Covid-19 Erected 1854*

Conclusions 26

• CL1
  There is critical need for a Public Information Officer (PIO) for the County of Mariposa. Too much conflicting and inaccurate information is being parceled out to the county residents.
• CL2
  Public offices were closed, and community services were unavailable for an extended period. <b>RECOMMENDATIONS:</b>
• CL3
  A project of this magnitude will take considerable time to complete and yet to date, little has been done.
• CL4
  This is particularly important opportunity as California is prone to frequent, and extensive periods of drought.
• CL5
  Mariposa County needs to develop sustainable water supplies to maintain its current population and future growth. <b>RECOMMENDATIONS:</b>
• CL6
  MCSO currently uses Lexapol LLC to manage policy and procedures within the adult, and juvenile detention facilities.
• CL7
  Some information on the LDPCSD website is out-of-date and inaccurate and unfavorably represents the present status of the district.
• CL8
  Prior civil grand juries were inundated with complaints regarding the operation, management and oversight of the LDPSCD. It has been more than two years since a Mariposa County civil grand jury has received a complaint, regarding the district. <b>RECOMMENDATIONS:</b>
• CL9
  lodging units and therefore, the county's TOT.19
• CL10
  The EIR reports regarding water quality, and quantity found SilverTip wells would be drawing water from a source isolated from YACSD wells. Likewise, according to analysis, treated effluent from SilverTip would not contaminate YACSD wells.
• CL11
  MCCGJ believes there have been Brown Act violations by the YACSD BOD.
• CL12
  Comprehensive water testing has not been done since 2002.
• CL13
  YACSD bylaws state that they do not follow the letter of the law.20
• CL14
  YACSD is so small that they are unable to staff all positions, as required by state law.21
• CL15
  The district's bookkeeping, and confidential records are kept on a personal computer belonging to a board member and there was no evidence of any back-up.
• CL16
  The current District 5 Board Supervisor has never been invited to, nor attended a YACSD meeting. <b>RECOMMENDATIONS:</b> The MCCGJ recommends the State Auditor establish a high-risk local government
• CL17
  Budget cuts due to loss of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). COVID-19 restrictions affecting staff and prisoner morale.
• CL18
  Mariposa County 2020-2021 Grand Jury Report Administrative office space is inadequate.
• CL19
  COVID-19 has further complicated management of the jail. ٠ The HVAC systems remain inadequate. * ٠ There is a need for translators (Hmong, Laotian, Farsi, etc.).
• CL20
  * The previous grand jury suggested extensive inspection of plumbing / electrical / HVAC due to age of building and need for the building operate 24 / 7. Those systems are regularly inspected by maintenance staff. Potential remedies: The county has been in line to receive state funding for an addition to the jail. Architectural plans were drawn up three years ago however the funds were redirected to another county. That county has since withdrawn from the grant, so Mariposa is optimistic about securing the funding. Officers use Google Translate to communicate with non-English speakers. The County has a service and if a person is needed, they can contact county and get a contract translator. CONCLUSION: Mariposa County has an excellent team of professionals who work well together for the good of the community, and more importantly for the good of detainees. These community leaders are all aligned in helping detainees return to productive life. FINDINGS: F1. Staffing is a major issue, exacerbated by: The county salary structure which is non-competitive. The inability to hire new staff because of budget cuts. . F2. The facility is outdated and in need of renovation. Administrative office space is inadequate.
• CL21
  Staff locker, and equipment storage space are insufficient. Inmate exercise areas are dismal, outdoor stone enclosures.
• CL22
  The county could incur financial, and/or legal liability from current, or former employees resulting from a hostile work environment. Former employees indicated they had retired early, due to the hostile working conditions. These individuals claimed, and provided supporting documentation of being treated differently, and unfavorably when compared to other employees within the road crews. They were chastised for insignificant matters, unrelated to their assigned duties. Interviewees stated "some of the best and hardest working employees were treated particularly poorly." This information was consistent with what the MCCGJ heard from a number of sources, throughout our investigation.
• CL23
  Mariposa County Human Resources (HR) did not provide an adequate forum for county employees to express their concerns and allowed the alleged hostile work environment to persist, for many years. Consequently, there was no function to protect the county from potential liability due to breach of employment laws. The MCCGJ asked interviewees about the role HR played in the concerns raised by the employees. Each interviewee told us the same story: no corrective action was evident with the exception of the supervisor involved being notified of the complaints, potentially making working conditions even worse. Finally, we asked the former employees whether or not HR had performed an exit interview which is a standard practice, used to understand why employees are leaving. Exit interviews were not performed. These included employees with years, sometimes decades of service to the county who loved their jobs and who left before their full retirement age.
• CL24
  MCCGJ heard repeated stories of significant loss of operational efficiency, and performance within the road crews. Actions such as sending road crews a significant distance to work on a project that a crew in the target area was already working on, reduced the efficiency of both teams. This hostile environment, along with poor communication, naturally led to a lack of motivation among the employees.
• CL25
  The PWD purportedly has a serious problem with timecard falsification. Allegations were made by former employees that one crew, considered to be "a favorite" of one supervisor, submitted timecards indicating they were working, when in fact, they were out of the office or on leave. Another interviewee provided documentation that his timecard had been altered following submission, resulting in a reduction of pay. This employee was able to provide evidence that the timecard had, in fact, been altered.
• CL26
  All interviewees relayed instances of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety violations including not providing water, ice, shade or required safety and work equipment. For example, one crew ran out of water and was told by firefighters that Mariposa County 2020-2021 Grand Jury Report cases of water were available for them at the fire camp. When they went to the camp to get water, they were told by a supervisor to return to the job and were not allowed to take the water with them. Another crew working on a bridge was forced to share one safety harness. The length of the tether on the harness was longer than the height of the bridge, rendering it useless as fall protection. On this same bridge project, the crew requested scaffolding and was told to "make do" without it. As a result, the crew was forced to use an improvised scaffolding system, made from wooden planks. REFERENCES: Six interviewees: former and current county employees and a union representative. Documentation including written grievances, contemporaneous notes, timecards, citizen complaints, interviews and an organizational chart. FINDINGS: F1. Historically, the county Human Resources department has not been regarded as a safe, unbiased or effective resource for employees. F2. Employees of the Public Works Department have resigned, or retired due to an unchanging hostile work environment. F3. Many employees are unwilling to speak to the Grand Jury for fear of retaliation. F4. Multiple allegations of timecard falsification were made. F5. Multiple allegations of OSHA, and safety protocol violations were alleged. F6. After repeated requests for PWD policies and procedures, the PWD director indicated there were none.

No Responses Found 1

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