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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Sacramento County Grand Jury
• 2019-2020
Addressing Homelessness in Sacramento County
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 13 findings
F1
Page 132
CCSD timely complied with the law that it commits the Camden Pointe Quimby fees within five years of their payment. It spent all of those fees for the construction of Phase 1 of MacDonald Park, and possibly for some other parks which would serve the Camden Pointe subdivision. CCSD has fulfilled its legal obligations with regard to those fees.
F2
Page 130
The leaders and workers in the community of organizations actively working to address the challenges presented by homelessness in Sacramento County have demonstrated an impressive level of both dedication and competence in assisting and supporting the County’s homeless population.
F3
Page 130
A County of Sacramento Homeless Plan to secure NPLH funds was recently developed by the County and adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The plan presents a significant initial strategic direction for addressing homelessness in Sacramento County and many of the organizations providing services and programs for the homeless collaborated with the County on the plan’s development and support its direction and implementation. 2018-2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
F4
Page 132
CCSD makes a good faith effort to comply with the California Public Records Act.
F5
Page 132
CCSD makes a good faith effort to keep adequate and appropriate District records to fulfill legal requirements.
F6
Page 132
CCSD’s records retention policy requires its records be safeguarded and adequately protected. 2018-2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
F7
Page 136
CTE programs take an estimated six years to develop and produce the first graduates. This is too long to reach the fast-changing demands in the labor market. 2018-2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
F8
Page 138
Since each school district in the County runs its own programs related to alcohol and other drugs, there is a significant variation in the resources available to students and their families throughout Sacramento County. 2018-2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
F9
Page 140
After voting to award health benefits to Board members, no further action was taken, no policies were created, and no health insurance benefits were awarded to Board 139 members. The Board could institute health benefits for themselves with no further public discussion.
F10
Page 141
The practice of conducting closed sessions after open sessions at the Board meeting may lead to an uninformed public and forestalls knowledge or comments. This practice does not encourage public engagement.
F11
Page 141
Candidate pools for Board Member seats are so low that elections are sometimes not required. As a consequence, Board members are appointed by the County Board of Supervisors, denying a voice to the public in selection of those who represent them.
F12
Page 141
The lack of adequate Board member awareness of regulations, operations, and institutional history can lead to poor decisions on the part of the Board and leads to an over-reliance on the General Manager and staff.
F13
Page 141
There is a pronounced lack of public oversight of the FRCD, as shown by poorly attended meetings and few Board candidates. 2018-2019 RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations 11
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R1Page 130The community of organizations working to address homelessness in Sacramento County should initiate a process during Fiscal Year 2019-2020 to identify an organizational model that will be responsive to needs expressed by the community. This 129 process should be coordinated by the five primary organizations providing resources to the homelessness effort. They are: • County of Sacramento • City of Sacramento • Continuum of Care Advisory Board • Sacramento Steps Forward • Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency 2018-2019 RESPONSES The City of Sacramento provided required responses to the findings and recommendations noted on November 5, 2019 and in compliance with PC Section 933 and PC Section 933.05.
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R2Page 132CCSD should inform the district’s residents what CCSD intends to do with the Sheldon Estates II Quimby fees if the vote on the overlay district fails, at the first Board meeting following the vote.
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R3Page 132CCSD should establish an accounting system which specifically tracks each Quimby fee collected from a developer and how that money is spent. This should be completed by June 30, 2020. 131
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R4Page 133CCSD should make a good faith and thorough effort, by June 30, 2020, to identify and recreate the records of collected but unspent Quimby Act funds that were lost due to the 2015 fire and inform its constituents of that effort. 2018-2019 RESPONSES The Cosumnes Community Services District provided responses to the findings and recommendations on September 19, 2019, in compliance with PC Section 933 and PC Section 933.05.
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R5Page 136The LRCCD Board of Trustees should reconsider its 80 percent funding agreement as part of its collective bargaining negotiation with the goal of providing more financial flexibility to meet current and future student achievement rate challenges.
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R6Page 136The LRCCD Board of Trustees and Chancellor should work with the academic senate and faculty to enhance the number and scope of online classes offered. 135
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R7Page 137The LRCCD Chancellor should streamline the process to establish CTE programs to reduce the number of years it takes to develop these types of programs over the next 12 months. 2018-2019 RESPONSES The LRCCD Chancellor responded to the findings and recommendations on October 8, 2019, in compliance with PC Section 933. LRCCD replied that R1 has been implemented and explained their disagreement with R5, both in compliance with PC Section 933.05. R2, R3, and R4 are not addressed in their responses and are therefore not in compliance with PC Section 933.05. LRCCD will implement R6 but not in the time frame recommended, and while in agreement with R7, but provides no plan for its implementation, neither in compliance with PC Section 933.05.
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R8Page 139School districts should establish Youth Program Specialists or similar positions to administer programs related to alcohol and drug prevention in the next budget cycle. 2018-2019 RESPONSES The Sacramento County Office of Education and the 13 District Superintendents responded to
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R9Page 142FRCD should conduct its closed sessions before general Board meetings to ensure the public is notified timely of any actions resulting from those closed sessions. Board bylaws should be updated by December 31, 2019, to address timing of closed sessions.
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R10Page 142FRCD should establish policy, by December 31 2019, to ensure a programmatic on- boarding process for new Board Members that includes both policy and operations. In addition, FRCD should establish, by December 31, 2019, a web-page with Board policies for public review.
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R11Page 142FRCD should, on an ongoing basis expand its outreach to its ratepayers, in order to increase their engagement with the business and activities of the district. This could include, but is not limited to, increased inserts with ratepayer’s monthly bills, enhanced web interaction, media outreach, such as a periodic column in the Elk Grove Citizen or other avenues, and practical workshops for ratepayers. FRCD should also engage with both the California Special Districts Association and the Institute for Local Government to learn about any other outreach efforts that are possible. 2018-2019 RESPONSES The Chairperson of the Florin Resource Conservation District (FRCD) provided the required responses to the findings and the recommendations on August 22, 2019, in compliance with PC Section 933 and PC Section 933.05.