Leah Valdivia, Arcadia Police Department juvenile diversion counselor, gave a staff report to the council on June 18 describing the diversion program's work, caseload and plans for the rest of 2025.

"The purpose of the diversion program is to prevent youth involvement with the juvenile justice system," Valdivia said, describing referrals from law enforcement and schools for offenses such as petty theft and vandalism, as well as poor attendance and substance use.

Valdivia outlined program components: accountability counseling based on a four‑session Resolve Center model, restorative conferences that can include the harmed party and offender, brief interventions for substance use inspired by SAMHSA and motivational interviewing, and two 10‑week parenting classes (Parent Project and Loving Solutions). She described the counseling sequence: identifying harm and affected people, addressing thinking errors, giving youth opportunities to understand the victim's perspective, and developing contracts to repair harm. "One of the things I like to do is call up the person who is actually affected by the harm... After we go through those questions... you can really see a little shift in their thinking," she said.

Valdivia reported case numbers for the first quarter of 2025: 28 open cases (15 rolled over from the prior quarter), of which law‑enforcement referrals and school referrals formed the majority. She said seven participants completed accountability counseling from the rolled‑over cases and two completed it during the quarter; nine completed brief interventions during the first quarter. She also provided 2024 completion statistics for the parenting classes: Loving Solutions had 39 enrollments with 13 graduates, and Parent Project had 29 enrollments with 15 graduates; she noted a typical drop‑off between sign‑up and completion but praised recent attendance and peer support the classes created.

Valdivia described a partnership created with Teen Court using Title II grant funds awarded in 2022 (roughly $95,000, she said), which required 70% of the grant go to a local nonprofit; that partnership allows referrals (up to ten youths per year), support for travel to an annual summit, and funding for a Fortuna Parent Project. She also named other referral resources including Arcata–McKinleyville Family Resource Centers, school wellness centers staffed by Humboldt IPA, Humboldt County Youth and Family Services, and the county adolescent substance use treatment program.

Valdivia said the Title II grant funds that currently support parenting classes expire after the current year and that seeking new grant funding is a priority: "This is the last year that we have that funding... one of my goals for the summer is to continue and search for and apply for grants that will fund Arcadia Juvenile Diversion going forward." She asked for community and council support for outreach and volunteer assistance for upcoming events and programming.

Council members asked operational questions about language access and course delivery; Valdivia said classes are available in Spanish but have not run in Spanish due to insufficient sign‑ups, and estimated a minimum of roughly 10 Spanish‑language participants would be a workable cohort size. Valdivia also said she plans two fall sessions of parenting classes and coordination with city departments to reserve space and childcare.

The council received the update; no formal action or policy change was taken at the meeting.