DA office warns expiration of DOJ grant will strain trafficking response; commission forwards funding options

A representative of the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office told the Human Trafficking Commission on Sept. 8 that federal Department of Justice grant funding for trafficking response has not been renewed and is scheduled to expire at the end of the month, a development the office said could disrupt training, staffing and surge operations ahead of major upcoming sporting events.

Brian Slater, who supervises human‑trafficking prosecutors in the district attorney’s office, briefed commissioners on operational gaps the office expects if the grant is not renewed. He said the grant previously funded specialized survivor‑centered interviewing and trauma‑informed training, overtime for demand‑reduction operations and costs for advocates and a task‑force coordinator. “That grant funding is set to expire at the end of the month, and that will result in us not having funding to fully cover our specialized training and operations,” Slater said during the meeting.

Slater told the commission the office expects specific shortfalls if funding lapses: no dedicated funding for overtime to support extended investigations during events; a shortage of bilingual and bicultural victim advocates, especially for anticipated survivor demographics among Asian and Latinx communities; and a need for additional investigative support such as a crime analyst and a sworn investigator. He also said the office lacks a dedicated analyst to track cases, outcomes and cross‑agency coordination.

The district attorney’s office provided case statistics to illustrate current workload: as of the report, the office had issued 12 trafficking cases this year involving 14 defendants and 14 survivors; no new labor‑trafficking cases were reported in the period covered by the briefing. Four cases involved brothels; the office said task‑force activity had resulted in shutting down two brothels (one in San Jose and one in Hayward) that law enforcement estimated had generated roughly $350,000 each over their operating periods. Slater also said victim services figures were lower than last year: as of Aug. 25 the DA’s victim services unit had provided services to eight human‑trafficking survivors (108 distinct services) compared with 16 survivors (249 services) in the prior year.

To address the gap, Slater outlined creative funding options the office is exploring and asked the commission to consider them: reassignment of vacant analysts or program positions from other county departments to support the task force on a temporary basis; establishing a cross‑departmental funding pool for event response (allowing departments to draw down funds for overtime and surge staffing); and public‑private partnerships with event organizers, the hospitality industry and community‑based organizations to supplement survivor services and prevention efforts.

Commission members discussed the proposals and asked for timing and budget detail before final decisions. Commissioners and county staff agreed the recommendation to pursue cross‑departmental funding should be advanced after county budget targets are set in October so departments know available resources.

The commission voted unanimously to forward the DA’s staffing and funding options to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration, with the agreed caveat that any cross‑departmental funding pool be pursued after the county’s October budget targets are released.