Madera County Civil Grand Jury Continuity Report 2023-2024 Madera County Final Report*

Additional Recommendations 6

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

• R5
  Has been implemented.
• R6
  Has not yet been Director of Behavioral Implemented R7. Has not Health Services R1. yet been implemented. R8. Agreed. R2. Has been Workers and Program Managers with social work education and experience, effective immediately, R9, DSS administration annually review Has not yet been implemented, R3, Patially
• R7
  Word X The word "Catering" was removed. "Catering" CLOSED
• R8
  COVID X CLOSED The contract has a five-year extension; still negotiating the
• R9
  Contract X agreement; the current status and timeline are not provided. OPEN
• R10
  USGA X For the first time, a USGA Report was completed; however, no indication of future USGA Reports planned. Report CLOSED. Need to revisit. The role of California civil grand juries is unique. Its role in the judicial branch is to examine and investigate local government functions and make recommendations to improve systems, procedures, and methods of operations, promoting honest, efficient government in the best interest of the community. While a grand jury has legislative powers to conduct investigations, including the power to subpoena witnesses, it lacks authority to enforce the implementation of report recommendations. The grand jury can only ensure that the reports and affected agencies' responses are published for public scrutiny. The lasting value of a grand jury investigation is diminished when the affected agencies do not appropriately address findings and recommendations3. Often, a respondent will reply that it intends to implement a recommendation later or that it requires further study, leaving the report Open. Regardless of these difficulties, there are statutory requirements by the responsible agencies investigated to provide substantial responses in compliance with Government Code requirements. Tracking and follow-up of Open responses is made challenging as reports are typically published at or near the end of the MCGJ's one-year term of service. Diligent follow-up by local agencies and succeeding grand juries is needed in order to ensure that all Open responses have met the statutory requirements and are appropriately closed with published responses. Without the oversight of continuity, the recommendations fall off the radar of the public and governing agencies. See for example, MCGJ Final Report: Madera County Animal Services: It's a Dog's Life, 2324-03. Recommendations and Response Tracking System (RRTS) Tracking responses to previous grand jury reports is an internal function of the sitting MCGJ. The 2023-2024 Grand Jury developed a Recommendation and Response Tracking System (RRTS) for the purpose of investigating the met or unmet statutory requirements of all respondents identified in each Final Report. This RRTS will be passed on to future MCGJs. The implementation of RRTS to track and report on all responses, diligently maintained, will give further credence toward preserving the positive impact of MCGJ reports. Responses to reports of prior grand juries are followed up by the succeeding panel. However, problems arise when responses are incomplete or extend beyond the term of the succeeding grand jury. Failure to respond in the appropriate time frame results in a referral to the presiding judge for the grand jury. Due to the passage of time between response and completion of responses to reports, the action to which the city and/or county agency has committed, drops from view of all responsible agencies, including the grand jury. The RRTS ensures that all agencies are accountable for the recommendations and responses to published reports. Accountability is key to the betterment of the County and community. The Madera BOS and the Cities of Madera Continuity Responsibilities The MCGJ annually completes its term of service in a flurry of published reports on completed civil investigations. These reports generate scores of findings and recommendations, in turn often necessitating hundreds of required responses. The current MCGJ continuity investigation revealed that a significant number of required agency responses remain evasive or incomplete. More consistent follow-up by the MCGJ of the investigated agencies with Open responses is needed. It is anticipated that the implementation of the RRTS will encourage greater agency compliance. Reporting publicly on the completion of previously committed actions goes a long way toward enhancing the positive impact of the MCGJ in its role as a bridge between the community and government. In addition to implementing the RRTS, the MCGJ is initiating a response review policy with the County BOS, City Councils of Madera and Chowchilla. This policy will provide a joint effort to ensure the continuity of current and past reports. The MCGJ believes an annual review with appropriate parties will lead to positive reflection and provide contextual insights into grand jury recommendations.