Santa Clara County Grand Jury
2015-2016
From the annual report
The consolidated year-end volume. The individual investigations it contains are listed separately below.
📑 Year-End Report
The full consolidated volume; individual reports are listed below.
Individual reports (7)
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Findings & Recommendations
2 findings
F1:
"The Santa Clara Valley Water District Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project has the potential to prevent flooding of some residential and commercial properties within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View." The civil grand jury did not make any recommendations that pertain to this finding. District Response: The District agrees with the finding.
F2:
"Completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project could result in redefinition of the flood plain by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with subsequent removal of the requirement for flood insurance for some properties in the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View." The civil grand jury makes two recommendations that pertain to this finding. District Response: The District agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2a:
"The Santa Clara Valley Water District should notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency of completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project so FEMA may reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. In addition, the Water District should inform the public of the notification. Our mission is to provide Silicon Valley safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. District Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future upon completion of the project.
R2b:
"At project completion, the Santa Clara Valley Water District should reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. District Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future upon completion of the project. This response is submitted in accordance with Penal Code § 933.05 (a) and (b). The District response is due no later than Monday, September 12, 2016. If you or the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury have any further questions or require additional information, please contact Mr. Jesús Nava, Chief Administrative Officer by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 408-630-2764. Thank you for your service and attention to this important community project. Sincerely, Norma J. Camacho Interim Chief Executive Officer Michele King, Clerk of the Board, SCVWD CC: Stan Yamamoto, District Counsel, SCVWD Melanie Richardson, Acting Chief Operating Officer, Watersheds, SCVWD Lonnie Spin, Unit Manager, Records and Library, SCVWD
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Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Custody Bureau policies and procedures are out of date.
F2:
Interim changes to existing Custody Bureau policies and procedures are not explicitly tied to the policies and procedures they affect.
F3:
Current staffing levels necessitate that correctional deputies typically work alone in a housing unit. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the correctional deputies to fulfill their duties and responsibilities.
F4:
Supervision of correctional deputies on the housing floors is inadequate. There are not enough sergeants to provide sufficient coaching, support, and remediation where needed. Watch commanders are not on site at all times.
F5:
The number of mental health clinicians is insufficient to adequately address the needs of mentally ill inmates in the jails.
F6:
There is a need for improvement at all management levels of Custody Health Services.
F7:
Custody Health Services is unable to facilitate a “warm handoff” of mentally ill inmates to community providers upon release from jail.
F8:
Implementation of multi-disciplinary teams approved by the Board of Supervisors has been poorly executed, and the proposed benefits have not been realized.
F9:
There is significant opportunity to enhance the quality and training methods of Custody Academy courses that deal with mentally ill inmates.
F10:
While the Custody Bureau has expanded its curriculum to include Crisis Intervention Team training, some of that training is not relevant to the custody environment.
F11:
There is no content specific to dealing with mentally ill inmates in the Probationary On-the-Job Training manual.
Additional Recommendations
13
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Office of the Sheriff should assign personnel whose sole responsibility is to update and maintain all Custody Bureau policies and procedures with priority given to the Medical and Health Care Services chapter and the Security and Control chapter.
R2:
The Office of the Sheriff should use a document control method to ensure any interim changes to existing policies and procedures are explicitly tied to the policies and procedures they affect.
R3:
The Office of the Sheriff should increase staffing levels so that at least two correctional deputies are assigned to each housing unit on all shifts to manage the workload, reduce stress, increase security and safety, and allow correctional deputies more flexibility in dealing with the behavior and needs of all inmates, including those with mental health issues.
R4a:
The Office of the Sheriff should increase the number of sergeants on each shift to one sergeant per housing floor in Main Jail and comparable supervision levels at the Elmwood facilities.
R4b:
The Office of the Sheriff should have a watch commander (lieutenant or above) at both Main Jail and Elmwood at all times.
R5:
The Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System should increase clinician staffing levels in the jails to improve the level of support counseling, therapy, and advocacy for mentally ill inmates.
R6:
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors should commission a thorough independent audit of the Custody Health Services organization to ensure best management practices are identified and employed.
R7:
Custody Health Services should develop a process to ensure discharge planning begins upon incarceration and leads to a “warm handoff” to community support services at time of release.
R8:
The Board of Supervisors should appoint a project manager to oversee the implementation of the multi-disciplinary teams to ensure their anticipated benefits are fully realized.
R9a:
The Office of the Sheriff should increase the use of scripted scenarios and role- playing in Custody Academy courses on mental health to develop and practice de- escalation and critical thinking skills.
R9b:
The Office of the Sheriff should have mental health classes at the Custody Academy audited for effectiveness annually by subject matter experts and teaching professionals.
R10:
The Office of the Sheriff should develop or select a custody-centric Crisis Intervention Team training program for the Custody Bureau by December 31, 2016, for immediate implementation.
R11:
The Office of the Sheriff should add content on dealing with mentally ill inmates to the Probationary On-the-Job Training manual. Evaluation criteria should include interaction with mentally ill inmates and those with developmental disabilities, de- escalation techniques, and appropriate use of force.
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Findings & Recommendations
2 findings
F1:
The Santa Clara Valley Water District Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project has the potential to prevent flooding of some residential and commercial properties within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
F2:
Completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project could result in redefinition of the flood plain by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with subsequent removal of the requirement for flood insurance for some properties in the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2a:
The Santa Clara Valley Water District should notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency of completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project so FEMA may reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. In addition, the Water District should inform the public of that notification.
R2b:
At project completion, the Santa Clara Valley Water District should reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
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Findings & Recommendations
2 findings
F1:
The Santa Clara Valley Water District Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project has the potential to prevent flooding of some residential and commercial properties within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
F2:
Completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project could result in redefinition of the flood plain by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with subsequent removal of the requirement for flood insurance for some properties in the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2a:
The Santa Clara Valley Water District should notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency of completion of the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project so FEMA may reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. In addition, the Water District should inform the public of that notification.
R2b:
At project completion, the Santa Clara Valley Water District should reevaluate its 100-year flood plain within the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View.
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Findings & Recommendations
3 findings
F1:
The Department of Revenue’s account statements have been sent to debtors with the leading digit of the month missing. This resulted in statements listing incorrect dates, which could leave debtors confused as to how their payments were being applied. Department of Revenue inspections were not shown to be effective in catching anomalies such as those seen in misprinted statements.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
The County should improve the account statement printing process at the Department of Revenue to ensure that the type of error discussed in this report is avoided.
F2:
The current Department of Revenue complaint system lacks online accessibility for debtors and does not include an internal complaint tracking function.
Related Recommendations (3)
R2a:
The County should implement an online complaint system accessible through the Department of Revenue’s website.
R2b:
The County should implement a system for the Department of Revenue to track questions, complaints, and follow-ups.
R2c:
The County should require the Department of Revenue to monitor and report complaint response times to ensure the goal of two business days is met.
F3:
Online access provided by the Department of Revenue to debtors is limited to viewing current account balance and making a payment.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
The County should improve online access through the Department of Revenue’s website to include the ability for debtors to view and download account transactions and past statements.
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Findings & Recommendations
3 findings
F1:
Since the passage of the Santa Clara Stadium Taxpayer Protection and Economic Progress Act (Measure J), there has been no compliance audit. During the course of the Grand Jury’s investigation, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority board approved a Measure J compliance audit to be performed by a third party, to be selected.
Related Recommendations (4)
R1a:
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority should specify that the compliance audit cover the time period beginning with the passage of Measure J through March 31, 2016, the end of the Stadium Authority fiscal year.
R1b:
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority should specify that the scope of the compliance audit include whether City of Santa Clara general funds have been used for the operation or maintenance of Levi’s Stadium in violation of Measure J.
R1c:
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority should specify that a Measure J compliance audit include a review of the billing and tracking procedures used when City employees perform Stadium business and how and when the City is reimbursed.
R1d:
Once the audit is complete, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority should release the results to the public.
F2:
The public safety costs incurred during the first two NFL football seasons at Levi’s Stadium have exceeded the monetary threshold stated in the Santa Clara Stadium Taxpayer Protection and Economic Progress Act (Measure J).
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
If the public safety cost overage continues through the 2016 NFL season, the City of Santa Clara should seek an adjustment of the public safety cost threshold in accordance with clause 7.5.4(b) of the Amended and Restated Stadium Lease Agreement by and between the Santa Clara Stadium Authority and Forty Niners Santa Clara Stadium Company LLC dated March 28, 2012, As Amended and Restated as of June 19, 2013.
F3:
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority’s Finance Director, Treasurer, and Auditor positions are currently held by the same individual.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority should adopt the same structure as the City of Santa Clara, where the auditor position is separate and independent from that of the finance director.
* 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.