Memorandum
Date: April 16. 2024
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Rob Howe, Sheriff
Lt. Lucas Bingham, Undersheriff
Lt. Joe Dutra
Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Shannon Walker-Smith, Deputy Community Development Administrator
Marcus Beltramo, Code Enforcement Manager
Subject: Consideration of Presentation on Road Map Task Force (RMTF) Accomplishments, Lessons Learned, and Proposed Community Oriented Policing and Targeted Restoration (COPTR) for Nice, Lucerne and Other Shoreline Area Communities for Fiscal Years 2024/25 through 2026/27
Executive Summary: The Road Map Task Force is a pilot program approved by the Board on August 31, 2021, for the purpose of reducing crime and blight, promoting public safety and enhancement of community beautification to improve the quality of life in the Clearlake Oaks community. With a budget of approximately $800,000 two Sheriff Deputies and two Code Enforcement Officers were dedicated to the Clearlake Oaks community as their prime focus.
It took time for the Code Enforcement Staff to acquire the needed training and experience to accomplish the RMTF tasks at an optimal efficiency; resulting in a late launch of what was planned to be a two-year program. The report of RMTF activities in 2022 was presented to the Board on February 28, 2023.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO)
LCSO reports the following activities for calendar years 2022 and 2023:
|
Activity |
2022 |
2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Human Trafficking Victims located and rescued |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Processed cannabis seized |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asset forfeiture - currency/gold |
|
|
Asset forfeiture - automobiles |
Ford Raptor (KBB $75,00) Toyota Tacoma (KBB $50,000) |
2021 Corvette (KVV $75,000) 2021 GMC Sierra AT4 Duramax (KBB $55,000) |
|
|
|
** Data not reported
Community Development Department - Code Enforcement Division (CE)
CDD reports the following activities for calendar years 2022 and 2023:
|
Activity20222023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32 vehicles (by CE); 11 properties (by property owner) |
|
|
|
RMTF Lessons Learned
Law enforcement and Code Enforcement work in different ways and with different timetables. When law enforcement takes action against crime in one location, that same criminal activity typically resurfaces in a different location. This was experienced during RMTF, causing a strain on staff resources as the RMTF Deputies were limited to the Clearlake Oaks community and other staff had to follow the criminal action as the ones responsible for the crimes moved to other communities.
Enforcement of the Lake County Code has mandatory timelines to ensure due process rights of our residents and property owners. Although CE staff frequently coordinated efforts with LCSO, CE then remains with the case for longer, as red tags, notices of violation, and citations take time, and have required due process timelines before Staff can proceed to abatement in most cases. Staying focused on the Clearlake Oaks community fit the CE process well.
Community Oriented Policing and Targeted Restoration (COPTR)
Chair Sabatier and Supervisor Crandell met with LCSO, CE, and Administrative Office Staff to discuss results and lessons learned from the Road Map Task Force on March 21, 2024. At that time, Staff proposed continuing the community-oriented program, similar to RMTF, but with a shift in structure to address the lessons learned.
Staff proposes a new three-year focus on the Nice and Lucerne communities, but with the authority of LCSO staff to expand their activities throughout the Shoreline Area Communities, as needed. This would enable law enforcement to follow the illegal activities outside of the Nice and Lucerne communities, as the criminal activity shifts to avoid detection. CE staff would remain focused on the Nice and Lucerne communities for the duration of the term and would use the Lucerne Sub-station as home base in order to maintain a presence in the community.
This focused presence in the communities by law enforcement is called Community Oriented Policing and has a long history as a best practice. The purpose of the new program for Code Enforcement would be a sustained focus on the restoration of these two communities.
Proposed Budget - BU 2603 (estimate total for Fiscal Years 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2026/27)
|
Item |
Estimate Amount |
Salaries & benefits - Two Code Enforcement Officers (5% increase per year) |
$575,016 (total for three years) |
Maintenance of Lucerne Sub-station, including wifi and office equipment |
Unknown, already included in Sheriff’s budget |
|
$16,800 total for three years |
|
$45,000 total for three years |
|
|
|
$1,800 total for three years |
|
|
|
$3,600 total for three years |
|
$1,500 for two - one time purchase |
Uniforms (shirts, pants, sweatshirts, boots, hat) |
$6,060 total for three years |
PPE (Safety gloves, rubber gloves, booties, masks, filters, etc.) |
$3,000 total for three years |
|
$1,500 total for three years |
|
$240 total for three years |
|
$750 total for three years |
|
|
Total estimated budget for three years: |
|
Proposed budget - BU 2201 (estimate for FY 2024/25 with 5% increase anticipated for future fiscal years)
|
Salary Sgt |
$206,176 |
|
|
Anticipated overtime (10%) |
|
Total estimate for FY 2024/25 |
|
Estimate FY 2025/26 (5% increase) |
|
Estimate FY 2026/27 (5% increase) |
|
Total for FY 2024/25 through 2026/27 |
|
Total amount for three fiscal years for COPTR Program: $2,222,814
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Purchasing Considerations (check all that apply): ☒ Not applicable
☐ Fully Article X. <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI>- and/or Consultant Selection Policy <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Policy/Policies+$!26+Procedures+Manual/Ch4_2021v2.pdf>-Compliant (describe process undertaken in “Executive Summary”)
☐ Section 2-38 <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI> Exemption from Competitive Bidding (rationale in “Executive Summary,” attach documentation, as needed)
☐ For Technology Purchases: Vetted and Supported by the Technology Governance Committee <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Intranet+Forms/Information+Technology/AdvPlan.pdf> (“Yes,” if checked)
☐ Other (Please describe in Executive Summary)
Consistency with Vision 2028 <http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Administration/Visioning/Vision2028.htm> (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☒ Well-being of Residents ☒ Public Safety ☐ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☒ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action: Staff recommends the Board approve, in concept, the three-year Community Oriented Policing and Targeted Restoration (COPTR) Program, and direct Staff to include the program within the FY 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2026/27 Budget Unit 2603 and 2201.