To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Fabio Rodriguez, Chief of Police
Prepared By: William Hernandez, Domestic Violence Detective
TITLE:
Title
Law Enforcement Specialized Units (LESU) Program Grant
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution (1) accepting the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Law Enforcement Specialized Units (LESU) Program Grant for calendar years 2026, 2027, & 2028 in the annual amount of $270,856 and authorizing the Chief of Police to execute the grant agreement on behalf of the City to fund services provided to survivors of domestic violence and their children; (2) approving and authorizing revenue and expenditure budget increases of $203,142 in the Police Department’s Special Revenue Grants Fund with a local match from the City of $67,714 from the Police Department’s General Fund for the Cal OES LESU Grant Program for calendar years 2026, 2027, & 2028.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City of Napa through the Napa Police Department (NPD) in collaboration with Nurturing Empowerment Worth & Safety (NEWS) has been previously awarded the Cal OES LESU grant in 2025 through a competitive application. The grant requires renewal applications each year with a one-time pre-emptive proof of authority for the grant term prior to the renewal application being submitted. The LESU grant funds a dedicated Domestic Violence Detective and Domestic Violence Counselor. The grant provides $203,143 on a yearly basis to fund this partnership. The grant requires a yearly local match from the City of $67,714 for a grand total of $270,856.
Section 1.055 (“Proof of Authority”) of Cal OES’s Subrecipient Handbook (SRH) requires that Subrecipients must certify they have written authority by the governing body (e.g. City council) granting authority to the Authorized Agent (e.g. City Manager, City of Napa Police Chief) to enter the Subrecipient into a specific grant award with Cal OES. Staff has included a resolution with this agenda item to obtain this written authority from the City Council.
Since the early 1980’s when NEWS, the only domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy provider serving Napa County, was formed, there has been strong collaboration and partnership with NPD. Both NEWS and the NPD recognize that the best way to meet the needs of survivors and their children is to address the issues of domestic violence in a holistic, collaborative approach.
The LESU grant funded dedicated Domestic Violence Detective has specialized training to conduct follow-up on cases; ensure a consistent law enforcement response; provide trainings; and coordinate a response to domestic violence within the community. The grant funds a dedicated full time Domestic Violence Counselor from NEWS providing immediate advocacy to victims of domestic violence and referrals to additional services including assistance with obtaining restraining orders, counseling services, financial assistance, housing assistance, and immediate safety net needs such as food, clothing, emergency shelter, and safety planning. The LESU Detective and Counselor are co-located at Monarch Justice Center, which is designed to provide wrap around services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child abuse, dating violence, and elder abuse. Having the DV Counselor located at Monarch provides NPD Officers and the DV Detective the resource of an advocate immediately available to survivors. This collaboration creates improved relationships and trust in our response to victims of domestic violence
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
Authorizing the Chief of Police on behalf of the City to accept the LESU Grant positively impacts the Police Department’s Special Revenue Grants Fund budget by $270,856 (Exhibit A). The acceptance of the grant funding will increase the Police Department’s Special Revenue Fund budget by $270,856 per calendar years 2026, 2027, & 2028 with a reimbursement of $203,142 from Cal OES and a local match from the City of $67,714, funded by the Police Department’s General Fund budget to be used to execute grant expenditures and services.
CEQA:
The Chief of Police has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Staff report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
EX A - Council Budget Amendment
NOTIFICATION:
None