Police department requesting 3 new patrol vehicles

CALIFORNIA CITY — The California City Police Department’s request for three new patrol vehicles was put on hold until the City Council returned to its full five-person membership and the funds for the purchase are verified.

Police Chief Jesse Hightower made the case for purchasing the vehicles at the March 12 council meeting, as the department’s fleet is aging and has vehicles that are no longer cost-effective to repair or are irreparable.

“I realize this is going to be a big ask, considering the fiscal environment that we’re in, but I don’t have a choice, so I’m going to go ahead and do it,” he said.

The staff report he prepared listed nine operable vehicles in the fleet, but at the time of the meeting, Hightower said two more went down with what appear to be electrical and transmission issues.

With the two additional unavailable vehicles, the average mileage on the remaining fleet is more than 11,000 miles, he said.

“Our fleet is in dire need,” Hightower said, with the safety of officers and the public a concern.

In the past, the department has refurbished vehicles as a cost-effective means of maintaining the fleet numbers, but these vehicles continued to have mechanical problems, Hightower said.

New police vehicles have become difficult to find to purchase. Through networking with other police chiefs, Hightower was able to find a dealership in Denver with 2024 Ford Explorer police vehicles available.

Three of these vehicles, at $48,610 each, would come to $145,830 with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty. An extended fiveyear/125,000-mile warranty — recommended by Hightower — would increase the price for all three to $157,710.

Hightower also received a quote for the same type of vehicles from a dealer in North Carolina for $72,702 each, or a total of $216,461. These vehicles came with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty.

City policy requires three quotes for purchases, but Hightower was unable to find a third dealer with vehicles available.

“I’ve been trying this for months,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got.”

In addition to the vehicles themselves, the department must install the lights, sirens and other equipment to make them ready for duty. Additionally, the computers and radios, taken from the inoperable existing vehicles, will need to be installed.

With these additional costs, Hightower requested purchasing the vehicles from the Denver dealer, with a total of $230,000 for the extended warranty vehicles or $218,000 for the shorter warranty.

Without a designated fund for vehicle replacement, Hightower requested the money come from the Police Reserve Fund, which has a current total of $356,526, according to the staff report. Using the reserve fund requires a four-fifths vote of the council, instead of a simple majority.

Mayor Kelly Kulikoff expressed doubts whether the reserve fund even has the funds, given the financial uncertainty the city faces.

“I still don’t know exactly what money the city has,” he said. “It’s very concerning we don’t have our books in order.”

An initial vote on Mayor Pro Tem Ron Smith’s motion to approve the purchase with the extended warranty was deadlocked, with only four members on the council. The mayor and Councilmember Michael Kulikoff voted against the purchase.

The council directed the acting city manager to determine what money, if any, is in the Police Reserve Fund, and the matter could be brought back when a fifth council member is appointed. (LaShelle Cooper was appointed to the council later that night.)

“I don’t want to spend in the dark, and I don’t think the public does either,” Mayor Kulikoff said. “I can’t budge if I don’t think we have it.”