To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Nolan Sullivan, 707-565-4774; Jan Cobaleda-Kegler, 707-565-5157
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Stepping Up Workgroup Coordination Agreement
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of Health Services, or designee, to execute an agreement with RDA Consulting, for facilitation and project implementation services, for a term starting from date of execution and ending June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $400,000.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Department of Health Services (Department) has completed a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Stepping Up Workgroup’s Planning, Coordination, and Meeting Facilitation needs. RDA Consulting (RDA), a Social Purpose Corporation (SPC), the recommended proposal, will support implementation and activities related to the Department’s State Hospitals Planning Grant, with a focus on the Stepping Up Workgroup - charged with improving the systems of care and resources provided to individuals with needs at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health. The workgroup aims to expand collaboration among agencies and organizations that serve individuals in the justice system who experience significant mental health impairment and maximize effectiveness of programs serving this population. The County has allocated $100,000 per year for four (4) years for these services.
Discussion:
The Sonoma County Department of Health Services (hereinafter, “DHS” or “the Department”) was awarded a five-year planning grant in the amount of $500,000 from the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to develop and implement targeted strategies aimed at reducing the number of individuals deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) on felony charges and minimizing the criminalization of those with serious mental illnesses. A requirement of the funding is the facilitation of collaborative work groups to accomplish these goals.
The Stepping Up Workgroup was convened in 2016 as part of the County’s commitment to the national Stepping Up Initiative. The members of the workgroup include, but are not limited to, representatives from the local Superior Court, the Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Health Services’ Behavioral Health Division or Primary Service Provider, and the Probation Department. The Sonoma County Stepping Up Workgroup envisions a system where individuals with severe mental health impairments who enter the justice system receive the treatment, services, and service coordination needed to resolve their cases and to exit the justice system successfully and permanently.
Ultimately, the goal of the Stepping Up Workgroup is to reduce the number of people with Serious Mental Illness in jail. Specifically, the Workgroup is guided by four primary goals:
1) To strengthen and expand collaboration among agencies and organizations that work with people in the justice system who experience significant mental health impairment.
2) To maximize the effectiveness of County and local programs that serve this population.
3) To identify and fill gaps in the systems that address this target group.
4) To develop sustainable pathways for diverting individuals who have been arrested on felony criminal charges and found incompetent to stand trial from the Department of State Hospital.
The Department published a Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 18, 2025. The RFP was disseminated to registered entities and interested parties, ensuring broad participation. A non-mandatory pre-bid virtual conference was held on April 1, 2025. Formal questions from interested parties were due on April 8, 2025, and answers to all submitted questions were provided via addendum to the RFP on April 15,2025. Eight proposals were received by the due date of April 29, 2025. An evaluation panel consisting of three community members with expertise in the field and one DHS staff member reviewed and scored the proposals according to the criteria set forth in the RFP. The evaluation panel unanimously selected RDA Consulting (RDA), SPC.
RDA is skilled at facilitating workgroups and helping its clients strengthen collaborations between agencies to maximize program effectiveness. RDA brings a deep understanding of Sonoma County’s unique social, geographic, economic, and political landscape. Over the past decade, RDA has partnered with multiple Sonoma County departments on multiple projects, including grant writing, evaluation, facilitation, regional and community planning, and capacity assessments.
The Department is seeking authorization for the Director of Health Services, or designee, to execute an agreement with RDA Consulting, SPC, for a four -year term ending June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $400,000.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Healthy and Safe Communities
Goal: Goal 1: Expand integrated system of care to address gaps in services to the County’s most vulnerable.
Objective: Objective 2: Identify gaps in the Safety Net system of services and identify areas where departments can address those gaps directly, and seek guidance from the Board when additional resources and/or policy direction is needed.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On February 26, 2019, the Board approved Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program funded projects as outlined in this report.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Revenues and expenditures of $100,000 are included in the FY 2025-2026 adopted budget to support this contract. The contract amount will be included in the proposed budgets for future years. This contract is funded by the California DSH planning grant where Sonoma County Department of Health Services was awarded $100,000 per year, with a grant term of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Draft Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None