COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Manager’s Office

DATE:

March 7, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

March 13, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

John L. Maltbie, County Manager

SUBJECT:

County Manager’s Report #5

A.

Resolution approving San Mateo County’s Federal Earmark requests for Federal FY 2008

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution approving San Mateo County’s Federal Earmark requests for Federal FY 2008.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government

Goal(s): Goal 20—Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

BACKGROUND:

Each year San Mateo County works with its Congressional delegation to secure federal funding (commonly referred to as earmarks) for specific projects. Last year, San Mateo County advanced five earmark requests. They included: Preschool for All Funding, Emergency Department Workflow Redesign, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Center, Emancipated Foster Youth Housing, and Belmont Library Funding. None of them was funded.

With the November 2006 election, Democrats won enough seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to assume power in Congress. In addition, media reports about earmarks heightened scrutiny for the federal appropriations request process. As a result, the 110^th Congress, which was tasked with completing the FFY 2007 budget, suspended all earmark requests for the FFY 2007 budget and has proposed to increase the transparency and rigor of the FFY 2008 earmark process.

DISCUSSION:

Prior to the suspension of the FFY 2007 earmark process, the County and MARC Associates, the County’s Federal advocates, were successful in inserting four of the County’s five requests in various appropriations bills. They included:

●

San Mateo County Preschool for All Funding-- $100,000 in House Labor HHS

●

San Mateo Medical Center Emergency Department Workflow Redesign--$450,000 in House Labor HHS

●

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Center-- $750,000 in Senate Commerce Justice Science

●

Emancipated Foster Youth Housing-- $250,000 in Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development (TTHUD)

Based on an initial assessment from relevant staff about the continued need for the above funding and the ability of MARC Associates to secure the above items in various appropriations bills, staff recommend that the County’s FFY 2007 projects be resubmitted for the FFY 2008 federal appropriations request process. Detail of the projects follows.

San Mateo County Preschool for All Funding

Department: CMO/HSA, 2005 (carried over from last year and prior years)

Background: First 5 San Mateo County recently completed a three-year Preschool for All (PFA) planning process. With eleven goals, Preschool for All San Mateo County will utilize and build on the existing early childhood education infrastructure to improve teacher qualification standards and expanding services to more families regardless of income. PFA will begin with a three-year phased-in demonstration project that is projected to serve 1,423 children per year when fully implemented. The program will start year one in Ravenswood and Redwood City School Districts on a voluntary basis. While funded with multi-year one-time grant funding from an assortment of sources including First 5 San Mateo County and First 5 of California, the three-year demonstration project is fully funded only for the first year. Years two and three will require $1.4 million and $4 million respectively.

Potential Project Partners: San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, etal.

San Mateo Medical Center Emergency Department Workflow Redesign

Department: SMMC, 2005 (carried over from last year and prior years)

Background: The San Mateo Medical Center plans to address this problem through workflow and process redesign. The goal is not only to improve patient throughput but also patient and staff satisfaction and quality of care delivered. Interventions include: 1) Implementing a rapid medical evaluation process; 2) Construction of a larger triage area to allow for provider evaluation as soon as a patient enters the emergency department; and 3) Implementation of an electronic medical record to increase staff awareness of patient flow, improve documentation, and improve patient safety.

Potential Partners: Unknown

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Center

Department: Parks and Recreation (carried over from last year)

Background: The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a popular destination for people seeking tide pool experiences, hiking, scenic views, and rare opportunities for solitude in the crowded Bay Area. Increasingly, however, visitor impacts are taking their toll on this unique and irreplaceable site. Visitation has a direct influence on the Reserve’s marine life forms in the form of inadvertent trampling, illegal collecting, in appropriate handling, and disturbance of marine mammals. Visitors are watershed residents also inadvertently contribute to erosion processes that affect upland and tide pool ecology. The 2002 Fitzgerald Reserve Master Plan, identified visitor education as a priority in a wider plan for overall protection of sensitive resources found at the Reserve. As part of that vision, this plan defines the needs for an Interpretive Center, interpretive exhibits, and outdoor interpretive amenities. It also explored options for enhanced education programming. In April 2005 the County Board of Supervisors approved the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Master Plan, and certified the Environmental Impact Report. This was the first Master Plan ever prepared for the Reserve since the County acquired it in 1969. In December 2004 a Conceptual Plan for an Interpretive Center was developed, which recommended a 3,000 square foot Interpretive Center be built in addition to other interpretive amenities located throughout the Reserve.

Potential Partners: Gulf of the Farralones National Marine Sanctuary, CA Department of Fish and Game, CA Coastal Conservancy, Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, unknown

Emancipated Foster Youth Housing

Department: HSA (carried over from last year)

Background: Like other communities San Mateo County works hard to ensure that emancipated foster youth succeed in life. With the nation’s highest Fair Market Rents, San Mateo County’s housing costs are a major challenge for newly independent foster youth. In response, San Mateo County’s Board of Supervisors has used local funds to provide housing assistance. The Board’s allocation will provide up to two years of rental assistance for youth in educational and vocational plans of 30 hours per week. Youth receive 100% of their rent the first six months, 75% the second, 50% the third, and 25% the fourth six months as long as they are performing well in work and school. This will serve approximately 15 youth at a maximum of $1000 per month rent. The Board’s support replaces the vacuum created by the elimination of Section 8 vouchers dedicated for this purpose. In those vouchers youth received nearly 100% of their rent for two years. The value of the vouchers was $600,000 per year/$1.2 million for two years based on the 25 allotted vouchers for two years post emancipation. Unfortunately, funding from the Board is rapidly being utilized. To address this problem, San Mateo County seeks funding to construct, rehabilitate or acquire a small apartment complex that can be dedicated as permanent affordable housing for special needs populations in the County with a priority for emancipated foster youth. While no specific complex has been identified, criteria include 4-6 units, proximity to public transit, and ability to house on-site services (such as a resident counselor).

Potential Project Partners: City of South San Francisco, unknown.

In addition to the above, staff recommends the inclusion of the San Mateo County Children’s Receiving Home.

San Mateo County Children’s Receiving Home

Department: HSA

Background: San Mateo County seeks funding to complete a new Children’s Receiving Home to replace the existing receiving home, which is 50 years old. The County has secured property at the new Youth Services Center, and partial funding for the new facility. The San Mateo County Receiving Home provides emergency shelter care for youth who are dependent children of the San Mateo County Juvenile Court due to issues of abuse and neglect. The program is co-ed and serves youth primarily between the ages of 12 and 18 years until a permanent home can be found. In addition to providing critically needed services, the Children’s Receiving Home will be unique in its effort to target the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

Potential Project Partners: Unknown.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Unknown. Potentially positive.

B.

Resolution in support of AB 77 (Lieber), with a request to amend the bill to include a county representative in the statewide working group and to require that local multi-agency councils include an alcohol and other drug program representative

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution in support of AB 77 (Lieber), with a request to amend the bill to include a county representative in the statewide working group and to require that local multi-agency councils include an alcohol and other drug program representative.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government

Goal(s): 22-County and local governments effectively communicate, collaborate and develop strategic approaches to issues affecting the entire County.

BACKGROUND:

AB 77 would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to establish a working group tasked with creating a parole system reform plan. In addition, AB 77 would appropriate $4.35 million of state General Fund for grants to counties. The grants, not to exceed $75,000 per county, could be used for the development of multiagency local action plans. The grants would require that such plans include, in part, a comprehensive response to the needs of parolees, a collaborative and integrated crime reduction approach, and appropriate measurable outcomes (including recidivism rates).

Each county’s plan would require the Board of Supervisors to review the action plan for approval.

DISCUSSION:

In establishing a statewide working group, AB 77 requires (and limits) the working group to include one representative from CDCR and requires that the Secretary “appoint a five-member working group composed of national experts in the field of planning and administration of corrections and parole.” While the emphasis on national expertise is laudable, the absence of a county representative on the statewide working group has the potential to miss critical issues related to implementation. AB 77 requires that the statewide plan address coordination between state and local agencies in the provision of services to parolees. Including a county representative would be a logical requirement for AB 77. A county representative can offer intimate knowledge about existing services and capacities, the most appropriate methods of coordination between state and local agencies, and local initiatives that address the issue.

AB 77 would also call for the creation of local multiagency councils tasked with the creation of local action plans. The council’s membership is partially detailed. AB 77 requires that it include representatives from probation, the district attorney, public defender, the sheriff, the board of supervisors, social services, and mental health among others. AB 77 does not require the participation of a representative from alcohol and other drug (AOD) programs. The inclusion of AOD would be a valuable contribution to local multiagency councils. Similar to mental health, alcohol and other drugs play a significant role in the lives of many parolees. AOD staff has extensive knowledge about available resources and programs. While AB 77 would require community-based drug and alcohol program, many such programs are always as familiar with the array of funding sources and limitations as AOD staff.

SUPPORT

OPPOSITION

Unknown

Unknown

FISCAL IMPACT:

Unknown. Potentially positive.