Budget analyst recommends small reductions to juvenile probation as department readies DJJ realignment planning

The committee reviewed the Juvenile Probation Department’s budget on June 24, with the Budget and Legislative Analyst recommending $120,000 in reductions for FY21-22 (all ongoing) and closing prior unexpended encumbrances of $3,607 for total FY21-22 general fund savings of $123,607.

Director Miller said the department agreed with the BLA report and explained that overtime is concentrated in the juvenile hall, where the department budgets roughly $820,000 for overtime in the coming year; probation services and administration have smaller overtime allocations. Miller also cautioned that state realignment funds showing up as hall expenditures are state dollars related to the end of sending youth to DJJ and must be used through a local planning process: "that money coming from the state is not intended to be used for the hall at all," she told the committee.

Supervisors pressed about five specific vacancies listed in the BLA report, vacancy costs and whether hiring would be paused while the city plans the hall closure; Miller and the BLA explained attrition assumptions already baked into the budget and limits on immediate reorganizing of civil-service roles. Chair Haney said the committee’s current intention was to accept the JPD budget with the BLA recommendation for now, but left open amendments at the next meeting.