Agenda

Return

C. 27

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Robin Lipetzky, Public Defender
Date:	January 9, 2018

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Add one Legal Assistant Position for Pretrial Services

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 01/09/2018

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Donna Broussard 925-335-8065
cc:	Donna Broussard

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: January 9, 2018
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Position Adjustment Resolution No. 22220 to add one (1) Legal Assistant (2Y7B) position at salary plan and grade ZB5 1337 ($4,480 - $5,445) to work on the Pretrial Services Program in the Public Defender's Office. (Represented)

FISCAL IMPACT:

This order will authorize the creation of a position for (1) FTE Public Defender Legal Assistant forthwith. The cost for salary and benefits for this position will be $97,771 per annum. The cost of employment for the remainder of this fiscal year will come from the existing Pretrial Services AB109 budget for this year, as there are unspent funds in this fiscal year's annual Pretrial Service budget. The Pretrial Services program is funded through AB109, Public Safety Realignment. On December 1, 2017, the Community Corrections Partnership voted to approve the addition of this position to the Pretrial Service's Program budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

BACKGROUND:

The Pretrial Services program (PTS) is an AB109-funded, collaborative, and multi-agency effort including the Probation Department, the Public Defender's Office, the District Attorney's Office, and the Sheriff's Office, and the Office of Reentry and Justice. The PTS Program utilizes evidenced based practices to prepare Pretrial risk assessments and reports for the Superior Court regarding potential PTS release at arraignment.

Individuals potentially eligible for release on PTS are interviewed by Public Defender Legal Assistants at the West County Detention Facility and the Martinez Detention Facility and their interview information is then provided to the Probation Department's Pretrial Services Unit. Deputy Probation Officers in the Pretrial unit formulate recommendations to the arraignment court for potential release on PTS supervision or potential release on Custody Alternative Facility Supervision. If released under the PTS program, Pretrial staff also provide supervision from the Pretrial Services Unit of the Probation Department or the Custody Alternative Facility of the Sheriff's Office for those released on Pretrial.

The Pretrial Services budget currently funds (4) FT Deputy Probation Officers, (1) FTE Clerk (Probation), and (2) FTE Public Defender Legal Assistants, one assigned to Richmond Court and the other to Martinez Court. Staring in January of 2018, the Superior Court is moving all East County arraignments from Martinez Curt to Pittsburg Court. An additional Public Defender Legal Assistant is needed in Pittsburg arraignment court in order to maintain current arraignment court coverage levels and to ensure that all eligible individuals continue to be interviewed by the Pretrial Services team.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Authorization of this position will allow the multi-agency Pretrial Services program to continue to screen all eligible individuals for release from custody on Pretrial. If this action is not approved, the Pittsburg arraignment court would not have the necessary coverage to support the program.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

No impact.