On Wednesday, October 16, the League of California Cities announced the City of King won the 2019 Helen Putnam Award in the category of Public Safety for its Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence. The announcement was made at the opening ceremonies of the League of California Cities Annual Conference at the Long Beach Convention Center which is attended by officials from cities throughout California. Mayor Mike LeBarre was present to accept the award on behalf of the City of King. Facing several years of serious gang violence problems, the King City City Council appointed a community task force in 2016 to develop what became its Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence. The Plan includes 24 measures under the categories of Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement, Re-Entry and Public Outreach. The City approved 19 of the measures within the first year and a half through a series of partnerships, including an extensive after-school program, youth diversion program, security camera system, major crimes unit, on-campus probation officer program, drug and alcohol recovery center, and district officer and block party programs. King City residents now enjoy a safe community after experiencing a substantial drop in crime and decrease in shootings from 32 in 2017 to zero since February 2018. Established in 1982 by the League of California Cities, the Helen Putnam Award recognizes outstanding achievements by California's 482 cities. According to the League of California Cities, "winning cities have made unique contributions to community residents and business, contributions which have resulted in lower costs or more effective delivery of services." The purpose of the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence is to recognize and promote the outstanding efforts and innovative solutions by City governments. Helen Putnam was a Petaluma Mayor when she became the first woman elected President of the League of California Cities in 1978. She was a highly respected public official, who viewed meeting one's potential as the measure of success. According to Mayor Mike LeBarre: "We are honored to receive the Helen Putnam award for our community's Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence and I am extremely proud of the results. This award highlights that when you work as a team and prioritize the community's needs, great change can be achieved. Together we made our city safer and improved our quality of life." The Mayor will present the award to the City Council at the Tuesday, October 22 Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, along with the video shown at the League of California Cities Annual Conference.
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