REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
July 9, 2024
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with the Hartnell Law Group, APC to Provide Specialized Legal Representation
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-450 with Hartnell Law Group, APC to include representation for Laura’s Law Assisted Outpatient Treatment and Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court clients, with no change to the total contract amount of $710,000 or the contract term of July 1, 2023 through June 23, 2028.
(Presenter: Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of Contract No. 23-450 (Contract) will be funded with existing Discretionary General Funding allocated for this service and will not exceed $710,000. Adequate appropriation for this Contract is included in the 2024-25 budget (Cost Center 1250001000) and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended contract authorizes Hartnell Law Group, APC (Hartnell) to provide legal representation services for specialized cases under appointment by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino (Superior Court) to represent clients pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 5345 et.seq., also known as Laura’s Law Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), and the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE Court) which the Public Defender is legally unable to represent the individuals.
AOT is designed to help individuals with a history of untreated mental illness who are treated under involuntary medication orders. CARE Court is aimed at helping individuals who are suffering from untreated mental health illnesses and substance use disorders that lead to homelessness and/or incarceration.
On May 23, 2023 (Item No. 31), as the result of Request for Proposals CAO123CAO5-4878, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 23-450 with Hartnell in the amount of $710,000 for a five year term from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028. Approval of Amendment No. 1 will allow Hartnell to represent additional clients. It is not anticipated that there will be a significant number of additional clients or hours required, therefore, no increase to the total contract amount is needed at this time. However, if there is a need to increase the total contract amount to accommodate additional clients or hours, the County and Hartnell agree to meet to discuss additional compensation and return to the Board for approval of another contract amendment.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 12, 2024; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on June 12, 2024; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on June 14, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 21, 2024.