Agenda

Return

C. 80

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Diana Becton, District Attorney
Date:	May 9, 2023

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Gift Cards for Neighborhood Restorative Justice Partnership Volunteer Community Safety Panelists

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 05/09/2023

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
Ken Carlson, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Monica Carlisle, 925-957-2234

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: May 9, 2023
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the District Attorney's Office to provide Target gift cards in an amount of $50 each for a total of $350 to seven volunteer community safety panelists for their outstanding services and contribution as part of the Neighborhood Restorative Justice Partnership program.

FISCAL IMPACT:

These gift cards were previously purchased. Funding was from the District Attorney's Asset Forfeiture Fund.

BACKGROUND:

On July 9, 2019, the Board of Supervisors ratified the Office of the District Attorney's purchase of $13,350 Target gift cards for Gun Buy-Back Events from October 2016. The balance of gift cards in the amount of $6,500 is being safeguarded and tracked in accordance with Administrative Bulletin 615, and authorization is being requested for their use.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

The District Attorney's Neighborhood Restorative Justice Partnership (NRP) is a community-based program that addresses low-level misdemeanors and other quality-of-life crimes by partnering with members of the community as volunteer safety panelists. Panelists receive training at the DA’s Office and are then empowered with the authority to mediate certain types of misdemeanor offenses. NRP also aims to help victims heal and rebuild their lives after suffering from the effects of crime.

As part of the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week of April 23-29, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office hosted a convening on April 24, 2023 to express appreciation and gratitude towards the volunteer community safety panelists. These safety panelists are the ones who review the cases and host the panels for NRP, and they have volunteered hundreds of hours to our program. Without these safety panelists, there would be no NRP program nor the tremendous benefits the program provides to the community. The NRP program has had retention issues lately. The DA's Office hopes that by providing an appreciation event and awarding gift cards to the seven panelists who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and team efforts would help to encourage our panelists to continue to serve in the program and convince other candidates to serve as well.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If unapproved, the District Attorney's Office will not be able to provide already purchased gift cards to award volunteer community safety panelists who have demonstrated high level of leadership and team efforts as part of the Neighborhood Restorative Justice Partnership program, and will continue to face retention issues of much needed safety panelists in the future.