Pomona Council accepts traffic checkpoint grant

POMONA - Prayers and the urging of numerous speakers weren't enough to prompt the City Council to reject a state grant that will partially pay for traffic checkpoints.

Council members voted 5-1 in favor of accepting the one-year $369,955 grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety on Monday night.

Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa voted in opposition. Councilman Steve Atchley did not attend the meeting.

Before council members took up the issue, checkpoint opponents held a candlelight prayer vigil that drew more than 40 people to the Civic Center Plaza.

People prayed for council members to recognize the checkpoints overwhelmingly affect undocumented immigrants, those of low income and people of color.

Those gathered also heard from such speakers as Moises Escalante an organizer with the Riverside office of CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) California.

"At no moment should we accept in the name of public safety the terrorizing of people," Escalante, who is also a workers rights advocate, said in Spanish. "We're here to say no to that injustice."

During the council meeting both sides spoke about checkpoints.

Among the supporters was Michael Gallagher, who said "there's nothing racial" about a checkpoint.

Gallagher said the city needs grants to carry out the operations, then proceeded to tell the council it must not be intimidated by those opposed to checkpoints.

"You will be held accountable," he warned.

Among the speakers opposing the checkpoints was Jose Calderon, president of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of Pomona and San Gabriel Valley.

He said if the purpose of the checkpoints is catching drunken drivers, they should be rescheduled.

"Why not start at 1 in the morning when people are coming out of the bars at 1 and 2 in the morning?" he said.

Carrizosa said that for about a year and a half the council has received letters from residents and business people opposed to the checkpoints.

The councilwoman said they have a negative effect on nearby businesses, resulting in drops in income that in turn affects the city's revenues.

She said that while a handful of people dislike her for her stand on this issue, she would never relinquish her "right and my responsibility" to vote in the best interest of her constituents.

Council members had questions about the checkpoint, including how many directions of traffic are affected by an operation.

Police Sgt. Michael Olivieri said Tuesday his department uses one- and two-way checkpoints.

Two-way checkpoints are preferable and make the best use of available resources, but in some instances where officers encounter geographic or space limitations they conduct one-way checkpoints, he said.

Councilman Freddie Rodriguez said checkpoints play a role in saving lives.

"Even if it's one (life), hopefully we do something to prevent someone from getting killed," Rodriguez said.

The council approved accepting the grant but moved checkpoint starts from 6 to 9 p.m. Rodriguez said after the meeting results of the change can be evaluated after "a couple of times."

Earlier, Olivieri said the reason for the 6 p.m. starts is it serves to raise public awareness and to deter people from driving under the influence.

Pomona police credit traffic checkpoints with helping reduce the number of fatal injury collisions in the city.

In 2003, 22 fatal traffic collisions occurred in the city, according to police statistics.

The following year, the department went from one to two checkpoints a month and saw the fatal traffic collisions drop to 11.

In 2008, the city had four such collisions, Olivieri said.