REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreement with the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety, for the Evidentiary Alcohol Breath Testers Grant.
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 24-953 with the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (State Grant Number AL25027), for the Evidentiary Alcohol Breath Testers grant, reducing the originally-approved grant amount by $274,400, from $660,722 to $386,322, with no change to the grant period of October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to execute and electronically submit Amendment No. 1, as required by the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to transmit Amendment No.1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Carolina Mendoza, Chief Deputy Director, 387-0640)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
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 Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Department) will receive reimbursement in an amount not to exceed $386,322 from the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the Evidentiary Alcohol Breath Testers grant. The grant funding will be used to purchase desktop and portable evidentiary instruments and for travel expenses for training and other direct costs. No matching funds are required. Approval of the necessary budget adjustments is not requested at this time but will be included in the 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Report presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OTS provides funding to local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of reducing the number of persons killed or injured in crashes involving alcohol and other primary collision factors. Through the Evidentiary Alcohol Breath Testers grant, OTS will be funding the purchase of evidentiary instruments and related training to maintain high quality testing that assists with arresting and convicting suspected impaired drivers.
On October 8, 2024 (Item No. 37), the Board approved Agreement No. 24-953 in the amount of $660,722, which included approval to purchase two Headspace Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer/Flame Ionization Detectors (GCMS) in an amount not to exceed $548,800.
During the purchasing process, OTS informed the Department that a “Small Grants Waiver” issued through the United States Department of Transportation was deemed necessary to comply with federal Buy America Act requirements. To qualify for the waiver, the total amount of federal financial assistance must be less than $500,000, or the total value of the product must be less than 5% of the total applicable costs for the project ($660,722). The Department is seeking to reduce the number of GCMS machines from two units to one unit, which would bring the total grant amount below the $500,000 threshold.
Approval of Recommendation No. 2 will authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to accept, execute, and electronically submit the grant amendment, as required by OTS.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 5, 2025; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on June 6, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 6, 2025.