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A-10 Appeal-Democrat (Marysville-Yuba City, CA.) Thursday, July 6, 1989 Jury. Cont. from Front Page prove efficiency through internal controls. The jury made no reference whatsoever to the department in its final report. Jury Foreman George Morgan could not be reached this morning, but he said earlier the jury likely would not have enough time to fully investigate the office before final report deadlines. He said at the time the issue probably would be forwarded to the 1989-90 Grand Jury, which was scheduled to be impaneled at 4 p.m. today. The Grand Jury made refer ences throughout the report to the Health Department building sale, most of them repeating criticisms made in an interim report re leased in January. That report was critical of the entire process of the sale, saying the county may have sold the Del Norte Avenue building to Fremont at below market value and may have precluded others from bid ding on the structure. It said re modeling costs, including an estimated $150,000 to $300,000 for asbestos cleanup, would exceed the $800,000 sale price. In a formal response to the Grand Jury written by County Ad ministrator Larry Combs and ap proved last month by the Board of Supervisors, the county claimed the interim report contained “some misconceptions and even inaccurate information.’’ It termed the Grand Jury’s recom mendation that the board should try to rescind the sale, ‘‘not feasi ble.” The final report repeats the rec ommendation that the county should attempt to rescind the sale. And it accuses the board of respon ding to its interim findings “‘long after the time required by Califor nia statute.” “Apparently, this late response was an attempt to preclude any further discussion about the sale of the Health Building,” jury Fore man Pro Tempore Lora Inglerock said in an introductory letter con tained in the report. “The investigation into the sale of the Health Building raised many questions, some of which could not be answered without le gal consultation,” the letter said. “However, the jury was effecti vely blocked from receiving the advice from those who are charged with providing it, and from private lawyers.” The letter said the jury was told that advice could not be given be cause of “conflicts of interest, in sufficient staffing, inadequate familiarity with certain aspects of the law, insufficient evidence of a crime and non-availability of county revenues.” The jury also claimed the sale worked against the county’s abil ity to solve office space problems in eight departments that are ‘‘oc cupying quarters which are inade quate, unsafe and undersized.”’ And it maintained that employee morale is affected by a lack of space in many of those offices. “The sale effectively foiled pro gress on the implementation of the Space Use Plan,’’ it said. ‘‘Be cause of the sale, costly and unan ticipated modifications to the county building on Live Oak Boule vard are required, diverting scarce resources which were ear marked for other purposes. The sale of the Health Building has limited the county’s ability to ad dress the space needs of county of fices and employees.”’ In another matter, the Grand Jury expressed concern over the safety of the Sutter County Sheriff Department’s rifle range adjacent to Whiteaker Hall near the county airport. The jury noted that a stray bul let from the range struck a Sutter County Jail trusty at the site in 1986 and another hit a horse at the nearby Posse Arena last year. “‘One survey revealed 22 slugs in the Sutter County Posse Arena,” the report said. The report recommended that an expert in rifle range safety be hired and that modifications be made to the range so that it is ‘“ab solutely free of escape bullets.” It noted that rifle range personnel and ‘‘certain’”’ county officials “acknowledge the need for more effective bullet-stopping bar riers.” This year’s Grand Jury was kinder to Sutter-Yuba Mental Health Services than past juries. Administrators at the bi-county agency were blamed by the 1986-87 Grand Jury for alleged irregulari ties in the department. Those ir regularities included charges of poor clinical practices and pa tients’ rights violations. Last year’s jury blasted the county Board of Supervisors for failing to address morale prob lems in Sutter-Yuba Mental Health Services. The 1988-89 jury noted, ‘There remains some concern about em ployees’ morale.’”’ But it also said that, ‘From observation and di rect interviews the committee is impressed that staff members have both a high degree of caring and dedication towards the pa tients they serve.” Other recommendations made by the Grand Jury included: Intensifying the development of an AIDS curriculum in the Yuba City Unified School District. The jury did not recommend a focus for that curriculum. Increasing the number of counselors, providing cleaner res trooms and the solution of over crowding problems at Gray Avenue School. Promoting the establishment of benefit assessment districts to help county fire departments. Such districts already have been set up to help the Live Oak and Os wald-Tudor departments. Investigating the possibility of sentencing those convicted of mis demeanors under an electronic home surveillance system used in some areas. The jury said that would help alleviate jail over crowding and decrease workload in other related departments. Proceed quickly with a pro posed 50-bed Sutter County Jail ex pansion to alleviate overcrowding at the facility.
Newspaper Details
Marysville Yuba Sutter Appeal Democrat
Marysville, California, US
Thu, Jul 06, 1989
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Jennifer R.
USA 22 May 2026
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