COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Sheriff’s Office

 

DATE:

January 28, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

February 5, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Greg Munks, Sheriff

SUBJECT:

Community Outreach Communication Plan

 

RECOMMENDATION:

Provide direction to County staff regarding community outreach communication plan.

 

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Realize the potential of our diverse population.

Goal(s): Civic engagement – including voting, public service, charitable giving, volunteerism and participation in public discussions of important issues – is uniformly high among the diverse population.

This report fulfills this commitment by setting in motion a process that seeks to inform as many residents and stakeholder groups as possible in a variety of means.

BACKGROUND:

My office is presenting several options to the Board in regards to addressing the County’s inmate population. The Board will potentially give direction on four items: 1) the County of San Mateo Detention Facilities Needs Assessment and Master Plan; 2) a proposed Gender-Responsive Program for Women at the North County Correctional Facility; 3) a proposed re-opening the Men’s Medium Security Facility in La Honda; and, 4) whether to seek jail construction funding through AB 900, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007.

My office has worked with the County Manager’s staff to provide the Board with a variety of communication options to assist the Board in providing direction to County staff on what community outreach should be undertaken.

 
 

DISCUSSION:

The goals of the recommended options are to increase awareness by reaching as many people as possible with a variety of communication methods, to engage the public in a dialogue and to encourage involvement in developing solutions to address the increasing inmate population.

At the Board’s direction, the County Manager’s Office, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, is ready to take any of the following actions or others developed by the Board:

    • Schedule, advertise and host at least three public workshops (one in the North County, one on the Coastside and one in Redwood City) where the public will be invited to hear current plans for criminal justice facilities and provide ideas;

    • Create a Web site that will serve as an informational resource and library for all materials relating to plans or proposals for San Mateo County jails and secure re-entry facilities;

    • Develop fact sheets, fliers and answers to frequently asked questions for public distribution and posting on the Web;

    • Develop a PowerPoint or similar presentation that highlights relevant issues to be delivered at public meetings and made available on the County’s Web site; and,

    • Request to meet with the editorial boards of local newspapers to provide information on San Mateo County’s initiatives to improve counseling, education and job training opportunities for inmates and other relevant jail issues.

The Board can set the timeline for the proposed public outreach.

However, given the deadlines imposed by the state for AB 900 funding, it is recommended the outreach process begin immediately if the Board directs my office to prepare a proposal for the County to submit to the state. The process would need to be completed by February 26 as that is the anticipated date the proposal would be brought to this Board for approval.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

Implementation of an outreach plan will be absorbed by the Sheriff’s Office and County Manager’s Office as part of promoting civic engagement, public participation and providing public information.