TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, Chief Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Andrew M. Mize, Legislative & Policy Analyst
SUBJECT: Approval of Proposed Response to Napa County Grand Jury Report
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve transmittal of the proposed response to the 2025-26 Grand Jury Report “Fear of ICE in the Valley? Napa County Law Enforcement’s Response,” to the Presiding Judge of the Napa County Superior Court as prescribed by Section 933 of the Penal Code. (No Fiscal Impact)
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BACKGROUND
On April 13, 2026, the Napa County Civil Grand Jury published the first report from its 2025-26 session, titled “Fear of ICE in the Valley? Napa County Law Enforcement’s Response.” The findings and recommendations of the report spanned the operations of both local police agencies and the Napa County Department of Corrections. The purview of the Board of Supervisors vis-à-vis the report is limited to the operations of the Napa County Department of Corrections.
Specifically, the report outlines recommendations related to responses of Department of Corrections personnel to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests. The circumstances under which local agencies may respond to detainer requests are controlled by state law. State law also mandates an annual public presentation of all responses to detainer requests.
The report recommends narrowing the scope in local policy under which Department of Corrections personnel are permitted to respond to detainer requests. By doing so, Napa County would not be exercising the full scope of its legal authority under California law. The report further recommends more frequent public reports containing more information about persons subject to local responses to ICE detainer requests.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Inclusivity of the Board of Supervisors convened with staff in early May to review the Grand Jury report and provide direction to staff on a proposed response for public consideration by the full Board of Supervisors. The proposed response attached to this item reflects the changes in policy recommended to staff by the Ad Hoc Committee on Inclusivity.
The proposed response to the report’s findings and recommendations outlines several changes to Department of Corrections policy and reporting practices for adoption by the Board. First, the response narrows the local criteria for responses to ICE detainer requests to exclude both otherwise-qualifying misdemeanors and “wobbler” felony convictions more than ten (10) years old. [1] Second, the response provides for a real-time dashboard on the Napa County website outlining responses to ICE detainer requests, dates and the specific charges qualifying therefor. The dashboard is live and accessible on the Napa County Department of Corrections webpage, by selecting the “In Custody” tab in the middle of the page, clicking the link to “In Custody” in the resulting menu, and selecting “California Values Act (SB 54)” on the resulting page, or by navigating to the following link: https://app.napacounty.gov/CJNet/Public/CaliforniaValuesActReport. Users will be prompted to enter a date range: staff have populated data for the period beginning January 1, 2026, and will keep the dashboard updated with current data.
Should the Board approve the proposed response, the Chief Executive Officer will direct immediate implementation of the changes contained therein.
Recommended action: Approve for transmittal to the Presiding Judge of the Napa County Superior Court the proposed response to the 2025-26 Grand Jury Report “FEAR OF ICE IN THE VALLEY? NAPA COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT’S RESPONSE.”
[1] “Wobbler” felony convictions are those which could have been charged as a misdemeanor or felony under the provisions of California’s Penal Code.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Mandatory |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Under California Penal Code Section 933(c), the Board of Supervisors has 90 days from the release of the report to comment to the presiding judge of the Napa County Superior Court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the Board. If not approved today, staff will be required to return at a later meeting of the Board for approval. |
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Additional Information |
Strategic Initiative: Elevate County Service and Workforce Excellence. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.