With many jurors diplaced, grand jury burns through all its alternates plus six additional jurors
OROVILLE — After running through all 11 alternates as well as six additional appointees, the 19 members of the Butte County grand jury for the 2018-2019 fiscal year completed its duty Friday morning, releasing the yearly report and swearing in the newest jurors.
Many of the jurors found themselves displaced in the wake of the Camp Fire in November, leading to the atypical loss of jurors. Judge Tamara Mosbarger oversaw the ceremony at the Butte County Superior Courthouse and noted that the jury’s foreperson Diana Butterfield lived in Magalia during the time of and after the fire.
Due to road closures, Butterfield found herself driving two hours to reach the courthouse, creating multiple four-hour round trips to fulfill her duty as a juror.
As for most Butte County residents, the Camp Fire held significant weight on the grand jury and therefore takes up much of the report with findings and recommendations regarding the incident and overall safety.
The report is broken down into investigations chosen and conducted by the jury which are broken down by methods of investigation followed by findings and recommendations. While some are planned, emergencies such as the Camp Fire are also considered and given in-depth analysis as they come up.
The Camp Fire
The grand jury found that changes made after the 2008 Humboldt Fire saved lives during the Camp Fire evacuation, but more could be done for future emergencies.
Of the 58-page report, 20 pages are dedicated to the jury’s findings regarding the Camp Fire, specifically emergency planning and evacuation routes.
In the review, it’s noted that major changes will be required for when such an extreme emergency will happen again, emphasizing that the Camp Fire will not be the last of its kind. The 2008-2009 grand jury report, which covered 2008’s 23,344-acre Humboldt Fire, is referenced in the latest report saying many of the recommendations had been met from that era — such as clearing vegetation on the Skyway as well as a pavement project for Forest Highway 171, the upper portion of the Skyway.
“These changes saved lives,” the report said.
The jury listed 18 total findings and 14 recommendations as a result of the emergency. The first finding states the 2008-2009 recommendation to widen the shoulders and turnouts on the evacuation roads has yet to be funded. As a result of this finding, the first recommendation given is to go through with these plans.
Funding for studies to find more evacuations routes and improvements to current routes, while allocated, have not been utilized. Other findings showed vegetation to be passable on evacuation routes and covered emergency preparedness. Additionally, the 2013 Butte County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was found to be outdated.
Other recommendations revolved around funding departments and services for future emergencies and vegetation management.
When looking into the wildfire, the jury conducted interviews with personnel from county agencies, Chico agencies and the town of Paradise as well as residents. Evacuation routes were reviewed and toured and the grand jury looked at updates and revisions to the 2030 Butte County General Plan.
A brief timeline is given for Nov. 8 — the day much of Paradise, Concow, Magalia and Butte Creek Canyon burned to the ground — which included the 496 emergency calls as well as the Butte County Chief Administrative Office declaring a “State of Local Emergency,” allowing for assistance from the California Office of Emergency Services.
CodeRED was the warning system used to alert residents on the day of the Camp Fire and the report stressed the importance of registering for the service as less than 40 percent of people affected had done so.
The jury found that most of the uniforms worn by law enforcement officers can’t withstand the intense heat and embers brought on by extreme wildfires. Better fire-resistant materials, the report points out, come at a large price tag with shirts costing roughly $150 and pants costing $200.
In terms of equipment, infrared camera-equipped drones were suggested at a cost of around $3,000 for the drone unit and a range from $8,000-14,000 for the camera.
“During a wildfire, dense smoke can decrease visibility for evacuation and fire suppression efforts,” the report said. “Infrared camera-equipped drones can be a useful tool in these circumstances.”
The report identified all known victims who died during the Camp Fire.
Children’s Services Division
It had been six years since a grand jury reviewed the Butte County Children’s Services Division, prompting the 2018-2019 jury to look into the department as part of its report.
The jury used the division’s policy and procedure manual along with charts, parent information and staff interviews to conduct the review and came out with nine findings and 13 recommendations based on those findings.
High staff turnover, communication issues, limitations in technology and budget cuts were all listed as negatively impacting the division and how it runs.
“While (Children’s Services) is primarily funded through state and federal funding, many counties provide supplemental funding,” the report said. “Butte County provides minimal supplemental funding for the department. Due to lack of funding, staff and supervisors reported high turnover.”
The jury recommended the Children’s Services Division apply for grants and request additional finances from the county to allow for higher worker income with the goal of being more competitive with nearby counties.
Other recommendations addressed a need for morale building as well as training.
Code Enforcement
Chico’s Code Enforcement Department was on the jury’s radar due to the lack of a permanent director and the larger area covered by the department with the addition of the Chapman and Mulberry annexations.
The jury found that the Camp Fire had a major impact on the department’s workload because of the 19,000-person population increase the city has seen. It was also found that abandoned vehicles such as RVs have created a public nuisance and possible health concern.
Additional training has been recommended and a new tracking system is being implemented as the previous one was found to be insufficient.
Code Enforcement uses a program called PERMITS Plus to keep reports and track cases but plans to move to eTRAKiT.
Yearly reports
A grand jury is selected yearly and consists of 19 individuals drawn randomly from a pool of applicants. This group chooses to review programs, departments and other aspects of the public sector.
After conducting these reviews, a report is created and presented to the public with findings and recommendations.
The report holds a letter from foreperson Butterfield to Judge Mosbarger regarding the jury and the overall experience.
“The grand jury visited many county and city government offices,” Butterfield said. “A number of interviews and facility tours were conducted. I would like to thank the personnel at the county jail and juvenile hall who conducted our tour of these facilities. They gave of their time and answered many questions. It was obvious that they take pride in their work.”
Jurors
Jurors who served for 2018-2019 are Diana Butterfield, Jensine Brown, Susan Marongiu, Eileen Aggi, James Bohannon, Willow Garcia, Daniel Gonzales, Patricia Goodwin-Denito, Libby Hail, Christopher McAuliffe, Edwin Miller, Krystina Riggs, Douglas Scofield and Bernadette Shelley (total of 18 names released).
New jurors for 2019-2020 consist of foreperson Susan Blood, George Scofield, Geraldine Mahood, Kathleen Nichols, Robin Preston, Sandra Harington, Jane Beers, Mark Riggs, Jeffery Wiles, Sheryl Lange, Lida Vargas, Sara Heimbecher, Barbara Hubler, Margaret Krehbiel and Stephen Dunbar.
Jurors who served for 2018-2019 and are returning for another year are Diane Larson, James Marxmiller, Angela McLaughlin and Betty Pennington.
June 29, 2019
Chico Enterprise-Record
By Jake Hutchison
No comments:
Post a Comment