Council Connects

Removed by moderator.

HEALTH EQUITY: I thought this guide provided important considerations and examples for implementing and enforcing policies equitably - https://www.changelabsolutions.org/sites/default/files/2020-06/Equitable_Enforcement_to_Achieve_Health_Equity-GUIDE-ACCESSIBLE_FINAL_20200610.pdf

APA (American Psychological Association) "We are Living in a Racism Pandemic" - https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/05/racism-pandemic. Excellent townhall today by NLC and APA.

SB 20-2017 - passed the Colorado Senate.
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2020A/bills/2020a_217_ren.pdf

FROM MMC (Metro Mayors Caucus):
There have been significant amendments to the bill. Below is a summary of some of the more significant amendments.

Among the amendments to secure such broad support are the extension of the deadline for peace officers to have body cameras to July 1, 2023, the timeline during which body cam footage must be publicly released (21 days), and clarification of instances in which blurring and/or redaction is permitted.

The Division of Criminal Justice reporting requirements have also been pushed out to January 1, 2023.

The bill bans the firing of kinetic projectiles at the head, back or pelvis or indiscriminately into a crowd and the use of tear gas, pepper spray or other irritants to disperse a crowd without first giving an order and time to disperse.

With regard to liability, the defense of qualified immunity is specifically prohibited with regard to the liability outlined in the bill. If a peace officer is found to have not acted in good faith, they are personally liable for 5% of a judgement up to $25,000 (this is a reduction from the prior version) but if the amount is uncollectable, the amount can be recovered from the peace officer's employing jurisdiction or insurer.

Use of physical force is only permitted in certain circumstances and deadly force is not permitted in the apprehension of persons suspected of minor or nonviolent offenses. Chokeholds are prohibited. Deadly force is only permitted in making an arrest if all other means are impractical AND the arrest is for felony conduct including the use or threatened use of deadly physical force; there is substantial risk that the person arrested will cause death or serious bodily injury if apprehension is delayed; and the force employed does not create substantial risk of injury to innocent persons. The peace officer must identify him/herself as such and provide verbal warning of intent to use deadly physical force with sufficient time for suspect to observe unless doing so would place peace officers at risk, create a risk of death or injury to others, or be clearly inappropriate or ineffective under the circumstances.

The bill also creates a peace officer's duty to intervene, stop or prevent use of force exceeding the degree permitted and specifies how reporting must take place. Failure to intervene can result in discipline including termination and decertification.

Governmental entities accused of employing patterns or practices that deprive constitutional rights will have sixty days to change or eliminate that practice or policy or the AG may file a civil suit.

Local & Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) - www.racialequityalliance.org
A few resources:
- Racial Equity Toolkit -
http://racialequityalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/GARE-Racial_Equity_Toolkit.pdf
- Racial Equity Action Plans - How To Manual -
https://www.racialequityalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GARE-Racial-Equity-Action-Plans.pdf
- Getting to Results -
https://www.racialequityalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GARE_GettingtoEquity_July2017_PUBLISH.pdf
- Advancing Racial Equity and Transforming Government: A Resource Guide to Put Ideas Into Action
https://www.racialequityalliance.org/resources/advancing-racial-equity-and-transforming-government-a-resource-guide-to-put-ideas-into-action/

Advocacy + Legislative subcommittee process: https://www.cityofgolden.net/media/Advocacy_Legislative_Subcomm_process.pdf. Please let Councilor Dale or I know if you have feedback (jtrout@cityofgolden.net)

Dr. Leana Wen, visiting professor of public health at George Washington University and former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, will discuss COVID-19, considerations for reopening, and best practices.

Her parting three thoughts - Need clear communications; Be on guard as the virus is still out there even as we start to open; and Be ready for the next wave.

Resources the City of Boulder used in 2019 when going through their police reform after a racially charged incident with Zayd Atkinson, a black student, at the Naropa Institute.
- City of Boulder Police Oversight Task Force: https://bouldercolorado.gov/city-manager/police-oversight-task-force
- National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE): https://www.nacole.org/
- City of Boulder Racial Equity: https://bouldercolorado.gov/racial-equity
- Government Alliance on Race and Equity: https://www.racialequityalliance.org/

Resources from NLC REAL ( National League of Cities Race, Equity And Leadership) Committee are available on the website: https://www.nlc.org/program-initiative/race-equity-and-leadership-real

In particular, the “Responding to Racial Tension in Your City: Municipal Action Guide” which was released last year is worth your attention
https://www.nlc.org/resource/responding-to-racial-tension-in-your-city-a-municipal-action-guide

From Prof. Dale Whitman for the Real Estate Lawyers Listserve (DIRT):
Both houses of Congress have now approved a number of changes in the PPP program, designed to make it more useful and flexible. They include:

lengthening the timeline of availability for PPP loans to Dec. 3, 2020
providing more flexibility for loan forgiveness recognizing the extended impact of COVID-19
making the safe harbor for maintaining or rehiring employees more flexible
allowing PPP borrowers to defer payroll taxes for employees whose payroll costs are covered by the loan
providing more flexibility in the term of the loan and repayment timing

There are many law firm-published detailed explanations of the changes. A good one, published by Holland and Knight, can be found at this link:
https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2020/06/congress-makes-ppp-loans-more-flexible-for-borrowers
The President is expected to sign the bill immediately.

I thought this NYTimes article on face coverings was illuminating. It features recommendations from three University of Pennsylvania professors on how to get people to wear face coverings. Bottom line: make them easy, understood, and expected.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/opinion/coronavirus-masks.html

Finally some good news about COVID-19! We keep learning that masks are proving to be *more* effective than previously thought:
o. https://www.erinbromage.com/post/what-s-the-deal-with-masks
o. https://williamfisher.com/covid-19-resources-for-goldenites/

Let’s keep wearing them Golden, it’s working! Golden City Council is supporting local businesses who are requiring all patrons to use masks, let’s keep each other safe.

See Erin Bromage, What's the deal on masks. Well worth the read.

The WaterNow Alliance has asked local leaders to provide feedback via a survey that can be found at:
https://rvo.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_afSHTCIh4fZgcrX?Q_DL=2ElprEHVAhKbsow_afSHTCIh4fZgcrX_MLRP_0Vt1ElBW2eGCxSt&Q_CHL=email
It takes about 15 minutes to complete.

I received this link in an alumni newsletter. It's got some good, simplified info on COVID-19 myths.
https://sites.google.com/u.pacific.edu/uopcovid/home?authuser=0

Article today from Bloomberg Cities about temporary "streateries" https://medium.com/@BloombergCities/how-cities-are-using-streateries-to-help-restaurants-recover-c697f1a9c510

Regarding safe reopening of restaurants in Golden, we need a great sense of urgency. We should prepare a plan now and agree it and if we have to adjust it to match State or County requirements, then we will. But we will be more responsive to needed urgency if we plan now.

See my FB pages on face covering/masks. JAMES DALE or Jim Dale4Golden.

PLANNING & TACTICS FOR REOPENING OUTDOOR SPACES: DCI meeting topic from yesterday that I mentioned at the Council meeting. I don’t have the presentation yet, but was able to get this link which includes an image that re-imagines a sidewalk space with the constraints that need to be considered. https://studio-111.com/blog/detail/reopening-main-street

3 PRINCIPLES FOR REOPENING CITIES: I have been attending weekly meetings of the Bloomberg Cities COVID19 Local Response Initiative for mayors from across the nation and around the world. I'll try to share more going forward. This is a recap of one of the presentations from yesterday's meeting. https://medium.com/@BloombergCities/3-principles-for-reopening-cities-in-a-time-of-covid-19-f1e5820a9d4c