To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Supplemental Budget Request for Proposition 64 Grant Budget Unit 1100-221960 and the Allocation of Three Full-Time Equivalent (3.0 FTE) Positions (4/5 Vote Required)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the Supplemental Budget for the Proposition 64 Grant Budget Unit 1100-221960 (Attachment 1) (4/5 vote required); and
2. Approve the allocation of one full-time grant-funded (1.0 FTE) Sheriff’s Deputy I/II position (salary range 451/422, class 0416), one full-time grant-funded (1.0 FTE) Community Services Officer position (salary range 358, class 0415), and one full-time grant-funded (1.0 FTE) Crime Analyst position (salary range 419, class 1399) in budget unit 1100-221960 effective immediately (4/5 vote required).
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC)
DISCUSSION:
Proposition 64 is The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act and was passed by Californians on November 8, 2016. The BSCC Board approved the Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety (Prop 64 PH&S) Grant Program Request for Proposals on February 13, 2020. This makes available $24.7 million dollars available through a competitive process. This program has four focus areas, including public safety, to fund projects that address the local impacts of cannabis legalization. Per Revenue and Taxation Code, Section 34019, subd. (f)(3)(C), the BSCC will provide grant funds to local governments that assist with law enforcement, fire protection, or other local programming to address public health and safety associated with the implementation of the Act. This will be the first Prop 64 PH&S Grant cycle.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as of 2019 Humboldt County holds the highest number of cannabis cultivation licenses. The legal cultivation industry can also be used by illegal growers, including those associated with Drug Trafficking Organizations, as a cover. With high numbers of permits and grows, Humboldt County is in dire need of additional enforcement resources. Trespass growers often leave a trail of environmental destruction in need of assessment and restoration. These illegal marijuana-related activities pose a serious short- and long-term threat to the community and to the burgeoning legal marijuana cultivation industry.
The Sheriff's Office, on behalf of Humboldt County, was awarded this grant opportunity to address unmet social demands from marijuana legalization. This will fund a new Community Services Officer (CSO) focused on youth outreach and prevention, with an emphasis on the Southern Humboldt community. It will allow for an additional Deputy Sheriff to assist with the investigation of marijuana-related crimes, and to work with the CSO on youth education. A Crime Analyst position will be created to assist with intelligence gathering and analysis, and to use available data to better inform the distribution of department resources to fight marijuana crimes. In partnership with the Integral Ecology Research Center, a local non-profit dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems, the program will address public health and environmental fallout associated with illegal marijuana grows.
The BSCC will fund a 36-month cycle starting Oct. 1, 2020 and ending on Sept. 30, 2023.
Due to timing constraints, this item has not been reviewed or approved by the Office of the Auditor-Controller.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The supplemental budget request recognizes $333,333 of grant funding in 1100221960 for fiscal year 2020-2021, the dedicated budget unit for the Proposition 64 Grant. Expenditures include $278,000 for salaries and benefits for grant-funded staff, $2,333 for costs associated with grant positions, $33,000 for two vehicles, and $20,000 for environmental site assessment by the Integral Ecology Resource Center. This is a three-year grant, with awarded funds totaling $1,000,000 over this time.
This will have no impact on the General Fund.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Integral Ecology Resource Center
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could decide not to approve the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s (HSCO) request to approve the supplemental budget and request to approve the allocation of three full-time (3.0 FTE) grant-funded position.
This is not recommended as the supplemental budget and position allocations are necessary for HCSO to be able to administer the grant and meet the grant objectives.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Supplemental Budget for Budget Unit 1100-221960
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: 20-643
File No:
Meeting of: June 2, 2020