Results of January Survey

By Edi Birsan

Here are the results of the January Pulse of Concord survey. Be sure to click on to the website to vote in the February survey.

1. Should the City resume citing residents and landlords that have allowed their landscaping to die or weeds to get too high?

Overwhelmingly 73 percent said yes.  I wonder what the results would have been if we changed the words ‘citing residents’ to ‘citing your neighbors’.

2. Should Police Officers be involved in City Code enforcement reporting?

This question from the panel provided an interesting split of answers.

27 percent said NO. While the rest were divided amongst the various segments of the Police Department with the largest being Community Service Officers 35 percent.  These are the paid ‘non-sworn’ department members generally costing a third or less of the overall cost of sworn officers. Some 21 percent want the Volunteers In Police Services (VIPS) to do this and only 16 percent thought that only the Sworn Officers should.

This should not be confused with Community Policing that is a whole involved set of positions and attitudes within a police department and city support people.

3. Do you think that Concord is a Sanctuary City?

A fairly even split here with 41 percent saying yes, and 34 percent saying no and 24 percent saying they don’t know what a Sanctuary City is. The last group may have a point because there appears to be as many variations on a Sanctuary City as there are sects in a mainstream religion. Typically the view of a Sanctuary City is one in which the illegal immigration population is afforded additional protection from reporting to the immigration authorities by city regulations or traditional behavior.  San Francisco is held up as a Sanctuary City. Generally viewed in the context of what is going on elsewhere, Concord appears to be moderate in its overall operation compared to SF on one side and the Arizona State laws on the other side. For example the Concord felony records are automatically fed into the national crime computers, but the traffic stops are not followed up with immigration inquiries. The City has supported things like the Monument Futures to reduce day laborers off the streets but does not monitor businesses dealing with the city for immigration status leaving that to the Federal departments.

4. Have you or one of your family members had a foreclosure due to the current economic conditions?

Overall 20 percent have and 80 percent have not.

5. In 2011, my family's economic situation is going to be:

43 percent said about the same with equal spits of 28 percent expected to get worse and better. 

6. In 2011, the City of Concord's economic situation is going to be worse by 54 percent with only 12 percent thinking it will get better and 33 percent thinking it will stay the same. This is in direct contrast with the split of what people feel for their own personal position which may combine to give one the expectation of higher negativity towards the city as you see the area decline faster than your own position which may give some a thought to leaving; an interesting aspect for future questions.

7. Global Warming is seen as a threat of different degrees by 54 percent of the folks, while 24 percent think it is nonsense, 14 percent do not care and 11  percent are not sure. 

8. Do you think cell that phone antennas/radio towers pose a danger to your health?

A full 72 percent do not think that it is a threat with 27 percent thinking it is. In an interesting match up in a Counter–Intuitive manner, those who think that Global Warming is "nonsense" are 25+ percent more likely to believe that radio towers pose no threat. I wonder if the common thread is a lack of fear rather than a lack of trust in reporting?

9. Some school districts are considering eliminating middle-schools as a cost-saving measure. If this were to happen in Concord's schools, which grades do you think should be kept together?

Some 71 percent think that the best combination is K-8, 24 percent go with K-6 and only 7 percent support the current vogue of K-5.

10. Have you or your family visited a city park, besides Todos Santos (downtown), in the past six months?

At least 72 percent have gone to a city park other than Todos Santos. 

 About the Respondants:

90 percent of the respondents live in Concord with 16 percent retired and an equal split in those that work in the City compared to those that work outside the city.  There was no real difference between residents and non-residents in the questions for this month.