Residents fed up with a reported uptick in illegal activities on public property, such as drug use, littering and other violations, left disappointed from the San Clemente City Council’s special meeting on Monday night, March 27.
The council punted on authorizing a potential contract with Gatekeepers, an Oceanside-based security company proposing to operate 24/7 to monitor such activity and likely interact with San Clemente’s homeless population—without citation powers—on a 60-day trial basis.
According to the city’s staff report on the matter, Gatekeepers proposed a security plan that would deploy at least four of its officers and four marked security vehicles in San Clemente, with each of their interactions recorded through body cams. If approved, the contract would have cost the city $131,400 each month.
Instead, a council majority favored Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock’s motion to give city staff time to determine the resources required to address public safety concerns in North Beach and along Avenida Del Mar.
Per the council’s 3-2 vote, City Manager Andy Hall would come back with a report and a request for proposals (RFP) for security services if he found that augmented services, such as the ones Gatekeepers were offering, were necessary.
Councilmembers Victor Cabral and Gene James were the dissenting votes, as the passing motion canceled Cabral’s initial motion to authorize the execution of the contract with Gatekeepers.
Knoblock prefaced his motion by saying that while he typically favored action over “unending analysis,” he felt that Hall hadn’t worked at the city long enough to grapple with public safety in his own way and that concerns with enforcement could be dealt with internally.
“(Enforcement) needs to be addressed,” he said. “If it’s not being addressed, we need to remove the people that aren’t doing their job, the Park Rangers and the Code Enforcement, and get people who will do the job, or hire more of those people to make sure the job is actually done.”
Trying not to undermine Gatekeepers’ efficacy, Knoblock added that he wanted people with authority to be able to punish violations about which people were concerned.
Part of the council’s consideration Monday night was to determine whether to give Gatekeepers authority to issue administrative citations.
Each councilmember thanked those who came to give public comment—many of whom were from North Beach—and expressed their condolences to residents fearing for the safety of themselves, their children, and the community.
Generally, Cabral and James viewed the potential security contract as strictly a matter of public safety and said hiring Gatekeepers would serve as a well-meaning experiment to spark change.
“Today, the issue that we’re faced with is (the) safety and security of our residents throughout town,” Cabral said, adding: “You’re either for public safety or against it.”
Councilmember Mark Enmeier, however, wasn’t pleased with the way Gatekeepers was lined up to obtain a contract.
“My concern is that a request for proposal was never initiated,” he said. “We had less than a week until this meeting to make a decision. This doesn’t sit right that we’ve only interviewed this one organization.”
Enmeier’s motion to direct staff to bring back several options for a security company was eventually tabled to allow the council to later question Capt. Jay Christian, San Clemente’s chief of Police Services.
Mayor Chris Duncan said he had significant concerns about liability issues if the council approved the contract, and that the city would be in “the crosshairs of a (potentially) massive lawsuit.”
During Christian’s time at the stand, he said he wanted the ability to continue policing the city and pointed out that his deputies have been working to address the public’s concerns. He also mentioned that he and Hall have communicated frequently in recent weeks regarding the reallocation of resources to consistently patrol the beaches at night.
His staff has experienced “limited contact” at the beach, Christian said.
“I’m here to tell you that, obviously, more deputies would be helpful, but I’m willing to try to reallocate resources to address these concerns,” Christian said in response to Cabral’s questions. “It will obviously pull resources from the rest of the city, but I’m working with some of our shift cover cars to absolutely address this issue.”
Earlier in the meeting, the council questioned Gatekeepers co-owner Grant Norman at length, hoping to understand his company’s approach.
Norman said his guards operate out of marked vehicles, are trained to avoid escalation and are barred from using violence. He added that they also ensure the guards build relationships with local business owners and become a friendly, well-known face around the communities they serve.
The public commenting section featured a mix of viewpoints, ranging from those who reiterated their frustrations and implored the council to approve the contract, to people who felt hiring Gatekeepers would negatively impact the city’s homeless.
Rick Price, a parent and 12-year North Beach resident, said his family has not visited the neighborhood beach in five years because of the lack of cleanliness and safety.
“I’m very supportive of this resolution for this trial contract,” said Price. “I don’t think any of the solutions are ever going to be perfect, and I think it’s a multifaceted approach that we need to take, but I appreciate the fact that we’re trying something and it’s noncommittal.”
Knoblock asked Hall to report back at the council’s April 18 meeting.
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