DATE: April 9, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Lisa A. Smittcamp, District Attorney
SUBJECT: District Attorney Salary Resolution Amendment
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution adding one (1) Senior Victim-Witness Advocate allocation, with no net increase in positions, to District Attorney Org 2860, effective April 15, 2024, as reflected in Appendix F; and
2. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution adding two (2) Senior Paralegal allocations, with no net increase in positions, to District Attorney Org 2860, effective April 15, 2024, as reflected in Appendix F; and
3. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution retitling the District Attorney Manager position to a District Attorney Program Manager while moving the two (2) existing Staff Analyst positions and allocating one (1) additional Staff Analyst into partial combination with the District Attorney Program Manager group, with no net increase in positions, within District Attorney Org 2860, effective April 15, 2024.
REPORT
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the approval of the recommended actions, which will add one (1) Senior Victim-Witness Advocate allocation and two (2) Senior Paralegal allocations while retitling the District Attorney Manager position to a District Attorney Program Manager and moving the two (2) existing Staff Analyst positions and allocating one (1) additional Staff Analyst into partial combination with the District Attorney Program Manager group with no net increase in the total number of positions within Org 2860. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved, the allocation of staff within the District Attorney’s Office will remain unchanged.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The DA Program Manager position is a retitle of the existing classification and will be moved in partial combination with the current Staff Analyst group increasing the max positions to four. Due to anticipated salary savings, there are sufficient appropriations available to absorb any costs incurred in District Attorney Org 2860 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget. Sufficient appropriations will be included in subsequent budget requests for the District Attorney Org 2860.
DISCUSSION:
The District Attorney (DA) is proposing to restructure department staffing with the goal of increasing organizational flexibility and efficiency in seeking justice for the victims of crime in Fresno County. The DA has expanded its role as a law enforcement agency by being actively engaged in more investigative task forces, specialized prosecutorial units, and community outreach programs. As a result, the current administrative and support staffing levels are no longer sufficient to meet the goals of the department.
Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Senior Victim-Witness Advocate to be in combination with the current Victim-Witness Advocate series. The second recommended action would allow the Senior Paralegal allocation to be increased from two to four and continue to be in combination with the Paralegal/Legal Assistant series. These changes will improve the span of supervisory control, allow experienced staff to specialize and handle the most complex cases, train newer staff, and allow for career advancement within the department.
Approval of the third recommended action will allow the DA Human Resources Unit to retitle the existing District Attorney Manager position to a District Attorney Program Manager, while moving the existing Staff Analyst positions into the District Attorney Program Manager position group thereby increasing the group by two positions while allocating one additional Staff Analyst to allow for greater departmental flexibility. The workload of the DA Human Resources Unit has increased due to additional responsibilities resulting from changes in state and local legislation, and changes to county policies and procedures. This position will provide the necessary support to the unit by assisting with recruitments, leaves of absences, risk management, and all employee services for the office.
These proposed staffing changes are necessary to better support the goals and objectives of the department with no net increase in the total number of positions for the department.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Salary Resolution - Appendix F
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai