COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Sheriff

DATE:

October 15, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

October 21, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

No

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Greg Munks, Sheriff

SUBJECT:

Direction to the Sheriff regarding the response to Corrections Standards Authority's Intent to Award Conditional Funding AB 900 Phase I County Jail Construction.

RECOMMENDATION:

Direct the Sheriff to reject the State offer of funding for a County jail, subject to the siting of a State owned and operated reentry facility, in response to the Corrections Standards Authority's Intent to Award Conditional Funding AB 900 Phase I County Jail Construction letter of September 25, 2008.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative.

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

BACKGROUND:

In 2007, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 (“AB 900”) became law. AB 900 provides funding for increased offender programming, authorizes 16,000 State beds in secure reentry program facilities and appropriates $1.2 billion in jail construction funding through state lease revenue bonds.

At this Board’s February 5, 2008 meeting, the Board gave direction to the Sheriff to apply for AB 900 funding from the Corrections Standards Authority but to indicate on the application that the County of San Mateo was unwilling to site a State reentry facility within the County.

DISCUSSION:

My office received a letter dated September 25, 2008 from the Corrections Standards Authority stating that the County would be “tentatively receiving a conditional award in an amount up to $100,000,000 made by the Corrections Standards Authority.” One of the conditions of the award, however, is a “signed reentry facility siting agreement with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) within 90 days of receiving notice of this conditional award.” It is our understanding that such a reentry facility would consist of a free-standing, approximately 500-bed State facility to be staffed and used by the CDCR for inmates that are returning to San Mateo County and ultimately reentering our community.

At this juncture, the Corrections Standards Authority is requesting a letter indicating whether San Mateo County intends to either go forward with the siting of a reentry facility and therefore work towards the receipt of jail construction Phase I construction funds or to pass on the opportunity to site a reentry facility and not pursue AB 900 Phase 1 funding.

It is my recommendation that the Board confirm its earlier direction to me to not pursue Phase I funding if it is conditioned upon siting a State reentry facility in the County. In my letter to the CDCR, I will indicate that San Mateo County may consider providing certain beds for reentry within our new facility being planned if the CDCR reimburses the County for the costs of such bed use.

FISCAL IMPACT:

If the AB 900 Phase I funding is not received, the County will not receive $100,000,000 towards jail construction.