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(DISCUSSION) Reports back from working sub-groups regarding their assigned tasks from the last meeting.
Comm Queen laid out the various things he wanted a report back on: progress on “marketing bed rental”; improvement of the physical plant; progress on the topics of EPSDT and Title IVe revenues.
D. Sanders reported that his staff had called about 20 different counties and had gotten positive (interested in the possibility) responses to their inquiry. 16 other counties had not returned their calls yet. The interests seemed to be in the need for substance abuse programs, mental health services (level 14), having family involvement. He mentioned Santa Cruz, Tehama, Merced, and Stanislas Counties as among those interested, but nothing concrete was talked about (costs or number of beds wanted). They will continue to complete the survey.
Comm Queen commented that a group of people, including ministers, had visited LCRS and HVR over the weekend, with the Mayor, and they are concerned about the physical state of the facilities. They will be looking into how to possibly get a start on rehabbing it.
LJ Simpson reported that they had not yet met with Dean Hunnicutt of the SE Center of the Community College, but they will be looking at the types of vocational ties that might be possible through her. The concern is still also the transportation to and from the ranch. This has been the problem in sustaining availability of instructors in the past. Comm Queen asked if it wouldn’t be possible to work something out with CBOs to provide the shuttle service. He’ll explore this.
Comm Queen asked LJ Simpson to work with D. Sanders in firming up what is needed in the vocational piece and come back with a listing of what is there and what is not and what the cost factors would be.
Comm Bonilla asked if possibly pursuing this with the Chancellor of City College might result in resources being applied to the Ranch, as a satellite site.
L Holmes expressed doubts about the possibility of diverting resources from an already hurting City College and Community College system.
Comm Queen asked D. Sanders to contact private companies down there, that are involved in horticultural ventures to see if there’s some potential to do joint ventures with them.
On the issue of getting revenues from EPSDT, Comm Queen said that E. Siggins had gotten information from the Portland operations and she felt there was great potential to use a similar method to secure these funds. Comm Queen had a discussion with Sai Ling Chan and she gave him possible scenarios that could work. He was encouraged by both responses. He passed out copies of documents stating these positions. He will set up a meeting for himself, the Chief, Sai Ling Chan and an appropriate person from DHS (the Chief offered Phil Arnold) to sit down and lay out some concrete steps/plans to get there.
Comm Hale reported that in his meetings he was also encouraged that there could be more reimbursables via Title IVe, if they re designed job titles/duties (eg. probation techs) so that they could capture reimbursements, but this would involve re-designing staff duties, and include cooperation from DHR and employee unions. Any such change would have to result in zero costs differences. Comm Hale will work with LCRS staff (Berkowitz, Jackson, Gilchrist) and DHR to come up with some real credible possibilities to accomplish this. M Gilchrist commented that she knows other places that use deputy probation counselors and have different duties. Comm Queen also asked M. Lui to cost out the potential revenues gained based on different population thresholds.
J. Fithian passed out copies of a rough draft of a brochure on the ranch, containing many photos of all aspects of the ranch and its operations. He said it was much more easily discernible as to what is strong or what is weak. This is just a draft which will be worked on.
Comm Queen emphasized that in the follow up reports he did not want to hear rhetoric, but action points, actual steps and the projected outcomes.
Comm Hale mentioned the activities that the SE Community Center was involved in relating to horticulture and wondered whether connections could be made with the Ranch to jointly do some of the ventures, which could develop the commerce aspect of their work.
Comm Queen thanked everyone for their work since last week and hoped that the upcoming week’s work would put us even that much closer to actual change and improvements at the Ranch.
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