REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
TRACY REECE, Chief Probation Officer, Probation Department
SUBJECT
Title
Purchase of Prepaid Negotiables
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Authorize the purchase of prepaid negotiables from various transportation, retail and food vendors for use by adult and juvenile offenders to assist with basic necessities and support adherence to program plans, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $280,000 for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
(Presenter: Tracy Reece, Chief Probation Officer, 387-5692)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total amount of the prepaid negotiables of $280,000 will be funded by federal and state funds, including 2011 Realignment-Community Corrections (AB 109), 2011 Realignment-Youthful Offender Block Grant, Community Corrections Performance Incentives Act (SB 678), and Juvenile Justice Crime Realignment Block Grant (AB 1913), that specifically allow for the use of prepaid negotiable items. Sufficient appropriation has been included in the Probation Department’s (Department) 2025-26 budget (4810001000).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Each year, the Probation Department (Department) provides to adult and juvenile justice involved individuals and at-risk population (Clients) a variety of prepaid negotiables for basic necessities (food, diapers, clothing, and transportation) when needed. These items are used as rewards for program completion and as means to attend mandatory meetings by supplying bus passes.
The Department also uses prepaid negotiables to assist juvenile clients in the Independent Living Program to facilitate the development of independent living skills as youth transition out of placement and into the community.
On June 11, 2024 (Item No. 61), the Board authorized the Department to purchase prepaid negotiables from various vendors from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
The Department currently purchases prepaid negotiables for gasoline and retail cards at a fixed price from Blackhawk Network LTD (Blackhawk), under a countywide contract that was approved by the Board of Supervisors (Board) on December 7, 2021 (Item No. 48). However, some negotiables, such as bus passes and those issued by certain companies that have a heavy presence in the community (e.g. Stater Brothers, In-N-Out, Del Taco, Dollar Tree, El Pollo Loco and Taco Bell), cannot be purchased through Blackhawk and must be purchased through the individual companies. In accordance with the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector’s Internal Controls and Cash Manual (ICCM), the purchase of prepaid negotiables of an amount greater than $2,500 requires approval from the Board.
Approval of this item is needed for the Department to purchase prepaid negotiables for various denominations from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, as reflected in the table below:
|
Description |
Quantity of cards (estimate) |
Total Amount |
|
Retail Stores |
6,400 |
$113,343 |
|
Food Establishments |
5,703 |
$72,080 |
|
Bus Passes |
4,969 |
$94,577 |
|
Total |
17,072 |
$280,000 |
PROCUREMENT
The Purchasing Department supports this non-competitive procurement based on manufacturer direct purchasing as these items are not available through the existing contract with Blackhawk and must be purchased directly from the establishments.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-4310) on May 22, 2025; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Denise Mejico, Chief Deputy Auditor, 382-3107) on May 27, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on May 22, 2025; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Finance Analyst,387-4205) on May 30, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 30, 2025.