On Tuesday, after several hours of debate, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to move forward with the sheriffs request to apply for $70 million in funding to expand the Richmond Jail.
Utilizing matching funds, the total cost for the West Contra Costa County Reentry, Treatment and Housing (“WRTH”) facility project is estimated at $95.2 million with an operating cost of $5 million.
The Sheriff’s Office is hoping to get board approval to utilize SB 844 legislation which provides for counties the size of Contra Costa County to receive up to $70 million from the State with a requirement to contribute at least 10% of the total project cost, and meet other conditions of the award.
According to the Staff Report, the County is seeking Board of Supervisor Approval in applying for funding in the amount of $70 million from the Board of State and Community Corrections (“BSCC”). The funds will be used to build a proposed new facility at the West County Detention Facility (“WCDF”) campus that adds 160 high security cells, and 48 high security, special use cells for mentally ill offenders (416 replacement beds total. These beds will replace 420 existing beds at MDF, resulting in a net reduction of 4 beds to the County’s rated capacity. In addition to providing appropriate housing to address the unsafe, over-crowded housing at MDF, the WRTH will also establish a 20,127 square foot Reentry Service Center (“RSC”) available to every inmate not only at the WRTH, but also the entire WCDF campus, and include the following (not a complete listing):
Around 50 people spoke out against the project on Tuesday saying the funds for the project could be put to better use elsewhere such as prevention, education, and community based programs. Others also argued the facility expansion would allow the sheriff to work with ICE to hold immigration detainees—which they say were not included in the proposal.
Synitha Walker, Antioch, highlighted how she was concerned how none of the Board of Supervisors really knew what they were doing.
“I think Ms. Andersen; you have no idea what you are talking about with women being incarcerated until you have actually been an incarcerated woman like I have. You do not represent us, you represent classism,” said Walker. “I think what you need to do is figure out a better way to represent the people, your seats will be up and I organize and you will be of here.”
Lucy Riley, Richmond, highlighted how mass incarceration is an issue facing the United States and has been an “epic failure” of three decades of legislation has led to 25% of those incarcerated across the world are in the United States.
“Let me tell you, voting for a jail expansion is hanging political kryptonite around your neck and I stand behind that statement,” said Riley.
Dwayne Chapman, Chair of the Contra Costa Mental Health Commission, highlighted how they voted to support the plan but with the understanding of treatment coming first.
“You have to do something to start saving lives because lives have been dying for a number of years,” said Chapman.
Supervisor Candace Andersen highlighted a letter from the commission that this was tool among many others to treat mentally ill people within the community
“This isn’t where we want people treated, yes we want to keep people out of jail, but if they do end up in jail, we want them to have the right treatment while they are there,” said Andersen.
Chapman further highlighted that the commissions went to the jail and saw the condition of what people had to go through.
“Mental health people, one commissioner told me that they had to eat off the top of a garbage can. We got something wrong,” said Chapman. “The sheriffs don’t have the skills to treat mental health, they don’t, why are we giving it to them? We have mental health treatment, we have a behavior health, mental health treatment that we need to not only put in there, but also boost our prevention so our children don’t go through the same thing my sister went through.”
María Alegría, Pinole, stated she was here in 1991 fighting the Sheriff contracting with INS and 25-years later Martinez Detention Facility is still overcrowded.
“We have an ICE contract under Sheriff Livingston, I want to share with you that we have bonds to pay for the West County Detention Center Faculty to deal with overcrowding in Martinez, its still overcrowded. The folks voting for those bonds voted to elevate the overcrowding, not for an ICE detention facility,” said Alegria. “This application is disingenuous and says nothing about the ICE contract that the sheriff currently has and does he really want that facility open so he can contract 1100 beds to ICE and what are we going to do next? Is he next going to be deputize sheriffs to become ICE agents? No, reject this expansion today.”
Board of Supervisor Discussion:
Supervisor Federal Glover addressed comments directed at him during public comments.
“There is a couple of very penitent remarks made towards me, no one has to tell me, I know I am African American and I have always tried to serve the community of Contra Costa as a whole but not without acknowledging who I am, “ said Glover. “I realize that the population within our jails are overpopulated with African Americans and that is a real issue.
Glover noted the issue today was to through AB109, that people do not continue to go through recidivism and find a way to work through the problems while they have them incarcerated with proper programs to become active citizens when they return.
We really downplay something that has been under prepared for in terms of our mental health population.
“We have a real issue there. There is not a meeting that goes by that we are not talking about the issue of mental health,” said Glover. “We have a problem and we have an opportunity to try and help that problem while people are incarcerated and connected to those services. It’s not enough for individuals with mental health problems to be incarcerated and they have received nothing along the way. Then they are phased back into society with nothing for them to connect them to provide service.”
He further highlighted the decision today was a grant, and not part of President Trump’s administration policies.
“This is not any part of the a Trump Administration is making decisions here today, these are people that are my colleagues who are very thoughtful in the way that they do business and we disagree on what it is going to meet some of the big picture obligations that we have as a board to make sure that everyone within the county are being able to be served. This will be something that this board will have to tackle with regardless of whether we go through with this grant issue. What the grant gives us, is opportunity, an opportunity to get ahead of the game instead of trying to search for those dollars to build the facilities needed for both these very vital needs whether its AB109 incarcerated or mental health folks that are incarcerated not having services while incarcerated.
Glover says he will be supporting the recommendation because they have to look at all the needs of all the community’s to move in the right direction.
Supervisor Candace Andersen acknowledged she was white and reminded the many public speakers she is from Hawaii and grew up in a multi-cultural community where she was a minority and that they are all just people.
“I think it’s significant to point out that my preference is to keep people with mental illness out of our jails,” said Andersen. “We adopted Laura’s Law in this county, assisted outpatient plan to help the most serverly mental ill who very likely may end up in jail because of their behavior and conduct.”
She highlighted how the Sheriff’s Office is now sending out Mental Health Teams (MHET) to do follow up or when people have episodes of mental illness. She highlighted the training sheriff’s deputies are getting in how to deal with people with mental health issues—along with police chiefs throughout the county.
“Yes we have an issue with racial disparity in our jails and that is why we have gone ahead to appoint a commission to look at this vary issue. Why do we have a disproportionate youth of color who get sucked into our system? What are we doing to help prevent that?” asked Andersen. “It does start at a very early age of how to prevent mental health issues and help people not get involved in our justice system. We are talking about our homeless who don’t unveil themselves to us who need our services”
Andersen reminded the public that even in Danville, they have people with mental health issues and homeless saying it was a countywide problem.
“What I am saying here today is we are doing somethings, we want to do more to help our mentally ill before they engage in the justice system but the stark reality is we do have people who are incarcerated who are mentally ill. We need to have sufficient tools to help them. Not just while they are in jail but to provide the treatment there and provide the warm hand offs to able them to not fall into the same cycle that brought them there in the first place.
She stated she was supporting the grant, and would support any “reasonable” future actions that would keep those with mental health issues out of the jails.
“In front of me is not a $70 million grant for a new healthcare facility, what is in front of me is an opportunity to do the right thing for the mentally ill in our jails and hopefully help the nurses who work in our jails,” said Andersen. “It’s just not about listening to the loudest voice in the room; it’s about using our intellect, it’s using the resources we have to make the very best decision for the entire community.”
Supervisor Diane Burgis highlighted that the best defense to keep people out of jail is to have effective social services, early education, access to healthcare and mental health services, housing options and job opportunities
“I believe when people do not have hope, they are even more at a disadvantage,” said Burgis. “Listening today I am really concerned with the racial disparity, it’s unacceptable. But I also recognize the folks running this jail aren’t all the people who are bringing the people to the jail. Its law enforcement and I would like to explore how we can do better.”
She also highlighted how she was concerned how Richmond feels they have not worked with them and challenged the staff to do better.
“I have a brother who is mentally I’ll; I never thought I’d talk about it up here. He was arrested, he is schizophrenic and I’ll tell you, I would have never thought you would be relieved to have a loved one arrested and put in jail,” said Burgis. “But we thought maybe he would finally get the help he needed. You would think the stigma of having a child or relative arrested would be a horrible thing but for lots of families, this is a particular opportunity to hopefully get the help that they need. If this was my last day, this may not be something I would want to put money into, this is my first big rodeo and I am going to say this is not the only thing, this is not either or, this is the beginning as your county supervisor who has four-years to develop a relationship with people that think this me voting for this is going against you, you will learn that I am with you. But in this particular case, I am sorry that it comes across that way.”
“In this instance, I support this. I along with Diane (Burgis), I also have family in the mental health system, I have a cousin who committed suicide. I am very familiar with mental health issues,” said Mitchoff. “For those of you who came today and advocated for those in the community who need services, we are very aware of that. Mental health issues are the next big issue that this country is going to have to deal with. There are many people with many issues on the spectrum and needing the services within the community.”
Mitchoff noted how the county dollars have been decimated which is not what people want to hear, but stated it happened and their money is categorical.
“I want to comment to those who think we are expanding a jail in Richmond please know there are two jails in central county, that is fine, I am not saying there should be one here and one there, but this is a countywide issue and we as a county need to take these issues up,” explained Mitchoff. “I recognize that West County feels that they perhaps are being imposed upon, but I do not look at it that way. Even there is a minimum security detention facility on Marsh Creek, it poses a lot of problems to my constituents and Supervisor Burgis constituents out there because at times, it hasn’t happened recently, there were a lot of runaways and that frightened the community.”
Mitchoff noted they all have responsibility to take on responsibilities of the entire county within their own community citing several examples of this from landfill to facilities such as a sober center.
“To get to this specifically, if we do nothing and everything stays the same, the cost of doing nothing now when there is an obvious need will only cost more in the future. Yes it would be wonderful to take these dollars and put them to use in the community but only those already outside either pre or post incarceration would receive services,” explained Mitchoff. “That would still leave those within the facility not getting services. That does nothing for those incarcerated.”
Mitchoff further highlighted how Contra Costa has been at the forefront of re-entry programs and that it was time to dedicate resources to those who need these services to those they have not been able to provide for due to facility limitations.
“While I appreciate and respect my colleague Supervisor Gioia for bringing attention to the Prison Law Office and their memo today, I think it’s a little disingenuous given the letter they sent to Sheriff Livingston last week where they are saying there are no therapeutic service to prisoners with psychiatric disabilities and the county has acknowledged there is limited administrative and clinical space to provide these and are working with our staff to ensure additional mental health facilities are done,” said Mitchoff. “So while I can appreciate on one hand they are not here and a letter was read, I think the full story is they recognize that these services need to be provided in a better environment at MDF.”
Supervisor John Gioia stated he realizes that there was passion and strong feelings in the room.
“We always have to remember that there are battles and there are wars and this is an ongoing issue,” said Gioia. “I respect my colleagues and I obviously have a different perspective. I know we all bring our experience to our decision here. So often we are making decisions in the narrow focus while we have heard from a few, the mental health commission said we need to focus on mental health services for folks incarcerated and I hear that, I think we also need to step back and understand the limited resources we have,” said Gioia. “We don’t spend on the number of things we would like. It forces us to step back on how we spend these limited resources and ask is there a way that will have the greatest benefit. I still believe that spending $25 million to construct this expansion and $5 million a year ongoing can be better spent to have more wide benefit in mental health, in services prior to incarceration, after incarceration. In fact, I think the Prison Law Office is important because it acknowledges there are still things we can do in our current system to reduce the jail population. We need to take all those steps first to reduce the jail population before expanding and building new beds. We need to address the services of people outside incarceration first.”
Gioia went on to highlight how the $5 million they would be allocating would have greater benefit to more people and greater avoided cost if they would spend it to prevent people to get into jail.
“The ICE issue is an important issue, because we are dealing with trust and how people feel about law enforcement. There is a time to revisit this and I hope this board working with the Sheriff will revisit that contract and the cost we bare as a result of having that,” said Gioia. “It doesn’t end here and this is an ongoing issue and we will see what happens with the grant process. Despite what happens here we need to push for services outside and I need to remind people that we are saying how great we are doing with re-entry. Some of the people remember several years ago that didn’t come without a fight. Remember when there was a split on the Community Partnerships Committee to spend all of the AB109, all on our law enforcement departments. Do you remember that? It took the community and Community Advisory Board, our health department, social services, the court and a police chief in Richmond to have a split and a negotiation that caused about 25% of the AB 109 monies to go to community based re-entry. That didn’t happen without strong advocacy and if that advocacy didn’t happen most of that money would have went to the sheriff, the courts and county probation.”
Gioia highlighted there is still a lack of trust with what will happen with the 400 beds that will be closed and what the Sheriff plans to do with them.
“I obviously will be opposing the proposal to go forward,” said Gioia. “I respect my colleagues all from the place they are coming.”
Glover closed by saying the he thanked everyone for their hard work.
“This is not a guarantee, it’s an opportunity that we seek to be able to provide some services within our community,” said Glover.
The Board voted 4-1 with Gioia opposing.
2 comments
I wish all those public speakers yesterday read the documents associated with the staff report and dug deeper than spouting off leftist rhetoric about ICE and how the Sheriff is going to start going after illegal aliens. This facility is for people in our community to actually get help with multiple mental health issues. It’s a shame these community groups and lefties want more money into their pockets on community programs that don’t work. These same idiots are the ones who want people out of jail rather than pay consequences.
I am glad three democrats whose votes actually matter in this process voted to support the grant application. Good job Supervisor Glover, Mitchoff and Burgis. Shame on you John Gioia and your NIMBY mentality.
This is the second time Gioia has voted against this. He better get used to being the odd man out. Time for him to go.
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