TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Amanda Gibbs, Chief Probation Officer
REPORT BY: Ferlyn Buenafe, Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Agreement with Sonoma County
RECOMMENDATION
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Chief Probation Officer requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign Agreement No. 220331B with Sonoma County for a maximum of $250,000 for the term May 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 to provide care and housing for court-ordered youth.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Agreement provides services for the custody, care and supervision of youth realigned from the State division of Juvenile Justice or who were otherwise eligible for commitment to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) prior to its closure.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Probation, 14200-00 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Mandatory |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The contract amount has been included in the FY 22-23 Recommended budget and will be budgeted accordingly in the succeeding fiscal year. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If the agreement is not approved, the County is not able to provide the required care and treatment services with existing staff and Juvenile programs. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Effective and Open Government |
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.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Senate Bill 823 (2020), began the closure of the state’s Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), realigning those state functions to the County governments. Under SB 823, DJJ intake closed for most youth on July 1, 2021 and counties became fully responsible for housing, programming and treatment of youth at their offense and needs levels who can no longer be committed to DJJ.
Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) Section(s) 1990-1995 established the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program for the purpose of providing county-based care, custody, and supervision of youth who are realigned from the state Division of Juvenile Justice or who would otherwise be eligible for commitment to the Division of Juvenile Justice prior to its closure.
To be eligible for funding allocations associated with this grant program, counties shall create a subcommittee of the multiagency Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC), chaired by the Chief of Probation, to develop a plan describing the facilities, programs, placements, services, supervision and reentry strategies that are needed to provide appropriate rehabilitative services for realigned youth. The Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant is continuously appropriated in statute with broad flexibility to provide services to the realigned youth who were previously eligible for commitment to the DJJ.
A subcommittee of the Napa County JJCC was created with a collective interest in ensuring Napa County realigned youth will have access to regional, high-quality programming and services in the event they are adjudicated to a secure facility. The subcommittee agreed to a Secure Track placement, which includes specialized treatment programs and services for targeted youth provided by another county.
Not every county can develop a secure track treatment option to address the complex needs for each youth that is ordered by the court into a secure youth treatment facility. Napa County is part of a collaborative consortium established to ensure that there is a high-quality secure youth treatment available for any youth in the state who, absent SB 823, would have been committed to DJJ.
Today’s action allows the County to contract with Sonoma County to provide secure track services to meet the requirements of SB 823.