City of Marina*

The City of Marina's blatant failure to cooperate with the Civil Grand Jury and comply with the requirements set forth in California Penal Code Section 933.05 was unacceptable and risked incurring legal expenses if the Civil Grand Jury took legal action to compel compliance and sanctions if the City failed to comply with the court order. Response: The City of Marina agrees with the finding. The City of Marina had a complete turnover in the Community Development Department. The Community Development Director, the Planning Manager and the Senior Planner all left in a very short period of time. It was during this period of time that the Grand Jury Report came out. There was no staff available and the hired contract employees did not have the expertise and knowledge to provide the detailed answers required to respond to the Housing Homeless Women Grand Jury Report. Additionally, there was a mix-up between other city staff and departments regarding who would be responding to the report. The Executive Assistant in the City Manager's office who normally tracks and monitors important correspondence like this, took a position with another agency and the position was vacant. It was during these circumstances when the Grand Jury Report became due. It was not the City's intent to not cooperate with the Grand Jury. Once we realized our mistake, considerable effort was put into responding to the report to make sure the response was thorough and accurate. The City certainly could have done a better job in making the Grand Jury aware of our situation, rather than submitting a late report. Serving a World Class Community