To: Board of Supervisors
From: Esa Ehmen-Krause, County Probation Officer
Report Title: Add one Probation Director position in the Probation Department
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Position Adjustment Resolution No. 26640 to add one (1) Probation Director (7BFA) (unrepresented) position at salary plan and grade B25 1972 ($13,039 - $16,641) effective September 1, 2026 in the Probation Department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The purpose of the request is to add a Probation Director position due to the upcoming retirement of the current incumbent to preserve and transfer institutional knowledge within the position. Though the request is to add the position beginning September 1, 2026, this is only to allow the recruitment process to begin. The one-time fiscal impact of the requested positions overlap may result in a total salary and benefit cost increase impact of up to $119,202. The Department anticipates an approximate four-month overlap and it will take at least a couple of months for the position to be filled. A future action will be submitted to cancel the current Probation Director’s position once a final retirement date is known, which is anticipated for early 2027. It is not the intention of the Department to permanently increase positional authority in the Probation Director classification, as both actions will ultimately result in a neutral position change. The cost impact will be offset by salary and benefit cost savings from the Department’s existing vacancies, which are funded by the Department’s budgeted General Fund allocation.
BACKGROUND:
The mission of the Probation Department is an unwavering commitment to justice, even in the face of adversity, an ethical application of the law, and a proven approach to rehabilitation. The Probation Department employees are a talented team of professionals who work collaboratively to create opportunities for those served. Through compassionate trauma informed supervision, the application of evidenced based practices, and robust community partnerships, clients experience positive outcomes that strengthen the individual, improve communities, and increase public safety within the county and beyond. To maintain mandated functions, keep up with the increasing number of legislative changes, and comply with funding obligations, the Probation Department must maintain necessary staffing levels and institutional knowledge.
Currently the Department has five sworn Probation Directors, with one planned retirement for early 2027. These positions, including the one known retirement, are key executives within the Department and currently filled by incumbents with decades of institutional knowledge.
The operation of the County's Juvenile Hall is among the Probation Department's highest-risk and most highly regulated functions, requiring executive leadership with specialized knowledge of juvenile detention operations, statutory requirements, and the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Title 15 Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities. The Probation Director is ultimately responsible for ensuring the facility operates in compliance with state regulations governing the safety, security, care, supervision, programming, and treatment of youth in custody, while also overseeing compliance with inspection requirements, corrective action plans, policy implementation, staff training, emergency preparedness, and interagency coordination. Given the significant legal, operational, and financial liability associated with the administration of a secure juvenile detention facility, continuity of experienced executive leadership is essential to minimizing organizational risk and maintaining public confidence.
To ensure a seamless transition of leadership, the Department is requesting an overlap period between the outgoing Probation Director and the newly appointed/hired Director. This transition period will provide a structured opportunity to transfer critical institutional knowledge that cannot be fully documented through policies and procedures alone. Such knowledge includes the history of BSCC inspections and compliance efforts, regulatory expectations, operational practices, strategic initiatives, labor and personnel matters, budget administration, emergency response protocols, litigation and risk management issues, contractual obligations, and long-standing collaborative relationships with the courts, Behavioral Health, the County Office of Education, law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, and state oversight entities to name a few. Preserving this institutional knowledge is essential to maintaining continuity of operations and ensuring that the incoming Director is fully prepared to assume responsibility for one of the Department’s most complex and highly scrutinized public safety functions.
Further, the proposed overlap is a key component of the Department's succession planning strategy and reflects a proactive approach to leadership continuity. Executive transitions within public safety agencies, particularly those responsible for secure juvenile detention operations, present a heightened risk of operational disruption if not managed through deliberate knowledge transfer and mentoring. Providing the incoming Director with the opportunity to work alongside the outgoing Director will reduce the potential for regulatory deficiencies, operational delays, or unintended lapses in compliance that could expose the Department and County to increased legal liability, financial penalties, adverse inspection findings, or litigation. This investment in succession planning will strengthen organizational stability, preserve decades of institutional expertise, and support the Department's continued ability to provide safe, secure, legally compliant, and rehabilitative services for youth in custody.
Even if the Department elects to appoint an existing Probation Director or promote internally, to oversee Juvenile Hall operations, the need for a structured transition period remains. While an internal candidate may possess valuable departmental knowledge, the specialized responsibilities associated with administering a secure juvenile detention facility require a comprehensive understanding of BSCC Title 15 regulatory compliance, inspection history, corrective action processes, facility-specific operations, risk management, interagency coordination, and other operational nuances that are developed through direct experience. An overlap period with the outgoing Director provides the opportunity to transfer this specialized institutional knowledge, reducing the likelihood of operational disruptions or compliance gaps during the transition.
Additionally, the reassignment of an incumbent to the Probation Director role would create a vacancy within the individual's current assignment that would require recruitment, selection, and training of a successor. As a result, the Department would experience a cascading transition in which institutional knowledge must be transferred at multiple organizational levels. Providing an overlap period at the executive level supports continuity throughout the Department, allows for orderly succession planning, and minimizes the operational impacts associated with multiple concurrent leadership transitions. This approach ensures the Department remains well-positioned to meet its public safety mission while maintaining uninterrupted compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations.
As noted above, the fiscal impact associated with the temporary overlap of the Probation Director positions can be fully absorbed within the Department's existing operating budget and does not require additional County General Fund appropriations. The limited, short-term increase in personnel costs represents a prudent investment in organizational continuity and risk mitigation, providing significant value by protecting the Department and County from the substantially greater costs that could result from leadership gaps, operational disruption, regulatory noncompliance, or avoidable liability during this critical executive transition.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If unapproved, the loss of a Probation Director without an appropriate transfer may result in the loss of critical institutional knowledge necessary for the effective administration of the County's Juvenile Hall. Without a structured leadership transition, the Department faces an increased risk of operational disruption, diminished continuity of executive oversight, and reduced capacity to effectively navigate the complex regulatory requirements established by the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Title 15 Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities. Given the significant legal, operational, and fiscal liability associated with the management of a secure juvenile detention facility, the absence of an intentional succession planning process may increase the County's exposure to regulatory deficiencies, adverse inspection findings, corrective actions, litigation, and other avoidable risks. The Department would forgo the opportunity to preserve decades of institutional knowledge and executive experience, potentially impacting the Department's ability to maintain uninterrupted operations, sustain collaborative partnerships, and ensure the continued delivery of safe, secure, and legally compliant services for youth in custody.