REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 10, 2023
FROM
JASON ANDERSON, District Attorney
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreements for District Attorney Victim Advocacy Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendment No. 1 to Second-Tier Sub-Award Agreement No. 22-63 with Partners Against Violence for victim advocacy services, to provide additional funding in the amount of $355,016, for a total contract amount of $742,679, and to extend the term by one year, for a total term of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
2. Approve Amendment No. 1 to non-financial Agreement No. 22-64 with the City of Barstow for the continued services of a Victim Advocate, and extend the term by one year, for a total term of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
3. Approve Amendment No. 1 to non-financial Agreement No. 22-65 with the City of Chino for the continued services of a Victim Advocate, and extend the term by one year, for a total term of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
4. Approve Amendment No. 1 to non-financial Agreement No. 22-244 with the City of Rialto for the continued services of a Victim Advocate, and extend the term by one year, for a total term of March 29, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
(Presenter: Michael Fermin, Chief Assistant District Attorney, 382-3662)
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 these Amendments will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). For the third consecutive year, the District Attorney (Department) has received a grant subaward for the County Victim Services Program (XC Grant) from the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The grant subaward will be utilized to fund the second-tier subaward agreement for $355,016 with Partners Against Violence (PAV) and the cost of $210,047 for the three Victim Advocate II (Advocate) positions at Barstow, Chino, and Rialto Police Departments. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the Department’s 2022-23 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Upon Board of Supervisors (Board) recognition, Penal Code section 13835 et seq. designates the Department as the major provider of comprehensive services to victims of crime and witnesses in the County. Since 1980, the Department has provided services to victims of crime, primarily funded through several grants received from Cal OES including the Victim Witness Assistance Program, the Underserved/Unserved Victim Advocacy and Outreach Program, and for the last three years, the XC Grant.
On December 13, 2022 (Item No. 38), the Board approved the Grant Subaward Agreement for funding from Cal OES for the XC Grant. The grant requires that funding be utilized for gaps in existing services or to fund new services. The XC Grant allows the Department to serve victims in outlying regions where access to County services is very limited and also provide services prior to cases reaching the Department for investigation and prosecution.
In the first year of receiving the XC Grant Subaward, the Department expanded its advocacy services by using grant funds to place one Advocate at the Barstow police station and another Advocate on the same campus as the Needles Sheriff’s Department. In the second year, the Department expanded its police-based advocacy program by placing an Advocate at the Chino and Rialto Police Departments. In this third year, the Department is continuing its police-based advocacy program, while also expanding its hospital-based advocacy program by placing an Advocate at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC). The non-financial agreement with LLUMC was approved by the Board on October 25, 2022 (Item No. 41).
The Advocates placed at the police stations and hospital are grant funded and will provide services to victims of all types of crime, in the immediate aftermath of crime, with crisis intervention, emergency financial assistance for food, clothing and lodging, and referrals to other agencies and resource assistance. Emergency funeral and burial assistance will also be provided to family members of deceased victims of crime. Should more Advocate placements be needed in other locations, other funding resources will need to be explored.
All victims of crime in the County will receive services from the Department. Services not provided in the immediate aftermath of a crime are usually provided when law enforcement agencies submit cases to the Department and the Department is made aware of the victims. Advocates contact the victims to provide services, support, and resources.
Amendment No. 1 to the Second-Tier Subaward Agreement with Partners Against Violence (PAV) will provide additional funding in the amount of $355,016 for a total contract amount of $742,679 and extend the term by one year for a total term of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023. The purpose of the Amendment is to allow the Department to continue to use XC Grant funding to fund a second-tier subaward agreement with PAV, to administer their CSS Program. CSS provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and offers trauma informed crisis intervention, accompaniment services when needed, case management, and information/referrals to community resources to victims of crime and their families. PAV provides services by telephone, email, and travel throughout the County when needed. In-person services are offered from their office locations in San Bernardino, Victorville, and Morongo.
The Amendments to the non-financial agreements with the Cities of Barstow, Chino, and Rialto are to extend the contract term by one year for a total contract term of two years. These non-financial agreements allow the Department to place one Advocate at each City’s Police Department to provide services more quickly to victims or witnesses of crime.
Pursuant to County Policy 05-13, and in accordance with the Cal OES Subrecipient Handbook Section 1.055, the Department seeks Board approval to amend the related agreements, and take necessary steps, as more fully set forth in the recommendations above, to facilitate the provision of services to victims.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Katherine Hardy, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 13, 2022; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on December 15, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 16, 2022.