HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07132010 - C.55RECOMMENDATION(S):
ADOPT Resolution 2010/385 supporting passage of the Youth Promise Act (HR 1064/S
435), to help Contra Costa County prevention and intervention efforts to reduce the increase
of juvenile delinquency, truancy, and youth street gang-related crime, as recommended by
Supervisor Glover.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Cost of letterheads, envelopes and stamps to the California's two U.S. Senators.
BACKGROUND:
The Youth PROMISE (Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention,
Support and Education) Act (H.R. 1064/S. 435) sponsored by Representatives Robert Scott,
D-VA, and Michael Castle, R-DE, as well as Senators Robert Casey, D-PA and Olympia
Snowe, R-ME, aims to address youth gang violence and crime by giving resources to create
sustainable efforts to monitor, prevent, and decrease youth delinquency throughout the
nation.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 07/13/2010 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
AYE:John Gioia, District I
Supervisor
Gayle B. Uilkema, District II
Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III
Supervisor
Susan A. Bonilla, District IV
Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V
Supervisor
Contact: Ed Diokno,
925-427-8138
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board
of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: July 13, 2010
David J. Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
C. 55
To:Board of Supervisors
From:Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
Date:July 13, 2010
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Resolution in Support of Youth Promise Act (HR 1064/S 435)
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
According to the Library of Congress, the Act “will establish a PROMISE Advisory
Panel to assist in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to
prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity; and (2) collecting data in
designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile
delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention.”
The establishment of a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices
and National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime and Delinquency Prevention
will aid in further research.
PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs) which will be composed of various local
community groups, such as faith-based organizations, the law enforcement communities,
and health service providers, will then implement PROMISE plans, or “evidence-based
and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and street gang” as evaluated by the
PROMISE Advisory Panel.
Lastly the Act will invest about $2.6 billion per year towards, while authorizing the
Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and director
of the National Institute of Justice to award grants to PCCs in their local efforts
specifically designed for each community throughout the nation. The establishment of a
Center for Youth-Oriented Policing will aid in enforcement.
Currently the legislation has bi-partisan support, but is still within review by various
committees since its introduction in February 2009. H.R. 1046 is currently within the
Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services. So
far, only the House Judiciary Committee will report on it, while the other committees
continue their review. S. 435 is currently in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
While Representatives George Miller (CA-7) and John Garamendi (CA-10) are currently
listed as co-sponsors of H.R. 1064, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of
California, are not listed as co-sponsors and have not publicly stated any support in favor
of the passage of its Senate bill counterpart, S. 435.
Establishing support by Contra Costa County as well as urging our Senators to
co-sponsor the legislation will further demonstrate the need and desire for the Youth
Promise Act's passage to bolster the efforts of the East (Contra Costa) County Gang Task
Force and other anti-gang efforts in Central and West County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Lack of enough support for such legislation can impede its passage, thus cutting off the
Lack of enough support for such legislation can impede its passage, thus cutting off the
possibility to a funding stream for current local-led preventive and intervention efforts to
address the growing problem of criminal street gang activity, youth delinquency, youth
violence and youth in the county's juvenile justice system as well as the state and nation.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
Passage of this Congressional Act will help target, prevent, and greatly minimize youth
delinquency, truancy and gang-related crime violence that impacts and diminishes the
quality of life within Contra Costa County.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution No. 2010/385
Youth Promise Act letter
Gang Summit articles
2010 Gang Summit
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Dear Senator (Feinstein/ Boxer):
Juvenile delinquency, youth gang crime, and overall youth crime is a serious issue among many
California residents. While usually associated with urban areas, these youth issues have in recent times
spread to outlying suburban communities with serious effects including endangered safety for individuals,
increased violence, and an overall diminished quality of life, youth crime can impede in our efforts to
ensuring a safer environments for the well-being of all citizens.
We need greater investments in prevention and intervention measures to truancy, juvenile delinquency
and gang-related crime so that these issues do not become as huge a problem in the bedroom
communities of Contra Costa County because research shows that dollars invested in prevention and
intervention, will save on the tremendous cost of suppression and internment.
Currently, there is a bill which will help create such greater investments. The Youth PROMISE (Prison
Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education) Act (S. 435) sponsored
Senators Robert Casey, D-PA and Olympia Snowe, R-ME, aims to address youth gang violence and
crime by giving resources to create sustainable efforts to monitor, prevent, and decrease youth
delinquency throughout the nation.
As a local government, we spend much time and money in tackling youth gang violence and juvenile
crime, incarceration of juveniles, as well as on local preventative efforts aimed at reducing juvenile
delinquency and recidivism in Contra Costa County. But lack of sufficient funding greatly decreases the
effectiveness in our local efforts. In contrast, with the Youth PROMISE Act, a $2.6 billion investment per
year to local efforts will greatly assist our local funding needs while keeping our efforts local so as to more
effectively target and confront the youth crime in our communities.
In addition H.R. 1046/ S. 435 or the Youth (PROMISE) Act will, according to www.thepeacealliance.org:
• Reduce crime, save money and provide our children with the resources and opportunities
they need to get on the right track and stay there
• Treat and dismantle gang psychology
• Provide PROMISE Coordinating Councils to assess and address the unmet needs of youth at
risk or involved in delinquency and criminal street gangs; and to implement an evidence-
based plan of prevention and intervention practices
• PROMISE Coordinating Councils will include local representatives from educational, health,
mental health, public housing, law enforcement, from faith-based and business communities,
from delinquency prevention and intervention organizations, and from parents and youth.
Ultimately, the Youth PROMISE Act will greatly help our County as well as the many other communities
throughout the nation which is impacted by youth crime and violence. Therefore, on behalf of Contra
Costa County, the Board of Supervisors strongly urge you to co-sponsor S. 435 and support its passage
in order to aid in our efforts to confront youth crimes and juvenile delinquency and ensuring a safer
community.
Sincereley,
Contra Costa Board of Supervisors
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Forum seeks ways to stop gangs;
Youth activities, programs urged
By Paula King/Staff writer
Contra Costa Times
PITTSBURG -- Antioch resident Sofia Garrett is
still mourning the loss of her 19-year-old son to
gang violence in San Francisco six months ago.
Although the grief is still fresh, Garrett attended
Saturday's inaugural East County Gang Summit
with a clear message to politicians and law
enforcement. East County needs more help for
troubled youths and their families, Garrett said.
"I'm from San Francisco, and this county doesn't
have a lot of resources," she said. "We need
more resources for these young people."
Organizers of the free, all-day summit at
Pittsburg's East County Boys and Girls Club said
the event was not just a community conversation
about the topic. With gang activity occurring in
East County suburbs, the summit was organized
to help stop the violence through a network of
programs and resources that will counteract that
lifestyle and culture.
The summit was a collaboration among County
Supervisor Federal Glover, the East County
Gang Task Force, the Boys and Girls Club and
the Workforce Development Board of Contra
Costa County. Glover did not attend due to an
illness.
At least 400 youths, parents, educators, youth
service providers, coaches, police officers,
recreation directors and civic leaders gathered to
combat the ongoing issue of gangs in growing
East County.
"We are really trying to change the kids' minds,"
said Bob Lanter, executive director of the
county's workforce development board. "Federal
(Glover) didn't just want to have a conversation.
He also wanted to take action."
Lanter said the board is developing youth
employment and training programs because a
lack of job opportunities and activities can lead
to the spread of gangs. The board will launch a
summer jobs program in 2008 that focuses on
work experience and resume skills.
"Before gangs become solidly entrenched in the
community, the time to act is now," Glover
stated in a news release.
One keynote speaker was Ed DeJesus, president
and founder of the Youth Development and
Research Fund. He urged the crowd to develop
youth opportunities and work experience, get
youths involved in policy decisions and ensure
that young workers are paid honest wages.
"If you don't make moves for these kids, things
won't change. We have got to meet the needs of
our customers," he said.
DeJesus said this in light of Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's recent release of several
million dollars to help fight the spread of gangs.
Another keynote speaker, Joseph Marshall,
compared gang violence to a disease.
"It is a mentality that young people get infected
with," said the founder of San Francisco's
Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers.
Marshall further praised East County residents
for being proactive and urged them to avoid
blame in trying to solve this issue.
The summit was also an opportunity for the
Pittsburg Police Department to introduce "Stray
Bullets," a new anti-gang program where local
students helped produce a video that
dramatically shows the impact of gangs on
families and communities.
"They are grateful to us for providing them a
voice to understand their social issues," Pittsburg
gang officer Donna Gianfala said. "Most kids
don't feel like they are listened to or heard."
Gianfala added that her department also offers a
gang awareness presentation for adults who want
to understand these issues. The smmit had
sessions geared specifically for adults, teens and
law enforcement
As the director of Know Gangs, East County
native Jared Lewis shared his expertise in a
session called the Evolution of Gangs.
On the local level, Brentwood Detective Marco
Estrada discussed how his department validated
the first Latino gangs in East County 17 years
ago. Estrada said East County started to see the
influence of African-American gangs from
Richmond and the East Bay in 2005.
Former gangster Q Hernandez said that East
County needs more community centers and
youth activities.
"A lot of kids get into gangs because they lack
stability," he said. "East County is growing, and
it lacks things for them to do. We need more
after-school programs that provide a cool place
for them to hang out and participate in activities
and sports."
Ex-cop, ex-gangster work against gangs
John VanLandingham
Published 09/29/2007 - 8:33 p.m.
Jared Lewis grew up to be a cop in Modesto, while
Vernon Williams blew a chance to play for the
Yankees and instead became a two-strike gangster. At
the East County Gang Summit they led seminars on
why and how youths join gangs.
When Williams was 19 he blew a promising baseball
career and college scholarship to join a gang. He
changed his life around in 2004 when he realized that
one more felony conviction would send him to prison
for life.
“I became ineligible to play college baseball anymore,
and I figured if I couldn’t get rich playing baseball I’d
do it selling drugs with a gang,” he said during his
seminar, “So You Wanna Be a Gangster.”
Now Williams conveys a message of positive thinking
to law enforcement, youth workers, parent groups and
others.
“You are what you think you are,” he said. “If you
believe you can succeed, you can. I’m living
testimony. Your setbacks set you up for a comeback;
and when people see your comeback, they forget your
setbacks.”
Williams believes it’s more important to help youths
deal with adversity and understand that there’s an
alternative to gang life than to focus on their IQ.
“I’m coming from the perspective from the other side
of the wall, where the grass doesn’t grow,” he said,
referring to his prison experience.
In an interview after his seminar, Williams said he
knows how kids think, what lures them into gangs and
how to talk to gang members.
“I tell them I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I’ve
walked where they are walking. I speak their language
and think their thoughts. I know how they feel. I use
that to get their attention, and then I tell them how
they can change.”
Lewis, now living in Wisconsin as director of Know
Gangs, Inc., grew up in East County, running with
kids in Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point. He later
worked for Modesto police.
Youths are lured into gangs by offers of money, drugs,
sex and prestige, he said in an interview after
Saturday’s summit.
“Gangs look for disenfranchised youths,” Lewis said.
“They will use anything to get a kid involved. Once he
or she is initiated and involved, suddenly they’re
trapped. Once a kid becomes part of one gang, other
rival gangs see him as a member and a rival. Even if
he tries to leave, he’s still seen as a member. He can’t
say ‘that’s not for me’ and walk away, because he’s a
target.”
Gang leaders in prison send recruiters into the streets
to get new members with CDs and videos glamorizing
the gang life, according to Lewis. One CD sold tens of
thousands of copies in Central and Northern
California.
While Lewis faults the entertainment media for
helping glamorize gang lifestyles, he acknowledges
that’s not the only reason kids, especially those with
broken families, turn to gangs.
“Many will say that the gang is a family,” he said.
“Also, they are looking for acceptance or love. When
you talk to the average gang member, you aren’t
dealing with someone who has a good understanding
of their own personality or own decisions.”
But if the gang promises to be your family and be at
your back, it quickly forgets you when you’re in jail,
as Pittsburg gang officer Donna Gianfala depicted in
her video “Stray Bullets.”
In the video, a preteen is sitting in juvenile hall after
have fatally shot someone. He calls his gang buddies,
telling them he shot the people like the gang directed.
But the line quickly goes dead at the other end and
none of his gang buddies come to court or jail for him.
Expert: Gang epidemic coming to East County
John VanLandingham
At Saturday’s East County Gang Summit, Dr. Joseph
E. Marshall, educator and founder of several anti-gang
programs, warned that East County will have its hands
full fighting a burgeoning influx of gang activity.
“This is probably the right time to gather on this. You
want to do as much as you can to stop (youth gangs)
before it gets worse,” said Marshall. “Once it gets
started, it’s very, very difficult to do something about
it. Get concerned about the epidemic that’s coming
toward you.”
Marshall, who was the keynote speaker at the summit
held in Pittsburg, opened with a plea for youth
workers, parents and policy makers not to point
fingers. “Try to avoid a couple of words: blame and
fault. If you do, you will have a much more productive
day with youths.”
Marshall described how people in Los Angeles tried to
avoid the rising gang culture by moving out of the
city, only to learn they were carrying the problem with
them. Gangs and their activities are symptoms of a
disease that must be confronted, prevented, treated and
its victims rehabilitated, he said.
“Just as you would learn about heart disease or cancer
or TB, learn about gangs,” he said.
Recalling his youth, Marshall said gangs often will
reach out to other youths in the guise of friendship.
“They looked like friends, fun, respect; you get a lot of
girls; what they said sounded like good advice,” he
said. “They were older and seemed to be the wise
members of the neighborhood. I quickly found out
what gangs were all about. Social events were not the
agenda, but making war with other youths and gangs
was.”
proclaimed, “Gangs kill. That’s what they do.”
No statistics on the area’s gang problem were
East County’s young people.
Seminars were held dealing with job skills,
educational and vocational training, the evolution of
gangs, state strategies for combating gangs, warning
signs of gangs and the contrast between the ugliness of
actual gang life and its glamorous portrayal by the
media.
Nearly 500 participated in the summit, according to
Ed Diokno, an aide to County Supervisor Federal
Glover, who organized the event but was hospitalized
and unable to attend. Attendees included elected
officials, police and probation officers, civic group
leaders, educators, foster parents, a few former gang
members and residents.
Speakers included Judge Lois Haight of the Contra
Costa juvenile court; former police officer and
Director of Know Gangs Jared Lewis; former gang
member Vernon Williams, and Johnny Rodriguez,
director of Brentwood-based One Day At A Time.
Stop spread of gangs
Contra Costa Times Launched:10/02/2007 03:01:32 AM
PREVENTION IS MORE efficient and
effective with many social problems
than trying to cure them once they have
taken root. That is the philosophy behind
The East County Gang Summit's efforts
to keep gang violence from plaguing
neighborhoods in area cities.
The summit was put together by Contra
Costa County Supervisor Federal
Glover, the East County Gang Task
Force, the Boys and Girls clubs and the
Workforce Development Board of
Contra Costa County.
More than 400 young people, parents,
educators, youth service providers,
coaches, police officers, recreation
directors and community leaders
attended the summit in Pittsburg on
Sept. 22.
These are the many different groups of
residents who can lead in the fight
against gangs, and the crime and
violence they often cause.
Those who attended the summit
understand that meetings alone are not
going to prevent gangs from taking hold
of the minds of East Bay young people.
What is needed is a multifaceted,
countywide approach to keeping youths
from viewing gangs as the best way to
become socially accepted.
If young people have attractive
alternatives, they are far less likely to
join gangs. Decent summer and
permanent jobs, youth sports and other
activities, and teen centers are needed in
Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood and other
parts of the county.
Ed DeJesus, president and founder of the
Youth Development and Research Fund,
told the summit that youths should be
involved in policy decisions as well.
To make any real progress, more
resources will be needed to establish
youth programs. Fortunately, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently
released several million dollars to help
fight the spread of gangs.
Contra Costa needs to get its share of
those funds to provide more after-school
programs, particularly community
centers and youth activities. That's the
advice of former gang member Q
Hernandez. He's right.
Now the challenge for local political
leaders is to obtain financial resources
and for community activists, including
young people, to design youth programs
and job opportunities for teens. The
alternative is a growing gang culture
similar to what already has infested
cities such as Richmond and Oakland.
Supervisor Federal Glover’s 2010 Gang Summit
Antioch’s
Deer Valley High School
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., October 9, 2010
¾ What are the signs your child is a member of a gang?
¾ How do youngsters avoid getting involved in gangs?
¾ What programs can help you stay away from gangs?
¾ What are alternatives to the fast life?
Where There isRespect and Where
There are Choices,There is Hope
Co-sponsored by the Antioch Unified School District
Supervisor Federal Glover’s
Deer Valley High School, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 9