Score: +2 (4/0/2)
Stanislaus County Grand Jury • 2014-2015

2014-2015 Final Report*

Published: June 30, 2015 101 pages
View Original PDF

Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F11

Findings and Recommendations 13 findings

F1 Page 31
No major maintenance issues were found with the exception of the airport entrance fence being too low.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 14
The City of Patterson needs to consistently follow the Brown Act in order to ensure transparency to the public and remain compliant with the law. (a) Agendas for closed session meetings must be included in the open session meeting agendas and announced verbally in open session prior to adj ourning to closed session. Closed session items discussed must be limited to Brown Act requirements. (b) Pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957.1 (a), (element of the Brown Act), the City Council is required to publicly report any action taken in closed session and the vote or abstention on that action of every member present. The City of Patterson needs to comply with applicable laws concerning the acquisition of property by a public entity, including but not limited to, the California Government Code and Public Resources Code. (a)The City of Patterson needs to adopt and approve a written policy and check list for the acquisition of real property, assuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
F2 Page 13
The City of Patterson demonstrated disregard for the law and did not exercise due diligence in the acquisition of the property at 21/25 S. Del Puerto Avenue. (a) The City of Patterson neglected to submit its plan to acquire property to the Planning Commission as required by California Government Code Section 65402 (a), and the City proceeded to acquire the property without a determination by the Planning Commission if the project was consistent with its General Plan. (b) There was no CEQA documentation prepared by the City, informing the public of the environmental consequences of this purchase. (c) No hazardous materials assessment was performed prior to, or during, the acquisition process despite being required for the same reason as in F2(b).
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 27
The consolidation study should examine all public transportation systems within the county and include a cost/benefit analysis for a complete or partial consolidation. This study should take all operational and ridership matters into consideration and make specific recommendations to both StanCOG and the Board of Supervisors that will best serve the transit authorities, users, and taxpayers. 21
F3 Page 13
The building purchased by the city cannot be used as intended without extensive remodeling and repair at significant cost.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 28
StanCOG, StaRT, BLAST, CAT, and MAX should begin inquiry into the implementation of technological advances in the areas of both transit management and rider services, such as automated fare boxes, auto-announce, Wi-Fi, GPS tracking, and phone app schedules.
F4 Page 13
The lack of due diligence has resulted in the waste of approximately $2,400,000.00 in public funds based upon estimates supplied by the City of Patterson.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Page 14
The City of Patterson needs to adopt and approve a written policy and check list for the acquisition of real property, assuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
F5 Page 13
The City of Patterson failed to comply with the 2014-2015 SCCGJ request for the purchase agreement for the properties at 21/25 S. Del Puerto Avenue. The SCCGJ was led to believe, based upon review of City documentation and council agendas, that a purchase agreement existed. (a) The City of Patterson did not respond to the written request for information by the 2014- 2015 SCCGJ as required by law California Penal Code 925(a). (b) The City of Patterson failed to fully comply in delivering all requested documents by February 17, 2015 as requested under the Freedom of Information Act in order to provide proof of the purchase agreement. (c) The City of Patterson failed to comply with the subpoena served on the City Manager, issued February 2, 2015, by the Stanislaus County Superior Court, concerning information related to the purchase agreement. (d) The Stanislaus County Superior Court issued the City Manager an Order to Show Cause, dated March 13, 2015. (e) The City Manager and City Attorney appeared before a Superior Court Judge on April 13, 2015, and agreed to appear before the 2014-2015 SCCGJ to testify under oath concerning the existence of a purchase agreement. The 2014-2015 SCCGJ is resigned to the fact that a formal purchase agreement did not
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 15
The City of Patterson must cooperate with the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury and the Stanislaus County Superior Court in their lawful attempts to obtain public documents.
F6 Page 36
The PSC has video-monitoring systems in place.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Page 86
“Recommend to increase recruiting efforts to fill present and future staff positions.” Public Safety Center
F7 Page 36
Although each safety cell at the PSC has a functional video camera, they are observational only and not recorded onto any type of media.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Page 36
Convert all existing safety cell cameras to record 24/7 onto media storage in an effort to mitigate claims of negligence or abuse at these high-risk locations. 28
F8 Page 58
The passage of Proposition 47 has resulted in significant unintended consequences. These include crippling Drug Court, creating holes in the state DNA database, and the reclassifying of some gun crimes. 48
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Page 86
“None” Probation Department/Juvenile Institutions
F9 Page 38
The DRC isa useful and important facility, which provides the Probation Department with a centralized location for the variety of services needed or required by those on probation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Page 59
— The criminal justice leaders of Stanislaus County should continue to be active, both individually and through their professional organizations, in California’s legislative challenges to salvage the unintended consequences of Proposition 47.
F10 Page 38
The DRC has become more important due to the additional persons placed into local post-release community supervision due to AB 109.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Page 63
The City of Modesto and Stanislaus County should begin immediate negotiations with the State of California to gain control of the old courthouse property by the time the new courthouse is completed and operational.
F12 Page 40
Staffcomments indicated CAD software is outdated.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
Page 40
The Regional 911 Director should take steps to update the CAD system.
F13 Page 40
Regional 911 implements continuous recruitment to fill vacated and budgeted positions.
No recommendations for this finding
F14 Page 40
Employees of the Regional 911 Center are highly trained and dedicated to providing public service to the community of Stanislaus County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R14
Page 63
Prior to the opening of the New Modesto Courthouse in 2019, the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County, with considerable public participation, should partner to develop a comprehensive plan for the reuse and redevelopment of the old courthouse and Downtown Men’s Jail.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

* 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.