REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 9, 2025
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Mud Run Fundraising Activity
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Find that the 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Mud Run fundraising activity assists in meeting the social needs of County citizens.
2. Find that the 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Mud Run fundraising activity will be conducted in cooperation with the Sheriff's Athletic Federation, a non-profit charitable organization.
3. Authorize County officials and employees to solicit funds and provide administrative support during work hours, when necessary, and utilize County resources, in support of the 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Mud Run, to be held at the Sheriff's Frank Bland Regional Training Center on October 18, 2025.
(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). County resources (i.e., fuel for portable electrical generators, etc.) used in support of the 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Mud Run (Mud Run) fundraising activity will be minimal and estimated at $1,000. This estimate does not include personnel costs, which will be calculated and included in an activities report following the event and presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) at a later date. The cost of County personnel working in support of the most recent Mud Run in 2024 was approximately $12,680. Sufficient appropriation is included in the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator's (Department) 2025-26 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department is involved in a variety of fundraising activities that benefit the worthy causes it supports. These activities also provide unique opportunities to foster positive relationships between the County, law enforcement, and the community; provide team building among Department personnel; and provide economic benefit to surrounding businesses.
The Sheriff's Athletic Federation, a non-profit charitable organization, will host the 2025 Mud Run. The event provides a 5K run for adults and a 1K run for youth, which includes numerous obstacles such as mud pits, hill climbs, and low crawls. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Cannonball Memorial Run non-profit organization, which established the first National Immediate Financial Relief Fund in 2017 that provides financial resources to families of law enforcement officers fallen in the line of duty within 48 hours of the tragic event. The Mud Run is expected to attract participants and spectators from throughout Southern California and other states, such as Utah, Nevada, and Arizona.
The coordination and implementation of the event is a significant undertaking. While most of the work is done by volunteers, minimal use of County resources, estimated at $1,000 for items such as fuel for portable electric generators, will be necessary to ensure the event's success.
The Department recommends approval for support of the 2025 Mud Run to be held on October 18, 2025. Additionally, approval of the Recommendations complies with County Standard Practice 06-02SP, which requires County departments to request authorization of a fundraising program from the Board, including the following three recommendations:
* Find that the fundraising programs will assist in meeting the social needs of the citizens of the County;
* Find that the fundraising programs will be conducted in cooperation with a non-profit organization; and
* Authorize County officials and employees to solicit funds for the organization during work hours, utilize County resources to support the organization administratively, and/or utilize County resources to assist in establishing a non-profit organization.
In accordance with Standard Practice 11-07SP, the Sheriff's Athletic Federation will obtain event insurance for the 2025 Mud Run and provide a certificate of insurance to the County.
The Department is submitting, as an attachment to this item, a Report of Fundraising Activities for the 2024 Mud Run on behalf of the Sheriff's Athletic Federation. This report details the hours worked by County employees and includes lists of both the sponsors and beneficiaries of the event.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 18, 2025; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst, 396-9008) on August 18, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on August 22, 2025.