Title
Probation Department recommending the Board:
1) Accept grant funding, in accordance with Board Policy A-6, in an amount of $7,990,057 from the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC);
2) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 090-2026 delegating authority to Kaci Smith, Interim Chief Probation Officer, to execute retroactive grant Agreement BSCC 1403-25 (FENIX 9951) for a term of October 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, contingent upon County Counsel approval;
3) Delegate authority to the Chief Probation Officer or Chief Fiscal Officer to execute any assurances or certifications and any modified assurances or certifications pertaining to the Agreement, contingent upon County Counsel approval;
4) Authorize the Chief Probation Officer or Deputy Chief Probation Officer to sign certifications on invoices to receive reimbursement for activities; to administer any subsequent administrative documents, including required fiscal and programmatic reports; and any extensions or amendments thereof which would not increase net county cost or term of the Agreement; upon County Counsel approval; and
5) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Fiscal Year 2025-26 Budget Transfer Request increase revenue and appropriations by $48,860 for the Prop 47 grant. (4/5 vote required)
FUNDING: 100% funded through the BSCC Prop 47 Cohort 5 grant.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Voters approved California’s Proposition 47 (Prop 47), the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” in 2014. Prop 47 reclassified certain low-level drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Goals of Prop 47 were to reduce prison overcrowding and focus spending on more serious crimes. Resulting savings would fund mental health, drug treatment, education, and victim support programs. Some individuals with past felony convictions could apply to have their crimes reclassified as misdemeanors, which would assist in reducing barriers to housing and employment. Prop 47 impacts to probation departments were expected to be reduction of new probation grants and lowered overall caseload. Lowered caseload would free up resources and allow departments to focus on rehabilitation programs like mental health and substance abuse treatment and enable the reallocation of savings to community-based initiatives.
The California BSCC released the Request for Proposals for Cohort 5 grants on April 10, 2025, in support of mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and/or diversion programs for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, for the grant period of October 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029. Probation submitted an application on June 23, 2025. As part of the Bidder’s Conference held on April 30, 2024, BSCC detailed the requirement for each proposal to include the use of Leveraged Funds. Financial leveraging includes no match requirement, where public agency applicants must demonstrate how they will leverage other Federal, State, and Local Funds. The Probation Department’s submission and approved award include the use of AB 109 Funding. Each section of the approved budget includes detail on the use of specific AB 109 funding categories.
On October 24, 2025, Probation received the state’s standard agreement and grant agreement contract from BSCC, in the amount of $7,990,057. Per BSCC, the agreement term is October 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, resulting in retroactive status of this grant award. Acceptance of the grant award funding was scheduled for a Board date as soon as practicable after award notification, however, due to multiple administrative processes, May 19, 2026 was the earliest date to bring the retroactive grant agreement. Upon award notification in October 2025, Probation’s Fiscal Division attended all required training sessions to receive the award. BSCC requires a contract with the Department to facilitate the award. The contract language was originally received on January 26, 2026. This required multiple changes based on our County’s procurement and contract requirements, and initiated back and forth correspondence between BSCC, Probation, County Counsel, Risk Management, and Human Resources. On February 27, 2026, Probation received an updated contract from BSCC. On March 18, 2026, Probation received the final approved agreement from County Counsel. This was the third time routing the agreement. Simultaneously, during the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget preparation and submission to the Chief Administrative Office, Probation had to get all of the position requests that are funded by this agreement through HR for approval and included in the budget. Probation worked with the Chief Administrative Office to provide justification for the additional allocations to be added through the budget process and received approval for the allocations in March 2026 from the Chief Administrative Office. Probation was then able to compile all necessary documents for Board of Supervisors approval.
Probation proposes to use the funding to establish the Reentry, Intervention, Support, and Engagement (RISE) behavioral health intervention system and program model. RISE will reduce recidivism, improve access to care, and support reentry for adults with mental health and substance use disorders. RISE integrates court, custody, and community-based services to create a seamless, individualized care pathway across pretrial, diversion, and felony supervision caseloads. The program will deliver screening, assessment, therapy, care coordination, and court compliance support, while building system infrastructure through cross-agency collaboration, data sharing, and provider capacity-building. RISE targets moderate- or high-risk and high-needs clients who fall between systems, offering timely access to treatment and stabilization supports that will promote long-term recovery, legal compliance, and public safety; fulfilling Prop 47’s goals through sustainability and equity-driven reform. Probation must subcontract with one or more non-governmental, community-based organizations for a minimum of 50 percent of the total grant award to demonstrate a shared partnership rooted in community engagement and economic equity.
The RISE Program begins at the moment of reentry and is anchored in the justice system, not the healthcare system. It provides a unified structure for probation officers, the courts, providers, and navigators to work together on treatment engagement, risk and needs assessment, compliance with court conditions, motivational and cognitive‑behavioral intervention, and reducing technical violations and new offenses. It is intentionally engineered to reinforce the historical and professional practices probation officers are expected to engage in as part of effective supervision and case management efforts. It is designed to establish structured workflows, resource pathways, and referral processes for adult clients with behavioral health or substance use needs that impact their probation outcomes. RISE addresses the factors directly associated with reoffending, compliance, and supervision success.
As part of the RISE program, Probation will be adding 1.0 Limited Term Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Deputy Probation Officer III to ensure case planning for re-entry participants addresses responsivity issues and barriers relating to trauma, alignment with Risk-Need-Responsivity principles, and working with the RISE team to understand how the criminogenic/behavioral health framework impacts the kind and intensity of services for each participant; and 1.0 Limited Term FTE Program Coordinator as a dedicated point of contact liaison for system partners, analyzing and tracking process measures and outcomes, and monitoring the system's fidelity to share with the lead agency and public local advisory committee members. These positions are being added in the Chief Administrative Office’s recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27 and are fully supported with Prop 47 grant revenue. There is no fiscal impact with the addition of these positions.
To support community engagement around Prop 47, a Local Advisory Committee (LAC) was established through a strategic, inclusive process that prioritized highly credentialed clinical partners and key members, who are committed to improving outcomes for people with behavioral health needs. Committee members are uniquely positioned to expand their clinical assessment and treatment capacity to serve people in the justice system. Represented on the committee are El Dorado County Superior Court, El Dorado County Public Defender, local medical/behavioral health providers, a local job training agency, a Deputy Chief Probation Officer, and two Probation peer advisors.
The budget transfer for FY 2025-26 will establish an initial budget for some initial startup costs of the RISE program totaling $48,860.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve the grant funding, the County would not be provided the funding identified for El Dorado County.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel, Chief Administrative Office, Human Resources
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no General Fund impact or increase to Net County Cost.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk to obtain Chair's signature on one original copy of the Resolution.
2) Clerk of the Board will forward two certified copies of the fully executed Resolution to the Probation Department, attention of Jackie Cook.
3) The Clerk of the Board will obtain the Chair's signature on the original Budget Transfer and will forward the Budget Transfer to the Auditor/Controller for processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT
Nikki Moeszinger, Chief Fiscal Officer