Auditor-General Erick Roeser told The Press Democrat the District Attorney’s Office consulted with his office and concluded that Rivera’s original payment plan was problematic because such payments, prior to employment is done, …
‘Losing a loss’
As Rivera and his staff explained to worried service providers at the end of July on Zoom calls about the timeline for their contracts to be approved and their invoices to be paid, it appears that many will they’ve been waiting for payments for weeks — long after Rivera left the county. work after his Monday announcement.
Bieri said: If his agency did not have a contract on 10 Aug.
Rivera replied: “We advocate, we create, we argue. We have all opened our check books, which would not cover your contracts.
“But the important thing is that we are where we are, and we know that in order to work quickly with this curve ball that we’ve been given, we’re going to have to do what we have to do to jump through these hoops.” . ,” he said.
When asked Wednesday by The Press Democrat if a long-term solution might be in place before he retires, Rivera expressed regret that the problem is not being solved. But he added that it started well before he joined the district in 2018 as director of administrative services in the Department of Human Services.
“I am very disappointed that this will not be completed before I leave because these donors deserve this. They are our partners in this work and they deserve this,” Rivera said in an email. “I know that the process it will not stop and my team will continue to fight to advance this change because it has been our commitment to end these administrative issues that have plagued this department for more than a decade.”
After the July 26 meeting, department officials on Zoom sent Rivera and his Health Services team a letter explaining how bad their conditions had become.
“Thank you for working to change the contract system and create a long-term solution that works for everyone,” the letter said. “Right now, we are looking for a temporary solution to address the cash flow issues that have affected our ability to continue operations. Local banking institutions, which have provided financial assistance in the past during the delay contractors, are no longer willing to extend these loans to (us).
On Thursday, service providers were told that the payments were starting to be pushed.
On Friday, donors started receiving payments. They were also told that while the department is working to get approval from the Board of Supervisors for a long-term plan that meets the needs of donors, the interim plan will begin to pay them weekly for the work they are owed. .
By the end of business Friday, at least six of the 13 agencies had been paid for work they did in May and June, according to the Sonoma County Auditor’s Office, which handles the payments.
The Community Support Network was paid the $130,000 it was owed for services it performed in May and June and Bieri was told he would have a signed contract ahead of schedule.
“Their ability to find innovative solutions when faced with complex problems in many situations shows that where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Bieri. He added, “The people we serve deserve such an effort.”
When asked what led to the success just a week after things seemed to be stagnating, Rivera said it was a product of continued work, but also a determination to keep going.
“We’ve been working on solutions the whole time,” he said in an email. persevere and continue to pursue a solution that will overcome all obstacles and we did.”
Not all donors had been paid as of Friday.
King, of Sonoma CAN, said Friday that the department still owes him $400,000 to the nonprofit for its mental health consulting work. He added that Sonoma CAN is being credited twice by other county departments, including the Department of Human Services.
“The problem is not just DHS, it’s much deeper than that,” King said, referring to the Department of Health Services.
Michael O’Brien, assistant vice president of Center Point DAAC – the only agency the county contracts with to provide outpatient drug and alcohol treatment in Sonoma County for residents with high incomes low – he says the nonprofit still owes $625,000.
He said that he was hoping to be paid next week and the developments of the week have given him hope.
“Actually, I feel a lot better now than last year,” he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 707-387-2960 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com. At X (Twitter) @jeremyhay.
You can reach Staff Secretary Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.
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