REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 08/07/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department
SUBJECT:
Title
ACCEPTANCE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL FISCAL YEAR 2025 CANNABIS TAX FUND GRANT PROGRAM
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to accept and appropriate the State of California Department of California Highway Patrol Fiscal Year 2025 Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program funds. This program was established through the passage of Proposition 64 in 2016, which mandated that the state set aside funding for the California Highway Patrol to provide grants to local government and qualified non-profit organizations for the education, prevention, and enforcement of laws related to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Adopt Resolution No. 2024-077 to accept and appropriate $68,549.60 from the State of California and approve the application for cannabis tax fund grant program grant funds.
b. Appropriate $68,549.60 of one-time money from the unappropriated General Fund Balance and increase the General Fund estimated revenue by the same amount to be reimbursed from the State of California Department of California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Law Enforcement Grant Fiscal Year 2024/2025.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the grant documents and any related documents, amendments, and agreements that are consistent with or in furtherance of the City Council’s actions hereunder.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The State of California Highway Patrol established the Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) through the passage of Proposition 64 in 2016, also known as the Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use Marijuana Act. The California voters mandated the State set aside funding for the California Highway Patrol to provide grants to local government and qualified non-profit organizations for the education, prevention, and enforcement of laws related to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis. CTFGP intends to educate the public regarding the dangers of impaired driving, enforce impaired driving laws on the roadway, and improve the agency’s effectiveness through training and developing new strategies.
For the Fiscal Year 2025, approximately $13 million in grant funding was available to California Law enforcement agencies to address impaired driving within their communities. The Corona Police Department applied for the grant opportunity in February 2024 for Fiscal Year 2025 and received notification from the State of California Highway Patrol on June 6, 2024, that the grant had been awarded, with a start date of July 1, 2024.
ANALYSIS:
The Corona Police Department will utilize the funding to reduce impaired driving and injuries from crashes resulting from driving under the influence (DUI) through education and direct enforcement. The enforcement will include conducting 48 saturation patrols strategically deployed based on data analysis and during peak risk times. These patrols will consist of one or two officers per vehicle, operating for shifts lasting between four to seven hours (with a target of six hours per shift). The goal of these DUI saturation patrols is to reduce DUI accidents and related injuries from DUI accidents by 10% over the fiscal year. There will be 2 additional saturation patrols on two different holidays deploying a team of four officers and one sergeant for an eight-hour shift to ensure a solid and visible police presence during these high-traffic and high-risk periods.
The grant project performance period will be from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The one-time award will reimburse the City of Corona for designated personnel expenditures. All program operations will be conducted using staff overtime and supplement police crime prevention activities.
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved as to form the proposed Grant Agreement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation and estimated revenue increase of $68,549.60 in the General Fund in Fiscal Year 2025. This grant has no cost share matching requirements.
Police Department Award
48 Saturation Patrols @ 4 Saturations per Month $55,733.76
2 Holiday Saturation Patrols $12,815.84
Total $68,549.60
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action authorizes the acceptance and appropriation of a grant, and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: AMANDA ANDRADE, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: ROBERT NEWMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - State of California Department of California Highway Patrol Award Letter
2. Exhibit 2 - Resolution No. 2024-077 for California Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program