A LOCAL CALL TO STATE ACTION:
FINDINGS FROM COMMUNITY HEARINGS IN CALIFORNIA

Appendices

A: Shifting the Focus History and Background
B: Shifting the Focus Vision, Principles, and Methodology
C: Shifting the Focus Goals and Success Indicators
D: Shifting the Focus Participating Agencies
E: Planning committee members
F: List of local sponsors
G: Local sponsor invitation letter
H: Local sponsor activity list
I: Local sponsor thank you letter
J: Hearing invitation letter
K: Participant thank you letter
L: Sample Hearing Agenda
M: Shifting the Focus Survey
N: List of hearing participants
O: List of counties represented
P: Written testimony from hearing participants

Appendix A: History and Background

History and Background

Shifting the Focus is a voluntary interagency violence prevention partnership. Leaders from over 30 departments in California's state government agencies, as well as representatives from local violence prevention agencies, state commissions, and state organizations, recognize that effective violence prevention requires a new way of doing business. This new paradigm will ensure that California communities are well served through practice at the state level that supports success at the local level.

Over the years, as public concern about violence has grown, numerous projects and independent sources of funding have been established. Shifting the Focus is committed to crafting an integrated approach to the state's violence prevention goals without sacrificing current programs or curbing local initiative.

Defining the Problem

Violence is a complex issue that crosses the boundaries between criminal justice, health and human services, and education. Key risk factors for violence include alcohol and other drug abuse, economic inequality, and negative media messages. Similarly, there are key resiliency factors including education, employment, family support, and neighborhood cohesion that reduce the potential for violent behavior. Given the scope of such underlying factors, effective violence prevention requires collaboration among multiple disciplines to design comprehensive, multi-faceted initiatives. While some successes at coordination have been seen at the treatment and intervention level (such as multi-service centers), less attention has been paid to interdisciplinary approaches that address violence before it occurs.

Within state government, the responsibility for reducing and preventing violence spans numerous state agencies, departments and programs. Effective violence prevention does not require the centralization of so-called "violence prevention" resources, but rather the mobilization of a broad array of activities, staff, and resources across departments. Through its innovative, collaborative, multi-disciplinary framework, Shifting the Focus can thus effect real solutions to the complex problem of violence. To develop meaningful collaboration requires a two-pronged effort -- establishing common ground between the vocabulary, data, and philosophies of different disciplines and overcoming the structural, financial, and sometimes political divisions between government sectors. Furthermore, an important challenge of state-level collaboration is the ability to translate this new model of partnering into a system that acknowledges local initiative and leadership.

Shifting the Focus addresses the barriers to collaboration by developing strategies to expand partnerships. This effort aims to reengineer state government away from isolated efforts to a broader emphasis on serving communities. Such a methodology is critical because California's violence prevention efforts are far too many for all of these efforts to be well coordinated, unless there is a system purposively designed to manage the collaboration process. Shifting the Focus has identified a strategy to change the way that state government addresses violence prevention.

Background of Shifting the Focus

Shifting the Focus grew out of "The Advanced Training for Violence Prevention Practitioners," a training series conducted by Deborah Prothrow-Stith of the Harvard School of Public Health and Larry Cohen of Prevention Institute. The series, held in 1996, reaffirmed for California representatives of justice, health and human services, and education, the necessity of working in an interdisciplinary mode to address the multiple risk factors that lead to violence.

In recognition that government structures tended to reinforce singular, rather than collaborative approaches, a two-day forum, Shifting the Focus: An Interdisciplinary Violence Prevention Approach for California was held in March 1997. Facilitated by Prothrow-Stith and Cohen, the symposium brought together leaders from the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Health Services, and the State of California Department of Education. Community-based violence prevention practitioners were included in the forum to ensure that state formulated solutions would reflect the needs of people working at the local level. The participants agreed that a coordinated, collaborative approach would constitute a more effective strategy, ultimately improving local violence prevention efforts as well as state programs. Not only would programs benefit from each other's expertise, but also they could reduce duplication and they could share data resources and "best practices" information. The Shifting the Focus conference clarified how governmental agencies and organizations with different mandates and perspectives could work together more effectively. From the conference a methodology for collaboration emerged and was published in the paper, Shifting the Focus: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Advancing Violence Prevention.

Critical to moving Shifting the Focus from rhetoric to reality has been the sponsorship of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Grantland Johnson and the Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The Attorney General and the Secretary have formed a partnership and adopted an agenda to foster safe and sustainable communities. This partnership acknowledges at the highest level the Shifting the Focus philosophy of collaboration.

Appendix B: Vision, Principles, and Methodology

Vision

Safe, healthy, sustainable communities in California supported by effective state and local collaboration

Principles

• Communities can and must be built from within. State government serves in a supporting role.
• Primary prevention is emphasized while working at all levels of prevention.
• Violence is a complex problem and therefore its prevention requires a comprehensive solution.
• Collaboration and sharing of resources are fundamental to success.
• State efforts are designed to maximize violence prevention outcomes at the local level through supporting locally owned, locally controlled efforts.
• Local successes inform state government practices.

Methodology

• Transform violence prevention efforts through intergovernmental collaboration with an emphasis on primary prevention.
• Reengineer state government away from isolated efforts to a broader service-orientation -- this won't make it easier for government officials but it will improve service available to communities.
• Enable locales to focus on strengthening individuals, families, and communities rather than responding to state bureaucracies through identifying and addressing barriers placed on them by the states.
• Shift current government practices through educating practitioners, fostering coalitions and networks, changing organizational practices and influencing policy and legislation in order to enable and facilitate local solutions to issues of violence prevention (using the Shifting the Focus Framework as a blueprint).

Operational Strategies

• Encourage interdisciplinary work.
• Train across disciplines and departments.
• Foster interdisciplinary leadership in prevention.
• Share resources.
• Develop compelling local training.
• Develop innovative solutions collaboratively.
• Evaluate State programs to ensure effectiveness
• Pool funds to implement innovative solutions.
• Increase data accessibility and utility.
• Reinvest savings into primary prevention.
• Ensure State interagency activities are outcome based
• Acknowledge wisdom of local practitioners

Appendix C: Goals and Success Indicators

Goals

The goals of Shifting the Focus are:

1. to facilitate the state's violence prevention efforts to significantly reduce the incidence of violence over time and
2. to build community infrastructure to help preserve these improvements.

Clearly, these are goals that will take time. Based upon state-of-the art knowledge in the field of violence prevention, rates of violence appear to be most significantly impacted by sustained interdisciplinary and multi-faceted efforts. Therefore, success can be gauged in the short-term by monitoring the success of activities that aim to improve the comprehensiveness and interdisciplinary coordination of such efforts. To determine the impact of any initiative resulting from improved collaboration, it is essential to measure and track a variety of both qualitative and quantitative indicators. This is also critical for determining what improvements are needed in program content as well as methodology.

Success Indicators

• Increased Collaboration by fostering the creation of new collaborative efforts and initiatives within state government and strengthening existing efforts
• A Focus on Primary Prevention by increasing primary prevention initiatives utilizing a multifaceted range of activities and strategies
• Reduced Duplication by assessing overlap and redundancy and developing mechanisms for sharing information to avoid duplication and re-invention
• Improved Access to Information by consolidating information, sharing data and adopting uniform standards for collection and reporting
• Increased Capacity for Collaboration by providing interdisciplinary trainings and resources for violence prevention to those working in communities and at the State
• Program-specific Collaboration Goals by producing specific program outcomes to increase and improve collaboration
• Local to State Evaluation by creating mechanisms for community grantees to evaluate improvement in their work with state violence prevention activities as the State reaches new levels of collaboration
• A Positive Local Response to State Efforts: What We Do Makes a Difference

Appendix D: Participating Agencies

Participating Agencies and Departments

Sponsored by:
California Health and Human Services Agency and California Attorney General's Office

Local Participants

City of Los Angeles, Deputy City Attorney
County of Los Angeles, Department of Health Services
Los Angeles Violence Prevention Coalition
Mendocino Country Youth Project

State Agency Partners

California State Senate

• Office of Senator Dede Alpert
• Office of Senator Hilda L. Solis

Office of the Governor

• Office of Criminal Justice Planning
• Office of Planning and Research
• California Commission on Improving Life through Service

Little Hoover Commission

California Health and Human Services Agency

• Department of Health Services
  • Office of Women's Health
  • Domestic Violence Section
  • State and Local Injury Control Section
  • Maternal and Child Health Branch
• Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
• Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board
• Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs
  • Prevention Services Division
  • California Mentoring Initiative
• Department of Mental Health
  • Children's Systems of Care
  • Specialized Programs
• Department of Aging
• Department of Rehabilitation
• Department of Developmental Services
• Department of Community Services and Development
• Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention

Office of the Attorney General, Crime and Violence Prevention Center

Department of Justice, Criminal Division

California Youth and Adult Corrections Agency

• Department of Corrections, Office of Substance Abuse Programs
• Board of Corrections, Corrections Planning and Programs
• California Youth Authority, Office of Prevention and Victims Services

California Business, Transportation, and Housing Authority

• California Highway Patrol
• Traffic Safety Program

Office of the Inspector General

Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

Department of Education

• Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Office
• Education Support Division

State Independent Living Council

California Conservation Corps

State Organization Participants

Alliance for Education Solution
California Prevention Collaborative
California District Attorneys Association
California Crime Prevention Association
Community College Foundation
California Victims of Crime Committee

Facilitator: Prevention Institute

Appendix E: Planning Committee Members

Barbara Alberson
Department of Health Services, State and Local Injury Control

Robert Bates
Department of Health Services, Maternal And Child Health Branch

Shailushi Baxi
Prevention Institute

Rachel Davis
Prevention Institute

Sy Dang Nguyen
Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention

Lupe Gonzales
Department of Health Services, Office of Women's Health

Michael Kelly
Office of the Attorney General, Crime and Violence Prevention Center

Nancy Lyons
Little Hoover Commission

Edward Melia
California Health and Human Services Agency

Bill White
Department of Education, Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Office

Appendix F: Dates, Locations, and Local Sponsors for Hearings

Fort Bragg (February 9, 2001):
In conjunction with the Mendocino County Health Department conference

Los Angeles (March 9, 2001):
Ms. Billie Weiss, Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
550 S. Vermont, Rm. 403, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Oakland (April 12, 2001):
Mr. Henry Gardner, East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership
250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 2606, Oakland, CA 94612

Redding (March 29, 2001):
Mr. Tom Omara, Redding Youth Violence Prevention Council
1445 Market St., Redding, CA 96001

Sacramento (November 30, 2000):
Presentation at The California Wellness Foundation's Violence
Prevention Initiative conference

Salinas (January 22, 2001):
Ms. Anna Caballero and Rev. Ken Feske, Partners for Peace
546 Lincoln Avenue, Salinas, CA 93901

Santa Clara (February 28, 2001):
In conjunction Santa Clara County violence prevention training

San Diego (January 26, 2001):
Presentation at Juvenile Delinquency & the Courts conference

San Mateo (February 14, 2001):
In conjunction with Bay Area Regional Network meeting

Stockton (March 8, 2001)
Ms. Brenda Scott-Gordon, Stockton Police Department
22 East Market Street, Stockton, CA 95202

Appendix G: Sample local sponsor invitation letter

Dear Ms. Weiss,

Thank you for agreeing to be a local sponsor for California's Shifting the Focus Local Hearing in Los Angeles. Shifting the Focus brings together over 30 state agencies and departments, including health, education, and justice, to forge an interdisciplinary approach to preventing violence in California. Under the leadership of the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services, this effort strives to support and strengthen local violence prevention efforts. We have included additional information on Shifting the Focus, which will provide more detail on its history, vision, and current activities.

One of the key principles of Shifting the Focus is to learn from local violence prevention practitioners and decision makers. We want to use this information to improve the State's method of doing business to better meet local needs. We want to learn from you what the State is doing right and what it should do differently in order for local violence prevention efforts to be more successful.

• Which policies, programs, and practices at the State level are most helpful to you in your work at the community level?
• Are there policies or programs at the State level that serve as barriers in your work?
• Do different departments have requirements that lead to extra work, duplication, or prevent local collaboratives or activities from maximizing their resources and energy?
• What recommendations would you make to the State so that it might best assist you in the work that you do?
• How have you solved some of the problems that you have encountered at the State level in order to ensure that your work is successful?

In order to gather the answers to questions like these, Shifting the Focus is holding a series of Local Hearings across the State of California. Local hearings will enable those working in communities to offer input on State practices and programs that have a major impact on local violence prevention efforts. We welcome the opportunity to hear from key informants in your area.

Prevention Institute is facilitating the process of planning and conducting the local hearings. As an important organization in your area, you are key in helping us to plan and facilitate the Los Angeles hearing, and we look forward to working with you to ensure that this Local Hearing is successful. Specifically, we need to set a date, identify and contact potential participants and speakers, secure a facility, and finalize a format for this hearing. While we have developed a framework for the hearing, we realize it is important that each hearing meets the needs of the community. As such, we want to work out the final format and specific details with you to ensure that the event and its outcomes are well suited to the needs of the communities that it serves.

Currently, the proposed format is for each hearing to be roughly half a day in length. The hearing will begin with opening remarks and a short overview of Shifting the Focus. This opening session will be followed by approximately one hour of formal, time-limited testimony by local violence prevention practitioners and decisions makers, followed by a session for open testimony by general audience attendees. The size of the hearings is yet to be determined, but could include as many as 30-40 people. Representatives from state agencies will be present to serve on a panel hearing the testimony from participants and speakers. They will also be on hand to answer questions or to address any concerns that arise during the hearing. Attached please find a Local Sponsor Activity List. This document outlines in greater detail the ways we think it might make sense to work together.

On behalf of the entire Shifting the Focus membership, thank you again for agreeing to participate in this process as a local sponsor for the Los Angeles hearing. We appreciate your time and energy in helping us reshape state government to serve you better. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need further clarification. I will be in touch with you soon to set up a time to work out details.

Sincerely,

Shailushi Baxi
Program Coordinator

Appendix H: Sponsor Activity List

Shifting the Focus is looking forward to working with you to accomplish the following:

1. Set a date for the hearing
   Shifting the Focus would like to hold hearings in January and February of 2001. We want to work with you to identify and finalize a date that works both locally and for panel members for the State.
2. Identify and contact violence prevention practitioners and decision-makers to present testimony
   Speakers should represent the areas of health, education, justice, law enforcement, youth development, social services, commerce, local government, and BLAH.
3. Identify and contact violence prevention practitioners and decision-makers to attend hearing as general participants
   Speakers should represent, but are not limited to, the areas of health, education, justice, law enforcement, youth development, social services, commerce, and local government.
4. Shape the Los Angeles Local Hearing
   We want to work with you to make sure this hearing meets local needs. Shaping the hearing includes decisions about the length of the hearing, how many participants should be invited, and how to structure the session for general participation.
5. Identify and secure a facility for the hearing
6. Identify sources of media coverage
   Possible sources include local network affiliates, cables stations, and radio stations.
7. Provide Shifting the Focus with contact information for speakers and participants
8. Possibly co-facilitate elements of the hearing, depending on the final format
9. Work with Shifting the Focus to prepare the speakers offering testimony

Thank you again for all of your time, effort, and energy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Shailushi Baxi at Prevention Institute.

Appendix I: Sample sponsor thank you letter

Mr. Tom Omara
Executive Director
Youth Violence Prevention Council
1445 Market St.
Redding, CA 96001

May 15, 2001

Dear Mr. Omara,

Now that our draft hearings report is taking shape, I would like to once again thank you and the Youth Violence Prevention Council, on behalf of the Shifting the Focus membership, for sponsoring the Shifting the Focus hearing in Redding. Your energy and efforts were crucial in making the hearing a success and in helping to advance violence prevention in California.

The hearings process proved invaluable in improving our understanding of what is needed from the State to better support local violence prevention efforts. We have already learned many important things about what the State can do to strengthen local violence prevention efforts. One major finding was the need for less State control on local collaborations. Those working in communities have long recognized that local partnerships work best when they are community-based; Shifting the Focus is using this information to look at ways to change collaboration requirements on RFPs and grants. Additional findings include the need for increased emphasis and leadership on primary prevention, changes in funding practices, increased technical assistance and training opportunities, and more integrated data and evaluation systems. Shifting the Focus is taking this information and feedback seriously and is exploring both short- and long-term changes to improve service to communities.

As you know, we will be incorporating the findings from the hearings into a report for the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as for all Shifting the Focus members. This report will provide recommendations on ways to reengineer government practices and policies to better serve communities and local practitioners. We anticipate that the report will be available on our website after June 30, 2001 and we hope to mail you a report summary as well.

Please feel free to contact Shailushi Baxi at (510) 528-4482 or shailushi@63.134.213.124 if you would like any additional information. We deeply appreciate your support of both the hearing and the Shifting the Focus initiative. Thank you again for your continued efforts towards making communities safe, healthy, and sustainable.

Sincerely,

Larry Cohen
Executive Director

Appendix J: Hearing participant invitation letter

March 23, 2001

Dear Participant,

I am writing to invite your participation and/or testimony at a Shifting the Focus hearing on Thursday, April 12, 2001 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Preservation Park, 1204 Preservation Park Way in Oakland. Under the leadership of Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Secretary of Health and Human Services Grantland Johnson, Shifting the Focus brings together over 30 California State government agencies and departments to advance violence prevention outcomes. As such, this collaborative effort strives to support and strengthen safe, healthy, and sustainable communities.

A guiding principle of Shifting the Focus is to learn from local practitioners and decision makers. The goal of the hearing is to learn which State organizational practices are working well and which need improvement to strengthen your violence prevention efforts. Specifically, the State is interested in your experiences with State policies, methods, and programs in violence prevention, including issues of state funding, grant requirements, state-sponsored training and technical assistance, and data requirements. Findings from this and other hearings will be synthesized into a report for the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services. This report will serve as a blueprint in the State's efforts to reengineer government practices and policies into a broader service orientation for communities.

The East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership is hosting this event. Representatives from California's Office of the Attorney General, the Health and Human Services Agency, and other state agencies will serve on a panel to hear from participants. The hearing will begin with opening remarks, followed by time-limited testimony from local violence prevention practitioners and decisions makers such as yourself. Testimony will be limited to no more than 5 minutes. After formal testimony has been presented, there will also be a session for more general comments from participants.

Testimony and general comments should focus on specific features of State departments and agencies to be improved or strengthened. Shifting the Focus would like you to address one or more of the following questions:

• Based on your experience, which State policies, programs, and practices support local violence prevention outcomes?
• Which State policies, practices, or programs serve as barriers to local violence prevention success? Please consider the following areas: funding, training, data, technical assistance, coalitions, evaluation, access to information, as well as any additional issues you feel are important.
• How have you solved problems that you have encountered at the State level?
• What changes would you recommend to the State to better support local violence prevention efforts and goals?

I have included a set of materials on Shifting the Focus as background for the hearing. Also included is a Shifting the Focus survey. Please use this as a guide as you prepare for the hearing. Please return the attached form by mail or fax: 510-528-4459, or contact Shailushi Baxi by phone: 510-528-4482, or e-mail: shailushi@63.134.213.124 by April 5th to let us know whether or not you will attend, or to ask any questions you have. Please specify whether you will present formal testimony or attend as a general participant. If you would like to invite a colleague or staff member to attend with you, please feel free to do so. Additionally, if you are unable to attend and know of someone who is interested in attending the hearing and/or presenting testimony, please feel free to pass along the invitation and Shifting the Focus background materials. If you are unable to attend, please consider submitting written comments or a completed survey to Ms. Baxi at the contact information above.

I hope you will participate in this event; your participation will be very valuable in this process.

Sincerely,

Larry Cohen
Executive Director

Appendix K: Sample participant thank you letter

April 20, 2001

Dear Participant,

On behalf of the Shifting the Focus membership and the Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles, I would like to thank you for taking the time to participate in the hearing on March 9, 2001.

Your input was very valuable in helping us better understand what is needed from the State to better support local violence prevention efforts. As you know, we will be incorporating suggestions and feedback from the Los Angeles hearing into a report for the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services. This report will provide recommendations to the State to reengineer government practices and policies to better serve communities and local practitioners. We anticipate that this report will be available on our website after June 30, 2001 and we hope to mail you a report summary as well.

In the meantime, we continue to collect information from violence prevention practitioners across the State. If you would like to provide additional information, please complete the Shifting the Focus survey, which can be downloaded from our website, or send a copy of your testimony or other written comments to Shailushi Baxi at the address below or fax to 510-528-4459 by May 15, 2001.

Thank you again for your participation in the hearing and for your continued efforts towards making your community safe, healthy, and sustainable.

Sincerely,

Larry Cohen
Executive Director

Appendix L: Sample hearing agenda

Shifting the Focus

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Advancing Violence Prevention

Redding Hearing: Advancing Local Violence Prevention Outcomes

March 29, 2001
1:00 pm- 4:00 pm
Redding School District Office
5885 Bonneyview Road, Redding

1. Welcome (Tom Omara) (1:00-1:05)

2. Introductions (Rachel Davis) (1:00-1:15)

3. Shifting the Focus Overview and Presentation (Rachel Davis) (1:15-1:35); Brief Q&A on Shifting the Focus methodology and goals as they relate to local hearings (1:35-1:45)

4. Presentation of Testimony (1:15-3:45)
(Please sign up if you do not have a scheduled time)

5. Facilitated Discussion (time permitting)

6. Final Comments / Close (3:45-4:00)

Appendix M: Shifting the Focus Survey

Shifting the Focus brings together over 30 state agencies and departments, including health, education, and justice, to forge an interdisciplinary approach to preventing violence in California. Under the leadership of the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services, this effort strives to support and strengthen local violence prevention efforts.

A key principle of Shifting the Focus is to learn from local violence prevention practitioners, advocates, and decision makers. The goal of this survey is to identify the ways in which the State can improve its way of doing business to support and strengthen local violence prevention efforts.

1. Which of the following best describes your affiliation? (Please check one)
_ Education
_ Community Based Organization
_ Social services
_ Health department
_ Municipal government
_ Law enforcement
_ County Government
_ Business
_ Faith community
_ Grassroots Organizer
_ Medical/Hospital
_ Public Safety (EMS/ First response team)
_ Probation/Justice
_ Other: ___________________________

2. County in which you work: __________________________

3. Please name the three state programs that you work with most in regards to your local violence prevention efforts and the department that administers that program.

4. How many state-required coalitions, related to violence prevention, are you involved in?

5. We are trying to identify successful local coalitions and the elements of those coalitions that make them successful. Our goal is to incorporate these elements into our state practices. If there is a local coalition that you find successful, please indicate the name of the coalition and the particular methods, approaches, or structures that are critical to its success.

a) Coalition name: ________________________________________________

b) What elements of the coalition above are critical to its success? (please check all that apply)
_ Information sharing
_ Leadership
_ Diversity of membership
_ Community partners
_ Facilitation
_ Leveraging power of collective/group
_ Other: ___________________________

6. We would like to identify the state practices, policies, and programs that significantly impact local violence prevention efforts and goals in California. In each of the categories listed below, please check all that apply.

Data

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding data working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding data?
_ Confidentiality
_ Funding for data collection
_ Ease of collection
_ Access to necessary technology
_ Waivers to meet local needs
_ Relevance to local needs
_ Requirements
    _ Compatibility of data sets
    _ Appropriate reporting categories
_ Other ________________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding data?
_ Confidentiality limitations
_ Lack of funding for collection
_ Access to relevant data
_ Lack of access to necessary technology
_ No waivers to meet local needs
_ Relevance to local needs
_ Requirements
    _ Compatibility of data sets
    _ Different requirements per agency/department
    _ Multiple reporting categories
_ Other ______________________________

Technical Assistance

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding state-sponsored technical assistance working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding state-sponsored technical assistance?
_ Availability
_ Appropriateness
_ Expertise of providers
_ Adequate follow through
_ Other _________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding state-sponsored technical assistance?
_ Availability
_ Appropriateness
_ Expertise of providers
_ Inadequate follow through
_ Other _________________________

Funding (including competition, duration of grants, etc.)

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding funding working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding funding?
_ Length of funding (short/long)
_ Proscribed uses for monies
_ Competition for monies
_ Amount of monies provided
_ Requirements for grant applications
_ Flexibility to meet local needs
_ Knowledge of available funding
_ Support to apply for funding
_ Other __________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding funding?
_ Length of funding (short/ long)
_ Proscribed uses for monies
_ Competition for monies
_ Amount of monies provided
_ Requirements for grant applications
_ Flexibility to meet local needs
_ Knowledge of available funding
_ Support to apply for funding
_ Other ____________________________

Access to Information (regarding best practices, funding, etc.)

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding access to information working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding access to information?
_ Sources of information (variety, number)
_ Ease of access
_ Knowledge about where to obtain information
_ Active dissemination of information (via flyers, websites, etc)
_ Other _________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding access to information?
_ Sources of information (variety, number)
_ Access difficult
_ Lack of knowledge about where to obtain information
_ Dissemination of information (via flyers, websites, etc.)
_ Other __________________________

Coalitions

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding coalitions working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding coalitions?
_ Requirements to receive funding
_ Funding for coalition activities
_ Management and leadership
_ Accountability
_ State participation
_ Waivers to meet local needs
_ Other ___________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding coalitions?
_ Requirements to receive funding
_ Funding for coalition activities
_ Management and leadership
_ Accountability
_ State participation
_ Waivers to meet local needs
_ Other ____________________________

Evaluation

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding evaluation working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding evaluation?
_ Funding
_ Procedures to meet local needs
_ Relevance to community needs
_ Access to data
_ Appropriate methods/measures
_ Technical assistance/training
_ Standards for evaluation outcomes
_ Access to necessary technology/software
_ Other _____________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding evaluation?
_ Funding
_ Procedures to meet local needs
_ Not relevant to community needs
_ Access to data
_ Inappropriate methods/measures
_ Technical assistance/training
_ Standards for evaluation outcomes
_ Access to necessary technology/software
_ Other _______________________________

Training

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding training working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding training?
_ Availability of trainers
_ Appropriateness
_ Expertise/ content
_ Funding for trainers
_ Funding for participants
_ Relevance to local needs
_ Other ____________________________

c) What problems have you encountered regarding training?
_ Availability of trainers
_ Appropriateness
_ Lack of expertise/ content
_ Lack of funding for trainers
_ Lack of funding for participants
_ Not relevant to local needs
_ Other ____________________________

Other (specify) __________________________

a) How well are state practices, policies, and programs regarding this issue working in regards to local violence prevention efforts? Rate on a scale of 1 (significantly inhibit) to 6 significantly strengthen), or check "Don't know/not applicable."

b) What has helped your local efforts regarding the area you mentioned above?

c) What problems have you encountered regarding the area you mentioned above?

7. Of the 8 categories listed below, please list the top three areas which you feel must be addressed at the State level to ensure local success on violence prevention efforts. (1= highest; 3= lowest)

___ Data
___ Technical Assistance
___ Funding
___ Coalitions
___ Access to Information
___ Evaluation
___ Training
___ Other (specify) ___________________

8. Our goal is to identify the ways in which the state can better assist you in achieving your local violence prevention goals. If you have any additional things you would like to share or any detail you would like to add to the information you provided above, please do so here.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with this valuable information.

Appendix N: List of Hearing Participants

Mr. Ove Wittstock
Berkeley Boosters/ Berkeley PAL
Berkeley

Dr. Camille Marden
SRI International
Menlo Park

Mr. Martin Jacks
The Mentoring Center
Oakland

Dr. Jogi Khanna
Alameda Public Health Dept.
Oakland

Ms. Miriam Rheiv
Alameda Public Health Dept.
Oakland

Ms. Kay Adams
Alameda Public Health Dept.
Oakland

Ms. Toni Guy
Contra Costa Health Services
Martinez

Ms. Bahati Banks
i.e. communications
San Francisco

Ms. Jessica Rothhaar
i.e. communications
San Francisco

Ms. Quanemen Wessi
Alameda Public Health Dept.
Oakland

Ms. Debbie Arthur
Berkeley Public Health Dept.
Berkeley

Ms. Deane Calhoun
Youth Alive!
Oakland

Mr. Jeff Fostor
Shasta Co. Sheriff's Org.
Redding

Mr. Jim Holdridge
PlusONE
Redding

Ms. Betty Futrell
Shasta Co. Child Abuse Prev.
Redding

Ms. Regina Lane
SUHSD
Redding

Ms. Sheila Miller
Shasta Co. Office of Ed.
Redding

Ms. Pete Seiler
Shasta COE
Redding

Ms. Rosemary Keelaz
Anderson High School STAND
Anderson

Mr. Patrick Moriarty
Health Improvement Partnership
Redding

Ms. Diane Gerard
JJ/DPC; COE
Redding

Mr. Scott McGregor
District Attorney
Redding

Mr. Renny Noll
Shasta Co. Probation
Redding

Mr. Andrew Dechert
Shasta Co. Public Health
Redding

Ms. Carla Alexander
NVCSS
Redding

Ms. Mary Stegall
Women's Refuge
Redding

Ms. Lorraine Dechter
KPFR/KCHO
Redding

Ms. Judy Menoher
Redding School District
Redding

Mr. Gilbert Salinas
Los Angeles Teens on Target
Downey

Mr. Bernardo Rosas
Pomona Community Wellness Partnership
Pomona

Dr. Paul Juarez
White Memorial Medical Center
Los Angeles

Mr. Jeff Cressy
SCI Project/Rancho Los Amigos Hospital
Downey

Mr. Charles Blek
Orange County Citizens for Prevention of Gun Violence
Laguna Hills

Rev. Ronnie Lilly
Central Baptist Church
Inglewood

Ms. Connie Watson
People Who Care Youth Center
Los Angeles

Ms. Nancy Wileman, MA, MFCC, CADC
Didi Hirch Community Mental Health Center
Los Angeles

Mr. Lloyd Wilkey
Inglewood Coalition for Drug Violence Prevention
Inglewood

Ms. Alana Bowman
LA City Attorney
Los Angeles

Ms. Betsy Lindsey
LA County Housing Authority
Monterey Park

Ms. Debra Lamana
Community Health Councils, Inc.
Los Angeles

Ms. Ella Lane
CASHE
Orange

Ms. Gloria Stevenson-Clark
City of LA Comm. Development Dept.
Los Angeles

Mr. Gus Frias
LA COE
Los Angeles

Mr. Jerry Factor
VPC
Beverly Hills

Ms. Maria Badrakhan
Comm. Development Commission
Monterey Park

Ms. Pamela Booth
LA DA
Los Angeles

Mr. Randal Henry
LASDHS-SPA 5
Santa Monica

Ms. Shirley D'Angelo
Community College Foundation
Sherman Oaks

Ms. Lesley Curry
Chico Police Department
Chico

Ms. Trish Beckman
Chico Police Department
Chico

Ms. Robin Parlow
UC Davis Police Department
Davis

Ms. Tawnya Bump
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Ms. Lynette Taylor
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Mr. Joseph Davis
Elk Grove Police Department
Elk Grove

Ms. Amanda Flaherty
Placer County Sheriff's Department
Auburn

Mr. Kurt McCray
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Ms. Rayann Van Schoescia
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Ms. Dena Erwin
Placer County Sheriff's Department
Auburn

Ms. Lynne Goodwin
Stockton Police Department
Stockton

Ms. Brenda Scott-Gordon
Stockton Police Department
Stockton

Ms. Kathy Maxwell
Calaveras County Sheriff's Department
San Andreas

Ms. Mary Fuhs
Lodi Police Department
Lodi

Ms. Amy Weirich
West Sacramento Police Department
West Sacramento

Ms. Nora McDowell
West Sacramento Police Department
West Sacramento

Ms. Melissa Burns
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Ms. Kelly Rose
Sacramento Police Department
Sacramento

Ms. Patricia Miller
Stockton Police Department
Stockton

Appendix O: List of Counties Represented

Alameda
Contra Costa
Imperial
Los Angeles
Mendocino
Monterey
Orange
Riverside
Sacramento
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Clara
Shasta
Sonoma
Tulare
Yolo

Appendix P: Written Testimony from Hearing Participants

March 21, 2001

Shailushi Baxi
Program Coordinator, Prevention Institute
1181 Colusa Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707

Dear Shailushi,

I am adding the following comments to Molly Wilson's questionnaire to support the mission of Shifting the Focus. I may also want to offer them as testimony at the hearing if time allows.

Of the 47 groups and state agencies listed in the Shifting the Focus materials, many are involved at one level or another in grantmaking, and it is to this function that my comments are addressed, with the hope of avoiding duplication and increasing effectiveness.

I'm sure the testimony will show that the nature of violence prevention is multi-faceted, complex, and inter-related. The emphasis on collaboration demonstrates this. A few examples are:

• Gangs profit from drugs, and drugs affect schools and streets.
• Of the school shooters in Shasta County: 11/12 had significant domestic violence histories.
• Child and adult abuse, cruelty to animals, Safe From the Start issues all pertains.

Also, violence issues are different from place to place. Glenn County has a significant gang problem at this time, while Shasta is most concerned with school threats, domestic violence and drugs. Therefore, as regards grants and programs, one size doesn't fit all, and it is difficult for state agencies to monitor each locality.

Most, if not all new grants agencies require collaboration on the local level. There is a high level of collaboration locally, things like HIP (Health Improvement Partnership) and CYA Youth Center grant (21 agencies collaborated) show this.

My question/suggestion is, "What about collaboration at the State level?" If the state agencies recognize that the problems are interrelated and complex, I have a specific suggestion: that these agencies decide how much money they have for violence prevention activities in Shasta County, put it in one pot, and have the Board of Supervisors or some other board hear presentations once/year, and divide the money.

There would be some significant benefit for service delivery by such a proposal. In the current situation, individual RFA/RFP's from many of these 47 organizations are issued. The response is a number of grant applications from Shasta County, each taking a lot of time and labor. One recent OCJP grant was 110 pages, mandated (in order to compete), not optional. Local organizations have to tweak their operations to fit the grant ("Do we need to revise our mission statement?"). If you have 5 or 10 or 20 applications being submitted per county, there is a potentially large savings and improved service if this non-productive activity were eliminated.

We have been successful in gang prevention because we have collaborated, and perhaps it is time (as suggested by the Shifting the Focus literature) for the state to do the same. While such a suggestion may result in a loss of power and control at the state level, the benefits in efficiency and service delivery far outweigh the loss, and perhaps there are ways that the granting agencies can do things (such as evaluation and monitoring) which would be a fair exchange regarding preservation of control.

I have heard parts of this idea verbalized by many of my colleagues, both in the public and private sector. Just as folks at the state level don't like getting money with federal strings attached, the same is true from state to locals. Perhaps Shifting the Focus can achieve some meaningful, outside-the-box change which will dramatically improve the way the money is distributed for violence prevention.

Sincerely,

Tom O'Mara
Executive Director

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