To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Melissa MacDonald, 565-3922
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Letter Agreement
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Sheriff to execute the 2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program Letter of Agreement and any Amendments that do not substantially alter the scope of the Agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration, in the amount of $20,000, to support efforts related to eradicating illegal cannabis activity in Sonoma County.
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Executive Summary:
Upon execution of the Letter of Agreement, the Sheriff’s Office will receive up to $20,000 for illegal cannabis suppression and eradication activities during the period of October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program. The grant will offset expenditures associated with deputy overtime, supplies, and equipment. The Sheriff’s Office will recognize the revenue on a monthly basis.
Discussion:
The Sheriff’s Office received the 2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program Letter of Agreement from the Drug Enforcement Administration on January 1, 2022. The Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $20,000 grant and intends to expend all funds over the 12-month grant period of October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, with peak illegal cannabis eradication season typically occurring during the months of August through October. The funding is awarded based on operational need and Sheriff’s Office historic DCESP specific activity.
The 2022 award of $20,000 is reduced from the 2021 award, but aligns with a decrease in Sheriff’s Office DCESP caseload from historical grant years. The Federal government continues to consider cannabis to be a controlled substance, although there is growing public acceptance of cannabis use, as reflected in the passage of California’s Proposition 64, which legalized recreational cannabis use. At this time, it is unknown whether the Sheriff’s Office will continue to receive funding from the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program in future years and if so, at what level.
Since 1995, The Sheriff’s Office has received grants from the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program to support the Sheriff’s illegal cannabis suppression efforts. Grant funds are administered by the Drug Enforcement Administration and are specifically designated to cover illegal cannabis eradication efforts.
In 2017, the Sheriff’s Office’s Narcotics Unit was eliminated as a result of funding constraints and budget reductions. Lack of assigned narcotics personnel requires overtime from detectives in other investigative units to handle narcotics cases that arise. Various laws have been implemented which allow for the use of cannabis recreationally under specific circumstances to include retail sales. Laws have also reduced the sale, transportation, and cultivation of cannabis to low-level misdemeanors and infractions. Sheriff’s staff estimates this leaves the industry ripe for illegal market and out-of-state diversion. The Sheriff’s Office anticipates that illegal cannabis cultivators, sellers, and butane honey oil manufacturers will continue to take advantage of reduced proactive enforcement activities to benefit financially. It is reasonable to assume that more legal commercial operations may result in higher incidents of theft, robbery, and other violent crime associated with legal operators as the victims. Funding provided by the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program provides additional resources to support illegal cannabis-related investigations.
$20,000 is available to the Sheriff’s Office for expenditures incurred during the period of October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022. The grant will offset expenditures associated with deputy overtime, supplies, and equipment, which have historically been approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
The Board has approved agreements for the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program for the past twenty fiscal years (FY 96-97 through FY 20-21), most recently in 2021.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$40,000 |
$20,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$40,000 |
$20,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$40,000 |
$20,000 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$40,000 |
$20,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
No matching funds are required for Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program participation. Revenues and expenditures for the 2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program funding are included in the Sheriff’s Office FY 22-23 recommended budget.
The revenue and expenses above represent a combination of funds from two grant years. Grant funds are awarded on a Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) calendar, which runs from October through September, so one County fiscal year encompasses two partial grant years. The DCESP awards had not been announced when the FY 21-22 budget was adopted. The Sheriff’s Office had requested $40,000 in grant funds for FFY 2022 (Oct 2021-Sept 2022), and included $40,000 in revenue for FY 21-22. Though only $20,000 was awarded for the grant year, funds from the FFY 2021 DCESP award were also spent during County FY 21-22 Q1. The projected revenue and expenses for County FY 22-23 are based on the $20,000 2022 DCESP award, and assume a similar award of $20,000 in FFY 2023.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts associated with this Agreement.
Attachments:
2022 Domestic Cannabis Eradication Suppression Program Letter of Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
2022 Supporting Documents for Letter of Agreement