Public comment draws sharp split: sustain JCOD/DYD community programs or fund sheriff/probation priorities?
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Summary
Public comment after the departmental presentations was dominated by appeals to sustain and grow JCOD/CFCI/DYD-funded community programs and by opposition to additional funding for Sheriff, DA, and Probation or any new jail construction; speakers included program participants, CBO leaders, formerly incarcerated people, and advocates.
After the departments presented their budget requests, the Board heard an extended public comment period in which dozens of individuals and organizational representatives spoke, in person and remotely, about the county's competing budget priorities.
Two clear and sustained themes ran through public comment. First, community-based organizations, reentry groups, and program participants urged the board to sustain or expand funding for Justice Care & Opportunities (JCOD), the CareFirst Community Investment (CFCI) grants it administers, and the Department of Youth Development’s diversion and reentry programs. Multiple speakers described measured outcomes — placements into unionized apprenticeship programs, reduced recidivism, workforce training, housing placements and case-management outcomes — and said cutting those programs would undermine prevention and increase long-term county costs.
"We have seen these programs change lives," said several CBO leaders and program alumni. For example, workforce and credible-messenger programs told the board they have placed hundreds into jobs and saw reductions in violence and repeat offending among program participants.
Second, many formerly incarcerated people, affected families and advocacy organizations urged the board to reject additional funding requests for the Sheriff's Department, Probation Department and District Attorney, and they strongly opposed building a new "correctional care center." Speakers recounted allegations of abuse in juvenile and adult facilities, pointed to ongoing litigation and large settlement costs (speakers referenced a $4 billion settlement connected to probation abuse issues), and cited recent in-custody deaths as reasons to prioritize community programs rather than expanded carceral capacity.
Young people who identified themselves as formerly incarcerated asked supervisors to invest in community-based alternatives and diversion rather than increasing budgets for entities they see as part of the problem. Community providers said their services — from mentoring and vocational programs to trauma-informed mental-health care — operate at far lower cost than incarceration and produce both human and fiscal returns.
The board did not take formal budget votes during public comment. Several supervisors thanked speakers and said they would weigh the competing requests in the budget process. The public-comment record supplied the board with detailed first-hand testimony and multiple program anecdotes and data cited by providers.
Next steps: Board staff and the CEO's office will use testimony and departmental materials to inform budget deliberations and supplemental materials the board will review in the budget process.
