Yuba County Grand Jury
1999-2000
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Findings & Recommendations
12 findings
F1:
understaffing. The complaint that the department's inefficiency resulted in inconvenience and financial
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
Communication between management, supervisors and caseworkers is poor which contributes to low morale and a sense that their concerns are not addressed.
F2:
injury found to be valid. Allegations of abuse of office and fraud are unfounded. The investigation revealed no
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
There appears to be no policy, procedure or guideline for the handling of complaints and grievances within the department.
F3:
malicious intent on the part of FSD staff. The September 22, 1999, letter sent to the FSD by a title company was inappropriately
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
There is a need to provide new social workers meaningful field training by experienced personnel. The "trial and error" method of training is inefficient and is a contributing cause of high personnel turnover in field services.
F4:
described as "hate mail" by a staff member. The 1998/1999 Grand Jury identified several areas of inefficiencies within the Family
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
Caseloads exceed state recommended levels resulting in excessive overtime for extended periods. REASONS FOR INVESTIGATION: The investigation was conducted pursuant to California Penal Code 925, which states in part "investigation may be conducted on some selective basis each year." The 1999/2000 Grand Jury Children's Protective Services investigation was based on that authority as well as receipt of a formal complaint that cases were being mishandled.
F5:
Support Division (FSD). Many of these problems still exist and were contributing factors to the errors made that resulted in the complaint. REASON FOR INVESTIGATION: The 1999/2000 Grand Jury received a citizen's complaint that the Family Support Division (FSD) had committed fraud and because of the inefficient operation of the FSD the complainant suffered personal and financial damage. The investigation was conducted pursuant to the California Penal Code Section 925. BACKGROUND: This Division is currently undergoing radical organizational and functional changes. The Governor has signed legislation (9/99) that dramatically changes the family support structure, operation, and funding processes. Additional Family Support officers, attorneys, accounting personnel, and support personnel will be hired as well as a permanent client receptionist. A minimum of eleven additional positions and the reclassification of three more are anticipated. Relocation of the FSD in January of 2001 has been recommended and is being reviewed at the state level. The relocation will be needed to accommodate the additional 20 to 30 staff that are projected to be added in the future. SCOPE: The Grand Jury reviewed the Complainant's FSD support payments records, information from interviews and other documentation provided. All interviews, discussions, and document reviews were conducted by no less than two members of the Grand Jury pursuant to the California Penal Code Section 916. DISCUSSION:
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
a repair schedule by road. The $5 million the County Supervisors diverted for the new racetrack was scheduled for road
F6:
According to the District Attorney in his letter to the Board of Supervisors, "the cause of under-performance is a lack of resources, but the current system was designed to increase performance by withholding more resources. The staffing workload, and funding problems discussed in the 1998/1999 Grand Jury report were a product of the old Family Support System."
Related Recommendations (1)
R6:
repair. The department is complaint driven, lacks direction, and has no goals.
F7:
The department lacks leadership and is run by staff without any or little direction coming
Related Recommendations (1)
R7:
The department lacks leadership and is run by staff without any or little direction coming
F8:
from upper management. Management's failure to address employee complaints left employees feeling isolated.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8:
from upper management. Management's failure to address employee complaints left employees feeling isolated.
F9:
County Supervisors have had direct knowledge of many of this department's problems and
Related Recommendations (1)
R9:
County Supervisors have had direct knowledge of many of this department's problems and
F10:
concerns. New micro overlay process is more cost effective than traditional pothole patching and
Related Recommendations (1)
R10:
concerns. New micro overlay process is more cost effective than traditional pothole patching and
F11:
should be used instead of the old traditional pothole repair techniques. REASON FOR INVESTIGATION: This investigation was conducted pursuant to California Penal Code 925, which states in part A... "investigations, may be conducted on some selective basis each year." The Yuba County Public Works Department had not been investigated since 1993. BACKGROUND: The Public Works Department's main office is located at the 14th St. County South Annex in Marysville with a maintenance shop/yard at the county airport and another shop/yard in Loma Rica. The Public Works Department has the responsibility of maintaining and servicing county roads and bridges. SCOPE: Members of the Grand Jury conducted a general investigation to determine the following: Funding resources.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11:
should be used instead of the old traditional pothole repair techniques. REASON FOR INVESTIGATION: This investigation was conducted pursuant to California Penal Code 925, which states in part A... "investigations, may be conducted on some selective basis each year." The Yuba County Public Works Department had not been investigated since 1993.
F1999:
The meeting consisted of a description of the facility followed by a walking tour. The committee was received the enrollment package used for those students wanting to reside on campus. The third interview was with the Bookstore Manager and the Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Business Services on October 30, 1999. The Grand Jury Committee was presented a brief overview of the organization of the bookstore and student services offered, including the hours of operation, employees, programs, and book prices. Barnes and Noble Company own the bookstore and lease the building from Yuba College. Also, the Food Services Coordinator was present. A brief review of the cafeteria and food services was presented. The report included a description of the services, dorm, salad bar area, snack bar area, cafeteria and the daily routine were explained. The Committee was invited to tour the food services facility at any time. The fourth interview was with the Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Business Services and the Director of Maintenance and Operations on January 10, 2000. A brief review of grounds and building maintenance was presented. Qualified college employees or local professionals, such as plumbers and carpenters perform maintenance. The college is planning an expansion to build new lab and special student buildings within the next several years. Materials and supplies are purchased from the local community whenever possible. The budget process was also discussed with a number of questions presented from the committee. Many of the questions asked were answered within the contents of documents and manuals given to the committee for review by the Business Director. Written responses to those questions were also received at a later meeting. The fifth meeting was with the Board of Trustees, the governing board of Yuba College, during their regular scheduled meeting on January 26, 2000. The purpose of the visit was to observe the function of the board. The Grand Jury Committee was introduced. Everyone in attendance received a copy of the current financial budget memorandum of district revenues and expenditures The Committee was greeted warmly and everyone was very professional and for review. cooperative. Every effort was made by senior staff members to accommodate and assist the Grand Jury. An audit was accomplished by an independent accounting firm, Perry-Smith & Company Certified Public Accountants, of Yuba College's year ending June 30, 1999. The audit revealed a few discrepancies. Those discrepancies found were minor in nature and corrective action was taken. One area of concern that the auditors noted dealt with retired staff's medical cost coverage. This expense is a highly unpredictable variable. The auditors were concerned about the college's ability to cope with the unpredictable of this liability. The retirees medical benefit cost would require additional funding to minimize the impact of this liability on the District's future operations. The Yuba College President presented a plan to cover the retirees medical plan liability for the next two years. In addition, he proposed a plan to review the budget quarterly to make future adjustments as needed The final visit was with the President and a board member of the College Scholarship Foundation on May 15, 2000. The committee was given a brief overview of the Foundation including the history and working of its financial operations. The purpose of this interview was to answer some questions and concerns from an employee at Yuba College regarding the distribution of the Scholarships, funding process and accountability. The committee was satisfied that there is a system in place, established by the Foundation Board and the State of California, concerning the managing of the Scholarship Foundation funds. The President and his staff treated the Grand Jury Committee with the utmost of respect and courtesy during all of the interviews and visits. Yuba College is a valuable asset within our community of which we can be proud.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1999:
The meeting consisted of a description of the facility followed by a walking tour. The committee was received the enrollment package used for those students wanting to reside on campus. The third interview was with the Bookstore Manager and the Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Business Services on October 30, 1999. The Grand Jury Committee was presented a brief overview of the organization of the bookstore and student services offered, including the hours of operation, employees, programs, and book prices. Barnes and Noble Company own the bookstore and lease the building from Yuba College. Also, the Food Services Coordinator was present. A brief review of the cafeteria and food services was presented. The report included a description of the services, dorm, salad bar area, snack bar area, cafeteria and the daily routine were explained. The Committee was invited to tour the food services facility at any time. The fourth interview was with the Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Business Services and the Director of Maintenance and Operations on January 10, 2000. A brief review of grounds and building maintenance was presented. Qualified college employees or local professionals, such as plumbers and carpenters perform maintenance. The college is planning an expansion to build new lab and special student buildings within the next several years. Materials and supplies are purchased from the local community whenever possible. The budget process was also discussed with a number of questions presented from the committee. Many of the questions asked were answered within the contents of documents and manuals given to the committee for review by the Business Director. Written responses to those questions were also received at a later meeting. The fifth meeting was with the Board of Trustees, the governing board of Yuba College, during their regular scheduled meeting on January 26, 2000. The purpose of the visit was to observe the function of the board. The Grand Jury Committee was introduced. Everyone in attendance received a copy of the current financial budget memorandum of district revenues and expenditures The Committee was greeted warmly and everyone was very professional and for review. cooperative. Every effort was made by senior staff members to accommodate and assist the Grand Jury. An audit was accomplished by an independent accounting firm, Perry-Smith & Company Certified Public Accountants, of Yuba College's year ending June 30, 1999. The audit revealed a few discrepancies. Those discrepancies found were minor in nature and corrective action was taken. One area of concern that the auditors noted dealt with retired staff's medical cost coverage. This expense is a highly unpredictable variable. The auditors were concerned about the college's ability to cope with the unpredictable of this liability. The retirees medical benefit cost would require additional funding to minimize the impact of this liability on the District's future operations. The Yuba College President presented a plan to cover the retirees medical plan liability for the next two years. In addition, he proposed a plan to review the budget quarterly to make future adjustments as needed The final visit was with the President and a board member of the College Scholarship Foundation on May 15, 2000. The committee was given a brief overview of the Foundation including the history and working of its financial operations. The purpose of this interview was to answer some questions and concerns from an employee at Yuba College regarding the distribution of the Scholarships, funding process and accountability. The committee was satisfied that there is a system in place, established by the Foundation Board and the State of California, concerning the managing of the Scholarship Foundation funds. The President and his staff treated the Grand Jury Committee with the utmost of respect and courtesy during all of the interviews and visits. Yuba College is a valuable asset within our community of which we can be proud. RECOMMENDATION: None RESPONSE: None
* 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.