2.

(ACTION) Review and approval of April 28, 2004 meeting minutes
Tabled til the next meeting.

(public comments)
There were none.

3.

(DISCUSSION) Chief Probation Officer’s Report

a.    Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative update
        The Chief said G. Bieringer was not present and had no report to give.  This will be scheduled for the next Commission meeting.

b.    Juvenile Hall replacement project update
       C. Bigelow reported that they were about 1/3 through the project schedule.  There are modifications to the schedule which will add about 4 mos to the total time. There is a 10% construction contingency fund, and of this, about 40% has been used to date ($472K processed).  About $5 mil is left of the original $15 mil state grant, and that will be expended by June (end of the next quarterly report). Thereafter, costs will be paid through certificates of participation.  There’s about $466K in “soft costs” being paid.

Comm Bonilla asked if it was on budget.  Bigelow said that delays add cost in the project management.  He is projecting a shortfall of about 1.2% at the end.  This amounts to about $660K.  they are attempting to shift costs to cover this.  They do not want to go back to the Bd of Supes for a supplemental appropriation.

c.     Budget update
        M Lui said for the current year we have a salaries surplus.  Building repair costs have gone over budget so some bills have not been paid in a timely manner. Some shuffling of line item funds were allowed to pay food bills. Comm Ricci asked which items were moved. Lui said $55K was moved from non personal services to materials supplies.

Next yr: they have increased numbers of layoffs to 14 total to be effective August 31, 2004. They also have to cut CBO contracts by 4%, or a total of $271K.   They are expecting only 1/3 of the TANF funds they received this year.  HE said that they are saving about $40K by the changes in the food service staffing (reported last month). He further reported that they have reduced OT costs by $300K.

To get money, they are going to institute a record search fee (to obtain $12K).

The Chief reported that $61mil of TANF was put back in the state budget “on a general fund basis.” She said that a number of legislators promised to find some way to “fund juvenile justice funds but it would probably be in general funds whether under a TANF name.” “So what’s been allocated so far of the $201 million, which was the original amount for California is $67 mil.  The $134 difference, which they are trying to find now, they, starting the month of June 2, the joint conference committee to reconcile the differences between many budget situations that, part of that would be the monies to juvenile justice, and the assembly has certain (inaudible) and the senate has certain (inaudible), and they’re trying to reconcile that. Now we’ll be getting a day to day, blow by blow from our lobbyist. They will be on the floor debating, but right now it’s still up in the air, but they are saying, trust me, we are going to find some money for you, but it will not be called TANF, it will be general funds. In a lot of ways that’s much better, because it’s a more stable kind of funding.”  She said that they should know by June 15.

M.Lui said that the Controller would take the reduction in revenue from the general fund reserve (M.Lui wasn’t quite sure what this meant or how it works).  The short of it was that the Mayor’s office said to leave the budget as it was submitted Feb. 20, with the additional $271K worth of reductions.

They are now putting responses together to answer questions from the Bd of Supes and Harvey Rose. 

Comm Ricci asked the other commission members to be active in the budget hearings.  The Chief asked for a meeting with the President and Finance Chair to apprise them of the Dept’s responses to Bd questions.

Comm Bonilla asked for copies of the questions the Dept is working on. M.Lui spoke on mike but was inaudible.           

(public comments)   
James Bryant, local 790. Ques. The layoffs will take place when? He had other questions but spoke so close to the mike that the distortion made the recording unintelligible.            

4.

Public comment on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Juvenile Probation Commission
There were none.

5.

(DISCUSSION) Report from LaFrance Associates on the PrIDE study.

L.J. Simpson thanked LaFrance and her own staff for all the work done, under the serious problems faced by the Dept this past couple of years.  She said this report will support the need for community based programs. (the entire report is available on the LaFrance website, as well as the Dept’s website).  Some highlights given by Stephen LaFrance and Laura Lanzoretti were:

Review of the literature on alternative programs shows there’s a significant cost savings to society.

Problems encountered in collecting data were due to transition in Dept leadership, budget cuts. The programs are varied and made comparisons difficult, so many sources of information were collected about each org. to assess their work.  They assessed that there are more dept. funded services provided in those neighborhoods that more youth come from.  They recited several findings, which reflected positive changes in numbers of youth who have any subsequent contacts with the system, after enrolling in the CBO programs.

Comm Bonilla commented that the report does show the neighborhoods that present many current problems, and may give us some basis to suggest increased support from other city departments for services in them.

Question: is this a computer accessible system, for data entry from different points?  No.

Question: is it realistic to integrate the system into the Dept within another year?   If it is simplified much more, it is. In its current form, it would need additional staff to maintain.

(public comments)
Corinna Sanchez, Special Services for Groups, thanked LaFrance for their work.

Joanna Hernandez, Mission Neighborhood Centers, noted that Young Queens on the Rise is now coordinating with the evening reporting centers.

6.

(DISCUSSION) Development of civil service classifications for individuals who will work in community

 based programs.

The Chair removed this from the agenda, referring it to Personnel Committee.

(public comments)

There were none.

7.

(DISCUSSION) Support of district based violence intervention strategies in those

districts most impacted

Comm Queen commented that this was a concept, policy that was being advanced by the

 African American Police Community Relations Board, and that he would like the

 Commission to consider passing an action to support it as a basis for choosing

 community based programs/services to address the problems of those communities

 most impacted by violence.  He passed out a document and requested that the

 Commission review the document and vote on it at the next meeting.

Comm Bonilla asked if it would demand funds from the Dept.  Ans: No. Comm Ricci asked

 that it be scheduled for the next meeting.

(public comments)
L. Holmes commented that there was a meeting at Ella Hill Hutch regarding the

resolution concerning the Police Relations Board and the Community. They will

be meeting next Wed. at 10am, and perhaps Comm Queen could attend.

8.

(DISCUSSION) The use of district based juvenile justice plans, as the foundation of

 the Commission’s juvenile justice planning strategy.

Comm Queen commented that he would like the Commission, which is the policy body

 for the Dept, to adopt this orientation for its work in setting policy for juvenile

 justice.

This will be further discussed and possibly acted on at the next Commission meeting.

(public comments)
There were none.

9.

(DISCUSSION) Committee reports

                        Ad Hoc Committee

Comm Queen summarized that there has been much work dealing with the issue of the ongoing existence of LCR, bringing in revenues, and changing programs and services.  There are several options being explored (see minutes of Ad Hoc Comm on the web).  He asked D Sanders to briefly summarize what he has been doing. This is also included in the minutes of the Ad Hoc Comm.

Comm Ricci asked about the on-call list and how it is being utilized for the ranch.  The Chief talked about processing the on call list.  She mentioned that they are people who are working in other counties, so they are experienced.  They are now planning on checking 10-15 more.  The requisitions for those positions will expire June 30.  They hope they will fill them by then.  Today they got permission to fill 2 requisitions for on-call cooks. 

                            Retreat Report

                        There was no report, and no discussion regarding setting the date for the retreat.

(public comments)
There were none.  Comm Ricci asked the Finance Comm. Chair to look into the Dept’s cell phone use, City cars usage to see how it’s been over the past 3 years.

The Chief said that process has been completed.  They have reduced their cell phone usage by 30%.  People have been counseled; they have done an inventory of all the cell phones being used; they are disconnecting approx. 30% of the phones.  Anyone abusing the phone use will be subject to paying back the costs, and/or discipline.  She said she could have the financial administration director give that information to the Commission.

Comm Bonilla said that he heard that Oakland was going to make their employees pay back for using city cell phones for personal calls.  He asked the Chief if it would be worth looking into the past cell phone usage now, or just start today with a clean slate and watch it from now on.

The Chief said that they have spent the last two months looking into this and decided to start with a clean slate, and begin monitoring it from this point on.

Comm Ricci stopped the discussion and referred it back to Comm Bonilla to carry on outside of the meeting.

(public comments)

L. Holmes, said that the Bd of Supes will hopefully be considering a charter amendment in Nov. that will add more resources to address violence prevention in the City. He hoped the Dept will be a part of creating that legislation and also receive some of the funds that will be appropriated to it.

10.

Public comment on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Juvenile Probation Commission
There were none.

11.

(DISCUSSION) Announcements, requests for future agenda items

Comm Queen just reminded the Commission of the two items he brought up earlier.
Comm Ricci asked for the Finance Comm to give a report.  She also asked for a Personnel Committee meeting to be set up.

Comm Stiglich reminded the Chair that the minutes of April 25 were not acted on.  The Chair tabled action until the next meeting when Comm Hale could be present.
(public comments)

There were none.

12.

(ACTION)  Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 pm.