Public Safety & Community Resources Department is not part of police or fire services

By Allen D. Payton

At the urging of Mayor Pro Tem and District 3 Councilman Don Freitas, during their meeting on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the Antioch City Council agreed to correct and clear up confusion of including the words “Public Safety” in the name of the newest department which is not part of police or fire services. Instead of its current name, the Public Safety & Community Resources Department, the brainchild of District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker who has an expanded definition of the term, will be renamed simply, the Community Services Department. The councilmembers also voted to change the titles of the department’s staff.

The council approved the new department in February 2022 on a 4-1 vote. At that time, Torres-Walker tried to redefine the term saying, “a lot of us have decided that public safety is a lot more than policing. It’s about quality of life, environmental justice, youth services, housing. Public safety is about economic dignity, access to jobs, clean water, clean air. All of those things, not just policing. Policing is a part of public safety and we have forgot about that as a community. And I think being able to have this department be called the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources will also help reorient our community to understand that public safety doesn’t just mean policing. It also means access to quality, well organized resources in the city.”

But the department’s name has caused confusion because the majority of people don’t define the term the same as the councilwoman does.

According to the department’s webpage, it consists of three divisions including Violence Intervention & Prevention Division, Youth Services Division and Housing Division. That can also cause confusion as new housing is handled by the Community Development & Economic Development Department and its Planning Division. But the Housing Division of the newly renamed department “provides a range of programs and services designed to support tenants, landlords, and unsheltered community members.”

City Staff Report & Recommendations

In introducing the item, #10 on the agenda, Acting City Manager Ana Cortez said, “The proposed change is intended to better align the department’s public identity with the current vision and focus on prevention.”

According to the City staff report by department Director Monserrat Cabral, “While the department collaborates closely with the Antioch Police Department, first responders, schools, County agencies, and other public safety partners, the department itself is not a law enforcement entity.

“The department’s primary functions are rooted in prevention, intervention, stabilization, human services, outreach, youth development, housing support, violence interruption, and community engagement, with a focus on improving quality of life outcomes and strengthening long-term community well-being for Antioch residents.

“However, nonprofit partners, outside agencies, and community stakeholders often assume the department is a law enforcement division or enforcement-based office due to the inclusion of the phrase ‘Public Safety’ in the department title. This confusion has created challenges including:

• Residents being uncertain whether the department provides direct community services;

• Hesitancy from vulnerable populations who may be reluctant to engage with anything perceived as enforcement-related;

• Misunderstanding regarding the department’s role during outreach and community engagement efforts;

• Difficulty clearly communicating the department’s mission externally; and

• Ongoing confusion between the PSCR Department and the Antioch Police Department.

During her presentation on the matter, Cabral said, “Since its creation, the department has evolved significantly.”

The staff report further reads, “the department…today oversees a broad and diverse portfolio of community-serving functions, including:

• Violence Intervention & Prevention;

• Housing & Homelessness Services;

• Youth Development & Workforce Programs;

• Community Engagement & Outreach;

• Crisis Response & Stabilization Partnerships;

• Grant Administration & Community-Based Funding Initiatives; and

• Nonprofit and Intergovernmental Partnerships.

City staff offered alternative names for the department. The report read, “Common naming themes emerging across municipalities include:

• Human Services;

• Community Services;

• Community & Human Services;

• Community Well-Being;

• Community Support Services;

• Neighborhood Services; and

• Community Development & Wellness.

Staff offered multiple names from other agencies and recommended the new name be the Human and Community Services Department. The recommendation also included “Changing the Department Director title from “Public Safety and Community Resources Director” to “Human & Community Services Director”; and the “Public Safety Manager” classification overseeing Violence Intervention & Prevention functions to “Community Engagement Manager”.

Council Discussion & Direction

Since the item was for discussion only, no council action was expected on renaming the department during Tuesday’s meeting. But a vote was taken.

Torres-Walker was the first council member to speak on the item saying, “We have a recommended name, here. Should we just go with it and call it a night?”

Freitas responded, “No. No.” He then said, “I do realize there is differences of opinion about renaming it. From my perspective, I would just rename it the Community Services Department. Period. I’m trying to be all inclusive. Make sure it’s flexible now and in the future and it’s understandable. I don’t want to sound like a department of the federal…department of the U.S. government. So, from my perspective the Community Services Department serves all that bill and that’s what I support.”

Freitas then made a motion to rename the department and “change the classifications of the certain positions.”

Cabral pointed out that the council would not be changing classifications, just the titles and they would be “changing the code.”

“Yes,” Freitas responded.

District 2 Councilman Louie Rocha seconded the motion.

District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson mentioned, “Community Services Department.”

Bernal responded, “We have a Community Development Department.” He then asked Freitas if he would support placing the words “Department of” at the beginning. The Mayor Pro Tem declined.

An apparently disappointed Torres-Walker then could be heard saying softly, “It’s too late to care.”

Bernal asked if there were any more comments and turned to the District 1 Councilwoman who reiterated, “I just said I don’t care. Let’s vote. It’s late.”

Wilson said, “I personally like ‘Human and’. But if everybody is fine with Community Services then that’s alright.”

The motion then passed on a 5-0 vote.

See staff report for agenda item 10.

See 6:39:22 mark of Council meeting video.

the attachments to this post:

Torres-Walker speaks on dept renaming 05-26-26

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026 at 8:51 pm and is filed under City Council, Government, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.