Gran Jurado del Condado de Contra Costa
2018-2019
From the annual report
The consolidated year-end volume. The individual investigations it contains are listed separately below.
📑 Year-End Report
The full consolidated volume; individual reports are listed below.
Individual reports (8)
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
9 hallazgos
F1:
The 2015 Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit requires most of the cities, towns, and the County to take action to reduce trash discharges by 80%, from 2009 baseline levels, by July 1, 2019
F2:
Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, and the eastern portion of the County were added to the Permit in February, 2019 and have a requirement to reduce trash discharges by 70%, from their 2016 baseline trash levels, by December 31, 2019.
F3:
Using the formula prescribed in the Permit, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, El Cerrito, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pittsburg, Richmond, San Pablo, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek report that they have already reached their July 1, 2019 trash reduction goals.
F4:
In June, 2018, Hercules and Pinole were issued Cease and Desist Orders by the Water Board requiring them to improve their performance in meeting their trash reduction goals.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
The City Councils of Hercules and Pinole should each consider directing their city manager to implement trash controls to bring them into compliance with the 80% trash reduction goal by December 31, 2019.
F5:
The County estimates that it will need an additional $1.2 million per year to meet all the Permit requirements.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Board of Supervisors and all City/Town Councils should consider identifying additional revenue sources to fully fund Permit requirements in order to comply with the Permit and avoid potential liability, by June 30, 2020.
F6:
Both the CCCWP and LAFCO report that unfunded federal and state mandated stormwater permit compliance programs are a challenge for cities, towns, and the County.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Board of Supervisors and all City/Town Councils should consider identifying additional revenue sources to fully fund Permit requirements in order to comply with the Permit and avoid potential liability, by June 30, 2020.
F7:
Concord, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Pinole, Pittsburg, Richmond, San Pablo, and Walnut Creek have established ordinances banning Styrofoam food packaging in their communities.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
The City/Town Councils of Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Danville, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, and San Ramon should consider limiting the use of Styrofoam containers in their communities by June 30, 2020.
F8:
Caltrans reports that highways and ramps along portions of Highways 4 and 24, Interstates 80, 580, and 680 in Antioch, El Cerrito, Richmond, and in the unincorporated areas of the County are high trash generation areas.
F9:
No narrative summary of the accomplishments, challenges, costs, and funds needed to fully comply with the Permit is provided in the required annual reports prepared by CCCWP, the County, and each city and town.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
The Board of Supervisors and all City/Town Councils should consider directing staff to provide a concise summary of their Annual Reports, citing their accomplishments, challenges, costs, and funds needed to fully comply with the Permit, by December 31, 2019.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
7 hallazgos
F1:
At peak times the PES facility, with four beds and two treatment rooms, is not sufficient to handle its volume of children and adolescent patients.
F2:
Children and adolescents could remain in PES four to five days while they wait for long-term placement.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing Contra Costa Health Services to investigate the use of the Medical Center’s vacant wing (4D) as a temporary holding area for children and adolescents waiting for long-term placement in other facilities by December 31, 2019.
F3:
The PES facility is configured so that children and adolescents seeking treatment must pass through the adult patient area.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing Contra Costa Health Services to perform a comprehensive needs assessment that would include a redesign of the PES facility that would separate children and adolescents from adult patients by June 30, 2020.
F4:
Contra Costa County does not operate a long-term-care facility for children and adolescents. They are often placed in long-term-care facilities outside the County.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing Contra Costa Health Services to develop a plan to operate a treatment center for children and adolescents who need long-term psychiatric care by June 30, 2020. The treatment center could either be within the County or in collaboration with neighboring counties.
F5:
Although the County has authorized John Muir Health Concord Medical Center to accept 5150 patients, there is no formal contract to do so.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing Contra Costa Health Services to explore entering into a contract with John Muir Health Concord Medical Center to accept and treat 5150 patients presently only served by the County by June 30, 2020.
F6:
The Medical Center’s 4D wing is vacant with no plans for its utilization.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing Contra Costa Health Services to investigate the use of the Medical Center’s vacant wing (4D) as a temporary holding area for children and adolescents waiting for long-term placement in other facilities by December 31, 2019.
F7:
The Contra Costa County Mental Health Commission recommended changes in PES to improve treatment space for children and adolescents. The Grand Jury did not find any evidence that the Commission’s recommendations had been implemented.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
8 hallazgos
F1:
The Library is transitioning from a traditional storehouse for books into a technology center, literacy advocate, and community gathering place.
F2:
The Pleasant Hill branch is closing in late September 2019 to make way for a new branch which is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2021.
F3:
The new branch will not be able to house the Library’s Contra Costa County history Collection, most of which is currently housed in Pleasant Hill.
F4:
The Library does not have a short-term plan for safeguarding the Collection after the Pleasant Hill branch closes, before a long-term plan can be implemented.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
The Library should consider developing a short-term plan by September 2019 for safeguarding the Collection while a long-term plan is being developed and implemented.
F5:
The Library has not developed a long-term plan for permanently housing the Collection.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (3)
R2:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing the Library to develop a long- term plan for housing the Collection, including a budget, by June 2020.
R3:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing the Library to explore the feasibility of an agreement with the Contra Costa County Historical Society for housing the Collection by August 2019.
R4:
The Board of Supervisors should consider providing the financial resources necessary to fund the budget for the long-term plan in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
F6:
The Library has received a grant of professional preservationist services that will provide a basis on which to develop short- and long-term plans for safeguarding and housing the Collection.
F7:
The Contra Costa County Historical Society is a potential repository for the Collection.
F8:
The Contra Costa County Historical Society would like to house the Library’s Collection.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
8 hallazgos
F1:
The Code Enforcement Unit’s fee revenue has declined every year over the past four years. Fee revenue in the 2017-2018 fiscal year was less than half the amount collected just five years earlier.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to evaluate the current staffing needs of the Code Enforcement Unit and confirm it has the staffing needed to complete the state-mandated annual inspections for schools and multifamily residences (currently about 8,000), by December 31, 2019.
F2:
Each inspector in the Code Enforcement Unit can average up to 900 inspections per year. There are currently seven inspectors assigned to inspect about 8,000 occupancies.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to produce public quarterly reports on the status of compliance with state-mandated inspections, including status for the prior 12 months and projected status to the end of the year, by December 31, 2019.
F3:
Additional fire inspectors or other efficiencies are needed to keep pace with state- mandated inspections for schools and multifamily residences.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to develop a publicly available Internet-based address lookup feature disclosing the status of state-mandated fire inspections, by June 30, 2020.
F4:
By December 2018, the Fire District completed the required state-mandated inspections for schools and multifamily occupancies that are known to them.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to replace the existing RMS with a system that includes the ability to utilize a tablet device for data entry in the field, by June 30, 2020.
F5:
The Fire District has not consistently performed all the state-mandated annual fire inspections for schools or multifamily residences in prior years.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R5:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to connect the new RMS database to state and local data sources and to the District’s own Computer Aided Dispatch system by June 30, 2020.
F6:
There is no evidence that the public was informed of potential impacts of the fiscal crisis on state-mandated fire inspections prior to the media reporting in June 2018.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R6:
The Fire District Board of Directors should consider directing the Fire Chief to develop and implement an audit process to verify the accuracy and completeness of the RMS data, by December 31, 2019.
F7:
The current RMS system used for processing fire inspections requires that inspectors use paper forms in the field and manually enter data into the RMS once they return to the office.
F8:
The Fire District does not have a formal audit process to confirm the accuracy and completeness of RMS data.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
13 hallazgos
F1:
CFS has 23 vacant social worker positions.
F2:
CFS has an annual staff attrition rate of 28 percent.
F3:
CFS hiring practices take up to six months, during which time some job applicants find employment elsewhere.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to continue its ongoing efforts to streamline the hiring process and reduce the amount of time it takes to make hiring decisions by December 31, 2019.
F4:
EHSD has formed a task force to look for ways of speeding up the hiring process.
F5:
Compensation for CFS social workers is less than that for social workers in other Bay Area counties.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to review social worker compensation to ensure that it is competitive with that of neighboring counties in the 2020-2021 budget cycle.
F6:
CFS staff cite high workloads, poor leadership, and a stressful work environment as reasons for leaving, in addition to compensation.
F7:
CFS does not have consistent practices for performance reviews to foster staff and management accountability.
F8:
EHSD has proposed incentives to encourage new hires to accept offers of employment. These include a five percent premium over base pay, signing bonuses, tuition reimbursement, and assistance with repayment of student loans.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
The Board of Supervisors should consider implementing EHSD’s proposal for incentives to aid in recruiting new social workers for CFS in the 2020-2021 budget cycle.
F9:
EHSD has a Leadership Academy for all of its bureaus, but managers in CFS do not always participate or follow up with their staffs.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to hold CFS managers accountable for participating in its Leadership Development program by December 31, 2019.
F10:
CFS does not have a clearly defined set of procedures for handling and resolving complaints it receives from parents and other stakeholders.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R5:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to develop and implement a formal process for handling and resolving CFS client complaints by June 30, 2020.
F11:
CFS has no formal process for handling recommendations from its ombudsman or staff members for improvements in its policies and practices.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R6:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to develop and implement procedures for evaluating recommendations by the CFS staff or ombudsman for improving policies and practices by June 30, 2020.
F12:
The proposed contract for the new CFS ombudsman limits the amount of time the ombudsman can spend resolving complaints.
F13:
The independence of the CFS ombudsman is impacted because the position reports to the director of CFS.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R7:
The Board of Supervisors should consider directing EHSD to require the ombudsman to report to the director of EHSD, rather than the director of CFS, by December 31, 2019.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
13 hallazgos
F1:
EBMUD has developed and adopted a tiered water rate structure for SFR customers that complies with Article X and Article XIII D, section 6(b) of the California Constitution.
F2:
EBMUD water rates have been increasing three to five times faster than the Consumer Price Index over the last seven years.
F3:
Customers are impacted by the fact that EBMUD’s costs need to be covered regardless of how much or how little water customers use.
F4:
SFR Tier 1 rates are based on average indoor water use, which is similar among customers east and west of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills.
F5:
EBMUD’s SFR customers east and west of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills differ in terms of their outdoor water use.
F6:
EBMUD uses average summer SFR monthly water use from both east and west of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills to set the break point between SFR Tiers 2 and 3.
F7:
Since summer temperatures are warmer, lot sizes are larger, and properties are more heavily landscaped east of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, customers east of the Hills incur Tier 3 rates more frequently than customers west of the Hills.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R7:
The EBMUD Board should consider holding board meetings at varying locations including locations east of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, such as in Walnut Creek, by December 31, 2019.
F8:
EBMUD’s SFR customers east and west of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills are not homogeneous in terms of their lot sizes, summer temperatures, and resulting outdoor need for water.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R7:
The EBMUD Board should consider holding board meetings at varying locations including locations east of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, such as in Walnut Creek, by December 31, 2019.
F9:
EBMUD has not provided its customers with a narrative explanation for the cost of service, the allocation of costs among its various customer classes, or within each customer class.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (3)
R1:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to improve transparency by providing customers with a narrative explanation of the cost-of- service methodology, as recommended by the League of California Cities, by December 31, 2019.
R2:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to include a discussion of how rates are set and alternative methods of setting rates in the narrative explanation, by December 31, 2019.
R5:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to develop a plan to improve transparency and better engage customers in how it sets its water rates by June 30, 2020.
F10:
EBMUD has alternative methods available to it for setting rates: increasing the fixed rate, creating two separate classes of SFR customers, and adopting a Water Budget rate structure.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (2)
R3:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to solicit customer input and participation in its examination of Water Budget rate structures by establishing a customer advisory committee by December 31, 2019.
R4:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to complete an analysis of Water Budget rate structures and communicate its findings to customers by June 30, 2020.
F11:
Following a Board workshop in 2016, EBMUD staff recommended that the Board continue to explore Water Budget rates.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (2)
R3:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to solicit customer input and participation in its examination of Water Budget rate structures by establishing a customer advisory committee by December 31, 2019.
R4:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to complete an analysis of Water Budget rate structures and communicate its findings to customers by June 30, 2020.
F12:
The Board meets twice a month on weekday afternoons in Oakland.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R6:
The EBMUD Board should consider holding board meetings during weekday evenings, by December 31, 2019.
F13:
EBMUD continues to evaluate providing video recording and live-streaming of Board meetings.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (2)
R8:
The EBMUD Board should consider directing its General Manager to complete the evaluation of live-streaming of Board meetings by December 31, 2019.
R9:
The EBMUD Board should consider streaming online or televising its board meetings to encourage public participation and understanding of its activities by June 30, 2020.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
9 hallazgos
F1:
The Office of Education’s oversight of charter school governance appears to be consistent with its oversight duties under the Education Code.
F2:
The Board of Education has limited oversight responsibilities under the Education Code.
F3:
The Board of Education is modifying a standardized memorandum of understanding designed by CARSNet to address issues of transparency and accountability not covered by the Education Code.
F4:
Clayton Valley has an inadequate memorandum of understanding with the Office of Education, and Making Waves - Richmond has none.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R1:
As a condition of approving charter petitions at the next petition renewal hearing, the Office of Education should consider requiring all charter schools that are under its chartering authority to have a standardized and detailed MOU using a modified version of the CARSNet format.
F5:
The Office of Education does not currently meet with charter schools as a group to facilitate best practices in governance.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
The Office of Education should consider developing a plan to communicate with charter schools about how it will conduct oversight by December 31, 2019.
F6:
Summit, with its offices outside of Contra Costa County, and Clayton Valley, with only its Parent Faculty Club, do not promote parental engagement.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
As a condition of approving charter petitions at the next petition renewal hearing, the Office of Education should consider including provisions for parent- teacher organizations in its MOU for all charter schools.
F7:
Clayton Valley has a Board of Directors structure that has too many members who have potential conflicts of interest.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
As a condition of approving Making Waves Academy and Clayton Valley Charter High School charter petitions at the next petition renewal hearing, the Office of Education should consider requiring these schools to enter into an MOU whereby they agree to update their board of director structures.
F8:
Making Waves Academy has a Board of Directors structure that gives undue influence to the Making Waves Foundation to appoint the Academy Board of Directors.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
As a condition of approving Making Waves Academy and Clayton Valley Charter High School charter petitions at the next petition renewal hearing, the Office of Education should consider requiring these schools to enter into an MOU whereby they agree to update their board of director structures.
F9:
The County Office of Education website provides information that is comparable to the information found on the websites of other county offices of education.
Hallazgos & Recomendaciones
7 hallazgos
F1:
The 25 agencies that responded to the RFI affirmed their satisfaction with the quality of analysis performed by the Crime Lab.
F2:
The Crime Lab’s average analysis turn-around time is 30 days, depending on the test.
F3:
The Crime Lab indicates it can do more crime evidence testing.
F4:
The Crime Lab confirmed it has no strategic plan to address its future needs, including facilities, staffing, and equipment replacement.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (2)
R1:
The Sheriff's Office should consider preparing a five-year strategic plan for the Crime Lab by December 31, 2020.
R2:
As part of a five-year strategic plan, the Sheriff's Office should consider evaluating whether to consolidate its Crime Lab facilities, assess staffing needs, and develop an equipment update plan by December 31, 2020.
F5:
The Crime Lab indicated that having Summit Lab, Muir Lab, and Property and Evidence Services operating in separate locations inhibits cross-training and supervision of staff.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R2:
As part of a five-year strategic plan, the Sheriff's Office should consider evaluating whether to consolidate its Crime Lab facilities, assess staffing needs, and develop an equipment update plan by December 31, 2020.
F6:
Even with the Crime Lab’s annual updates, not all law enforcement agencies in the County are fully aware of newly acquired equipment, turnaround times, and available capacity for testing.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R3:
The Sheriff's Office should consider expanding its outreach to all law enforcement agencies in the County to promote its newly acquired equipment, turnaround times, and available capacity for testing by December 31, 2019.
F7:
The Sheriff's Office and the other 27 County law enforcement agencies use outside labs for GSR testing.
Recomendaciones relacionadas (1)
R4:
To eliminate the redundancy of effort and seek a competitive rate, the Sheriff's Office should consider studying the possibility of becoming the GSR testing contract organization for all law enforcement agencies in the County by December 31, 2020.