HomeMy WebLinkAboutSierra County 8-5-11SIERRA COUNTY
Board of Supervisors
P.O. Drawer D
Downieville, California 95936
Telephone {530) 2$9-3295
k'ax (530) 2$9-Z$30
August 2, 2011
Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
80ARD OF SiIASRVI$ORb'
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Re: Assembly Bill 109 -Sierra County Opposition
Dear Governor Brown:
AB 109, the trailer bill that implements Public Safety Realignment, requires that each county's
Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) recommend a local plan to each county Board of
Supervisors. The original bill established an Executive Committee of each county's CCP, consisting
of the Chief Probation Officer, a Chief of Police, the Sheriff, a County Supervisor or the Chief
Administrative Officer (CAO), and the head of the County Department of Social Services, for the
purpose of developing and presenting an implementation plan.
Since the passage of AB 109, certain changes have been suggested concerning both the make-up of
the Executive Committee and the Board of Supervisors' approval process. These changes have since
been memorialized in your approval of AB 117. These changes undermine the premises on which
public safety realignment have been based, and are not supported by the Sierra County Board of
Supervisors.
The newly constituted Executive Committee now excludes the County Supervisor/Chref~-~-----
Administrative Officer (CAO) seat, and is comprised of the Chief Probation Officer, a Chief of
Police, the District Attorney, the Presiding Judge of the local Court, and a representative to be
chosen by the Board of Supervisors from among the Director of Health Services, the Director of
Human Services, or the Director of a County's Alcohol and Drug programs.
We are concerned about the removal of the participation of the Board or the CAO at the Executive
Committee level. While the Executive Committee of the CCP recommends an implementation plan
and does not develop or propose a budget, we feel strongly that the lack of Board or CAO member
participation could result in a lack of overall county vision, continuity and fiscal reality. While each
of the participants may be able to look beyond his or her role, na one else has the direct responsibility
to balance the needs of the County both from a programmatic and budgetary perspective.
Lee Adams Peter W. Huebner Bil] Nunes David "Dave" Goicoechea Scot# A. Schiefstein
District No. 1 District No. 2 District No. 3 District No. 4 District No. 5
F.O. box k P.O. box 349 P.O. Box k l S P.O. Box 883 l'.O. Bvx l92
Downievikle, CA 95936 Sierra City, CA 96125 Calpine, CA 96124 IAyaltpn, CA 96118 Loyalton, CA 96! IS
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Even more importantly, there now appears to be a requirement fora 415 vote if a Board of
Supervisors wishes to reject a plan that has been submitted by the CCP's AB 109 Executive
Committee. While there is only a requirement of a majority vote to accept a plan (or a County
budget), the creation of asuper-majority to reject the plan is essentially undemocratic and inflexible.
This super-majority requirement can become a significant hurdle to implementation and will lead to
a loss of local control which was envisioned by the anginal realignment plan. This becomes even
more problematic should the plan recommended by the Executive Committee exceed the State's
allocation of funds to the County to implement the plan. The County of Sierra has worked
constructively and cooperatively to make new public safety realignment a reality and a success.
Paramount in our support for this effort has been your commitment to the tenets oflocal control and
local flexibility. The changes made in AB 117 undermine both these principles and, with that, our
enthusiasm for public safety re-alignment.
These two factors create impediments rather than incentives to the commitment to making the new
public safety realignment work. Therefore, I aim writing on behalf of our Board to urge that you
reject the requirement fora 4/5 majority vote for approval or disapproval of any Community
Corrections Plan and reconsider the plan to exclude the Board or CAO from the Community
Corrections Partnership Executive Committee.
Sincerely,
L~`~~~C? L~ ti~
Lee Adams, Chair
Board of Supervisors
cc: Assemblyman Dan Logue
Congressman Tom McClintock
Senator Ted Gaines
California Association of Counties
Members, County Administrative Officers Association of California
Chairpersons of the Board, All California Counties
Lee Adams Peter W. Huebner Bill Nunes David "Dave" Gaicoechca Scott A. Schleistcln
1
District No District No. 2 District No. 3 District No. 4 District No. 5
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Box 1
P
O P.O. Bvx 349 P.O. Box 1 I $ P.O. Sox 883 P.O. Box ] 92
.
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Downicville, CA 95936 Sierra City, CA 46125 Calpine, CA 96124 [.oyalton, CA 96118 L.oyalton, CA 96118