Approvejy Accsptad Adopted Denied Presented

County of Santa Clara

BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

OF THE'doUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
!Phyllis'A. Psrez, Clork of the Board

Office of the Board of Supervisors

I

By
County Government Center, East Wing
70 west Hedding Street, lOth Floor

!K'

Date: f'EB I .

■m

San Jose, California 95110
(408) 299-2323
FAX 298-8460 TDD 993-8272

James T. Beail, Jr.

Supervisor, Fourth District

January 20,1998

TO:

Santa Clara County Board of Sup^yvisoi^

FROM:

Supervisor James T. Beall, Jr,

Co-Chair, Violence PreventiopC!ounciI
Supervisor Pete McHugh

Chair, Public Safety & Justice Committee
SUBJECT:

Approval of Items Relating to the Violence Prevention Council of Santa
Clara County

Recommended Action

It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors take the following actions:

1. Accept the November 6,1997, Report from the Santa Clara County Violence Prevention
Council entitled, " Violence Prevention in Santa Clara County - Current Efforts, Statistics
and Future Opportunities".

2. Request that the County Executive convene an interdepartment task force under the auspices
of the Public Safety and Justice Committee involving all Law & Justice, Health and Human
Service and other appropriate departments:

a) to explore the development of a system for the ongoing collection, sharing and analysis
of data and information relative to violence assessment; and

b) to develop collaborative approaches in addressing issues related to preventing and
reducing violence in the County; and

c) to report progress and planning efforts back to the Public Safety and Justice Committee
on March 19, 1998.

3. Instruct the Public Health Department to provide staffing to the above mentioned

interdepartmental task force and to serve as the repository of the violence-related data system
with the responsibility to develop and produce progress reports to the Board of Supervisors,
County Departments and community at large.

FEB0 3

flOffiiiSI

■

-4hH 27
0

4. Authorize the newly created Violence Prevention Council of Santa Clara County to convene,
a series ofcommunity forums and focus groups in 1998 to aid in the development of a
"County Multi-Year Community Strategic Action Plan" to prevent and reduce violence
throughout the County.

5. Instruct the Violence Prevention Council to involve yovmg people, community and

neighborhood groups and individuals, health and human service agencies, religious, business
and civic representatives, and elected and appointed officials from throughout the counly in
the planning process for preparation ofthe "County Multi-Year Community Strategic Action
Plan".

6. Designate the Public Health Department, Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System, with
administrative responsibility to support the activities ofthe Violence Prevention Coimcil,to
bring the Council's action plan to the Board of Supervisors in August, 1998, with a proposed
process for the implementation ofthe action plan which includes recommendations for an
aggressive funding plan to support action plan recommendations.
Fiscal Impact

No additional County General funds are required by these actions. The Public Heailth

Department will secure funding for the community forums and focus groups and will continue to
provide administrative support to the Violence Prevention Council.
Background and Reasons for Recommendations

In January, 1997, as incoming Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Jim Beall requested that the
Public Health Department coordinate and develop a comprehensive county-wide action plan for
violence prevention by working with all other entities addressing this issue. In May, 1997,the
Violence Prevention Council of Santa Clara County was established to increase awareness about

the impact violence has in our community and to create a community approach to prevent and
reduce violence through collaborative coimty-wide action. During the County's budget hearings
in June, 1997, recognizing the need to make violence prevention a community priority, the Santa
Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to fund and institutionalize violence prevention as a

program in the Public Health Department and provided $247,000 to staffthe Violence Prevention
Council, its committees, and overall community planning process.
The Violence Prevention Council of Santa Clara County believes violence is preventable and

envisions a society that fosters the development of healthy communities, healthy families and
healthy and responsible youth. "The mission ofthe Violence Prevention Council ofSanta Clara
County is to prevent violence,and its related injury, psychological trauma, death, disability and
crime through the implementation ofmultiple levels ofprevention and intervention; and through
collaborative county wide action in order to create a safer, healthier and more economically
viable community."

The Violence Prevention Council is composed ofleaders from health and human services, law

enforcement, school districts, community agencies, cities, and business. Supervisor Jim Beall
and Guadalupe S. Olivas, Ph. D., Director ofPublic Health are serving as Co-Chaifs ofthe
Violence Prevention Council,(VPC)which provides oversight for the overall community

planning and mobilization process and the work ofthe Council Committees.

Currently, there are four Coimnittees addressing key areas of work with members ofthe Violence
Prevention Council serving as Chairs:

Community Assessment/Data

Guadalupe S. Olivas,Ph.D.
Director, Public Health Department
Nancy Pena,Ph.D.

Deputy Director, Mental Health

Policy

Jose Villarreai, Public Defender
Bob Gamer

Director, Alcohol and Dmg Services
Public Awareness & Education

Pete Kutras, Deputy County Executive
Tom Singj Assistant Sheriff

Community-Based initiatives

Rev. Vaughn Beckman,Director, Coimcil of Churches
Ernest Guzman, Chair, SSA Commission
member, Human Relations Commission.

On November 6th, the VPC held its first conference,"Safe Homes, Safe Schools, Safe

Neighborhoods" and released its first report,"Violence Prevention in Santa Clara Cormty Current Efforts, Statistics, and Future Opportunities". The conference was designed to bririg
together a broad array ofstakeholders interested in developing a violence prevention action plan
and was attended by over 250 individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
Conference attendees actively participated in the initial formulation ofrecommendiations to
reduce and prevent violence in the county community and provided direction for the four
committees as they work to develop action plans. In 1998,the whole commumty will be invited

to participate in the violence preventiori action planning process through a series Ofregional
forums and focus groups.

Following the November 6th Conference, the Policy Committee met and recommended that the
Board of Supervisors be asked to formally adopt the mission and goals ofthe Violence
Prevention Council and to give formal support to the Council's action plarming prdcess. In
addition, the Policy Committee recommended that the Board formally request that county

agencies and other interested jurisdictions Work together to identify opportunities to collaborate
on violence prevention data collection and analysis and overall violence preventiori efforts.
Public Health staff drafted the Policy Committee recormnendations for review by the Violence
Prevention Council. At the December 15th meeting ofthe Violence Prevention Council,the

Covmcil discussed, modified and approved the recommendations from the Policy Committee and
asked Supervisor Beall to bring the proposed recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in
January, 1998,for their approval.
Steps Following Approval

The Clerk ofthe Board will forward two(2)executed copies to the Public Health Department.

I

I MMM s: lOKM '

^KUM KH AUMIINI^S I KA I lUlM Akao OOOA^AO

January 20,1998

TO:

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Supervisor James T. Beall,Jr.
Chair,Health & Hospital System Joint Conference Committee
Co-Chair, Violence Prevention Council

Supervisor Pete M^ugh
Chair,Public Safety & Justice Committee

SUBJECT: Approval ofItems Relating to the Violence Prevention Council of Santa
Clara County

Recommended Action

It is recommended that the Board ofSupervisors take the following actions;

1. Accept the November 6, 1997,Report from the Santa Clara County Violence Prevention
Council entitled,"Violence Prevention in Santa Clara County - Current Efforts, Statistics and
Future Opportunities".

2. Request that the County Executive convene an interdepartment task force underthe auspices
ofthe Public Safety and Justice Committee(PSJC)involving all Law & Justice, Hedth and
Human Service and other appropriate departments:

a.) to explore the developmpnt.©f»^:^BnifoLtl|e ongoing coUection, sharing and analysis of
data and information relativ^o violen(^ assessment^^nd

b.) to develop collaborative approaches in addrBssmg issues related to preventing Md redua^
^„-A;ielenee in the CountyLaad—

) to report progFess and planning efforts back to the PubUc Safety and Justice Committee on
March 19, 1998.

3. Instruct the Public Health Department to provide staffing to the above mentioned

interdepartmental task force and to serve as the repository ofthe violence-related data system
with the responsibility to develop and produce progress reports to the Board of Supervisors,
County Departments and community at large.

4^ Authorize the newly created Violence Prevention Council ofSanta Clara County to convene a
series ofcommunity forums and focus groups in 1998 to aid in the development ofa "County
Multi-Year Community Strategic Action Plan" to prevent and reduce violence throughout the
County.

5. Instruct the Violence Prevention Council to

neighborhood groups and individuals, health an

Post-it* Fax Note
To

WlMZs

Co,AJepL
Phone#

Oi

:n

7\

7671

Li

Date
Rom

771

Co.
Phone#

/

S
i-AM- 9 J

-]-20-,1998 biiaHM

1-KUM KM AUMlNib I KA I iUlM Aiao OOSaAzltttS

civic representatives, and elected and appointed ofQcials from throughout the county in the
planning process for preparation ofthe"County Multi-Year Community Strategic Action Plan".

6. Designate the Public Health Department, Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System, with
administrative responsibility to support the activities ofthe Violence Prevention Council, to bring
the CounciPs action plan to the Board of Supervisors in August, 1998, with a proposed process
for the implementation ofthe action plan which includes recommendations for an aggressive
funding plan to support action plan recommendations.
Fiscal Impact

No additional County General funds are required by these actions. The Public Health Department

will secure funding for the community fomms and focus ^oups and will continue tO;provide

administrative support to the Violence Prevention Council.
Background and Reasons for Recommendations

In January, 1997, as incoming Chair ofthe Board ofSupervisors, Jim Beall requested that the
Public Health Department coordinate and develop a comprehensive county-wide action pl^ for
violence prevention by working with all other entities addressing this issue. In May, 1997, the
Violence Prevention Council ofSanta Clara County was established to increase awareness about

the impact violence has in our community and to create a comiriunity approach to prevent and
reduce violence through collaborative county-wide action. During the County's budget hewings
in June, 1997, recognizing the need to make violence prevention a community pnonty, the Santa
Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to fund and institutionalize violence prevention as a
program in the Public Health Department and provided $247,000 to staffthe Violence Prevention
Council, its committees, and overall community planning process.

The Violence Prevention Council ofSanta Clara County beUeves violence is prevent^le and
envisions a society that fosters the development ofhealthy communities, healthy forces and
healthy and responsible youth. "The mission ofthe Violence Prevention Council Santa Clara
County is to prevent violence and Us related injury,psycholo^cal trauma, death, disabihly and
crime through the implementation ofmultiple levels ofprevention and intervenUorii and through
collaborative countywide action in order to create a safer, healthier and more economically
viable community."

The Violence Prevention Council is composed ofleaders from hedth and human services, law

enforcement, school districts, community agencies, cities, and business. Supervisor Tim Beall and

Guadalupe S. Olivas,Ph. D., Director ofPublic Health are serving as Co-Chairs ofthe Violence

Prevention Council,(VPC)which provides oversight for the overall community planning and
mobilization process and the work ofthe Council Subcomnuttees.

t—

—,1 yyo S: 1

rKUM hTI MLJn 1IM i O T

I lUIN U-liJO 003U.^<iJ-0

Currently, there are four Coinmittees addressing key areas of work with members ofthe Violence
.Prevention Council serving as Chairs:

Community Assessment/Data

Guadalupe S. Olivas,Ph.D.

Director, Public Health Department
Nancy Pena,Ph.D.

Deputy Director, Mental Health

Policy

Jose Villarreal, Public Defender
Bob Gamer

Director, Alcohol and Drug Services

Public Awareness & Education

Pete Kutras,Deputy County Ex^utive

Community-Based Initiatives

Rev. Vaughn Beckman,Director, Council ofChurches

Tom Sing, Assistant Sherrif

Emest Guzman, Chair, SSA Commission

member. Human Relations Commission

On November 6th, the VPC held its first conference,"Safe Honies, Safe Schools, S^fe
Neighborhoods" and released its first report,"Violence Prevention in Santa Clara County Current Efforts, Statistics, and Future Opportunities". The conference was designed

together a broad array ofstakeholders interested in developing a violence preventioi^ action plan
and was attended by over 250 individuals from a wide variety ofbackgrounds and disciplines.
Conference attendees actively participated in the initial formulation ofTecommendations to reduce
and prevent violence in the county community and provided direction for the foUr commrttees as
they work to develop action plans. In 1998, the whole community will be invited toip^icipate in
the violence prevention action planning process through a series ofregional forums and focus
groups.

Following the November 6th Conference, the Policy Committee met and recommended that the
Board ofSupervisors be asked to formally adopt the mission and goals ofthe Violence Prevention
Council and to give formal support to the Council's action planning process. In addition, the
PoUcy Committee recommended that the Board formally request that county agencies and other
interested jurisdictions work together to identity opportunities to collaborate onj^^o^e
prevention data collection and analysis and over^ violence prevention efforts. Public Health staff
drafted the Policy Committee recommendations for review by the Violence Prevention Counci.
At the December 15th meeting ofthe Violence Prevention Council, the Council discussed,

modified and approved the recommendations from the Policy Committee and asked Supe^isor

Beall to bring the proposed recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in January,

, or

their approval.

Steps Following Action

tt i.i. t-w

^ ^♦

The Clerk ofthe Board will forward two(2)executed copies to the Public Health Department,

i-20-1998 5:20PM

FROM PH AUMlNi^a I KAI lUN AidU tsatjAidaa

with one copy being forwarded to the Violence Prevention Council.

K. a