001All right, good morning everybody. Welcome to the fourth uh California 911 uh board meeting for the year 2025. Well, we're going to start off by doing a little roll call to make sure that we have uh everything that we need to conduct the meeting. So, without further ado, I will then take the uh roll call. I'll start uh with Mark Chase. President, >> thank you. Kurt Wallace, >> present. >> Thank you. Rodney Ellison, >> here. >> Thank you. Jennifer Gonzalez, >> present. Remotely. >> Thank you. Demetrius Sydney, >> present. Thank you. Garrett Huff, present. Thank you. Robert Johnson, >> present. Remotely. Thank you. And Yinia Sanchez >> also present remotely. >> All right. Thank you. Uh with that I count that we have six uh members in attendance and uh RSVPd remotely and therefore we
002have established a quorum and we may proceed with all of the business of this board. Um, first thing I'd like to do is hand the microphone uh to Chief Deputy Director Lisa Mongot to have some opening remarks. >> Good morning everyone. I'm Lisa Monga, chief deputy director here at Callowas and also um you may recall that I've been serving as the interim acting deputy director of public safety communications um branch. very pleased today to be able to introduce our newly appointed deputy director of PSSE, Steve Yarro. He may be a familiar face to many of you. Most recently, he has served as the former branch chief of public safety radios branch. He's been a regular attendee of these meetings. Um, as you can imagine, I'm so pleased that he's now sitting on this side of
003the room. Um, and shortly he'll be sharing a little more about his professional background. So, um, a big welcome to Deputy Director Steve Yarro. Many of you likely already have heard that Paul Trexel, he has been the former branch chief of the 911 and 988 branch, is enjoying a welldeserved retirement. He has been a long-standing participant in this body. Um, he's had a rich career not only with us in the 911 community, but also with the PAPS. And so he's recognized as a leader in this industry. We are going to miss him. We are searching for his replacement, recognizing it won't be easy. But I hope that all of you join me in wishing him well in his retirement, more time with family, friends, um, and hopefully he improves his golf game. So a deep
004appreciation to Paul Trxel. Um, Chief White. So, Chief White has had um an issue that has popped up this morning. So, he's delayed. You know that he regularly attends in person. So, he is going to try to he's going to be delayed today, but he's going to be remote. At our last meeting, we understood that Chief White would not be able to continue on this body. I just want to share with everybody in the public that he's actually been able to uh we've asked him to continue and he's generously agreed to serve. So deep appreciation to Chief White and also recognize that Chief White is part of the subcommittee that was adopted by this body. So he plays a very critical role um in our projects. Um another piece of housekeeping I will say um
005appreciation for Mark Chase, Rodney Ellison, and Kurt Wallace who have also agreed to continue service. So thank you for that continuation and commitment to the 911 community. When we last met, we discussed our plan to improve the NG911 project for the state of California. And since then, we have developed a written plan which is on the agenda today that we hope to have a really good discussion about that today. I want to thank everyone for their participation, not only their comments at the last meeting, but some of the ongoing discussions that we've had with stakeholders since that time. We are committed that as we move into implementation to continue to regularly engage with the subcommittee for this body and on ongoing meetings. We will continue to have it as the NG 911 project as a
006standing agenda item for the subcommittee to report out and also for the 911 branch. We will also continue to have regular meetings with the stakeholder groups, the public safety communication, uh the public safety community, um the PAPs and other stakeholders. So, we are committed to doing that. Now, we recognize that what we are proposing are improvements to the original NG 911 project. We also recognize that implementation may be complex at times. However, the status quo is not an option. Improvements are needed. If the legacy 911 system is any indication, the NG 911 project will serve the people of California for decades to come. So smart, thoughtful changes are necessary and it's also the responsible thing to do. Going forward, we hope that you see that we are committed to not only the success of the
007project, but to open, transparent communication, and we hope that you see that in the conversation today and going forward. Now, as a long-standing public servant, being a part of large complex projects such as this, I'll be the first to tell you that we don't always get it right. And so, we're going to need to hear from you when you think that we can do a better job on the communication side. oftenimes we're just so head down on serving the public and thinking about the operational aspects that that is a really critical piece of this so that we all feel that we understand what's going on and that we're all close going forward. So um we want to hear from you on that. So I think in closing I would say hopefully you get the sense
008that we are open to continual improvement not only um not only in this particular board meeting but all of our board meetings and we can always do better. And with that I think um I'm looking forward to us having a good meeting and also I'm going to yield the mic to our newly appointed deputy director Steve Yarra. Thank you for that. So, a little bit about my professional background. Um, so I, you know, I've been here at the office of emergency services for, you know, over a decade now. Um, working principally in the radio communication side, but specifically within that area, it was uh in the delivery of projects. Um, prior to coming to work here at public safety communications, I worked in other uh state agencies and in the private sector uh principally in
009project management and delivering you know largecale systems. Um certainly you know you you it's been alluded to that you know those have unique challenges and I think you know my background both in state level and private sector technology um will give me you know some certain advantages in being able to you know drive things forward on a project of this scale and magnitude. Um, you know, one of the things I think that I'm passionate about is is delivering, you know, best-in-class technology solutions. And I think, you know, when we look at what we're trying to accomplish here and what the people of the state of California deserve, I think we can all agree that best-in-class needs to be the target that we're aiming for and striving towards every day. Not just during the project implementation,
010but certainly once we move beyond the implementation and get into maintenance and operations, we should continue to have that mindset that we're continuing to deliver a best-in-class solution. As technology evolves, we need to make sure that we're keeping pace with that technology. So, that's, you know, sort of some of the philosophical underpinnings of how how I approach projects. And I think it's served me well in my career up to this point. I think it will serve this entire organization well as we uh continue to move forward. I have that shared commitment to service uh that many of you have. Um and I think you know keeping the frontline operators in mind as we build this system is going to be a very important uh goal for us because we're not just building a system for
011the sake of building a system. We're building it so that we can serve the communities that we live in and make the frontline operators jobs more easy so they can, you know, be the the person who's there to solve issues and and coordinate resources at the very critical moment when the call comes in. So that's that's the background on on me and how I view uh what we're what we're engaged in here. Um, I think with that I'll turn to matters here for the for the meeting. I we're going to be hearing some updates from the program areas um and some continuing items that uh have been on the agenda for the previous meetings. Um we want to do some updates there and then of course we're going to get to the the transition plan.
012Um I think but just to set the stage uh you know for everybody um I know many of you are aware of this but I want to make sure it's a level set that California is home to over 40 million uh people and there are over 47 million telephone service lines in service here in California and every year there's over 26 million calls on the 911 for assistance and so that's the scope of the addressable marketplace as far as this system is concerned. And that's uh it paints a tremendous picture of how critically important it is and imperative that we deliver a system that is capable of handling that and growing with uh those numbers as they grow. Um we know that uh the population grows. We know that the number of of telephone lines
013grow and so the calls can be expected to grow proportionate to that. So, um it's an ambitious effort and we remain committed to delivering that best-in-class offering over the coming years as we deploy this. Um I think my hope as we present these updates today and go over the plan is that we'll have that robust discussion that uh the chief deputy director was talking about and engage in a dialogue that uh allows us to make use of the expertise that exists on this board. um as you know we we need to come to you and get your advice and input on how best to serve these communities and so I definitely want to hear that from from all of the members of the board. So thank you for partnering with me in that. Um okay
014so yeah with that being said I think we'll move on to the next agenda item um which would be the approval of the meeting minutes from the last meeting. I understand the board members have received those meeting minutes um prior to today's meeting. Um so do any of the members have any comment on the meeting minutes from the August 20th, 2025 meeting? All right, I'm seeing and hearing no comments on that. Um so with that being said, do I have a motion then to approve the meeting minutes? >> Approved. All right. I have uh do I have a second to that motion? >> Second, Gonzalez. >> All right. Thank you. Um okay, so then uh we're considering that motion. Before we do, uh I'd like to hear if there's any public comment in that discussion
015before we uh move to the vote portion. So any public comment on the meeting minutes and whether to approve or not? Seeing none in the room and hearing none on the line, I think we'll then move to a roll call vote. Uh considering the motion to approve the meeting minutes from the August 20th, 2025 meeting, I will conduct the roll call and indicate your vote by I or nay depending. So, um starting with uh Mark Chase, how do you vote? I >> I Kurt Wallace. Hi >> Rodney Ellison. >> Hi. >> Thank you. Uh Jennifer Gonzalez. >> Hi >> Demetrius Sydney. >> I >> Garrett Huff. >> Hi. >> Thank you. Robert Johnson. >> Hi. >> Yinia Sanchez. >> I. It is unanimous. The motion passes. Uh we will take those meeting minutes and post
016them online accordingly. Um and with that we will move to the next agenda item. Uh which is uh this is the op uh public comment for matters that are on the agenda. Uh so if there are any members of the public either in the room or online who would like to make a comment concerning the matters that are on the agenda, um this is your opportunity. Please be mindful to keep your remarks uh limited to 3 minutes. And we'll start here with any members in the room who would like to make comment. Seeing none in the room, is there any online who would like to make public comment? Seeing none there either. Um all right. So we then have completed the third agenda item and we will move on to uh the next agenda item.
017This is the legislative update uh from our Caloes legislative affairs desk and uh Mr. McGinness if you join us. Thank you Steve. Good morning. My name is Paul McInness. I'm the legislative coordinator at Callowes. Um, I'll just be giving a a brief update um on three uh state bills that have been chaptered that I've been reporting on through the session. Um, as well as um a few key dates um upcoming and then four federal bills that we are uh continuing to monitor. The governor's uh deadline to pass all bills was last month, October 13th. Um all statutes excluding those um that had an urgency clause will take effect January 1st, 2026. The legislature will be reconvening on January 5th of 26 and the governor's proposed budget um is required to be released no later than
018January 10th. Um, as a side note, we do have all of our all the all all bills that Callowas tracks and analyzes um available on our Callowas legislative affairs website. So, we'll make that available as well as um this document I'm reading from uh through Samantha so that the board can um see it. So, first bill is AB330 um Assembly Member Rogers. Uh this bill extended the operation of the local prepaid mobile telefan services collection act until January 1st of 2031. That bill was signed by the governor on October 10th. The next bill is AB645. Uh this bill requires by January uh 1st, 2027, uh public safety agency that provides 911 call processing services for emergency medical response to provide pre-arrival medical instructions to 911 callers requiring medical assistance. Uh the bill also specifies what
019sort of medical assistance. Uh that one was signed by the governor on October 3rd, 25. The la the last state bill is AB727. Uh this bill starting on July 1st 26 uh requires public schools grades 7 through 12 and uh public institutions of higher ed that issue ID cards to all um additionally have printed on those cards a telephone number and text line for a specified LGBTQ plus suicide hotline. That bill was signed by the governor on October 10th. Now moving to the four federal bills that we're continuing to monitor. HR540, uh, Congress member, uh, Normma Torres. The 911 Saves Act, uh, would make certain revisions to the standard occupational classification system, um, establishing a separate code for public safety telecommunicators. Uh, that federal bill is in the House Committee on Education and Workforce. Next
020is the HR2937 Protect 911 act. Congress member Robin Kelly would require the Secretary of HHS to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among public safety telecommunicators. Uh this bill is in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Uh next is S290. Senator Barzo uh would direct the Secretary of Interior to upgrade existing emergency communication centers in units of the National Park System to NextG 911 systems. That bill's in the committee on energy and natural resources. And the last federal bill is um S666, First Responders Wellness Act. Um, Senator Gillibrand would increase access to mental health, substance abuse, and counseling services for first responders and for other purposes. Uh, this bill is in the committee on health, education, labor, and pensions. So, that concludes my um legislative update for this morning. I'm
021happy to answer any questions from the board. >> I have a question remotely. Bob Johnson. >> Yes. >> Yeah, I was writing so I missed the numbers. Can you repeat the numbers for H the federal HR bills, the last two around mental health of dispatchers and overall well-being? >> The last bill was S666, First Responders Wellness Act. >> Okay. And the one before that was 2937. >> The one before that was S290. That would require National Park System to implement NextG 911. >> All right. Now, there was another one I'm thinking of. You talked about >> Yes. HR 2937, the Protect 911 act. >> Just want to make sure I got that correctly. >> Yeah, of course. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions from the members of the board? >> All right. Seeing
022none, thank you, Paul. >> Thank you. >> All right. Uh we'll move on to the next agenda item then um which is the California 911 branch update. Um and so the branch will be providing some updates for us and I'd like to invite Mr. Andrew Matson to come join us at the microphone and give the update from the branch. All right, you got me, Sam. Okay, thank you. Good morning, everyone. My name is Andrew Matson. I'm the program management division chief at the 911 branch. I'm going to talk a little bit about uh uh call handling and the progress we've made in the last couple of months on uh getting uh statewide um statewide uh applications uh addressed. Can I get I didn't get a SL clicker. I'm sorry. Can I grab that clicker from
023Steve? >> Thank you. >> Okay, starting over. Morning everybody. First slide we want to get into is uh call processing around the state call handling equipment right now. We've we've done the slide many many times over the last uh you know I guess maybe uh two three four years showing the number of systems that are aging out around the state. We don't like any system to go beyond year seven if we don't have to. 5 years is ideal for us. Uh there are systems that go longer than that but obviously the state's goal's goal is to make sure that these systems get replaced in a timely manner. As you can see, that hasn't been happening over the last few years. We are now at 328 systems that are over year seven. So, this is a
024very, very big concern for us. We've been working very hard to get this addressed. Uh, we have um recently executed a contract amendment for on-prem call handling, which we will talk about here in a little bit. But, frankly, we want to we want to illustrate the fact that that we are tracking this number. We are working to get it down. Uh we've got our staff uh prioritizing call handling upgrades and replacements right now to make sure that this number ticks down. Typically in a year we're going to do 50 to 60 call handling upgrades around the state. That's that's kind of average pace for us. Uh realizing that this number is quite high. We need to do closer to 80 to 100 a year and probably over the next four to five years in order
025to get this number back down. Uh I think it's important to note that the number that that beyond year 10 number it never does fall to zero just not the way it goes. We do have PAPs that are that are always in that zone of you know moving and or you know having construction done or a number of other uh causes that will keep them from getting that system done or personnel changes what have you. So typically we'll see that number at beyond year 10 in the in you know around 10 or so 10 to 15 PAPs that are always kind of floating in and out. We're working with them to get that replaced, but that is just something that we deal with. So, working through 80 to 100 equipment replacements per year is going
026to be quite the task. But we do have staff in place to get that done. We have folks in the office who are standing by ready to get this work taken care of. We've met with our vendors. We've got commitments from our vendors. They are able to uh to get this this admittedly heavy lift taken care of as well. Right. So, our vendors are standing by. our partners are ready to to make this work happen. So, we are committed to getting this um you know getting this number down. Uh it's a big it's a big goal for us. We want to talk through milestones and what we've done in the progress we've made moving forward for call handling in the last couple of months. Uh it's been very exciting for us. We're finally seeing some
027traction here. So, I've given this update a few times uh over the last year and we haven't had a lot of movement. uh we've had a lot of hope but not a lot of movement and actual physical progress in this arena and now we do. So we executed a contract amendment in uh July to provide on-prem systems for paps. We had cloud available now we have cloud and on-prem. Um the common conversation over the last several board meetings has been why do we why does OES think that we weren't getting the adoption that we that we were hoping for for cloud-based systems? And we had various thoughts and and ideas as to why that was happening. Um, one of the common ones that we that we were hearing anecdotally from the PAPs was uh that
028that cloud cloud technology in the public safety world is is something that um we just weren't accustomed to. It's common in every other industry, but in public safety, we're still dipping our toes into that water. Um what we found since issuing the on-prem amendment is that we've had an influx of requests for letters for specifically on-prem systems. And that means for those of you who may not know cloud system is going to have the the brains of the system operating somewhere else in a data center or in a in a cloud infrastructure on prem means you got your server in your background. Uh so in the last six months uh we've we've tracked our our progress here and we've had 138 on-prem letters issued, a lotment letters, 11 cloud aotment letters issued. Uh what does
029the letter mean? What does an aotment letter? That basically is uh that's the the letter that kicks off our engagement with our pap, right? They request it from us. We do our analytics. We tell them how much money they have to buy a system. They go then they move forward with the vendor to go ahead and get that system procured. work with the vendor to get the statement of work, the price quote taken care of, and get that back to us. So, that letter is the first step of engagement with our PAP partners to to get that process started. >> So, 150 in the last 6 months is is phenomenal. That's a lot of output. That's a lot of uh engagement we're getting from the PAPs. We're very excited to see that. So, we think
030that we're going to have uh you know, quite a bit of systems coming down the pipe that we can get approved and get into into these paps to to alleviate this issue. Uh so you'll see below that 30 approvals issued. What does that mean? So once we have an allotment letter for a PAP at that point they pap will go they will work with the vendors to get their statement of work like I said in their price quote they will come back to us and essentially they will say hey we're ready we've got our paperwork. We need you to go ahead and approve this for us. Uh we then will check for contract compliance. We will do all the work that we need to do the internal paperwork to get it handled and we will
031issue them an approval. it'll say you are approved to buy this system for this amount of money. Here you go. And then the PAP goes and starts working on the installation timeline. So that is the sort of the the the second step in the process. And then after that the installation happens and so on. We get the you know we get through the the invoicing and all that. >> Now 30 approvals issued. If you're doing the math at home in 6 months that equals 60 in a year. That's not quite 90 to 100 or 80 to 100. But um we're very uh we're very excited that we're seeing this this uptick. Most of these 30 have come through in the last couple months. Uh we think that we will be able to ramp up effectively
032and hit that goal. We would like to see that number obviously be 45 to to to 50, right? Uh for for the next six months, but uh but that work is ongoing and uh we're seeing that that increase and we're very excited. Any questions on that process? >> Yeah. Bob Johnson remotely again. Hey, just for clarification, maybe you mentioned it and I missed it. Is there a time um an average time from the time it's approved, the letters approved to actual implementation? Because that's where I hear some of the frustration. >> Yeah, it it is a lengthy progress process, Sheriff. It it traditionally depending on the complexity of the system, right? If we're talking about uh putting in a system at you know a little town like Cloverdale uh versus a system a large system
033like Stockton or Fresno it's it's there is a difference in time. Typically for a small system we can see from from a from we don't really gauge from aotment letter because that that that can sit for a while. The Pep can sit on that they're ready to move. Uh those letters don't expire until the contract expires. So from the time we issue that approval to installation and go live for a small system we'll see that uh in a couple of months uh short as 3 months 90 days for a larger system it it can take up to a year to get to get those complexities worked out uh because these are these are systems that as you may know have integration with a lot of different peripherals logging recorders CAD all that good stuff so
034there is a lot of um there is a lot of uh nuance to each site Okay. All right. So, we are very excited about this. We'll see uh hopefully on the next advisory board meeting, we'll have another update for you with uh with with more progress uh with some installations and uh some invoicing going on for fiscal and operational reviews. We've talked about this a few times over the years. At every meeting, we've we've gone into detail about uh what we do for our fiscal operational program. Uh this is the advisory and compliance unit within our program management division. Uh these folks go out, they do one-on-one meetings with the PAPS. They sit down, they talk individually with our folks at the PAPS. It's a great way for them to build relationships to sit to
035talk to answer questions, to give updates on NextGen, to give updates on funding, whatever the PAP needs. Uh the program's been uh in existence since about 2008. So, we've been doing it for a number of years. Uh, it's it's a great way for us to build that engagement, that transparency, that trust that that that we need with our PAP partners. Uh, I can tell you from personal experience, once you've gone out and you've sat down and you've visited with a PAP manager one-on-one, they're much more likely to pick up the phone to call you when they have a question or issue than than than otherwise. So, it's a great program for us. Um, right now, we're tracking uh for this year, we've got about 47 done. This isn't a mandated program. It's not something that
036we have to hit a specific number, but we try to hit 90 in a year to 120 in a year if we can. Uh CO really kind of kind of hit us pretty hard and we weren't able to really get out to sites for a number of years. We had some staffing issues that uh we had to get through that essentially uh blocked us for a couple more years, but we're back on track now. Um I'd like to see the number continue to rise. However, as I just mentioned, we are looking at 80 to 100 call handling installations per year. That's the same team. So, we've instructed them to to to continue to get out there, to continue to do their outreach, but to they have to prioritize those system installations. They have to prioritize
037getting the call handling out there to the PAP. That's our that's our number one goal. So, uh if they can get out and and make that engagement happen, then we're we're excited. But if they have to stay home and and process paperwork, that's the that's the main goal right now. Any questions on fiscal and operational reviews? Okay, that's it for me then. Thank you. >> All right, thank you for that update, sir. Um, next item that we'll turn our attention to, uh, still within the update section, uh, will be our, um, I'm sorry, the, uh, the rate, uh, conversation. And I'll ask uh Miss Tabitha Stout to join us at the microphone and give the update. Um >> do you want to move to the next slide? >> Yes, happy to do so. There we
038go. >> Thank you. So, um displayed on the slide currently is the rate setting that we did this year. We do the rate setting process for the state emergency telephone network account which is also known as SETNA and that is used to fund California's 911 system. Callowas uses a methodology that is set in statute to determine the monthly searchcharge rate for the 911 system. It takes the appropriations identified in the approved budget at on the Department of Finance website along with the fund balance of the fund that was remaining from the prior year. also on the Department of Financ's website. The difference between those two gives us what we need to bring in in revenue for the next year to cover all of the all of the costs and services that need to be provided.
039From there, we take the number of access lines that have been provided to us by the telephone service companies and multiply that by the proposed search charge to get a projected annual revenue that would cover the anticipated expenditures. The thing that's different this year, as you'll see, our projected annual revenue is a a little bit higher than what we need to cover. And that's because we did have a one-time provisional language that authorized a potential increase to the Callowes expenditures if it was needed to continue the implementation of the next generation 911 system. The caveat to that was any increase could not result in an increase to the search charge. So, we held the search charge steady at 41 cents per month for this next year so that we can utilize that flexibility, but also
040not go outside of the ability to um increase the fee. And if we do not end up utilizing that authority to get us addition additional funding this year, any increased balance remaining will be taken into account in the calculation for the fee. next year. >> Thank you for that update. Are there any questions on the setting a sir charge from the members of the board? All right, hearing and seeing none, I'll thank you for your update. Uh, and we will then turn our attention. Um, Oh. Um, one moment please. All right. Before we proceed, I want to confirm uh did Chief White find his way onto the live stream? No. Okay. So, uh with that being the case, um we definitely would like to have Chief White be available if um if he can make
041it for the discussion on the transition plan. And since he has not uh been able to join us yet as he's attending to some other business, um I would uh be interested in entertaining a motion to take the agenda items out of order so that we can uh give him more opportunity to join us a little bit later if he can make it. And so, um, if if, uh, the board wanted to make such a motion, um, to take the agenda items out of order, then I would be inclined to, uh, take the vote and we could, uh, see how that turns out. So, with that being said, uh, is there a member of the board who would like to make such a motion? >> I, I'll make a motion as long as we go
042back. >> Yes. >> Everything. >> Absolutely. So, yeah. Uh, I have a motion to take the agenda items out of order. Do I have a second? I'll second. >> I can second. >> Thank you. So, we have a motion and a second to take the agenda items out of order. Um, we will have an opportunity for discussion. Um, is uh and a public comment on that motion. So, is there a member of the public who would like to weigh in on the motion to take the agenda items out of order? Seeing none in the room. and confirming. Is there one online? No. Okay. So, uh no public comment on that item. Um with that being said, then we will move to a vote on the motion to take the agenda items out of order. Please
043indicate your ascent or dissent uh by saying I or nay as I call your name. Mark Chase. Hi. >> Kurt Wallace. Hi. >> Rodney Ellison. Mr. Ellison, are you uh is your microphone muted or did you step away? >> Um okay. Um moving on then. Jennifer Gonzalez. >> Hi. >> Thank you. Demetrius Sydney. >> Hi. Garrett Huff. >> Hi, >> Robert Johnson. >> Hi, >> Yinia Sanchez. >> I >> Okay, stand by, please. Right. Can can the team confirm that uh Rodney Ellison is still on the line? Okay. And uh Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner Ellison, if you're on the line and can hear us, could you unmute your microphone and cast your vote on the motion to take the agenda items out of order, please? Please bear with us. All right. Just uh as a
044as a point of clarification, we're confirming that one of the board members who is remote is with us um because we rely on that vote for the quorum for the for the board meeting and um absent that vote uh we can't confirm that the motion has passed and likewise we can't continue to conduct business without a quorum. So that's what we're working right now uh efing to confirm that the the member is available. So I appreciate your patience in that matter. Uh, okay. So, I'll tell you what we'll do. If uh nobody objects, we'll take a a 10-minute break. Um, stretch your legs. Use the use the snack room. Oh, wait. Hold on that for a second. So, Just uh confirming that we have uh Assistant Commissioner Ellison, are you back with us, sir? >>
045Oh, okay. Um yeah, so we were we were doing the roll call vote uh on the motion to uh take the agenda items out of order. And uh we were looking for your vote, sir, on whether you agree or disagree to take the agenda items out of order. >> I agree. >> Oh, thank you. I'll mark that down. And with that, um tallying it up, it looks like we have unanimous agreement that the motion does carry. And we will then um proceed to take the agenda items out of order. um thus giving Chief White the opportunity to perhaps join us a little later for the discussion on the transition plan. So with that being said, I uh we will move to the long range planning uh committee report and if I may ask uh Miss
046Alicia Fuller to join us and give the update from the long range planning committee. Good morning everybody. Good morning to the board. Uh so we discussed several items that were on the agenda for the long range planning committee. Um I'm going to take them a little out of order just to deal with the easier ones first. Um so one of the items that we have for consideration is regionalization or consolidation and the discussion surrounding that. Um the LRPC is looking at that and I think our goal is to develop some questions that we can bring back to the board for your consideration. Um we talked last time about not boxing ourselves in in terms of looking at uh regionalization, not necessarily consolid consolidation but more regionalization. And so we're taking that broader uh paintbrush across
047it to present some information to all of you. Um we also are discussing dispatching job description templates and taking a look at those across the state of California to ensure that they align with the functions and duties that the dispatchers and call takers actually do. Today uh we have a template that we uh some of our members have worked up and we've begun to review that and discussing where we take that template uh to ensure that includes all uh classifications essentially across uh the disciplines law, fire and EMS uh to put together some good information that's usable for the community. Um, it's looking that we may end up developing something that's a little bit more indepth than we first had planned for those that really want to take it forward and use it as a
048workbook. Um, and then some executive level information at the top as well for those at the executive level that want to digest it very quickly. So that is ongoing as well. Uh the other item that we discussed quite thoroughly that we want to keep on the agenda is the recruiting and retention information and the development and discussion around that survey that was taken um and where to take that into the future. I think there's some unknown there as to exactly what we want to do with that and when uh because it's still relatively fresh. We definitely know that an additional survey of some kind in the next couple of years is necessary to make sure that we're gathering relevant information on an ongoing basis. Additionally, we talked about putting together an it it does have
049an executive summary, the survey itself, but a more executive summary that's bulleted out a little bit uh that can be sent to all of the organizations and then down through the organizations um to all the leaders across the state of California to understand that that survey exists and what it does. uh it has been brought up and shared at national nenina some Nenina courses and other courses that have been offered that various folks have attended. So it is the information is getting out there and becoming relevant. Uh we definitely grabbed on to a couple of the topics within that survey. one being wellness and determining how to engage more wellness resources for dispatch specifically. There's a lot more out there for law enforcement in general than there used to be uh often geared towards the
050uniformed. So, we're trying to bring dispatch into the fold as well along with other professionals in the organ in the industry as well. There are several courses out there. We heard about two bills at the federal level that are being looked at. So, it's definitely gaining some steam. Um, we are looking to work with post and see if there is additional coursework that they could potentially develop with our collaboration and um and kind of go from there developing the wellness piece. And then the other piece is the overall retention which has a lot to do with supervision as well and how good supervision is within a public safety answering point. um and how we develop our people over time to ensure that they have the ability to stay within the industry, pardon me, and understand
051what their opportunities are within the industry, whether that be leadership opportunities, um technology opportunities, making sure that they learn that very early and don't burn out and leave the industry. And then to go along with that um ensuring that we are preparing them for the trauma that they are likely to experience in the industry so it doesn't catch them by surprise when that critical incident does occur. And looking so that couples both leadership and wellness together and looking at um how we prepare our folks for the industry that they're getting themselves into. And I think that largely covered most of our conversations. Just doing a quick check of my notes. All right. Any questions from the board members? >> Not a question, just a comment. But I really appreciate the work that your group does.
052It's very impactful. So, thank you. >> Of course. Thank you for allowing us to do that. >> Any other questions from the members of the board? All right, I have a question. Thank you. Oh, yes. Go ahead. >> Uh, Jennifer Gonzalez, thank you. I I'd like to um more make a comment than a question. Um, thank you for staying on the dispatch wellness part. I think it was a huge miss when the BSC funds came out for wellness for the officers but omitted the dispatchers who are the primary person taking the call for service often exposed to as egregious of a scene uh over the phone as those that get there uh depending on what the scene looks like afterwards. So I greatly appreciate you staying on that part. the dispatchers themselves, especially with their
053workloads and the difficulty in finding staff right now, that is adding to their stressors of working long shifts and back-to-back shifts and sometimes not getting a lot of days off. So, all of that, staying on that with the long range planning and pushing for additional funding for their support, their wellness is vital. So, thanks for staying on that. >> Of course. >> Yeah. Bob Johnson, Santa Clara. I I just wanted to kind of pick up on that same uh appreciation on the wellness for dispatchers. I chair the state sheriff's association wellness committee and I was also on the uh police chief's wellness committee when I was a police chief and I think there is definitely the need without question and I would just offer if it's not already being done both those associations put out
054monthly magazines uh and both those associations I believe usually have an article on uh workforce wellness officer wellness but I think the concepts of those articles could be beneficial for dispatchers as well. And I'm just hoping there's a connection to getting them that information because I do think sometimes they're left out. So, uh maybe there's a conversation on that that we can have sometime. Thank you. >> Of course. Thank you. I appreciate that. And yes, I think that's a great even if we can add articles that are written by dispatch for dispatch into those that'd be perfect as well. All right. Hearing nothing further. >> Thank you. >> All right. Um I think we'll continue on through through the agenda at this point. Um the next the next item we'll take on the agenda uh
055following the long range planning committee update um is the staffing and retention study discussion. So it was a nice segue alluded to in the previous update. I know the conversation at the last board meeting revolved around uh you know some funding and what Callowas um can cover in terms of paying for training for emotional and physical wellness for the dispatchers. And um that led to you know an action item from uh uh at the time board member Chief Ramirez regarding adjusting the annual training allotment to allow uh for overtime to be included in the reimbursement policy and uh I'm the branch has made changes to that funding policy and and that uh new revised funding policy will be posted to update um that point to include uh the provision to allow for the overtime uh
056in the reimbursement clause. So that's a an opportunity there that was assimilated into the into the policy and I think um represents some improvements in that regard. Um similarly and when we talk about the the new legislation that we were um briefed on earlier in the presentation and its overlap in connection with the staffing and retention study. I think it would be interesting to see uh the proposals that are in that legislation, how they might address some of the findings within the staffing and retention study um and see if there is an analysis that could be performed to uh to know what what the prospects of that legislation addressing some of those points would be. So that would be an interesting uh exercise I think to undertake. Um perhaps perhaps the long range planning committee
057could look into that um and give us a report back at some time in the future. Um because I I think there's more work to be done on the staffing and retention part and I think you know updating you know the executive summary to make it more usable for the uh for all of the end points that it needs to go to. It's one thing to produce a study here um you know and talk about it, but it's really at on the front line where that matters and managing the staffing at the at the PAP where that's where the rubber meets the road. And so I'm interested in in the board's thoughts on how we can take the findings of that um staffing and retention study and make it something actionable out on the front
058lines. And so I would uh be happy to hear any thoughts that the board members might have on what could be done in that regard. >> Well, I think one of the first things is funding and being able to help pay for these these types of things. So if overtime is is included, that significantly helps the the PAPs with with sending their people, right? >> And then maybe uh develop specific courses. Maybe it's a a group or a subgroup that can develop specific courses for dispatchers on this topic, >> right? >> Um that those are my thoughts. >> Yeah, >> thank you for that. That's uh you know I think any of those kinds of things we there may not be one you know single thing that solves you know a lot of these problems
059but the you know combination of smaller initiatives can add up to be something that makes a difference. And so I think um any of those kinds of ideas that the board members have, ways of of getting the information out into the hands of the people, you know, at the at the front line, I think would be helpful as well. So going through the associations back to the membership and spreading the word. Um because we have we have this study, it'll be updated, I guess, in in a couple years time. it'll need to be refreshed because enough time will have gone by um that some things could have changed or at least you know collect another data point and see what the trend line is telling us. But um I like your ideas and I think
060um you know as the board if we can think more about how to advance that rather than having it be a you know an intellectual exercise make it a real world concrete exercise where we actually can you know make some improvement in in in the front line. So thank you for that sir. >> If I may. >> Yes please. >> Uh Jennifer Gonzalez again remotely. Um, another idea is to create a presentation that can be presented during a webinar that's recorded so that dispatch can watch it at any hour. They may not have the time or desire really to sit and read the entire thing, but if you give them the highlights in a presentation that they can watch during a break on their shift, night shift, whatever shift they may be on that they
061can watch a recorded version. Uh, and then if it's hosted during the day when presumably the managers are working, they can attend and then share that link with their staff for watching it at a later time. Then they get the highlights. If they want more information, they can dive into the the actual paperwork, but they might not know about it. >> Yeah. No, that I think that's an excellent idea as well. Um, and yeah, I the point is well taken that uh not everybody wants to sit and read a a multi-page report. um they they usually aren't written to be engaging reading material, but the uh the key findings really do matter and so presenting them in a manner that can be, you know, taken on demand asynchronously, I think will be a very good
062idea. So, we'll take a note on that as well. Um thank you for that input. Any other comments from the board on that? Um I'll just offer up that um the important thing from the dispatch side is uh that we get support and emphasis from sworn command staff. Um what happens in often cases if we have like a critical incident stress debriefing which typically takes place after a very tough call is that um the line staff right the firefighters the police officers get invited but oftentimes due to either staffing or just overlooked the dispatchers don't get included. Um, so dispatch tends to get siloed in these type of things. And um, I know that we've done a lot better in recent years, but I heard about something within the last six months where an incident
063like this happened, dispatchers were not included. Um, and um, we're very much hurt by that and as well as the effect on the staff of them not being included. Right. So, uh the I believe that my colleagues on the board and everything are very supportive, but it is very important that we re-emphasize that with um command staff and these organizations that dispatchers be included in these types of things. Um and really uh the emphasis that is that we're all first responders. >> Yeah. Point well made. Thank you for that. Um okay with the with no further uh questions on that topic um I think uh we can then um let me ask the staff. Have we heard um no no word yet from Chief White? >> Oh he's not going to be able to make
064it at all. Okay. So uh with that being said then um that moots the motion that we uh undertook earlier. I mean well I mean we did it and it and it worked but uh our reason for doing it kind of uh evaporated honestly. So um but I I thank you for going through the exercise with us on that. Uh so I think we can then revisit the item that we had um taken out of or moved to the back of the line which is the topic of the nextG 911 transition plan. And so I think by way of a of a introduction to this topic, um maybe not everybody's tracking um quite as closely as everyone else, but at our last board meeting, we discussed, you know, that there would be a path forward
065for the the NextGen 911 project. And the board asked us at that time to produce a written plan. And so over the over the last several weeks, we've gone back and consolidated and compiled all of the information that we had to produce a written plan which has been distributed uh to the members of the board and has been posted online on our website uh for viewing by anybody who cares to read the plan. And so, um, I I trust everybody's had an opportunity to to review the material and, uh, consider it and and and really that's one of the things that I think we wanted to, you know, make sure we were doing here was giving giving the board member an opportunity to read the plan so that we could have a more considered and
066thoughtful conversation here when we did uh, come into session. And so, you know, we, you know, produced the plan and we'll turn our attention to that plan now. But I want to sort of summarize uh a little bit of what the plan covers um into three potential uh buckets, if you will. The first of those is that there's the key issues that we're confronted with in the ongoing project. Um, as you many of you know, the project was underway and then it ran into some difficulties and was paused so that we could figure out what those key issues were. Um, and what our our investigation, you know, revealed was that the public safety answering points must handle the legacy and the next generation 911 call flows in different ways. And it relies on the frontline
067operator to make that determination and and do some sort of code switching in their head to address the the call in the proper way. And that is a timeconsuming and risky proposition for a frontline operator in an emergency situation. And so that was an issue that was identified. Um the another of the issues I identified was the the regional model with the four service providers creates interdependencies among those service providers where there's no clear path to resolution. And so when an issue does arise with the system and no clear path to resolution that becomes an additional burden for the answering point staff that they need to address and deal with. um it generally would cause delays and uh and ultimately confusion and um you know time the use of time that just shouldn't have to
068be taken and so that was an issue and then the migration testing at each of the answering points when they're migrating onto the to the nextG system it was a sequential migration across each of the originating service providers and That is a timeconsuming proposition as well and that is a burden to the answering point staff um that we think you know should be better done elsewhere not with the frontline operators but um we could sort of remove that away from their plate um so that they can focus on the things that they're really um trained for and good at and uniquely qualified to do. other people can do, you know, this migration testing burden. Um, so we want to reserve the the skilled uh answering point staff to do the thing that they're most, you
069know, rightly uh suited to do. So that was sort of the first bucket. Um, I think the next generation system offers, you know, the promise of a step forward in technology. Um, and that will bring about a lot of value. um but it can't come at the expense of the frontline call takers. So that's one of the things that you know we revealed during this. So as we looked at that we said okay we've identified these things now what design principles do we have for this system um and bec because when we have to make decisions in terms of designing this system they should be based on some set of immutable principles that we're or values if you will for how we how we build a system and and I think our plan articulates some
070of the ways in which we make decisions for design issues um that sort of align with and adhere to our highest values. One of which is that the system needs to be reliable and resilient. Um the the network availability or system uptime has to be of the highest order. It is a public safety communication system and therefore it needs to be public safety grade and usually that means that we have approaching 59s of availability for that system. And so the system must be resilient and that includes if there's you know impacts that happen to it from you know whether it be weather or um sometimes there'll be you know an accident that severs a fiber and things like that. We have to build a resilient system so that it will be available when it's needed.
071Um, the other thing is the user experience and I think I talked a little bit about that in the, you know, in the previous section where the most critical resource in the 911 ecosystem is that frontline call taker and using their time for something that can be done, you know, by administrative professional isn't a good use of their time. And so we need to make sure that we're aligning that resource with where it delivers the most value. And so that's one of the design principles that we're doing. Any system design that we have cannot uh come at the expense of the frontline call taker. And then um our third design principle is to minimize complexity in the system. And we we recognize that complexity in the design of the system multiplies the opportunity for failures
072in that system. And so when we're making design decisions, in order to adhere to our our first design principle of system uptime, we have to make sure that we're minimizing complexity so that we aren't designing in frailties to the system. So that's one of our guiding principles as well. And then the fourth is to maximize economic prudence. And that means we need to leverage all of the investment that we've made so far in the system to make sure that we're making the best use of limited resources that are available to build the system. Um, we've touched on the idea of having a best-in-class solution. Those don't come cheap, but we can't be frivolous with the with the resources that we do apply to achieving that. And so that fourth design principle is in service on
073that. Um, as we as we look at it, the findings, you know, that we came up with when we compared what the issues that we're addressing were and what our design principles are, we then came up with some solutions that would address those things. And as we analyzed and aggregated our information um we found that the use of transitional elements would address uh the tapping into the frontline staff to do things that can be abstracted away from them. So technology can then do some of this um so that the frontline operator answers a call doesn't need to necessarily change their mind as to how they how they answer that call based on whether it's legacy or nextg. And so having some of the technology support to make that job simpler on the frontline operator is
074one of the design solutions that we came up with. Um second is to lessen the impacts uh during the migration process and this is you know I touched on it a little bit earlier but that sequential migration of each of the originating service providers you know creates what amounts to you know four or five transitions for any one um answering point that wants to transition to the system. And so rather than doing that there that can be handled by other people between yeah the testing being done by the service provider and some of the staff here at Callowas can obviate the need for the PAP to actually be staffing that migration um and you know to the extent we can lessen that impact on the PAP I think that's a worthy goal. So that's one
075of the recommendations and solutions in our report. And then the the third one there is to streamline the overall construct of the pro of the project and that is addressing specifically the multi- region solution in the previous uh plan of deploying this project is going to be updated and and replaced by a statewide service provider model. Keeping in mind that any solution that we do come up with still has to adhere to our highest principle which is system resilience and uptime must be managed at all times. And so um if as we move from the regional model to the statewide service provider model, we cannot sacrifice system resilience and uptime and therefore uh we won't. So that's sort of the three buckets. What are the issues? What are our design principles? and what are the
076solutions and so you have a report in front of you. Um I think with that preamble I'll uh turn and ask for some input from the chief deputy director. >> Thank you um Steve. So while you don't see a slide dedicated to it, I thought it would just be important to revisit my prior comment that uh communication and stakeholder engagement will be the key um to to our success on this project and getting that right. and we are committed to getting that right um will help us to better implement a statewide system that meets the needs of Californians. So um as we begin to discuss the plan now I just want to underscore our commitment to that and open to your thoughts and comments on that topic also. >> And for this part of the
077conversation um I'd like to ask Mr. Russ Nichols if he'll join us at the uh table. uh Russ has been working with us here and and helping to sift through um a lot of the technical details. So, thank you for joining us. And with that, um I'll turn I'll turn to the members of the board um to hear what your thoughts and impressions are and uh let's have that conversation. >> I can start. Um, so in preparing for this meeting, I reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting and highlighted how many times we talked about needing to see a plan and it was throughout this entire uh document of the the previous meeting minutes. So, uh, and these minutes were made available to us, you know, sometime in advance. And so I kept thinking, where's
078the plan? And then two days ago, we got this. And I think um as I don't disagree with what's in here at all um you called it a report. That's exactly the word I was looking for because I don't see this as a plan. This this is a as a advisory board member and we're just giving advice. This this doesn't have any benchmarks, no deliverables. It's just a highlevel uh report with a lot of zeros at the end. So, um I just think that again I I don't disagree with anything that's in this. Uh I I reviewed it many times and was trying to figure out the word for what I thought this was and you said it was a report and I thought that's exactly that's exactly right. So that's the uh that's my
079comment. >> Oh, thank you for that. I think um so it sounds like you you're looking for something more of what could be described as a schedule. Would that be an accurate representation of what you're thinking? >> Well, yeah. I think that in project management >> and with the the scope of this project uh just like in public safety we all understand that you put a plan you get a plan you put it in play and if it doesn't work you take a tactical pause you look at what's going on you reset and you come up with a new plan that's exactly what this is so but what I don't see in this is any anything of any substance it it doesn't really um tell me what the new goals are really it's just it's
080very high level. It's it's a really good report. Um but it it doesn't it's it's different than a plan than than I was I was thinking in my mind that we would see here. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And I can if I can add to that um Yasa Sanchez remotely. I'm not sure who was talking just right now but I mean I was looking forward to a framework at least that was built out. Um, I think that is very broad as far as this report, but it would be nice to see locations um where we can point to certain locations having, you know, whatever either disruptions that they're having, things that are going right, things that are going wrong, how they're being addressed. But just kind of it leaves us guessing as to what exactly
081or what what steps are going to impact what locations that are in place right now. I mean, it's just I'm going to agree with just the fact that we have no framework and nothing really to follow. >> Yeah, thank you for that input. I think um as we were working through this exercise, one of the things that we keep you know arriving at is that there won't be um certain details available until we enter into uh an agreement with a with a vendor and um I think the report talks about you know a future date and I'll I'll concede the point that it does not have the you know what you're looking for in terms of how are we going to manage this project and and what are the benchmarks and milestones the schedule of
082the locations and I think that will all that will all be fleshed out in in in the coming weeks uh and months and um you know I think one of the things that As we look at this, I would encourage you to look at it from the lens that it's not a like this isn't a, you know, we're closing out the the the transition plan moment. I think the details you're describing have to come and they will come and then they will be added to this document and we'll build as we go the plan so that you'll get the very specific details that you're talking about. So I don't view the transition plan as being an item that's checked off that um you know we can say we finished that, right? it it has to
083be a a document that lives throughout the duration of this project. This is the opening stanza of this plan and I think you can look forward to us continuing to iterate and progressively uh get more elaborate in terms of how we're going to accomplish the goal. And Russ, if you have a a comment you'd like to offer, that would be great. >> Absolutely. Uh Chief Huff, you're you're right. the the intent with this document is to really set the stage. So, if you think about uh kind of a three-legged stool, why we're doing something, what we're doing, and then how we're doing it, you're right, this document is not intended to include the how. To uh the deputy director's point, those are subsequent chapters, but we want to make sure with the board we have
084agreement and essentially meeting of the minds on what we're trying to achieve first and how we plan to do or essentially the mechanism to get there. And there are some substantive changes from the previous approach to the new approach that we want to make sure that we address with the board before we start executing um and and essentially drawing a lot of conclusions on an assumption that the board supports the direction we're going. So that's the reason it's a multiplestep process. It's not to say those aren't coming. Absolutely. Uh the deputy director is is correct. Those are the next steps is to flesh all of that out. But we really wanted to start kind of with first things first and have that conversation and frankly hear concerns uh if they exist or support for the
085the direction we've set. >> I appreciate those comments. Um you know that takes me back to uh where I start and highlighted in the previous meeting minutes where we were told that we we're not necessarily a yes or no voting uh board. We are just an advisory board. And so you're advising us that this is your plan. We all we can do is advise on how we feel about it and how our stakeholders that we that we represent feel about it. So that's all I'm doing is I'm saying that this is uh this is a very good report and it's it's not the the level of um of a plan that we stakeholders thought that we were going to see here. >> Fair comment. Um um it's good to hear that you uh think this
086is a good first step uh good report. I think that gives us license to flesh a lot of that out. Um knowing that you represent the dispatch centers across the state, 450ish dispatch centers. We surely don't want to be headed down a path that does not serve them. And this is our frankly public forum where we can validate that process and and so to have uh support in that is exactly what we're looking for and absolutely I think a fair commitment for us to come back with more information how we're going to get there exactly what steps and what does that mean um over the course of the future whether that's the next 60 days or or six years >> again I think going back to a previous comment is you realize that the the
087previous plan wasn't you took a pause. You readressed, you you dove deep into why it wasn't working. You have a a new plan, a new idea. So, I that's exactly that's a good thing. Um but again, yeah, >> I >> just a comment. >> Yeah. Oh, go ahead. >> Sorry about that. Just a comment. um the plan or the project or however we're identifying it is a very good report um is very transparent. I like the idea that it starts where we're started and where we're at now. So it does give us insight, a little background history of how the project is going or how it went. But I do like the idea that it is recognizing the impacts to the center. It is recognizing the impacts to the call takers. And I guess a
088bigger question is for 2026, you know, the goal is to go out to a couple more service providers or um I can't think of the key word for that, but maybe we're looking at the next steps after you do that. So once 2026, I think it said mid or early at this point, you guys are go through the vendor process. If we can figure out what are the next steps from there, that would be great for our next uh quarter meeting for 2026. Thank you. Um I appreciate those comments and I want to underscore I think what the team said and we probably should have been clearer about this on the onset. Um recognize you know the comments that were made at the last meeting but I think we should be clear in our commitment
089that this is not a oneanddone report. Um we see the value particularly on the communication and transparency side that we have a written document a written plan. So underscoring um the deputy director's comments um that this in a way is a living document, right? This is the November uh plan and this is our highest priority and we're continuing to work on it and so you should expect to see an update to this plan at the next um meeting. Also, in our various meetings with the public safety community and stakeholders, we will have the plan that we will be walking through um to make sure that we're socializing it. So we wanted to make sure that we discuss it with you first, but it will certainly be the basis of conversations with all of the stakeholders
090and and our goal and our objective here is to create a culture where this is the plan that everyone's looking at and we're speaking to. So we will provide written updates for all of the meetings. we will continue to engage with the subcommittee um in advance of the meetings but then also speaking to you know all of you and creating an open forum. So if you have any questions or comments about the plan just know that we're we're going to already start very soon working on the next update. There will also be some other opportunities for example if the vehicle to actually effectuate this plan includes you know open procurements um and RFPs and such. So that's another um place for for open discussion. So this is not the end all be all and um
091we recognize the value of that. >> I thought one of our board members online might have had a comment a minute ago and didn't get a chance. So uh is there >> Yeah, it was Bob Johnson Santa Clara and you you just mentioned it. I mean I actually see this as a very comprehensive update. So, I was happy to hear that you were planning on continuing that. And the reason I say it and or frame it in that way, you know, one of the things, and I'll speak on the sheriff's side, you know, the lack of information just causes more uncertainty about the process or the u development of it, things that are going on with the NextG 911. When you look at those numbers that you mentioned, we are still so at the beginning.
092Even though this has been going on for many years, we're at the beginning of this because you have very few paps that have actually integrated fully into NextGen 911. A vast majority are still on the sidelines waiting. And with that also being said, you know, the turnover at especially chiefs is every few years. So I think you have a lot of executives in place throughout the state that are just oblivious to the status of this whole program and this project. So I think it's a great start having it be an update. I'm like I said happier to hear there's going to be additional ones because this will give us something to at least share with our colleagues on the status and so thank you for the effort. Appreciate it. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> I'll
093just add too for for the state. I'll just add real quick. Um, we're tracking numerous issues in several counties. So, this is a good framework. Hopefully, you guys can build upon it and give us continue to give us more information that we can use um to get the word out. >> Oh, thank you for that comment as well. Um, you know, I think one of the things that came up there that I want to underscore is that, you know, the dialogue needs to be open and continuous. like I it doesn't need to happen every 12 weeks in this venue. Um it needs to be something that we engage in regularly. And I think you know what my hope is as I've now stepped into this role and and am you know starting to make some
094adjustments that I think are necessary is that we have a transparent dialogue and that it's not you know uh something that where you're wondering or an absence of information. it. I my expectation is that we will have you know conversations regularly and take inputs regularly so that we can get that feedback because having stakeholder buyin at every step along the way from all of the stakeholders is critical to the success of the project. And and so that's the first way that we can get sort of a yellow flag or an orange flag as to an issue that we aren't addressing uh in a way that makes sense or is actually feasible in the real world is the expertise from this uh body of of people assembled from their you know specific disciplines. Um that's the
095advice that we need. And so I while sometimes it it may look as um you know there's a a confrontation happening. I view it as we're getting critical feedback that we have to have in order to build a system that works and in order to communicate clearly with each of you. And so if we're not doing that, we need to hear it. So, you know, I thank you for having, you know, the boldness to actually come with something that might not be received, you know, in a friendly manner. I I I like the feedback. I think it's critical to success. And so, um, I think this is just what we need is to is to have this open dialogue. So, thank you. Um, any other comments, uh, from any of the members? >> Yeah, I'll
096just say that um, I'm in support of simplification of the project. I think it's a good approach. It's an important lesson learned thus far. Um, we need to build in redundancy and reliability into the project moving forward. I understand that in phase two, the plan is going to become more detailed. Um, depending on which service provider is selected, they may be able to execute more quickly or less quickly depending on their existing footprint in the state. And I also uh I agree that the use of transitional elements is going to be an important step towards an easier transition for the PAPs and the frontline telecommunicators that are handling these calls. Um so I appreciate the report. Um I appreciate Jeff Chief Huff's comments as well about um wanting more detail. I think we will get
097that once the RFPs are awarded and it's more clear what the the deployability of the uh the vendors are. >> Yeah. Uh but I appreciate the report. >> Thank you. One thing that is called to mind, you know, during your comment, um is, you know, we're we're in a a point in time right now and I'm aware that the project has been paused for some time and that feels like we're losing something. But I think it's equally important to remember that we don't get another opportunity to get this right. like now is the time to take to make sure that what we come up with is the plan that will make us successful and deliver the best-in-class product for the state of California. So, you know, we want to move forward uh with, you know,
098as as expeditiously as we possibly can, but we also simultaneously have to realize that we don't want to rush this moment right now. We want to get it right this time. And so we're taking deliberate steps. Um we're wanting to make sure that we're engaging at every step along the way because I don't want to make another you know you know turn that doesn't actually result in the best outcome. And so I think you know being very deliberate with our steps right now will pay dividends throughout the deployment project and the decades that follow that. So, thank you. Right. Any other comments from the board. All right. Now, thank you again for the cander in in the comments. Um, you know, I think the team it's good for the team to hear this. Um and
099uh I think I think um >> is there public? >> I I well um we yeah so yeah I think we had offered it at the beginning and um but I don't see a problem with uh doing it again. So, I'm happy to take whatever comment you may have. >> Candace Wen with NBC Bay Area. Thank you for this presentation. Uh, I've read over the plan. I'm listening to the presentation of it at this meeting. And, um, yeah, I have a couple comments and a couple questions. This project is years past the original deadline. Nearly a half billion dollars have already been spent and now Callowas is looking to possibly procure new contracts for vendors to take over. So my question is where is the accountability for the hundreds of millions of dollars that have
100been spent on the first plan that Callowas is pivoting from? Thank you for that. Um I don't know uh that it's >> if I may. Hi Candace Steven Neil uh chief counsel here. Well we appreciate that inquiry and I think you taking that into consideration. and we're happy to, you know, address that, you know, and take this into consideration now. But I think as it's kind of been laid out in the plan, we're really trying to identify, you know, what has occurred, what we can do to move forward. And I think is all the comments that have been offered here, how to do so in a way that is engaging all stakeholders in a very complex system, in a very um robust and complex state. >> Yeah. But is don't you think these answers are
101something that everyone in this room and everyone listening and every Californian who relies on 911 and the future of 911 deserve? Where was the oversight over the past years? And how are we assured that there is enough and the proper oversight now? Well, what I will say is this is just that is what we are here to do to really emphasize the need for transparency and to be very communicative and to be very involved and upfront as we move forward through the process. So, I think that's kind of what I can say to that. So, >> and I read the plan and I did read the part about you don't have a final budget until the contracts are signed and that's why we don't know what the final price tag will be. But anyone here
102um sitting in front of me in charge of this project now, do you have an idea of what the final bill will be for Californians ultimately or are we talking about a billion, two billion? >> I think it would be irresponsible to make any sort of guess along those lines, but I think that we would just be very cognizant of what it is that we need to accomplish taking in consideration what the parameters of that program would look like. And just with that, we are allowing each member three minutes to ask questions. >> And I have one last question actually for your office specifically. It's been more than a year since NBC Bay Area News has requested emails from Budge Courier, who was in charge of this project when a lot of these problems happened.
103Why haven't we received these public records? >> Um, well, as you know, Candace, we've been in dialogue. In fact, you and I have spoken very recently and I actually even communicated with you this morning to give you an update on where things are at. Um, we produced already a significant amount of documents over the years. Uh, this is the next in the phase of those to produce. We had produced approximately 3,000 documents to you with the understanding that >> but not the emails. >> Well, but let me finish. Those are the ones that we thought we wanted to make sure we got to you and they were very complex as you know. So that's what we did. And so those next ones are on their way to you soon. So I apologize. We prioritized the
104others because they were more complex and thought those were ones you wanted first. So that's our so apologies for that. But I'm glad you now have those. >> Respectfully, we have been receiving promises like that just like that for months and we still don't have the records we've been talking about. >> Well, I'm all I will say is we've continued to engage. We've spoken. You have my phone number. I'm I'm sorry that it has taken longer than has been ideal, but you know certainly we are working to get this and that's what I communicated to you this very morning. So, but thank you for you know raising that again. >> And my last comment, any response to the impact to 911 centers and the delays. >> We really need to move on just to make
105sure others here have an opportunity to ask questions. >> So, appreciate that. >> All right. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm Anita Gore and can I >> I'm Anita Gore and I am with the communications office here. We do have a process and Candace, I know you're very well aware of our process of of how media will um interact with us and we're happy to answer your questions if you you know can provide them to us. And we do have a P process. We have many Pas that come in from many people. They are all addressed. The law is followed. Um our legal counsel has been in contact with you. Um certainly the process continues and there uh your uh questions and um requests for information are forthcoming and you've been told that that they
106are forthcoming and it's just a process that takes a while. Um understand your frustration. uh but it is the process and the department is committed to following the law in terms of providing public records as they're requested uh and to keep the public informed. Appreciate your uh interest in this issue as well and the fact that you are bringing these issues uh forward. Thank you. Um, all right. Um, any other any other public comment on the line? >> If I if I might just say something to Miss Nin. Um, 911 calls are being serviced and answered by hardworking 911 professionals every day in California. The existing technology that we have is serving us. Um, as a dispatcher, as a working dispatcher, are we frustrated with the delays in the transition? Yes. Are we also excited
107about forthcoming technological advances that we'll enjoy once we transition? Yes. But I wanted to assure you that if you call 911 today in California, you are going to reach a dispatcher and your call is going to be handled in a timely manner. It's just really the technology that we are working on that will move us into the future and it will make it more reliable. >> All right. Thank you. Um okay with that then we will move to the next agenda item which is the closed session for the for the members. So we will step into chambers to conduct the closed session and uh return to this venue uh shortly after that. So thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Uh continuing um the open session at this point. Um as to the topic of
108the agenda item uh from the agenda item number six, this is the 911 subcommittee report out. Uh given that uh Chief White is not able to join us today in being one of the members of the subcommittee, um I'm looking to entertain uh a motion to uh table the subcommittee report out until the subsequent meeting when he can join us. And so I'm looking to the board to see if I have such a motion. >> So move. >> I have the motion. Do I have a second on that? >> Second. >> Thank you. I see that I have a second. Um, so we will then conduct the um conduct the roll call as to the motion to table the subcommittee report out until the next um meeting of the advisory council. Um, I'll take the
109roll call. Please uh indicate your approval one way or the other. Mark Chase, >> vote to approve. >> Thank you. Kurt Wallace, >> approve. >> Thank you. Rodney Ellison, >> approve. >> Thank you. Jennifer Gonzalez, >> approve. >> Thank you. Demetrius Sydney, >> approved. >> Thank you. Garrett Huff, >> Approved. Thank you. Robert Johnson, >> Approve. And Yinia Sanchez, >> approve. >> Thank you. Uh, the motion carries. So, we will table the subcommittee report out to the next regularly occurring meeting of the advisory council. Um, moving then to agenda items uh for future meetings. That's the next topic on our agenda. Do the board have uh specific items they would like to recommend for agenda items for the next meeting. All right. hearing none and seeing none. Uh we will uh continue to develop the
110board uh agenda for the next one uh to continue with our normal report outs. Um and in in the interim obviously if something does come up you have the option to uh funnel that information into the board liaison who will then add it for our consideration. Um moving on to agenda item number 11. This is the public comment for matters that are not on the agenda. So, um are there any any members of the public in the room who would like to offer a comment uh for a matter that is not on the agenda? Seeing none, how about online? Do we have any members of the public online to offer a comment? All right, seeing none there also, um we will close out that agenda item leaving us with our remaining agenda item which is
111uh item number 12 which is to adjourn this meeting of the 911 advisory board. Um so I thank you all for your for your participation in joining us today. I uh look forward to having continued robust discussion as we move forward. Um and uh we'll and see you next time. This meeting is adjourned.