El Dorado County Grand Jury
2024-2025
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 (10)
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Findings & Recommendations
7 findings
F1:
– Lack of Expertise in Technology Application: The County currently lacks expertise in leveraging technology to optimize processes, reduce costs, and deliver services more efficiently.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
– Instruct the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to deliver a Chief Information Officer (CIO) job description by September 1, 2025, ensure the job description includes measurable strategic responsibilities and specific authority for county-wide technology alignment. (Sample Job Description provided in appendix.)
F2:
– Wasteful IT Spending Across Departments: The County fails to optimize IT resources, such as data storage, or leverage shared contracts for volume purchasing, leading to increased costs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
– Direct the CAO to hire a Chief Information Officer (CIO) to lead Information Technology (IT) by January 1, 2026.
F3:
– Delayed Rollout of Strategic Initiatives: Strategic IT programs, including migration from Google Suite to Microsoft 365, FENIX, and TRAKiT, have experienced prolonged implementation delays and cost overruns. This has resulted in continued use of legacy systems, delayed returns on investment, and significantly increased County costs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
– Direct the future CIO to develop and present comprehensive storage and data center consolidation strategies by May 1, 2026.
F4:
– IT Maturity in El Dorado County: The IT maturity level in El Dorado County is subpar due to the absence of appropriate IT leadership. The County remains one of only about a dozen in the state without a defined CIO-level role to drive technology strategy and align with varying department needs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
– Instruct the future CIO and CAO to reconfigure the IT Steering Committee into a collaborative body to evaluate projects, consolidate infrastructure needs, coordinate County- wide IT purchases and report results regularly by May 1, 2026.
F5:
– Frequent Turnover in the IT Director Role: Frequent changes in the IT Director position have hindered the establishment of a consistent long-term strategic vision, contributing to subpar IT maturity. Several IT directors did not have sufficient tenure or experience to develop or implement a cohesive strategy.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
The El Dorado County Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
– Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure IT effectiveness and efficiency across county departments by July 1, 2026, and provide quarterly reports to the BOS.
F6:
– Potential Cost Savings: The County could save a significant amount of money with a more strategic view of IT under the leadership of the CIO. Implementation of the
F7:
– Inability to Take a More Strategic View of IT Today: Despite recurring failures in IT leadership, the County proceeded to replace the most recent IT Director with a person of similar job description and skill set, making it unlikely to attract candidates with sufficient skills to succeed in the role.
Findings & Recommendations
4 findings
F2:
– The Medi-Cal eligibility specialist is a challenging position and difficult to identify and hire candidates. Onboarded employees require six months of training, with roughly 50% of those completing the process. HHSA doesn’t track the exact numbers.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
– Direct HHSA to implement a process, such as utilizing a software system, to track and evaluate eligibility specialist staff performance and productivity by end of 2025.
F3:
– HHSA does not currently have a system for tracking Medi-Cal eligibility specialist staff productivity.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
– Direct Human Resources to investigate software systems that can track employee turnover and reasons for resignations/terminations by end of 2025. This information should be employed to determine future efforts to address staffing issues and shared periodically with the Board of Supervisors.
F4:
– The HR system does not track turnover rates, which should include documentation for reason for leaving, and which would provide greater insight to staff shortages and how to improve hiring and retention rates.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
– Direct HHSA to develop a plan by end of 2025 to review the costs and benefits of a call center approach to complement eligibility specialty staff.
F5:
– Several counties have implemented the use of lower cost call centers to address basic inquiries for greater efficiency and referring enrollment steps to eligibility specialists. Currently El Dorado County relies on eligibility specialists to manage all tasks associated with inquiries to the department and calls from clients to their case workers, increasing their workload. CONCLUSION HHSA has fallen behind in processing Medi-Cal disenrollments since Covid due to understaffing. Staffing has been challenging due to the specific training and requirements for the position, as well as lower pay than surrounding counties. HHSA had to follow the state-mandated practice of not removing any subscribers during Covid (the California Families First Corona Virus Response Act, FFCRA). Citizens are now challenged when trying to move to other healthcare plans due to the inability to disenroll efficiently from Medi-Cal. FINDINGS Findings
Additional Recommendations
1
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
– Direct Human Resources to conduct a compensation study for the Eligibility Specialist classification and ensure that total compensation is competitive with neighboring counties by August 30, 2025.
Findings & Recommendations
7 findings
F1:
Significant turnover in the EID finance department from 2022-2023 contributed to staff’s inability to maintain financial policies and transparency.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– Direct the Auditor of the 2024 ACFR to verify by September 30, 2025, and publicly report that all significant deficiencies noted in the 2023 Auditor’s Memorandum of Internal Control have been rectified and not repeated through actions documented and taken in Management’s Response to the Auditor’s Recommendations.
F2:
EID lacked or ignored accounting policies regarding commingling funds and transfers between water and wastewater enterprises. Even very large transactions of this type were not discussed or approved at the Board level.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
– Direct staff to create and make publicly available a separate report on the District's Facility Capacity Charge (FCC) account within 180 days of each fiscal year end, which includes all the information in California Government Code Section 66013(d), and as generally shown in the example reports provided from other water districts herein.
F3:
Statutory requirements for reporting Facility Capacity Charges (FCC) are being met primarily through the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). The lack of a dedicated compliance report reduces transparency and traceability, making it challenging for the EID Board and public to provide effective oversight.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
– Direct staff to create policies by September 30, 2025, that establish a finance committee with the responsibility to act as a crucial resource to the Board, providing analyses and recommendations critical to the organization's financial decision-making process.
F4:
The issuance of a Pension Obligation Bond in 2022 carried financial risk that was not adequately communicated. The Board provided only minimal oversight of the decision, deferring completely to the General Manager and financial advisors, rather than providing sound governance.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
– Direct staff to implement a revised Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) project tracking page that offers a more realistic total cost estimate, including construction cost estimates, for each project throughout its duration in the CIP by August 31, 2025.
F5:
The EID Board collectively has lacked sufficient financial expertise and engagement in recent years to provide adequate oversight in the absence of a financially focused subcommittee or neutral outside expertise.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
– Direct staff to extend its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) from a 5-year to a 10-year planning horizon by September 30, 2025, which will provide more flexibility in managing budgets and allow for more stable rate adjustments over time. RESPONSES
F6:
Leaving construction cost projections out of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) reports for several years gives a misleading picture of financial requirements and may serve to delay rate increases but may make future rate increases even higher.
F7:
Boards in the past decided to implement smaller rate increases than what was recommended by staff, but recent history has shown that larger rate increases, including double- digit increases, are being considered and have been accepted. The double-digit rate increases are partially due to deferring maintenance projects to keep rates low in the short term. RESPONSES
Findings & Recommendations
6 findings
F1:
– EDC Central Dispatch is critically short staffed. The department is funded for 22 staff (18 dispatchers and four supervisors). They currently have 19 staff (nine dispatchers, four supervisors, and six trainees). Several dispatchers (six) and supervisors (two) have left Central Dispatch to work for higher paying agencies in the past five years.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– EDSO direct Central Dispatch to develop and implement a strategy and action plan by July 16, 2025, to retain dispatchers, focusing on employees with less than seven years in the position.
F2:
– Despite staffing shortfalls, the Central Dispatch Department has a collaborative and engaged work culture. To date they have achieved key performance metrics at the expense of potential liability risk, job attrition, and higher costs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
– The Board of Supervisors direct Human Resources to assess the wage disparities, pay differentials, and benefits from a wider range of local cities and counties, primarily Folsom, Roseville, and Placer County, to make an interim adjustment to Central Dispatch wages by October 1, 2025.
F3:
– Central Dispatch staff are mandated to work extensive overtime hours resulting in stress and further job attrition. EDSO deputies are required to cover shortfalls at considerable extra expense.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
– The Board of Supervisors direct Human Resources to include training incentives, including salary increases for Peace Officer Safety Training (POST) education and degrees by July 1, 2026.
F4:
– County leadership outside EDSO, which determine Central Dispatch compensation levels and benefits, appear unaware of the serious staffing shortfalls and the stress on Central Dispatch, largely because Central Dispatch has managed to maintain their key performance metrics.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
– EDSO direct Central Dispatch and their payroll department to produce an annual report by January 1, 2026 including the amount of overtime salary paid, as well as EDSO deputy pay differential for Central Dispatch staffing to determine the additional cost of keeping Central Dispatch 9-1-1 lines answered.
F5:
– There is no single source of information that shows how much extra is spent covering staffing shortfalls in Central Dispatch, including overtime pay and the higher pay rate for EDSO sheriff deputies. The lack of visibility to additional Central Dispatch coverage costs impairs the BOS and HR from making effective staffing decisions and prioritizations.
F6:
– El Dorado County Dispatcher wages, differentials, and benefits are not competitive in the regional public dispatch market. The County’s five-comparator pay modeling doesn’t take local city agencies that Central Dispatch employees have moved to into account.
Findings & Recommendations
2 findings
F1:
– The California Code of Regulations mandates the implementation of annual multi-hazard practice drills, including fire drills. These requirements apply to both adult and juvenile facilities. State law requires districts to implement multi-hazard practice drills (e.g., fire, lockdown, active shooter, or evacuation drills) without requiring inter-agency coordination. Drills have not been completed at either jail per these requirements.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– Develop and implement a plan to resume annual multi-hazard practice drills, including fire drills at each jail by September 1, 2025.
F2:
Interview Questions GENERAL INFORMATION What is the capacity of 303 the facility? Has the facility no exceeded capacity since the last inspection? What is the inmate Minimum- inmates can be in work program classification system? Medium- general population Describe Maximum- in one unit There is administrative separation, disciplinary separation and civil separation (incompetent to stand trial) Since the last inspection, indicate the following: Number of suicides 0 Number of attempted suicides 4 Number of deaths from 0 other causes Number of escapes 0 Date of last Not done this calendar year. Will be resuming fire/emergency drill STAFFING Are there enough staff No to monitor inmates? APPENDIX AND RELATED INFORMATION There are 2 issues- hired way below allocation of 85. Currently 55-59. There is higher pay in other counties Does staff Mostly. There is a translation service for those that need it. communicate in language that an inmate can understand? Impression of Staff is professional when interacting with inmates staff/inmate interactions: ORIENTATION OF INMATES Are inmates oriented to There is a rule books and programs rules and procedures? Each inmate has a tablet that has the information Inmates are oriented on how to earn credits to watch movies etc. Are rules and grievance Yes, it is posted and in the rule book procedures posted? Are rules and grievance Yes procedures understood by inmates? Inmates interviewed? Yes Number interviewed? Four Comments: MEALS/NUTRITION Have the inmates Yes working in the kitchen been trained? Have the inmates had a Medical clearance is done before being brought into custody medical then more thoroughly before housing clearance/review before assignment? APPENDIX AND RELATED INFORMATION Are meals served in the Both In the day room it is done by pod cell, dayroom or at a central cafeteria? Are inmates permitted Yes to converse during meals? Length of time allowed 15 minutes for eating. PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF INMATES Showers: Can be done daily. Generally done every other day and are private. No supervision inside the shower Any reported assaults by The inmates fight daily inmates on inmates? Condition of clothing Clothing fits and is appropriate for the weather PROGRAMS Exercise: is it inside or Inside out? How frequently is it Inmates who are dangerous or have an issue getting along with offered? others are scheduled in the exercise room by themselves Do men get more Equal time exercise time than the women? Are there clergy available Yes, upon request to inmates upon request? Is there access to 8-9 different services, Catholic, Christian, Jehovah Witness, religious services? Mormon Are anger management MRT- Moral Recognition Therapy and other applicable programs available? Are medical services Yes, RN and LVN available? There is a locked pharmacy APPENDIX AND RELATED INFORMATION How frequently is MD onsite few days per week ad available by phone -Wellpath medical staff onsite? How long do inmates 5 days to weeks depending on the situation wait to be seen? Is a physician available Yes, the MD is available by phone. There is an MD on site a by phone or onsite? few days per week. Wellpath Are mental health 20 Hours per week. LCSW, LCFT services available? How frequently is mental 20 hour per week health staff onsite? How long do inmates Variable due to shortages wait to be seen? Are vocational classes Yes. The inmates use tablets to take classes. a vailable? If so, what types, Inmates use tablets cooking, gardening, Is there a program to involve community volunteers? Is there a work Programming is voluntary program? Self-Reliance Program Inmate worker program. Inmates earn points to reduce time from their sentence. DISCIPLINE OF INMATES How often is discipline Low level is enacted every day. enacted? Formal requires a hearing to deter future issue What is the range of Cleaning duties, loss of tablets and cell isolation discipline options? TELEPHONE Access to telephones? tablets
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Interview Questions GENERAL INFORMATION What is the capacity of 303 the facility? Has the facility no exceeded capacity since the last inspection? What is the inmate Minimum- inmates can be in work program classification system? Medium- general population Describe Maximum- in one unit There is administrative separation, disciplinary separation and civil separation (incompetent to stand trial) Since the last inspection, indicate the following: Number of suicides 0 Number of attempted suicides 4 Number of deaths from 0 other causes Number of escapes 0 Date of last Not done this calendar year. Will be resuming fire/emergency drill STAFFING Are there enough staff No to monitor inmates?
Findings & Recommendations
2 findings
F1:
– The EDSO HTCU is a well-resourced unit that assists in a wide-variety of criminal investigations and coordinates with several regional and federal agencies on high- tech crimes. The small staff have the required industry expertise in IT and forensics technology, coupled with a law enforcement background to ensure the County has the skills and tools required to support the growing number of investigations and case requirements. INVESTIGATING CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN HTCU is part of a nationwide integrated program, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. ICAC consists of 61 coordinated local task forces representing over 5,400 federal, state, and law enforcement agencies dedicated to investigating, prosecuting, and developing effective responses to online child exploitation. ICAC training providers are essential in providing the federal, state, and local agencies that make up the ICAC Task Force Program the tools and techniques necessary to develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children. The ICAC Program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet and other technology, the proliferation of child sexual abuse images available electronically, and the heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. The ICAC Task Force agencies are engaged in both proactive and reactive investigations, forensic examinations, and criminal prosecutions. By helping state and local agencies develop effective, sustainable responses to online child victimization, including responses to child sexual abuse images, the ICAC Program has increased law enforcement's capacity to combat technology-facilitated crimes against children at every level. EDSO is an active member of the Sacramento Valley ICAC Task Force. Overall, EDSO has five detectives dedicated to investigating sex crimes including those involving children, including the two detectives in HTCU that take the lead in ICAC case referrals. From June 2023, until November 2024 (17 months), ICAC referred 222 cases to EDSO and HTCU. Of those, 88 were closed or referred to other agencies and 134 are currently under investigation. Those 222 cases were given a standard prioritization, based on urgency and imminent danger to a child. Twenty of the cases involved a child in danger, with two of them in imminent or ongoing danger. The remaining 202 cases involved child sexual abuse material (CSAM). ICAC referrals are initially generated by online service providers and social media communities where offending material is shared or stored. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is also a referral source to ICAC and may come across child exploitation material in the absence of a designated online service provider. Roughly half of the ICAC referrals come from either Synchronoss or Discord. Synchronoss is a very large cloud provider used by telecom organizations and other communication and service providers to build personalized cloud environments that are in turn used by individuals. It provides enough flexibility and privacy of content that makes it an ideal platform to host, share, and sell illicit content. Unlike the Dark Web, Synchronoss makes every attempt to police its platform, identify this illicit content, and refer it to ICAC and local law enforcement agencies. Discord is an instant messaging, content sharing and community building platform primarily used by gamers, but has many other communities of interest, including apparently child exploitation activities. Other messaging and community building platforms, such as Reddit, Snapchat, and Google account for less than 10% of ICAC referrals each. Figure – Outcome of successful case arrest initiated through ICAC and processed by HTCU. Photo courtesy of EDSO. The referral process starts when one of these messaging platforms identifies CSAM and flags it for review. NCMEC receives a report on the material who may perform an initial investigation, including background checks on users and other available open-source information. An attempt is made to localize the illicit user and refer it to the appropriate regional ICAC task force. The regional task force will likely do additional research before involving the local law enforcement agency, in our case EDSO and HTCU. HTCU conducts its investigation further collecting information on the location of the user, including computer IP address and the illicit nature of the content. Once the address of the potential offender is confirmed, law enforcement must request a warrant from a judge after establishing probable cause for the search. Then a court order can be issued authorizing a search of the target residence and all electronic devices found within. A team of EDSO deputies and detectives will conduct the search, conduct interviews, and initiate appropriate legal action. The Grand Jury learned that HTCU is an “Affiliate Member” of the Sacramento ICAC Task Force, but not “Full Members.” As Affiliates, HTCU has a strong relationship with the team and can request resources (bodies) for their own investigations as needed or voluntarily participate in their investigations when possible. The requirement is that full members contribute a minimum of two days per week directly to the Task Force to work cases potentially out of their local jurisdiction. In return, full members receive direct benefit from ICAC grants and funding opportunities (paid training and equipment for their own office) as well as direct access to all equipment and tools available in the Sacramento office. At present, HTCU does not have the staff resources to contribute two days per week to ICAC activities, although they could benefit from the additional funding and resources available to full members. At present, ICAC refers approximately 200 cases per year to HTCU. HTCU has a backlog of 250 cases pending review or action, more than a year’s worth. They close out about 100 ICAC tips a year, with about half of those resulting in an arrest or field case. If HTCU could investigate the current backlog of ICAC tips, at the corresponding rate of arrests or field cases, EDSO could take approximately 100 more child predators or conveyers and consumers of CSAM off the streets that are otherwise going to remain at large. Both detectives in HTCU also have skills in other areas that reduce their ability to focus exclusively on high-tech and ICAC investigations. One detective is a member of the Explosive Ordinance Division (EOD) bomb squad, including being trained and able to respond to any chemical, biological or radioactive attacks within the County. The second detective is a skilled drone pilot and also serves on the Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) team in EDSO. It’s great that EDSO can leverage broad technical skills in multiple areas, and that we have so much expertise within the County without hiring specialized talent, but it does mean that we are slower to work through the ICAC backlog. Even if you can legitimately say that an impending chemical or radiological terrorist attack, for example, should take precedence above an ICAC lead, each of these workloads requires additional annual training, education, and coordination with state and federal agencies on an ongoing basis in the absence of an active incident that take time. The Grand Jury did not learn what percentage of time the detectives split between their secondary units on an annual basis. There are no plans to increase the number of detectives in HTCU in the foreseeable future despite the ICAC backlog and the need to prioritize investigations. The Grand Jury cannot speculate on overall staffing priorities across all EDSO, and we assume the staffing resources in HTCU are appropriate. There is, however, more work that can be done, and there are important leads to CSAM investigations that are not being addressed.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– By the start of the 2025-2026 budget year, the HTCU should take advantage of additional training and industry conferences to stay abreast of the latest technologies and cybersecurity trends, including attending the Black Hat conference, and technology vendor user group meetings, such as the Cellebrite user summit.
F2:
– Current staffing levels in HTCU do not allow EDSO to be a “full” member of ICAC, limiting the County’s ability to receive additional grants and leverage ICAC resources. HTCU also has a significant backlog of leads from ICAC that could lead to as many as 100 consumers of CSAM or other crimes against children. While two detectives are currently assigned to HTCU, their commitment to other units means they are less than full time on HTCU investigations. The Grand Jury is aware that the rare skills of the HTCU detectives are in high demand in industry where salaries are considerably higher than EDC. The County is fortunate that HTCU staff appear satisfied and are fully committed to their work of focusing on the growing problems of child abuse and trafficking. They would be very difficult to replace and a loss of even one person would be devastating to EDSO efforts in this area. The HTCU crime lab and available desk space have been designed for future expansion and the possibility of adding one or two more detectives. Evidence storage was recently migrated to the EDSO data center from the lab to make more space available and to reduce equipment noise. A CHILD RECOVERY AND TREATMENT EFFORT IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA While not specifically addressed to EDSO or County activity, to complete the picture of the scope of child abuse activity and the need for attention in this area, the Grand Jury learned about a project in Live Oak, California (Sutter County) called Peace of Heaven. The Church of Glad Tidings in nearby Yuba City was approached in early 2024 by a task force that asked for help in finding safe housing for over 800(!) trafficked children that had been recently rescued in the Bay Area. The church had no solution but have since embarked on acquiring a ten-acre property that was once a low-security woman’s prison and is converting it into a healing center for rescued and traumatized youth. They are partnering with Mission Safe Harbour, the most aggressive child rescue operation in the world, on the conversion of the facility and future treatment programs. The County should be aware of child rescue programs like this and continue to coordinate efforts with regional organizations to end this scourge of child exploitation and trafficking. FINDINGS Findings
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
– By the start of the 2025-2026 budget year, identify an EDSO resource that can coordinate with the Sacramento regional ICAC task force roughly two days per week and allow HTCU to become a “full member” of ICAC in order to leverage available grant money and additional regional resources.
Findings & Recommendations
4 findings
F1:
After a public complaint is received and logged by Department of Transportation staff, the software used to forward a work order to maintenance staff or to update the complainant has not worked consistently since mid-2024.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
Adopt and deploy a software package that will assist staff in fully electronic processing of roadway complaints by January 1, 2026.
F2:
There are no documented Department of Transportation procedures for processing public-generated roadway complaints.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Adopt a formal, written procedure to receive, track and respond to residents’ requests for road repairs by July 31, 2025.
F3:
The Board of Supervisors does not request, and Department of Transportation does not provide to the Board of Supervisors, data on public-generated complaints, actions taken to address them, progress metrics, or the status of complaint-driven road maintenance repairs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
Establish goals and performance metrics which measure the efforts of the Department of Transportation and report them to the Board of Supervisors quarterly to track the effectiveness of complaint-driven road repairs by July 31, 2025.
F4:
The Department of Transportation relies heavily on public input to identify specific road hazards on the County’s extensive road network. However, only a small portion of the public is aware that its input is important or even welcomed, and where to provide it.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
Submit a quarterly report on key metrics of County-wide road maintenance and repair requirements/efforts to the Board of Supervisors and to the public beginning by July 31, 2025.
Additional Recommendations
1
Not linked to specific findings.
R5:
Increase efforts to encourage and facilitate public input by various means (such as truck signage, flyers and social media) by July 31, 2025.
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The County needs to have a funded plan to address all tree hazards at the Georgetown Airport by the end of March 2024, completing removal of the tree and pole hazards by September 2024, to the satisfaction of Caltrans and meeting FAA regulations. Response by El Dorado County Board of Supervisors: The recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented in the future. The County has executed a contract with a licensed timber operator to remove the three acres of trees that pose the most imminent threat. This work is estimated to be completed by June 30, 2024. Relocation of the obstruction pole is estimated to take place in early 2025. Case #25-10 Continuity and Compliance Report
R3:
EDCOE should work with the employee unions to revise their bargaining agreements to permit schools to automate tracking on all buses and monitor bus drivers' locations during transportation of students. This should be completed by March 31, 2025. Response by El Dorado County Office of Education: This recommendation is already underway. EDCOE buses are equipped with radios with GPS tracking for EDCOE employees. EDCOE will further address this issue with the applicable bargaining units during the 2024-2025 school year.
R4:
By December 31, 2024, the County District Attorney's office should complete the investigation of any potential ethics or conflicts of interest violations, including required FPPC Form 700 disclosures, raised by the former GM's consulting arrangement with DTA. Response by El Dorado County District Attorney: Agree. This investigation is ongoing. As of May 2025, the investigation is still ongoing, and no public action has been taken by the District Attorney's Office. Further tracking of this item is warranted until closure.
R5:
EDCOE should develop and implement policies and procedures that require supervisors and managers to closely monitor classified staff while working around students. If necessary, they should hire additional staff to achieve this goal. This should be done by March 31, 2025. Response by El Dorado County Office of Education: We require further analysis of this recommendation. EDCOE will further address this issue with the applicable bargaining units during the 2024-2025 school year.
R6:
EDCOE should implement sexual harassment prevention training for all students, including how to recognize and report it. This training should begin in kindergarten. EDCOE should offer parents the option to opt out. This should begin by March 31, 2025. Response by El Dorado County Office of Education: We require further analysis of this recommendation. Generally, a student in grades K-3 cannot be suspended or expelled for sexual harassment. (See Cal. Educ. Code § 48900.2). Students in grades 7-12 receive instruction regarding "sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and human trafficking." (See Cal. Educ. Code 51934.) EDCOE Superintendent Policy 5145.7 provides that all EDCOE students receive age-appropriate information on sexual harassment. Case 24-09: Election Integrity: Separating Fact from Fiction
R7:
By January 1, 2025, the Registrar of Voters should establish a volunteer public advisory board to help monitor election processes, make improvements, and coordinate public outreach/communication. Response by El Dorado County Board of Supervisors: The recommendation requires further analysis. The Elections Department tried to establish a Voter Advisory Committee in 2022 and reached out to the Republican and Democratic Central Committees as well as members of the public. None of the groups or the public responded with any interest. In accordance with the Grand Jury's recommendation, the Elections Department will try again to establish a Voter Advisory Committee by December 31, 2025. Case #25-10 Continuity and Compliance Report
R8:
- EDCOE and County school districts should bring their Title IX website requirements up to date by December 31, 2024. Response by Gold Trail Union School District (GTUSD) GTUSD did not respond by the required due date of August 13, 2024. A follow-up letter was sent to the school district August 20, 2024. Their response was received September 10, 2024. Response by Pioneer Unified School District (PUSD) PUSD did not respond by their required due date of August 13, 2024. A follow-up letter was sent to the school district on August 20, 2024. As of the writing of this report their response has not been received. Refer to the Grand Jury website, Reports and Responses for all reports and responses. CONTINUITY: REPORT RESPONSES REQUIRING FOLLOW-UP Case 24-01: Georgetown Airport: A Disaster Waiting to Happen The 2023/2024 Grand Jury became aware of a serious safety issue at the Georgetown Airport. Grave concern was expressed regarding tall pine trees surrounding the airport. The issue was serious enough that Caltrans shut the airport down for night operations.
R9:
By September 30, 2024, CSD should review, revise, and publicize its Master Plan from 2021 with realistic timelines for all new park development, as well as accurate and realistic cost estimates that can be funded and executed within a 10-year planning period. Response by El Dorado Hills CSD: This Recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented in the future: The District has planned and budgeted for a complete review and revision of the 2021 Master Plan beginning in FY25, which starts on July 01, 2024, in accordance to our policy for a five (5) year review. The outcome of the EDHCSD Response El Dorado County Grand Jury Report #24-05 revised Master Plan will have an influence on the District's ten-year Capital Improvement Plan. This is a very comprehensive review process and plan revision that includes community input on several occasions, which cannot be completed in the timeframe recommended. As of May 2025, El Dorado Hills CSD ("CSD" or "the District") has not updated its Master Plan. They have received bids from contractors to develop the plan for significantly higher costs than they budgeted for in the 2025 Fiscal Year, but neither bid was accepted, and no work has begun. Additional follow-up will be required to track this commitment by the 2025-2026 Grand Case #25-10
R10:
Within 90 days, CSD should employ or retain a full-time licensed CPA professional to be Treasurer/CFO-equivalent. Response by El Dorado Hills CSD: This Recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented in the future: As stated in the Findings, the concerns of the Grand Jury are a function of District Policy and not due to the lack of having a CPA on staff or retainer. However, the District recognizes that government accounting is unique and complicated; and reporting is always changing with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) regulations having new requirements that the District must adhere to each year. District staff understand that education is a priority and will work towards having at least one member of the finance department receive a certification in government accounting through a reputable government entity, including GFOA and/or California Society of Municipal Officers (CSFMO). The goal will be to have this completed by December 2025. Additionally, the District will look at incorporating an appropriate accounting certification requirement for future recruitments. As of May 2025, El Dorado Hills CSD has not retained a CPA.
R12:
Within 90 days, CSD should document its plans for Bass Lake Park and justify why CSD took on the obligation to build a turnkey park in Village J7, and how development of Bass Lake Park will now proceed up through park completion proposed by CSD in FY 31. Response by El Dorado Hills CSD: This Recommendation requires further analysis: With the District's acquisition of 55 acres of the old executive golf course and the option to acquire the remaining 41.5 acres, the Bass Lake Park design may be subject to change depending on the community input for the Central EDH Park and what amenities that park will have. The community outreach project for Central EDH Park will run through summer at which time the District will be in a better position to define and document its plans for Bass Lake park. With regard to the turnkey park in Village J, the District participated in a settlement which was negotiated between Parker Development, the District, and El Dorado County that provided the 12.5 acres and $3.5M in funding identified from the County's Serrano CFD 1992-1 that had been Case #25-10 Continuity and Compliance Report
Findings & Recommendations
5 findings
F1:
– The JTC staff are a committed team who are proud to be working in the environment and really live the mission of the program.
F2:
– The units were clean and graffiti free.
F3:
– The facility offers an impressive array of programs and interventions to the youth.
F4:
– The artwork in this report was done by the youth and was quite impressive.
F5:
– The JTC is being remodeled to create a more supportive environment for the youth.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– Continue to create an environment that supports rehabilitation.
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Findings & Recommendations
6 findings
F1:
– The Elections Department is required to accept new voter registrations and voter roll updates provided by the Secretary of State’s office even though the Elections Department is aware that some of these County voters may not have the required driver's license or SSN and/or may not be citizens. The Elections Department places the registration in a pending status until identification details are provided whether the registration is online or mailed in, ensuring that an identifying number is recorded for every voter. The County relies on information provided by the voter to determine their citizenship status.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
– Within 180 days of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the Elections Department to license and use a more powerful voter registration database query and analytics software that will facilitate their ability to identify, research, and address any voter registration anomalies with reduced effort. Fiscal impact: approximately $20,000 per year.
F2:
– The Elections Department is doing an excellent job staying current with deceased voters and incorporating information from Social Security records and other sources. This is not a significant problem for the County despite initial evidence to the contrary.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
– Within 180 days of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the Elections Department to confirm whether place of birth is a required data field in a valid registration and request the State to either update Elections Code Section 2150(a)(6), or make the field required in online registration forms and resolve the inconsistency with Federal code.
F3:
– There is inconsistency between Federal and State election codes regarding requirement for stating place of birth on a registration. State of California is not compliant with its own statutory requirement for a voter registration record to include the affiant’s place of birth, by making the place of birth optional in the online voter registration form. The County cannot determine this information independently, and it is left blank in a significant number of voter records. This conforms with Federal election mandates and requires no new action by the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
– Within 180 days of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct and enable the County Elections Department to implement a plan for increased drop box security and surveillance against physical attacks, including reimbursing the Sheriff’s Office for any required support they need to provide. Fiscal impact: approximately $80,000 per year.
F4:
- The Elections Department regularly checks and identifies voter registrations that incorrectly list a post office box location as an actual residence. These checks are sporadic, and they had not identified all instances at the time of our analysis.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
– Within 180 days of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the County Elections Department to address the small number of voter registrations with a single character first name and no middle name by requesting an update to their information or moving to remove them from the voter roll.
F5:
– The Elections Department cannot update ex-patriated voter registrations even though they have not lived in the U.S. for many years. These voters have the right to participate in U.S. elections and use their last primary residence as a location to determine their ballot. This may allow voters to participate in local races for which they have no knowledge, interest or involvement. FINDINGS
F6:
– Outdoor ballot drop boxes are vulnerable to physical attacks such as inserting an incendiary device that would cause a large loss of ballots. Fire retardants and increased patrols and video surveillance could alleviate concerns but would require additional funding and may not completely eliminate potential problems.
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.