Your 1-4-2023 article regarding the PSROC accusations against the SMPOA is incomplete and contains errors.
To start with, the Commission did not accuse the POA of anything. It was primarily two Commissioners, Angelia Scott and Derik Devermont who did so. While there might have been others of the same mind-set they did not speak out.
Second, if one looks at the minutes of the meeting dates that were discussed, it is obvious that the "report" that is being referred to, is the report that was approved by seven of the 11 voting members of the PSROC on 11-30-2023. Previous meeting minutes show that Commissioners Centeno, Raman and Palazzolo previously against the report and on the date the report was approved Commissioners Centeno, Raman, Palazzolo and Mcglaughlin-Basseri did not attend the meeting and did not vote.
The report is heavily focused on the issue of "pretextual stops". When said report was presented to the full Commission for discussion on two occasions prior to 11-30-2023 in which the title of the report included the phrase "pretextual stops", many members of the public came to the meetings to speak against both the report findings and recommendations. I believe the title was subsequently changed to include "RIPA" for the purpose of stifling public attendance and input.
The issue that seems to have Commissioners Angelia Scott and Derik Devermont so upset is that they want a public forum at a City Council Meeting to promote their positions. There is nothing in the PSROC charter that requires a Council agendized public discussion on a commission report. Delivery of the written report to the Council via the City Clerk is all that is required and that is the normal course of action for all commissions.
I hope that when the audio recording of the meeting is made available, the Daily Press and the residents will take the time to listen to it to get the whole story.
Joseph Palazzolo, Santa Monica
