⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 13 findings
F1
Page 11
That a new communication and monitoring system is being installed. The full-body scanner allows the jail to confiscate contraband.
F2
Page 11
That the broken glass panel in the in-take sober cell noted in the 2015-2016 Grand Jury report was replaced.
F3
Page 11
That inmate cells were clean and organized.
F4
Page 11
That improvements have been made to curtail contraband thrown over the fence.
F5
Page 11
That the Main Jail is 47 years old and outdated according to the California Corrections Standards Authority. Plans for integrating the jail with the John Latorraca Correctional Center within the next few years will provide the county with a facility that will meet mandated standards.
F6
Page 40
The Board Agenda Item form only provides for check marks indicating review and approval of discretionary fund expenditures.
F7
Page 40
The Request for Special Board Project Funds form is not available on the County of Merced website.
F8
Page 43
The compliance order with the DDW (Division of Drinking Water) will be in force until March 2025.
F9
Page 43
The City of Los Banos has contracted with NAH (North American Haganas, Inc.) on a pilot program to remove Chromium 6 from its water supply. NAH is a company specializing in metal powders and is working on a system that extracts Chromium 6 from ground water. Their intent is to utilize this extracted metal for use in its industrial endeavors.
F10
Page 43
MCCGJ found through its investigation and interviews that the City of Los Banos is ahead of other cities in California specific to dealing with the problem of Chromium 6 in its water supply.
F11
Page 43
The City has made the citizens of Los Banos aware of the Chromium 6 levels in its water supply as required by the State of California Water Quality Board Directives.
F12
Page 43
Although the amount of Chromium 6 in the Los Banos water supply is above standards approved by the State of California, the City has been given a waiver by the State to deal with the Chromium 6 levels as long as they continue to seek ways to lower the levels found in the water.
F13
Page 43
The City of Los Banos developed a 20-year plan approved by the DDW to mitigate the level of Chromium 6 in the City’s water system.
Recommendations 7
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R1Page 11That the Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors continue with the plan to implement a single facility at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility. This will improve safety for inmates and officers and reduce the mandatory over-time expenses for Correctional Officers at both facilities. The new single facility ensures that the inmates at 11 the Main Jail will have the same opportunities for education and rehabilitation as those at JLCC through the “In Custody Behavioral Intervention Program” which has been proven to decrease recidivism.
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R2Page 13That the kitchen ceiling and light fixtures need to be thoroughly cleaned of grease upon receipt of this report and maintained thereafter.
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R3Page 13That the facility needs to develop a process for daily inventory and security of cooking utensils that could be used to cause injury to others.
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R4Page 13That the facility’s kitchen manager should conduct a visual inspection of all food preparers for appropriate attire before handling food. 13
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R5Page 40MCCGJ recommends that information be accessible on the county websites describing the availability of discretionary funds and how to apply for them.
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R6Page 40MCCGJ recommends in lieu of just checking a box on the “Board Agenda Item” form that signatures be required from the Auditor Controller, Chief Executive Officer, County Council, and Department of Public Works Administrator.
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R7Page 40MCCGJ recommends that the process verifies an organization’s non-profit status. REQUESTED RESPONSE(S) Merced County Board of Supervisors “Per County policy, all requests for District Project Funds must be agendized and approved by a majority of the Board. There is no set process or procedure for requesting District Project Funds, and each Board member uses his or her own method for taking requests. In most cases, an individual or member of an organization contacts a Board member to request District Project Funds. Some organizations send letters or other documents describing their requests. Alternately, a Board member may know of a need in the community and decide to recommend an item to the Board for consideration. Furthermore, the Board has developed and implemented a request form for District Project Funds that provides another method for tracking requests and expenditures. The 40 recently-introduced form was created as another option for ensuring accountability and it can be used at the discretion of each Board member. The Department of Public Works tracks how funds are allocated to various Board-approved projects. The recommendations contained in this item of the Civil Grand Jury report were discussed during the Board of Supervisors’ recent Final Budget Hearings. The Board voted to form a committee to work with staff to consider these recommendations and how to further develop policy surrounding District Project Funds. Options on how to implement additional measures to further increase transparency regarding District Project Funds will be discussed at an upcoming Board meeting.” INVITED RESPONSE(S) Merced County Department of Public Works “In response to Internal Investigation 15-08-18, The Discretionary Fund Process, the Department of Public Works is responsible for monitoring the Special District Funds balance for each Supervisorial District and preparing the Board Agenda Items for the allocation of these funds. The Department of Public Works is also responsible for ensuring that all Special District Funds allocated to projects managed by our Department are used in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. The Department of Public Works complies with all policies and procedures established by the Board of Supervisors for the use of Special District Funds.” FOLLLOW-UP As a result of the recommendations made by the 2015-2016 Grand Jury and with the support of the Board of Supervisors, the following documents were approved by the Board and became effective January 1, 2017: District Project Funds Policy Request for District Project Funds District Project Funds Close-Out Form. These documents can be found on the Merced County Supervisors' webpage at www.co.merced.ca.us. CARRIED CONCEALED WEAPON (CCW) Internal Investigation 15-08-24 The Merced County Civil Grand Jury reviewed and investigated the procedures for Carried Concealed Weapon (CCW) permits. The goal of the investigation was to ensure that the Merced County Sheriff’s Department and all local city law enforcement authorities issuing CCW permits were consistent with the permitting process.
No Responses Found 3
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Los Banos
City
Merced County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office
Merced County Sheriff
Elected County Office