To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Andrew McLaughlin, 707-565-3776
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
FY24-25 Agreement with the Secure Families Collaborative
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the County Administrator to execute an agreement with and $300,000 payment to the Secure Families Collaborative for fiscal year 2024-25.
end
Executive Summary:
Consistent with California Code, Government Code - GOV § 26227 during the budget development process for fiscal year 2024-25, the Board approved Board Budget Request BOS-16, submitted jointly by Supervisors Coursey and Hopkins, which consists of a payment of $300,000 to the Secure Families Collaborative to support the Collaborative’s legal representation of undocumented people in Sonoma County.
CG 26227 allows for the county to appropriate and expend money from the general fund or to fund programs deemed by the Board of Supervisors to be necessary to meet the social needs of the population.
This item authorizes the County Administrator and/or designated staff to execute the agreement between the County and the Collaborative, and operationalizes the payment approved during budget. This action brings the total funding provided by the Board to the Collaborative since 2017-18 to approximately $1.2 million.
Discussion:
In 2018, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors established the Sonoma County Secure Families Collaborative (the Collaborative, website: https://sonomacountysecurefamilies.org/) to meet the needs of the community due to changes in federal immigration policy and the North Bay wildfires. The Collaborative has been a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since 2021. The Collaborative’s partners include nonprofit and community-based organizations such as the University of San Francisco Deportation Defense Clinic in Healdsburg, the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Sonoma Immigrant Services, North Bay Organizing Project, Queer Asylum Accompaniment (QAA) Team, and Legal Aid of Sonoma County.
The Collaborative and its partners provide legal assistance with removal defense cases, with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), conduct referrals to wraparound social services, and assist asylum seekers with essential needs such as housing, food, and other services. The Collaborative’s client base and legal work are distinct from County departments like the Public Defender’s Office (PDO) in that the Collaborative represents clients with cases involving the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and affirmative applications for immigration benefits with the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR). The Collaborative does not represent clients with a criminal conviction. In contrast, the Public Defender’s Office represents justice-involved individuals charged with a criminal offense and handles defensive applications that seek to prevent deportation.
The Board has provided financial support in varying amounts and from varying sources to the Collaborative over the past seven years. In 2017, the Board approved a $100,000 donation per year for 3 years to the Collaborative using Graton Tribal Mitigation Funds. In 2020-21, the Board provided a payment of $100,000 to the Collaborative using non-guaranteed Graton Tribal Mitigation Funds. Beginning in 2022-23 and again in 2023-24, the Board approved payments of $200,000 per year using one-time General Fund balance.
For 2024-25, the Board authorized a payment of $300,000 to the Collaborative, again drawing on one-time General Fund balance. The $300,000 payment authorized for 24-25 will cover the cost of a .75 FTE Removal Defense Attorney with the University of San Francisco Deportation Defense Clinic, a .75 FTE Sonoma Immigrant Services Removal Defense Attorney, and a .75 FTE Secure Families Collaborative Executive Director (see attached funding breakdown documentation). Each removal defense attorney carries an open caseload of at least 30 cases per year. Removal defense cases are a complex area of law that can take up to 7 years to resolve, and the Collaborative has a waitlist of approximately 100 cases as of September 2024.
The Collaborative plans to return to the Board during the 25-26 budget process and in the out years with additional requests for continued support of these personnel. In addition to Board support, for 2024-25, the Collaborative will receive approximately $125,000 in grant funds in partnership with the Economic Development Collaborative as part of the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Local Immigration Integration and Inclusion Grant. The Collaborative sources the remainder of its funding from a combination of state funds, grants and donors.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
Budget resolution 23-0312 authorized a $200,000 expenditure of one-time general fund dollars to the Secure Families Collaborative as part of FY23-24 Board Budget Request BOS-05. Annually, since FY 2017-2018, differing amounts approved to Secure Families Collaborative during budget hearings.
Fiscal Summary
Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
Budgeted Expenses |
$300,000 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$300,000 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$300,000 |
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$300,000 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The $300,000 payment to the Secure Families Collaborative was approved during the 24-25 budget hearings using one-time General Fund balance. Appropriations have already been set aside for this expenditure. No new appropriations are requested with this action.
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Click or tap here to enter text.
Attachments:
Attachment 1: 24-25 Budget Summary Report
Attachment 2: Secure Families Collaborative Funding Breakdown
Attachment 3: 24-25 Secure Families Collaborative Funding Request Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A