City Weakens CPVAW At 7-13 Council Meeting

Greensite is an old-time fighter for City action against sexual assault, critic of the SCPD incompetence and indifference in this area, and recently laid-off UCSC Rape Prevention Education Co-Ordinator. Mayor Mike Rokin removed Greensite from the CPVAW possibly in retaliation for her strong criticism of the CPVAW's inaction in the face of SCPD's extremely low rape closure rate. [See "Rape in Santa Cruz--the CPVAW Annual Report " at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/10/18478155.php].

City Council members acknowledged they had not actually the specifics of how the bylaws altered the CPVAW Initiative language. Still they voted to rubberstamp the staff's weakening language anyway rather than delay the issue for two weeks to actually read what they were voting on as proposed by Madrigal and Beiers.

Greensite's concerns included increased power for ad hoc committees not open to the public and significantly weakened oversight over the SCPD.

City Council had to be forced to pass this measure by citizen vote. It cannot be legally changed without another citizen vote. However in the absence of a legal challenge (which costs money), it seems likely that weakened bylaws will guide the CCPVAW rather than the stronger original language.

Greensite's letter to City Council and the uncodified portion of the community Initiative creating the CPVAW back in 1981 are attached below.

The codified section of the CPVAW ordinance can be found as section 2.40.110 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code at http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SantaCruz/ .