To: Board of Supervisors
From: Esa Ehmen-Krause, County Probation Officer
Report Title: Add one (1.0) ASA II for AB109 administrative duties
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Position Adjustment Resolution 26561 to add one (1.0) Administrative Services Assistant II (APVA) position at salary plan and grade ZB5 1475 ($7,095-$8,624) in the Probation Department; and
APPROVE Budget Amendment No. BDA-26-00001 to appropriate use of AB 109 Planning and Implementation funds in the amount of $65,160 to fund the new position for FY25-26 under salaries and benefits.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This additional position is expected to cost approximately $156,383 per fiscal year. It will initially be funded by AB109 Planning and Implementation dollars for FY25-26 and FY26-27. In FY 27-28 and on, it will be funded by AB109 on-going Community Correction Partnership dollars.
BACKGROUND:
In 2011, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 109 (AB 109), which realigned responsibility for certain lower-level offenders and adult parolees from the State of California to local jurisdictions. Under this realignment, individuals convicted of non-serious, non-violent, and non-sex offenses would serve their sentences in county jail rather than state prison, and local Probation Departments would be responsible for post-release supervision of these individuals, as well as certain other offenders released from state prison. This shift resulted in a reduction of approximately 25,000 inmates in California’s state prison system.
AB 109 also established the Community Corrections Partnerships (CCPs) in each county, with the Chief Probation Officer designated by statute as the Chair. While Probation has fulfilled its statutory role in overseeing the CCP, the Contra Costa County Administrator’s Office (CAO) has historically assumed many of the associated administrative functions. These duties include oversight of AB 109 funding, processing reimbursements to departments, and staffing CCP meetings, which includes quarterly financial tracking and reports, scheduling meetings, and preparing meeting agendas and minutes. Contra Costa County is unique in this arrangement, as most counties assign these administrative responsibilities directly to their Probation Departments.
The CAO and Probation Department now seeks to align county operations with statutory intent by transitioning these administrative functions to the Probation Department. Probation has demonstrated a strong track record in effectively managing state funding to enhance the criminal justice system, expand evidence-based rehabilitation programs, and build sustainable infrastructure to support offender reentry and community safety.
To successfully assume these additional responsibilities, Probation is requesting the allocation of one Administrative Services Assistant II position. This position would assume the full range of administrative duties previously managed by the CAO, ensuring continuity, statutory compliance, and effective coordination of CCP operations.
The department is requesting this position add in current year to begin the recruitment process, which can take several months, to have a position fully ready for the transition period, which is tentatively slated for July 1, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If unapproved, the Department would not have the capacity to take on AB109 administrative duties.