Stand Together Contra Costa, an interdisciplinary, multi-sector rapid response network, provides legal services, and community education to support safety and justice for immigrant families in Contra Costa County. Grounded in community-based leadership development, capacity building and community empowerment, Stand Together Contra Costa is a public-private partnership hosted and managed by Contra Costa County's Public Defender's Office. This unique structure, in stewardship with a multi-stakeholder Management Team and Steering Committee, ensures a level of expertise, capacity, and transparency that has fostered both excellence and accountability.
Since its launch in March 2018, Stand Together Contra Costa has successfully provided vital services and resources to immigrant communities in Contra Costa County, in direct response to turbulent and often unpredictable times. To build on this initial success and continue to improve operations, consultants, Mahvash Hassan and Hang Tan, conducted a review of Stand Together Contra Costa's operations, procedures, and protocols. Their report includes key findings on what is working well, operational challenges, and recommendations for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
One recommendation is to place a senior attorney position in the Public Defender's Office and retain a qualified and experienced attorney to ensure quality legal services are effectively and efficiently provided by the program. Placing this senior attorney in the Public Defender’s Office ensures expertise resulting from substantial case experience and demonstrates the county’s commitment to support immigrant community members. This will also allow the overburdened partner agencies to focus on community outreach and quality legal services pledged by the Stand Together Contra Costa team.
If this action is not approved, the project could not proceed with the key recommendations of the operational review and will not allow the project to continue to build on its original success and improve operations.