COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Counsel

DATE:

March 8, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

March 28, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

No

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

County Counsel

SUBJECT:

Amendment of Work Furlough Ordinance

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt an ordinance amending section 2.204.040 of the Ordinance Code, authorizing expansion of the Sheriff’s Work Furlough Program to permit participants to engage in job training activities.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: The expansion will further the commitment to ensure basic health and safety for all while sowing the seeds of future prosperity

Goal(s): The amendment is consistent with goals Nos. 8 and 19. It will enable work furlough participants to engage in job training programs, thereby helping people achieve a better quality of life and raising the skill level of new workers.

BACKGROUND:

The Legislature enacted the Cobey Work Furlough Law approximately 50 years ago. The law initially authorized a county’s work furlough program to provide access to employment. Several years later the law was amended to permit educational programs as well. Twenty years later, in 1989, the statute was further amended to permit the inclusion of a job training component in the work furlough program.

Implementation of any aspect of the Work Furlough Law requires that the Board of Supervisors determine the component is feasible in the county, based on local conditions, the state of the county jail facilities, and other pertinent circumstances. The findings must be contained in an ordinance.

Forty years ago, the Board of Supervisors adopted ordinances to make findings of feasibility for the employment and education parts of the work furlough program. However, as the local work furlough program did not include job training, the ordinance has not yet been updated to make the finding of feasibility regarding the job training component.

DISCUSSION:

The Sheriff has recently identified opportunities to enable work furlough participants to participate in job training activities through OICW. It is hoped and expected that other similar opportunities will present themselves in the future.

The inclusion of job training in the work furlough program requires an amendment to Ordinance Code section 2.204.040. The Sheriff has advised that the program is feasible on the basis of current job training conditions and the current state of county jail facilities. The amended ordinance makes the necessary findings required by state law.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no fiscal impact.