Yolo County Grand Jury • 2002-2003

2002-2003 Yolo County Grand Jury Final Report*

Published: June 30, 2003 30 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 6 findings

F1
The complaint regarding use of the Sheriff's Revolving/ Discretionary Fund has merit and validity. Receipt for item records: "Received of Citizens for Ed Prieto"
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Although it could not be determined whether the cause Blueprints of the project of the victim's death was accidental or due to natura Contract documents causes, the coroner determined that no foul play wa Contract for Services involved.
F2
Both internal and external auditing of purposes for which Signed: Rick Gonzales, President, Concilio the Fund has been used have been inadequate at best, Such expenditures of taxpayer dollars assuredly do and at times non-existent. nothing to make Yolo County a safer and more peaceful The Sheriff has made or authorized disbursements from place to live and work. Neither do they contribute any- this Fund that are, in some cases, consistent with statutory thing toward the prevention or deterrence of crime and requirements; in some cases, highly questionable as the apprehension of criminals (cf. California Penal Code, appropriate use of public funds; and, in some cases, inap- Sections 11000 et sequitur - Prevention of Crime and propriate use of taxpayer dollars. Apprehension of Criminals).
Related Recommendations (42)
R2
Expenditures the Grand Jury considers questionable Yolo County Sheriff (03-4, 03-5) were legitimate under community outreach programs. County Auditor-Controller (03-1, 03-2, 03-3)
R02-01
The executive director should work with representa- forwarded to the board. tives of the labor union selected by YCHA staff to The Board of Supervisors appoints the YCHA Com- negotiate a fair and affordable contract promptly. missioners, who are authorized to transact business and Ten (10) months were required to complete nego- to exercise public and essential government functions. tiations as to the general unit, which included an MOU The YCHA Executive Director and Board of Commis- with management. sioners may choose to further consider the report's
R02-02
Until a union contract is ratified, the YCHA com- "Other Issues Need Further Review" and "Conclusions." mission should replace the current personnel policies
R02-03
The YCHA commission should explore whether con-
R02-04
Recent action included a salary increase that will en- recommendations are addressed without delay. hance employment recruitment and retention; recruitment The recommendation has been implemented. has been expanded mostly through advertisements and
R02-05
If it is not practical for the auditor-controller to job fairs. Topical improvements to the dispatch center annually audit the YCHA, the auditor-controller should building were provided. Provisions for backup generator at least spot check YCHA books at irregular, unpre- safety and fire alarms were included in the remodel. dictable intervals to provide at least partial inde- YCCESA has taken advantage of Yolo County's energy pendent audits. project to upgrade and enhance energy efficiency and The County Auditor-Controller normally has no juris- comfort. diction over YCHA since the HA receives no funds from BOS Response: Matters of YCCESA operations and the County, so no audit tasks are planned by the Auditor- capital improvements are the responsibility of the execu- Controller. YCHA has an independent audit firm selected by HA Commissioners. (APPENDIX: Responses to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury
R02-06
The Board of Supervisors should review the finding Report-continued on next page) 2002–2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT tive director and JPA board. As such, the JPA has the pleted by August, 2002. responsibility to sufficiently staff itself, maintain morale, BOS Response: Matters of YCCESA operations and and plan and provide for its capital needs. compliance with mandates are the responsibility of the
R02-07
The Board of Supervisors should reconsider the cri- with policies more in line with county practice. teria it uses in selecting commissioners. The recommendation will not be implemented. It is The County Board of Supervisors endeavors to neither warranted nor reasonable; the Grand Jury's comply with the statutes (California Health and Safety recommendation violates Meyers-Milias-Brown Act that Code, 'Housing Authorities Law') in selecting and ap- forbids changing personnel policies affecting wages, pointing Commissioners to the YCHA Board of Com- hours, or conditions of employments without first having missioners. negotiated such change with the applicable unions. The Union did not request such changes during labor nego- Yolo County Communication tiations. Emergency Services Agency
R02-08
The Joint Powers Authority and the director of the tracting with county counsel for legal services for the Emergency Service Agency should look into what YCHA could make funds now being devoted to legal changes are necessary to improve morale, including fees available for programs that assist the county's changes increasing staffing, updating equipment, and low-income residents. improving or replacing the building that houses the The recommendation will not be implemented be- dispatch center. cause it is not warranted. The Commission believes that While the organization agrees that employee mo- the current legal representation is cost effective and rale is an important component of the organization, it appropriate, and that County Counsel could not deliver respectfully disagrees with the implication that YCCESA the same level of service. has not undertaken steps to improve those conditions. The YCHA Commission should ensure that audit
R02-09
The Joint Powers Authority and the director should executive director and JPA board. As such, the JPA has closely supervise, and if necessary, replace the com- the responsibility to develop the course of action needed munications manager. to bring its equipment into compliance with federal The executive director and JPA Board agree with mandates. The County, through its representative on the the importance of proper supervision of employees. JPA Board, will participate in the development of Over the past few years, YCCESA has instituted daily YCCESA's plans, contacts and discussions between the executive direc-
R02-10
The director should follow the procedures in the have attended CSBA conferences. The district will con- employee manual concerning evaluations. tinue to make information available to board members YCCESA has consistently tried to assure compliance regarding in-service opportunities. Consideration will be with evaluation procedures. Extenuating circumstances given to incorporating requirements into policy. (i.e., extended leave or a long-term operational emer-
R02-11
Equipment needs to be updated to meet present and conditional budget approval to the Esparto Unified future demands. The budget should include funds to School District, and as a result will monitor the District's provide and maintain a standard of safety and to bring budget more closely for a period of one to two years, the agency into compliance with the 800 megahertz until such time that the budget reaches a level of compli- mandate from the Federal Communications Commis- ance with state requirements. sion.
R02-12
The 2002-2003 Grand Jury should review the agency tor and division managers; daily contact with YCCESA to determine if safety and management problems have staff and member agencies' staff; weekly-monthly proj- been adequately addressed. ect meetings; quarterly 'Information Bulletins' on all See Review divisions to the JPA Board; an annual performance Esparto School District review and goal setting session with managers and supervisory employees; and annual and mandatory
R02-13
A standardized method of reviewing spending requests and monitoring expenditures should be incorporated training and team-building with the director and division into the board's policies and procedures. managers. There is also an annual mandatory training/ Regarding spending requests and the monitoring of retreat with the communications manager and super- expenditures, the district has implemented oversight visors, and director involvement in day-to-day operational procedures in accordance with General Acceptable issues. Accounting Procedures (GAAP) as required by the The executive director and JPA Board disagree with annual state audit. Since May 2002 the Board has been the recommendation to replace the communications and will continue to review the budget on a monthly manager. Her tenure has been successful in expanding basis. and updating recruitment activities and materials, and
R02-14
Budget workshops given by the California School developing employee recognition programs, to name Board Association (CSBA) should be required of all just a few accomplishments. new board members and this requirement should be BOS Response: Matters of YCCESA operations are incorporated into the revised policies and procedures. the responsibility of the executive director and JPA To date, the two newly elected board members in board. As such, the JPA has the responsibility to super- last November's election attended a CSBA workshop vise and choose to take the necessary personnel actions. at their own expense. Standing board members also
R02-15
The County Board of Education should monitor the gency like the anthrax scare this year) may cause an Esparto Unified School District budget more closely evaluation to be delayed. A process is in place to ensure for the next two years. timely salary increases. The Yolo County Office of Education has granted
R02-16
Despite budget problems, it is critical to have staff in At a minimum, radio equipment procured by YCCESA key positions. The district should hire clerical staff has the ability to accommodate 12.5 kilohertz tech- for the superintendent and fill the empty position in nology. FCC has arranged to replace analog equipment human resources. Having support staff will free the with digital technology by December 31, 2015. superintendent to devote his time to parents and Also, new monitors and radio repairs were made. students, the budget, the school board, and the other Regional data devices became functional, and the Board outreach necessary for a superintendent new to a com- approved a Request for Proposal for a complete radio munity. system replacement. A new 10-year microwave main- tenance contract was enacted; a radio console upgrade (APPENDIX: Responses to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury began in November 2002; and CAD upgrade was com- Report-continued on next page) 2002–2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT The district had difficulty hiring for this position and requirements. The Yolo County Office of Education is already after increasing the salary, hired a human resource/ assigned by the State Department of Education as the administrative assistant in early 2003. district's oversight agent. Therefore, the district does not
R02-17
The Board of Trustees and the superintendent should develop additional ways of communicating with the agree with this recommendation. community and with staff. Attending school and com- YCOE response: The Yolo County Office of Edu- munity functions is one way of opening informal cation will provide training to a financial advisory channels of communication. committee, the Board of Education, or any other group, Visits to schools and attendance at community events as requested by the Esparto Unified School District. have been taking place. During the 2001-2002 school
R02-18
County Counsel should provide confirmation to the Grand Jury that Board members and the superin- school boards. The Esparto school board should con- sult this resource when rewriting its policies and tendent participated in Brown Act training. procedures. A copy of the revised policies and pro- All standing and new Board members have received cedures should be sent to the Grand Jury. formal Brown Act training. Board members will be The district has already taken steps to begin a notified of and effort will be made to attend a Brown process of updating its policies and procedures. How- Act Training Session provided by Yolo County within ever, as of the end of 2002, the process had not been the next year. completed. Consideration will be given to using CSBA's Response from County Counsel: I agree with the resources depending on the costs to the district. A copy intent of this recommendation to assure full compliance of the district policies and procedures is available at with the spirit and intent of the Brown Act. If requested the district office. by the Esparto School District Board of Trustees and, if not objected to by present School District Board legal Woodland School Construction counsel, the County Counsel's office would be willing The Woodland Joint Unified School District should
R02-19
viding print-ready copies of press release information to and board skills, including training provided by the be included in site newsletters across the District. Addi- CSBA or Office of Education, to learn to decrease tionally, updated information is being provided to the confrontations during meetings. All Board members parent representatives at the Superintendent's monthly should attend the free meetings hosted by the County brown bag lunches. These representatives have been Office of Education to learn from other school trustees asked to disseminate the information to their parent ways of communicating with the community and with groups at each school. The school district has been staff. improving its training for employees who present reports The district will continue to make information avail- at Board meetings and at various organization meetings. able to Board members regarding in-service opportuni- The District website also provides a linkage to the Bond ties sponsored by CSBA and/or the Yolo County Office Oversight Committee, Boundary Committee and Facili- of Education. ties Department reports and information. A system of checks and balances would help protect
R02-20
02-23 the school district from the type of financial prob- All district employees should have accurate infor- lems it now faces. Since the previous financial advi- mation about district plans and policies so they can sory committee has been reorganized to serve the su- answer parents' questions. Beginning with a district mailing to all employees perintendent, the Board of Trustees needs its own independent financial advisory group. To help the that included an update on Measure T, the district has Board monitor the budget, a new financial advisory responded to the recommendation by providing accu- committee should be established and trained by (or rate information to all school employees so that they at the direction of) the Office of Education as part of will be better able to answer parent and community its oversight of the Esparto School District. The financial advisory committee would be a subcom- (APPENDIX: Responses to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury mittee of the Board and would follow Brown Act Report-continued on next page) 2002–2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Yolo County Public questions. It is the intention of the district staff to expand Administrator/Guardian the use of community forums, both through the Board and superintendent's forums. The Board of Trustees' The Public Guardian's Office should continue to fol- 02 - 27 teacher forums, Boundary Committee and other com- low the internal control procedures recommended by munity forums, and the notices in the newspapers and the outside auditor and to perform random audits of through various school-wide communications, have the outside conservatee's accounts. served to address this area of the Grand Jury's recom- The Public Guardian's Office has had two thorough mendation. audits since discovering embezzlement in the office. An 02 - 24 The district should work with local media to pub- intensive internal audit of our practices and a successful licize school construction projects and provide regu- external audit helped us develop increased checks and lar updates. balance procedures. These changes have been adopted The district is reviewing the utilization of the WAVE as regular practices and will help prevent another such - Public Access Television for public access through local incident from occurring. The Public Guardian reports media to provide regular updated information about that funds have been restored to the client's account. the plans and policies of the Woodland Joint Unified Davis Cemetery District School District. In addition, discussions have been held To better comply with the Health and Safety Code
R02-21
The Esparto school board should immediately update year, the superintendent has encouraged and will con- its policies and procedures, with a special focus on tinue to solicit involvement and visits to school and developing better methods for monitoring the budget. community activities and events by all Board members. The California School Board Association website includes sample bylaws and suggested procedures for
R02-22
to provide Brown Act training as recommended by the improve how it disseminates information; school Grand Jury. However, I respectfully disagree with the principals should inform parents about the plans for recommendation that the County Counsel's office, and their schools and ask parent groups or PTA's to help not the School District Board's retained legal counsel, them with community outreach. must provide the requisite Brown Act training. Working with site administration, the District is pro- The Board should attend training in communications
R02-25
The management office and field personnel should that the District was interested in exploring the possibility review and upgrade as needed the operations and of such a lease. We understand that the matter is under billing procedures of the district. consideration by the City Parks Commission. As of March Prior to this problem being brought to the district's 2003, the agreement had not been finalized. The staff attention, the district was investigating changing its field reports and Parks Commission recommendations can record keeping system from a paper based tracking be viewed online at the City of Davis Website. system to a computerized system. The change was pro-
R02-26
The Grand Jury should review district operations proved a $138,736 construction agreement to expand for the next two years. and modify the Yolo Adult Day Health Center facility. See Review Funding sources: $51,037 from the County's Eldercare Trust Fund; grants $74,424; $36,575 from Woodland (APPENDIX: Responses to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury Report-continued on next page) 2002–2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Healthcare operational surpluses; $21,900 from Friends to the facilities. The Monroe Center is a 24-hour facility of Yolo Adult Day Health Center. and was built in 1988. The facility is still equipped with most of the original fixtures. Yolo County Sheriff's Department BOS Response: The BOS will continue to work with
R02-28
to review the expansion of information disseminated and to allow for enforcement of posted rules, the through this medium. The district has actively and ag- cemetery district should lease its undeveloped land gressively worked with local newspapers to provide to a public entity, such as the City of Davis, for use weekly opinion editorials and additional articles regard- as a dog park. ing programs, business practices, district expenditures, We agree that if cemetery property is going to and school activities on a regular basis. continue to be used as an 'off-leash' dog park, the property should be leased to the City of Davis or other Yolo County Flood Control and public entity. The Chair of the District Board sent a letter Water Conservation District dated May 9, 2002, to the Mayor of Davis, indicating
R02-29
The Davis Cemetery District should explore the feasi- posed to reduce or eliminate human error, to save time bility of providing separate vehicle access for dog and labor, to increase the accessibility of water users' owners at the back of the undeveloped area to reduce data, and to provide a tool for management to analyze traffic near the gravesites. data. We agree that it would be desirable to have more Once this problem was identified, steps were taken direct access to the undeveloped area; however, as far to minimize, if not eliminate, the recurrence of this type as we are aware, any such access would have to be of situation. The district purchased and implemented use through privately owned property. Thus, the District has of laptop computers by field personnel, reviewing the no means to unilaterally implement such access. Further, new protocols and providing appropriate training. With there would be an issue of where cars would be parked this technology and its associated management soft- once they enter the Cemetery property. ware, discrepancies with water orders should become Yolo Adult Day Health Center immediately evident. The Board of Supervisors should explore ways to
R02-30
Additionally, beginning with the 2002 irrigation provide more funds to enable the center to expand season, mid-season water use reconciliation (identifying and accommodate an increasing and urgent need for lands on water users' applications with no record of its services. water use) was instituted. On May 21, 2002, the Board of Supervisors ap-
R02-31
The Sheriff's Department should continue its efforts the Sheriff to assess, prioritize and implement facility to fill available positions with qualified applicants and improvements in the detention facilities. review pay schedules in comparison to other counties
R02-32
A sworn officer, with more training, experience, and counties like Sacramento County, the changes made judgment than correctional officers, should be pres- during the last 18 months have closed the gap con- ent in the jail at all times. It is not realistic to expect siderably. that an on-call officer/administrator can respond to It is also worth noting that salaries are not, in our an emergency as if he or she were present. mind, the sole reason for staff turnover in Juvenile Hall. The Sheriff's Department increased the management Being a counselor at Juvenile Hall is a very demanding staff at the jail to two Lieutenants. This allowed a job that is not suited for everyone. Even in the best case, Lieutenant to be available to all of the four shifts. A tenure in this position is not likely to exceed five years Compliance Sergeant was also added, which takes the before the employee is promoted, transfers to a less burden of providing training and implementing policy stressful assignment within the same classification, or procedures for the shift sergeant, to allow them to closely moves on to another organization. Lastly, Yolo County, supervise their shift. Sworn patrol staff are available if because of its size, can never provide promotional needed to respond to the jail 24 hours a day. opportunities and assignment variety that exist in our BOS Response: The Board of Supervisors concurs larger neighbors. The Probation Department recognizes with the Sheritt's response in managing jail staff to the difficulty inherent in these jobs and makes a con- maintain a safe and secure jail facility for the inmates scious effort to promote counselors to other positions in and county staff. the department.
R02-33
The Sheriff should develop work opportunities for The Board of Supervisors should make completing
R02-34
will have to be solicited, evaluated and granted, con- ings age. The Sheriff and Board of Supervisors should suming another several months. Once the general con- make repairing or replacing unsafe surfaces such as tractor is on board, actual construction is expected to unglued or worn carpet and loose tiles a priority. The Sheriff's Department has worked closely with (APPENDIX: Responses to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury the county's Central Services Division to prioritize repairs Report-continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT take another six to nine months. The combination of Yolo County Library these three phases will, at best, bring us to mid-2004.
R02-35
The Sheriff's Department should tighten its controls within commuting distance. over visitors to ensure that visitors sign in correctly The Sheriff's Department agrees with this recom- and meet only those inmates they are authorized to visit. mendation and has continued to require applicants to The Sheriff's Department has modified its profes- meet our standards. Although the Sheriff's Department sional visit policy to now have staff confirm that the participates in the negotiating of the correctional offi- attorney visiting is the inmate's attorney of record. If s/ cers' memorandum of understanding, its role is only to he is not the attorney of record, staff will attempt to clarify policy and procedure. It does not have input on notify the attorney of record. salary. Juvenile Hall The BOS response: The Board of Supervisors sup- ports the recruitment standards used by the Sheriff's
R02-36
Salaries at Juvenile Hall should be brought in line Department. The Board will continue to benchmark with with those in comparable counties to reduce turnover. comparable agencies to assist in making informed In the last fiscal year Juvenile Hall counselors were decisions related to compensation and benefits, and granted equity raises to bring them within 5% of neigh- place Yolo County in a competitive position to attract boring and comparable counties. While it is difficult for and retain a highly qualified work force. Yolo County to compete dollar-for-dollar with large
R02-37
women inmates whenever possible to achieve parity the new facility before 2004 a high priority. with the men. While it would be highly desirable to open the new The Sheriff's Department has added the opportunity Juvenile Hall before 2004, it is not feasible to do so. for women inmates to work at the Animal Shelter. The Board has only recently approved the site plan and However, female inmates have always enjoyed the same general precepts for the new hall. With these in hand if not more opportunities to work both inside and outside the Central Services Division can now charge the archi- the jail setting. Some of the areas at which female tect with development of plans, a process which will inmates are allowed to work are the Sheriff's Court likely take four to six months. After the plans, specifi- Holding Facility, the West Sacramento Police Department cations and construction directives are completed by and the Sheriff's Cameron Training Facility. the architect, bids for general and specialty contractors Maintenance funding must keep pace as the build-
R02-38
The Department of Probation should support its teach- Board of Supervisors supplied $35,000 allocation for ers' efforts to become fully credentialed. media collection. The Human Resources Division of the Yolo County There was a 10% reduction in the book budget, but Office of Education works closely with new hires that the library sustained the number of items added in other are not fully credentialed to ensure they become en- languages in greatest demand: Russian, Chinese and rolled in a program leading to a full teaching credential. Spanish. Dan Jacobs School at Juvenile Hall is currently staffed
R02-39
County Librarian as lead staff, intend to work with the The control room in the existing facility should be redesigned so that staff can work facing the moni- communities to find the best funding methods for each situation. tors. Mirrors have been installed in the existing facility
R02-40
The Department of Probation should arrange with storing bookmobile service. A bookmobile's operation neighboring schools for in-service education for the costs are much the same as those of a small branch juvenile hall teaching staff and for sharing instruc- tional materials. library. On-line services have been added to the existing This recommendation will be forwarded to the Coun- branches: ty Office of Education, which provides the educational 1. Off-site access to the library catalog (browse, place component for Juvenile Hall. holds, renew). YCOE response: The teaching staff at Dan Jacobs 'Infotrac' for magazine articles and health reference School participates in a variety of in-service oppor- and links to library information and other local informa- tunities. Staff has the opportunity to participate in staff tion sources. development activities offered by local school districts 3. All services linked to website www.yolocounty.org/ and universities, private organizations, and the Yolo org/library>. County Office of Education. The teaching staff has also 4. Investigating "e-Branch Library" kiosks- ATM-like visited other juvenile court schools in the region. Teach- workstations providing electronic library services, ers meet on a monthly basis with other community school information access, and return of books in areas lack- teachers who also work with high risk students to partici- ing easy access to a branch library. pate in staff development activities, learn of new instruc-
R02-41
The Yolo County Library should add to its collection Additionally, most of the funds for this facility are of materials in languages other than English and being provided by the California Youth and Adult Spanish. Corrections Agency, which must review and approve Five hundred thirty books in languages other than each step in the construction process in order for us to English (4%) were added. Most are in Russian, followed receive funding. This adds a month to each phase of by Spanish and Chinese. Media collections and books the project. are especially written for English language learners. The
R02-42
The Board of Supervisors should continue working with two full time teachers and one instructional aide. to have state library funding restored and should con- One teacher is fully credentialed; the other currently sider other ways to fund needed library expansion. holds an emergency credential and is enrolled in the The Board continues to make the restoration of credentialing program at California State University at library funding a top priority in its legislation program. Sacramento. His anticipated date for completion is the It supports pursuit of appropriate and planned library spring semester of 2003. expansion within the County. Supervisors, with the
R02-43
The county librarian should investigate whether re- to facilitate staff's visual access to the monitors while at placing the bookmobile with smaller vans would their workstation. The new facility, scheduled to be enable the library to restore service to outlying parts of the county. completed in December 2004, will have a control room It is the operating costs (staff, materials, gas, and designed as recommended. maintenance) that are the primary impediment to re-
R02-44
If bookmobile service is restored, the county li- tional strategies, and to discuss purchase of instructional brarian should explore whether it is feasible for materials grounded in the state adopted curriculum bookmobiles to carry laptop computers that could frameworks and academic standards, and for General be used to access on-line catalogs. Education Development (GED). Our teaching staff also It/when bookmobile service is restored, the book- participates in articulation meetings with local district mobile will be tied into the library automation system teachers to ensure that our instructional materials meet via laptops depending on the technology available at the needs of our students and are congruent with what the time. is being used in the local schools.
F3
Neither of the two efforts cited in the YCHA response ment and related practices coverage). A loss ratio ex- to the Final Report of the 2001-2002 Grand Jury as a ceeding 100% means that losses exceeded premiums by means to reduce tension among agency staff has as yet that percent. In April 2000 Errors and Omissions cover- made a difference. One, the May 2002 Retreat report, age for the YCHA was canceled by HARRP. In June has not been implemented; the other, the contract with 2000 HARRP renewed its Errors and Omissions coverage the Teamsters Union, is of too recent completion to for YCHA with the following conditions:
Related Recommendations (30)
R3
He did nothing illegal; applicable provisions of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors (03-1) Government and Penal Codes are subject to interpre- tation. SOURCES
R03-01
The County should establish clear, definitive pro- Documents Examined cedures for evaluating requests for disbursements Sheriff's Imprest Account receipts and disbursements from from this Fund to eliminate improper use. January 1996 through July 2000
R03-02
The Office of the Yolo County Auditor-Controller Sheriff's Imprest Account receipts, disbursements, and docu- shall audit the Fund and its records quarterly. mentation from January 2000 through December 2002
R03-03
The Yolo County Auditor-Controller shall arrange County Auditor-Controller's records for Budget Item 86-2555 for an audit of the Fund and its records from January budget and disbursement amounts (1996-1997 through 1999 to the present time and annual audit of the 2002-2003) Fund thereafter by an external independent auditor County Board of Supervisors Resolution 89-116 or by an appropriate agency of the State of Cali- Yolo County Final Budget for Fiscal Year 2001-2002 fornia. County of Yolo Cash Accounting Manual
R03-04
The Sheriff shall make restitution to the County Management Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2001- General Fund of all amounts expended for purposes Bartig, Basler, & Ray, CPAs not consistent with the spirit of Government Code California Government Code Section 26600, Sections 29400- Sections 29430-29440. They include but are not 29408, Sections 29430-29440 limited to: California Penal Code, Sections 403-420.1, Sections 11000
R03-05
[The preceding report was issued April 4, 2003, as an amount to be determined by the external independent interim report of the 2002-2003 Grand Jury. The Sheriff, in auditor or appropriate agency of the State of Cali- accord with his mandated requirement as a named respon- fornia. dent, responded to the report June 6 (60 days).] Relative to the Sheriff's Discretionary Fund, the Sheriff COUNSEL maintains that: Deputy Attorney General, State of California
R03-06
policies are in compliance with applicable laws and tator to provide training in the next six months on: regulations. · Conflict management and team building for the 5. YCHA Personnel Policies were amended in July 2002 to Executive Director and key management staff, and require that personnel vacancy notices be publicized both · Appropriate work place behavior for the entire within and outside the agency. management and staff. 6. Employee complaints are not consistently handled in YCHA employees should use their union representa-
R03-07
accordance with agency policies, which require filing tion rather than the Grand Jury to deal with personnel informal complaints with the individual's supervisor for issues. investigation, and if necessary up the chain of command. The YCHA Board of Commissioners should require
R03-08
Many cases are reported directly to the agency's Execu- the Executive Director to set human resource goals tive Director and handed over to legal counsel for investi- for the next year (e.g., reducing the number of gation. employee complaints, reducing/ eliminating the use 7. Expenses for legal fees increased from $145,710 in Fiscal of provisional hiring, increasing the number of per- Year 1999-2000 to $228,904 in Fiscal Year 2001-2002. sonnel problems handled satisfactorily by middle In part this was due to the practice of involving counsel management). A report should be submitted to the early on in investigation of employee complaints, and in Board at the end of Fiscal Year 2003-2004 docu- response to Grand Jury requests for information. menting the extent to which the goals have been 8. The YCHA Board of Commissioners does not consider met. personnel management to be within its purview, stating The YCHA Board of Commissioners should present
R03-09
that this is the responsibility of the Executive Director. a report to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors at The current Board of Commissioners does not believe the beginning of FY 2004-2005 on the status of there are improprieties in the YCHA personnel relations. human relations within the agency, as well as evi- . The YCHA Commissioners interviewed believe the Exec- 9. dence of accomplishments in its program-related utive Director to be particularly skilled in establishing mission and goals, citing ways in which those ac- external relationships that can promote the YCHA mis- complishments carry out the stated goals of the sion of providing low-income housing. Board of Supervisors (see BOS Minutes, 4/15/03). 10. The Housing Authority, under the leadership of its current Executive Director, has expanded the services and hous- RESPONDENTS ing available to low-income residents of Yolo County. It YCHA Board of Commissioners (03-6, 03-8, (03-9) has also acquired a business property in which its offices will be relocated from their present worn and crowded (INVESTIGATIONS: Yolo County Housing Authority- continued on next page) space; this property has the potential to produce income. 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Davis Joint Unified School YCHA Executive Director (03-6, 03-8, 03-9) Teamsters Union Steward (03-7) District SOURCES REASON FOR REVIEW Persons Interviewed Complainants Citizens' complaints alleged problems of safety (including YCHA General Services Manager bullying behavior) at public schools in Davis and the lack YCHA Employees of an effective complaint process in dealing with these and YCHA Executive Director other parental concerns. In response, the Grand Jury investi- Current and former members of the YCHA Board of gated the Davis Joint Unified School District's (DJUSD) Commissioners compliance with requirements of the State Education and Former YCHA Executive Director Government Codes relating to Safe School Plans, the avail- HUD Area Office Program Liaison ability and effectiveness of the process for complaint resolu- Documents Reviewed tion, and meetings notification within the District.
R03-10
The DJUSD should require each school within the Public Works-continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT CONCLUSIONS BACKGROUND
R03-11
The DJUSD should continue to play an active role While the Safe School Plans of the DJUSD had many in community efforts and programs that will dis- of the components required by the Code, the plans gen- courage unacceptable behavior by students. erally lacked assessment of current safety at the schools and identification of appropriate strategies and programs RESPONDENTS designed to maintain a high level of school safety. The Davis Joint Unified School District (recommendations 03- notable exception was the plan of Valley Oak Elementary 10, 03-11) (currently in the review and approval process). 5. The District and the Davis community are cooperating SOURCES in seeking effective remedial action to the issue of Persons Interviewed bullying. This includes a broad range of efforts (e.g. Superintendent, Davis Joint Unified School District surveys, staff development, human relations workshops, Trustee, Davis Joint Unified School District community meetings) to encourage tolerance and to Principal, Valley Oak Elementary School discourage inappropriate student behavior-among and Staff Members, Davis Joint Unified School District between various groups. Complainants 6. As a result of parental concerns, the DJUSD complaint Documents Examined process has improved from a not-well-known adminis- State of California Education Code §§ 35294 and Govern- trative procedure (albeit detailed in the annual letter to ment Code §§ 54950-54963 each student's parent or guardian) to one in which com- Safe School Plans for: plaint forms are clearly written and available at the
R03-12
of Woodland. For example: in its monitoring of contractors to ensure that the - The original plans (about ten years old) did not include work is performed in a timely manner, minimizing a turn-through in front of the Sheriff's Department and inconvenience to the public. Monroe Detention Center. Once the plans were drawn up this mistake was recognized and a change order The City of Woodland should post signs and notices
R03-13
was placed. in the local newspaper informing the public of start
R03-14
implementation of the recommendations of the 2001-2002 Sheriff's Department should conduct in-house stud- Grand Jury. ies to determine:
R03-15
The Sheriff's Department should replace the carpet- Jury recommended that the Board of Supervisors make ing and repair the cracks in the cement flooring. completion of the facility a high priority.
R03-16
The Sheriff's Department should expand or relocate the laundry room and purchase an additional washer FACTS and dryer to accommodate the anticipated increase 1. The Juvenile Hall managers and staff expressed pride in in the use of those services. the jobs they do, and try hard to be upbeat about their less-than-satisfactory surroundings. RESPONDENTS The facility is overcrowded. There is enough lock-down Board of Supervisors (03-14) sleeping space for female and hard-core residents, but Sheriff-Coroner (03-14, 03-15, 03-16) the rest of the male residents sleep in the day room on futons that are set up each night and taken down each SOURCES morning. Movement to meals through crowded halls is Persons Interviewed a potential safety hazard. Also, there is no employee Sheriff-Coroner lounge for temporary relief from duty. The out-placing Assistant Sheriff Undersheriff-Coroner (INVESTIGATIONS: Yolo County Juvenile Hall- Captain, Monroe Detention Center continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT arrangement of juveniles to the Solano County facility
R03-17
The Board of Supervisors should do what is neces- sary to assure that the new facility is completed in (REVIEWS: Yolo County Coroner- 2004. continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT start to finish, assuring that analyses are accurate, con- City Police Departments sistent, objective, and professional. It currently conducts toxicology screening for eight drugs of abuse (cocaine, REASON FOR REVIEW methamphetamines, benzodiazpines, barbiturates, anti- depressants, and PCP). Performance of this task signifi- The Penal Code instructs grand juries to inquire into the cantly reduces outside laboratory costs. conditions and management of public jails and related func- 3. The Coroner's Office has acquired its own x-ray equip- tions. The Winters, Woodland, Davis and West Sacramento ment and has trained its staff to use it, resulting in savings Police Departments provide local law enforcement services; of thousands of dollars yearly in fees for private x-ray they also maintain facilities for temporary custody of arrested services. persons.
R03-18
A physician should be on call at all times. If a newly costs Yolo County $150/day. admitted youngster is known to be taking medica- 3. The Yolo County Board of Supervisors, in its response tion, the contract physician should be contacted to the Final Report of the 2001-2002 Grand Jury, said immediately to assure that medications are not inter- that construction of a new facility will hopefully be rupted and are properly administered. completed during 2004. Funding for the project is avail- RESPONDENTS able in the county's Accumulated Capital Outlay account; Yolo County Board of Supervisors (03-17) the expenditure should be approved by the Yolo County Probation Department, Community Corrections (03-18) Board of Supervisors in August 2003. Supervising Detention Officer, Juvenile Hall (03-18) 4. Shoes equipped with laces facilitate suicide. For that reason, the staff requires residents to remove their shoes SOURCES when entering into their own rooms. The staff requested Persons Interviewed and was given permission to purchase laceless shoes on Supervising Detention Officer a test basis. Senior Detention Officer Credentialed teachers and instructional aides provide Juvenile Court Control Room and Floor Staff individualized instruction in an attractive schooling Juvenile Court Contract Teaching Staff environment to all juveniles during their residence. An Juvenile Court Residents extensive paperback library is available and widely used. The classroom is equipped with computers. The Internet Documents Examined is an integral part of the training, and provides a workable Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities alternative to a regular book library. Article 8, Health Services, §§ 1411-1450 6. In-take procedures are not secure from police car to facility. 7. The control room for the entire facility is managed by Yolo County Coroner one person, who serves without adequate support, over- sight, on-the-job relief, or backup. The staff person assigned to that task has no computerized system to assist REASON FOR REVIEW in monitoring the controls, and has to rely on memory The California Penal Code instructs grand juries to con- for all tasks. The staff person performs those tasks with duct annual inspections of the jail and related facilities within notable energy and distinction. its jurisdiction. 8. A registered nurse/physician's assistant works at Juvenile Hall 8-5 weekdays, and 4 hours daily on weekends. A BACKGROUND physician visits the facility once each week. A psychiatric The Grand Jury toured the Coroner's Office and Morgue nurse who can prescribe medications and has access to on February 11, 2003. The facility has been situated at its a psychiatrist (if needed) is on call at all times. present location since 1998. The Coroner's Office, Lab and 9. As a penalty for purposeful flooding or toilet vandalism, Morgue are managed by Mary Koompin-Williams, Super- water may be denied except on request. This, however, vising Deputy Coroner. results in control room and staff activities being con- stantly interrupted by requests of residents for water. FACTS 1. The Coroner's Office operates as part of the Sheriff's CONCLUSIONS Department. It scientifically identifies all human remains
R03-19
be commended for the excellence of their manage- facility that shortly will be replaced by a state-of-the-art build- ment capabilities and public service. ing. The department is managed by a recently-hired chief whose knowledge of the department and city was impressive. RESPONDENTS The chief and assistant chief led the Grand Jury on an informative tour of the facility, and responded to all questions. Yolo County Board of Supervisors (03-19) Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner (03-19) FACTS SOURCES 1. Despite fiscal constraints that limit their ability to hire a full complement of staff, the departments are managing Persons Interviewed their limited personnel well, maintaining good community Yolo County Supervising Deputy Coroner relations, and promoting respect for and observance of law. Yolo County Undersheriff-Coroner 2. The four police chiefs regularly meet and communicate Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner with each other to address common issues and concerns. Documents Examined Sheriff's Annual Report to the Yolo County Board of Super- (REVIEWS: City Police Departments- visors, dated December 30, 2002. continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT One such issue that three of the four chiefs expressed to from a previous sheriff's decision not to participate in the Grand Jury involves prisoner transportation. the federally funded program used by the four cities to purchase and deploy their systems. The Sheriff's staff · When an arrested person is detained, the department acknowledged the need to modify its system to make that makes the arrest is responsible for transporting the it interoperable with the cities' communications system. prisoner to the Monroe Detention Center in Woodland. • The computer data systems used by the cities and the
R03-20
· The Sheriff's Department's computer-based information and operating a shuttle service that would take system is not compatible with the system utilized by custody of prisoners on request from any partici- the police departments of Winters, Woodland, Davis pating community in Yolo County, and transport and West Sacramento. Hence, much of the same data them to the Monroe Detention Center, or, if neces- entered by local officers and staff must be reentered sary, to a local hospital and then to the Center. The when custody of a prisoner is transferred to the Monroe study's conclusions and recommendations should be Detention Center. based on what is most efficient and economical from
R03-21
contracts with YCCESA for use of its computer-aided dis- ty's computer-based information/communication patch system. The YCCESA was created to provide a system system as needed to make it interoperable with the of public services for the urban and rural areas of Yolo systems installed and operated by the cities of Win- County. It performs, trains, and provides coordination of ters, Woodland, Davis and West Sacramento. emergency services and emergency communications through- The Sheriff's Department should consult with the
R03-22
out Yolo County. administrator of the courts and other appropriate The Department of Communications (911 Dispatch) and persons to identify proper courses of action needed the Yolo County Office of Emergency Services (OES) are to extend interoperability to the courts. divisions of YCCESA. All 911 calls are answered and the The Sheriff's Department should also explore inter-
R03-23
appropriate help is dispatched from dispatch centers located operability with the state Office of Emergency Ser- at YCCESA in Woodland, at the City of Davis, and at UC vices and Yolo County Communications Emergency Davis. The OES is the emergency management agency for Service Agency. Yolo County. It manages the county's overall response to natural and human-caused disasters. According to its mission RESPONDENTS statement, it "prepares for, responds to, recovers from, and Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner (03-20, 03-21, 03-22, 03-23) mitigates the potential for, disasters that affect life, property, and the environment," and in cooperation with the County SOURCES Health Officer, it has formed the Yolo Operational Area Bio- Persons Interviewed Terrorism Preparedness Committee. Winters Police Chief The Emergency Services Manager of OES believes that Davis Acting Police Chief Yolo County is at risk from at least five kinds of disasters, Woodland Police Chief and Assistant Chief which are, beginning with the most probable, flood, fire, West Sacramento Police Chief and Assistant Chief earthquake (including flood resulting from dam breakage), Captain, Monroe Detention Center chemical/biological, and nuclear. Studies undertaken by the Yolo County Undersheriff-Coroner U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Reclamation Yolo County Assistant Sheriff Board (2001, 2002) disclose significant risks to Yolo County Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner cities in the event of a severe flood caused by heavy sustained rainfall or earthquake damage to area dams. For example: Documents Examined
R03-25
during a heavy rainstorm in 1995. presence and position of each level of the Incident Command System at emergency scenes. FACTS The county's emergency communications systems
R03-26
should be modified and/or enhanced to achieve 1. It is difficult for emergency responders arriving at emer- interoperability among all emergency services in- gency scenes to distinguish different levels of the Incident cluding Sheriff's Department, city police depart- Command System immediately on arrival. ments, fire departments, health department, and 2. Information/communication systems are outdated and incompatible, making communications difficult. For YCCESA. As a short-term protection from flooding, the earthen instance:
R03-27
· The Sheriff's Department's present computer-based berm that now protects YCCESA on three sides data system is not compatible with the system used by should be extended around the fourth side and com- the police departments of Winters, Woodland, Davis pleted before the next flood season. and West Sacramento. The County should consider the longer-term measure 03 - 28
R03-29
The District Board of Directors, in selecting a new also found a morale problem that may be interfering with General Manager, should apply criteria that empha- the District's providing the best possible service. It recom- size skills and demonstrated success in supervision mended that the 2002-03 Grand Jury follow up to determine and team building. progress made on the recommendations to the District.
R03-30
The District Board of Directors should identify BACKGROUND appropriate personnel management training, requir- The 2001-02 Grand Jury received a complaint regarding ing supervisors and management to attend. billing procedures for the district. That Grand Jury investi- The 2003-04 Grand Jury should review the District
R03-31
gated, found some possible discrepancies, and recommended to monitor progress toward improved staff morale. "the management office and field personnel should review and upgrade as needed the operations and billing procedures (REVIEWS: Yolo County Flood Control and Water of the district." Conservation District-continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT RESPONDENTS tribe and would not be detrimental to the surrounding com- Board of Directors, Yolo County Flood Control and Water munity under certain circumstances and if the governor of Conservation District (03-29, 03-30) the state in which the gaming activity is to be conducted agrees. SOURCES Indian gaming expanded dramatically in California as the Persons Interviewed result of IGRA and California Propositions 5 (1998) and 1A Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District (2000), which authorized gambling in California. In April staff 1998, the Governor concluded negotiations with the Pala
F4
Historically, "preservation of peace" involves literally
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
He relied on advice from the former Finance Director of Persons Interviewed the Sheriff's Department. Complainant Yolo County Sheriff's Department (INVESTIGATIONS: Yolo County Sheriff's Department- - Sheriff-Coroner continued on next page) 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT
F5
A secure courtroom or video link at the jail is needed for arraignments in cases in which it may be dangerous to transport prisoners to the courthouse in downtown REASON FOR REVIEW Woodland. The Grand Jury has included within its inquiries all detention facilities within the county including Juvenile Hall.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
YCHA Personnel Policies were amended in July 2002 to Executive Director and key management staff, and require that personnel vacancy notices be publicized both · Appropriate work place behavior for the entire within and outside the agency. management and staff.
F6
The Grand Jury recognizes the value of networking and suppression of crimes such as rioting, lynching, unlawful community outreach. However, these activities do not assembly, disturbing the peace, intentionally inflicting fall within the intent of Government Code Sections bodily injury, forcible entry, use of a weapon with intent 29430-29440 that limit use of funds authorized there- to resist arrest, disturbance of public assembly et. seq. under to preserving the peace by the suppression of crime (California Penal Code, Sections 403-420.1). and for criminal cases. There are many opportunities in Accordingly, "preservation of peace" is intended to mean the suppression of crime rather than networking and (INVESTIGATIONS: Yolo County Sheriff's Department- continued on next page) community outreach. 2002-2003 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Yolo County for the Sheriff and the Department to
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Employee complaints are not consistently handled in YCHA employees should use their union representa- 03-07 accordance with agency policies, which require filing tion rather than the Grand Jury to deal with personnel informal complaints with the individual's supervisor for issues. investigation, and if necessary up the chain of command. The YCHA Board of Commissioners should require 03-08 Many cases are reported directly to the agency's Execu- the Executive Director to set human resource goals tive Director and handed over to legal counsel for investi- for the next year (e.g., reducing the number of gation. employee complaints, reducing/ eliminating the use

Additional Recommendations 6

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

Conclusions 33

* 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.