(Yolo) County addresses former probation chief's ethics issue

by Don Francis, Daily Democrat -

Once again, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors has taken up the conversation on ethics that began with a former probation chief's unusual friendship.

Marjorie Rist, who ran the county's Probation Department from 2009 to 2011, was the subject of a scathing Grand Jury report last year after it was discovered she was close friends with the president of a company Rist hired to train her officers.

That friend, Sean Hosman, was apparently a substance abuser at the time he was training Rist's officers. The two were "in near daily contact" in the summer of 2011, according to the Grand Jury report, titled "A Troubling Contract, Questionable Ethics."

On Tuesday, county supervisors received a memorandum that took a closer look at the services provided to the county by Assessments.com, Hosman's Utah-based company that specializes in assessing the recidivism risk of inmates.

According to the memo, prepared by county counsel, the October 2012 Grand Jury report "recommended an analysis of the contracts (with Assessments.com) and their performance to determine whether the County of Yolo had received" what it paid for.

The memo lists a total of four contracts, beginning in 2007 -- before Rist was probation chief -- and ending Dec. 31, 2012. For these, plus a few other services, the county paid just under $539,000.

The memo notes that at the time Assessments.com was considered a leader in its field. Also, it says, the county is still using the software and training it received. And all four contracts were approved by the Board of Supervisors.
In general, "The consulting services were apparently provided and paid for," the memo states.

The memo is less forgiving about Rist's relationship with Hosman, stating that her "excessive involvement ... in trying to assist with the personal problems of the president of Assessments.com also created the appearance of a potential conflict of interest that should have been avoided."

That involvement was detailed in the Grand Jury report. In one April 2011 incident, the two were pulled over in Sacramento and Hosman arrested for drunken driving, while Rist, "who was also under the influence of alcohol and unable to drive, was directed by law enforcement to sleep in the car," the report stated.

Despite such incidents, the county's auditing process has found "no evidence that Assessments.com received overly favorable treatment" by Rist, according to the memo released Tuesday.

The memo did contain one revelation that confirmed a long-held rumor: Soon after stepping down from her post as probation chief, in July 2012, Rist took a job at Assessments.com.

According to the memo, county officials were told Rist's hire was not part of a quid pro quo agreement or reward for previous favors, nor was the plan in place before it was learned she was stepping down. County counsel did not try to confirm these claims, but the memo does say Rist's "conduct created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest that should have been avoided."

Supervisors didn't discuss all these matters at Tuesday's meeting, instead congratulating staff members for their timely and professional response to the Grand Jury report.

"This is an episode that we should all see as sort of a red flag," said Supervisor Don Saylor.

But it won't be the last time the board takes up the issue, according to county officials.

"We do expect additional follow up, likely on a quarterly basis, as we strengthen policies, etc., as part of the recommendations" in the Grand Jury report, said county spokeswoman Beth Gabor.