficient and unsafe according to a recent building assessment completed by the State of California Administrative Office of the Courts." Additionally, the letter notes that "the current Sheriff station is undersized relative to its service area and population." As part of the oral presentation to the Board during their consideration of the item, the current Santa Clarita Sheriff Station was referred to as "antiquated and old" and acknowledged as undersize relative to its North Los Angeles County counterpart stations in Lancaster and Palmdale. The final acquisition of the property is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of several steps, including the preparation and certification of environmental documents relating to both the courthouse project and the Sheriff Station. The Board of Supervisors has conceptually committed to a proposal that envisions the State of California acquiring the new courthouse site from the County of Los Angeles through a trade of equity rights, which the State of California presently holds in the existing Santa Clarita Courthouse and Administrative Center. The $37.9 million estimated cost for property purchase and construction of a new 45,000 square foot Sheriff Station is anticipated to be paid for through the sale of the county -owned Santa Clarita Courthouse, Administrative Center and Sheriff Station located at Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway. The sale proceeds, currently estimated by county staff at $14.7 million, would be combined with $23.2 million in estimated future developer fees. It is presently unclear at what point sufficient fees will be collected by the County of Los Angeles to enable the proposed new Sheriff Station to be constructed. It was represented during the oral presentation to the Board of Supervisors that once the new regional Sheriff Station is constructed, additional stations could be built utilizing developer fees from future development. The City of Santa Clarita contracts with the County of Los Angeles for law enforcement services. The City is one of the County's largest contract law enforcement clients, with an annual contract cost of approximately $20 million. The City's population of approximately 180,000 residents represents about two-thirds of the overall population currently served by the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station; which has a service area population of 269,000 people, located within a 642 square mile service territory. Under terms of the Municipal Law Enforcement Services Agreement between the County of Los Angeles and City of Santa Clarita, the Sheriff or his designee, historically the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station Captain, serves as the City's Chief of Police and "shall perform the functions of the Chief of Police at the direction of the City." At no time prior to the consideration of the item by the Board of Supervisors was the City Council or City staff consulted regarding the proposed action. It also appears that Sheriff Baca had not been fully apprised of the actions being undertaken. Furthermore, given the 40 -year lifespan of the current Sheriff Station and 46 -year life span of its predecessor, it is likely that any new regional Santa Clarita Sheriff Station will serve the community for close to half a century. As such, with a dynamic service area, the lack of a comprehensive law enforcement facilities strategic planning document raises significant questions about the Board's unilateral action. The recent action of the Board of Supervisors is not final regarding either the acquisition of the property for a regional Sheriff Station or commitment to construct a new facility. In 2006, the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, in cooperation with the City of Santa Clarita, undertook a two-part study of fire services within the Santa Clarita Valley. That study looked at existing and future facilities to ensure that appropriate levels of facilities, equipment, and personnel were available to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. Given the recognition by the Board of Supervisors that the present Santa Clarita Sheriff Station does not adequately serve the needs of the community, an opportunity exists to develop a comprehensive plan for the entire service area to determine the facility needs that will provide maximum responsiveness to the residents of the incorporated and unincorporated areas. A similar cooperative study between the Los Angeles County Sheriff and the City of Santa Clarita will ensure that the challenges and needs of the future are thoughtfully planned for and met. The City Council is requested to send five -signature letters to Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca and Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors requesting that the appropriate individuals with the County of Los Angeles engage in a collaborative effort with the City of Santa Clarita to address the future provision of law enforcement services and identify facilities needs within the City of Santa Clarita and throughout the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station service area. As part of that collaborative effort, the Council may wish to direct the City Manager to include the following key points within the discussions: 1. Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and funding plan to determine the appropriate size, type, and location of Sheriff Station(s) within the incorporated and other areas served by the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station. 2. Establish a regional Sheriff Station at a central location within the City of Santa Clarita, with smaller fully functioning stations strategically placed within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station service area, to ensure rapid call response times and provision of effective law enforcement services within the communities served. 3. Request the County of Los Angeles deploy additional deputies within the unincorporated areas. 4. Due to the lack of certainty regarding the timing for construction of a new regional Sheriff Station, the County of Los Angeles should, within an identified time frame, modernize and update the existing Santa Clarita Sheriff Station. ALTERNATIVE ACTION 1. Take no action. 2. Other action as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT Adoption of the recommended action requires no additional financial resources beyond those currently contained within the City's adopted 2011/12 budget. 3