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Time to Register! CPOC & CPOC Foundation Statewide Conference 2024
Supporting Excellence in California Probation: Strategies for Success Conference
CPOC and CPOC Foundation are thrilled to announce the opening of registration for our upcoming statewide conference, Supporting Excellence in California Probation: Strategies for Success! This transformative training event aims to educate and elevate probation professionals throughout California, providing attendees opportunities to expand their knowledge, skills, and tools to enhance their probation work across the state.
The conference will delve into various topics, focusing on key areas of probation’s work, including:
- Support for foster youth in the juvenile justice system
- The juvenile justice continuum, including SB 823 implementation
- Working with adults in the justice system including: reentry, supervision, and connections to services
- Pretrial programs and services
Join us in Anaheim for this one-of-a-kind conference!
Dates: June 24-26, 2024
Conference Registration: Register HERE
Cost: $575 ($356.25 STC reimbursable)
Hotel Information – book your room today and save!
Anaheim Marriott
700 W Convention Way
Anaheim, CA 92802
Link to Reserve Room: Reserve HERE
Discounted Room Rate: $209 a night (not including local/state tax or fees)
The deadline to book under the discounted conference rate is June 2, 2024. Save money by booking your hotel stay today to take advantage of the discounted rate.
Schedule of Events
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Sunday, June 23, 2024 |
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
Welcome Reception (TBD) |
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Monday, June 24, 2024 |
8:00 am – 4:30 pm |
General Sessions, Breakouts, Exhibitor Hall |
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Tuesday, June 25, 2024 |
8:00 am – 4:30 pm |
General Sessions, Breakouts, Exhibitor Hall |
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Wednesday, June 26, 2024 |
8:00 am – 12:00 pm |
General Sessions |
STC’s pending approval for 19 STC hours
For more information contact please contact conference@cpoc.org.
The Connector Newsletter – March 2026
California Probation Creating Safer Communities Through Accountability & Opportunity
In this issue of The Connector, read stories of hope and inspiration of how California Probation is helping create safer communities by focusing on holding justice-involved individuals accountable while helping them transition out of the system permanently through transformative and evidence-based rehabilitation. Probation Departments are a connector in the justice system, interlacing and maximizing the resources available within our systems and communities to reduce recidivism by carefully balancing direct human services and research-based interventions.
Paws, Purpose, and Possibility: Gigi Joins Monterey County Juvenile Hall
From Monterey County Probation and CPOC Staff.
SALINAS, Calif., – March 6, 2026 - Through a special partnership between the Monterey County Probation Department and UnChained, a new four-legged resident has joined the community at Juvenile Hall. Gigi, a lovable and eager-to-learn dog, now lives onsite where she is being cared for and trained by youth participating in the Canines Teaching Compassion Program.
This innovative partnership brings together rescue dogs and justice-involved youth in a structured, supportive environment designed to benefit both. While Gigi prepares for her eventual adoption into a loving home in the community, youth trainers live and work with her each day – helping to socialize her and teach the foundational skills she will need to thrive with a future family. Through daily routines that include feeding, grooming, exercise, and training using positive reinforcement, youth play a direct role in preparing Gigi for her own “re-entry” into a permanent home.
For the Monterey County Probation Department, programs like this reflect a broader commitment to rehabilitation, growth, and opportunity for the youth in its care.
San Francisco Probation Rolls Out Van for Unhoused in ‘High Poverty,’ ‘High Crime’ Areas
From Mission Local
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY, Calif. – February 28, 2026 – The San Francisco Adult Probation Department this week launched a mobile unit that will travel to “high-poverty and high-crime communities” across the city to reach people on probation in the streets.
Cristel Tullock, chief of the adult probation department, said the van will go to neighborhoods like the Mission, Tenderloin, and Bayview-Hunters Point, where probation staff will set up a table with chairs out front. Officers will circulate on bikes to tell those nearby that the van is in the area.
The unit aims to serve the roughly 15 percent of those on probation in the city who are experiencing housing instability, based on the most recent data shared by the probation department. The program will offer a variety of services, like connecting people to housing, job programs, therapy, education programs, and behavioral health services, among other resources.
Kern County Probation Department Welcomes K-9 Enzo
From KGET, Kern County Probation Socials, and CPOC Staff.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern County Probation Department has welcomed its newest, and furriest, team member.
Fighting Back Santa Maria is Expanding Its Youth Outreach, Including Focusing on Life After Incarceration
From the Santa Maria Sun.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – February 5, 2026 – Looking at Santa Barbara County’s probation routine for formerly incarcerated youth with a fresh pair of eyes, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley is also providing those juvenile offenders with a new face.
San Diego County Probation Program Helps People Stay on Track
From San Diego County News Center.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. – February 11, 2026 – San Diego County’s Probation Department reports its supportive approach is working, with most people under probation avoiding future problems—even after supervision ends.
Placer Law Enforcement Leaders Raise DUI Awareness Ahead of Super Bowl Weekend
From The Placer Sentinel
PLACER COUNTY, Calif., – Placer’s law enforcement agencies and many other partners reached out to students and the community with a hands-on DUI awareness event Feb. 5 at Sierra’s Rocklin campus to make clear the risk and how we can all enjoy the game safely.
Super Bowl Sunday ranks up there with New Year’s Eve and Memorial Day weekend for high numbers of impaired driving fatalities each year.
The Game Plan: Get Home Safe event featured remarks from Sierra College President Willy Duncan, Placer County Chief Probation Officer Brian Passenheim, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety Stephanie Dougherty, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire and MADD program specialist and victim impact speaker Shelby Batty.
Attendees were invited to take a field sobriety test wearing DUI goggles to simulate impairment. They also visited booths hosted by participating agencies where they learned about the safety and legal risks of driving while impaired and the importance of avoiding them by making transportation plans ahead of time.
Read the article here.
Los Angeles County Probation Mobile Resource Center Brings Services Into the Community
From Los Angeles County Probation and CPOC Staff
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – February 2, 2026 – Los Angeles County Probation continues to expand access to services through its Mobile Resource Center (MRC), bringing supervision, support, and community-based resources directly into neighborhoods across the county.
The MRC aims to alleviate clients’ transportation needs and concerns. Clients are invited to meet with their Probation Officers, mental health partners, substance abuse counselors, and many more service providers via the MRC without having to leave their neighborhood.
San Diego County Probation Youth and Officers Complete MLK 5K
From The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. – January 28, 2026 – Two young men from the Probation Youth Transition Campus ran along the Embarcadero as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. 5K Fun Run, with nearly 700 runners and four Probation officers.
The young men, both 18, are part of the Probation Youth Transition Campus Run Club….
San Diego County Probation’s Ride & Reflect Program Builds Focus
From County News Center.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. – January 11, 2026 – Teens at the Youth Transition Campus are taking part in Ride & Reflect program by cycling on stationary bikes and reflecting on the experience for better physical and mental health.
San Diego County Probation Brings Critical Resources Directly to the Community
From County of San Diego Communications Office and CPOC Staff.
San Diego County Probation is reaching beyond office walls and into local neighborhoods, bringing essential services to the people who need them most.
On September 24, 2025, San Diego County Probation hosted its first-ever Community Resource Fair in the South Bay at the Chula Vista Public Library, connecting residents with programs and support right where they live.
Probation department arrests felon on suspicion of having firearm, ammunition
From The Bakersfield Californian
KERN COUNTY, Calif. – January 23, 2026 – A man was arrested Wednesday in south Bakersfield on suspicion of being a felon with a firearm and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person.
The Kern County Probation Department reported officers conducted a home call at the home of Chaz Estephan Calvillo in the 3500 block of Truman Avenue. It said Calvillo is on probation.
During a search of the property, it said, officers found five semi-automatic handguns, four rifles, a shotgun and ammunition of various calibers.
Read article here.
Fewer Homicides, Harder Math for Mendocino County Public Safety
From Mendo Local
MENDOCINO, Calif. – January 13, 2026 – Addressing the board of supervisors on Tuesday, a panel of county public safety leaders said the challenges they face are increasingly driven by state policy decisions that shift responsibility to counties without adequate funding. From Proposition 36 to juvenile justice reforms and pretrial requirements, officials said Mendocino County is absorbing new duties and liabilities while operating with flat staffing levels and uncertain revenue, complicating efforts to reduce crime and recidivism.
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Chief Probation Officer Izen Locatelli described mounting impacts from state reforms affecting juvenile justice, probation supervision, and pretrial services. Locatelli said probation has conducted more than 100 assessments under Proposition 36 but emphasized the lack of funding and accountability mechanisms.
The purpose of the assessments is to determine whether a person convicted of drug possession is eligible for mandatory drug or mental health treatment instead of incarceration, with successful completion of treatment leading to a dismissal of the case.
“This was an unfunded mandate with no implementation plan,” Locatelli said. He also warned that recent state laws limiting probation terms and closing state youth facilities have shifted costs and responsibility to counties without adequate reimbursement.
“Essentially no youth can be on probation for longer than 12 months,” Locatelli explained. “Doesn’t matter what the crime is. The only way to do that is to have a judge make a finding that it’s in the best interest of the public and the youth to continue after a year.”
Locatelli reported that the county’s pretrial monitoring program continues to show positive outcomes, with about 80% of monitored individuals appearing for court and 70% avoiding new criminal charges while awaiting trial.
Governor’s Proposed 2026–2027 Budget Again Fails to Fund Voter-Approved Proposition 36
Joint Statement from California District Attorneys Association, California State Sheriffs’ Association & Chief Probation Officers of California
Sacramento, CA (January 9, 2026) – The California District Attorneys Association, California State Sheriffs’ Association, and the Chief Probation Officers of California released the following joint statement in response to Governor Newsom’s proposed 2026-2027 budget.
“For the second year in a row, the Governor’s budget fails to provide the funding counties need to implement Proposition 36 as voters intended. Californians in all 58 counties overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36 to restore real accountability for serial retail thieves and hard-drug trafficking offenders, paired with court-supervised treatment that is proven to work.
Without adequate resources, law enforcement, prosecutors, and probation officers are left with our hands tied – unable to fully carry out the law and deliver the results Californians demanded at the ballot box.
Proposition 36 provides a proven framework to hold people accountable, direct them into treatment, reduce repeat crime, and help individuals rehabilitate, reunite with their families, and move forward. Counties stand ready to continue the implementation of this model, but it cannot succeed without the funding required to make it work.
California voters were clear. The state has an obligation to fully fund and implement the law they passed, and we look forward to working with the California State Legislature to ensure constituents have their voices heard.”
Sandra Mendez Named New Santa Cruz County Probation Chief
From Santa Cruz Sentinel.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — December 31, 2025 — …Santa Cruz County has found the next leader of its Probation Department.
The county announced Monday that Sandra Mendez, a law enforcement professional with more than two decades of experience, had been selected as the new chief of probation. Her first day on the job will be Feb. 2.
“Sandra brings the right combination of experience, integrity, and vision,” said county Executive Officer Nicole Coburn in the release. “Her background positions her well to lead the department into its next chapter while maintaining a strong focus on public safety, rehabilitation, and staff support.”
County of Santa Barbara Probation Department Launches Countywide Holiday Juvenile Wellness Operation
From the Santa Barbara County.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – December 25, 2025 – On December 15, 18, and 19, 2025, the County of Santa Barbara Probation Department conducted countywide wellness checks of youth under its supervision to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both the youth and their families….
“Our Holiday Wellness Operation provide an opportunity to support the youth we supervise and their families throughout the County,” said Chief Probation Officer Holly Benton. “These wellness checks reinforce our ongoing efforts to connect families with the resources they need to thrive while promoting stability and overall success,” she said.
Yolo County Probation Department volunteer recognized with statewide award
From the Daily Democrat.
Michael Finnegan, a dedicated community volunteer serving the Yolo County Probation Department, was honored at the 2025 Annual Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) Awards Ceremony with the esteemed Tim Fitzharris Award.
According to a local press release, the award recognizes a non-probation professional who has made an extraordinary contribution to community corrections, celebrating individuals whose work has profoundly impacted people in the justice system, communities, and systems of care.
“For the past 18 months, Michael has shown an unwavering commitment to supporting our unhoused clients with compassion and dignity,” stated Chief Probation Officer of Yolo County, Chief Rachelle Gayton. “His generosity and dedication have strengthened our ability to connect and enhance stability with those who need it most.”
Kern County Probation Office is Rebuilding Families One Participant at a Time
From 23 ABC Bakersfield.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Here in Kern County, redemption is taking center stage. Participants in an intensive rehab program are marking the holidays surrounded by loved ones and allies who refuse to give up on them. This annual celebration is a powerful statement: no matter your past, its never to late to rewrite your future.
Probation in Action: San Bernardino County Officers Strengthen Community Well-Being Through Operation Holiday Cheer
The San Bernardino County Probation Department’s Homeless Outreach Unit embodied the true spirit of community service this season through Operation Holiday Cheer, an initiative focused on extending compassion, resources, and human connection to people experiencing homelessness.
