Yolo County Coroner's Office and Morgue

Recommendations 4

• R1
  The present ECSD board, which includes and training program that will fast and Recommendation 00-22 two new members3 elected in November track the new staff to be fully func- 1999, has violated the Brown Act on at 1ECSD was previously investigated by the 1997-1998 tional of hire. least one specific occasion by discussing Yolo County Grand Jury for Brown Act violations. (See 1997-1998 Report with extensive Findings and Recom- and taking action on an item not appear- RESPONDENTS mendations.) ing on the posted agenda for the meeting 2Government Code Section 54950 et seq. All
• R2
  It appears that the West Sacramento used in court trials. crossing and determine and meet the Police Department's morale and harmony
• R3
  The Deputy Director reported that case district. It provides policy oversight to the 00-22 Coordinate with other local agencies workers exceed the case load ratios on a unincorporated Esparto community for water, such as County Counsel, District At- regular basis due to an acute shortage of sewage treatment, and street lighting. The torney, or other local agencies that qualified and experienced case workers, ECSD consists of five elected members, who provide Brown Act training allowing but was unable to report that there is a serve four-year terms. ECSD members to participate in that plan in place in Yolo County to address The California Ralph M. Brown Act, training. The training should be fo- that shortage. enacted in 1953 (Act)2, requires that meetings cused on the Brown Act and not merely of local government agencies, such as the
• R4
  The Deputy Director reported that it an aside, which typically is the case ECSD, be open to the public. Meetings, as takes almost a year for a new employee with larger conferences focusing on defined in the Act, albeit slippery, includes to become fully functional in the depart- more global statewide issues. [Find- "any congregation of a majority of the mem- ment, but was unable to produce a compre- ings 1, 2, & 3] bers of a legislative body ... to hear, discuss, hensive plan to shorten that orientation 00-23 Take personal responsibility to assure or deliberate upon any item that is within time. that the public’s business is conducted the subject matter jurisdiction of the legisla- RECOMMENDATIONS in public as required by law. The intent tive body" (54952.2.a). The Act prohibits any of the Brown Act is that actions taken "use of direct communication" or "techno- 00-18 The Director should verify that there by public bodies, such as the ECSD, logical devices" by a majority "to develop a are written protocols and objective be taken openly and their deliberations collective concurrence as to action to be assessment instruments in place to be conducted openly. [Findings 1, 2, taken on an item" by the legislative body guide the placement decisions of the & 31 (54952.2.b). (Emphasis added) The use of a caseworkers according to accepted 00-24 Review Findings and Recommenda- telephone, email, and facsimile devices used standards. to develop such a collective concurrence fall tions from the 1997-1998 Yolo County 00-19 The Director should review the written within the parameters of the Act. Finally, Grand Jury and institute that Report's protocols for the department periodi- "no legislative body shall take action by secret Recommendations immediately. cally to assure that the department is ballot, whether preliminary or final" (54953.c). 00-25 The 2000-2001 Grand Jury continues in compliance with accepted stan- Except for limited circumstances, e.g., to monitor the ECSD. dards. emergency, the Act prohibits "action or dis- 00-20 The Director should enlist the services RESPONDENTS cussion" at public board meetings on items of the Human Resources Department Esparto Community Services District: All unless those items appear on the posted and the County Administrator's Office