Corrections Standards Authority Meeting Minutes - August 30, 2006

 

CORRECTIONS STANDARDS AUTHORITY MEETING
THURSDAY, August 30, 2006
600 BERCUT DRIVE
SACRAMENTO, CA
(916) 445-5073

MINUTES

Mr. Calvin Remington, Vice Chairman of the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA), welcomed all members and guests to the special session of the CSA board meeting. He stated that the purpose of this teleconference is to deny or approve the Executive Steering Committee (ESC) recommendations regarding the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) grant program. It is important to resolve this matter today due to the tight timeframe for the Request for Proposals (RFP) to go out tomorrow.

Mr. Remington explained that he would be acting as Chair for today’s meeting because Chairman Tilton was not expected to attend. A change of scheduling allowed Mr. Tilton to attend but he requested that Mr. Remington continue to lead the meeting.

Mr. Remington thanked Mr. Harris and the CSA staff, especially Ms. Lynda Frost and Ms. Helene Zentner, for doing such a wonderful job. He also thanked the ESC subject-matter experts, Sheriff Penrod and Sheriff Prizmich for doing a great job co-chairing.

Vice Chairman Remington called the meeting to order at 9:45 a.m.

Mr. Remington directed Ms. Yolanda Campos, Executive Assistant, CSA to take roll call. The following members were in attendance:
James E. Tilton
David Runnels
Bernard Warner
David Bacigalupo
Michael Prizmich
Gary Penrod
Calvin Remington
Deborah Botts
Carol Biondi
Pamala Gilyard
Cleotha Adams
Max Scott

ABSENCE OF BOARD MEMBERS

Mr. Remington announced that due to conflict of schedules, Mr. Robert Hernandez,
Ms. Mimi Silbert, and Ms. Kim Petersen would not be attending today’s meeting.

Vice Chairman Remington asked for a motion to excuse the absence.

A motion to excuse the absences was made by
Mr. Mike Prizmich and seconded by Mr. David Runnels.
The motion carried.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER CRIME REDUCTION GRANTS (AGENDA ITEM A)

Ms. Lynda Frost, Field Representative, presented this item that requests that the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) to approve issuance of the Request for Proposals (RFP) recommended by the Executive Steering Committee (ESC) for the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) grant program.

The agenda item and the ESC members list was provided along with a listing of the activities that have occurred since the July 19 th CSA board meeting. Subsequent to that meeting CSA staff held a conference call with the two Co-Chairs of ESC, Mr. Penrod and Mr. Prizmich. During this call issues were raised about the timeline of the RFP and the importance of getting this money out the door in January verses July. The ESC meeting went very well as they addressed some very substantial important issues. Everyone was impressed by the experience of expertise of the ESC. The recommendations as the result of the meeting were attached to the agenda as well as posted on the CSA website so that the field would have access to this information. That information was then drafted into an RFP, sent to the ESC and returned with suggestions and clarification with the end result of the final RFP.

Sheriff Penrod explained why the timeline was accelerated The original proposal would fund grants next June or July, after this year’s State fiscal budget; with this timeframe, it would be very difficult to go back to the State requesting continuing money for a program that had not even started. For better results it would be best to have a good strategy of showing the State at least six months of programming and expenditures, then request the funding so that these programs could continue to being successful.

Ms. Biondi would like each of the winning grants to have a very constructive assessment so that we’re really judging the successes on the stated goals of that program. Ms. Frost assured Ms. Biondi that, with the assistance of the ESC and other subject-matter experts, a data collection instrument would be developed that is meaningful and appropriate and has high impact with the Legislature in terms of future funding. Ms. Biondi would like it to be for the specific stated goals of the program being funded oppose to the overall pot of money. Ms. Frost stated that the goal of each of the projects, per the statute, is to reduce recidivism among the target population and that will be the focus of the data collection effort.

Ms. Biondi had concern that the relationship between other agencies continue as to not reinvent the wheel. Ms. Frost stated that in the RFP it states that applicants may include other individuals, agencies and community-based organizations in the planning process. Ms. Biondi asked if attendance at the RFP workshops required. Ms. Frost clarified that attendance at the workshops is not required to submit a proposal in this RFP process. The intention is to ensure that at least one representative from juvenile and one from adult in each interested county would attend.

Mr. Tilton asked about the rating criteria and if equal amount of weight for each factor has been a past practice. Ms. Frost indicated that, in the past, it has been done different ways; sometimes the factors equal and other times not. Mr. Tilton commented that two categories of the rating criteria that he would make different would be the Statement of Need verses the Budget Appropriateness. He would make budget appropriate a larger rating to help define the money, but making the need stand out. Mr. Remington informed the board that the ESC gave a great deal of consideration of the description of each category, emphasizing on the criteria more and really didn’t give a lot of thought in changing the point system.

Ms. Gilyard asked for clarification of the fifty points for each factor. Ms. Frost informed her that the fifty points is the maximum points that that rating factor can receive. The person rating can give zero to fifty points for each of these categories. In the training of the ESC members before they begin the task of rating these proposals, staff will be discussing a number of the issues that raters should consider as they’re reviewing the proposals, provide examples to them from issues that staff has run across with the experience from previous programs so they can identify what really distinguishes an excellent rating from a good or poor rating.

Mr. Tilton asked for some examples of previous merit review rating factors and the point system. Ms. Frost stated she did not have them in front of her but the factors have been weighted differently in many of the past competitive grant programs and when those scores are different, the statement of need factor has had a greater maximum number of points. They have varied. Mr. Tilton asked if this was an issue for anyone else and it was not an issue with any other board member. He just wanted to make sure that everyone feels comfortable that we get out of the rating what we’re looking for, putting resources where the biggest need is.

Mr. Remington asked Ms. Frost to inform the board of the priority consideration, as to why the Legislature wanted to grant it and how the one to fifteen is going to work. Ms. Frost stated that the Legislature cut a third of the money to the 15 MIOCR II counties so they weren’t able to complete their projects as initially proposed. The Legislature did not define priority consideration, so the ESC recommended a 1-15 point scale that raters would use in assessing the counties’ response to the funding cut and determining how many priority consideration points they should receive.

A motion to approve issuance of the Request for Proposals recommended by the Executive Steering Committee for the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction grant program was made by Mr. James Tilton and seconded by Ms. Carol Biondi. The motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Originally signed by

YOLANDA CAMPOS
Executive Assistant
Corrections Standards Authority

ROSTER OF PERSONS IN ATTENDANCE
CSA Board Members
James E. Tilton, Chair, CDCR Secretary
David Runnels, CDCR, Adult Offenders
Bernard Warner, CDCR, Juvenile Offenders
David Bacigalupo, Subordinate Officer
Michael Prizmich, Sheriff, Amador County
Gary Penrod, Sheriff, San Bernardino County
Calvin Remington, Chief Probation Officer, Ventura County Deborah Botts, Chief Probation Officer, San Benito
Carol Biondi, Public Member
Pamala Gilyard, Rank & File Representative, Juvenile Probation Officer
Cleo Adams, Rank & File Representative, Deputy Sheriff
Max Scott, Representative, Community-Based Youth Service Organization

 

CSA Staff
C. Scott Harris Jr., Executive Director
Marlon Yarber, Deputy Director, CPP
Lynda Frost, Field Representative
Helene Zentner, Field Representative
Yolanda Campos, Executive Assistant

 

Guests
Kimberly Mouk, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department Susanna Kniffen, Fight Crime: Invest In Kids
Kathy Wild, Health Care Administration, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Christina M. Enr, Clinic Supervisor DBH, Jail Mental Health Services
Briana Lane , County Administrative Office
Sharron Egan, Division Director Adult San Bernardino County Probation Office
Claudia Swing, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Debby Lucas, RN Supervisor II – MH, Sheriff
Viule Tiros, PhD, Monterey County Behavioral Health
Pat Hunton, Sheriff’s Office
Sarah House, Behavioral Health
Denise L. Shields, Juvenile Probation
Maureen Lauengood, Behavioral Health
Marisa Fiori, Monterey County Probation
Steve DeCesari, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
Jerry Hernandez, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
Jean Farley, Ventura County Public Defender
Doug Martin, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department
Geoff Bangs, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department
Karen S. Dalton, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Daniel Sahagun, Los Angeles County Probation Department