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Findings and Recommendations 16 findings
F1
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TheCityof Napadid notrespondtoR6 inthe “CommunityDevelopment” report. REVIEW OF RESPONSES For full reportsand responsesgoto: https://www.napa.courts.ca.gov/general-information/grand-jury/grand-jury-reports-responses. Napa County Animal Shelter FINDINGS
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
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In order toresolveanimalbehavior problemsmorerapidly,this GrandJury recommends that thesheltersecurea contract withaCertified Animal Behaviorist.Thisspecialist wouldbe asked tocommit toa definedperiodof timeeachweek/monthto developa programfor each suchanimal thatmayultimatelylead toadoptability. Inthe contrarysituation thebehaviorist, with concurrencefrom ashelter supervisoryperson,maydeterminethat noamount ofbehavior modification training willguarantee that ananimalwill beable tothrivein ahomeenvironment without thepossibility of future aggression orunpredictableimpulsive actions. The Directorof Public Works:Therecommendationhasbeen implemented.NapaCounty entered into anagreement withananimalbehaviorist onJanuary 12,2022.
F2
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Impoundedor surrendered animalswith significantbehavioral problemscreate an immediatebarrier toadoptionor foster care.TheNapaCounty Code requiresthata pro-bono Animal Behavioristattendto theseproblematicsituations;this canbedifficult and time-consumingto manage. Duringthe GrandJury’s visittotheshelter, severaldogs were observed tobe agitatedinsidetheir enclosuresandwere generallyunapproachabledue tothe potentialfor injury. The Directorof Public Works disagreespartially withthe finding.Asit pertainstothe statement that apro-bono Animal Behavioristmustattend toproblematic situations. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theDirector ofPublicWorks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
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TheOrdinance currently statesthat twocounty personnel,neither ofwhomreports tothe other,havetheauthority toeuthanize animalsafter seven specificstepsoutlined inthe Ordinance havebeencompletedregardlessof health,injury,feral nature,or age.An exceptionto these conditions shouldbemade whenthesuffering cannot berelieved, i.e., irremediablesuffering. In this instance,thisGrandJuryrecommendsthat the twocountypersonnel (aShelter Attendant and theShelterManager)should havethe authoritytoeuthanize ananimalwithout having completedthesesteps,if it hasbeen determinedthat ananimalis suffering needlessly.A ballot measure withvoterapprovalwouldbe requiredto expandthis exceptiontoincludeAnimal Shelter staff. Shelterpersonnel arefully trainedandcompetent toperform owner requested euthanasia;this GrandJuryrecommendsthat theyshould havethe authorityto dosowhen necessaryto relieveirremediablesuffering. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theresponsefromthe DirectorofPublic Works. The Directorof Public Works agreesin partwith therecommendation. TheDirectordoes agree that theOrdinance,adoptedas NapaCounty Code 6.04.230,maycreate additionalsuffering for animalswhileShelter staff obtain adeterminationof irremediablesuffering fromalicensed veterinarian. The NapaCounty Sheriff agreeswith theresponsesfromthe Boardof Supervisors,and the Director of PublicWorks.
F3
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Adogwith aferal naturemust beoffered toanon-profit organization for possibleadoption. The Directorof Public Works disagreespartially withthe finding.Prior todestruction (humane euthanasia)of anyimpoundedor surrendereddog,cat, rabbit, regardlessof health,injury,feral nature, orage, non-profit501(c)(3)animalwelfare organizations whohave requestedtobe notified mustbe providedno lessthanforty-eighthours notification andtheshelter mustpermit releaseof suchimpounded orsurrendered animalscheduledfor humaneeuthanasiaupon request fromthenon-profit animalwelfare organization. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theDirector ofPublicWorks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
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COMMENDATION:Theshelter personnelhave auniqueresponsibility withinNapa County governmentalagencies.Theymust accommodatethe needsof thepublic andprovide shelter for animalssometimesunder trying emotional circumstances.Theyareableto carefor manyspeciesof animalsbesidesdogs, cats,andrabbits,which arethefocusof theLiveRelease Statistics.Theyhaveonoccasion housedvarious birds,chickens,rodents,cattle, pigs,andhorses particularly whenanatural disasteroccurs,suchas recentwildfires.
F4
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Socialization,including amitigation planto dealwith thebehaviorproblems ofaggressive animals,maynot beachievablegiven theobstacle ofobtaininga probonobehaviorist.Thispath israrely viablesincethetime devoted totheanimal islimited andmaybe insufficienttochange theanimal’s behaviorand make itsuitable for adoption. The Directorof Public Works disagreespartially withthe finding.Napa CountyCodeprovides that staffmayconduct behavioral evaluations. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theDirector ofPublicWorks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
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COMMENDATION:Shelterpersonnel seekto findalternatives for surrendered animals, suchasnon-profit animal welfareorganizationsable toadopt animalsandlocate fosterhomes, oftena difficult task.
F5
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Sheltermanagers explainedthat therequirement for approvaltoeuthanize animalsmust be obtainedbya licensedveterinarian viaatelephone consultation.This requirementcan resultin unintendedconsequences when aveterinarian’sapproval cannotbe quicklyobtained. The Directorof Public Works agreeswiththe finding. The Sheriff agreeswiththe aboveresponses fromtheDirectorof Public Workstoall the findings. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theDirector ofPublicWorks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
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COMMENDATION:Basedonsitevisitsand interviewswith shelter personnel,twoAnimal Services officers,andtwovolunteers, the shelterhas performedavery credible jobin improvingtheLiveReleaseoutcomes whilemeetingMeasure A requirements.
F6
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Educationalprogram in needof improvement.JHneeds todevelop aviableNew Horizons Academy toserve abroaderrangeof probationaryyouth.Crossroadsneeds aliteracyprogram that permitssocial interactionabout whatisread; acomputer-basedprogram that focuseson individual interestwithisolatedyouthdoes notdothat. JHalso needsto workwiththe county library todevelop aneducational programthat teaches youthtouse asophisticatedlibrary system. In addition,JHneeds todevelop newoccupationalactivities similartothose undertaken with theaudiostudio.Overall,adultsinvolved inthe educationof youthinthe probationsystem needto investigatehowtheagency, literacy,and realworkfeaturesof theaudio studio canbe providedto allyouth for whomthey areresponsible. The ChiefProbation Officer partiallydisagrees with thisfinding. TheJuvenileHallis already designinganew programwithinthe Hallthat wasformerly calledtheNewHorizion’s program. The JuvenileJusticeCoordinating Councilpartially disagreeswith this finding.Membersof theJJCCincluderepresentativesofthe NCOEandBehavioralHealth. The JuvenileJusticeCommissiondisagrees whollywith thisfinding. Aspartofour annual inspectiontheJJCinspects theNCOE classroomsatJuvenile Hall,interviewsteachers, andthe youthabout theeducationprovided.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
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Leaders fromtheOffice ofProbation, from NCOE,and fromtheNapa CountyLibrary shouldmeetto studyprogramsinothercounties andtodevelop aninformal memo of understanding tooutlinehow youthinJHwill havefull access torobustlibrary services.The library program inContraCostaCounty should beoneof thosestudied. Response, ChiefProbation Officer:Therecommendationhasnotyet been implementedbutwill be implementedinthenext year. Response, NCOESuperintendent: Therecommendationhasnotyet been implemented.NCOE initiated contactwiththeContraCostaCountyOfficeofEducation, whichreportsthat the program isentirelyrun bythe library,nottheCCCOE.
F7
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TheGrandJurybelieves thatthe CDD’sfees areappropriatesincetheycoverservicesnot providedbyotherjurisdictions. The Cityof Napa agreeswiththis finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
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TheNCOE shouldrecognize theCrossroads classroomasaunique planning unitwithin CamilleCreekSchool andallow theCrossroads teacherthe discretiontoidentify appropriate instructionalprograms, especiallythose for languageliteracy. NCOE shouldalso providethe Crossroadsclassroomwith necessarybudgetaryresourcesfor the chosen programs,especially those for languageliteracy. Response, NCOESuperintendent: Therecommendationwillnotbe implementedasitis not warranted.
F8
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Theabsenceof expertise inCDDregarding therenovation ofhistoric sitesmeansthat some historic buildingprojectapplicationsmight notreceive appropriatereview. The Cityof Napa disagrees with thisfinding. Asstatedaboveall potentiallyhistoric properties requiring specialattention and/orreview are listedontheCity ofNapaHistoric Resources Inventory list (HRI). Thislistis alsoadatapoint thatis “tagged” toeach parcelwithinTrakit, shown asaspecial sensitivity needed shouldtherebeabuilding permit orother application madeforanHRI property. UtilizingtheSecretary ofInterior Standards andlocal requirements, staffevaluatesaproposalfor consistency. Largermorecomplex projects willinvolvecontract specialists toassist staffand theCultural HeritageCommissionwiththenecessary evaluation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
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CityManagers andtheCounty ExecutiveOfficer shoulddisseminatemoredata and information abouthomelessnesstoeducate Naparesidentsaboutthe causesandextentof homelessness inNapa andits effectsuponpersonsliving onthestreet. An examplewouldbe developingrespective government websitestoincludean informationdashboardon homelessness andhomelessness prevention. Response, Director,NapaCounty Housingand HomelessServices:Therecommendationhas not yetbeenimplementedbut willbeimplementedin FiscalYear 2022-2023.
F9
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Currentunusedspaceat JuvenileHall couldbeconverted togeneral housingfor homeless youth, butonly ifauthorizedbythe Court. The Directorof Housing and Homelessservicesagreeswith thefinding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
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TheCounty CEOand NapaCounty Directorof Corrections shouldworkto convertthe current ReentryFacility totransitional housingfor the homeless. Response, Director,NapaCounty Housingand HomelessServices and Directorof Corrections:Therecommendation hasnotbeen implemented.Therecommendationwillrequire further analysisonwhetherthis repurposingcanbecome permanent. Response, ActingCounty Executive Officer:theCEOagreeswiththe Director. Response, Boardof Supervisors:the BoardofSupervisors agreeswiththeDirector.
F10
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ManyCountyresidents,including“at-risk” groups,did nothavesufficient accessto computers, reliableinternet access,or tech-savvinessto getaccess tovaccination appointments. For theseandotherreasons,they wereat asignificantdisadvantage. TheCounty’scallcenter and outreachefforts helped, but awarenessabout thescope of these13serviceswaslimited. The County seemedto provideinsufficient assistancetotheseresidents,especiallywhenvaccine doses werein shortsupply. Response of PublicHealth Officer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand Acting County Executive Officer:We disagreepartially withthe finding. Thecall centerand vaccinations wereadvertised usingmultimedia outreach,includingradio, newspaper,social media posts,FacebookLiveandBOS presentations. Eventhoughtherewas multimedia outreach andcall center,therewere stillnotenoughvaccine dosesto administer,whichwas beyondthe County’s control. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith thePublic HealthOfficer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand ActingCounty Executive Officer.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
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TheCounty’sinitial choicetousean EOCpersonnelstructurefor the Covid responsewas appropriate andimportantbut usingit continuouslyfor over ayearandahalfresulted ina depleted andexhausted County workforceand leftmanyotherCounty servicesunperformedfor along period. Response of PublicHealth Officer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand Acting County Executive Officer:We whollydisagreewith thefinding. Prolongeduse oftheEOC structure wasnecessary to supplementstaffingtoCOVID-19 andtoenable theprovision ofother essential Public Healthand Countyfunctions,whileawaiting supplementalfundingto hirestaff. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith thePublic HealthOfficer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand ActingCounty Executive Officer.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
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TheCountyeitherdidnot sufficientlyconsider transitioningearliertoa differentpersonnel structure thantheEOCor allocated insufficientresourcesto evaluateandimplement other options for continuingitsCovidresponse. A differentpersonnelstructure thanthe “allhands-on deck” EOCapproachused for Covid(eventhough itssenseof urgency wastoneddown tosome extentover time) couldhaveallowed some County resourcestoreturn morequicklyto their normal functions,whileprovidingadditional needed technicaland othersupporttothePHD to continuetheir responsework. Response of PublicHealth Officer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand Acting County Executive Officer:We whollydisagreewith thefinding. TheEOCstructurewas necessary tosupplementstaffingto respondto COVID-19andto enablethe provisionofother essential Public Healthfunctionswhichwereprioritizedto returnbasedonourContinuity of OperationsPlans. Anall-Countyresponsewas requiredto fulfillother functionsthat felloutside of Public Health. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith thePublic HealthOfficer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand ActingCounty Executive Officer.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
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TheCounty’sabilityto respondtootheremergenciescould havebeen significantly hindered bythelong-term useof this EOCstructurefor theCovid response. DuetoNapa County’s relativelysmall size, manyof thesameresources mustbe employedwheneverCounty responds tofires, earthquakes,and other emergencies,includingsubstantialpublic healthgroup resources. Itisbeyond thescope of thisinvestigationto assesswhetherthe County’semergency responses tothedevastatingfires fromAugust throughOctober2020were hampered bythe continueduseof theEOC structureapproachfor Covid, orwhetherkey staffwere over-stretched and notperforming atpeak efficiency.There islittle questionthatthe County wasvery luckythat the2021fire seasonin Napa wasarelativelyquiet one. Response of PublicHealth Officer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand Acting County Executive Officer:We whollydisagreewith thefinding. TheNapaCountyOfficeof Emergency Services(OES)didhave aplanfor runningconcurrent EmergencyOperations Centers ( EOC’s)duringCOVIDresponse andthe2020fires. That plan waspreparedand presentedto theBoardofSupervisorsandan“Incident Within anIncident'planatthe BOS meeting onAugust11,2020,prior tothe onsetof thefires. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith thePublic HealthOfficer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand ActingCounty Executive Officer
No recommendations for this finding
F14
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Thisinvestigationdidnot includeareviewofthe “vaccineinquiry” involvinga County Supervisor that wasconducted bythelawfirm MeyersNave atthe behestofthe Boardof Supervisors (report dated5/5/2021). However,multipleintervieweesvolunteered theirconcerns aboutthetiming of theinquiry (seenas unnecessarilyduring the heightof thevaccine rollout) and itspurpose.During theinvestigation,PHDstaff wasdiverted fromtheirvitalresponsibilities responding toa publichealth emergencyjust tobescrutinized andquestionedbyMeyers Nave. TheGrandJury wastold multiple timesthat theinquiry leftan alreadyovertaxed and over-stressedstaff extremely demoralized.Apparently,those woundshavenothealed. Response of PublicHealth Officer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand Acting County Executive Officer:Agrees whollywith thefinding. The Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith thePublic HealthOfficer/DeputyDirector,OESand RiskManagerand ActingCounty Executive Officer. COMMENDATION TheGrandJury commends theNapaCounty PHDfor their dedication,leadership,and commitmentto theresidents ofNapa Countyin allaspects ofthe County’sCovid response, includingproviding Covid vaccinations.
No recommendations for this finding
F15
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TheCountyhasnopriorities orqueue ofbroadbandprojects that are“shovel-ready”for implementation,nor any resources availableto identifysuch projectsor supervise their implementationif theyare funded. Napa County: theActingCEO agreespartiallywith this finding.Throughthe Broadband team'sworkwithCBG,the CountyrecentlycompletedaBroadbandRoadmap thatidentifies potential projectsin13areas throughout theCounty. Theseprojects arenot "shovelready" becausemore work,andfunding, isneeded inscoping the constructionandidentifying partners to help scopethat work,whichincludesenvironmental impactreviews,engineering design and construction costestimates.Theprocessto have"shovelready” projectscould nothaveoccurred earliersinceanalysis and studieswererequired tobecompletedfirst.Importantly, preparing shovelready projectsbeforethe State MiddleMileNetworklocationsare identified couldhave resultedin wastedresources andefforts.Most,if notall, projectsinour roadmapareLastMile, whichmust beconnected tothe MiddleMile.We simply couldn'tspendtime ontheformer without thelatter.Itwas notuntil April2022that theState MiddleMile Networklocationswere identified. BOS: the Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theActingCEO.
No recommendations for this finding
F16
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Without properpreparednesstocompete for broadbandgrantfunding(including acoherent strategic plan,adequatestaffing, resources,andCounty-wide stakeholdercoordination)the County maynotbe assuccessful atacquiring fundsas itshould be,andefforts may remainad hoc andpassive. Napa County: theActingCEO agreeswith thisfinding andmaintains thatthe Countyis prepared. BOS: the Boardof Supervisorsagreeswith theActingCEO.
No recommendations for this finding
Commendations 5
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CM1 Page 39Napa CountyBoardof Supervisors R1,R2, R3
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CM2 Page 39ChiefProbation OfficerR1, R2,R3, R4,R5 INVITED RESPONSES
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CM3 Page 39Director of HealthandHuman ServicesR5
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CM4 Page 39Director of Information Technology ServicesR4 Covid Vaccinations In Napa County
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CM5 Page 44TheGrandJury commends theNapaCounty PHDfor their dedication,leadership,and commitmentto theresidents ofNapa Countyin allaspects ofthe County’sCovid response, includingproviding Covid vaccinations.