Title
Consider recommendations regarding the acceptance of the $850,000.00 State Grant to Expand Holistic Public Defense Services in Santa Barbara County, as follows: (4/5 Vote Required)
a) Adopt a Resolution authorizing the Public Defender to accept the $850,000.00 award from the California Office of the State Public Defender for the Expanded Public Defense Services (Holistic Defense) Grant to support Project Building Resilience, Inclusion, Defense, Growth and Equity (BRIDGE) for the period from February 1, 2026, through June 1, 2028;
b) Adopt an Amendment to the Salary Resolution to add one Full-Time Equivalent (1.0 FTE) Legal Office Professional II, 1.0 FTE Computer System Specialist I, and 1.0 FTE Social Services Worker, PS./L to the Public Defender’s Office, effective March 16, 2026;
c) Approve Budget Revision Request No. 0010957 to increase appropriations by $850,000.00 in the Public Defender General Fund for Salaries and Benefits ($65,900.00) and the Committed Public Defender Programs Fund Balance ($784,100.00), funded by unanticipated grant revenue from the California Office of the State Public Defender; and
d) Determine that the above actions are government fiscal activities or funding mechanisms that do not involve any commitment to any specific project that may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment and are therefore not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15378(b)(4) of the CEQA guidelines.