CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
J
une 12, 2023
TO
: City Council
F
ROM: Office of the City Manager
S
UBJECT: AUTHORIZATION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO SIGN A LETTER IN
SUPPORT OF A FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER IN EAST VENTURA
COUNTY
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council sign the attached letter to support the siting of a future Family Justice Center in East Ventura County to serve the communities of Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
On April 18, 2023, City staff met with t he offices of Supervisor Janice Parvin and District Attorney Erik Nasarenko to discuss the siting of a future Family Justice Center in Simi Valley. At the May 23, 2023, meeting, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors discussed siting the Family Justice Center (FJC) at a location in Thousand Oaks. As part of the Board consideration, due to the ongoing work to complete the Carmen Ramirez Family Justice Center in Oxnard, District Attorney Nasarenko expressed concerns about the ability to dedicate the financial and human resources to planning the launch of two new facilities simultaneously.
Therefore, the Board continued the discussion to a later date to allow staff to further evaluate an East County FJC.
S
upervisor Parvin has contacted Simi Valley and requested that the Simi Valley City Council lend its support for a future Family Justice Center site in East Ventura County. Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council sign the attached letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors expressing its support (Attachment A, page 4).
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
According to a letter from District Attorney Erik Nasarenko (Exhibit 1, page 5), approximately 600 families each year from Simi Valley , Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, and surrounding unincor porated East County areas utilize the ser vices of the Family Justice Center in Ventura. The individuals that seek the services that the FJC provides
AGENDA ITEM NO.
9B
2 are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or abuse and are often seeking restraining orders, housing placement assistance, or other acts of independence.
A
trip from the easternmost edge of Simi Valley to Ventura for these ser vices can be upwards of 95 miles round trip, which in itself can be a hardship for those with limited access to transportation, a challenging work schedule , or limited access to childcare .
However, for those who are also taking strides towards independenc e following abuse, the psychological hurdles to accessing services can be even steeper, solidifying the need to enhance access.
G
aining access to County services in the East County has been historically challenging as most services are disproportionately located in the west county, creating an access barrier for residents of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks. Recognizing the critical need to broaden access to services in the East County, Supervisor Parvin has requested that the City Council provide a letter supporting the efforts to bring a Family Justice Center to East Ventura County to better serve the Simi Valley community to ease the burden of access for those who want to take the steps to change their lives.
T
he following alternatives are available to the City Council:
1. S
ign the attached letter to support the siting of a future Family Justice Center in East Ventura County to serve the communities of Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks and the approximately 600 families who utilize the services annually from these communities;
2. D
o not sign the attached letter;
3. P
rovide staff with alternative direction.
S
taff recommends Alternative No. 1.
SUGGESTED CITY COUNCIL MOTION
I mov
e that the City Council sign the attached letter to support the siting of a future Family Justice Center in East Ventura County to serve the communities of Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks.
SUMMARY
O
n April 18, 2023, City staff met with the offices of Supervisor Janice Parvin and District Attorney Erik Nasarenko to discuss the siting of a future Family Justice Center in East Ventura County. Due to the ongoing work to complete the Carmen Ramirez Fami ly Justice Center in Oxnard, District Attorney Nasarenko has expressed concerns about the ability to dedicate the financial and human resources to planning the launch of two new facilities simultaneously.
3 Supervisor Parvin has contacted Simi Valley and requested that the Simi Valley City Council lend its support for a future Family Justice Center site in East Ventura County.
Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council sign the attached letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors expressing its support (Attachment A). ______
______________________________
Samantha Argabrite
Assistant City Manager
Pr
epared by: Samantha Argabrite, Assistant City Manager
INDEX Page
Atta
chment A – Letter of Support ..................................................... 4 Exhibit 1 – Letter from DA Nasarenko ...............................................5 June 12,2023
The Honorable Matt LaVere, Chair
Board of Supervisors and Members of the Board
County of Ventura
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Fred D. Thomas
Mayor
Dear Chair LaVere and Members of the Board of Supervisors; The Simi Valley City Council strongly supports the siting of a future Family Justice Center in East Ventura County to serve the residents of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.
Historically, access to County services has been limited for East County residents as the majority of services are disproportionately located in the West County. As a result, it is challenging for east county residents to access many critical services that are located in the Ventura arca. Approximately 600 families from Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks,, and their adjacent unincorporated areas currently use the services provided by the Ventura Family Justice Center each year. This statistic does not reflect those families who do not use the services due to their inability to reach the facility. For example, it can be a roundtrip of 95 miles from the easternmost side of Simi Vailey to the location in the City of Ventura, which poses a significant barrier. lndividuals who are taking the courageous steps on the journey toward independence and utilizing the services that the Family Justice Center provides, including restraining orders and housing assistance, should not be met with such a significant barrier of distance.
Therefore, the Simi Valley City Council strongly urges the Board of Supervisors to consider the siting of the next Family Justice Center in the County to be on the east side of Ventura County to provide an easily accessible location to East County residents who may be otherwise deterred from seeking the services of the Family Justice Center due to its lack of accessibility to nearly 300,000 county residents. Further, the City of Simi Valley would fully support locating the East County Family Justice Center in our community.
Sincerely,
CITY OF SIMI VTLLEY
Home of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Mike Judge
Mayor Pro Tem
Elaine P. Litster
Council Member
Dee Dee Cavanaugh
Council Member
Rocky Rhodes
Council Member
cc: City Manager
Fred D. Thomas, Mayor Mike Judge, Mayor Pro Tem Dee Dee Cavanaugh, Council Member Elaine P. Litster, Council Member Rocky Rhodes, Council Member 2929TopoCanyonRoad,SimiVolley,CA 93063-2199 805.583.6700 www.simivalley.org 4 ATTACHMENT A
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CouNry or VrNrune, Sretn or CermoRNrA
Erux NesenrNrro
District Attorney
May 15,2023
The Llonorable Matt LaVere, Cl'rair
Board of Supervisors
County of Ventura
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Board of Sr-rpervisors
County of Ventura
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Dr. Sevet.lohnson
County Executive Officer
County of Ventura
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Re: Family Justice Center Guidance
Dear Chair LaVere, Members of the Board of Supervisors and I)r. .lohr.rsor-r:
We are excited by and strongly supportive of clforts to create a Farnily.lustice Center (F'.f C) in east Ventura County. A third and fir-ral F.lC fbr the cities of Moorpark, Sirni Valley, Thousand Oaks, and surrounding unincorporated oommunities will improve the lives o1'those in-rpacted by violencc, help to encl abuse and exploitation, and crcate rnuch-nccdecl pathways of hope lbr east county victims who curreutly must travel to tl-re City of VentLlrato utilize the serviccs of the county's only currently operating FJC.
The FJC's purpose is to improve access to services by removing barriers and bringing serviccs closer to tl-re lamilies thal need them. Based on current Ventura F.TC usage data, it is estimated that as many as 600 farnilies cach year liom thc communities of Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and surrounding unincorporated communities would utilize the services of an east county F.lC.
It ntust be noted that FJCs are nlulti-faceted and multi-agency collaborations requiring careful plauning, thourght, and deliberation. Thus, as you begin considering tl-re appropriatiotr of funding fbr an east county F'.lC and discuss where to situate the facility, Hall 0f Justice ' 800 S0ulh Vict0ria Avenue, Suite 314, Ventura, CA 9300S 2/30 . www,vcdistrictattorney.c0m . (805) 654-2500 . Fax (805) 654 3850 5 EXHIBIT 1
Tl.re Honorable Matt LaVere
Board of Supervisors
Dr. Scvet.lohnson
May 15,2023
we wanted to share with you the fbllowing guiding principles fi'onr the Departnrent of Justice, Office o1'Violence Against Worlen, and tl-re Family .lustice Center Alliancc, which sel'ves as thc central clearinghouse, rcsearcll center, and affiliation organization lor FJCs throughout the United States and internationally. In addition, we also included in this correspondetrcc our own Ventura County experiences and the knowledge gained lrom establishing the Ventura F-.lC in 2019 and the ongoing effort to delivcr the Carmcn Ramirez Farr-rily .Tustice Center in Oxnard next year.
FAMILY JUSTICII CENTERS AITE NOT A GIVEN AND REQUIRE
COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS
While F.lCs are identifred in Calilbrnia law as a service-provider fbr "victims of domestic violcnce, sexual assault, elder or dependent adult abr,rsc, or hurnan trafficking . . . to reduce the number of tirncs victirns must tell their story, redr.rce the number of places victin-rs must go lbr help, and increase access to services and support for victims and their children" (Penal Code, $ 13750, subd. (c)), Calil'ornia law provides no ongoittg funding mechanism for F.lCs. Rather, FJCs rely on apatchwork of reveltue streams, including lbderal, state, and local dollars, grants, philantliropic and foundation support, and a wide variety of in-kind donatior-rs, largely ft'on't govcrnlrent partncrs and community-based organizatior-rs. 'l'he soon-to-be Canncn Ramirez Irarnily .lustice Ccnter in Oxnard is an ideal example of rnulti-agency financial collaboration, with $1 million coming from a state cor.rtribution championed by Assemblyrnerrber.lacqui Irwin, a $2 rnillion commitment fi'om the City of Oxnard, a $5 million commitrnent fi'om the County o1'Ventura, and a $640,000 appropriation fi'om U.S. Representative .lulia Brownley.
FAMII,Y JUSTICII CENTI'I{S REQUIRE ONII-TIMl:, AND SUSTAINABT,II
I,'UNDING
FJCs in Vctttura County ar-rcl elsewhere througllout the nation are sustainable largely because the buildings thcy residc in are owned and not leased. Secondly, they are sustainable because the on-going burdcn oflabor costs is largely shared by and spread across llltlnerous on-site partners thror.rgh in-kind staffing h'om respective governmcntal and nouprolit agencics and volunteers. With that said, or-r-going costs do cxist in the forrn of utilities, groundskeeping, security, and day-to-day business needs. Moreover, there must also be core adrninistrativc staffwho oversee the quality ol'scrvices, coordinate the activities of otl-rer on-site partners, and provide routine duties such as schcduling, receptiot-t, case reviews, and other duties. We anticipate that an east county F.TC Center would require ongoiug l-rnancial support lbr an Administrative Assistant I -$113,000, Legal Processing Assistar-rt Ill-bilingual - $99,000, and a Victitr Advocate III -$ 109,000 6 The Honorable Matt LaVere
Board of Supervisors
Dr. Scvet Johnson
May 15,2023
for a total of $321,000 in anuual salaries, beneflts, and staffing costs.'fhe addition of a Resiliency Center componeut would require the need lor an additionalAdministrative Assistant III allocation - $135,000, bringing total annual staffing costs to $456,000. The existing District Attorney's budget does not currerrtly contain funding to cover these costs.
FAMILY.IUSTICE CENTERS REQUIRI! VICTIM SECURITY AND
CONFIDEN'I'IAI,ITY
F.ICs also rcquire invcstments in security. One o1'the most dangerous times in a domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault victim's lif'e is when the victirn has the courage to seek lielp with a restraining ordcr, housing placcment, or other acts of indepeudence. As a result, FJCs require fencing, secr-rrity cameras, ballistic glass, and other one-time facility itnprovernents that protect not only the conlldentiality of the victitl seeking serviccs br"rt also ensure the sal'cty and security of on-site stalf and partners. Moreover, placement of F.lCs in shopping malls, courthouses, or high tralhc areas whcre perpetrators and their victirns may see one another can lead to deadly conliontatious, dissuade victirns from seeking help, and further.ieopardize tlie confidentiality necessary 1or a successful FJC.
FAMIIJ JUSTICE, CIINTIIRS RT]QUIRI! ACCESSTBILITY AND AVAILABILITY Access is also paramount for successful FJCs both fi'om a geographic perspective and from a usability perspectivc. IrJCs rnust have adequate parking, access to public trausportation, and easy access to freeways and higliways that r-rot only encollrage victim access but also encourage partnering agencies such as law enlbrcenrent and other scrvice providers who arc not on-site to respond qLrickly when needed. FJCs should also be located wltcrc the need fbr serviccs is greatest as measured by calls for service to law enforcement involving domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, hurran traffickir"rg, elder abuse, and hate crimes. l,astly, FJCs should also be open, wan-n, frier-rdly, and designed less like a storcfront, police headqr-rarters or emergcncy room lobby and rnore like a residential home whcre victin-rs fecl a sense o1'security, ernpowerment, and we ll- being.
FAMILY JUSTICE CE,NTITRS REQUIRE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS, TRUST AND COMMON OBJE,CTIVT]S
'l'he tbr-rnder of the llrst-ever F.IC in San Diego, Casey Gwinn, stated, "The rnagic is not the builditig, it's tlic collaborative leadership." As we have learned ll'om the 7 'fhe Honorable Matt LaVere
Board of Supervisors
Dr. Sevet.Iohnson
May 15,2023
Ventura FJC, successful FJCs are not sirnply about square footage, architecture, or other building attributes. Good, healthy, and eflective F.lCs are grounded in thc perspectives of the survivors they serve and the l'realthy relationships amorlg the FJCs partners that agree to co-locate attd serve in a coordinated and compassionate manner. Partners enter into comprehensivc "Pretnises Agreemcnts" aud participate in rnonthly casc reviews, trainings, meetiugs, recoguitior-rs, and other collaborative activities that help to transcend institutional silos. Healthy FJC partnerships include local county staffu-rg, city investrnent, and co-location of community-based, medical, and law enforcement providers. In short, the cultivation of strong and dynamic community support is the key ingredient to a successful FJC.
FAMILY JUSTICE CI]]NTERS REQUIRIT STRATIiGIC PI,ANNING, STIIERING
COMMITTEES, AND VICTIM VOICES
In 2016, Ventttra County's first FJC bcgan with thc fbrmation of workgroups consisting of rnultiple governmental and community stakeholders and survivors who met monthly to euvision what au FJC in our County would be. 'l'hese workgroups wcrc organized around the concepts of data, sustainability, facilities, protocols, procedures, and partnerships. After years of collaboration and outreach and a comprehensive two-day strategic planning sut-ntnit, the Ventura F'.lC opened a modest pilot pro.iect in a 900 sqLlare foot room of the Hall of .lustice in March 2019. By November 2019, the dcmand fbr services far exceeded the capacity of the existing tiny olfice space in the courthouse and required expausion to accomntodate r-nore survivors ar-rd on-sitc partners at its current location on Loma Vista Road in Ventura. Recently, in Oxnard, residents, stakeholders, victims, and community lcaders were also invited to participate in a comprehensive two- day strategic planning event in February that will culn.rinate in a written report containing the recomtncttdations and reflectior.rs of those who participatcd. In addition to thesc eflbrts, a scries o1'foctts groups is being organizcd to ensure thc integration of cor-nr-r-ur-rity input into what will evcntually becomc the Carmcn Ramirez Family .lustice Ccrrter in Oxnard. Working groups, steering comrnittees, and victirn voices are necessary underpinnings in tl-rc development o1'a sr,rccessful F.IC.
CONCI,USION
Theiourrney to creating the County's first F.lC took ovcr three years and l-rundreds o1'hours olcornmuuity outreach and engagement. Similarly, the developrncnt of an easl collnty proposed F'.lC will also take time and require sin:rilar efTbrts to engage and develop local community support and input. Partnerships will need to be developed, the voices of 8 The Honorable Matt I-aVere
Board of Supervisors
Dr. SevetJohnson
May 15,2023
local survivors rnust be sought out and heard, and the crafting of best practices unique to the derrographics of each locale must be considered.
While this office's in'rmediate time and focus will be to ensure the success of the Carmen Ratnirez Iramily Justice Center and the proper administration of the $8.6 million devoted to it, we look forward to being a vital partner in the development of a much- needed east county F.lC in the future.
District Attorney
EN:mr'f
Urr*r; Lt'
ASARENKO
9