Domestic Violence 911 Calls Up About 80%, Review Flags Asian Underreporting
Board of Supervisors • Santa Clara CountyNovember 10, 2026
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Santa Clara County's annual domestic violence death review delivered a blunt finding on Nov. 10, 2026: calls for help have climbed sharply, while Asian residents account for a far larger share of homicide victims than of reported victims. The Board of Supervisors' Public Safety and Justice Committee received that report and four others by 2-0 votes. Members pushed staff for sharper grievance data from the county's jails and juvenile facilities.
- Domestic violence 911 calls up about 80%. Asian communities make up about a third of domestic violence homicide victims.
- Housing, child care and economic security were framed as violence prevention.
- Jail grievances fell 12.6%, but the chair called the medical category too broad.
- Probation will split its vague "felt mistreated" category for juvenile grievances, with youth input.
- Probation's domestic violence services RFP is due out in December.
Death Review: More Calls, Deep Underreporting
The basics: Assistant District Attorney James Gibbons Shapiro presented the Domestic Violence Death Review Team's annual report. Its dataset reaches back to 1993.
Why it matters: The findings link lethal violence to firearms, mental health, housing and child care. They are already shaping county outreach and upcoming service contracts.
Where things stand: "We've seen about an 80% increase in domestic violence-related 911 calls here in Santa Clara County," said Gibbons Shapiro. Referrals to the District Attorney's office rose from just under 5,000 in 2015 to nearly 7,700 in 2025.
Deaths have declined over the long term. About half involve a firearm, however. The report also flagged links to suicide and mental health, harm to children, and escalation when no one intervenes.
The starkest data point: Asian residents make up about 10% of living victims but about a third of homicide victims. "We have a dramatic underreporting of domestic violence in our Asian communities," Gibbons Shapiro said.
Casey Hauken, Deputy County Executive, asked about the role of immigration enforcement. Gibbons Shapiro said the 2025 decline in calls may reflect fear of calling 911. The county's Public Defender said rising caseloads strain resources for every agency at the table.
Money, housing and custody fears: Several officials argued that reporting barriers are largely economic. "Economic security for women and children is violence prevention, full stop," said Hauken.
Greta Hanson, Chief Operating Officer, said people are reticent "to report intimate partner violence for fear that they will lose custody of their children." She said state and federal programs for families "are really inadequate, particularly given the cost of living in this valley." Gibbons Shapiro called housing insecurity a major factor.
Susan Ellenberg, Supervisor, District 4 and committee chair, said child welfare's choice between removing a child or not is too narrow. "Very often, economic stability is what people need not to have their children taken," said Ellenberg.
Otto Lee, Supervisor, District 3 and Board President, described growing up with domestic violence. He called for multilingual outreach. "I've been promoting these gun buyback programs for the last 6 years," said Lee.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The committee received the report. For: 2 (Ellenberg, Lee), Against: 0. No new spending was adopted. The data puts pressure on prevention providers, immigrant and Asian community groups, and justice agencies to reach survivors before violence turns lethal.
County Lines Up New Domestic Violence Services
Why it matters: Two follow-up reports showed how the county plans to act on the death review's findings, through new contracts and trusted community messengers.
Where things stand: Alex Villa, Interim Chief, Probation Department, floated "perhaps reinvigorating or refreshing the concept of a coordinated community response to domestic violence." He also suggested weighing social determinants of health.
Mark Gutsy, Deputy Chief of Adult Services, said Probation's domestic violence services RFP will be released in December. It covers intimate partner violence services, batterer intervention and child abuser treatment. Probation also:
- Renewed its Dependency Advocacy Center contract.
- Will train its program manager as a trainer in the UCCI curriculum.
- Ran two field operations targeting sex offenders and domestic violence clients, which included contacting victims.
Hauken, reporting for the Justice Services and Support Department, recapped the 33rd Annual Domestic Violence Conference. It included a presentation on AI and patriarchal influences, which Ellenberg called striking. The department aims to engage fathers, men and boys. It has new access to programs on positive fatherhood and emotional regulation.
Hauken also described a new idea: "a Promotora program that we have in Latino communities, but expanded into the Asian communities through a partnership with the VASC." The department is working with gender-based violence agencies on new RFPs.
The Alternate Public Defender said defenders could share educational resources with clients. "We often encourage our defenders to take a holistic approach," she said.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Both verbal reports were received. For: 2 (Ellenberg, Lee), Against: 0, on each. Abuser-intervention providers and community agencies serving Asian and Latino residents stand to be most affected by the coming solicitations.
What's next: The RFP is due in December. Probation will host its domestic violence roundtable in January.
Jail Grievances Drop, Medical Complaints Stay Opaque
Why it matters: Medical complaints are the largest grievance category in county jails. Officials said they can't yet tell what those complaints are actually about.
Where things stand: Captain Rita Rowland of the Office of the Sheriff reported a 12.6% drop in grievances compared with the same period in fiscal year 2025. Submissions fell from just over 3,500 to just over 3,000, with declines at every facility.
The top categories were medical (15%), staff conduct (12%) and technology (7%). "The grievance unit responded to 99% of all grievances within 30 days," Rowland said. Of 189 appeals, 16 were overturned (8.47%).
Custody Health Services reported about 745 grievances, down 9.0%. Its on-time responses improved from 91% to 94%.
The pushback: Ellenberg said the medical category "is so broad that it makes it challenging to understand underlying issues or identify meaningful trends." She asked about care delays, bedside manner and misuse of sick call.
A Custody Health Services representative said those subcategories exist and agreed to bring them back. Another respondent conceded, "because of our inability to have eyes on the subcategories, we don't have any evidence on that right now."
Michelle De La Calle, Interim Nurse Executive, said sick call requests exceed 3,000 a month and are still filed on paper. Rowland said Phase 2 of the Sheriff's JMS project aims for "a better tracking and accountability system." She called the paper process redundant. "But the goal is to do away with the paper," Ellenberg said.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The committee received the report and directed more detailed categories next time. For: 2 (Ellenberg, Lee), Against: 0. Lee said disaggregated data would be welcome. People in custody and Custody Health staff are most affected by how the complaints are tracked.
Probation to Define 'Felt Mistreated' With Youth Input
Why it matters: A broad, subjective grievance category makes it hard to spot problems in Juvenile Hall and William James Ranch.
Where things stand: "How do we validate a feeling?" Ellenberg asked. She wanted to know whether the category could be split by type of conduct.
Ashanti Hayes, Interim Deputy Chief overseeing Juvenile Hall and the ranch, said the category tracks Title 15, the state's rules for confinement and treatment. "There is no definition. It is more of a category from a data point, and it gives examples," Hayes said.
She offered to build subcategories with staff and the ranch's Youth Advisory Council. Under the process she described, supervisors discuss grievances with youth, managers check the results, and responses come within 10 days.
Lee noted that a single filer accounted for several grievances. He said most grievances weren't serious, such as broken air conditioning. "Once you take that away, the actual number that's been filed is actually fairly low," Lee said, adding that conditions are improving.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The report was received. For: 2 (Ellenberg, Lee), Against: 0. No members of the public spoke on this item. Defined categories are expected in the next report, in about six months.
Minor Items
- Consent calendar approved 2-0. Ellenberg added the James Ranch evaluation and the 2025 annual crime statistics. She said early ranch findings look positive, though long-term data is just beginning. "I'm also encouraged to see an overall reduction in crime in our county," she said. A parent who spoke questioned the statistics' accuracy.
- Reentry request. Armando Gonzalez, member, Reentry Community Advisory Board, said "about 6,900 people leave our jail every quarter and about 3,000 of them within a day." He asked that the new intake and booking unit provide ID, medication, transportation and warm handoffs to reentry services. No county response was given.
- Abuse allegations. A parent made unverified allegations that the District Attorney's office failed to investigate abuse of their children. Ellenberg read a statement that state law bars disclosing child abuse investigation information and that the county takes allegations seriously.
- Announcements. Dr. Michelle Jordan won the 2026 Lacey Award. Gibbons Shapiro announced David Angel's retirement from the DA's office. A resource court pop-up fair is planned at the San Jose Rotunda.
- Veterans. Lee reported record attendance at the Veterans Stand Down and noted federal funding fights. He said "the cost of war is not just a matter of paying for the bombs and the airplanes and aircraft carriers."
Looking Ahead
The committee next meets Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. Probation's domestic violence services RFP is due in December, followed by a January roundtable. Juvenile grievance subcategories and a breakdown of jail medical complaints are expected in future reports.