June3,2025
Honorable TerriMockler
Judgeofthe SuperiorCourt,ContraCostaCounty 725CourtStreet,Martinez,California94553
DearJudgeMockler,
Onbehalfofthe2024-2025ContraCostaCountyCivilGrandJury, IamhonoredtopresenttoyouandthecitizensofContraCosta CountytheGrandJury’s finalreports.Thesereportscontainour findingsandrecommendationsregardinggovernmentagencies withinourjurisdiction. We hopetheywillhelpinformthepublicand contributetocontinuedimprovementoflocalgovernment. Iwouldliketoexpressmyappreciationforyourassistanceand oversightoftheJury.Wearealsogratefulfortheenthusiastic supportofKeniaZarco,ElisaPantaleonandMelissaZunigaofCourt Administration.Inaddition,wethankHannahShafskyandRebecca Hooley,CountyCounsel,forthecountlesshourstheydevotedto providingadvice,guidance,andthoughtfulfeedbackthroughoutthe investigativeandreportwritingprocess.
TheJurygreatly appreciates the cooperationofthemanypublicofficials who respondedtoourquestionsandrequestsforinformation.We commendtheirdedicationandexpertise. We arealsogratefultothosewho facilitatedtoursoftheirfacilitiesanddemonstratedsuchprofessionalism andprideintheirwork.
Finally,I wanttothank the 2024-2025Grand Jurorsfortheir exceptionaldedication andhardworkoverthepast12months. Throughteam work, perseveranceandmutualrespect,theJurywas abletoproducetheexcellentreportsincludedinthispublication.Ithas been aprivilegetoworkalongsidetheseoutstandingjurors.
Respectfully, Peter
Appert,Foreperson
2024-2025ContraCostaCivilGrandJury
RichmondPolice Department Hiring intheFaceof DwindlingFunds
ThisGrandJury chosetoundertake aninvestigationafter becoming aware ofcontinuingpolicedepartmenthiring and retentionchallenges followingthereallocation of CityofRichmondPoliceDepartment (RPD)funds.
Initsinvestigation,theGrandJuryfoundthat hiringRPDofficershasbeenandcontinuestobe a challenge.Althoughimprovedhiring results can beseeninrecentyearspoliceofficerstaffing remainsbelowtheapprovedlevelof146witha current vacancyof23officers.
RaftelisFinancialConsultants,Inc.(Raftelis) andMatrixConsultingGroup(Matrix),provided theCitywithtwoexpertreportsonstaffing
CFSNeedsImprovedSocialWorker HiringandRetention
The ChildrenandFamilyServices(CFS) Bureau,a divisionoftheEmployment and HumanServices Department(EHSD) ofContraCostaCounty,ischargedwith protecting andsupportingchildrenandtheir families.Socialworkersstrivetoensure children’ssafetyfrom abuseorneglect.They investigate reportsofabuse,neglect,and exploitation and intervenewhennecessary,
levels.Both recommendedanincrease in RPDswornofficers.Neither reporthasbeen fully discussedbytheCityCouncilin apublic meeting.The recommendationstoincrease RPD officers havenotbeen implemented.
Additionally,theRaftelisreportnotedthatthe deathofGeorgeFloydin2020 created anegative perceptionofpoliceofficerswhichincreasedthe difficultyforpoliceagenciesacrossthecountry, includingRPD,tosuccessfullyrecruit,hireand retainofficers.Furthermore,theRaftelisreport notedthatthereis aperception thatthemajority oftheCityCouncildoesnotsupportthepolice departmentbasedon thereductioninstaffing and budgetand commentsmadebycertain Councilmembers.
In2021, theCityCouncil approveda reallocationof$3million from theRPD budgetanddirectedthese funds tosupportthe YouthWORKSProgram,unhousedservices,the Officeof NeighborhoodSafety(ONS), anda newalternative non-policecommunityresponse
makingdecisionsdesignedtoservethebest interestsofchildren.CFSdoesimpactful andimportantwork, andtheGrandJury commendsthestaff foritsdedication.
Social workers canexperiencestresswhen performingtheirjobs.Theymeet withfamilies andinvestigateunderdifficultcircumstances. Parentsandguardianscanbe waryofthe inquiry,and angry at thepossibilitythata social workermightremove achildfromthe home.Those engaginginillegalactivitiesfear thepotentialfordiscovery andarrest. When warranted,socialworkersrecommendtothe courttoremove childrenfromtheirfamilies andplace themwithrelatives, adoptive parents,orin afosterhome(nowreferredto as aresource family).Thesedecisionscanlead to disputeswithfamilymembers andother interestedpartiesregardingthebestcourseof actionforthechild.
Reflectingthedifficulty oftheposition,CFS experiences challengesinrecruiting
team,ultimatelyknownastheCommunityCrisis ResponseProgram(CCRP).TheCCRPhasyet tobecomefullyoperationalandhasbeenunable tofulfillits missiontochannelnon-emergency callstoalternativepolicingmethodsandto reducethedemandonpolice services.
Basedonourinvestigation,theCityof Richmond shouldconsidertaking atwo-pronged approachtoaddressingtheissuesofpolice staffingandimplementationofanalternative non-policeresponseprogram.TheCityshould alsoconsidercontinuingtoinvestinandmove forwardwithimplementingalternativepolicing methodssuchastheCCRPandtheONS.These groups,workingtogetherwiththeRPD,will helpthecommunityatlargefeelmoresupported, safer,andbenefitfrom abetteroverallquality of lifeinthe City.Additionally,theCityshould considerinvestinginandsupportingtheefforts oftheRPD,with agoalof fillingallvacancies and havingenoughpoliceofficersappropriatefor acityofitssizeandcomplexity.
and retainingsocialworkers,with acurrent vacancyrateof19%(31of167authorized positionsunoccupied),comparedtoan overallCountyaverageof13%.TheGrand JurydeterminedthatCFSfacesanongoing shortage of socialworkers.The Juryalso confirmedthatunderstaffingincreasesthe workloadofexistingstaff,resultingina negativeimpactonservicesprovidedto childrenand families,including alongertime to closecases.
Thisreportexaminestheshortageofsocial workersatCFS.TheGrandJuryidentifies findingsrelatedtotheunderstaffingof socialworkers,andtheimpactofstaff shortages onchildren,families,andthe employeesthemselves.TheGrandJurymakes recommendationstoimprovetherecruiting, hiring, andretention ofstaff to betterserve childrenandfamilies, and reducethe workloadandstressontheexistingstaff.
Haveyoulookedforinformationandgotten ascreenlikethisone?
CountyBoards,Commissions,Councilsand Committees Improving Transparency forthe Public
Boards,commissions,councilsandcommittees (BCCs)inContraCostaCountyplay acrucialrole inthedemocraticandefficientfunctioningofthe County.EachBCC,whiledistinctin itsmission, contributestotheoverallgovernanceframework in waysthatensurelocalgovernmentremains responsiveandaccountabletotheneedsand preferencesofcountycitizens.
areavailableontheCountywebsite.However,each listcontainsonly asubsetofalltheCountyBCCs dependingonthetypeofBCCandwho the BCC advises.Figuringoutwhich list touserequiresa basicknowledgeofCountyBCCs thatresidents maynotpossess.AssumingthatallBCCs havea website,theGrandJuryfoundthateightpercentare inaccessibleduetobroken or missingweblinks.
BCCsuccessisbaseduponaccountability. Andaccountabilitybeginswithtransparency. Transparencyisone ofthemostimportanttraitsof successfulgovernance.Governmenttransparency isthepractice of makinggovernmentactions, decisions,anddataaccessibletothepublicto promoteaccountabilityandtrust.Itisimportant becauseitholdsofficialsresponsiblefortheiractions andenablescitizenparticipation.
MakingBCCagendasandminutesavailabletothe publicina timelyanduser-friendlymannerensures thatgovernmentactionsaretransparent.Itallows citizenstofollowdiscussions,providefeedbackand ensurethattheirvoicesareheard.
Forthesereasons,theGrandJurydecidedtoexamine thegeneral operationofCountyBCCs,publiceaseof accesstotheirinformation,andmorespecifically,the availabilityoftheiragendasandmeetingminutes.
TheGrandJury’sexaminationshowsthatContra CostaCountyisworkingtosupporttheeffectiveness ofcountyBCCs.MostCountyBCCshave awebsite withaccesstotheirdata.AndtheCountyhasa reviewprocesssuchthatitreviewsone-thirdofall advisoryBCCseachyear.Inthisway,theCounty examines,withsomeexceptions,allBCCswithina three-yearperiod.
However,publicaccesstoCountyBCCinformation ishinderedbya challengingandinconsistentonline presencethatcanmakeitdifficultto findandaccess BCCinformation.ThemajorityofBCCwebsites are hostedbyindividualCountydepartmentsand spreadacrossthemainCountywebsite.Andsome BCCwebsites arecustomsitesthatmayormaynot linktotheCounty’smainwebsite.Multiplelists of BCCs,mostwithlinkstotherespectivewebsites,
BCC websitesusuallyprovideaccess to BCC meetingagendasandminutesby including links tooneorbothoftwodifferentsearchapplications, AgendaCenterandLegistar,intowhich the agenda andminutes.pdf filesareposted.AlthoughBCCs aretransitioningtoLegistar,theCounty’snew web-basedrepositoryforagendasandminutes,asof January2025,42percentlag in thiseffort.Thereare also24instanceswhere aBCChascreated acustom websitethatcontainsno links to AgendaCenteror Legistar.Inthesecases,agendaandminutes files are posteddirectlyontothecustomsite with no linksthe Countywebsiteatall.
TheGrandJurycommends theCounty forits continuingeffortstooverseeBCCsandensureBCC informationisavailable.At the same time, the Grand Jurydiscoveredtheaforementioneddeficiencies andrecommendstheCountyconsider thefollowing improvements.
AllCountyBCCsshould firstpost theiragendas andminutesinonlyonedatabasesource,Legistar. Secondly,each BCCshouldhaveandmaintain awebsitewith alinktoLegistarand alinkto AgendaCenterincaseswhere theBCCcontinues touseAgendaCenterto accessold data.Thirdly, Countystaff shouldcreateandmaintainon the County’smainwebpage asinglecomplete listofall CountyBCCswithlinkstoeachBCCwebsite.This enableseveryBCCwebsite,wherever it ishosted, to linkto asinglelaunchpointon the Countywebsite. Finally,Legistar should alsocontaina linktothe masterlistofBCCs.
These actionswillhelpmaketheprocessof finding BCCinformationfast,easy,andeffectivefor everyone.
TheCityofClaytonhasexperienced ahigh levelof staff turnoverduring the pastsixyearsascompared toothercitiesinContraCostaCounty.Since 2019,Claytonhashad twelveCityManagers.By comparison,15of19cities in ContraCostaCounty had justoneortwocitymanagersduring the same operativeperiodof time.During thissame period, Claytonalsocycled through eight financedirectors ormanagersand fiveCommunityDevelopment Directors.Staff turnovercanbedisruptivetoCity operations leading togreatercostsandoperational inefficiency.
TheCityCouncilGuidelinesspecifyhowCouncil membersmayrequest thattopicsbeadded to the agendaofupcomingmeetings.TheseGuidelines wereviolatedwhen,beginning in Fall 2023, and continuingfor15consecutivemonths, the Council refused to add toitsagenda the requestbyone councilmember toinvestigatethecausesofhigh levelsofstaff turnover.TheseGuidelineswere revisedinJanuary2025torequire thatagenda requests nolongercouldbemadebyCouncil members inopensessionbutratherhad to be made in writingtothe MayorandCity Manager.Theresult is that the publicno longercan learnwhatagenda itemsareunderconsiderationor theirdisposition until the City Managermakesanoralreport tothe Councilonceeachquarter.
TheCity hasrun adeficitinits annualoperating budgetsince2021relyingon its reservefunds to balancethebudget.Several CityManagersover this time,with expertise inpublic finance,have encouraged the Council to take stepstoreduceor eliminatethedeficit. TheFiscalyear2025City budget isprojected to posta deficitexceeding $560,000.While the Councilhasdiscussed the issue onnumerousoccasions, including the formation ofanadvisoryCitizensFinancialSustainability Committee, the Councilhas takennoactionto increaserevenue.
TheCouncilhasseveralcommittees, eachofwhich focuseson aspecificareaofCityaffairs.Someare adhoccommitteeswith limitedscopeandduration whileothersaresubjecttoBrownActrequirements. (TheBrownActisa statelawdesignedtoensurethat deliberationsoflegislativebodiesareconductedin a manneropen tothe public.)TheActrequires that
themeetingagendaofanyBrownActcommittee having aregularmeeting,callforthehearingof publiccommentonnon-agendaitems.In2024,such opportunitywaslistedontheagendaofjustsixof twelveBrownActregularcommitteemeetings. Committeesalsomaycallforspecialmeetingsfrom timetotime.During2024,48%ofallcommittee meetingswerepostedasspecialmeetings.One consequenceof ameetingbeingdeclaredas aspecial meetingisthatthereisnorequirementforpublic commentonnon-agendaitems,limitingpublic participationinthosemeetings.
TheClaytonCityCouncilGuidelinesdonotpermit Councilcommitteestotakeactions,otherthan givingadviceorrecommendations,withoutthe approvalofthefullCouncil.TheGuidelinesfurther requirethatcommitteesmakeroutinereportstothe Counciloftheiractivities.Theserequirementshave notconsistentlybeenobserved.InMarch2023,the Councilvotedtoterminateanagreementbetween theCityand acivicorganization,theClayton BusinessandCommunityAssociation(CBCA). Historically,theCBCAsponsoredcommunity eventstoraisemoneyfor arangeofprogramsin theCity.TheagreementbetweentheCityandthe CBCAspecifiedthefeestobepaidbytheCBCAfor useofCityvenuesandservices.Afterterminating theagreement,theCouncilthenformedanadhoc committeetonegotiate anewagreementwiththe CBCA.NegotiationstookplacebetweentheCity andtheCBCAandoffersweremadebuttheCouncil wasnevergivenupdatesofthosenegotiations bythe ad hoccommittee.Ultimately,theCBCAnegotiation committeeneitherinformednorsoughtapproval fromtheCouncilat apublicmeetingforactions taken,contrarytoCouncilGuidelines.
TheGrandJuryrecommendsthattheCityconsider directingtheCityManagertomaintain awritten list,availableforpublicview,ofallagendaitems requestedbyCouncilmembersandthedisposition ofeachrequest.TheJuryfurtherrecommendsthat theCouncilrequirethatitscommitteescomebefore thefullCounciltoreportontheirworkandrequest approvalofthefullCouncilforanyactionstobe taken.Finally,theJuryrecommendsthattheCouncil takeactionstoincreaserevenueandeliminateits recurringoperationalbudgetdeficit.
DO YOUHAVEWHATITTAKES TO BEANENGAGEDCITIZEN?
JOINTHECIVILGRAND JURY ANDMAKE ADIFFERENCE!
Holdyourlocalcity andcountygovernmentagencies accountablefortheir actions. Ensurethattax dollars arespent wisely. Increasetransparencyandimproveoversight.
Jurorsserve aone-year term andunlikeregular juryservice,itisnot afull-timeorin-courtcommitment. Inspections,interviews, andmeetingsare conducted in-personorvirtuallyanddonotrequiretraveltoMartinez. Throughtheseinvestigations,theydevelop findings and recommendationsthatagenciesmustlegallyrespondtoinwriting. Grandjurorsmust beUSCitizens andresidentsofContra CostaCountyforatleast oneyearand eighteenyearsof ageorover.
Seize thisopportunityto effectmeaningfulchangein local government!
The CivilGrand Juryis not acourtroomjury!
TheCivilGrand Jury actively investigateslocal government!
TheCivilGrand Jury issuesreportsbased ontheir investigations!
Formoreinformationorto apply, visit https://www.cc-courts.org
