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Photo Blog: The 2011 CSAC Legislative Conference

By on June 1st, 2011

More than 300 county officials attended the first day of the 2011 CSAC Legislative Conference in Sacramento today. Featured speakers included Governor Brown, Senator Lois Wolk, Assembly Member and Former CSAC President Rich Gordon, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Matthew Cates, and Sacramento Bee political writer Dan Morain. Here’s a visual look at the day’s events.

CSAC President John Tavaglione discusses a point with Diane Cummins, special advisor to the governor on realignment.

The theme of this year's Legislative Conference was "California at a Crossroads."

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach listens intently to the General Session speakers.

Senator Lois Wolk, a former Yolo County Supervisor, quotes baseball legend Yogi Berra: "If you don't know where you are going, you might end up somewhere else."

Assembly Member and CSAC Past President Rich Gordon talks about life under the Dome.

Matthew Cate, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, briefs the audience on the recent U.S. Supreme County decision regarding prison population and the Governor's realignment plan.

CSAC President John Tavaglione takes a moment for a radio interview.

Former Assembly Member and Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson and San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox moderate a workshop on realignment.

CSAC First Vice President Mike McGowan makes a point during the luncheon program.

The Governor stops to answer questions from the media before addressing the audience.

Governor Brown tells the county officials that everyone needs to "get out of their comfort zone" if we are going to preserve the California dream

From left, CSAC President John Tavaglione, CSAC 2nd Vice President David Finigan, CSAC 1st Vice President Mike McGowan, Governor Brown, and CSAC Executive Director Paul McIntosh.

Sacramento Bee political writer Dan Morain shares a laugh with the audience.

CSAC Past Presidents Frank Bigelow, on left, and Greg Cox get caught up on business.

Inyo County Supervisor Susan Cash, on left, and Colusa County Supervisor Kimberly Dolbow Vann.

Another Voice, Health and Human Services Comments turned off

Another Voice: Humboldt County Lets Transition-Age Foster Youth Do the Talking

By on May 26th, 2011

What makes an excellent system of care for transition-age foster youth? Humboldt County believes there are no better experts than the youth themselves. 

In 2008, the Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration (HCTACY) was launched in partnership with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project, California Youth Connection, and Youth In Mind. The goal of this initiative is to build an effective, responsive, and youth-informed system of care for transition-age foster youth. 

Each year, more than 5,000 youth “age out” of California’s foster care system at 18 or 19 years of age, depending on whether they are close to high school graduation. Young people emancipating from California’s foster care system face a difficult transition to adulthood completely on their own, and are more likely to be incarcerated, unemployed and/or homeless, which results in extraordinary costs to public systems. 

Humboldt’s HCTAYC youth told the county that Committing to Youth Engagement requires an environment that encourages and respects youth voices in meetings and decision-making. A seat at the table is not enough to affect true systematic change, they said, but a culture shift toward seeing youth as partners is the first step. 

One of the most effective ways HCTAYC has engaged the county and community in this partnership is through Digital Stories. Digital stories offer youth the opportunity to create short documentaries about their experiences with juvenile justice, education, foster care, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness. Digital stories are a highly effective tool for others to learn from the perspective of the youth who have real-life experience with systems of care, but, above all, digital stories offer an opportunity for healing. The county found the process of creating the digital stories was a highly empowering experience for youth, as they were able to think about their story, tell it in their own way, and have it produced and used for the purposes of improving care for all foster youth. 

In its first two years, HCTAYC authored policy recommendations to improve mental health services for transition-age youth (TAY) at the county’s psychiatric health facility, Children’s Center and crisis line. They secured two seats on the County’s mental health board dedicated to TAY. Humboldt County’s youth have also participated in events at the state Capitol in Sacramento, including testifying on May 10 at the Assembly Select Committee on Foster Care and following Legislators for Youth Shadow Day at the Capitol on May 11. 

HCTAYC also provides leadership development and professional skills training to increase youth capacities in decision-making and policy setting. Youth members attend state and national conferences to develop their leadership skills and knowledge about policies affecting children and youth. Participation in the various conferences has allowed youth from Humboldt County to share their experiences with youth from different regions, and learn about larger issues facing TAY nationwide. 

HCTAYC continues to build on its efforts to develop a county health and human services system that is more effective and informed on TAY issues, a strong community of youth voices in the county, and empowerment of transition age youth to shape the systems of care in Humboldt County and throughout the state.

County Budgets, State Budget 1 comment

CSAC Urges Special Election As Soon As Possible

By on May 24th, 2011

CSAC has sent a letter to the Governor and legislative budget leaders which reaffirms our support of the Governor’s realignment proposal and asks that the special election, needed to ratify the constitutional protections and revenues counties require to take on realigned programs, be held at the earliest possible time.

Excerpts from our letter:

“The concept of realignment – the transfer of responsibilities to counties with an ongoing funding source – is especially timely given today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court directing the state to reduce its prison population.  We urge the Legislature to act swiftly on the realignment proposal, including the constitutional amendment, to ensure that counties have the resources we need to provide appropriate services, supervision, and sanctions to offenders returning to our communities.  A properly funded and protected realignment of services is the only logical and responsible way to comply with the Court’s order and continue to provide for public safety.

To that end, counties urge a special election to ratify the constitutional protections and revenues at the earliest possible time.  Delay would only serve to underscore uncertainties at the local level, with local decision makers faced with preparing for local programming without the assurance of continued funding or protections that mitigate local risk.  Dedicated funding and constitutional protections are fundamental to counties’ support of realignment, as they provide the foundational support for the transfer of responsibilities from the state.”

Letter to the Governor

Letter to the Legislative Leadership

Another Voice, Justice/Public Safety 1 comment

Another Voice: Strategic Reentry Plan Puts Contra Costa Ahead of the Eight Ball

By on May 24th, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday (May 23) upheld a federal court decision that mandated the release of up to 40,000 inmates from the California prison system.

Fortunately, we’ve been working on this issue for almost two years. We have a strategic reentry plan for the county and are in the midst of seeking grants to fund its implementation.

Having a strategic plan puts us — as a county – ahead of the eight ball.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court agreed with a lower court ruling that having about 160,000 inmates in California’s prisons created overcrowded and unhealthy conditions for a system designed to accommodate 80,000 inmates.

Earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 109 – also known as “realignment for public safety” — to transfer about 40,000 low-risk state prisoners to county jails. The bill’s implementation won’t take effect until funding for the county’s are identified.

Brown’s predecessor, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in order to ease the crowded conditions moved about 10,000 to out-of-state for-profit prisons conditions.

In 2009 after a lower court ordered the state to release thousands of prisoners, the supervisors’ Public Protection Committee chaired by Glover and with Supervisor John Gioia, asked the county to partner with a host of community-based organizations to create a plan to reduce inmate recidivism.

Parolees and probationers have recidivism rates as high as 75 percent. That is unacceptable. My constituents’ first worry is the increased criminal activity will do to their communities and neighborhoods. It creates a burden on law enforcement agencies and the courts as well.

That’s the purpose of getting all these stakeholders on board so we can address the resources needed by the returning inmates in order to give those people every chance to succeed in reintegrating themselves into the real world. Some of the hurdles the returnees face are in housing, job training, drug treatment and family reunification.

Two months ago, the Board of Supervisors approved the strategic plan written up by Oakland-based consultant Urban Strategies.  In these economically troubled times, it was crucial for everyone to have part of the solution.

It will take all of the different departments – probation, health services, the D.A., Sheriff’s Office, Workforce Development and the Public Defender – working diligently with the nonprofits and faith community to make this work.

To see the Contra Costa Reentry Strategic Plan, click on: http://www.cocoreentry.org/?p=381

Justice/Public Safety, State Budget 1 comment

Supreme Court Ruling a Wake-Up Call

By on May 23rd, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today, which orders the state of California to reduce its prison population by tens of thousands in an orderly fashion over the next two years, is a wake-up call. Now, more than ever, counties urge the Legislature to act swiftly on the Governor’s budget proposal and related constitutional amendment that give counties the funding and protection needed to provide appropriate services, supervision, and sanctions to the offenders returning to our communities. A properly funded and protected realignment of services is the only logical way to comply with the court’s order AND continue to provide for public safety.

“These offenders will be returning to our communities perhaps sooner than we’d planned,” said Riverside County Supervisor and CSAC President John Tavaglione. “Counties need to be prepared and have the resources to ensure that the services and programs in place to assure an orderly transition, more successful offender reintegration, and maintained public safety.”

The provisions of AB 109 — the public safety realignment measure that outlines the shift to local responsibility of specified low-level offenders, a portion of the adult parole population, and the remaining youthful offender population — would, when properly funded, give counties a solid foundation to assume these new responsibilities. Coupled with sustained investment in local public safety programs – programs for which funding runs out, absent legislative action, in five weeks’ time – our local systems can do a better job. 

Yolo County Supervisor and CSAC First Vice President Mike McGowan commented that “today’s ruling underscores the imperative for implementing a funded realignment program. We ask the Legislature to take immediate action so that counties have the tools to manage offenders locally – particularly in the face of the high court’s ruling.”

A link to the court’s opinion in this historic case can be found here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-1233.pdf.