Allison White/The Times-Standard
Posted: 07/02/2010 01:24:11 AM PDT
The Humboldt County Grand Jury released its latest report on Tuesday that echoed past recommendations for a few departments and discussed a few different problems.
The grand jury continued two investigations from last year and received 21 new complaints, eight of which they thought were handled correctly and thus did not file a report, according to the report. There were 19 members in the grand jury, two of whom died before the report was completed.
Government agencies identified in a grand jury report must respond to the findings, and the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office is already planning a detailed response, said District Attorney Paul Gallegos in an e-mail.
”Rest assured, we do not agree with the findings,” Gallegos said in an e-mail.
There were four main findings that the grand jury reported within the district attorney's office. The first being the office failed to file for some grant reimbursements in fiscal year 2006-2007, and that other grant applications were not properly processed or submitted. The result was that some reimbursements were not received and were covered by the county's general fund.
The second finding stated that nepotism, or favoritism toward relatives of supervising personnel, was a problem in the district attorney's office, and that current county personnel rules were not sufficient to stop it.
”It is the grand jury's belief that the current county policy that nepotism only occurs when there exists a direct line of supervision is ineffective ...,” the report states. “Nepotism creates tension, provides an unnecessary source of resentment by staff and usually becomes a source of morale and retention issues.”
No specific circumstances are listed in the report, and calls to the grand jury's office were not returned by deadline.
The report also cites a lack of routine personnel evaluations, and that “poor office management practices and communication continue to plague” the office.
Gallegos did not respond specifically to any item in the report, leaving that for the written response. However, he said the grand jury is “very politically motivated.”
The grand jury recommended that the county office organize a grant-management program, review policies on nepotism, require that evaluations be performed on a set schedule, and that Gallegos “recognize the ongoing responsibility of his department” and abide by county policies.
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office facilities were also reviewed in the report, and all but two sites were found to be adequate. The Hoopa and Garberville substations were determined to not meet current standards, and they recommend moving into new facilities as soon as possible, according to the report.
”We'd love to have new buildings, but that's not a fiscal possibility right now,” said Sheriff Gary Philp.
Philp said he agrees with much of the findings, but disagrees with some of their assumptions. Site maintenance was a primary concern in Hoopa, and the Sheriff's Office is attempting to fix some of those issues.
However, maintenance problems have to be resolved between Humboldt County and the Hoopa Tribe that owns the building, which can be time consuming.
”We're kind of caught in the middle there,” Philp said.
There have also been staffing issues at both the substation sites and outdated holding cells, but that is mostly due to a lack of funding and staff, Philp said. They may be outdated, but they are compliant with state law.
For the Humboldt County Coroner's Office, the facility was also the main issue. Coroner Dave Parris said previous grand juries have also recommended moving his department to another facility, replacing the department's van with a truck to better handle local terrain, and adding another deputy coroner to the staff.
The facility faces compliance issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act, sharply tilted pavement for the loading entrance to the morgue, and poor ventilation, according to the report. These items are not news to Parris, especially the steep slope.
”We've discussed it with risk management and they're just sitting on it because there's no funding,” Parris said.
The jury report also discussed a need for more beds in Humboldt County Juvenile Hall, and for a residential drug treatment program for juveniles.
Chief Probation Officer Bill Damiano said that although it is not at capacity right now, that can become a problem. They applied for funding to increase the number of beds to 30, but did not receive the money.
In regard to the drug treatment program, a group has formed to discuss the issue and the possibilities within the county. The grand jury recommends the Board of Supervisors make these two issues a priority.
To see a version of the full report, go online to www.co.humboldt.ca.us/grand jury/ or call 476-2475.
Allison White can be reached at 441-0506 or awhite@times-standard.com.
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