On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council discussed a name change for the Public Safety and Community Resources Department in an effort to better align the department with the current vision and focus.
The council was asked to provide feedback, which they opted to select “Community Services Department”
According to Monserrat Cabral, Public Safety & Community Resources Director, the department functions primary as a human resources and community center department while admitting over time staff has experienced confusion from residents, non-profits and external partners who assume the department is “enforcement based” do to the inclusion of the term “public safety”.
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.
According to Cabral, the proposed name change is not intended to alter departmental functions or operational authority, but rather to better align the department’s public identity with its existing mission, organizational structure, and community-centered service delivery approach.
Identified in the staff report, many jurisdictions throughout California have already adopted similar organizational structures and naming conventions. Examples include:
- City of Oakland – Human Services Department;
- City of Long Beach – Health & Human Services Department;
- City of Stockton – Office of Violence Prevention
- City of Sacramento – Department of Community Response;
- City of Richmond – Community Services Department / Office of Neighborhood Safety;
- County of Los Angeles – Department of Public Health / Office of Violence Prevention
- San Diego County – Health & Human Services Agency.
Nationally, jurisdictions have similarly shifted toward community-centered departmental structures, including:
- King County, Washington – Department of Community & Human Services;
- Denver, Colorado – Department of Housing Stability
- Albuquerque, New Mexico – Community Safety Department;
- Minneapolis, Minnesota – Neighborhood Safety Department;
- Baltimore, Maryland – Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
Discussion
Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker suggested they recommend a name and move forward as the meeting was getting late.
Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas disagreed, saying they should just name it the “Community Services Department” and ensure its all inclusive and flexible while not wanting to sound like a “Federal Department of the US Government”.
Freitas then motioned to rename the department the Community Services Department while adding they would need to change the classifications for the positions.
Cabral shot back noting they were simply talking about the name of the department, not the classifications.
The council then voted 5-0 in favor of the name change.
