The Sacramento County
Grand Jury is calling for an audit into the board of supervisors after an
investigation found that $104 million of the more than $181 million set aside
for COVID-19 aid was given directly to the sheriff’s office in
"questionable and opaque maneuvers."
The grand jury said it
learned of the spending after a nearly year-long investigation, saying the actions
by the board of supervisors “skirted the intent of the CARES Act, to the
benefit of County coffers and with scant regard for the needs of its citizens.”
Sacramento County received
$181 million in 2020 from CARES Act funding, which was meant to be used for
pandemic-specific activities.
However, the grand jury
investigation found that there was no CARES Act funding plan in place for
COVID-19 relief, and instead, the money was used to fund salaries and benefits
of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Findings in the grand jury
report said the board of supervisors provided “minimal support to the
Sacramento County Health Department or other county agencies to address
community needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, neglecting its public
support responsibility.”
It also said the county’s
decision to allocate most of the funding toward the sheriff’s office ignored
critical public health needs to stop the spread of the virus, also citing the
sheriff office’s decision to not enforce the state’s active emergency orders
meant to minimize the COVID-19 spread among the general public.
That amount of money was
then transferred back into the county’s general fund, a move the grand jury
says is “confusing at best and possibly illegal.”
“The County Chief
Executive has argued that the budget move was legal, however the grand jury has
not been able to make that determination,” grand jury foreperson Deanna Hanson
said in a press release. “We are calling for an independent audit, because
Sacramento County residents deserve answers.”
The grand jury said the
CARES Act does allow for funding to support public safety, but the county’s
move was inconsistent with the intent that funds be used toward community
challenges that were caused by the pandemic.
The report also points out
the contrast to the city of Sacramento, which used nearly all of its funding
for community agencies and businesses to help relieve pandemic impacts.
Both the Sacramento County
Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Scott Jones are required to submit formal
responses to the report.
KCRA.com
Hilda Flores
February 17, 2022
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