County officials have deemed unnecessary a grand jury report
that urges changes to programs at the William F. James Boys Ranch
in Morgan Hill, saying that its recommendations are either already
in place or untenable.
County officials have deemed unnecessary a grand jury report that urges changes to programs at the William F. James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill, saying that its recommendations are either already in place or untenable.
“Everything in the report we’ve already dealt with, we can’t deal with, or we’re dealing with,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage said Tuesday. “So, it’s fine.”
In May, in response to complaints from neighbors of the Malaguerra Avenue ranch who were upset about a rash of runaways from the unsecured facility, the civil grand jury released a report urging the county to install additional security measures and add staff to improve oversight of ranch wards. The report also criticizes what it called inadequate funding to implement alternative treatment programs and said terms of ranch wards should be extended from four to eight months.
The report’s findings and recommendations were, however, already under consideration. For instance, the GPS surveillance system suggested in the report had already been approved by county supervisors and then ultimately rejected when it failed in trials. A fence around ranch buildings and recreation areas should be in place by October.
“The biggest thing they wanted was a fence and that’s going up,” Gage said.
The county disagreed with a finding that it needs to spend more money on ranch programs, and said it will rely on the opinions of juvenile justice experts in judiciary and law enforcement roles to determine suitable terms on a ward by ward basis.
Chief Probation Officer Sheila Mitchell said Tuesday she will present in September a plan to reinvigorate ranch programs and improve its rehabilitation record.
Subjects of civil grand jury reports are not required to adopt recommendations, but they must present formal responses.
The county’s official response lists increased staffing and extra sheriff’s patrols as evidence that it is addressing community concerns.
Supervisors said also Tuesday that they agree with a grand jury report decrying the high cost of participating in school board elections, but that they have no jurisdiction to make the kind of changes that could significantly lower the fees candidates must pay to the county registrar.
The county’s response to that report will urge the grand jury to take their concerns to individual school districts.
Matt King covers Santa Clara County for The Times. He can be reached at 847-7240 or mk***@gi************.com.
