FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 19, 2024
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: City Council
FROM: Acting City Manager Chuen Wu
SUBJECT: Responses to 2023 -2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury Report – Homeless Encampments in Santa Barbara County
Description:
The City Council will review staff’s recommended responses to the 2023 -2024 Santa Barbara Grand Jury report titled “Homeless Encampments in Santa Barbara County – Becoming Part of the Community Again.”
RECOMMENDATION:
Review and approve staff’s recommended responses addressing the findings and recommendations from the Grand Jury report titled “Homeless Encampments in Santa Barbara County” and authorize the Mayor to sign and transmit the City’s Response to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court with a copy to the current impaneled Civil Grand Jury and file a copy with the City Clerk’s Office.
BACKGROUND:
On June 21, 2024, the City received the 2023 -2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report titled “Homeless Encam pments in Santa Barbara County – Becoming Part of the Community Again” (Attachment A). The City Council is required to respond to this report within 90 days of receiving it, which provides the City Council until September 21, 2024, to reply to the Grand Ju ry. Due to unplanned circumstances, this response is late. City staff has informed the Grand Jury that the City’s response will be sent as soon as feasible.
DISCUSSION:
The 2023-2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury’s report studied the issues surrounding encampments and the progress made, in accordance with Santa Barbara County’s Homeless Encampment Resolution Strategy. The Jury reports that agencies and departments are working collaboratively, leading to positive impacts and helpful contact with unhoused people in encampments. However, the Jury reports ongoing concerns pertaining to health, safety, mental health, substance abuse and environmental harm, as related to encampments.
The Grand Jury report identified findings and recommendations for various a gencies, including the City of Santa Maria, that pertain to approaches to encampment response.
2 Pursuant to California Penal Code Section 933 and 933.05, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury requests each entity to respond to the enumerated findings and recommendations within the specified statutory time limit.
Responses to Findings shall either be:
Agree
Disagree wholly
Disagree partially with an explanation
Furthermore, responses to recommendations shall be one of the following:
Has been implemented, with a summary of implementation actions taken Will be implemented, with an implementation schedule
Requires further analysis, with an analysis completion date of no more than six months after the publication of the report
Will not be implemented, with an explanation of why
A draft response letter to the Grand Jury is attached (Attachment B).
Alternative(s)
California Penal Code Section 933c states “no later than 90 days after the grand jury submits a final report on the operations of any public agency su bject to its reviewing authority, the governing body of the public agency shall comment to the presiding judge of the superior court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body” and further states “all of these comments and reports shall forthwith be submitted to the presiding judge of the superior court who impaneled the grand jury.” Responses are prescribed per Penal Code Section 933.05.
Fiscal Considerations
There are no fiscal impacts on the response or implementation of the recommendations.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Homeless Encampments in Santa Barbara County – Becoming Part of the Community Again Attachment B: Draft Response Letter to the Grand Jury