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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08161988 - I.O.11 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on August 16, 1988 , by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Powers, Fanden, McPeak, Torlakson, Schroder NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUBJECT: Summit Conference on the "War on Drugs" The Board received the attached report dated August 15 , 1988 from the Internal Operations Committee. (Supervisors McPeak and.. Torlakson) recommending certain actions to be taken relative to convening a County Summit Conference on Drugs. Supervisor Tom Powers commented on the various corridors in the County by which drugs are transported into the County, and noted that a regional conference should also include Alameda and Solano Counties. Supervisor Powers advised that the Sheriff and District Attorney are already working with the other counties and with city representatives to resolve the drug problems in the area. He recommended that the issue of the War on Drugs be referred to the Sheriff and District Attorney for their recommendations. Supervisor Tom Torlakson advised that the Health Services Department representatives had volunteered their assistance in the attack on the substance abuse problem in the County. Supervisor Nancy Fanden referred to the Grand Jury recommendations relative to educational programs in the County detention and juvenile. facilities. She recommended that the issue also be referred to the Grand Jury. Board members being in agreement, IT IS ORDERED that the following actions. are APPROVED: 1. AUTHORIZED the Health Services Director to plan a "Drug Summit I" for January 1989, per Recommendation No. 1 in the attached report; and 2. REFERRED the issue of the "War on Drugs" to the Sheriff, District. Attorney, Health Services Director and. Grand Jury for a report back to the Board on a program to resolve the substance abuse problems in the County. cc: Sheriff District Attorney Health Services Director. Ihereby certify that this isatrue and correct copy of Grand Jury an action taken and entered on the s? ina.::es of the Social Services Director Board of Supervisors on the date shown. Probation Officer ATTESTED: i& /98 Mental Health Director PHIL BATC i.AR, Clerk of the Board Mike Gilbert, Dept. of Justice of Supervisors and County Administrator HSAC United Way By �_�, Deputy Drug Abuse Board Alcoholism Advisory Board • I.0.11 To.: -. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FRCM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Contra Ilra DATE: AUGUST 15, 1988 SUBJECT: CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUMMIT CONFERENCE ON THE "WAR ON DRUGS" SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: 1. Authorize the Health Services Director, through his Drug Program Chief, to plan a "Drug Summit I" for January, 1989 to convene a broad cross-section of professionals in the field of drug and alcohol abuse, parents, teen-agers, school officials, policy-makers from the County and cities, law enforcement officials, churches, volunteers ( including the Drug Abuse Board and Alcoholism Advisory Board) , the. United Way and the media to provide a historical perspective on the problems of substance abuse in our society and to identify programs which are currently successful in dealing with the problem in terms of prevention, education, treatment, rehabilitation and law enforcement as they are currently operating in this County. This Summit Conference I should also prepare a draft agenda for future action which is needed to intensify our attack on both the supply and demand sides of the substance abuse equation. 2. Follow the Summit Conference I with a series of regional conferences in each Supervisorial District, sponsored by the Supervisor from that District, which can address the draft agenda for future actions from the unique perspectives of that area of the County and refine the definition of the problem, description of "what works" and prepare a draft final agenda on necessary future actions. 3 . Authorize the Health Services Director to plan a Summit Conference II for "Red Ribbon Week" in October, 1989 to receive reports from each of the Regional Conferences and refine and reach concensus on the future agenda for action by the citizens of Contra Costa County to attack the substance abuse problem in this County. 4. Plan to advertise Summit Conference I during "Red Ribbon Week" ' in October, 1988. 5. Request the Health Services Director and other concerned departments, agencies and citizens to meet with our Committee again in October, 1988 to confirm plans for Summit Conference I. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE _ APPROVE KHE R SIGNATURE(S): Si,nnP W_ McPeak Tom Torlakson CTION OF BOARD ON August 16, 1988 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: UPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: See Page Two) ATTESTED PHIL BAT OR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY ,DEPUTY M382/7-83 BACKGROUND: On June 21, 1988 the Board of Supervisors referred to our Committee the responsibility of planning and organizing a countywide, multi-agency and interjurisdictional Summit Conference on Contra Costa' s "War on Drugs" . On August 15, 1988 our Committee met with a broad spectrum of officials{ advisory board members and concerned citizens who are interested in addressing the problem of rampant substance abuse in this County. Among those present were Sheriff Richard Rainey; District Attorney Gary Yancey, Probation Officer Jerry Buck, Social Services Director Jim Rydingsword, Mental Health Director Stu. McCullough, Drug Program Chief Chuck Deutschman, representatives from the Human Services Advisory Commission, Drug Abuse Board, United Way and State Department of Justice. Following a mutual sharing of the extent of the problem and an agreement that there are not enough resources presently '!deployed to adequately address the problem as well as a recognition that there are many unfamiliar resources available and a lack of coordination, all those present agreed that coordination of all sectors of the community to identify existing resources and determine which were ;;most effective was important. The entire group present agreed on the above recommendations. Among the other relevant comments were the fact that more community awareness is essential, the community must be aroused to become angry at what is happening in our community, law enforcement can not solve the substance abuse problem and many agencies 'are not adequately aware of the resources which currently exist. We believe that a message must be sent to the general public that policy-makers are taking a stand to win the. War on Drugs and that to do so we need the cooperation of all segments of the Contra Costa community. One excellent suggestion made by Mike Gilbert from the State Department of Justice, who is in charge of the Central Contra Costa narcotics enforcement team, is that the County ask the cooperation of the Department of Justice in making Contra Costa County a model community where the state can study in a scientifically valid manner what works and what doesn' t work. We commend this suggestion to the Health Services Director and encourage Mr. Gilbert to join in the planning for each element of an War on Drugs. Among other suggestions were the use of Cable TV and the rest of the media to help educate the community to the need to join the War on Drugs. Our Committee had an excellent first meeting on this subject and enthusiastically endorse the above recommendations for action by the entire Board. With the support of each member of the Board in convening the regional workshops in their area of the County we believe we will have taken a strong first step in bringing together all the existing resources to attack this problem which among other things threatens to swamp our entire law enforcement system.