Mendocino County’s sheriff, district attorney, probation and health leaders outlined growing public‑safety costs, staffing shortages and mixed outcomes from diversion programs during a safety panel at the board’s workshop.

Sheriff Tom Kendall told supervisors that homicide responses and follow‑up investigations can cost roughly $100,000–$150,000 per case when overtime, forensic work and courtroom time are added. Kendall said the department is understaffed — about 33% down in patrol positions — and overtime remains a major cost driver.

District Attorney Eister and Chief Probation Officer Locatelli described the operational impacts of recent state legislation — including Prop 36 and other realignment measures — and the strain of unpredictable state funding for supervision and pretrial programs. Locatelli reported that pretrial monitoring has kept failure‑to‑appear and new‑crime rates low for participants (roughly 70–80% success on key metrics), but warned the court and local budgets could be exposed if state backfills do not continue.

Health and social‑services staff described the CORE mobile response and street‑outreach efforts working with law enforcement and community partners. Behavioral Health Director Janine Miller said CORE has engaged dozens of individuals and helped at least some transition to housing; Social Services Deputy Megan VanZant noted reductions in some homelessness indicators but said only a small share of outreach contacts show immediate motivation to change, complicating long‑term outcomes.

Board direction: Supervisors asked staff to produce trend lines on the growth of public‑safety costs and to return with options for how to fund rising service levels. Several supervisors proposed an ad hoc board subgroup to work with law enforcement and social‑service partners to evaluate approaches and next steps.

Why it matters: The panel underscored an ongoing tension for local governments between rising public‑safety costs and limited revenue growth; supervisors said better cost trend data is needed for budget planning.