THE YOLO COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE CABINET
By Dave Rosenberg
Yolo County Supervisor, District Four
On September 16, 1997, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, at my suggestion and on my motion, voted unanimously to create the "Criminal Justice System Cabinet." The concept for this cabinet came this summer from Yolo County Presiding Judge William S. Lebov. I thought the idea was a good one. Judge Lebov and I now co-chair the Cabinet.
For the first time in Yolo County history, all the diverse players in the local criminal justice system -- the Judges, County Supervisors, District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation, Sheriff, and others -- have a forum for discussion, coordination and improvement of that "system" of criminal justice. It was about time!
Resolution No. 97-128, creating the Cabinet, reads as follows:
WHEREAS, the criminal justice system is composed of many separate and independent agencies which must function cooperatively to maximize the effectiveness of the system; and
WHEREAS, there are currently several formal and informal mechanisms in place which provide various levels and types of coordination, communication and cooperation; and
WHEREAS, the criminal justice environment is changing rapidly and is undergoing various stresses and strains over resource, organizational and other issues; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to enhance existing levels of cooperation by a more coordinated approach and by representation from the highest policy making and management levels from all stakeholder agencies,
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Yolo, State of California:
1. The purpose of the cabinet is to improve the administration of justice in Yolo County. The Cabinet can recommend policies to appropriate agencies and governing bodies, encourage greater cooperation among agencies, conduct fact-finding and other studies, hold hearings and otherwise promote measures that are intended to administer justice more effectively to the people of Yolo County.
3. The Cabinet shall be composed of a member of the Board of Supervisors who will be designed by the Board, a member of the Yolo County Unified Court to be designed by the Judges of the Court, the County Administrative Officer, the Executive Officer of the Court, the Public Defender, the District Attorney, the Sheriff, the Probation Officer, a representative of the conflict attorneys group to be selected by them, the Director of the Department of Social Services, a representative of each municipality in the county as designed by the respective city councils, a representative of the University of California, Davis, to be appointed by the Chancellor and the local Commander of the California Highway Patrol. (Members may be represented at Cabinet meetings by their principal assistant or deputy on an occasional basis. However, the intent is that the representative be qualified to speak authoritatively for the department or agency.)
4. Staff support shall be provided by the County Administrative Officer and the Court Executive.
5. The Cabinet shall be co-chaired by the Board of Supervisor member and the judicial member.
6. The Cabinet is authorized to establish such subcommittees, meeting time and other administrative procedural details as it deems appropriate.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Yolo, State of California, this 16th day of September, 1997, by the following vote:
AYES: Pollock, McGowan, Oakley, Stallard, Rosenberg
NOES: None.
The Cabinet has hit the ground running. The Cabinet created four subcommittees (calendar management, juvenile justice, facilities and fiscal) and already has begun to address serious issues confronting our system such as: juvenile facilities and court security.