Fred Allingham Weaverville Gerald L. Boosinger Weaverville David Borba Weaverville

Conclusions 13

• CL1 Page 29
  Hearing of use permits should be responded to in a professional The homeowners allege that the Planning Director told manner and, regardless of result, explanations of ac- them they cannot appeal the Planning Commission’s tions or non-actions should be provided to the com- 1995 validation of the Use Permit until the Reclamation plainants. In addition, county departments should only Plan is approved, thus opening the door to the possible purchase goods and services from businesses that com- restart of the mining activities. It has been three years ply with federal, state and county permits. since the Reclamation Plan requirement was imposed, 30-DAY RESPONSE REQUESTED FROM: Road so homeowners are being forced to sit and wait. Department, Planning Commission and Department,
• CL2 Page 29
  Chief Administrative Officer and Board of Supervisors. The Planning Director has apparently told the homeowners that the Planning Commission would hold Response of the Trinity County Road Department three separate hearings on noise mitigation, zoning and the Use Permit after the Reclamation Plan was finished, RE: 1998-99 TRINITY COUNTY GRANT JURY which would cost the homeowners $280.00 per hear- FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ing. COMMITTEE FINAL REPORT –THUNDER
• CL3 Page 23
  The to-be-established purchasing de- Recommendation #2 partment can serve as the Office of Technology if per- The Board concurs and understands the time constraints sons with the appropriate background and training staff the Data Processing Department has been under. Their the department. While funds were allocated this commitment to a county Internet connection is appreci- year to perform the networking and other tasks related ated. to the computer environment, no technology fund was established for future replacement of PCs and software. Recommendation #3 The Board will take the Grand Jury and Data Processing recommendations concerning The Data Processing Department has worked very hard technology replacement contingency fund, under con- to stay informed with all the county systems. We are sideration during this year’s budget hearings. working on creating an understanding of computer, soft- ware, and network inventory. We believe it is the re- Sincerely, sponsibility of the department to advise and recommend systems, networks, computers and peripherals. We be- TRINITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS lieve it is the responsibility of the departments to plan S/S for obsolescence of their equipment with our recom- ROBERT REISS, Chairman mendations. Data Processing should have a fund to re- _________________________________________________________________________________________________ place defective equipment. Data Processing is working on policies that cover hardware and software, so that all users can communicate more effectively. A technology replacement contingency fund has not been created, yet. From: George Reynolds Chief Programmer, Data Processing Response of Trinity County Board of Supervisors July 20, 1999 Jerry Boosinger P.O. Box 1258 Weaverville, CA 96093 RE: Finance and Administration Committee Final Report Follow-up to 1997098 Grand Jury Re- This report was approved It is the perception created by the two instances above on May 13, 1999. that County government Filed on May 25, 1999 should be concerned about. It is perceived that these jobs were created or advertised specifically with the in- 1998-99 TRINITY COUNTY GRAND JURY tention of hiring two particular individuals. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION #2: COMMITTEE FINAL REPORT All job descriptions must be written in such a manner TRINITY COUNTY HIRING PRACTICES that every knowledge and skill requirement can be di- PURPOSE: rectly and convincingly related to performing the spe- In the process of reviewing other information, the Grand cific job being advertised, and not designed to ensure Jury became concerned about certain hiring practices the employment of a desired person. by county government. Because the 98-99 Grand Jury does not have adequate BACKGROUND: time to investigate county hiring processes in-depth, it is One of the concerns often expressed by those in Trinity recommended that the 99-00 Grand Jury undertake a County outside the Weaverville area is that job open- thorough investigation of the process. ings and consulting opportunities with Trinity County CONCLUSION: government are not adequately publicized throughout By following Grand Jury recommendations Trinity the county, creating a bias that results in hiring Weaverville County can avoid the appearance of nepotism and other area residents, or even residents outside the county, improper hiring practices. rather than persons from other parts of Trinity County. 30 DAY RESPONSE REQUESTED FROM: County Two examples of this came to our attention this year. Chief Administrative Officer, County Personnel Officer One involved the writing of job requirements which ap- and Board of Supervisors. peared to ensure that a specific person would be hired in the position, and the other involved the hiring of a Response of the County Administrative Officer person based on that person knowing key persons in- volved in the process and being in the right place at the June 28, 1999 right time. To: John K. Letton, Superior Court Judge METHOD OF INVESTIGATION: From: Jeannie Nix-Temple, County The committee discussed the first instance with the Administrative Officer County Personnel Officer and the second with a highly Re: Response to 1998/99 Trinity County placed official and the individual involved. Grand Jury Finance and Administration
• CL4 Page 35
  mission to revoke the use permit. I was not interviewed regarding these statements, which Finding #9b: appear to be from area residents. I did not discuss this matter with the Grand Jury. It is
• CL5 Page 35
  cussed above. The use of a mediator is clearly inappro- priate. These matters must be discussed during a public I disagree with this finding. I was not interviewed re- hearing. Public hearings have already been held and de- cisions made regarding the use permit. If a reclamation Mining has occurred on Weaver Creek for a century plan is submitted, then a public hearing will be held on and as half and rock quarries have operated in the Union that matter. The mine is not allowed to operate until it Hill and what is now known as Tucker Hill area, on has met the conditions of the use permit. both sides of Weaver Creek, for several decades. Rural residential and natural resource uses of land can some-
• CL6 Page 29
  Contamination chased materials from Thunder Rock Mine. The Thunder Rock Mine sells shale that contains asbes- Finding # 4 (second paragraph): The first sentence of tos, a known carcinogen. When Trinity County buys the second paragraph is technically correct in that the this shale and spreads it on roads and parking areas, the Road Department has not provided documentation veri- County is contributing to the poor health of its citizens. fying that the Road Department has utilized materials Between 1982 and 1996, 20,050 cubic yards of this from the Thunder Rock Mine on an annual basis. The shale was purchased by Trinity County. Fifteen streets option to obtain that information was offered to the and areas are listed where this shale was used. Tucker Hill Homeowners, however, they chose not to
• CL7 Page 19
  We currently have an incentive program. De-
• CL8 Page 19
  As suggested, I have reread the 97/98 report on you:_______________________________________ this subject. I feel that in the past year the issue of performance evaluations has risen to a much higher level 3.Were you greeted with, “May I help you?: due to the recommendation of the 97/98 grand jury. Yes ____No____ Each department head either elected or appointed is now required to report to the Board of Supervisors every 4.How would you rate the treatment you received?: other month on the progress in their department. One of Very good____Good____Fair ____Poor____ the questions each must answer is how many evalua- tions are due, overdue or completed within the report- 5.Do you feel this person tried to be: ing period. This information is useful when it comes Helpful ____Didn’t care____ time for evaluations, and budget approvals. I cannot say that we have achieved perfection but we are moving in 6.Was everything explained to your satisfaction?: that direction. Yes____As well as possible____ Not at all____
• CL9 Page 19
  It is currently the responsibility of the depart- 7. How would you rate your overall experience with ment head to develop a plan for improvement of em- this department?: ployees within their department. Either County Counsel Very good____Good____Fair____Poor____ or I meet with department heads in need of assistance in this area. Some of them require very little help. 8. Comments:
• CL10 Page 19
  The County currently provides a method for _________________________________________________________________________________________________ the public to comment on positive or negative contacts _________________________________________________________________________________________________ This report was approved until March of 1999, over 8 months after the end of the on April 8, 1999 Grand Jury year and at least 5 months after the latest Filed May 3, 1999 expected publication date. This resulted in some citi- zens, who had issues before the 1997-98 Grand Jury, 1998-99 TRINITY COUNTY GRAND JURY resenting the fact that the jury apparently did not ad- FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION dress their issue. It also resulted in some confusion among COMMITTEE FINAL REPORT citizens about which year was being discussed in the PUBLIC DISSEMINATION OF TRINITY report. COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORTS RECOMMENDATIONS #1: PURPOSE: It is our recommendation that: The Grand Jury of any County serves as a watchdog on The 1998-99 Grand Jury and future Grand Juries con- government to ensure that government is following the tinue to publish their reports in a local newspaper to rules, spending taxpayers money wisely and providing ensure the widest dissemination of the report to the public. citizen access to governmental services. As part of its Extra copies of the Grand Jury report should be printed responsibility to the citizens it represents, the Grand Jury along with those inserted in the local newspaper and produces a report outlining the various areas of govern- made available to the public through markets, post of- ment reviewed, its findings and any recommendations fices and other public locations. the Grand Jury may have to improve government op- As each individual report of the Grand Jury becomes erations or correct problems. eligible for public dissemination, that report be entered BACKGROUND: into the Internet at the Trinity County Web Page mak- Grand Jury reports of findings and recommendations go ing it available to all who have computer and Internet through a specific process before they become public access. reports. They are reviewed to ensure there are no bla- CONCLUSION: tant legal problems associated with them, and after this Each Grand Jury, in order to ensure the above takes review sent to relevant department heads. Within a few place, should request, in writing, actions to be taken by days the reports become public information. Some of responsible county officials in writing, requesting an the reports are examined and reported on by the local acknowledgement from the responsible party should be newspaper. Others are not. At the end of a Grand Jury obtained. year, all the reports are printed together in a bound copy 30 DAY RESPONSE REQUESTED FROM: Board and made available to the public. of Supervisors, CAO and County Clerk. However, the public may or may not know about this process and only had newspaper reports on the work of Response of the Board of Supervisors the Grand Jury. To increase public access and review of the Grand Jury work, the past several Trinity County July 12, 1999 Grand Juries have opted to have their reports dissemi- Jerry Boosinger nated by having them printed in one of the local adver- Trinity County Grand Jury tising publications, “The Trade Mark.” The expense of P.O. Box 1258 this has been part of the Grand Jury budget approved Weaverville, CA 96093 by the Board of Supervisors and has been the option of Re: Finance and Administration Committee Final individual Grand Juries. Report The report of the 1997-98 Grand Jury was not available Public Dissemination of Trinity County Grand in the bound document, nor printed in “The Trade Mark” Jury Reports until March of 1999. METHODOLOGY: Dear Foreperson: Discussions were held with members of the 1997-98 Grand Jury, the Clerk of the Court and the current 1998- Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Grand 99 Grand Jury. Jury’s Finance and Administration Committee report FINDING #1: regarding Public Dissemination of Trinity County Grand Misunderstandings between the 1997-98 Grand Jury and Jury Reports. The Board of Supervisors agrees that responsible County officials resulted in the delayed print- Grand Jury reports continue to be published in a local ing and publishing of the 1997-98 Grand Jury report newspaper, that copies be made easily available to the public and that the reports be posted on the Trinity County Web Page. Sincerely, TRINITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS S/S Robert Reiss, Chairman Response of the County Administrative Officer May 25, 1999 To: 1998-99 Trinity County Grand Jury Trinity County Board of Supervisors From: Jeannie Nix-Temple County Administrative Officer RE: Response to the 1998-99 Grand Jury Finance & Administration Committee Final Report Re: Public Dissemination of Trinity County Grand Jury Reports My response to the findings and recommendations of the Grand Jury’s Report is as follows: I concur with the recommendation. The Board of Su- pervisors have directed that the complete report with all responses be published annually. Response of the County Clerk Trinity County Board of Supervisors May 24, 1999 Re :Public Dissemination of Trinity County Grand Jury Reports
• CL11 Page 68
  The allegations of failure to disclose public records was found by the Grand Jury, nor by County Counsel. appear to be unfounded. However, the State Office of AIDS saw a possible per- ception of conflict of interest by the general public. Be- The Committee found the LIG budget/expenditures in- cause of the State’s concerns, the Coordinator was re- formation to be readily available and accurately docu- quested to remove her name from the PPH letterhead. mented. Quarterly reports of expenditures are prepared In order to preserve “appearances” the Coordinator has by the Project Coordinator and approved by the Direc- since resigned her position on the PPH board. The Grand tor of H&HS. They are then forwarded to the State Jury wishes to make it clear, that they found no conflict, Office of AIDS. The records in question are available either in fact or appearance. through Trinity County Office of Education (TCOE) RECOMMENDATION #2: upon request. While the complainant stated ‘obstruc- While it is important for all our public officials to be tion of public information,’ he did not approach the sensitive to the appearance of conflict of interest, the TCOE when he was not satisfied with the information Grand Jury recommends that County officials not allow from the Coordinator. Documentation exists of an at- themselves to be coerced into taking unjustified actions. tempt, by the Coordinator and the State Consultant, to FINDING #3: Failure To Meet The Goals Of HIV explain the flow and disbursement of State grant money. Prevention The State Office of AIDS, the Superintendent of Schools The Grand Jury found that some of the goals of the and the Director of H&HS appear satisfied that the grant program, as set forth in the HIV/AIDS Prevention plan, standards are being met. However, the State Office of are so broad that a charge such as this could easily be AIDS is now exploring the allegations and recommends made, i.e., “All people will...”. However, the Grand Jury that the LIG members have more input into budget plan- found the Coordinator kept acceptable records indicat- ning. ing that the goals were indeed being met. Quarterly re- ports submitted to the State show progress toward, or
• CL12 Page 68
  The HIV/AIDS E&P Project Coordinator’s salary was activities to support, stated goals. Activities supporting found to be appropriately determined using the TCOE goals appear appropriate. salary The Grand Jury found one exception to adequate progress toward goals. One Activity states “continue CONCLUSION: outreach to all geographic regions of the county through While the complainant obviously felt that he had legiti- schools, medical care providers, associations, bars and mate concerns, he had not done his homework well. stores by June 30, 1999.” Visits to Partners in Preven- For example, the complaint against the superior who tion sites to replenish condoms and other supplies ap- failed to intervene was filed against the wrong agency. pear to be occurring only in Hayfork and Weaverville. County and State procedures for complaints against per- Furthermore, the current Second Quarter Progress re- sonnel were not followed and a general “shotgun” ap- port states that condoms have been placed in most bars, proach was utilized. With the exception of the condom but does not cite specific names, except in Hayfork and distribution goal not being met, the Grand Jury has con- Weaverville. cluded that overall, the HIV/AIDS E&P Program Coor-
• CL13 Page 71
  the Grand Jury’s Report is as follows: I agree. Thank you for the opportunity to provide a response Finding #1: S/S I agree. Sally L. Aldinger Recommendation #1: I agree. Finding #2: I agree. Response of the Board of Supervisors Jerry Boosinger Trinity County Grand Jury P.O. Box 1258 Weaverville, CA96093 RE: Ad Hoc Education Committee Final Report Complaint Against Trinity County Aids Task Force Dear Foreperson: In its final 1998-99 report, the Trinity County Grand Jury’s Ad Hoc Education Committee reviewed a com- plaint against the Trinity County Aids Task Force. The Board of Supervisors concurs with both the find- ings and recommendations of the committee review. The Trinity County Board of Supervisors thanks the Grand Jury for its work. Sincerely, TRINITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS S/S ROBERT REISS, Chairman _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Comments 7

• CO1 Page 14
  Cross Training cognizant departments be convened to initiate correc- The 1997-98 Grand Jury found that there was a lack of tions of the operating problems of the foster care pro- qualified cross-trained personnel to assume duties dur- gram. The present Grand Jury has been advised that ing employee absences. A cross training program and such meetings have been, and are being, held and that other procedures were recommended to ensure that the the meetings include representatives of all cognizant de- daily operations of the division continue in a timely and partments. efficient manner. RECOMMENDATION #14: Staff changes and low staff level have made this a diffi- None. cult goal to achieve. Recruitment of a new division su- FINDING #15: Security pervisor and additional staff members has been under- During the course of the present Grand Jury’s investiga- taken and is ongoing. tions, it was determined that potentially serious security
• CO2 Page 13
  Telephone ing undertaken. The 1997-98 Grand Jury found that phone calls to CPS RECOMMENDATION #6: were either not always being answered or were not be- None. ing returned in a timely manner. It was recommend that FINDING #7: Timely Payment procedures for handling and responding to incoming tele- The 1997-98 Grand Jury determined that payment for phone calls be implemented and adhered to. foster care was not being received in a timely manner. It New telephone procedures are now in place and re- was recommended that procedures be implemented to sponse time has been markedly improved. CPS now ensure that payment would be made in a timely manner. has a paging system in place through which they can CPS has assigned a case worker to interface with the contact case workers, in an emergency, and a 24-hour eligibility division to make certain that all steps are taken response time for all messages is policy. However, fos- to comply with this requirement. ter families continued to register some complaints in this RECOMMENDATION #7: area as late as January, 1999. None.
• CO3 Page 13
  Clothing Allowance ity County is compared to other nearby counties. It was The 1997-98 Grand Jury determined that the clothing recommended that a review of foster care payments be allowance for foster children in Trinity County was sub- made and, if allowed by law, adjustments be made. stantially below that provided by nearby counties, and Foster care payments have been adjusted and are now that payment of the clothing allowance was not being more closely aligned with those of surrounding coun- provided in a consistent or timely manner. It was rec- ties. Foster families are expressing their appreciation and ommended that the clothing allowance be reviewed im- approval of this change. mediately and that the allowance be brought closer to RECOMMENDATION #8: nearby county levels. Periodic reviews of the level of support payments should A revised clothing allowance for the foster children has be made to ensure that those provided by Trinity County been presented to and passed by the Trinity County are in line with those provided by nearby counties. Board of Supervisors. Foster families have begun to FINDING #9: Counseling receive the new amounts. The 1997-98 Grand Jury found that requested profes-
• CO4 Page 13
  Activity Documentation CPS has developed a manual that details procedures to An Oversight Report on child welfare services prepared be followed when counseling is requested. Regular staff by the California Department of Social Services, in May- meetings are now held to resolve any problems that ex- June 1997, found that CPS was below the 90% compli- ist in this matter. ance level in documenting its activities. The state re- RECOMMENDATION #9: quired a Corrective Action Plan to bring CPS into com- None pliance with state law in regards to this matter. At the FINDING #10: Placement Procedures time that the 1998-99 Grand Jury commenced its ten- It was reported to the 1997-98 Grand Jury that juvenile ure, no Corrective Action plan had been submitted to offenders had been placed in foster homes where there the state. were small children. This is against state regulations. It The Corrective Action plan was completed by CPS and was strongly recommended the CPS, the Sheriff’s de- sent to the state in September 1998. It should be noted, partment, and the Probation Department review and however, that many elements outlined in the plan had upgrade the placement procedures with regard to this already been implemented or were in the process of matter. being corrected. Quarterly reviews by the CPS supervi- It was found that this complaint was an isolated case sor are being done to insure documentation is both timely and that procedures to prevent such occurrences were already in place. Better adherence to established poli- personnel at all levels of the CPS foster care program cies is a focus of all departments involved. have been lax in ensuring that the program operates in
• CO5 Page 14
  Feedback System The following changes have been made to rectify these The 1997-98 Grand Jury found that there was no mecha- concerns: locks on the CPS building have been changed; nism built into the county foster care system that would there is only one designated janitor; no outside groups allow foster families to provide feedback as to the qual- meet in the building at night; case files are now entered ity and quantity of the services provided them by CPS. into the computer system, so less paperwork is required, It was recommended that a formal written instrument and confidentiality issues have been cleared with the be developed and disseminated to each foster family at state and Board of Supervisors. CPS is to be commended least on an annual basis. for their swift and thorough action on this matter. Such an instrument has been developed and will be pro- RECOMMENDATION #15: vided to the foster families by the time this report is A sign-out / sign-in system should be established to en- published. sure the security of confidential files. And a paper trail
• CO6 Page 14
  List of Homes The Grand Jury finds vast improvements over condi- Last year’s Grand Jury found that the list of Licensed tions relating to the Trinity County foster care program Homes for Trinity County, published by CPS, was con- as they were reported in the 1997-98 Grand Jury Re- stantly out of date. It was recommended that the list be port. For the most part, those deficiencies that were maintained in a current condition at all times. It was also reported have been addressed, and if not fully satisfied recommended that in-home visits to foster homes be are on their way to being satisfied. New personnel and scheduled in a timely manner to ensure appropriate re- management involvement have infused the CPS Divi- licensing of the homes (see Finding #3). sion with a new outlook which greatly benefits its cli- The list of licensed foster care homes has been updated ents, children at risk. Continuing the policies and pro- and is now being maintained in a current condition. Timely grams which have been newly implemented will improve in-home visits, as required by law, are now being made the division even more. However, future Grand Juries and proper re-licensing is being accomplished. are hereby alerted to past problems of the Child Protec-
• CO7 Page 14
  Management Meetings Response of the Director of Health and Human The 1997-98 Grand Jury reported that administrative Services Department Date: July 1, 1999 To: Trinity County Grand Jury I concur with the Grand Jury’s recommendation. Health and Human Services Commit

No Responses Found 4

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.