Stanislaus County Grand Jury
• 2012-2013
• Agency Response
The Board of Supervisors of the County of Stanislaus Action Agenda Summary Dept: Chief Executive Office*
⚠️ 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 and Recommendations 9 findings
F1
The expired term Monterey Park Tract Community Services District board member appointed in 2007 continues until he or she resigns or is replaced by a successor through the election or appointment process. Comment: The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Office agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The MPTCSD and Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters should make MPTCSD board member candidate recruitment a priority to fill present board position vacancy(s). Comment: It is the function of the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters to conduct state, county and district elections. The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters also conducts city elections pursuant to request and contract with a particular city. The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters does not have authority to recruit candidates and remains impartial and neutral in the conduct of elections. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 1780, vacancies on a Board can be filled by a quorum of remaining directors ; by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors between 60 and 90 days; and by election after 90 days. In order to be eligible to serve as a director in the MPTCSD, an individual must meet the requirement of being a registered voter. The MPTCSD has a total of 57 registered voters.
F2
A quorum did exist on the MPTCSD board during the meeting of May 14, 2012. The board member in question was legitimately serving a term in office. Comment: Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Office does not have knowledge regarding the MPTCSD meeting of May 14, 2012.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The MPTCSD should develop and implement a record keeping system that is complete, secure and readily available. Comment: Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters conducts elections on behalf of the elective districts within Stanislaus County including MPTCSD. It does not instruct nor oversee the manner in which individual districts conduct business. R 3. The Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters should convert existing hard copy paper files to searchable computer files as soon as financially feasible. The converted files should be available to county offices and the public as necessary and/or reasonable. Comment: Records from 1854 to current are accessible from the Clerk-Recorder- Registrar of Voters. The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters maintains documents in multiple formats including electronic, digital, microfiche, microfilm and original paper, and said documents are available to the public upon 48 hours notice. Multiple election documents are on-line at www.stanvote.com some of which include the election calendar of important dates, candidates and measures for current elections, an explanation of the canvass of the vote, department overview, e-sample ballot pamphlet which contains the sample ballot pamphlet, a copy of the ballot and candidate statements as well as voter information, the list of elected officials and their statement of economic interest, the election results from 2002 to present, the Statement of the Vote from 2007 to present which includes the detail of all candidates and election results, an interactive ballot tracker/look-up with the ability to check a voters' provisional and vote by mail status, polling places, precincts and election officers, vote by mail history, required steps to request a vote by mail ballot and information, voter registration/ information, Stanislaus County voting system information and voter information guide materials. In addition to information placed on-line, the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters utilizes the Data Information Management System (DIMS) specialized database system to maintain records which include voter, candidate, election officer, polling place, district, precinct, street and affidavit distribution. No Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters records were requested by the Grand Jury during its investigation. The Grand Jury inquiry focused on California Election Code sections which are available on-line at several sites including http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ and an explanation the general election process. The contact information for the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters is 525-5211. Sincerely, Lee Lundrigan Starislaus County Clerk Recorder & Registrar of Voters CC: Supervisor Vito Chiesa, Chairman, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Richard W. Jacobs, Foreperson, STANISLAUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT Adam Christianson, Sheriff-Coroner BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ADMINISTRATION DIVISION 2013 JUN 26 A 10: 06 June 21, 2013 The Honorable Loretta Murphy Begen, Presiding Judge Stanislaus County Superior Court P.O. Box 3488 Modesto, Ca 95353 Re: Response to Grand Jury Report 13-14GJ Dear Judge Begen; The Sheriff's Department is in receipt of the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury's completed "Case # 13-14GJ Stanislaus County Jail Facilities Inspection" report, dated June 17, 2013.
F3
Procedures for the MPTCSD elections have not always been followed. Comment: It is not clear what procedures are referred to. California Election Code procedures are followed by the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters when conducting elections. Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters has no specific knowledge of MPTCSD election practices which may or may not have been followed.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Upgrade the electronics system in the Control Center. Response: The respondent agrees with the recommendation. It is our intent to upgrade the electronics system in the Control Center as part of the jail expansion project under AB 900. Add video surveillance to the food preparation area, the loading dock area and Minimum
F4
The separate records maintained by the MPTCSD, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters made to verify the status of MPTCSD board member's difficult. Comment: Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Office agrees that the MPTCSD, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Clerk- Recorder- Registrar of Voters maintain separate records. The MPTCSD, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters each have specific Government regulations that mandate their recordkeeping responsibilities. The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters staff works closely with the Clerk of the Board staff and the MPTCSD to ensure our on-line list of elected officials located at www.stanvote.com remains current. The Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters website is available to the public and reflects the elected directors of the MPTCSD, date of election year and expiration of their term of office.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Security Visitation area as a way to increase security, deter theft and the passing of Contraband. Response: The respondent agrees with the recommendation. We will assess additional surveillance in the cited locations as part of the AB 900 project or as a separate project within our budget allocation. Honor Farm:
F5
staff and 4 custodial sergeant position vacancies. The Sheriff's Department recruitment process has been unable to substantially reduce the number of vacant positions. Regardless of the number of applications received, the Sheriff's Department is currently experiencing a 1% success rate among Sheriff Department applicants. That translates to 1 out of every 100 applicants being capable of successfully passing the hiring and training process before a vacant position can be filled. Response: The respondent agrees with the finding at the point of the inspection. Since the Grand Jury visit, the department instituted continuous testing for Custodial Deputy candidates and reduced the vacancies from the stated 30 to 24. We also facilitated a Custodial Sergeant's promotional examination and filled all the sergeant's vacancies.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Adhere as closely as possible to the proposed June 2013 closure date. June 25, 2013 The Honorable Loretta Murphy Begen Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 13-14GJ Response: The respondent agrees with the recommendation. The department moved the closure date out to August 1, 2013 to sustain existing inmate bed capacity for as long as possible and close to the activation date for the new 192-bed facility in mid- September, when the Honor Farm will officially close. Men's Jail:
F6
The electronics in the Control Center are outdated and replacement parts/components are difficult and costly to obtain. Response: The Board has no comment regarding this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Accelerate any proposed renovations or planned new construction for a combined downtown jail/courthouse facility. Response: The respondent defers on this recommendation. The planning and development of a new courthouse facility with adequate inmate holding capacity is completely within the purview of the state Administrative Office of the Courts. The Sheriff's Department, County Executive Officer's staff and the Court Administrative staff will work in concert to ensure we, as a group, have input; but the final determinations will be with state officials. Sincerely. ADAM CHRISTIANSON Sheriff-Coroner Stanislaus County cc: Supervisor Vito Chiesa, Chairman Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Richard W. Jacobs, -2013 Monica Nino, Chief Executive Officer Stanislaus County
F7
There is an absence of video surveillance in the main food preparation area, the loading dock, and the "Minimum Security" visitation area. Response: The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding of the Grand Jury. Honor Farm:
No recommendations for this finding
F8
This facility is outdated and unable to effectively house the current level of inmates. The site is remote making it difficult to operate and support logistically. Response: The Honor Farm was closed on August 1, 2013 and is being replaced at the Public Safety Center with a new modern 192 bed jail facility. Men's Jail:
No recommendations for this finding
F9
This facility is outdated and is used to house a higher percentage of high- risk inmates in cells with a smaller number of inmates per cell. Response: The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding of the Grand Jury. 13-14GJ - Stanislaus County Jail Facilities Inspection The Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury recommendations the following:
No recommendations for this finding
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.