Title
District Attorney recommending the Board:
1) Find that a public benefit is derived from supporting a contribution to California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) for the purposes of increasing public safety through the analysis of the Zero Bail Policy;
2) Approve the use of Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Funds for a $10,000 contribution towards the CDAA Zero Bail Study, as a participating County;
3) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 175-2024, approving the $10,000 contribution to CDAA for the purposes of increasing public safety through the analysis of the Zero Bail Policy; and
4) Approve and authorize the Board Chair to sign Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget transfer increasing revenue and appropriations within the District Attorney’s General Fund by $10,000 (4/5 vote required).
FUNDING: Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Equitable Sharing Funds.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The District Attorney’s Office (DA), through an agreement with the Federal Department of Justice (DOJ), receives monies for assets seized by partner agencies, also referred to as Equitable Sharing Funds (EQSHR). The funds are deposited into a sub fund until such time the District Attorney requests the use of the funds per the guidelines established in the Equitable Sharing agreement with DOJ. One of the requirements outlined is obtaining Board approval for the use of EQSHR funds. According to the guidelines, EQSHR funds shall be used by law enforcement agencies for law enforcement purposes only, which includes a wide range of operational expenses. The District Attorney is requesting the use of $10,000 from the EQSHR fund, in the form of a contribution, to support their participation in the Zero Bail Study as administered by the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), a non-profit organization.
Recently, a new policy, known as the “zero bail” policy was implemented as part of the pretrial process. This policy significantly alters how the crimi...
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