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Community speakers urge direct funding as county outlines new Justice Services and Support Department
Summary
County staff proposed a new Justice Services and Support Department to consolidate secondary/tertiary violence-prevention and reentry programs; dozens of public commenters — including youth and nonprofit leaders — urged direct funding to community-based organizations and robust stakeholder co‑design.
Deputy County Executive Casey Hawking presented a proposal to create a Justice Services and Support Department (JSSD) designed to consolidate a range of non‑mandated county programs aimed at secondary and tertiary violence prevention, reentry and pretrial services.
Hawking said the department would “consolidate a series of small nonmandated violence prevention and interruption programs currently spread across the organization,” strengthen accountability and reduce duplication while preserving services that faced potential reductions. The proposal frames JSSD as a partner to Public Health’s primary‑prevention efforts, with the county’s Community Violence Prevention Strategic Plan shaping cross‑agency coordination.
The committee heard 11 in‑chambers public commenters on the item. Nearly all urged the county to ensure funding flows directly to community‑based organizations rather than remaining filtered through government agencies. Speakers described community organizations as trusted providers for youth and families and asked for formal stakeholder co‑design of the new department’s structure and priorities.
Daisy, a youth justice advocate, said community groups ‘‘should be trusted and funded directly’’ and urged that resources reach organizations already doing frontline prevention. Multiple speakers from South County described how local youth programs build trust with participants who would not engage if services were perceived as part of the legal system. Several nonprofit leaders and youth speakers asked the county to host a summit and create a formal stakeholder engagement plan so that impacted people and providers co‑design the department’s mission and program rules.
Administration told supervisors outreach has already begun and said staff would move forward with stakeholder engagement if the board approves the reorganization; officials described ongoing meetings with potential direct reports and with the planned violence‑prevention executive team. Supervisors emphasized the need for formal, accessible engagement across the county and signaled support for receiving the report and continuing work to design JSSD with community partners.
The committee voted to receive the presentation and indicated next steps will include broader community engagement and further details about governance and funding flows.
