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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for

Community-wide Violence Reduction

2010-2012

Photo courtesy of Scott MacDonald, The Salinas Californian

Contact: Georgina B.

Mendoza City of 

Salinas

Sr. Deputy City Attorney and CASP Program Director

200 Lincoln Ave. Salinas, 

California 93901

831-758-7256
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The development of the Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction, 

otherwise referred to as the Comprehensive Plan, is the result of a united effort by a multidisciplinary sub-committee of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP). We appreciate 

the dedication of those who contributed to this endeavor:

Georgina Mendoza, Esq. (Chair) City of Salinas 

Wendy Root-Askew Monterey County Board of Supervisors 

Spencer Critchely Consultant (Pro bono) 

Sylvia Perez City of Salinas/ Resident 

Pastor Frank Gomez Faith Community 

Brian Contreras 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services, Salinas 

Sonja Koehler Consultant (Pro bono) 

Linda McGlone Monterey County Health Department 

Kelly McMillin Salinas Police Department 

Charlotte Noyes United Way Monterey County 

Judge Jonathan Price Monterey County Superior Court, retired (Juvenile Division) 

Robert Reyes Monterey County Probation Department 

Rosemary Soto Monterey County Health Department, Behavioral Health Division 

Kristan Lundquist City of Salinas 

Kim Stemler First 5 Monterey County 

Tim Vanoli Salinas Union High School District 

Gary Vincent Monterey County Office of Education, Alternative Education 

Antonia Herrera CASP Program Manager, City of Salinas

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Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................4

I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 5

II BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................ 6

A. Single Operational Structure ........................................................................................... 6

B. Data-Driven Action............................................................................................................ 8

C. Youth at the Center .......................................................................................................... 10

D. Deep and Meaningful Community Engagement ........................................................ 11

III. PROBLEM STATEMENT............................................................................................................ 12

A. Social and Economic Conditions .................................................................................. 13

B. Engaging and Supervising Youth ................................................................................... 14

C. Environmental Design & Urban Planning .................................................................. 15

D. Law Enforcement ............................................................................................................. 15

E. Education and Schools..................................................................................................... 15

F. Impact of Drugs and Alcohol ......................................................................................... 16

IV. COURSE OF ACTION TOWARDS SUCCESS......................................................................... 16

A. Vision ................................................................................................................................ 16

B. Mission ............................................................................................................................... 16

C. Goals and Objectives........................................................................................................ 16

D. Social Factors ...................................................................................................................26

V. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION PLAN ................................................................................28

VI. INPUTS/ EVALUATION PROCESS .........................................................................................29

A.Evaluation Tools ................................................................................................................29

B.The Evaluation Plan ...........................................................................................................29

VII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 31

ADDENDUM I – Additional Objectives and Strategies Under Consideration for the Long Term.......33

ADDENDUM II – CASP Steering Committee..............................................................................................34

ADDENDUM III – Community-based organizations in CASP collaborative.........................................43

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The City of Salinas has experienced extraordinary levels of youth violence over the last few years. 

Core stakeholders have been working for the last 18 months through the Community Alliance for 

Safety and Peace (CASP) to assemble in a collaborative those who are able and willing to address this 

community-wide issue and to develop a comprehensive strategy for a community-wide reduction in 

violence.

Current research, supported by the experience of communities that have successfully reduced 

violence, shows that a violence reduction program must simultaneously bring together efforts in 

Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement and Re-Entry. The key to making those efforts effective is the 

strategy that coordinates them.

This document presents the details of our strategy, which is based on four key principles:

1. A single operational structure that manages action and progress.

2. Action is research and data-driven.

3. The youth are at the center.

4. There is deep and meaningful engagement with the community.

1. Single operational structure. There are several organizations addressing violence in the City of 

Salinas and Monterey County from various directions, including law enforcement, education, job 

training, family counseling, substance abuse treatment, recreational activities, mentoring and more. 

However, there is no one single entity that is responsible for or fully equipped for coordinating those 

efforts and whose central mission is to mobilize a multidisciplinary leadership team to assess, plan, 

and implement effective strategies, and share resources to build, support and sustain a peaceful 

community. To reach this new level of coordination, a governance study group is exploring 

governance and management models that will address this issue. The goal of this study group is to 

create and implement an operational structure at both the technical and policy levels, that tracks plan 

progress and that serves as the integrator of the work in a coordinated fashion.

2. Data-driven action. There are not sufficient resources to deliver services in equal measure to all 

people who might benefit from them. But, by using data to target the resources we do have, we can 

allocate them in a manner that will produce the greatest benefit. The success of Operation Ceasefire is 

in part a testimony to the power of using data this way. Currently, the CASP member organizations 

maintain largely independent data systems. We can merge and share access to the relevant data (while 

preserving privacy and security) and use it to prioritize and tailor our actions. The Operation 

Ceasefire strategy is also an example of the success of using evidence-based programs, tailored for the 

specific needs of Salinas.

3. Youth at the center. The core client in addressing youth violence is the youth or young adult who is 

at risk of being a perpetrator or a victim of violence. The focus would also have to necessarily include 

services and resources for his/her family. In Salinas, this target population is relatively small, 

numbering in the low thousands. With modern data tools it is possible to build a profile of each client,

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prioritize based on risk, and configure wraparound, comprehensive services to match that youth’s 

needs rather than trying to draw clients in to receive their particular subset of services. For example, 

one youth may need family counseling and mentoring, while another needs substance abuse 

treatment. Data makes it possible to configure services appropriately, increasing the likelihood of 

success while also reducing overlap, waste or missed opportunities.

4. Deep and meaningful community engagement. Research and our own local experience show that 

solutions imposed from outside a community have little chance of lasting success. Community 

members must feel they own the solution and play an active role in it, or else temporary successes, 

such as have been experienced in the past, are likely to fade as soon as an extraordinary level of 

outside intervention is relaxed. We are designing this strategy, and will act on it, with community 

members as partners, not as passive recipients of services.

This measurable and achievable Comprehensive Plan for 2010-2012 represents the synthesis of data, 

community input, and the concerns of committed stakeholders. The document outlines both short 

and long-term goals, with timelines, and commitments from key persons and agencies at the 

community, city and county levels. It seeks to reflect the issues that have been identified by a broad 

cross-section of Salinas, delineates the elements of a strategic approach, and outlines the next steps 

necessary to move forward.

I. INTRODUCTION

The City of Salinas has been dealing with increasing gang violence for over 50 years. It has reached a 

critical level and impacts 100% of the Salinas community, be it by living near or with gang members 

or as businesses that are forced to deal with negative perceptions associated with the city. Further, 

violence is a public health issue that not only affects the individual, but the community as a whole. 

Violence is a major contributor to the deterioration of families and communities, and what is 

sometimes ignored is that it contributes to increases in health care costs, decreases in academic 

achievement, and inhibits economic development in stressed communities.

The Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) is a group of Salinas and County government, 

education and non-profit leaders who have teamed up to reduce gang violence and improve safety. 

CASP represents the merger of two like-minded organizations: the City of Salinas’ Community Safety 

Alliance and the Violence Prevention Subcommittee of the Monterey County Children’s Council. In 

January 2009, a multidisciplinary team of leaders from 30 organizations formed what is now the

CASP Steering Committee. The Steering Committee meets twice monthly to assess, plan, and 

implement effective strategies and share resources to build, support and sustain a peaceful 

community. CASP has become an effective resource for focusing youth violence prevention and 

intervention efforts that brings together elected officials, service organizations, workforce investment 

programs, housing officials, County health and human services officials, criminal justice and law 

enforcement officials, education leaders, business leaders, representatives of the faith community, as 

well as private funding organizations. The commitment and participation of CASP has been the 

leading factor in keeping Salinas focused on the priority of developing a strategic work plan aimed at

reducing gang and youth violence and building a “City of Peace.”

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

It is well understood that reducing gang violence is not a problem that can be resolved by stand-alone 

traditional law enforcement methods. The most proven and result-based gang reduction strategies 

have always included the entire Continuum of Safety: Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and ReEntry. The City of Salinas, in partnership with CASP and the community-at –large have embarked on 

the process of developing the Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence 

Reduction (“Comprehensive Plan”) for the period of 2010 – 2012.

The primary focus of the new Comprehensive Plan is to craft a bold vision supported by ambitious 

goals that positively impact not only community violence, but also improve overall quality of life as 

best identified by the impacted community. It is the City and CASP’s intent to create a shift in the 

community’s thinking and to show that there are viable alternatives to living in neighborhoods where 

gang violence is the norm. It incorporates stakeholder input to ensure that limited resources are 

effectively being deployed in the areas identified by the community as most necessary. The 

Comprehensive Plan incorporates smart strategies that interrupt acute violence, but at the same time 

addresses the factors that can lead to violence and that may prevent violence before it starts.

The development of this Comprehensive Plan has supported the solidification of working 

relationships among the public and private entities that are committed to the principles of CASP, 

which includes the following: Salinas Mayor and City Council, Salinas City Parks and Community 

Services Department, Salinas Police Department, Salinas City Code Enforcement Department, 

Monterey County Department of Social and Employment Services (including Workforce Programs 

and Child Welfare), Monterey County Health Department (including Behavioral Health and Public 

Health), Monterey County Probation Department, Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas 

Union High School District, as well as representatives from community based organizations (CBO) 

and faith based organizations (FBO), representatives from the City Attorney’s Office, and the 

Judiciary, and from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

The process undertaken to create this Comprehensive Plan has captured the voice of the larger 

community, those who are directly or indirectly receiving the services of CASP agencies. The 

development of this Plan will continue to engage the feedback from the community, their perceptions, 

and fears and ideas for solutions, while building on expertise of our service providers and utilizing 

evidence-based model practices to meet the needs as identified by the community. It is understood

that this must be a living, breathing document which must be flexible enough to change as the trends, 

patterns and identified issues change with time; continued meaningful community engagement is the 

only way to be successful in this endeavor. The Comprehensive Plan process of evaluating community 

feedback supported a greater understanding that a business as usual approach will not allow us to 

solve our problems.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Single Operational Structure

Although the majority of work done by CASP is “Salinas-centric,” many CASP partners represent 

jurisdictions other than the City of Salinas and have applied the collaborative principles of CASP

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towards violence prevention and intervention throughout Monterey County. As the County seat and 

the largest city in Monterey County (approximately 36% of the population reside in the city), Salinas 

is in a unique position to serve as the epicenter for positive transformation as it relates to youth and 

gang prevention and reduction in the County. Coordination of limited resources from all CASP 

partners are being strategically invested in the Salinas community with the intents to both serve as a

template for other communities within the County, and that its positive ripple effect is felt beyond the 

city’s geographical boundaries. CASP understands that Monterey County is a diverse and complex 

region with unique communities within whose main focus areas or priorities may not be the same as 

those in the City of Salinas and as such, each community should prepare its own residents 

empowerment by developing their particular community priorities. An important example of 

collaboration beyond city boundaries is CASP’s close relationship with the “4 Cities for Peace” 

collaborative that represents the four major cities in South Monterey County: Gonzales, Soledad, 

Greenfield and King City. Representatives from South County attend CASP meetings in Salinas and 

work closely with representatives from various entities, including but not limited to, Probation, City

of Salinas, Alternative Education (MCOE), Rancho Cielo, 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services

(Salinas), Behavioral Health, and Sun Street Centers.

Given the overlapping jurisdictions and the multiple agencies that have a stake and the ability to offer 

resources and expertise to address gang violence and its underlying causes, a clear organizational and 

governance structure is crucial to maximize our chances at success. In discussions with Congressman 

Sam Farr, it has become evident that a more structured governance approach is critical as we move 

forward with the implementation of both long and short term goals and strategies.

In April 2010, the Salinas City Council and Monterey County Board of Supervisors took action to 

form the Interagency Joint Governance Review committee (Interagency committee). The group 

consists of two Council members (including the Mayor), two Supervisors (including the Board Chair), 

the Superintendent of Schools, the District Attorney, two non-profit representatives, and a Juvenile 

court judge (ret.) who co-chairs CASP. A representative of Congressman Farr’s office is also invited to 

participate. Various organizational and governance structures have been reviewed by the committee 

and a recommendation for preferred options have been presented to the requisite agencies for formal 

approval and action. Upon review of different options, the Interagency Committee has chosen to

adopt a governance structure similar to the of the City of San Jose’s Mayor Gang Prevention Task 

Force, which is divided into two distinct teams: the Policy team and the Technical team. Process of 

development and subsequent implementation of the structure is on-going.

The Interagency committee has been guided by the following operational principles and core 

functions:

Operational Principles - Commitment to improving the well-being of children, youth and families;

collaboration; shared decision-making; shared resources; shared responsibility for meaningful

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

outcomes; data-driven decision-making; use of best practices; accountability and sustainability; 

appropriate representation from county-wide agencies; involvement of non-profit and community 

based organizations; and, cross agency strategies.

Core Functions - Policy development; implementation and advocacy; coordination; meaningful 

communication; research and analysis; design and incubation of innovative service delivery systems; 

resource development; and, funding.

B. Data-Driven Action

Data Review used to inform Comprehensive Plan – Local

Review of existing research and data about the community needs, best practices and evidence-based 

programs have assisted the City as it develops a Comprehensive Plan. The following sources were 

utilized to define the problem and relevant solutions in the development of this plan1

:

• Community Listening Sessions: Twenty- three sessions with Salinas residents, during April 

and May 2010 (see description above).

• Visual Logic Models that map root causes and possible solutions were brainstormed by the

Strategic Work Plan sub-committee for each critical point as identified by the community.

• The Monterey County’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and

Re-Entry Framework (2009) that stressed the importance of multi-faceted strategies similar

to OJJDP’s Comprehensive Gang Model that includes community mobilization, opportunities 

provisions, social intervention, suppression, and organizational change and development.

• “Understanding Environmental Factors that Affect Violence in Salinas, California” an 

unpublished thesis, created by professors and students from the Naval Postgraduate School 

(NPS) located in Monterey, California. This study points to key factors to reduce violence in 

Salinas that must be addressed for a higher probability of success. According to the NPS 

study, the five issues that will have the greatest impact on violence reduction are the 

following:

o Reduction of the unemployment rate 

o The number of vacant housing units 

o The high school dropout rate

o Increase the high school graduation rate

o Increase average daily attendance in schools

1 Other reports and plans studied and reviewed include the following: Youth in Focus – 2009 OET Youth Employment Research; Salinas 

Valley Economic Development Strategic Plan of 2009; Fresh opportunities in the new economy (2009) Rocky Mountain Institute report; 

Partners for Peace Framework for Violence Prevention – 2001; and, Violent Injury Prevention Partnership plan (1994).

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• The Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative, which is being funded by the California 

Endowment, has engaged significant community input and participation into prioritizing the 

needs of residents of East Salinas. This dynamic collaboration with the residents of the 

affected area identified 10 priority areas of their community, which included as top issues, 

community safety and reducing violence. Data from this community process has been used

as a basis for this comprehensive plan and it is expected that future collaboration and 

coordination with BHC will allow the mutual purpose of reducing violence and sustaining 

peace in Salinas.

Data Review used to inform Comprehensive Plan – Best Practices

Other organizations, entities and cities have had, and continue to have similar issues of youth and 

gang violence in their communities and have drafted processes and plans to address this problem. 

Those plans have demonstrated to be successful and sustainable, as such, the SWP sub-committee 

studied and incorporated key components of the following documents: the Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Continuum of Safety, which advocates for the necessity of 

Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and Re-Entry strategies; and the “Mayor’s Gang Prevention 

Task Force Strategic Work Plan: 2008-2011” used in the City of San Jose, California.

Futhermore, the SWP sub-committee reviewed existing gang and violence prevention models that 

currently are being used in our local area, those include the following: Monterey County Joint Gang 

Task Force; Monterey County Probation Silver Star Program; 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services; 

as well as suppression models such as Operation Ceasefire and Operation Knockout.

Ongoing use of Data in Implementation

Data must be used in new ways to most effectively leverage limited resources. As a result, in 

collaboration with CASP partners, the City of Salinas is leading an assessment of emerging data 

sharing technologies and business intelligence models that are relevant to youth violence prevention 

and intervention. To illustrate the importance of data and data sharing, consider the following: 

individual agencies use data to identify which youth and families to focus on for service delivery; 

students with low test scores receive extra instruction; patients with diabetes are eligible for chronic 

disease programs; and, law enforcement targets certain groups of offenders for programs like 

Operation Ceasefire. Coordinating these types of efforts is essential to ensure that those who can

most benefit from services receive those services. This requires the sharing of data between all entities 

involved. Additionally, the data collected and reviewed with the residents of the community is crucial 

for any comprehensive plan to be successful. The voice and action of the community are vital and 

must be leveraged and used to ensure sustainability.

Qualities of the Comprehensive Plan

It became apparent during the SWP sub-committee meetings that the final Comprehensive Plan, as is 

true of successful models that were examined, will need to be:

Transparent – The Plan must include measures of transparency and openness to the community, as

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

true partners, about the progress of the planning process.

Flexible and Scalable – The Plan must be designed so that it can respond to the changing dynamics of 

the gang activity, and the changing resources that are available to us. The plan must be designed in 

such a way that it can grow to support emerging needs, and used by neighboring jurisdictions 

throughout the County.

Coordinated – The Plan will utilize resources from a number of different agencies including the City, 

the County, the School System, CBOs and FBOs. The delivery of these resources must be coordinated 

so as to best meet the needs of the individual receiving services, as well as to ensure best use of 

limited resources.

Data Driven – The Plan will use data to most effectively leverage limited resources, and to best 

identify which kids and families to focus services on. Data will help redirect law enforcement’s 

attention during times and in areas where problems are likely to occur. Data will also enhance 

coordinated efforts between agencies and will be conducive to achieving desired outcomes.

Realistic yet Visionary - The Plan must recognize the realities and challenges facing our community 

(underlying causes of gang violence, limited resources, etc) yet envision and build towards a future of 

a peaceful community.

Evidence-Based - The Plan, while incorporating the feedback of the community, must be founded on 

proven, evidence-based models for addressing violence, especially gang-related violence. (e.g. Juvenile 

Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA), the city of San Jose Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, and 

UNITY Prevention)

Systemic - The Plan must focus on how to more effectively utilize the resources that we have and that 

we may expect to have in the future. We must consider how to invest additional resources in ways that 

build our capacity, infrastructure, and collaborative efforts.

C. Youth at the Center

Youth are at the heart of gang and youth violence as both perpetrators and victims. A recent study 

concluded that Monterey County ranked number one for youth homicide victimization in California 

and that its young people suffer nearly three times the overall state rate for the same age range.2 This

is especially alarming given that youth ages 19 and under, make up 35 percent (approximately 50,000) 

of the City of Salinas’ population. The average age for joining a gang is 12 to 14 years old;3 and with 

Salinas’ deeply entrenched gang structure that age may be even younger. The median age of homicide 

victims in 2009 was 20 years old. The median age for 2010 is trending even younger with the shooting 

death of a 14 and 15 year-old, and the unintended 6 year old victim earlier in the year. The death of a

teen is a great loss indeed, but an even greater loss when viewed in terms of years of life lost and the

2 California Department of Justice Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) released by Violence Policy Center. “Lost Youth: A County-byCounty Analysis of 2009 California Homicide Victims Ages 10 to 24,” unpublished.

3 Wyrick, Phelan. Gang Prevention: How to Make the “Front End” of Your Anti-Gang Effort Work. United States Attorney’s Bulletin, May

2006, Vol. 54, No. 3, pp.52-60.

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loss of future productivity. Youth engaging in gang violence start early on a path that leads to 

incarceration and for many, a life in and out of prison, which not only diminishes their future 

contributions, but incurs significant costs to society.

However, services directed solely at youth would not solve the problem of gang violence. To 

understand and address gang violence, youth must be seen in the center of a series of socio-ecological 

influences, expanding from their family, out to schools and to the larger community. Strategies must 

address youth and the larger influences surrounding the individual choices they make. The 

overarching strategies of Prevention, Intervention, Suppression, and Re-entry must be employed from 

the perspective of their influence on youth, even as they expand to the people and systems that 

surround youth. With youth at the center, this plan recognizes the importance of preventing gang 

violence, as much preferred to the costly challenges that intervention and rehabilitation present.

A number of youth-led movements have begun to surface in the last year and these individuals and 

groups need to be encouraged. From high school football team peace marches to students who stand 

on the corner with signs asking people to “honk for peace,” it’s these young leaders who can most 

affect change in their peers. Our youth are our future; their voice is powerful and their input and 

support of the Comprehensive Plan is critical to its success.

D. Deep and Meaningful Community Engagement

Community and key stakeholder involvement/input is essential to the accomplishment of this 

Comprehensive Plan. Without the participation, engagement, and buy-in from the community, the 

City and its CASP partners understand the creation of a Comprehensive Plan would be unsuccessful. 

Community involvement is critical throughout all stages of the Comprehensive Plan, from the initial 

building of the foundation, to providing input into the final draft. To that end, the CASP subcommittee embarked upon an extensive community outreach process, dubbed “listening sessions,” to 

capture the rich, diverse segments of our community. During the Community Involvement Process, 

CASP and key partners with strong roots and credibility in different neighborhoods facilitated 

discussions that answered six uniform, purposely open-ended questions:

1. What is happening and what are you seeing in your community?

2. What are some ideas, recommendations and possible solutions for our neighborhoods?

3. What new services do you need?

4. What positive things do you see in your community?

5. Who do you think are the leaders in your community?

6. What can you do to help prevent gang violence?

These same questions were asked throughout the City to groups ranging from middle and high school 

students to parent groups, senior citizens and neighborhood associations. The purpose of asking such 

open-ended questions was to encourage honest dialogue and have people share their thoughts

without feeling there was a “right answer” that was required from them. Twenty-three “listening

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

sessions” took place in April and May 2010 throughout the City in which more than 200 individuals 

participated.

The sub-committee also took into account the various other surveys and community meetings that 

were previously conducted by the City and its local partners in the last couple of years. These survey 

results serve as a basis for which to proceed strategically in terms of what areas in the City need to be 

engaged for the first time as opposed to other areas where successful engagement and information has 

been attained. Information attained by these surveys capture the voices of teachers (middle and high 

school); students (middle school, high school, junior college and alternative education); as well as 

unique young women’s’ perspective – just to name a few.

III. PROBLEM STATEMENT

According to local law enforcement, Monterey County has the estimated 5,000 certified and affiliated 

gang members, with approximately 3,000 of these living in the City of Salinas. There are 

approximately 71 gangs countywide, with 16 youth gangs and 2 prison gangs in Salinas. Monterey 

County has two California State Prisons, the Salinas Valley State Prison and the Correctional 

Training Facility. Both are approximately 30 miles south of Salinas, which contributes to local gang 

problems.

Gang associates and family members often to move to cities like Salinas to be close to incarcerated 

gang members. This has led to multigenerational and intergenerational sibling gang members in 

communities such as East Salinas. It should be further noted that gang recruitment begins with 

elementary school children. Gangs in Salinas align and indentify with either “Norteño” (Northerners, 

who identify with the color red) or “Sureño” (Southerners, who identify with the color blue), both of 

which are predominantly Hispanic gangs. Norteños and Sureños are rival gangs. The Nuestra Familia 

(NF), a notorious prison gang formed in the Correctional Training Facility in Monterey County in

the mid-60’s, controls Norteño gang activity. For many years, Salinas has been headquarters to the 

NF, which still has a strong influence on the criminal activities committed by gang members in the 

community. La Eme, or the Mexican Mafia, is the Southern prison gang and, similarly to the NF, 

dictates and directs the activity or Sureño street gang activity. Recent intelligence reports indicate an 

increase in Sureño gang members coming to Salinas from Southern California.

In 2006 through 2009, the number of gang-related murders increased from 4 to 29 in Salinas. A 

homicide is classified as gang-related based on investigators’ assessments that the suspect or victim 

were gang members, or that the nature of the crime is unique to and typical of gang activity. For the 

past 3 years, 91% of homicides in Salinas were gang-related.4

At a 2007 community forum in East Salinas, community members spoke about negative impact of 

gangs on their community. Many spoke of random acts of violence instilling a sense of fear in 

residents, who are reluctant to cooperate with police for fear of retaliation from gang members. Youth 

spoke of knowing at least 1 gang member in growing up in an area lacking in after-school activities. 

All agreed that there are not enough intervention services to contact youth and redirect them into

4 City of Salinas Police Department. 2009 Special Crime Report.

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positive alternatives to gangs (which indicates lack of important community protection factors: 

available recreation activities, opportunities for community participation, presence of caring, 

supportive adults in community). Youth mentioned being afraid to wear red or blue for fear of being 

mistaken for a gang member. In East Salinas alone, 68% of suspects of violent crime were 24 years 

and younger, 92% of the suspects were Hispanic, 66% of victims of male, 92% of victims were 

Hispanic, whereas 17.9% of victims were younger than 18 years of age –an incidence of about 4 per

1000 population under 18 years of age and 45% were 24 years of age and younger. This data points to 

the high risk of youth adults in victimization as well as close correlation with demographics of crime 

suspects.5

The six most significant problem areas contributing to gang violence in Salinas were identified in the 

community listening sessions, drawn from the California Endowment’s “Building Healthy 

Communities” Initiative process, from research, and through the Strategic Work Plan subcommittee’s development of logic models. The community’s observations and the logic models are 

remarkably consistent with the research on gang activity, especially as aggregated by the OJJDP and 

by the NPS thesis study cited above.6 The major goals were formulated to address the six critical 

problems, or “focus points,” as identified by the community. Those six critical focus points are: 1) 

social and economic conditions; 2) engaging and supervising youth; 3) environmental design and 

urban planning; 4) law enforcement; 5) education and schools; and, 6) the impact of drugs and 

alcohol.

A. Social and Economic Conditions

The community described a number of socio-economic factors that they believed are related to gang 

violence: Poverty, racism, homelessness, a bad economy, lack of funds for education, prostitution 

(including children), poor schools and teenage pregnancy. A review of the research done in this field 

supports the community’s recognition of these socio-economic factors. The OJJDP cites the 

prevalence of “economic deprivation” in a community as a risk factor for problem behavior and 

joining a gang. Poverty and higher unemployment are measurable indicators of poor economic 

conditions. 7 The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimated the child poverty rate for 

Monterey County to be 26.5% in 2009 –this compares to a statewide rate of 19.9% and a national rate 

of 20%. Monterey County’s unemployment rate also exceeds national and state averages –the 

unemployment rate for Monterey County was 11.9% in 2009, compared to a statewide rate of 11.3% 

and a national rate of 9.3%.

Malec (2006) recognizes the effect of cultural discrimination on Latino adolescents who “find 

themselves in a position of sociocultural disconnection, stranded between the traditional Latino 

culture and the dominant mainstream culture.”8 According to the 2010 Census, the Monterey County 

population is 55.4% Latino. The population of youth under 18 years of age in Monterey County who 

are Latino is 72.6%. In terms of housing, Clark and Onufer (2009) found that the number of vacant

5 Salinas Police Department Calendar Year 2008 Report Records on incidents involving personal crimes—felonies—in 93905.

6 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Model Programs Guide. http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/mpg/mpg_prevention_risk_

factors.aspx Accessed August 24, 2010.

7 Id.

8 Malec D. Transforming Latino Gang Violence in the United States. Peace Review, Volume 18, Issue 1 January 2006 , pages 81 – 89.

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housing units and housing units per capita were significantly correlated with increases in gang 

violence.9 Problems in neighborhood schools, such as low achievement and inadequate school climate 

also increase the risk of gang involvement. California Department of Education data on school 

achievement from 2008-2009 reflects the challenges for school achievement experienced in Salinas— 

the table below includes the percent of students in the Salinas Union High School District who 

scoring at proficient or advanced levels on California Standards Test. It should be noted that many of

these challenges are the direct result of the broader social and economic context experienced by youth

in the community.

CST-Percent of Students Scoring at Proficient or Advanced Salinas Union

High School District, 2008-09

Subject District State

English-Language Arts 33% 50%

Mathematics 19% 46%

Science 45% 50%

History – Social Science 28% 41%

Source: California Department of Education: Evaluation, Research, and Analysis Office (2008-09

SARC Research Files)

Teen parenthood and sexual activity at the individual level are both risk factors associated with gang 

affiliation. In 2009, close to 12% of all births in Monterey County were of mothers ages 14-19 years 

old.10 Further, according to the California Department of Public Health Monterey County’s 2007-

2009 three year average teen birth rate was 54.8 per 1000 females, compared to a statewide rate of 32.1 

per 1,000 females.

B. Engaging and Supervising Youth

Unsupervised and disengaged youth contributes to gang violence in a number of ways. Both the 

community residents and the research recognize that a lack of out-of-school activities and family 

problems result in more unsupervised and disengaged youth. Research suggests that high school 

students who spend more unstructured time, hanging out with peers, and frequently in the absence

of parental or adult supervision, are more likely to engage in criminal behavior.11 Use of a logic model 

identified a number of family problems that contributed to gang involvement in Salinas: parents not

at home to supervise their children, a lack of parenting skills, violence in the home, generational gang 

involvement, parents’ alcohol and drug use and limited access to services as a result of being 

undocumented. These family risk factors are broadly recognized by OJJDP in their Model Programs

Guide.6

9 Clarke JA and Onufer TL. “Understanding Environmental Factors That Affect Violence In Salinas, California.” (unpublished thesis) Naval

Postgraduate School Monterey CA.

10 “2009 Monterey County Birth Outcomes” Report, Monterey County Health Department Public Health Bureau, Epidemiology and

Evaluation Unit, June 2010, page 3.

11 Newman, SA, Fox, JA, Flynn, EA, Christeson, W, America’s After-School Choice: The Prime Time for Juvenile Crime or Youth Enrichment 

and Achievement, Washington DC 2000.

14
2010-2012

C. Environmental Design & Urban Planning

Environmental design and urban planning influence gang violence. Community participants referred 

to blighted conditions including unsafe buildings, empty lots and abandoned homes. The lack of

street lighting has been cited by residents in several surveys, most notably one administered by 

Neighbors United, a grass-root organization, at neighborhood block parties. East Salinas is an area of 

very high density, with little green space, which may also increase rates of violence. The logic model 

developed by the Strategic Work Plan sub-committee noted that retail access to guns, alcohol and 

gang paraphernalia contributed to a more violent community. OJJDP recognizes a number of similar 

community risk factors, including availability of alcohol, drugs, firearms; and physical conditions 

such as poor external appearance of housing, code violations, blight, vandalism and graffiti.

D. Law Enforcement

The community expressed a need for more peace officers, along with improvements in the quality of 

policing. Comments regarding the quality of policing identified a perceived need for more ethical, 

trustworthy and respectful officers. Community policing was also cited as a strategy effective in gang 

violence prevention. The logic model process highlighted a lack of positive community relationships 

with law enforcement. Distrustful relationships result in an unwillingness to provide information 

necessary to solve crimes. The SWP sub-committee discussed issues with police response, linking it 

to out-of-date technology, understaffing and deployment strategies that are not data-driven. The 

online City-data.com lists Salinas as having 1.23 full-time police officer per 1000 residents in 2008, 

compared to a California average of 2.56 officers per 1000.12 The local newspaper, The Salinas 

Californian, reported that Salinas’ officer-to-resident ratio remains the second lowest in the county of 

Monterey.13 Trust and partnership between law enforcement and the community is critical to reach 

the vision of a City at Peace, given the history of and present state of the gang and youth violence 

problem in Salinas.

E. Education and Schools

Participants in community listening sessions frequently mentioned the need to improve education 

and schools. Comments included the need for more schools, including college preparatory programs 

and adult schools. The community also stressed the need for safer schools, more school resource 

officers and more campus probation staff. However, one of the most frequently mentioned topics was 

the need for parental education; parents wonder what is expected of them in the educational process 

and wanted more information for topics such as their child’s education rights, explanation of various 

State-mandated testing requirements and clarification of graduation requirements. They also 

expressed their interest to increase their involvement in this process. They stressed the need for 

schools to be used as “community hubs/centers” utilizing the facilities for community-organized 

events. A popular idea presented is to offer activities and services at school facilities outside of normal 

operating hours. Another factor that needs to be addressed is the environment of the schooling itself,

12 Crime in Salinas, California (CA): Murders, Rapes, Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries, Thefts, Auto thefts, Arson, Law Enforcement 

Employees, Police officers. http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Salinas-California.html#ixzz0xl7lLRM6 http://www.citydata.com/crime/ crime-Salinas-California.html, accessed August 26, 2010.

13 Solana, Kimber. Salinas Police Department to be reviewed by state commission. The Californian, August 17, 2010.

15
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

and emphasizing the importance of training and resources that schools and teachers need to ensure a 

safer and more productive learning environment.

Using a logic model process, these identified shortfalls were linked to a lack of funding, truancy, poor 

student achievement, high drop-out rates, poor learning environments and dysfunctional leadership. 

The OJJDP again supports the community’s observations, by identifying a category of risk and 

protective factors related to the school. The individual factors cited in the Model Program Guide are 

related to school attendance, performance and attachment.

F. Impact of Drugs and Alcohol

Substance abuse and youth access to alcohol and drugs were repeatedly mentioned during the 

community listening sessions and meetings. Substance abuse was linked to increased crime, 

diminished inhibitions, and a form of self-medication for mental illness. Gangs rely on revenue from 

drug sales and are willing to fulfill the demand for illegal drugs. Violence often erupts when “taxes” 

are not paid to gang leaders for the sale of drugs in a certain neighborhood. In an area of high 

unemployment and underemployment, the sale of drugs offers a lucrative alternative. The 

community’s observations, as well as those of the SWP sub-committee are strongly supported by the 

OJJDP. Their literature cites the availability of alcohol and drugs as indicated by neighborhood 

alcohol sales, trends in exposure to drug use and perceived availability of drugs in a given

neighborhood. The numbers of adult drug and alcohol-related arrests, including traffic fatalities serve 

as indicators of a community at risk of higher juvenile gang membership.

14

IV. COURSE OF ACTION TOWARDS SUCCESS

A. Vision

“A Peaceful Community”

B. Mission

Reduce gang and youth violence by addressing the underlying causes.

C. Goals and Objectives

In response to the community’s identification of the six critical focus points as 

discussed above, the SWP sub-committee developed visual logic models, and 

reviewed existing data, research and models that assist in mapping root causes and 

possible solutions for each of the critical points. To this end, for purposes of 

implementation of strategies and as illustrated in the logic models below, the SWP 

sub-committee grouped and prioritized the six critical focus points.

14 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Model Programs Guide. http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/mpg/mpg_prevention_risk_

factors.aspx Accessed August 24, 2010.

16
2010-2012

Critical Focus Point 1: Social and Economic Conditions

Potential Partners: City of Salinas, Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP), Monterey 

County Office of Employment Training & Workforce Investment Board; Agricultural and Land Based 

Training Association; El Pajaro Development Corporation; Marina Technology Cluster; Salinas Adult 

School; Center for Employment Training; Hartnell Community College; Monterey County Office of 

Education, United Way Monterey County, Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, Salinas United 

Business Association (SUBA), Old Town Salinas Association (OSA), California State University 

Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Goal: All residents have access to living wage employment and the necessary social and work support systems in order 

to provide for their families

Capacity: 500 Participants

Objective: Increase percentage of families able to provide children with basic needs such as housing, food and clothing.

Goal, Strategies, & Method Baseline data Year 1 Results Desired How & when

Activities (2009-2010) (2011-2012) Result measured

Strategies:

1. Develop self-employment Prevention Initiation of Task Programs Measuring

programs for new and

emerging small businesses 

and working with small 

business development 

centers and business startup/incubator programs.

tasks

(2011)

completion,

program is 

developed and 

data structure 

established

(2011-2012)

launched

Data structure 

established and 

used

effectively

Instrument:

Committee 

progress report 

on program 

access,

program 

participant 

success and 

referral 

statistics.

2. Develop a CASP work 

committee to enhance 

employment, job training 

and job placement, 

mentorship and 

apprenticeship and re-entry 

programs between schools 

and local business. Using 

students to support 

dwindling work force in 

exchange for job skills and 

resume building.

Prevention 20% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to workforce

40% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to workforce

Committee is 

established and 

student

referral/ 

involvement 

processes are in 

place

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Aggregate 

referral data, 

pre and post 

referral 

progress report

17
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1 Results

(2011-2012)

Desired

Result

How & when 

measured

3. Establish a data structure 

to connect youth with 

employment and volunteer 

opportunities with the 

business community to 

promote employment 

creation.

Prevention 

Intervention 

Re-entry

80% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to workforce

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

Objective: Increase educational level and offerings to both adults and youth.

Strategies:

Enhance opportunities for 

Operation Ceasefire 

participants and expand 

Ceasefire strategy overall.

Expand collaborations 

between education (adult 

school and higher 

education) to provide 

enhanced alternative 

programs for higher risk 

teens.

Intervention 

Suppression 

Intervention

Review & 

assessment of 

Operation 

Ceasefire

activities, 

services and 

collaborative 

partners.

(2011)

Task activities 

for program 

enhancement 

launched.

Operation 

Ceasefire 

activities and 

services have 

been enhanced 

and increased 

access to serve 

more high risk 

teens and 

young adults.

Measuring

Instrument:

Pre and post 

assessments to 

evaluate 

participant 

satisfaction and 

success.

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

Critical Focus Point 2: Engaging and Supervising Youth

Potential Partners: Monterey County Health Department (Behavioral Health Bureau), Silver Star

Resource Center, Salinas Public Libraries, Salinas Parks and Community Services Department, Boys

& Girls Club, Salinas school districts, Promotoras de Salud Program, Parent Project, Cara y Corazon 

El Joven Noble y Xinatli, Salinas Adult School , Alisal Family Resource Center and community-based 

organizations.

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1 Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Goal: All families have access to opportunities for meaningful engagement that promote positive youth development.

Capacity: 1000 Participants

Objective: Increase percentage of children and youth engaged in positive activities.

18
2010-2012

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1 Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Strategies:

1. Enhance and expand 

mental health services 

geared towards youth and 

families to promote positive 

mental and emotional

health and address mental 

health needs at first onset.

2. Enhance and expand 

after-school enrichment 

programs in elementary 

schools and within the 

community, tutoring/ 

literacy programs, and 

sports opportunities.

Prevention

Intervention

Prevention

Initiation of 

tasks

(2011)

20% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to mental 

health services, 

enrichment, 

academic and 

sports

activities.

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed and 

data structure 

established

(2011-2012)

40% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to mental 

health services, 

enrichment, 

academic and 

sports

activities.

Programs 

launched

80% 

participants 

satisfied with 

referral/access 

to mental 

health services, 

enrichment, 

academic and 

sports

activities.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Committee 

progress report 

on program 

access,

program 

participant 

success and 

referral 

statistics.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Aggregate 

referral data, 

pre and post 

referral 

progress report

Objective: Increase percentage of parents demonstrating positive discipline, caring and nurturing practices with 

children.

3. Enhance parent 

education and support 

services.

Intervention

Suppression

Review & 

assessment of 

parent 

education and 

support 

services.

(2011)

Task activities 

for program 

enhancement. 

(2011-2012)

Parent 

education and 

support 

services have 

been enhanced 

and increased 

access to serve

more parents of 

children and 

teens.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Pre and post 

assessments to 

evaluate 

participant 

satiscation and 

success.

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

19
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Critical Focus Point 3: Environmental Design and Urban Planning

Potential Partners: Salinas City Code Enforcement, Salinas City Planning Department, 

Neighborhood Watch groups, Neighborhood Associations, faith-based community and communitybased organizations.

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1 Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Goal: Residents live in communities where land use, transportation and environmental design support peaceful 

community life and positive community engagement.

Capacity: 200 Participants

Objective: Decrease instances of vandalism and blight.

Strategies:

1. Develop Strong 

Neighborhood Program/ 

Redevelopment that 

includes neighborhood 

clean-up, reporting broken 

or inoperable lights and 

block parties.

Prevention Initiation of 

tasks

(2011)

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed. 

(2011-2012)

Programs 

launched

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Program 

participant 

success and 

referral 

statistics.

2. Develop programs, such 

as “Adopt a Park,” to engage 

neighborhood and 

community groups to 

initiate outreach and build 

city network and 

networking opportunities 

while assessing available 

community resources.

Prevention 20% resident 

participants 

satisfied with 

neighborhood 

based programs

40% resident 

participants 

satisfied with 

neighborhood 

based programs

80% resident 

participants 

satisfied with 

neighborhood 

based programs

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Aggregate data, 

pre and post 

program 

participant 

progress report

3. Enhance graffiti 

abatement program for 

juvenile offenders.

Intervention When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

4. Increase capacity of 

Salinas City Code 

Enforcement.

Prevention & 

Intervention

Objective: Increase per capita area of open and maintained green spaces by implementing policies and urban planning 

practices that have a positive effect on the safety of neighborhoods.

20
2010-2012

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1 Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Strategies:

1. Develop community 

partnerships to seek 

funding to establish lowcost DVR based video 

surveillance/recording to 

target “Hot Spots” where 

home/business owner

supplies power and location 

to city maintained 

recorders.

2. Build community 

advocacy for maintaining 

and increasing green space.

Prevention, 

Intervention, 

Suppression

Tasks initiated. 

(2011)

Task activities 

completed. 

(2011-2012)

Surveillance 

systems 

installed and 

monitored.

Urban 

planning 

policies and 

practices are 

improved and 

green space 

increased and 

maintained.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Pre and post 

crime rates 

evaluated, 

business owner 

and resident 

satisfaction 

survey data.

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

21
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Critical Focus Point 4: Law Enforcement

Potential Partners: Salinas Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, California

Highway Patrol, Monterey County Probation Department, Naval Postgraduate School

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1

Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Goal: Law enforcement and community partner to create safe neighborhoods.

Capacity: 100 Participants

Objective: Increase percentage of positive interactions, perceptions and experiences involving law enforcement.

Strategies:

1. Increase opportunities 

for police officers to engage 

residents in nonenforcement venues such as 

youth-athletic events, faithbased facilities and schools.

2. Develop law enforcement 

training for community 

engagement including 

cultural sensitivity, 

customer service and 

service provision agency 

cross-training

3. Develop a community 

academy, which includes 

role reversal for officers and 

community members to 

experience walking in each 

other’s shoes

Prevention

Prevention

Prevention

Tasks initiated

(2011)

78 law 

enforcement 

officers and

staff are trained

Tasks initiated

(2011)

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed. 

(2011-2012)

78 law 

enforcement 

officers and

staff are trained

Task 

completion, 

community 

academy is 

launched

Officers 

engage 

residents

100% law 

enforcement 

officers and 

staff apply 

training and 

improve 

community 

engagement 

practices

Resident 

participants 

provide positive 

feedback upon 

completing 

Community 

Academy

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Resident 

perception 

survey data.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Community 

satisfaction 

survey data.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Pre and post 

program 

participant 

progress report

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

22
2010-2012

Critical Focus Point 5: Education and Schools

Potential Partners: Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, Monterey County Probation Department’s Silver Star 

Resource Center and Monterey County Office of Alternative Education (MCOE), Salinas Police 

Department, Monterey County District Attorney’s Office and the school districts.

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline 

data

(2009-2010)

Year 1

Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Goal: All youth engage in schools that provide a safe environment, have positive family involvement and strong 

collaborations with support agencies.

Capacity: 300 Participants

Objective: Decrease drop-out rates, increase daily attendance and graduation rates.

Strategies:

1. Develop a Family Start 

and Family Resource Center 

at every school site.

Prevention Tasks initiated

(2011)

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed. 

(2011-2012)

Officers 

engage 

residents

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Family 

Resource 

Center 

established at 

every school

2. Explore and enhance 

alternatives to out-of-school 

suspensions and programs 

that require students of 

independent study

programs to remain in 

class/study hall for duration 

of school hours. Suspended/ 

Expelled students not to be 

allowed to just stay away 

from school but are

required to attend some 

sort of program/class 

during normal school 

hours.

Intervention 540 students 

are diverted 

into alternative 

education 

programs

580 students are

diverted into

alternative 

education 

programs

80% students 

graduate from 

high school

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Graduation 

rates, drop-out 

rates and daily 

attendance 

reports

3. Develop a partnership to 

enhance Truancy and 

Burglary Program.

Intervention

& 

Suppression

Tasks initiated

(2011)

Task 

completion, 

community 

academy is 

launched

More youth 

successfully 

complete 

program.

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Pre and post 

program 

participant 

progress report

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

Salinas 

Compr

ehensiv

e 

Strateg

y for 

Comm

unitywide 

23
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1

Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Objective: Increase capacity of alternative education programs and innovative learning models that create an 

environment conducive to learning and ensure that schools and teachers have resources/training/motivation to be more 

effective.

Strategies:

1. Develop youth leadership 

and mentoring programs

for at-risk youth through 

collaborations with 

community-based 

organizations, local 

business associations and 

faith-based community.

2. Develop a referral 

process to incorporate 

Alternative Education for 

Probation and adjudicated 

youth as a transitional 

means to Comprehensive 

High School graduation or 

attainment of a General 

Education Diploma.

3. Enhance and expand 

presence of School 

Resource Officers on 

middle school and high 

school campuses.

Prevention & 

Intervention

Prevention, 

Intervention & 

Re-entry

Prevention & 

Intervention

Tasks initiated

(2011)

540 students 

are referred to 

alternative 

education 

programs

6 School 

Resource 

Officers 

available on 

school 

campuses

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed. 

(2011-2012)

580 students 

are referred to 

alternative 

education 

programs

8 School 

Resource 

Officers 

available on 

school 

campuses

Programs are 

launched and 

collaboration 

established

Referral 

process is 

developed and 

implemented

80% students 

graduate from 

high school

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Family 

Resource 

Center 

established at 

every school

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Graduation 

rates, drop-out 

rates and daily 

attendance 

reports

Measuring 

Instrument: 

School 

Resource

Officer incident 

reports

24
2010-2012

Critical Focus Point 6: Impact of Drugs and Alcohol

Potential Partners: City of Salinas, Monterey County, Sun Street Centers, Sunrise House, 

Community Human Services (DAISY), Interim (Dual-Diagnosis Program), Monterey County Health 

Department Behavioral Health Bureau, Monterey County Health Department Public Health Bureau, 

Day Treatment program, Salinas Chamber of Commerce, Salinas United Business Association 

(SUBA) and Old Town Salinas Association (OSA).

Goal, Strategies, & 

Activities

Method Baseline data

(2009-2010)

Year 1

Results

(2011-2012)

Desired 

result

How & when 

measured

Goal: Create an environment that reduces the supply and demand of drugs and alcohol.

Capacity: 150 Participants

Objective: Decrease alcohol use and abuse among youth and families.

Strategies:

1.Increase capacity of 

service providers of drug 

and alcohol programs to 

enhance and expand 

services to reach more 

people, and improve 

cultural relevance of use 

primary, secondary and 

tertiary prevention 

programs.

2. Develop a partnership 

between businesses and 

parents to prevent youth 

access to drugs and alcohol.

3. Establish a collaboration 

to reduce presence of 

alcohol and drug-related 

advertising and

merchandise in community.

Prevention & 

Intervention

Prevention

Prevention

Tasks initiated

(2011)

40% students 

have access to 

drugs and 

alcohol

Tasks initiated

(2011)

Task 

completion, 

program is 

developed. 

(2011-2012)

30 %

students have 

access to drugs 

and alcohol

Task 

completion, 

collaboration 

established. 

(2011)

Officers 

engage 

residents

Partnerships 

developed and 

student access 

to drugs and 

alcohol are 

reduced by 20%

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Alcohol and 

drug-related 

advertising and 

merchandise 

visibility 

assessments

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Program access 

data reports

Measuring 

Instrument: 

CHKS survey 

data

Measuring 

Instrument: 

Alcohol and 

drug-related 

advertising and 

merchandise 

visibility 

assessments

When 

Measured: 

Quarterly

25
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

D. Social Factors

As we move forward to design a Comprehensive Plan that will systematically tackle the problem of 

gang violence we need to methodically consider the social constructs that require change. For 

example, a successful model of wraparound services has been seen in a number of settings.

It is apparent that a different approach is necessary when reaching communities that are at greater

risk for violence impacting their lives, such as a holistic approach using a design model that addresses 

the unique needs of the individual, the family and the community as a whole.

The Individual Youth

We need to keep the individual youth at the center of any development and implementation of a plan 

and ask what the needs and strengths of this youth are; therefore, the following are recommended:

15

• Integrate innovative child development into current services.

• Give attention to and provide meaningful supervision in activities such as recreation, sports, 

music, art, and dance.

• Create opportunities in jobs, internships, education/training, positive role models and 

mentors.

• Address factors of emotional intelligence, such as self-esteem, recognizing strengths, conflict 

resolution, and articulating needs.

The Family

As discussed above, although the youth is at the center, it is necessary to address the underlying 

causes and factors that contribute to the risk of youth being engaged in gang and youth violence, as 

such the following strategies for families are recommended:

• Provide classes/workshops to assist with parenting skills, including awareness in addiction, 

emotional intelligence, domestic violence, and employability.

• Reduce recidivism in adults and help break generational cycle of gangs.16

The Community

Recommended strategies for use in the community as a whole include the following:

• Engender community residents’ ownership of neighborhoods and encourage/facilitate 

activities such as neighborhood clean-ups, “adopt a light post,” holding property owners of 

vacant lots more responsible for maintenance of property.

• Build trust and mutual respect among community residents, public services (e.g. police), 

agencies and community based organizations.

15 Please note further collaboration with residents is critical and will continue. All strategies discussed in this document are preliminary and 

are subject to change as the community and research deems appropriate and are dependent on grant/funds availability.

16 In California, a paroled prisoner has 68% recidivism rate in his/her lifetime (p. 50 NPS study).

26
2010-2012

• Identify and build upon the significant role of faith leaders in community life.

• Increase employment opportunities in the region e.g. by implementing business incentives, 

tax credits and strengthening the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone.

The City and CASP Partners

• Entrust a centralized place for coordinating Comprehensive Plan related efforts, such as 

sharing of data, fundraising efforts, collaboration, and shared resources.

• Integrate information from the spectrum of social services about each individual, so highest 

risk can be identified and appropriately helped with a customized curriculum. This 

information should be accessible in a timely and effective manner.

• Build in greater collaboration between agencies, to reduce inefficiencies, increase impact, and 

create a true collaboration including resource sharing (not competition for scarce resources 

and accolades).

• Shared data between agencies, to the extent possible, regarding crime statistics, crime 

reporting, prosecution, social services, education and health.

• Apply sophisticated, effective law enforcement techniques for prevention/suppression.

• Encourage innovative business cultures.

• Restrictions in zoning to reduce liquor outlets in identified high-crime areas.

• Promote appropriate urban development practices to reduce vacant housing and “dark 

neighborhoods.”

• Promote meaningful prosecutions of offenders.

It is clear that the Salinas community needs a systemic, sustainable strategy to address the issue of 

youth gang violence and crime. While more funds are always desirable, they do not guarantee the 

kind of change the City needs. Budgets are slashed everywhere, locally and nationally, in the private 

and public sectors. Moreover, Salinas saw that even when funding was available – the $8 million 

infusion to social and human service initiatives in the early 2000’s – a reduction in violence only 

lasted as long as the money did.17

Therefore, we need to invest our existing funds strategically which means implementing innovative 

technologies/techniques that are already proven to work in other places; building collaboration and 

resource sharing into our public/social service network; and go for sustainable, compounding effects 

(which might mean long-term solutions over quick hits) of giving a child the nurturance and 

opportunities they need to make healthy and positive choices in life.

The challenges facing the community have persisted over time. A different approach to doing business 

is required for any meaningful, sustained effort to maintain peace in our City. The Comprehensive 

Plan needs to support a paradigm shift in the way that we, as a community, think about and respond 

to our work.

17 See NPS study, p. 11.

27
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Continue Capacity Building within the CASP network

The Comprehensive Plan should address ongoing community capacity building. CASP members had 

the opportunity to attend the Dialogue for Peaceful Change retreat which proved to be a 

transformational training for the 20 community leaders who participated. Exploring a common 

language to talk about conflict and peace allowed ongoing discussions to take place with a shared 

contextual understanding. Team and trust building opportunities revealed that stronger inter-agency 

relationships were necessary to build stronger collaborations. The training also revealed the need for 

additional communications skills training at all levels of organizational leadership.

V. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION PLAN

Successful implementation of the Comprehensive Plan will require the support of elected policy 

making bodies at all levels of government. Beyond commitments to the principles articulated by 

CASP, elected boards will need to prioritize necessary resources, and in some cases promote other 

policy that supports a peaceful community.

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) has partnered with the City and CASP to ensure prioritization 

of resources as well as accountability and implementation of committed resources. Located only 30 

minutes west of Salinas in Monterey, California NPS has been graciously assisting the City of Salinas 

on a pro-bono basis by applying Counterinsurgency Campaign Development techniques to Salinas’ 

gang violence problem. NPS faculty, staff and graduate students have worked closely with Salinas 

Police personnel to develop a Course of Action (COA) compatible with the resources available to the 

City and which is intended to result in the shared vision for the end-state: a City at Peace.

NPS is assisting by developing the SWP’s Action Plan. The Action Plan is developed by obtaining 

commitments of resources from executive level personnel from each partner agency and identifying 

roles, responsibilities and responsible persons for each agency relative to the strategies set forth in the 

SWP. The Action Plan seeks to identify each strategy’s Actions (resources and activities committed by 

agencies), Reactions (of both the particular neighborhood as well as impacted gang members and 

other stakeholders), and Counteractions (actions agencies will take to minimize or enhance 

Reactions). General lines of operations take into account strategies of Prevention, Intervention, 

Suppression, and Prosecution as well as

considering the impact on economic 

growth and need to elevate the level of 

trust between the community, law 

enforcement and local government.

The anticipated completion date for the 

Action Plan is early May 2011. The Action 

Plan will be implemented first in the 

Hebbron Heights neighborhood of Salinas 

(see photo). This area was selected for a 

variety of reasons. It is disproportionately

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2010-2012

high in various categories of crime, is home to at least two active and opposing gangs, contains a mix 

of single family, apartment and commercial/retail buildings and contains two parks and one 

community center, which offer neighbors and service providers options for meeting places. In short, 

Hebbron Heights is a neighborhood in great need but with great resources with which to work.

The length of time the implementation teams will spend in Hebbron Heights is impossible to estimate 

based on the number of variables at work; however, the overall goal of the implementation teams is to 

assist the residents in bringing peace and order to their neighborhoods and leaving them with the 

tools to sustain peace and order after the implementation teams move on.

VI. INPUTS/ EVALUATION PROCESS

A. Evaluation Tools

Evaluation tools will be developed to accurately measure the impact of prevention, intervention and 

suppression programs that are sustained or newly implemented as a result of the Comprehensive Plan. 

Formal statistical analysis will be conducted to assess the impact of Prevention, Intervention, 

Suppression and Re-entry programs. General community survey data will be periodically captured 

with a significant and large enough sample size to be statistically viable for scientific analysis. All 

information compiled will safeguard the anonymity of participants.

Statistical data bases which will be used to evaluate progress of the Comprehensive Plan strategies are:

• California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS)

• Criminal Justice Statistics

The goals and objectives included in the Comprehensive Plan are both measureable and feasible. 

Given current funding and resources the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan may face 

considerable challenges. With sustainable funding development implementation of the plan will 

certainly produce both short and long term impact that will effectively reduce gang violence and 

significantly improve the quality of life for the Salinas community.

B. The Evaluation Plan

In 2006 the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) in partnership with the National 

League of Cities launched the California Cities Gang Prevention Network (CCGPN). The Network is a 

consortium which was initiated in 2006 and is comprised of 13 cities, including the City of Salinas. 

Since 2006, NCCD has been working closely with the City of Salinas to support the development and 

implementation of a comprehensive violence prevention plan emphasizing and interweaving 

prevention, intervention, enforcement as well as the community’s “moral voice.” As Salinas moves 

from the development stage to the implementation stage, to make the most of their investment in this 

process, it is an opportune time to begin a simultaneous evaluation of the implementation of their 

comprehensive plan and the plan’s impact on violence prevention.

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

The City of Salinas will continue to work with NCCD to establish plans for evaluating their 

comprehensive violence prevention efforts. In planning the evaluation, NCCD will use the principles 

of participatory research and community psychology. Particularly in complex, comprehensive 

prevention, intervention, and enforcement efforts, it is essential that the evaluators, community, and 

key stakeholders are a team working together to understand the problem and examine potential 

solutions. To be worthwhile, in addition to assessing the impact of the efforts the evaluation should 

provide information that will help improve the strategies and provoke action to better serve the atrisk youth and the City of Salinas.

NCCD will work closely with the City of Salinas, CASP, community leaders, and additional 

stakeholders to understand the objectives and goals of the comprehensive plan and to identify the 

expected short- and long-term outcomes of implementation. Careful identification, collection, and 

analysis of short-term outcomes will be used to assess how well the plan was implemented and 

provide on-going feedback to the City and CASP as their work continues. Short-term outcome 

variables may include the development of new relationships between organizations across the city,

changes to city agency policies and practices, and the numbers of youth receiving prevention services, 

participating in school programming, receiving outreach services, and participating in the City’s 

Operation Ceasefire strategy. Intermediate and long-term outcomes allow conclusions to be drawn 

about the ultimate success of comprehensive efforts. Intermediate and long-term outcome variables 

may include youth homicide incidents, calls for service for shots fired, shootings, truancy, high school 

graduation rates, development of new programs and funding sources, park usage, and perceptions of 

community safety. To inform the identification of outcome variables available for study, NCCD will 

also assess the data collection capacity of key agencies and service providers and, when necessary, 

provide technical assistant to bolster data collection capacity.

Based on the established study variables, NCCD will generate an evaluation plan using multiple 

methodologies to best assess the results of the comprehensive efforts. It is likely that both quantitative 

and qualitative data will be collected for the evaluation. Again, representatives of the City and 

appropriate stakeholders will be key collaborators in the development of the study design. This will 

assure the plan has buy-in, is practical and not overly burdensome to city workers, and meets 

expectations in terms of research questions asked and answered.

The Principal Investigator on this project will be Dr. Angela Wolf, Senior Researcher, whose areas of 

expertise include strategic planning and community mobilization strategies to address community 

issues of violence; interventions for delinquent youth and abused children; and social change and 

justice system reform for female offenders. Dr. Wolf holds a Masters and a Doctoral degree in 

Ecological/Community Psychology from Michigan State University and received her Bachelor’s 

degree from the Texas A&M University. She is NCCD’s Project Director for the California Cities 

Gang Prevention Network. In addition, Dr. Wolf wrote the Street Outreach Project report, a research

project focusing on a gang intervention strategy using street outreach workers. She provided technical 

assistance to the City of Richmond, California on comprehensive planning. Previous projects include 

serving as the Principal Investigator for the OJJDP-funded National Evaluation of Parents 

Anonymous®, the only federally-funded child abuse prevention program in the United States. Other

evaluation projects include the National Evaluation of the National Resource Center for Children of

30
2010-2012

Incarcerated Parents, the National Evaluation of Community Assessment Centers, and the Hawaii 

Youth Recidivism Study. Dr. Wolf will provide direction for the evaluation and work with 

collaborators to ensure that the evaluation is providing the information critical to addressing the 

violence in Salinas.

Assisting Dr. Wolf will be Jessica Rios, Senior Research Associate, who has excellent skills in data 

collection and analysis, interviewing, documentation of project processes, and writing. Rios has been 

a community-based program evaluator in Santa Cruz County for the last six years specializing in 

cross-agency collaborations including partnerships between Santa Cruz Juvenile and Adult Probation 

departments and various community-based organizations. She has conducted mixed method

research gathering interview and survey data from hard to reach populations such as undocumented 

populations and gang-affiliated youth.

VII. CONCLUSION

The Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction is a dynamic plan. It 

was developed by cross-sector collaboration and applies evidence-based models and on-the-street 

knowledge of the community’s unique characteristics. These characteristics lay the groundwork for 

strategies that will have an immediate and lasting positive effect on reducing gang related violence in 

Salinas and surrounding areas.

This Comprehensive Plan is based on four key principals: 1) A single operational structure that 

manages action and progress; 2) Action is research and data-driven; 3) Youth are at the center; and, 4) 

There is deep and meaningful engagement with the community. As we as a community address the

six critical focus points - social and economic conditions; engaging and supervising youth; 

environmental design and urban planning; law enforcement; education and schools; and, the impact 

of drugs and alcohol - the Plan and its implementation will remain transparent to the community, 

flexible and scalable, realistic yet visionary. Strategies to address these focus areas fall into the OJJDP 

Continuum of Safety (Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and Re-Entry) to ensure long term 

integration of at-risk youth, or those already involved in the justice system, back into their families 

and communities. We also have the pro bono expertise of anti-insurgency intelligence through 

partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School, and high-level evaluation experience via the 

National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

The process itself of developing the Comprehensive Plan has already met some of its stated goals – 

from collaborating, breaking down silos and sharing resources locally through CASP, to sharing 

insights with cities across the country struggling with similar chronic gang violence. The convergence 

of local statistical analysis (e.g. though the Naval Postgraduate School study) with the community’s 

voice (heard through regular CASP Community Dialog Meetings) clearly shows we are on course, as 

do the immediate and evident effect of programs such as Operation Ceasefire and the extraordinary 

support the City and CASP has received from our Congressman Sam Farr, the National League of 

Cities and the Federal Government, to name a few. But even with such highpoints, the work ahead is 

daunting and the stakes are high – the future of our children depends on our dedication in the long 

run and our commitment to systemic success, regardless of the financial climate.

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

In 2012, the SWP sub-committee will assess this Plan - ascertain its strengths and weaknesses, learn 

from successes and failures, look for shifts in the environment, identify blindspots and unforeseen 

challenges, bring in new partners, resources and ideas – and create a new Comprehensive Plan that

continues progress on the path to a peaceful community.

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2010-2012

ADDENDA

33
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

ADDENDUM I

ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES UNDER 

CONSIDERATION FOR THE LONG TERM

Critical Focus Point 1: Social and Economic Conditions

Goal: All residents have access to living wage employment and the necessary social and work support 

systems in order to provide for their families.

Objective:

1. Increase percentage of families able to provide children with basic needs such as housing, 

food, and clothing.

Strategies:

• Expand on the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour co-hosted by Monterey County Workforce 

Investment Board in October 2010 and continue to build support for youth entrepreneurs and 

youth-led business ventures.

• In collaboration between the Salinas Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, 

and Monterey County Probation Department, develop law enforcement officer training in 

“basic needs” recognition and referral process to appropriate services and programs.

• Continue Monterey County’s MC-CHOICE CalFRESH (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program) and Medi-Cal outreach programs that reach low-income Salinas residents through 

partnerships with the United Farm Workers, the Monterey County Food Bank and other 

local organizations.

• Keeping and better utilizing the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone.

Objective:

2. Increase educational level and offerings to both adults and youth.

Strategies:

• Increase support for single parents by implementing programs such as Reaching out 

about Depression (ROAD), to increase the ability to organize themselves and access 

services and supports in the community.

Objective:

3. Decrease incidence of discrimination and facilitate equal access to services and resources.

Strategies:

• Develop Cultural Competence training for service providers such as Monterey County

Health Department Behavioral Health Bureau and social service providers.

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2010-2012

• Increase awareness to services and opportunities for underserved by improving referral 

programs, such as United Way’s successful 2-1-1 system.

• Under the leadership of the City of Salinas, implement community leadership programs such 

as the VIP block/neighborhood model in Boston, Massachusetts. This would require 

additional participation from all sectors from CASP collaborative.

Critical Focus Point 2: Engaging and Supervising Youth

Goal: All families have access to opportunities for meaningful engagement that promotes positive 

youth development.

Objective:

1. Decrease violent activity and exposure to violent media.

Strategies:

• Enhance and promote youth leadership programs – e.g. Girls Inc.

• Develop a working relationship with businesses, government and agencies to alter media 

presentations that normalize violence –e.g. reduce billboard, store front, TV commercial and 

radio presentation of aggression, and glamorized use of weapons.

• Under the leadership of the Rape Crisis Center of Monterey County, the YWCA and the 

Monterey County Health Department, enhance existing comprehensive Domestic Violence 

programs for families.

Objective:

2. Increase the positive image of youth.

Strategies:

• Develop media campaign on highlighting activities and programs where youth are engaged 

in pro-social activities.

• Develop a working relationship with media campaign to change the vocabulary of media and 

community response to violent events – e.g. using “students” instead of “gang members.”

• Under the leadership of the Monterey County Health Department Behavioral Health Bureau 

and community based organizations such as Harmony at Home, enhance mental health 

programs on post traumatic stress disorder.

• Develop early education programs regarding decision-making model identification.

• Develop inter-district tutor/mentor programs where Jr/Sr grade levels meet or earn 

community involvement credit for working with target juveniles, including mentoring by 

high performing youth.

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

• Under the leadership of the CASP Community Engagement committee, develop resident 

commitment cards.

• Develop youth programs where they can create Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) and 

steer media campaign/logo towards youth – e.g For Our Future/Para Nuestro Futuro.

Objective:

3. Increase percentage of children and youth engaged in positive activities.

Strategies:

• Provide transportation from schools to offsite recreation/enrichment opportunities.

• Increasing emphasis on the Search Institute 40 Developmental Assets.

• Develop training program promoting involvement in public education, including better 

understanding of truancy laws, enhance implementation of “Safe School” zones, engaging 

community groups, individuals, and institutions to respond to the multiple needs of youth 

and their families through case management for the highest risk youth and their families and 

provisions of an array of services, after school activities and community activities to 

strengthen families.

• Develop a “Trauma Sensitive” schooling approach with recognition of signs and proper 

referrals to 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services.

• Enhance network to support parents whose children are court-involved.

• Enhance parenting development and therapy for young children in families with domestic 

violence (CAP), including parenting programs that includes programs 0-5 (Abriendo Puertas) 

and support programs for grandmother with children who attend school.

• Enhance access to child care by working with organizations such as First 5 and MAOF.

Critical Focus Point 3: Environmental Design and Urban Planning

Goal: Residents live in communities where land use, transportation and environmental design 

support peaceful community life and positive community engagement.

Objective

1. Decrease the number of illegal weapons and youth access to firearms.

Strategies:

• Develop drop off gun program in partnership with 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services and

CA Youth Outreach.

• Develop anonymous surrender program for parents.

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2010-2012

• Develop a Washington State’s “Lock It Up” campaign model for City of Salinas promoting use 

of gun lock boxes to reduce likelihood of theft from private homes.

• Enhance Parenting program, especially Strengthening Families and Parenting Adolescents 

Wisely to reduce children’s modeling of violent behavior and teach parents to set limits that 

might include prohibition of gun storage in children’s bedroom.

• Develop firearm-safety counseling by pediatric health care providers. Pediatric providers 

counsel parents on the risks for having firearms in the home and the need to storage them 

securely.

• Develop requirements for reporting period for guns stolen from individual’s owners to avoid 

straw purchases.

• Develop legislation that prohibit the sale of military-style firearms favored by Mexican drug 

cartels currently sold by retailers in Monterey County, especially weapons similar to or 

variants of the Barrett .50-caliber rifle, M4-carbine rifles, the Colt AR-25 .223-caliber assault 

rifle, the AK-47 7.62-caliber assault rifle, the FN Herstal 5.57-caliber (sic) pistols, TEC-9 and 

Glock .9mm.

• Develop a 1-hour continuing medical education presentation for Emergency Department 

(ED) physicians, residents, and nursing staff on Youth Violence Prevention. This presentation 

is aimed to increase awareness of the role of ED personnel in Youth Violence Prevention and 

to provide basic knowledge and skills, including safe firearm storage counseling, risk 

assessment and referral.

• Develop a network disruption of gang activity where intelligence suggests guns are available 

and shared.

• Develop programs targeting, arrest and prosecution of firearms brokers.

• Enhance increased, systematic data collection on the local level to compile more information 

on each firearm’s history from its point of sale and the processes by which gang members 

obtain guns.

Critical Focus Point 4: Law Enforcement

Goal: Law enforcement and community partner to create safe neighborhoods.

Objective:

1. Increase strategic use of limited number of beat officers.

Strategies:

• Establish a proactive response priority for each beat. The focus on activity in one beat (traffic)

may be altogether different in another (city-code violations).

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Objective:

2. Increase percentage of positive interactions, perceptions and experiences involving law 

enforcement.

Strategies:

• As a partnership between the Salinas Police Department and Monterey County Probation

Department, develop Juvenile Justice Jeopardy.

• Develop Positive Ticketing and “Think about It” and “Rainy Day” cards for Police and

Probation officers to establish positive contacts with residents, especially youth.

Critical Focus Point 5: Education and Schools

Goal: All youth engage in schools that provide a safe environment, have positive family involvement 

and strong collaborations with support agencies.

Objective:

1. Increase capacity of alternative education programs and innovative learning models that 

create an environment conducive to learning and ensure that schools and teachers have 

resources/training/motivation to be effective.

Strategies:

• Under the leadership of the school districts, develop a school-wide Positive Behavior Program

(SW-PBS).

Objective:

2. Decrease drop-out rates, increase daily attendance and graduation rates.

Strategies:

• Expand CAHSEE (California High School Exam) preparatory programs.

Goal: Create an environment that reduces the supply and demand of drugs and alcohol.

Objective:

1. Decrease alcohol use and abuse among youth and families.

Strategies:

• Under the leadership of the Salinas Police Department, enhance “Every 15 Minutes” 

Program.

• Enhance social host ordinance compliance in partnership between Sun Street Centers, the

City of Salinas and the Salinas Police Department.

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2010-2012

ADDENDUM II

CASP STEERING COMMITTEE

Adams, Alex – Hawk Vision 

Adams, Mary – United Way 

Adamson, Kathleen – YWCA

Aguilar,Deborah – A Time for Grieving

Aguilar, Manny – CYO

Alcaraz, Nina – Mty Rape Crisis Center 

Alonzo Vaughan, Donna – Superintendent 

Anderson, Yuri – United Way

Ambriz, Elizabeth – Building Health Communities

Anton, Roger – SUHSD

Arago, Alec – Dist. Director, Rep. Sam Farr

Armenta, Fernando – Dist 1

Askew, Wendy – Supervisor Parker's Aide

Bangs, Randy – Salinas Union H.S

Barragon, Armando – Rec & Parks, City of Salinas

Barrera, Fabian – County Sherrifs Office 

Barrera, Tony- Salinas City Council 

Bauer, Kathy – Salinas Adult Sch

Bird, Deborah – Community Member 

Brennan, Cate- Public Defender’s Office 

Brockman, Nick – Community Member 

Brown, Tracy – Sheriff’s Office

Brunson, Bob – Beh Health 

Brusa, Susie – Rancho Cielo 

Bryant, Jeff – Community Fdn

Bullick, Ray – Mo Co Health Dept. 

Burlin, Nick

Burlison, Robert – Mo Co Superior Court 

Cardona, Leo Dr – Alisal School Dist. 

Carrillo, Brenda – Alisal USD

Carillo, Diana – Workforce Inv

Carrillo, Deborah – Turning Point

Carroll, Maia – Public Info Officer, County Administrator

Cervantes, Esabel – SCESD

Chappell, Lori – Supervisor Parker’s Office

Chavez, Carina – Rep. Sam Farr’s Office

39
Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Chavez, Nick – SUBA

Chiulos, Nick – County of Monterey

Connery, Steve – CSUMB

Critchley, Spencer – Boots Rd Comm. 

Clark, Wayne – Behavioral Health 

Colin, Lee – S.A.G.E/ Green Vehicles 

Contreras, Brian – Second Chance 

Cox, Richard – Heald College

Craig, Kimberly – Salinas City Council 

Cupples, Diann – Church of Scientology 

Cupples, Jim – Church of Scientology

De La Rosa, Gloria – Councilmember, City of Salinas

Donohue, Dennis – Mayor, City of Salinas

Dove, David – Vineyard Chruch

Dunham, Darlene – District 3

Dunn, Lynda – OET

Earhart, Jim, Salinas Unified School 

Egar, Jim – Public Defender 

Espinosa, Rhonda – Heald College 

Espinoza, Tom – HACM

Estrada, Francisco – Intern, Assemblymember Luis Alejo 

Estrada, Ricardo – Intern, Assemblymember Luis Alejo 

Faust, Scott, CSUMB

Favero, John – SUHSD

Ferraro, Donna – Boys & Girls Club 

Feske, Ken – Partners for Peace 

Fetherolf, Louis – Chief SPD

Fields, Artie – City Manager, City of Salinas

Flippo, Dean – District Attorney 

Foglia, Anna – SunStreet Centers 

Garcia, Diana- Alisal Union SD 

Girardey, Estella – OET

Glavin, Marie – Consultant

Gomez, Pastor Frank , East Salinas Comm Center 

Gonzales, Pastor Bea – Salians Upper Room Church 

Gray, Johnny – Business Community

Greene, Siobhan – CASA 

Harpster, Jack

Helm, Phoebe – Hartnell

Herrera, Antonia – CASP Program Manager

40
2010-2012

Hartunian, Mark – Soledad PD

Hastey, Shari – Community Partnership for Youth

Hulsey, Stephanie, Monterey County District Attorney’s Office

Husby, Elizabeth – Restorative Justice Partners 

Innis-Scimone, Theresa – Behavioral Health 

Jaramillo, Sonia – MCOE

Jimenez, Ben – Parole 

Koehler, Sonja – Consultant 

Koller, Vinz – SPR/OET 

Kotowski, Nancy – MCOE

Landis, Donald E – Jr Asst. Public Defender

Leavy, Julianne – Harmony at Home 

Lee, David – Deputy Public Defender 

Leffel, Mary Ann – Business Council 

Lewis, Molly – Hartnell College 

Lopez, Magaly

Lorentz, Rebecca – Naval Post Graduate School 

Lundquist, Kristan, Salinas Parks & Rec. 

Maradei, David – Child Abuse Prevention 

Martin, Debbie – Probation

Martin, Sonja – Student Success

Martinez, Elizabeth – Salinas Public Library

McCrae, Robin – CHS

McGlone, Linda – Public Health

McDonnal, Lori- MBAY Kids

McMillin, Kelly – Salinas Police Dept./CSA 

Mehia, Victor – BizCom

Melchizedek, Solis

Mendoza, Georgina – City of Salinas, Sr. Deputy City Attorney/Community Safety Director

Miller, Paul – Chief, Gonzales PD 

Miller, Scott – Sheriff

Mineta, Lisa – Community Member

Mitchel, Jane

Montenegro, Jose – First 5 Mo Co

Moore, Vivienne – Restorative Justice Partners

Nejasmich, Steve-MCOE

Nevarez, Augustine -Hartnell, East Salinas GEAR UP Director

Noyes, Charlotte – United Way-CC 

O'Neal, Michelle – Beh Health 

Ortiz, Anthony – CYO

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

Osorio, Manuel M. – NMCUSD 

Parker, Jane, Supervisor

Pfeiffer, Nancy, Alisal SD

Phillips, Judge John – Rancho Cielo

Pia, Jim – Rec and Parks, City of Salinas 

Price, Judge Jon – Juvenile Court 

Pritchard, Mary – SCESD

Purnell, Carissa – Salinas Public Library

Rabinowitz, Mikaela – National Center for Youth Law

Ramirez, John – Alisal School District

Ramos, Maggie, Heart Hugs 

Real, Chief Manuel – Probation 

Reyes, Bob – Probation

Reynolds, Julie – Monterey Herald 

Rice, Bob – Mo Co Business Council 

Ricketts, Yvonne

Robinson, Elliott – DSES

Salazar, Aurelio, Jr. – Community Fdn

Salazar, Gilbert – Volunteer Center, United Way

Salinas, Rebecca – Alisal School District

Salinas, Simon – Supervisor Dist 3

Sandoval, Nick – Poder Popular

Sanchez, Aline – Assem. Caballero

Sanchez, Sergio – Councilmember, City of Salinas

Saunders, Rachel – Big Sur Land Trust

Serena, David

Serna-Bonetti, Margaret – Community member

Simon, Jacqueline – Transitions ReEntry 

Slade, Michelle – Boys & Girls Club 

Smith, Sid Ph D. -

Soto, Jose – Community Parent

Soto, Rosemary – Behavioral health

Soung, Patricia – National Center for Youth Law

Speller, Kathi – Community of Caring

Stanford, Peg – COPA

Stemler, Kim – First 5/ Consultant 

Stodola, Roger – Church of Scientology 

Taylor, Jeff – The Good News Herald 

Urzua, Jr. Ruben

Vallarta, Vanessa – City Attorney

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2010-2012

Vanoli, Tim – SUHSD

Villarreal, Daniel – Strengthening Families, CYO, Parnters for Peace

Vincent, Gary – MCOE

Vagnini, Steve – Guitars Not Guns

Vargas, Irene

Watson, Leann – NMC 

Wolf, Lindsay – Heart Hugs

Wrona, Ellen – Armstrong Productions

Zamudia, Maria

Zarraga, Margarita

Zorra, Debie – Taylor Farms

ADDENDUM III

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN CASP COLLABORATIVE

1. 2nd Chance Family & Youth Services

2. A Time for Grieving

3. Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County

4. California Youth Outreach

5. Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA)

6. Community of Caring

7. Community Partnership for Youth

8. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Monterey County

9. Harmony at Home

10. MBay Kids

11. Monterey County Rape Crisis Center

12. Partners for Peace/Strengthening Families Program

13. Rancho Cielo Youth Campus

14. Restorative Justice Partners

15. Sun Street Centers

16. Sunrise House

17. The California Endowment - Building Healthy Communities

18. The Community Foundation for Monterey County

19. Transitions ReEntry

20. Turning Point of Central California Monterey County

21. United Way of Monterey County

22. YWCA of the Monterey County

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Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction

2010-2012

Contact: Georgina B.

Mendoza City of

Salinas

Sr. Deputy City Attorney and CASP Program Director

200 Lincoln Ave. Salinas, 

California 93901

831-758-7256