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[SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] - CONSENT.OKAY, WE'LL PULL ITEM NUMBER 16 AND? - I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM NUMBER 57, AND I REQUEST THAT IT IS PLACED ON THE 1:30 P.M. AGENDA AFTER ITEM 12, GIVEN ITS RELEVANCE TO PERMITTING FUNCTIONS.
- SO, ITEM 16 WILL BE REPLACED WITH, UM, WITH AFTER 6 IT'LL BE 6.1 AND ITEM 57 YOU SAID? - YES.
DID WE GET THAT? - YES, CHAIR. WE ARE PULLING ITEM 16 AND ADDING IT TO THE REGULAR AGENDA AS ITEM 6.1 WITH ITEM 57 ALSO BEING PULLED AND ADDED AS ITEM 12.1.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO US REGARDING ITEMS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA, ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO US ON... REGARDING AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK FOR A SECOND TIME WHEN THE ITEM IS HEARD.
AND SPEAKERS WILL BE GIVEN TWO MINUTES.
PLEASE FORM A LINE ON-ON THE PODIUM TO SPEAK.
ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK? PLEASE JOIN US.
- GOOD MORNING. I'M BILL BEECHER FROM APTOS AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE BROWN ACT AGAIN.
IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD'S COUNCIL, WE HAVE REACHED SOME CONSENSUS ON PARTS OF THE BROWN ACT AND NOT ON OTHERS.
YES, WHEN YOU PUBLISH YOUR AGENDA WITH A MINIMUM DESCRIPTION OF EACH AGENDA ITEM, YOU MEET THE FIRST REQUIREMENT BECAUSE YOU DO IT 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE.
HOWEVER, YOU MISS ON THE SECOND REQUIREMENT TO HAVE AVAILABLE THE CONTENT, THE PRESENTATIONS FOR THESE AGENDA ITEMS. NOWHERE DO YOU TELL THE PUBLIC THAT IT'S AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
IF THEY REQUESTED THEM AT MEETING TIME, THEY WOULD HAVE NO TIME TO ADDRESS THE CONTENT AND TIME TO MAKE A REASONABLE COMMENT NOR HAVE THE TIME TO RESEARCH SOME OF THE CONTENT.
I REQUESTED YESTERDAY AND AGAIN TODAY THAT YOUR CLERK SUPPLY THE MATERIALS AND THEY NO- HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO SO.
THIS MORNING I WAS TOLD I COULD HAVE THAT MATERIAL, BUT AFTER THE MEETING.
WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M GONNA DO WITH THAT? SO YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT.
YOUR INSTRUCTIONS SUGGEST THAT THE PUBLIC MAKE THEIR COMMENTS BEFORE THE AGENDA ITEM IS PRESENTED.
IT IS MIXED IN WITH NON-AGENDA COMMENTS AND, UH, AGENDA ITEM FIVE.
IF I WANNA MAKE A SLIDESHOW PRESENTATION, THERE ARE NO INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THAT AND I LOVE TO DO SLIDESHOWS.
THE BROWN ACT AND YOUR OWN BYLAWS WANT TO HAVE AND ENGAGE PUBLIC, ENCOURAGING THEM TO MAKE INFORMED COMMENTS ABOUT THE AGENDA ITEMS. THIS IS NEARLY IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, WITH YOUR LACK OF NOTIFYING THAT THE MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE BEFORE THE MEETING, NOT IF NOT AVAILABLE, AND FORCING THEM TO COMMENT BEFORE THERE IS A PRESENTATION.
THE MATERIAL FOR THE BOARD MEETING SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE
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AT THE TIME THAT THE AGENDA IS PUBLISHED, SO THE PUBLIC HAS TIME TO RESPOND KNOWLEDGEABLY.THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COMMENT AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS AND PRIOR TO YOUR DISCUSSION.
SOME OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCES FROM OTHER BOARDS AND THEY ARE RUN DIFFERENTLY.
I SUGGEST THAT A COMMITTEE BE SET UP TO LOOK AT YOUR COMMITTEE, YOUR MEETING PROCEDURE, TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE BROUGHT UP.
I'M WILLING TO SIT ON THAT COMMITTEE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION.
- YEAH, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JAMES EWING WHITMAN.
I APPRECIATE THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER'S COMMENTS.
THIS GOVERNMENT, ALONG WITH THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ, IS ALMOST A PERFECT DEFINITE- DEFINITION OF DEMOCIDE, WHICH IS GENOCIDE BY GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS AGO AND TWO DAYS, I WALKED INTO THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ OFFICE TO PICK UP SOME PAPERWORK.
WHAT HAPPENED THE NEXT DAY, UH, MAY 24TH, 2020 WAS REALLY QUITE THE SHOCK.
THIS FROM ROOSEVELT, THE LION AND THE FOX.
HE'S A PRESIDENT FOR THREE TERMS, AN ADMITTED FASCIST.
THE PRINCE, WROTE MACHIAVELLI, MUST INITIATE THE FOG- MUST IMITATE THE FOX AND THE LION FOR THE LION CANNOT PROTECT HIMSELF FROM TRAPS AND THE FOX CANNOT DEFEND HIMSELF FROM WOLVES.
ONE MUST THEREFORE BE A FOX TO RECOGNIZE THE TRAPS AND A LION TO FRIGHTENED WOLVES.
THOSE WHO WISH TO ONLY BE LIONS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS.
THEREFORE, A PRUDENT RULER OUGHT NOT KEEP FAITH WHEN BY DOING SO WOULD BE AGAINST HIS INTEREST.
AND WHEN REASONS WHICH MADE HIM BIND HIMSELF NO LONGER EXIST.
IF MEN WERE ALL GOOD, THIS PRECEPT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD ONE.
BUT AS THEY ARE BAD AND WOULD NOT OBSERVE THEIR FAITH WITH YOU, SO YOU ARE NOT BOUND TO PRESERVE YOUR FAITH WITH THEM.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLE THAT, FOR THE MOST PART, WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SAYING AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH YOUR HANDS, I MOSTLY DISAGREE, MAYBE 96% OF.
I HAD A DELIGHTFUL, MAYBE UPWARDS OF 25 MINUTE, 20 MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH FRED KEELEY, WHO WAS DEFINITELY A CAREER EXPERT.
AND UNKNOWN TO ME, HE WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE SANTA CRUZ COMIC TIMES AND THE NIGHT BEFORE ON MONDAY, I FOUND MYSELF READING IT FOR A SECOND TIME ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND I MUST HAVE LAUGHED WHOLEHEARTEDLY AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES.
WHAT I MENTIONED TO MR. KEELEY IS THAT PROPAGANDA FROM SOMEONE'S PERSPECTIVE IS ALWAYS PROPAGANDA AND THERE'S A WAY WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON, SO...
[SILENCE] - HELLO, MY NAME IS STEVEN HOLMAN.
I LIVED IN OUR COUNTY HALF A CENTURY.
AFTER THE CZU FIRE, WHEN 4LEAF STARTED WORKING HERE, THINGS WERE GREAT.
4LEAF SENT THEIR A TEAM AND PERMITS WERE EXPEDITED.
4LEAF SEEMED TO LOSE SOME OF THEIR CONTRACTUAL AUTONOMY.
APPLICANTS ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTED ROADBLOCKS AND EXPENSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MATTERS.
THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS.
SINCE I'M A REGISTERED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST RETIRED, I DECIDED TO HELP FIRE FAMILIES, FIRST NEIGHBORS, THEN OTHERS AT NO CHARGE.
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH OVER 50 FAMILIES REGARDING SEWAGE AND WATER ISSUES.
IT WAS AN HONOR, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO DO IT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE COUNTY OR 4LEAF STAFF COULD HAVE TREATED PEOPLE WHO LOST EVERYTHING AS IF THEY WERE UNWELCOME DEVELOPERS.
CZU FIRE FAMILIES JUST WANTED TO GET BACK TO WHAT THEY HAD BEFORE THE CZU FIRE.
AFTER TWO FRUSTRATING YEARS, 4LEAF FINALLY MADE A STAFF CHANGE AND TWO PRIVATE CONSULTANTS WERE HIRED FOR EH MATTERS.
4LEAF'S CONTRACT IS OVER AND NOW THE WORK HAS TRANSITIONED TO THE COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICE.
I HAVE TWO CLIENTS REMAINING AND I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR A MEETING WITH THE EH MANAGEMENT SINCE FEBRUARY 26 FOR BOTH OF THEM.
WHEN THE EH MANAGEMENT IS UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO, MY CLIENTS AND I BECOME GHOSTED.
THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES.
THERE'S NO RETURN EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS FOR WEEKS TO OVER A MONTH.
SOMETIMES I HAVE TO CALL A COUNTY SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE OR A HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY DIRECTOR TO GET AN APPOINTMENT.
LAST FRIDAY MORNING, I GOT UP EARLY AND I WENT DOWN TO THE LOBBY OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAT THERE FROM 7:25 AM ON.
WHEN THE MANAGER CAME BY AT 8 AM, I OBTAINED AN APPOINTMENT FOR MONDAY MORNING.
I'M STILL WAITING AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE SECOND CLIENT.
I'M SAD TO REPORT THAT THIS IS BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH THE COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT.
I'M NOT SURE HOW THE RECOVERY PERMIT CENTER WAS TRAINED INITIALLY, BUT THAT TRAINING NEEDS TO BE ROLLED OUT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT.
KINDNESS, CONSIDERATION, AND RESPECT SHOULD GOVERN PERMIT APPLICATION REVIEWS FOR CZU FIRE FAMILIES, NOT DELAY SUSPICION AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION.
[SILENCE] - HELLO, I'M UNHAE LANGIS
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AND I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR THE UCSC STUDENT PROTESTER, A PERSON OF COLOR SAID TO BE ARRAIGNED THIS FRIDAY ON PETTY CHARGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER TRUMP SENT WARNING LETTERS TO 60 UNIVERSITIES, INCLUDING FOUR UC SCHOOLS OVER WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS ARE FAILURES TO PROTECT JEWISH STUDENTS.LAST DECEMBER AND JANUARY, I WAS ONE OF THE DRAFT...
ONE OF FOUR DRAFTERS OF THE COMMUNITY LETTER, UH, TO CHANCELLOR LARIVE, SIGNED BY EIGHT LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OVER 80 INDIVIDUALS, WHICH ENTREATED THAT THE UNIVERSITY DIVEST FROM ITS INVESTMENTS IN ARMS MANUFACTURERS AND TO ENSURE FULL AND EQUAL RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH AND ASSEMBLY FOR ITS STUDENTS AND FACULTY PROTESTERS.
THE LETTER WAS VIRTUALLY IGNORED.
IN THE CONCURRENT ACLU CAMPUS BANDS CASE, WHICH LOOKS RATHER TRUMPED UP, JUDGE CHOU PUGLIATTI, OF JEWISH DESCENT WHO KNOWS CHANCELLOR LARIVE PROFESSIONALLY SEEMS TO BE SIDING WITH UCSC DEFENDANTS OVER CIVIL LIBERTIES.
UC'S FREE SPEECH POLICIES CALLED TIME, PLACE AND MANNER POLICIES ARE WRITTEN IN A MANNER TO QUASH ALL PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTEST AS ANTISEMITISM.
WHY IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY IS PROTESTING CARNAGE AND ETHNIC CLEANSING IN GAZA WHICH HAS HORRIFICALLY RESUMED BEING PUNISHED? UC IS VICIOUSLY COMPLICIT, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE IDF'S BOOBY TRAPPING OF CANS OF FOOD SUCH THAT CHILDREN ARE BROUGHT INTO THE HOSPITAL WITH THEIR HANDS DANGLING AND FACE SHOT UP.
LAW PROFESSOR, CATHERINE FRANK SAYS OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY THAT IT, "HAS BECOME PART OF THE APPARATUS OF CHILLING SPEECH CRITICAL OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND CRITICAL OF THE US." IT'S NOT JUST MANAGING A DIFFICULT SITUATION.
IT IS ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING THAT CENSORSHIP IN THE NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION.
UCSC IS JOINING THIS VICIOUS BANDWAGON.
WHEN STUDENTS LIKE KHALIL, CORNELL STUDENT, UH, MOMODOU TAL AND- - THANK YOU.
[SILENCE] - [INAUDIBLE] [SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
I'M A LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE VIETNAM HELICOPTER PILOTS ASSOCIATION, THE VETERAN OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES.
I HAVE POSITIONS AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL AND STATE LEVEL WITHIN THE VFW.
AND I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICE HERE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
THAT OFFICE CURRENTLY OVERSEES WITHIN THIS COUNTY, THERE'S 11,000 VETERANS IN THIS COUNTY.
LAST WEEK ON THE 14TH OF, UH, MARCH, THE NEW VSO MANAGER WAS SUMMARILY LET GO WITHOUT A WARNING.
HE'S ONLY BEEN THERE SINCE OCTOBER.
WE GOT 11,000 VETERANS OUT THERE THAT HAD KIND OF BEEN SET ADRIFT.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THERE'S TWO, UH, 30 TO 35, CASES ON THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW, VETERAN LIMBO UNTIL THAT POSITION GETS REFILLED.
THAT VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER WHO WAS LET GO IS A COMBAT VET.
HE LOVES HIS COMMUNITY AND HE'LL DO ANYTHING FOR THEM.
I BEG ALL OF YOU TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AND LISTEN TO THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO GET UP HERE AND TALK NOW.
THIS IS ABOUT THE VETERANS AS A GROUP AND AS THAT ONE INDIVIDUAL TO GET HIM BACK IN HIS JOB.
[SILENCE] - PLEASE KEEP THE CLAPPING TO A MINIMUM SO WE CAN ALLOW THE NEXT SPEAKER TO COME AND SPEAK.
- PROUD AND STEADFAST, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICE IS A BEACON OF HOPE AND LIFE CHANGING BENEFITS AND RESOURCES FOR OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY, MANY OF WHOM DO NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND THE FULL EXTENT OF WHAT THEY HAVE EARNED THROUGH THEIR PERSONAL, PRIVATE, PERSONAL SACRIFICE.
THIS OFFICE DESERVES TO BE LED BY LOYALTY, DUTY, RESPECT, SELFLESS SERVICE, HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND PERSONAL COURAGE.
THOSE ARE THE CORE VALUES OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, VALUES THAT CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD AND FULLY UPHELD BY SOMEBODY WHO HAS SWORN THE OATH AND WORN THE UNIFORM.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORD.
XAVIER BIANCHI GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND SETTING THE STANDARD AND SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS AND LIVING THOSE VALUES.
XAVIER IS A PILLAR IN OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY.
HIS LOYALTY TO OUR VETERAN FAMILY IS UNWAVERING AS DEMONSTRATED IN ALL OF HIS WORK.
HE HAS DONE BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY.
HIS SENSE OF DUTY GOES WELL BEYOND THE 9:00-TO-5:00 JOB.
HIS LIFE IS DEDICATED TO HONORING, REMEMBERING
[00:30:02]
AND SUPPORTING VETERANS IN MULTIFACETED WAYS.HE GIVES RESPECT AND COMMANDS RESPECT BY HIS MERE PRESENCE AND OPERATIONAL TEMPERAMENT AND TREATS EVERYONE, CIVILIAN AND VETERAN ALIKE, WITH COMPASSION AND DIGNITY.
HIS SERVICE TO OUR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES GOES WELL BEYOND SELF-SACRIFICE AND SELFLESS SERVICE.
DESPITE HIS PERSONAL AND FAMILIAL HARDSHIP, HE NEVER, EVER FAILS TO PUT OTHERS FIRST.
AGAIN, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, AND HE IS A LIVING EXAMPLE OF WHAT CONTINUED SERVICE OUTSIDE OF UNIFORM LOOKS LIKE WHEN DONE WITH HONOR.
HE IS INTEGROUS IN ALL OF HIS WAYS, DOING WHAT IS RIGHT, WHEN IT'S RIGHT, FOR THE RIGHT REASONS WITHOUT COMPROMISE OR WAVERING.
XAVIER WILL ALWAYS CHOOSE THE HARD RIGHT OVER THE EASY WRONG.
THE PERSONAL COURAGE THAT XAVIER HAS DISPLAYED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN GOES WELL ABOVE AND BEYOND THE STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS PUT BEFORE HIM.
HE HAS OVERCOME EXPERIENCE AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAS DRIVEN OTHERS TO SELF-DESTRUCTION.
XAVIER SHOWS TREMENDOUS PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL MOTIVATION TO FULFILL HIS MISSION OF SERVING OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY IN WAYS UNIQUE TO HIS EXPERIENCE.
HE HAS UNDERGONE EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PURSUIT OF EDUCATION, CREDENTIALING, AND CERTIFICATION BY THE MOST, AND HE IS THE MOST POTENT FORCE MULTIPLIER IN THE PROVISION AND NAVIGATION OF VETERAN BENEFITS FOR OUR COUNTY.
REMOVING XAVIER FROM HIS POSITION AS A COUNTY LEAD VETERAN SERVICE OFFICE FOR THE SOLE REASON OF BEING ON A PROBATIONARY PERIOD IS A FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE ACTING AUTHORITY TO RECOGNIZE AND, RECOGNIZE THE CONCENTRATED EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS INDIVIDUAL IN A POLITICAL AND SOCIAL LANDSCAPE OR PERSONAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, BENEFITS, AND RESOURCES ARE BEING STRIPPED AWAY FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE...
- THANK YOU. - IS THE WRONG MESSAGE TO SEND.
MY NAME IS DAVE RAMOS. I APPROVE THAT COMMENT.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS ROBERT SHIPPEN.
I'M HERE TODAY TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER XAVIER BIANCHI.
I HAVE SUBMITTED A LETTER WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKET OF LETTERS BEING PROVIDED TO YOUR BOARD TODAY.
I THINK I HAVE A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF OUR LOCAL VETERANS AND OF THE UNIQUE ROLE OF THE VETERANS SERVICES OFFICER.
I SERVED AS AN ARMY SPECIAL FORCES MEDIC DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
FOR YEARS, I WORKED AS A VETERANS READJUSTMENT COUNSELOR IN THIS COUNTY.
I'VE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE VETERANS COMMUNITY, INCLUDING AS A MEMBER OF THE VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS, THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, AND AS A FORMER OFFICER OF THE UNITED VETERANS COUNCIL.
I HAVE KNOWN EACH OF THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICERS GOING AS FAR BACK AS THE 1970S.
I THINK I KNOW WHAT MAKES A GOOD ONE.
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT XAVIER BIANCHI HAS ALL THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES OF AN EXCELLENT OFFICER.
HE'S A DECORATED COMBAT VETERAN WHO CARES DEEPLY ABOUT HIS FELLOW VETERANS.
HE WORKS HARD ON THEIR BEHALF.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO CAN RELATE TO OTHER VETERANS.
AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR VETERANS TO BE ISOLATED AND TO BE RELUCTANT TO ACCESS GOVERNMENT CARE SERVICES.
HE IS HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND GROUNDED IN THE SERVICE NEEDS OF VETERANS.
YET HE DOES NOT COME OFF AS JUST ANOTHER BUREAUCRAT, WHICH MAKES HIM, MAKES AN ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE WHERE IT COMES TO VETS.
HE IS THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB OF COUNTY VETERANS SERVICES OFFICER.
THERE'S A REASON WHY SO MANY ARE HERE TODAY TO SPEAK UP ON HIS BEHALF AND TO STAND UP FOR HIM IN THE INTEREST OF ALL OUR COUNTY VETERANS.
XAVIER BIANCHI STOOD UP FOR HIS COUNTRY IN A TIME OF WAR.
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL DO WHATEVER IS POSSIBLE TO STAND UP FOR HIM.
MY NAME IS DR. CHRIS DIMAIO AND I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF THE COUNTY FOR WELL OVER 45 YEARS.
AND I AM A MEMBER OF THE VFW AND DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS.
UH, I WAS IN VIETNAM WITH THE 3RD MED BATTALION, UH, 3RD MARINE DIVISION AND MY UNIT WAS THE 1ST BATTALION, 9TH MARINES, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE WALKING DEAD.
UH, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT, UH, XAVIER.
HE'S BEEN AN EXCELLENT, UM, VSO.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHY HE WAS FIRED.
UH, EVEN MORE THAN THAT, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I STILL HAVE SOME PROBLEMS FROM VIETNAM.
I WAS HAVING QUITE A LOT OF PAIN FROM SOME OF THE INJURIES I SUSTAINED.
I HAD AN APPOINTMENT WITH HIM MONDAY AT 11:00.
AND I WAS CALLED AND TOLD I DIDN'T HAVE ONE BECAUSE HE WAS FIRED.
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I KNEW HE WAS FIRED.
UM, I URGE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT HIS REINSTATEMENT.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD ASK YOU TO DO IS TO REALLY LOOK AT THE FACT THAT THE VSO SHOULD BE AN IN-INDEPENDENT A-AGENCY.
[00:35:05]
UH, IN THE BEGINNING, WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, BILL SIMPSON WAS THE VSO AND IT WORKED OUT WELL.SINCE IT'S BEEN, UH, GIVEN TO THE COUNTY, UH, IT HAS NOT WORKED OUT WELL.
I DON'T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND VETERANS.
I REALLY THINK SOME OF THEM ARE ANTI-VETERAN, FRANKLY.
AND I REALLY THINK IT NEEDS TO BE A SEPARATE ENTITY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING TO ME.
AND I HOPE YOU REINSTATE XAVIER.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DAN REDMOND.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE VETERANS SURF ALLIANCE.
UH, I LIVE IN APTOS I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
I AM A RETIRED FORCE RECON MARINE OFFICER, AND I HAVE TWO KIDS GOING TO CABRILLO COLLEGE.
I HAVE WORKED WITH XAVIER FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.
HE'S BEEN THE SECRETARY OF MY BOARD AND HE HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB WITH NO PAY OR INCENTIVE.
AND I FEEL LIKE HE CARES A LOT ABOUT VETERANS.
SO I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK FOR A REINSTATEMENT OF XAVIER.
I THINK THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THE VSO OFFICE.
THERE'S NOT GOOD LEADERSHIP ABOVE THEM, ENSURING THAT THEY'RE GIVEN THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB THE RIGHT WAY SO THEY CAN ADVOCATE FOR THE 11,000 VETERANS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I ASKED THAT YOU GUYS FORM A COMMITTEE AND DECIDE WHY THIS HAPPENED, WHY HE WAS LET GO WITH NO REAL SOLID GOOD LEADERSHIP, NO GOOD COUNSELING AND HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY THAT WOULD OCCUR IN OUR COUNTY BECAUSE WE FEEL OFFENDED BY THAT AS VETERANS AND THEN REINSTATE HIM.
THAT'S WHAT I ASKED FOR YOU TO DO TODAY.
I'M A US ARMY VETERAN, THREE HOSTILE FIRE TOURS.
XAVIER DOESN'T WORK 8:00 TO 5:00.
HIM AND I HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING.
WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN I'VE NEEDED TO REACH OUT TO SOMEBODY.
SOME-SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF WORKING WITH SOMEBODY WHO HAS SERVED, WHO'S SHARED THE SAME EXPERIENCES, UH, IS INVALUABLE.
THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE, IN THE OFFICE THERE, AS STATED EARLIER, YOU ALMOST FEEL LIKE THEY'RE WORKING AGAINST YOU.
THE FIRST TIME I WENT INTO THAT OFFICE, I WAS QUESTIONED WHETHER OR NOT I ACTUALLY NEED TO, UM, APPLY FOR DISABILITIES.
DENIED BECAUSE I DIDN'T LOOK LIKE I WAS DAMAGED.
UH, WENT BACK AGAIN, SAW... SPOKE TO HIS PREDECESSOR, DEAN.
HE GOT ME THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WORKING WITH XAVIER, AGAIN, AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE.
HE DOESN'T JUST TREAT THE FILE, HE TREATS THE INDIVIDUAL.
HE GETS TO KNOW EVERYBODY HE WORKS WITH.
HE KNOWS, HE KNOWS THEIR FAMILIES, HE KNOWS YOUR NAMES, HE KNOWS YOUR BACKGROUND.
THAT IS PRETTY RARE GOVERNMENT SERVICE.
A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE JUST A FOLDER OR A NAME, TO HIM THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS.
HE TAKES EACH EVENT PERSONALLY.
HE INVESTS HIS TIME, HIS ENERGY AND-AND IS CARRYING HIS HEART INTO IT.
MR. HERNANDEZ, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR NATION.
[SILENCE] - MORNING, MY NAME IS RIVER AMBADI, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR XAVIER BIANCHI.
UM, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING ALONGSIDE XAVIER AT THE VETERAN'S SERVICE OFFICE AND I SAW FIRSTHAND THE POSITIVE IMPACT HE MADE.
IN JUST SIX MONTHS, HE WAS ALREADY MAKING REAL IMPROVEMENTS.
HE LISTENED, LEARNED QUICKLY AND GENUINELY CARED ABOUT EVERY VETERAN WHO WALKS THROUGH THAT DOOR.
BEFORE HE BECAME VSO, XAVIER PERSONALLY HELPED CONNECT ME TO THE VETERANS SURF ALLIANCE AND A STRONG COMMUNITY OF VETERANS THAT HAS TRULY CHANGED MY LIFE.
HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT, HE JUST CARED ENOUGH TO HELP.
EVERYONE I KNOW WHO HAS INTERACTED WITH HIM RESPECTS HIM.
HE HAS A STRONG- HE HAS STRONG VALUES, LEADS BY EXAMPLE AND ACTUALLY SHOWS UP FOR PEOPLE.
I LOOK UP TO HIM AND I BELIEVE IN OUR-OUR COMMUNITY IS BETTER WITH HIM IN IT, ESPECIALLY IN THAT ROLE.
[SILENCE] - HELLO, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF XAVIER.
I'M ONE OF HIS WORK STUDIES AND A 10-YEAR NAVY VETERAN.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT XAVIER IS THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB.
HE CAME TO THAT OFFICE AND STARTED INSTANTLY TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER.
HE GAVE ME A CAR WHEN MY CAR GOT CRASHED LAST YEAR.
HE MAKES SURE EVERYONE IS TAKEN CARE OF OUT THERE.
[00:40:01]
UM, THERE'S...WHEN IT COMES TO INNER OFFICE ANYTHING, HE IS ABSOLUTELY THE MAN TO GO TO.
HE TAKES CARE OF EVERY VETERAN THAT COMES IN THE OFFICE, MAKES EVERYONE FEEL PROTECTED AND IS ONE OF FEW ACTUAL VETERANS THAT WORKS FOR THE COUNTY IN THAT OFFICE.
UM, I WANT YOU TO REINSTATE HIM IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE HE IS THE VETERAN'S SERVICE OFFICE FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
AND THAT'S ALL I THINK WE NEED TO SAY.
[SILENCE] - HI, MY NAME IS CHARLIE BROWN, I'M THE MANAGER AT VETERANS VILLAGE IN BEN LOMOND.
AND XAVIER HAS HELPED ALL THE VETERANS THAT LIVE THERE WITH ME.
I GO DOWN EVERY WEDNESDAY AND VOLUNTEER.
HE'S THERE HELPING OUT WITH THAT.
HE'S THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE RIGHT JOB.
AND HE DIDN'T ASK US TO SHOW UP TODAY.
WE CALLED HIM AND TOLD HIM WE WERE SHOWING UP.
THIS IS LOVE, THIS IS SUPPORT.
[SILENCE] - WELL, MY NAME IS JAMES DALY, US MARINE CORPS, TWICE DEPLOYED.
I HAD MULTIPLE BRAIN INJURIES, MY SPINAL CORD, THE DAMAGE FROM MY NECK TO THE LOWER BACK OF MY BODY.
I HAVE NERVE DAMAGE DOWN ALL MY LIMBS.
I GO FROM ALMOST TOTAL PARALYZATION TO AS YOU SEE ME TODAY.
I WENT FOR MANY YEARS NOT KNOWING THAT I COULD RECEIVE ANY BENEFITS.
WHEN I FOUND OUT AND I APPLIED WITH THE VA, I FOUND OUT QUICKLY THE VA IS NOT A VETERAN'S FRIEND.
EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE MEDICAL EVIDENCE FROM YOUR MEDICAL FILE, WHICH THEY REQUIRE, THEY IGNORE IT, THEY DENY, YOU HAVE TO KEEP APPEALING AND APPEALING.
AND IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE PROPER PROCESS, PROPER FORMAT TO FILE THINGS, THE VETERAN'S NOT GONNA GET ANYTHING.
IF IT WASN'T FOR VETERANS AND VSOS LIKE XAVIER, PEOPLE LIKE ME WOULD BE JUST A DRIFT IN THE WIND.
HE'S NOT ONLY, UH, GIVING ME GOOD ADVICE, BUT I HAVE SENT PEOPLE, OTHER VETERANS WHO'VE HAD DIFFICULTIES.
I TOLD THEM GO ASK XAVIER, GO TALK TO HIM.
HE'S KNOWLEDGEABLE, HE'S MOTIVATED TO HELP LIKE NO ONE ELSE.
HE DESERVES TO BE IN THAT POSITION.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED HIM IN THAT POSITION.
[SILENCE] - HELLO, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
MY DAUGHTER WAS A COUNTY EMPLOYEE FOR MANY YEARS AND WORKED WITH THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, ETCETERA, ETCETERA.
SO I HAVE VERY HIGH REGARD FOR THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
I'M A PROUD U.S. NAVY KOREAN WAR VETERAN.
I HAVE SERVED MY COUNTRY AND MY COMMUNITY FOR NEARLY ALL OF MY LIFE AND I, HERE TODAY, I-I AM NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER.
THIS IS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR ME.
I'M A SENIOR VICE COMMANDER OF MY VFW POST.
I'M TREASURER OF THE UNITED VETERANS COUNCIL OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
I'M A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN LEGION.
MY-MY LIFE IS DEDICATED TO HELPING OTHERS, NOT ONLY AT VETERANS, BUT EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY.
I BELIEVE THAT XAVIER BIANCHI IN THE TIME THAT I'VE KNOWN HIM IS KNOWLEDGEABLE.
HE KNOWS RIGHT FROM WRONG TO HELP VETERANS AND HELP EVERYBODY BE AN ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT ABOVE ALL, HE HAS THE COMPASSION AND THE SENSE OF WHAT HE MUST DO TO HELP HIS COMMUNITY AND HIS FELLOW VETERANS.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY.
UH, MY NAME IS CHARMAINE BUENO DE VIVO AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE VFW.
I'M ALSO THE, UM, AN EMPLOYEE AT THE VETERANS, UH, INFORMATION CENTER AS A WELLNESS PEER SUPPORT.
I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I KNOW ABOUT XAVIER.
EXCUSE ME, I GET A LITTLE ANXIOUS.
[LAUGHTER] HE HAS A HEART MEANT FOR THIS JOB.
UM, I MET XAVIER VIA PHONE BACK IN, UH, 2020.
UM, AND WHILE HE WAS HOUSE HUNTING, WE GOT TO TALKING AND WE DISCOVERED THAT HIM AND I HAD SOMETHING IN COMMON.
UM, AND OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, UM, I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW HIM ON, UM, A MORE INTIMATE LEVEL.
AS FAR AS THE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT, WE MEET UP, WE TALK ABOUT MOSTLY ABOUT BEING OF SERVICE.
UM, WHAT THAT MEANS, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO VETERANS.
UM, GETTING TO KNOW HIM HAS BEEN SUCH A FANTASTIC, UM, VOYAGE SO TO SPEAK, I DON'T KNOW.
UM, AND THE ONE THING THAT I WANNA SAY MOST IS THAT X-XAVIER AND I WELL, XAVIER IS A PERSON OF COMPASSION.
[00:45:02]
UH, HE HAS A HEART, HE HAS SUCH A BIG HEART AND HE TRULY CARES ABOUT THIS TYPE OF WORK.HE TRULY CARES ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
UM, EXCUSE ME AGAIN, LIKE I SAID.
UM, HE REALLY DOES VALUE, UM, DOING THE RIGHT THING AND DOING IT FOR THE GREATER GOOD.
LOOKING PAST, UM, LOOKING PAST ALL OF THE RED TAPE AND DOING WHATEVER HE NEEDS TO DO TO BE OF SERVICE TO-TO OTHER VETERANS.
SO, I HOPE THAT YOU, I HOPE THAT YOU CONSIDER REINSTATING HIM TODAY.
AS HE HAS MADE, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, HE HAS MADE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS CALVIN ANGEL.
I'M WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
AND NORMALLY, I WOULD, UH, HAVE GOTTEN ON YOUR CALENDARS AND DONE THIS ONE-ON-ONE.
I THINK I ACTUALLY HAVE A MEETING SET UP WITH YOU, HERNANDEZ, AND WE RAN INTO EACH OTHER AND I APOLOGIZE FOR ACCOSTING YOU IN THE, UH, [LAUGHTER] IN THE HALLWAYS THAT WAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT PAID OFF FOR US.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA STAND HERE AND ECHO ANYMORE, THE, UH, SENTIMENTS ABOUT XAVIER BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S MORE PEOPLE BEHIND ME THAT ARE GONNA DO THAT.
AND IT'S REALLY OBVIOUS AT THIS POINT WHAT HIS ATTRIBUTES ARE AND WHAT HE CONTRIBUTES.
MY ROLE AS FOR THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IS MY TITLE IS A LOCAL INTER-AGENCY NETWORK COORDINATOR.
I'VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION FOR 15 YEARS.
AND PART OF MY ROLE WORKING FROM SANTA CRUZ TO SANTA BARBARA IS, OF COURSE, INTERACTING WITH CVSOS, UM, ON A PRETTY MUCH DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
AND I CAN SAY OVER THE COURSE OF 15 YEARS, UH, WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE, YOU ARE VERY FORTUNATE, UM, TO HAVE XAVIER.
HE'S NOT TYPICAL BY ANY STRETCH.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME THAT ARE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR, UH, WHAT HE IS IN TERMS OF WHAT HE CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR COMMUNITY WHICH YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY SEE.
UH, AS SOMEONE SAID EARLIER, UH, THEY WEREN'T ASKED TO COME.
EVERYONE VOLUNTEERED TO COME UP HERE AND SPEAK ON HIS BEHALF.
SO, I THINK THAT REALLY SPEAKS FOR, UM, WHAT HE'S ALREADY CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT HE CAN CONTRIBUTE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS SENT US THIS, UH, MAY I MAKE REFERENCES? IS THAT FINE? SO, AS I SAID EARLIER, WHEN I DID ACCOST HIM IN THE HALLWAY AND HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE US A FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT OUR CONCERNS.
UM, APPARENTLY, YOU KNOW, HE TOOK THE TIME TO GO BACK TO THE OFFICE.
THEY DID THEIR RESEARCH AND CAME UP WITH SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THIS SITUATION, WHICH ARE ALL VALUABLE AND VIABLE.
I THINK, I HOPE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU SHARE THIS WITH THE REST OF THE BOARD, THEY WILL CONSIDER IT.
I THINK PARTICULAR, UM, THE FACT THAT YOU MADE REFERENCE TO THE FACT THAT NOT USURPING THE AUTHORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, XAVIER IS UNDER, UM, IT ACTUALLY ADDRESSES HOW HE CAN COME BACK AND STILL, YOU KNOW, WITH NO SLIGHT TO THEM, STILL FILL THE POSITION AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY, THE- THE BOARD, AND, UH, AND AT THE DEPARTMENT - THANK YOU.
- WITHOUT THERE BEING ANY DISRESPECT AT ALL. - THANK YOU.
WE'LL HAVE, UH, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD.
- THANK YOU, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS, UH, CHUCK WOODSON.
I'M A RETIRED, UH, US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES WARRANT OFFICER WITH, UH, ALMOST 25 YEARS OF SERVICE.
I'VE LIVED IN THE COUNTY, UH, FOR QUITE A WHILE.
I ACTUALLY GRADUATED FROM MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL, SO MONTEREY BAY IS MY HOME.
UM, I RETIRED IN 2006 AFTER A BIG BREAK OF SERVICE, UH, SERVED IN VIETNAM, UH, AND I'VE BEEN, UH, ADVOCATING FOR VETERANS EVER SINCE, UH, MY RETIREMENT.
WHEN SOMEONE COMES ALONG IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT'S WILLING TO STEP UP AND ADVOCATE AND REPRESENT WITH THE COMPASSION AND DRIVE THAT XAVIER HAS, IT'S AN UNUSUAL SITUATION, AND YOU HAVE THAT INDIVIDUAL NOW HERE AND THIS COMMUNITY, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, VETERANS WANT TO SEE HIM REMAIN IN THIS POSITION.
HE MIGHT HAVE SOME MISGIVINGS AND SOME CHALLENGES WITH HIS, UH, WHAT IS IT? - PTSD.
- WELL, YEAH, LET'S JUST CALL IT PTSD, OF WHICH, UH, I HAVE MY SHARE OF.
I CAME HOME WITH A LOT OF ANGER, AND I'M STILL IN THERAPY.
BUT THAT'S NOT A REASON TO REMOVE THE INDIVIDUAL THAT CAN DRIVE FOR BENEFITS FOR THE VA.
THE VA REQUIRES YOU TO DRIVE FOR THOSE BENEFITS, AND XAVIER IS THE INDIVIDUAL THAT CAN DO THAT FOR US,
[00:50:03]
OR WE WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE.SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THIS MAN CAN DO, AND THE CONSTITUENTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE SITTING IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW AND VOICING THEIR OPINIONS AMOUNT TO NOT ONLY THE 10,000 PLUS VETERANS BUT THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
SO THERE'S A LARGE PORTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY THAT REPRESENTS VETERANS.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JUAN DIEGO ALVAREZ.
I AM THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR VETERANS AT CABRILLO COLLEGE.
UM, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH XAVIER ON NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS, UM, TO THE POINT WHERE HE HAS HELPED ME SAVE LIVES, UM, GET VETERANS IN THE PROPER, TO GET THEM THE PROPER TREATMENT, UM, GET THEM FINANCIAL HELP, GET THEM OFF THE STREETS.
UM, I THINK IT'S A DISSERVICE OF THE COUNTY TO HAVE DISMISSED HIM FROM HIS POSITION SINCE HE HAS REPRESENTED THE VETERAN COMMUNITY AS YOU SEE HERE TODAY.
UM, AND I FEEL THAT YOU NEED TO REINSTATE HIM, REINSTATE HIM AND GIVE HIM HIS JOB BACK.
[SILENCE] - HELLO AND GOOD MORNING.
I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING VETERANS IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR 14 PLUS YEARS.
UH, I LEFT THE POSITION IN JULY JUST BEFORE XAVIER TOOK IT IN OCTOBER.
UM, WHEN I FIRST SAW XAVIER, HE HAS THIS EXUBERANCE AND THIS ABILITY TO JUST DRAW PEOPLE INTO HIM AND SERVE THIS COMMUNITY IN SUCH AN IMPACTFUL WAY.
DOING THE JOB OF ESO CAN BE DONE 8:00 TO 5:00, SITTING IN FRONT OF A DESK, SHUFFLING PAPERWORK, AND GETTING ALONG WITH THE-THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COUNTY.
THE OTHER WAY TO DO IT IS TO GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND SERVE THIS COMMUNITY BOOTS ON THE GROUND, WHEREVER VETERANS ARE, IN THE LEVIES, IN THE JAILS, IN THE SCHOOLS, IN THE HOSPITALS, IN THE SHELTERS, AND REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT.
TALK TO VETERANS ON YOUR OWN TIME, VOLUNTEER WITH THE ORGANIZATION.
XAVIER DOES THAT ALL THE TIME, AND NOT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO GET PAID FOR IT NECESSARILY FROM THE COUNTY BECAUSE HE CARES IMMENSELY ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, HIS IMPACT IS IMPRESSIVE.
HE MAY HAVE HAD, UH, SOME SITUATION WITH HIS LEADERSHIP THAT I-I BELIEVE CAN EASILY BE CORRECTED, AND HE NEEDS SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH PTSD AND ADHD AS HE'S DISCLOSED TO THE COUNTY DESERVES A LITTLE SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION HERE.
AND-AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT OPPORTUNITY WAS GIVEN TO HIM.
IT WASN'T RECOGNIZED BY HIM, BY HIS LEADERSHIP, WHAT HE'S DONE FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, WE'VE ASSIMILATED, UM, 14 LETTERS, I BELIEVE MAYBE, MAYBE MORE.
UM, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT THOSE TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR REVIEW AND HOPE THAT YOU CAN, UM, TAKE WHAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY AS A REFLECTION UPON WHAT THIS COMMUNITY NEEDS AND DESERVES.
[SILENCE] - THANK YOU DEAN SUPERVISORS, MY NAME'S XAVIER BIANCHI.
I WAS A FORMER VSO FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, AND I'M HERE TODAY AT, OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE VETERAN COMMUNITY'S URGING.
THAT I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS ISN'T ABOUT MY PRIDE, MY ANGER, OR LOSS OF A JOB.
AND I DON'T HAVE A FAMILY, A WIFE, KIDS.
I SERVE VETERANS IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND I'D GLADLY DO IT FOR FREE.
WHERE MY STRUGGLES BEGAN WITH THE COUNTY WAS JUST, I... COULD I HAVE DONE THINGS BETTER? YES.
AND I'M HERE WITH MY HAT IN MY HAND SAYING, AND AT THE URGING OF THE COMMUNITY GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE AND I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, I DO NEED HELP.
I WAS SEEKING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, LITERALLY BEFORE I GOT THE PAPERWORK BACK FROM THE VA AND I WAS FIRED THE VERY WEEK THAT I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TURN IT IN.
AND, UH, IT RAISES SOME QUESTIONS FOR SURE.
AND WHEN I, OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I RAISE WITHIN THE OFFICE, ANY MANAGER WOULD DO LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR STAFF AND THEIR WORK STUDIES WHEN I'M BEING ASKED TO DO THINGS THAT I FELT WAS FRAUDULENT, MISUSE OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND PAYS.
THOSE WERE THE THINGS THAT I ENCOUNTERED AND QUESTIONED.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I'M WILLING TO LEARN AND LEARN COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND WORK FOR THE BETTER OF THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE I LOVE WHAT I DO AND I WOULD GLADLY DO IT FOR FREE AND THAT WOULD BE A LIFE WELL LIVED.
AND I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME LISTENING TO ALL THESE HONORABLE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE COME BEFORE ME.
I STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF THEM.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
[SILENCE] - MY NAME'S MAY SCROBERT.
I AM A MEDIATOR THROUGH THE CRC AND I HAVE CALLED XAVIER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TRYING TO HELP ME GO TO THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO TO FIND MY BROTHER WHO WAS A VETERAN, WHO STRUGGLES.
AND HE TOOK THE TIME AND HELPED ME TALK HIM DOWN
[00:55:02]
FROM HIM TRYING TO COMMIT SUICIDE.[WHIMPER] HE WAS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE HIM IN A WAY THAT I COULD NEVER BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THE TRAUMA THAT HE HAD BEEN THROUGH.
HE TAKES THE TIME AND I WILL CALL HIM AND HE WILL CALM VETERANS DOWN THAT ARE HOMELESS.
HE WILL GO TO THE STREETS WITH NO PAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE VETERANS LIVE AND HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE.
HOW DARE WE SAY THAT SOMEONE CAN'T BE IN FULL COMPLIANCE OF A PROGRAM WHEN THEY HAVE SUFFERED WHAT THEY HAVE SUFFERED.
HOW WE NOT UNDERSTAND COMPASSION AND GIVE THIS MAN ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SOMEONE WHO WOULD JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW THE RULES.
HOW CAN WE SAY THAT-THAT WE CANNOT GIVE THAT CHANCE TO SOMEONE THAT GREATLY DESERVES IT AND CARES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
MY FATHER'S A VETERAN, MY BROTHER'S A VETERAN.
I HAVE A FAMILY OF VETERANS AND I UNDERSTAND THAT PAIN AND THAT TRAUMA.
WE MUST HAVE COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING AND WE MUST MAKE CHANGE, ESPECIALLY FOR THEM.
[SILENCE] - UH, GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS ANTHONY SANCHEZ.
UH, I'M A RESIDENT OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AND A CANNABIS ADVOCATE.
UM, AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE, IT'S CLEAR THAT LEGAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING MARKETS IN THE COUNTY.
UM, ALLOWING CANNABIS LOUNGES, WE NOT ONLY OPEN THE DOORS TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, BUT ALSO PROVIDE A SAFE AND WELCOMING SPACE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO ENJOY CANNABIS WITHOUT FEAR OF PUNISHMENT OR JUDGMENT.
FIRST, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS.
LEGAL CANNABIS LOUNGES CAN GENERATE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE FOR THE COUNTY THROUGH LICENSING FEES, TAXES, AND JOB CREATION.
THIS MONEY CAN BE REINVESTED BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY, SUPPORTING VITAL SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS BOOMING AND BY TAPPING INTO IT, WE ENSURE THAT OUR REGION DOESN'T MISS OUT ON POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH AND PROSPERITY.
SECOND, CANNABIS LOUNGES OFFER INDIVIDUALS A RESPONSIBLE AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT TO CONSUME.
THIS HELPS REDUCE THE STIGMA OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH CANNABIS USE FOSTERING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND UNDERSTANDING.
PEOPLE CAN COME TOGETHER, SOCIALIZE, AND ENJOY CANNABIS WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING, UH, PEN-, UH, PENALIZED OR JUDGED.
IT'S ABOUT CREATING A SPACE WHERE PERSONAL FREEDOM IS RESPECTED.
LASTLY, WE RECOGNIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CAPITALIZE ON AN EMERGING MARKET.
CANNABIS LOUNGES ALLOW US TO TAP INTO A VIBRANT, FAST-GROWING INDUSTRY, CREATING NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND ATTRACTING TOURISTS AND LOCALS ALIKE.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CONSUMPTION, IT'S ABOUT CREATING A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE AND SUSTAINABLY, UH, ECONOMIC ASSET FOR OUR COUNTY.
IN CONCLUSION, ALLOWING CANNABIS LOUNGES WILL BOOST OUR ECONOMY, PROVIDE A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR CONSUMERS, AND POSITION OUR COUNTY AS A FORWARD THINKING LEADER IN A RAPIDLY EXPANDING INDUSTRY.
LET'S EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY AND CREATE A BETTER, MORE PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR EVERYONE.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ROLAND SAYRE.
I LIVE IN LIVE OAK AND I WANNA AGAIN TALK TO YOU ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PRESENT SITUATION AND FOR THE FUTURE.
UH, RECENTLY, WE WITNESSED A DISASTER IN MOSS LANDING.
UH, AN OLD FASHIONED LITHIUM IRON BATTERY WENT UP IN FLAMES AND SPEWED ALL KINDS OF TOXIC MATERIAL INTO THE ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S NOT WHAT ANYBODY WANTS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE WITNESSING AN ONGOING DISASTER WHICH IS CALLED CLIMATE CHANGE.
WHICH EVERY SO OFTEN REMINDS US THAT WE ARE IN ITS CROSSHAIRS AS WELL WITH FLOODS, WITH WILDFIRES, WITH UH, HUGE, UH, STORMS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
IN ORDER TO GET A HANDLE ON CLIMATE CHANGE, WE NEED TO DECARBONIZE.
THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT ARE USING SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY IN OUR REGION HERE, AT LEAST.
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS, BUT SOLAR AND WIND IS PRETTY MUCH IT AT THIS POINT.
BECAUSE THEY DON'T OPERATE ALL THE TIME, WE NEED TO DEVELOP ENERGY STORAGE.
AND SO YOU HAVE THE JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT SANTA, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY WILL HAVE, UH, ENERGY AROUND THE CLOCK.
THAT MEANS WE NEED TO HAVE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS. AND IT'S ALSO YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE SYSTEMS ARE SAFE.
IT'S NOT AN ENVIABLE POSITION THAT YOU'RE IN, THAT WE'RE ALL IN, BECAUSE ENERGY STORAGE IS STILL, UH, SORT OF IN ITS INFANCY.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD BATTERIES FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS NEW, THE SCOPE OF IT.
SO, I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLACEMENT OF...
[01:00:03]
- THANK YOU. - ...ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IS SAFE AND WELL THOUGHT ABOUT. - THANK YOU.[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU, VETERANS, ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, THE LITHIUM, UH, BESS FACILITY.
SONOMA, SOLANO, SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY.
THESE ARE COUNTIES OUTSIDE THE BAY AREA.
WHY ARE GRID SCALE BESS FACILITIES PLANNED OR PROPOSED FOR OUR COUNTIES OUTSIDE OF THE BAY AREA? THERE ARE NO GRID SCALE 200 MEGAWATT OR LARGER BESS FACILITIES PROPOSED FOR IN THE BAY AREA.
YOU DON'T SEE THESE FACILITIES NEAR STANFORD.
ARE WE THE GUINEA PIGS FOR THIS? WE DON'T NEED TO BE.
THERE ARE SAFE NON-FLAMMABLE ALTERNATIVES TO LITHIUM ION THAT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR MINTO ROAD.
SODIUM ION IS ONE AND A NEWER ALTERNATIVE.
ALSYM ENERGIES, A-L-S-Y-M ENERGIES IS BUILDING HIGH PERFORMANCE NONFLAMMABLE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO LITHIUM-ION.
REGARDLESS OF WHAT, THAT WE ARE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BAY AREA, WE CAN PROVIDE SAFE ALTERNATIVE AND SHOW THEM THAT WE ARE LEADERS AND NOT TO BE USED BY THE POWERS TO BE IN THE BAY AREA AS THEIR EXPERIMENT.
I HOPE THIS RINGS TRUE THAT THESE FACILITIES ARE BEING PUT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.
THEY'RE NOT BEING PUT IN URBAN CENTERS.
SANTA CLARA... THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA IS PUTTING UP A SMALL ONE ACRE SITE IN THEIR OWN CITY, BUT THAT'S LIKE THREE OR FOUR UNITS, THREE OR FOUR MODULES.
NOT 50, 62, UP TO A HUNDRED, LIKE BEING PROPOSED AT MINTO ROAD.
[SILENCE] - MY NAME IS LORENA VASQUEZ.
I WAS THE VETERAN SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COUNTY FOR 24 YEARS.
I RETIRED LAST MONTH, WELL, LAST YEAR.
UM, I WAS ALSO IN THE HIRING PANEL FOR XAVIER, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I DO SUPPORT THAT HE BE REINSTATED.
SO I KNOW WHAT A GOOD VSO IS, THE QUALITIES.
UH, I WAS ALSO HIRED WHEN THE VETERAN SERVICES WAS ITS OWN DEPARTMENT, AND I'M ASKING THE, UH, THE BOARD TO CONSIDER PUTTING THE VETERAN SERVICES BACK UNDER THE BOARD.
UH, CURRENTLY IT IS... IN MY OPINION, IT IS BEING MICROMANAGED.
AND AGAIN, I SAY THIS BECAUSE I WAS HIRED WHEN THE VSO DEPARTMENT WAS ITS OWN DEPARTMENT.
AND IT RAN BY VETERANS WHO WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT VETERAN SERVICES, THAT WAS THEIR GOAL.
CURRENTLY, UM, THAT IS NOT THE GOAL, I BELIEVE, OF THE PEOPLE ABOVE XAVIER.
UM, THE VETERAN SERVICES HAS THAT ONE GOAL SERVING VETERANS AND DOING THE BEST JOB THAT WE CAN.
WHEN WE HIRED XAVIER, UM, HE IS A COMBAT VETERAN, HE BRINGS PASSION, AND AGAIN, HE WAS THE BEST INTERVIEWEE FOR THIS POSITION.
SO BECAUSE OF MY 24 YEARS AS A VET REP, I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT MAKES A VSO AND HE IS A PERFECT FIT FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE, UH, A UNIQUE COUNTY HERE.
SO PLEASE CONSIDER REHIRING HIM AND PUTTING THE VETERAN SERVICES UNDER ITS OWN DEPARTMENT.
[SILENCE] - I'M JOSE BECERRA, UNITED STATES NAVY, EX-PRESIDENT OF THE CABRILLO COLLEGE VETERAN, UH, CLUB.
I FEEL LIKE XAVIER SHOULD BE REINSTATED.
HE'S AN EXEMPLARY LEADER, AS WELL AS ROLE MODEL FOR THE-THE WHOLE VETERAN COMMUNITY.
FROM HIS TIME AS A FIREFIGHTER, FROM HIS TIME TO BEING IN THE ARMY, FROM HIS TIME TO BEING A VETERAN'S ADVOCATE TO HIS TIME AS A VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER, HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK WITH VETERANS WHO HAVE, HOW DO I SAY THIS?
[01:05:06]
WHO ARE...WHO FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING ASSISTED, WHO FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING HEARD.
BUT XAVIER'S OWN EXPERIENCES GOING THROUGH THIS TRANSITION FROM THE ARMY TO CIVILIAN LIFE, HE-HE WENT THROUGH HIS OWN STRUGGLES AND WITH THOSE STRUGGLES HE'S, HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF THOSE STRUGGLES AND USE HIS EXPERIENCE TO HELP VETERANS WHO'VE BEEN THROUGH THE SAME EXACT STRUGGLES.
I'VE MET VETERANS WHO HAVE COME INTO OUR OFFICE, EYES RED, ANGRY, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO, BUT XAVIER WAS THERE, LOOK AT THIS VETERAN, ABLE TO INTERACT WITH THEM, ABLE TO CALM THEM DOWN, ABLE TO RELAX THEM, ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM THROUGH THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES OF GOING THROUGH THE STRUGGLE.
IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF XAVIER'S NOT REINSTATED TO HIS POSITION BECAUSE IT IS A MASSIVE LOSS, NOT JUST FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BUT FOR THE VETERAN COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE AND THE WHOLE ENTIRE BAY AREA.
AS YOU CAN SEE ALL THESE INDIVIDUALS OUT HERE HAVE COME OUT HERE TO SUPPORT XAVIER BECAUSE HE'S AN AMAZING LEADER.
ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS HELP OUT VETERANS.
SO PLEASE, IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU GUYS WOULD REINSTATE XAVIER.
[SILENCE] - HI, MY NAME IS ALAN FISHER.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
UH, I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO USE YOUR INFLUENCE REGARDING THE ARRAIGNMENT ON FRIDAY MORNING OF A UC SANTA CRUZ STUDENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ENCAMPMENT THAT OCCURRED DURING THE MONTH OF MAY, LAST YEAR.
UM, AND YOU MIGHT ASK WHY-WHY AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WOULD I BE, UH, BRINGING UP THE ISSUE OF PALESTINE AND GAZA? WELL, IT'S PARTLY BECAUSE ALL OF US, OUR WHOLE SOCIETY, WE FINANCE THE MASS SLAUGHTER THAT IS DAILY OCCURRING IN GAZA.
AND, UH, AND SO IT'S, I FEEL IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THAT.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS STUDENT WAS DOING AT THE ENCAMPMENTS THAT I PERSONALLY VISITED PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT TIMES.
AND I CAN TESTIFY TO THE PEACEFULNESS, RESPECT, DEDICATION, AND COURAGE OF THOSE STUDENTS, UH, WHO-WHO SET UP IN A, UH, PEACEFUL ENCAMPMENT, UH, TO, UH, RESIST THE GENOCIDE THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN ALL OF OUR NAMES.
SO I'M ASKING... I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO USE YOUR INFLUENCE WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND ANYBODY INVOLVED IN THIS TRIAL THAT IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN ON FRIDAY AND URGE THEM TO DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST THE-THE STUDENT AND ALL THE STUDENTS WHO NEED OUR SUPPORT.
AND THIS RELATES TO THE REPRESSION THAT IS GOING ON ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES WHERE STUDENTS ARE INTIMIDATED AND FACULTY ARE INTIMIDATED, AND UNABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR POINT OF VIEW, UM, THEIR LEGITIMATE POINT OF VIEW.
AND I ASK YOU TO DO TO HELP IN THAT STRUGGLE, IN THIS EPIC STRUGGLE TO STOP THE GENOCIDE AND DROP THE CHARGES.
[SILENCE] - HI, MY NAME IS TREVOR HUTCHISON.
UH, I KNOW A LOT OF YOU PERSONALLY.
I VOTED FOR A LOT OF YOU, WHICH, UH, I LOVE AND SUPPORT.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN THIS COMMUNITY WELL, I'VE BEEN HERE, I WAS BORN HERE, UM, RAISED HERE.
I'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND I BRING MYSELF HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY ON XAVIER'S BEHALF BECAUSE I STAND UP FOR PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT DO THE WORK THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AS MANY OF YOU HAVE DONE.
AND I KNOW THROUGH YOUR PHILANTHROPIC WORK AND, UM, I'VE LOVED AND SUPPORTED YOU FOR THAT.
UH, I, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I'M A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS, BUT XAVIER NOT ONLY PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE WHEN HE SIGNED HIS NAME, UH, FOR THIS COUNTRY OR US, UM, BUT HE HAS BULLET HOLES TO PROVE THAT.
BUT IT'S... THAT'S NOT THE REASON WHY I'M HERE TODAY.
IT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT ONE GENTLEMAN SAID IN HERE EARLIER, 08:00 TO 5:00.
IT'S REALLY REQUIRES A LOT MORE THAN THAT 8:00 TO 5:00 JOB, AS YOU GUYS KNOW.
BECAUSE YOU'VE PUT IN A LOT OF THAT EXTRA WORK THAT'S NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITY TO REALLY HELP IT GROW AND BE AS PROSPEROUS AND SHAPE IT THE WAY THAT WE WANNA SEE IT.
WHERE THERE'S EQUALITY, THERE'S MORE JUSTICE, UM, AND THERE'S MORE PEOPLE SERVED.
BECAUSE THE MORE YOU PUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, THE MORE EACH AND EVERY PERSON GETS OUT OF THE COMMUNITY.
FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET XAVIER REINSTATED, UM, OR TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.
I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS CAN DO IT.
[01:10:02]
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING. I'M J. ROSELLA MYERS AND I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE SPEAKING ABOUT TRYING TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE AGAINST THE ION LITHIUM BATTERIES AND, UM, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE WANNA HAVE A SAFE PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT.
MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED HERE OVER 50 YEARS AGO TO GET AWAY FROM ALL THE POLLUTION AND THE HORRIBLENESS OF LIVING IN LA.
AND WE FELT LIKE THIS COMMUNITY WAS A VERY POSITIVE, UM, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.
AND WITH THE FIRE THAT HAPPENED AT MOSS LANDING, IT'S PRETTY APPARENT THAT IF YOU INSTALL ION LITHIUM BATTERIES THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN TO BE SAFE.
AND, UM, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE MANU EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT HERE, UH, FOR HIS COURAGE, AND HIS COURAGE TO SPEAK UP AND SAY ON THE 28TH OF JANUARY THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO PUT A MORATORIUM TO DO STUDIES ON HOW SAFE THIS TECHNOLOGY IS.
THERE'S WAY BETTER TECHNOLOGY.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, MY HUSBAND WHO WAS IN VIETNAM, I DIDN'T COME PREPARED REALLY TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS, BUT HE WAS AFFECTED BY AGENT ORANGE OVER 50 YEARS AGO.
AND THE-THE SYMPTOMS DID NOT APPEAR FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND THE VA DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND HE'S ON A HUNDRED PERCENT DISABILITY BECAUSE OF THAT EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE.
AND THIS NEWSLETTER THAT WE JUST GOT YESTERDAY ABOUT AGENT ORANGE COMMUNICATING TO VETERANS ABOUT HOW...
THERE'S EVEN MORE SYMPTOMS AND PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOW BEING ACKNOWLEDGED FROM THAT EXPOSURE.
SO, PLEASE, WHEN YOU'RE MAKING THIS DECISION, ABOUT XAVIER AND WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S WILLING TO GO TO BAT FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS, THAT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY POSITIVE THING TO DO.
[SILENCE] - WELL, I'M HERE BY ACCIDENT, ACTUALLY.
UH, I'M A 75 YEAR, UH, RESIDENT OF THIS COUNTY AND A CONTRACTOR HERE FOR 45 YEARS, AND I SUPPORT ALL THE VETERAN GROUPS HERE.
UM, BUT I'M HERE ABOUT THE BILLING DEPARTMENT AND I'M KIND OF APPALLED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AFTER THE CZU FIRE, UH, PEOPLE LOST EVERYTHING.
MY CLIENT LOST EVERYTHING, UH, AND-AND THIS BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND EVEN 4LEAF PUT EVERY ROADBLOCK IN FRONT OF US.
UH, SHE ENDED UP BUYING ANOTHER HOUSE.
BUT WHAT I WANT TO DO, BECAUSE I'VE GOT 45 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HERE, I WANT TO TESTIFY IN FRONT OF THIS BOARD, GIVE ME 20 MINUTES OR SO OPEN OR CLOSED SESSION, I KNOW ALL THE SKELETONS, ALL THE DRUNKS THAT USED TO COME AND INSPECT MY WORK AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
I THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS.
YOU'RE THE YOUNGER GENERATION NOW.
MY GENERATION SCREWED THINGS UP ENOUGH.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET PEOPLE BUILT HERE AND IN, UH, UH, CATASTROPHE YOU SHOULD SUSPEND YOUR BUREAUCRACY AND GET PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES.
UH, FERNDALE AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THEIR EARTHQUAKE, THEY WAIVED ALL PERMIT FEES.
THEY SAID, "GET INTO YOUR HOMES." THE FIRE OF BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A PLANNING DEPARTMENT EVERYBODY WAS REBUILT AFTER A YEAR.
IT'S UP TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION TO TAKE THIS OVER AND I WANT TO TESTIFY IN FRONT OF THIS-THIS GROUP, AND TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS YOU'VE GOT AND YOU'VE GOT TO GROW SOME BALLS AND FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY.
'CAUSE THE NEXT DEVASTATION'S GONNA BE WORSE.
[SILENCE] - MY NAME IS SALLY LUCIER.
MY HOME IS ON CLEAR CREEK ROAD, BROOKDALE SEVEN-TENTHS OF A MILE UPHILL FROM THE BROOKDALE LODGE.
ON AUGUST 20TH, 2020, MY FAMILY LOST A TWO STORY MAIN HOUSE, THREE CABINS, TWO OF WHICH WERE RENTALS AND A LAUNDRY ROOM IN THE CZU FIRE.
IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR A BUILDING PERMIT, THERE MUST BE FOUR DEPARTMENTAL CLEARANCES ON THE PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN.
OUR SITE PLAN WAS SUBMITTED ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2024, WE HAVE YET TO HAVE THE SITE PLAN APPROVED.
SO WHAT HAS HELD US UP? NUMBER ONE IS THE ATKINS STUDY.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT OUR PRIVATE GEOLOGIST AND SOILS ENGINEER DOCUMENTED MINIMAL RISK TO A DEBRIS FLOW, AND THAT WE HAVE HAD FOUR WINTERS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
[01:15:01]
AND NO DEBRIS FLOW.NUMBER TWO, SLOW RESPONSE TO SMALL QUESTIONS FROM THE RECOVERY PERMIT CENTER.
NUMBER THREE, VERY OLD AND MINIMAL ASSESSOR RECORDS.
NUMBER FOUR IS POOR COMMUNICATION, EVEN THOUGH, UM, WE DID GET A RESPONSE ON OUR SITE PLAN ON SEPTEMBER THE 30TH.
AND THOSE RESULTS SHOWED APPROVAL OF THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF OUR MAIN HOUSE THAT APPROVAL WAS RESCINDED ON DECEMBER THE 13TH.
WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED BY EMAIL, AND WE ONLY DISCOVERED THIS LAST SUNDAY, MARCH THE 23RD.
SO WHAT ARE WE REQUESTING? THAT CZU FIRE VICTIMS BE GIVEN PRIORITY WHEN SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS AND ASKING QUESTIONS OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
A 10-DAY RESPONSE TO APPLICATIONS AND A THREE-DAY TURNAROUND FOR SMALL QUESTIONS.
AND MOST OF ALL, WE ASK THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WORK WITH US, NOT AGAINST US, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE HOME AGAIN.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS NINA ADINO, A RESIDENT OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
BY RECENT OFFICIAL COUNTY ACCOUNTS, AGRICULTURE IN THE COUNTY IS WORTH AN 8 BILLION ANNUALLY.
AND HOW MUCH IS A CHILD'S LIFE WORTH TO YOU? HOW ABOUT THE LIVES OF ALL THE CHILDREN LIVING IN A TWO-MILE RADIUS AROUND YOUR PROPOSED SEAHAWK BESS FACILITY JUST OUTSIDE OF WATSONVILLE? WHAT ARE THEY WORTH? BECAUSE MOSS LANDING MARINE LAB, PROFESSOR AIELLO HAS TESTIFIED AS AN EXPERT IN HIS RESEARCH FIELD THAT THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS OF HEAVY METAL TOXINS FROM VISTRA'S CATASTROPHIC FIRE AT MOSS LANDING ARE NOT RIGHT NEXT TO THE SITE, BUT INSTEAD, ONE TO TWO MILES OUT.
"UH, NOT TO WORRY," YOU WILL SAY.
THE CONTAINERIZED FIRES WILL BE SO MUCH SMALLER AND LESS TOXIC.
THEY WON'T SPREAD MUCH AT ALL.
ONLY LESS THAN A HUNDRED FEET FROM THE 300 CONTAINERS PLANNED FOR THE UTILITY SCALE FACILITY.
SO ARE WE GOING TO LISTEN TO SENATOR LAIRD INTRODUCING A SO-CALLED CLEAN ENERGY SAFETY ACT BY CLAIMING THAT FIRST RESPONDERS CONTAINED THE TOXIC 250-FOOT-TALL FLAMES AT MOSS LANDING? WHAT CONTAINMENT? THERE WAS NO CONTAINMENT.
YOU CAN'T CONTAIN A LITHIUM FIRE.
ARE WE GOING TO LISTEN TO THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY STORAGE ALLIANCE LOBBY WHERE VISTRA SITS AS A TOP TIER CONTRIBUTOR DECLAIMING A MEETING WITH NEWSOM'S OFFICE THAT ALL TESTS CONDUCTED TO DATE HAVE FOUND NO PRESENT DANGER? DESPITE IT BEING THE LARGEST BATTERY STORAGE FIRE IN US HISTORY THAT ANY FUTURE INCIDENTS SHOULD THEY OCCUR, WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS IMPACT AS LESS THAN 1% OF MOSS LANDING'S ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY WOULD BE AT RISK DUE TO THE INDUSTRY'S TRANSITION TO CONTAINERIZED STORAGE.
REALLY? ASK ANY BATTERY ENGINEER WHO'S NOT ON AN ENERGY DEVELOPER'S PAYROLL TO GUARANTEE THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE A CONTAINERIZED LITHIUM FIRE THAT WILL BURN THROUGH A CONTAINER AND SPREAD TO OTHERS.
ASK THEM TO GUARANTEE THAT NEW GENERATION LFP BATTERIES ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT FIRE AND EXPLOSION RISK FREE.
ASK THEM TO GUARANTEE HOW THE WINDS WILL BLOW ON THE DAY THE FIRE SPREADS.
THERE'S NO GUARANTEE POSSIBLE.
A LOCAL WATSONVILLE BUSINESS OWNER STATED TO ME RECENTLY, THERE'S NOTHING COMPLEX HERE, IN ANY OTHER BUSINESS A FAILURE TO -THANK YOU.
- GUARANTEE THE ABILITY TO EXTI- - THANK YOU.
[SILENCE] - I STILL HAVE 15 SECONDS.
MY PHONE NUMBER IS (408) 590-2946.
THE ONLY ONE THAT EVER CALLED ME BACK WAS MANU, AND HE APPOINTED ME AS AN ALTERNATE PLANNING COMMISSIONER.
I'D LIKE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM YOU HAVE AND ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE THAT PROBLEM.
I'M THE, UH, CHP CAPTAIN HERE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, AND WHEN I HEARD YOU GUYS WERE CONSIDERING THE CANNABIS FARM RETAIL LICENSE PILOT PROGRAM, I WANTED TO COME HERE AND TALK TO YOU TO, UH, OFFER FOUR POINTS OF CONSIDERATION FOR THAT.
UH, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT IF YOU HAVE, UH, FARM PRODUCE STANDS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR FARMS WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY AND CONSUME, UH, UH, CANNABIS THAT THERE'S GONNA, UH, BE AN INCREASE TO DUIS AND-AND TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN THE AREA.
UH, I HAVE 55 EMPLOYEES WHO WORK 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY SAFE AND HAVING, UH, INCREASED USE OF CANNABIS IN PUBLIC SPACES, UH, DEFINITELY GOES AGAINST THAT.
ALSO, THERE'S, UH, ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGES WITH CANNABIS.
THERE'S CURRENTLY NO, UH, ACCEPTABLE ROADSIDE TESTS FOR CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AND THE THC LEVELS, UH, REIGNS VERY VASTLY.
SO IT'S VERY HARD TO DETECT WHEN SOMEONE IS, UH, IMPAIRED.
UH, ALSO FOR THE CONVICTIONS OF THESE DUIS, IT'S, UH, BETTER TO HAVE, UH, A DRUG RECOGNITION EXPERT SHOW UP TO THE SCENE AND EVALUATE THE OFFICERS.
[01:20:01]
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THOSE.OF MY 55 EMPLOYEES, I THINK I HAVE FIVE OR SIX THAT ARE DRUG RECOGNITION EXPERTS TO EVALUATE THESE IMPAIRED DRIVERS.
SO AN INCREASE OF THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A TAX ON OUR SYSTEM.
ALSO THERE'S PUBLIC NUISANCE ISSUES.
UH, OPEN CONSUMPTION IN PUBLIC, UH, PLACES LEADS TO SECONDHAND EXPOSURE TO THOSE THAT DON'T SMOKE AND DON'T ENJOY THAT.
AS WELL AS, UH, FOR CHILDREN THAT WILL VISI-VISIT THE FARM PRODUCE STANDS, AND EVEN OFFICERS, PARAMEDICS, AND FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE TO RESPOND TO THESE LOCATIONS IN THE EVENT THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.
AND LAST WAS, UH, ALSO THE INCREASED EXPOSURE TO YOUTH.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU, UH, STOP AT A PRODUCE STAND, THERE'S INEVITABLY GONNA BE A FAMILY THERE AND CHILDREN THERE AND THE CHILDREN SEE AND, UH, AND, UH, I GUESS GET NORMALIZED BY THE CONSUMPTION OF MARIJUANA.
AND I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT'S A GOOD THING, SO.
THOSE ARE OUR FOUR-FOUR POINTS.
- UH, GOOD MORNING, JON KOLODINSKI, UM, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE BATTERY, UH, ISSUE AS A SOUTH COUNTY RESIDENT AND FARMER.
UM, I HAVE GREAT CONCERN WITH THE-THE PLACEMENT OF THIS.
IT SEEMS THAT THE COMMUNITY IS PRETTY MUCH UNANIMOUSLY AGAINST THIS IDEA.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, THE FRAGILITY OF OUR CANNABIS ECONOMY AS-AS SUCH THAT IF, UH, ANOTHER TRAVESTY LIKE MOSS LANDING FIRE WERE TO OCCUR, UM, IT WOULD BASICALLY WIPE OUT THE ENTIRE CANNABIS ECONOMY, UM, AS IT WOULD RENDER EVERYTHING IN THE GROUND AT THAT POINT IN TIME UNSELLABLE.
SO, UM, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, INCLUDING THE SAFETY OF THE REST OF OUR-OUR CONSTITUENTS AND-AND NEIGHBORS DOWN THERE, UM, I URGE YOU TO DEEPLY CONSIDER, UH, NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT PROPOSAL.
[SILENCE] - SEEING THAT THERE'S NO OTHER, IS THERE ANYBODY ONLINE? - YES. CHAIR, WE HAVE SPEAKERS ONLINE.
CALLING USER 2915, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
- HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? - YES, WE CAN.
- THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, SUPERVISORS.
I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE VETERANS WHO HAVE SHOWN UP THIS MORNING TO SUPPORT XAVIER FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF A VERY FINE, UH, COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER THERE.
AND BOARD, I URGE YOU TO FORM AN IMMEDIATE, UM, INVESTIGATION WITH MR. RANDY MORRIS, THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN SERVICES, THE DEPARTMENT THAT OVERSEES THE VETERAN SERVICES, AND FIND OUT WHY THIS HAPPENED, AND TO REINSTATE XAVIER IMMEDIATELY.
I ALSO WANT TO TALK WITH YOU AGAIN ABOUT WHY THERE IS NO REPORT ON THE AGENDA FOR WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING TO RESPOND TO THE VISTRA BATTERY FIRE IN MOSS LANDING.
THERE IS NO PLACE ON SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE SURVEY.
THAT HEALTH SURVEY THAT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN FACT HAS, IT IS ON THE MONTEREY COUNTY WEBSITE.
THERE IS NO, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, YOUR BOARD SHOWING SUPPORT OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER DAWN ADDIS' AB 303.
WHY WOULD YOU NOT SUPPORT A BILL THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY, AGAIN, TO BE ABLE TO APPROVE DISCRETIONARY PERMITTING OF A BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM IN OUR COUNTY? PLEASE, I WANT TO SEE YOU ALL WRITE A LETTER TO, UM, IN SUPPORT OF AB 303, I, AGAIN, ASK THAT YOUR BOARD FOLLOW THE LEAD OF ORANGE AND SOLANO COUNTIES, SONOMA COUNTIES THAT HAVE PLACED A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON LITHIUM ION BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE.
WE ARE NOT SAYING TO BAN BATTERY STORAGE, WE ARE SAYING TO PUT A MORATORIUM ON LITHIUM...
- CALLING USER 8204, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
IT IS *6 TO MUTE OR UNMUTE YOURSELF.
[SILENCE] CHAIR, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT SPEAKER.
- HI, THIS IS DIANE CALLING AND, UM, I WANTED TO ALSO FOLLOW UP ON THE BATTERY ISSUE OUT ON MINTO ROAD.
I WALKED IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF MINTO ROAD YESTERDAY AND HONESTLY, HARDLY ANYBODY KNEW ABOUT THE, UM, THE BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY THAT'S PLANNED,
[01:25:01]
WITH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN HUNDREDS OF YARDS FROM THEIR OWN HOME.SO, UH, I'M, UH, EXPECTING THAT YOU GUYS WILL HAVE A TOWN HALL MEETING.
WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM YOU GUYS LIKE...
PEOPLE NEED TO BE INFORMED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT CHOICES THAT COULD BE AHEAD OF US.
WE DO WANT A MORATORIUM ON THESE BATTER-, LITHIUM ION BATTERY STORAGE SITES, BECAUSE WE DON'T FEEL THEY'RE SAFE.
WE DON'T WANNA BE MOSS LANDING.
WE-WE LOVE OUR-OUR HOMES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT.
WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BECOME TOXIC SEWAGE DUMPS.
AND WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW, GETTING THE WORD OUT TO THE COUNTY.
SEND OUT NOTICES EVERYWHERE, PUT 'EM IN THE PAPERS.
LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING, AND CREATE A TOWN HALL MEETING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN SOUTH COUNTY SO THAT THESE RESIDENTS CAN COME AND HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO SAY.
AND-AND, UH, WE'RE HO-, WE'RE... WE'VE BEEN HOLDING OUR BREATH, BUT COME ON, WE NEED IT NOW.
SO PLEASE HELP, PLEASE DO YOUR JOB.
WE SUPPORT YOU IN DOING THIS, SO PLEASE, [CHUCKLES] WORK FOR US AND NOT THE INDUSTRY.
- CALLING USER 2. YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
IT'S INSIGHTFUL TO REFRAME WHAT'S HAPPENING AS SYMPTOMS OF CORPORATE RULE, WHETHER BY VISTRA, LOCKHEED MARTIN, PG&E, ETCETERA.
WE NOW HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL MILITARY CORPORATE DICTATORSHIP WITH THE MUSK-TRUMP MASS FIRING
[ACTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA (ITEMS 14-58)]
OF SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY PERSONNEL, INCLUDING VETERANS AFFAIRS, SOCIAL SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ETCETERA.WAS THIS, UH, FIRING OF XAVIER, PART OF THE MASS FIRING? I WANT TO INVITE PEOPLE TO A BRAVE AND FREE MEETING TONIGHT TITLED "WEATHER WARS." IT'S TAKING PLACE AT THE APTOS RANGE 2555, MAR VISTA DRIVE AT SIX O'CLOCK, AND I'LL READ YOU FROM THE FLYER.
"DIRECTED ENERGY AND WEATHER MODIFICATION WARFARE," QUOTING FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN.
AT SEA, IN THE AIR, AND ON THE GROUND, LOCKHEED MARTIN IS DEVELOPING LASER WEAPONS SYMPTOMS READY TO DEFEND US AND ALLIED FORCES COMBINED WITH OUR PLATFORM INTEGRATION EXPERTISE.
THESE SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO DEFEAT A GROWING RANGE OF THREATS TO MILITARY FORCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS ALL DOMAINS FROM DIRECTED ENERGY, HARNESSING THE POWER OF LASERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY." END OF QUOTE.
WILDFIRES, FLOODS, TORNADOES AND DROUGHTS ARE RAVAGING THE EARTH.
ARE THESE... THANK YOU. - DISASTERS CAUSED BY...
- MARY, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
- YES, CAN YOU HEAR ME? - YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
- YEAH. HI. WE GOT A LOT OF PROBLEMS, THE BATTERIES AND-AND ALL THIS STUFF.
UH, ONE OF MY PET PEEVES IS VACCINES.
UH, I'D LIKE TO READ SOME QUOTES FROM, UH, A BOOK CALLED THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH ABOUT VACCINES BY LEON CANEROT.
ANYWAY, HERE'S, OKAY, HERE'S A SECTION.
VACCINE INGREDIENTS, ALUMINUM FORMALDEHYDE, THIMEROSAL.
WHAT ELSE WE GOT? POLYSORBATES, SQUALENE, NEOMYCIN AND STREPTOMYCIN, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS IN VACCINES.
LET ME READ TO YOU A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS ABOUT ALUMINUM.
ALUMINUM IS A HEAVY METAL USED IN VACCINES THAT HAS BEEN LINKED TO SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN, AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS AND NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES, INCLUDING CHRONIC FATIGUE, DEMENTIA, AUTISM, MACROPHAGIC MYOFASCIITIS, ALZHEIMER'S, LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE,
[01:30:07]
LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE.IN THE 70'S, CHILDREN GOT ONLY FOUR VACCINES CONTAINING ALUMINUM IN THE FIRST 18 MONTHS OF LIFE WHEN THEY REALLY DON'T NEED IT AT ALL.
TODAY, CHILDREN GET 17 VACCINES WITH ALUMINUM IN THAT SAME TIME, SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
2018 STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SHOWED THAT THE CDC VACCINE SCHEDULE EXCEEDED THE FDA SAFETY LEVELS FOR ALUMINUM BY 17 TIMES FOR INFANTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF LIFE WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT.
ALUMINUM HAS BEEN SHOWN TO KILL BRAIN CELLS BASED ON RESEARCH FROM ANIMAL STUDIES.
IT'S CONSIDERED TOO [INAUDIBLE] TOO TOXIC TO STUDY IN HUMANS, ESPECIALLY IN THE DEVELOPING BRAIN OF INFANTS.
WHEN ALUMINUM IS INJECTED INTO THE BODY, A CERTAIN AMOUNT CAN ADD UP IN A PERSON'S BRAIN'S, BONES, BRAIN, AND VARIOUS OTHER TISSUES.
- FELISA, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
MY NAME IS FELISA SPINDOLA, AND I'M HONORED TO SERVE ON THE CITIZENS OVERSIGHT ADVISORY BOARD FOR MEASURE Q IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE CITY OF WATSONVILLE.
A COMMUNITY, THAT MUCH LIKE MYSELF, IS MADE UP OF HARDWORKING, UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS.
AS A 23-YEAR-OLD WORKING CLASS CITIZEN AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR FOR THE YOUTH OF OUR COUNTY, I JOINED THIS BOARD BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF EQUITABLE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
BECAUSE I HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE EMBODYING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FROM WATSONVILLE, I UNDERSTAND FIRSTHAND WHAT THIS COMMUNITY GOES THROUGH.
WE ARE OFTEN UNDERSERVED, UNDERMINED, AND OVERLOOKED.
YET WE ARE ALSO PERSISTENT, RESILIENT, AND MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO HAVE A VOICE IN SHAPING OUR FUTURE.
MY GOAL IN THIS ROLE IS TO ADVOCATE FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN HOW MEASURE Q'S RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED ON BEHALF OF THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE YOUTH AND THE WORKING CLASS IN WATSONVILLE.
I RECOGNIZE HOW CRITICAL MY INPUT IS IN SHAPING FUTURE RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING ALONGSIDE ALL OF YOU.
- LYNN, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
- GOOD MORNING CHAIR, SUPERVISORS.
UM, MY NAME'S DR. LYNN SILVER.
I'M A PEDIATRICIAN AND SENIOR ADVISOR AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE AND CHAIR OF THE, UH, 2024 CALIFORNIA HIGH POTENCY CANNABIS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE.
I'M SADDENED AND FRUSTRATED TO SEE ITEM 7 AND 16 RETURN WHICH WE VIGOROUSLY OPPOSED.
PROPOSED DESPITE AN INDUSTRY DOUBLE DOWN ON TOBACCO AND OPIOID TACTICS OF DRIVING POTENCY TO EVER HIGHER LEVELS OF ERS FILLED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING CANNABIS INDUCED PSYCHOSIS, UNCONTROLLABLE VIOLENT VOMITING AND RISING ADDICTION BECAUSE OF THESE NEW TRAITS OF THE INDUSTRY.
DESPITE 1 IN 10 YOUNG ADULTS NOW USING DAILY AND MORE PEOPLE USING DAILY THAN ALCOHOL.
THE BOARD, UNFORTUNATELY, IS WILLFULLY CLOSING ITS EYES JUST BEFORE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ITEMS TO GO BEYOND LEGALIZATION FOR WHICH THERE ARE MANY IMPORTANT ARGUMENTS TO POLICIES THAT ACTIVELY PROMOTE CONSUMPTION AND ADDICTION FOR WHICH THERE ARE NOT.
THANK YOU FOR STRIKING 16 FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR, I'D ASK THAT IN THE DISCUSSION, STAFF EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY IF YOU MOVE FORWARD, ALL THE SIMPLE PRACTICAL HARM REDUCTION MEASURES ON PAGE 116 OF YOUR PACKET WERE IGNORED.
WHY STEPS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY PROTECT WORKERS FROM SMOKE EXPOSURE SUCH AS NOT SERVING FOOD OR ENTERTAINMENT WERE DENIED.
THE MEASURE CLAIMS WORKERS WON'T BE FORCED TO GO IN, BUT WHO SERVES, CLEANS, ENTERTAINS? WHY IS THERE A RULE ONLY TO SELL EDIBLES AT THE ALREADY LEGAL DOSE LIMIT, BUT NOT HOW MANY DOSES YOU CAN SELL TO ONE PERSON? WHY ALLOW ULTRA POTENT DAB RIGS LINEUPS THAT TYPICALLY DELIVER A WI- A WHOPPING 90 MILLIGRAMS? WHY DO YOU WANT TO PRODU-PRODUCE THEN SELLING AN ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE INSTEAD OF FOR AGE CLUBS? CANNABIS HAS VALID MEDICAL USES, BUT IT IS VERY FAR FROM A WELLNESS PRODUCT.
THIS IS NO WISER THAN OPENING TOBACCO BARS IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
PILOT SOMEWHERE, IF YOU DO IT, BE WISER, UM, BETTER THAN THESE PROPOSALS, WHICH WILL JUST CREATE MORE WORK FOR OUR HIGHWAY PATROL'S MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND ERS.
- ROBERT, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
UH, MY NAME IS ROBERT KITAYAMA.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF PORT WATSONVILLE AND KD FARMS LOCATED IN, UH, SOUTH COUNTY, AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE CANNABIS FARM RETAIL LICENSE PILOT PROGRAM.
UM, MY FAMILY HAS BEEN GREENHOUSE GROWERS IN SOUTH COUNTY FOR, UH, NEARLY 60 YEARS, AND I HAVE, UH, WATCHED AND PARTICIPATED
[01:35:04]
IN LEASING AND GROWING CANNABIS IN SANTA CRUZ SINCE 2017.AND THE QUESTION I HAVE IS REALLY, CAN LEGAL CANNABIS FARMING SURVIVE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY? UH, IN THE EIGHT YEARS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED, THE MAJORITY OF LICENSED GROWERS IN THE COUNTY HAVE STOPPED GROWING LEGAL CANNABIS.
UM, OUR FARM THROUGH ITS LAST CUT FLOWER LAST MOTHER'S DAY, AND TODAY WE MAINLY LEAVE SPACE AND GROW, UH, SOME CANNABIS.
OVER 30 YEARS IN THE GREENHOUSE, FLOWER GROWING, I'VE WATCHED GREENHOUSE CROPS COME AND GO.
UH, WE STARTED WITH CARNATIONS, MOVED TO ROSES, LILIES, GERBERAS.
BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN A CROP RISE AND FALL AS FAST AS LEGAL CALIFORNIA CANNABIS.
USUALLY, IT'S BEEN IMPORTS OR THE RISING COST OF LABOR, UH, ELECTRICITY, NATURAL GAS, OTHER CAUSES.
LEGAL CANNABIS PRODUCTION IS VERY CHALLENGED DUE TO REGULATIONS, HIGH TAXES, TESTING AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.
I KNOW THIS ISN'T A DISCUSSION ON LEGAL, UM, CANNABIS REGULATION BUT I'M NOT SURE IT'S POSSIBLE TO HAVE A HEALTHY LEGAL CANNABIS FARMING INDUSTRY IN SANTA CRUZ.
WE KNOW HOW TO GROW LOW-COST GREENHOUSE CROPS, BUT LEGAL CANNABIS IS STILL A STRUGGLE EVEN FOR US.
I SUPPORT SAM LAFORTE AND HIS GROUP TO PROMOTE SANTA CRUZ CANNABIS.
I THINK JUST LIKE THE WINE INDUSTRY, THAT WILL BE THE WAY.
- WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR LOCATION.
- ARTIA, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
UM, I WASN'T GONNA SPEAK TODAY, BUT I AM JUST FEELING EXTREMELY UPSET HEARING ABOUT THE FIRING OF XAVIER, AND I'M WONDERING, WHERE DID THAT DECISION COME FROM? I-I FULLY SUPPORT WHAT MARILYN GARRETT WAS-WAS ALLUDING TO.
UH, DID THIS COME FROM GOVERNMENT ON HIGH? AND WHERE DOES YOUR POWER COME FROM? THIS IS WHAT I WONDER, AND I'D LIKE FOR- I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO ALL TO THINK ABOUT BECAUSE I SEE MORE AND MORE THINGS HAPPENING, UH, THAT-THAT DON'T JIVE FOR ME.
UH, IF YOUR MANDATE IS TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY, MY HOPE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT YOU WOULD MEET US MORE THAN HALFWAY RATHER THAN FOR US TO COME AND BEG FOR THINGS THAT SEEM COMMON SENSE TO ME RATHER THAN VARIOUS, YOU KNOW, UM, LANGUAGE USE TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE-LIKE YOU'RE GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY TO HELP US WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
AND, YOU KNOW, USING PHRASES LIKE AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, ETCETERA.
THIS MAN SHOULD BE REINSTATED.
I DIDN'T HEAR ANY GOOD REASONS WHY HE WAS FIRED.
UM, I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN FOR THE-THE CZU FIRE VICTIMS TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TO CUT THROUGH ALL THE BUREAUCRACY TO HAVE THEIR HOMES REBUILT.
I WROTE A LETTER NOT TOO LONG AGO, I GOT NO RESPONSE TO IT ABOUT SOME CHANGES THAT WERE MADE TO A SPREADSHEET, NOT ACTUAL DATA, BUT ABOUT THE HEAVY METALS TESTING.
AND WHY WERE THOSE CHANGES WERE MADE TO MAKE IT MORE PALATABLE TO THE COMMUNITY? WELL, I DON'T, I DON'T BUY IT, SO I'M STILL WAITING FOR AN ANSWER TO THAT.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST THE COMMUNITY WITH ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, THESE DOCUMENTS IN YOUR AGENDAS NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY READ.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU-YOU CAN POSSIBLY READ THEM ALL.
SO, UM, THAT, THOSE WERE MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND I-I-I'M STILL HERE OBVIOUSLY, BUT I'D LIKE CHANGE NEEDS TO BE MADE IN MY OPINION.
- WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS.
- ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR COMMENTS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND I'LL BEGIN WITH SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
UM, REGARDING THE CONSENT AGENDA, I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK, UM, ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS THAT SERVE, UH, AT THE PLEASURE OF THIS BOARD.
UH, THEY HAVE, UH, DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB.
MANY IN MY DISTRICT ARE ROLLING OFF AND I'LL BE APPOINTING, UH, MANY NEW PEOPLE INTO COMMISSIONER POSITIONS.
UM, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, NICK DESAI, UH, WILL BE SERVING AS MY PARK AND REC COMMISSIONER.
THANK YOU NICK, NICHOLAS, FOR YOUR INTEREST.
I WILL ALSO, UM, BE APPOINTING TODAY, MR. DENNIS WEBB, WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE FARM BUREAU OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AND A DELEGATE TO THE FARM BUREAUS, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL UH, TO MEASURE Q CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
I WANNA THANK HIM FOR HIS INTEREST AND HIS SERVICE.
I ALSO WANNA THANK EVERYBODY ELSE WHO APPLIED, UM, FOR THIS PRESTIGIOUS POSITION.
[01:40:02]
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POSITION AND, UM, I HAD MANY, MANY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE FROM AND I JUST WANNA THANK THEM FOR THEIR INTEREST AND FOR, UM, APPLYING, AND I'LL BE CONTACTING Y'ALL DIRECTLY, UM, TO THANK YOU, UH, VOICE TO VOICE.UM, ALSO WANT TO, UM, THANK MR. JEFFREY ARLET FOR, UH, SERVING ON THE MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD.
HE'S AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THAT BOARD AND I THANK HIM FOR HIS INTEREST IN CONTINUING, UH, TO SERVE.
I'D LIKE TO COMMENT ON ITEM 25 ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH IS ACCEPT AND FILE A STATUS UPDATE ON BROADBAND AND DIGITAL EQUITY ACTIVITIES.
UM, APPARENTLY A REPORT CAME BEFORE THIS BOARD IN 2024.
I WAS NOT ON THE BOARD AT THAT TIME, SO, UM, THIS IS ONE OF MY- AND-AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR OUR DISTRICT 5 SUPERVISOR BUT FOR THOSE OF US IN, UH, IN THE RURAL AREAS, THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ITEM, UM, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK AS A RE-REPORT AND DISCUSSION IN THE FUTURE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT, UM, OUR PROGRESS AND TO REALLY LASER FOCUS ON GETTING SERVICES OUT TO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES.
UH, AT&T JUST MET WITH ME LAST WEEK AND REITERATED THEIR DESIRE TO PULL ALL THE LANDLINES IN THIS COUNTY.
AND SO FOR COMMUNICATION, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, ETCETERA, I, WE NEED TO HAVE ACCESS IN THE RURAL AREAS THAT IS RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE.
SO I'D LIKE THAT TO COME BACK.
UNDER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, UM, ITEM 48, ACCEPT AND FILE AN ANNUAL REPORT FOR ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE PROGRAMS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I-I DO FEEL LIKE IN THE FUTURE, I'D LIKE TO SEE AS A REPORT AND DISCUSSION HERE AT THE PODIUM.
UM, I THINK UNDERSTANDING THE PRESSURES THAT THE HOSPITALS ARE FACING, UH, IN-IN OUR CURRENT BUDGET TIMES AND OUR, THE POTENTIAL CUTS TO MEDICAID IS CRITICAL.
MOST OF OUR HOSPITALS IN THIS REGION ARE STRUGGLING.
AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE, UM, WITH THE CURRENT CUTS THAT ARE AHEAD OF US.
SO I'D LIKE THAT TO COME BACK.
UM, AND THEN ITEM 49, APPROVE THE AGREEMENT WITH THE CENTER ON SIERRA HEALTH FOUNDATION.
AND THAT'S A LARGE, UM, AMOUNT OF MONEY, UH, FOR LOW BARRIER- LOW BARRIER OPIOID TREATMENT.
I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THIS SERVICE TO GET PEOPLE CONNECTED TO MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT BUT I, AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ITEM THAT SHOULD COME FORWARD SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR BOARD CAN HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT.
I THINK THAT MIGHT BE IT FOR NOW.
- SO, I-I WANTED TO BRING THIS BACK, UM, BUT I ALSO HAD SOME, UH, COMMENTS THAT I WANTED TO MAKE.
UH, WE DO HAVE A SCHEDULED ITEM FOR 10:45 AND 1:30 AS WELL.
UM, SO I WANTED TO INVITE, UM, UH, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS FROM THE VETERANS.
UM, AND I WANTED TO THANK ALL THE VETERANS THAT SHOWED UP TODAY AND ALL THE VFW MEMBERS, UM, MYSELF AS A, I'M A LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE VFW, BUT I WANTED TO SEE IF WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT THE VETERANS BROUGHT-BROUGHT AT, BROUGHT-BROUGHT IN.
UH, IF SOMEONE FROM THE HR, UH, DEPARTMENT CAN COME IN, YOU KNOW, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE VETERAN COMMUNITY, UH, HAD MR. BIANCHI'S, UH, BACK, UM, AS IT SAID RIGHT? AND I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT MR. BIANCHI HAD, UH, PARTICIPATED IN OUR WATSONVILLE VETERANS PARADE, UH, THIS LAST ONE THAT WE HAD.
SO IF WE CAN BRING SOMEBODY UP FROM HR.
[SILENCE] - GOOD MORNING, UH, CHAIR HERNANDEZ AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMENTS MADE TO YOU TODAY ABOUT A PERSONNEL MATTER, AND UNFORTUNATELY, GIVEN THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF EMPLOYEE’S INFORMATION, WE CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO ALL THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE SPECIFICALLY TO MR. BIANCHI.
AND I'M HAPPY TO, IF ANY OF THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD HAVE A QUESTION, UM, JUST ABOUT POLICY OR PROCEDURES.
HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE IN A GENERAL LEVEL IF YOU WANT TO REACH OUT TO ME PERSONALLY.
BUT IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE TO TALK ABOUT EMPLOYEE PERSONNEL INFORMATION HERE IN OPEN SESSION.
- MAYBE THE CHANGES IN THE DEPARTMENT, HOW THEY'RE MENTIONING IT WAS CHANGED.
THAT'S KIND OF PROCEDURAL, THE CHANGES THAT WERE...
IT-IT WAS A STANDALONE DEPARTMENT TO A COUNTY-RUN DEPARTMENT.
- SO, I BELIEVE RANDY MORRIS, THE, UH, DIRECTOR AT, OF THAT AGENCY WOULD BE THE MOST APPROPRIATE TO SPEAK TO THAT AS SOME OF THOSE CHANGES ARE OPERATIONAL AND PERHAPS HE WOULD BE THE BEST TO SPEAK TO THAT.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE WITH THE COMMENT FROM THE BOARD.
[01:45:02]
UH, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.AND, UM, I HAVE A SINUS INFECTION, SO I'M LIKE A LITTLE...
I'M GONNA BE PRETTY BRIEF AND QUIET TODAY.
UM, FIRST I-I WANNA THANK, UM, STAFF FOR AGENDAZING ITEM NUMBER 34, WHICH IS TO, UM, LOOK AT OVERNIGHT PARKING AND CERTAIN PROHIBITIONS ON- AT SHARK FIN COVE, PANTHER BEACH, DAVENPORT, AND DAVENPORT PIER.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ACTIVITY THERE.
AND AS WE'RE STARTING TO EXPAND THE RAIL TRAIL, THE COTONI-COAST DAIRIES, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT MORE VISITATION.
AND SO TRYING TO MITIGATE AND MINIMIZE SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT ARE OCCURRING ON OUR NORTH BEACHES AS IT RELATES TO PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTYING OVERNIGHT AND LEAVING TRASH ON OUR BEACHES.
I THINK THIS WILL BE, UM, A PRETTY EFFECTIVE WAY OF-OF HELPING TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.
I DO, UM, HOPE THAT WHEN THE TIME COMES TO MAKE A MOTION, I'D LIKE TO AMEND, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION TO ITEM NUMBER 34 TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY AROUND THE TIMING OF THOSE CLOSURES.
UM, AND SO I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT WHEN THE TIMING COMES.
AND THEN ITEM NUMBER 40, I WANT TO THANK CHAIR FELIPE HERNANDEZ FOR NOMINATING ME TO CONTINUE ON THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION.
UH, MY APPOINTMENT IS GONNA BE UP MAY 20TH, AND THE, UM, UH, SPEAKER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY HAS REOPENED THE NOMINATION PROCESS.
AND SO, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR, UM, PROVIDING ME WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE NOMINATED HERE TODAY AND HOPEFULLY CONTINUE MY SERVICE ON THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION.
AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME REALLY STRONG CONCERNS AROUND, UM, THE TERMINATION OF MR. BIANCHI.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE FROM THE VETERAN COMMUNITY, HE PROVIDES A REALLY VALUABLE SERVICE, UM, FOR THE COUNTY AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND IT'S JUST NOT CLEAR TO ME WHY, YOU KNOW, HE WAS, IF HE'S SO BELOVED BY HIS COMMUNITY, WHAT LED TO HIS TERMINATION? UM, I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT MANY PEOPLE COME OUT TO ADVOCATE FOR AN EMPLOYEE DURING MY TIME WORKING IN THE COUNTY AND IN THE CITY.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, I WOULD- I WOULD APPRECIATE IF-IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO BE REINSTATED AND, UH, AND EXTEND HIS PROBATIONARY PERIOD AND ALLOW FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIM TO WORK WITH STAFF AND TO WORK, YOU KNOW, TO GET SOME MENTORSHIP, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME ISSUES THAT CAME UP COULD BE ADDRESSED BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT HE HAS A VALUE TO, UM, THE VETERAN COMMUNITY.
AND-AND IT'S A- IT'S A TOUGH GROUP, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, IT'S TOUGH TO FIND GOOD HELP FOR VETERANS AND ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN VETERANS ARE UNDER ATTACK BY OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT THEM HERE LOCALLY.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT HE IS OF VALUE TO THE- OUR COMMUNITY AND TO THIS COUNTY.
AND SO, UM, NOT SURE THE BEST WAY THAT WE COULD GO ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING THAT HAPPEN, BUT I-I DO THINK THAT, UM, I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF SEEING IF WE CAN HAVE HIS POSITION REINSTATED AND PROVIDE HIM WITH AN EXTENSION ON HIS PROBATIONARY PERIOD.
UM, AND THEN I DO THINK THAT, UM, IT'D BE WORTH THIS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF RANDY MORRIS IS ONLINE, BUT I-I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT AND MAYBE, OR MAYBE IF STAFF CAN PROVIDE IT ON HOW THE VETERAN SERVICES GOT MOVED TO HSD RATHER THAN IT BEING A PREVIOUSLY STANDALONE DEPARTMENT.
- YEAH. DIRECTOR MORRIS IS ONLINE, SO HE'D BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS... - THAT'D BE GREAT.
- ...THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICE.
[SILENCE] - RANDY, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO HEAR YOU IF YOU'RE, UH, CONNECTED ON YOUR END.
- ARE YOU HEARING ME NOW, I RAISED MY HAND? - YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
- OKAY. SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW THE TECHNOLOGY, SO, I'M NOT THERE IN CHAMBERS.
UM, MY EXPERIENCE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTIES IS MOST VETERAN SERVICES OFFICE IS/ARE EMBEDDED IN COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES.
IT'S A MANDATE THAT VETERAN SERVICES OFFICE FUNCTION IN THE COUNTY.
THERE'S A SMALL AMOUNT OF STATE MONEY.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS BUT MOST COUNTIES DO EMBED THEM IN HUMAN SERVICES.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS HUMAN SERVICES HAVE A LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT, UM, TO THE SPECIFIC EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE.
AND ALSO BECAUSE IT IS A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO TRY TO HELP VETERANS GET VETERAN BENEFITS AS OPPOSED TO DEFAULTING INTO THE COUNTY GENERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND CUMMINGS, THAT DECISION PREDATES ME.
SO I ACTUALLY DO NOT HAVE THE HISTORY OF WHAT DATE THAT OCCURRED BUT IF THIS IS AN ITEM THE BOARD WANTS TO DISCUSS, IT IS A BOARD DECISION WHERE THE OFFICE SITS.
BUT I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE A LOT MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF THAT.
BUT HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT CONVERSATION WHENEVER ASKED.
WELL, I THINK MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE-THE INTEREST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS DEPARTMENT AND YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S HOUSED, I THINK IT'D BE WORTH US HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE.
UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY COMMENTS, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THE PERSONNEL ISSUE BUT I REALLY DO THINK THAT MR. BIANCHI SHOULD BE REINSTATED.
[01:50:01]
- SUPERVISOR-SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE VETERANS WHO VISIT US TODAY.
IT REALLY WAS A PRIVILEGE TO HAVE YOU IN THE CHAMBERS TODAY.
UM, AND I'M VERY SYMPATHETIC TO, UM, THE REALITY THAT WHEN THERE IS A PERSONNEL ISSUE, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IN OPEN CHAMBER.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
[Scheduled Item -- 10:45 AM]
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS.I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THOSE, UM, WHO CAME TO SPEAK ABOUT THE CZU REBUILD TODAY.
I WANNA BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THERE IS AN ITEM AT 1:30 TODAY, UM, REGARDING IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR PERMITTING PROCESSES.
AND I PULLED AN ITEM RELATED TO THE 4LEAF CONTRACT THAT WILL BE HEARD AFTER THAT.
IN THOSE ITEMS, I DO HOPE TO, UM, HEAR MORE PUBLIC COMMENT AND ALSO POSSIBLY PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL DIRECTION AROUND, INCLUDING MORE INPUT FROM CZU, UM, THOSE CZU, THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO REBUILD FROM THE CZU FIRE IN FUTURE PERMITTING IMPROVEMENTS.
SO, UM, I HOPE THAT WE CAN HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, ON ITEM NUMBER 19, THE SANTA CRUZ LIKE ME REPORT.
I JUST WANNA CONTINUE TO THANK THE COUNTY STAFF FOR...
AND-AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS PROJECT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME AS SOMEBODY THAT REALLY TRIES TO LIFT UP DIVERSE VOICES AND DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IN ALL PLACES OF LEADERSHIP.
IT ALLOWS US TO SET SOME MEASURABLE GOALS AROUND IMPROVING THE DIVERSIFICATION OF OUR VARIOUS COMMISSIONS, BODIES, AND BOARDS.
AND I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENED WITH THE YOUTH ADVISORY TASK FORCE AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, SEEING THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED THIS SPRING.
AND FINALLY ON ITEM NUMBER 25, WHICH IS THE BROADBAND AND DIGITAL EQUITY UPDATE, UH, THANK YOU SUPERVISOR DE SERPA FOR MENTIONING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH QUALITY, UM, BROADBAND AND CONNECTIVITY IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR RURAL RESIDENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE SAN LORENZO VALLEY, WHICH IS THE PART OF THE COUNTY THAT I REPRESENT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FEDERAL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF BROADBAND.
AND I DO HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION FOR OUR ISD DIRECTOR, UM, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND COMING UP.
AND IT REALLY RELATES TO THE POTENTIAL IMPACT THAT THE NEW FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION MIGHT BE HAVING ON BEAD IMPLEMENTATION.
WE KNOW THAT ANYTHING THAT HAS THE WORD EQUITY IN IT IS UNDER ATTACK, AND THE E IN BEAD STANDS FOR [CHUCKLES] EQUITY.
SO I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN SPEAK TO ANY MESSAGING YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OR HOW YOU'RE PREPARING FOR THAT.
- UM, TAMMY WEIGEL, I AM THE, UH, DIRECTOR OF ISD HERE AT THE COUNTY.
UM, CURRENTLY, BEAD IS BEING REVIEWED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, MANY STATES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ARE NOW WAITING FOR FUNDS THAT ARE NOT BEING RELEASED.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY DEFINITIVE ANSWERS ON WHAT THE FUTURE'S GOING TO BRING BECAUSE IT'S ALL GOING TO DEPEND WHAT HAPPENS
[11. The Board of Supervisors shall recess in order to permit the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District - Zone 7 to convene and carry out a regularly scheduled meeting]
ON THOSE DISCUSSIONS IN WASHINGTON DC.ON THE EQUITY ELEMENTS, THERE'S A COUPLE OF EQUITY ELEMENTS, UM, THAT COULD BE IMPACTED.
ONE IS A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS ARE SCORED ON AFFORDABILITY.
SO, UM, IF THERE IS A LOW INCOME OR A DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY THAT IS INCLUDED IN A PROJECT, IT RECEIVES A HIGHER SCORING BY THE CPUC UNDER BEAD, UM, BY THEIR REQUIREMENTS.
THE OTHER IS A REQUIREMENT FOR LOW-COST BROADBAND UM, SERVICE REQUIREMENT, WHICH SAYS THAT IF A ISP OR A GOVERNMENT IS OFFERED A GRANT UNDER, UH, BEAD, THAT THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE LOW, UM, UH, LOW COST, UH, ISP, UH, CONNECTIVITY TO RESIDENTS THAT, UM, HAVE POSSIBLY LOST IN UNDER PROGRAMS LIKE ACP.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THOSE TWO REQUIREMENTS GIVEN THAT THERE IS A STRONG CONNECTION TO EQUITY WITHIN BEAD ON THOSE, BUT WE ARE WATCHING IT.
UM, MY ASSOCIATION, UM, OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY IT DEPARTMENTS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE TRACKING ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO SEE WHAT FALLS OUT.
UM, WE ARE, WE ARE IN DISCUSSION WITH OUR LOCAL ISPS, WHETHER IT'S AT&T, COMCAST, SPECTRUM, UH, CRUZIO, AND, UM, SURFNET AMONG OTHERS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO APPLY FOR BEAD AND WHETHER THEY ARE GOING TO APPLY FOR BEAD.
AND SO WE ARE CLOSELY TRACKING THIS, AND WE WILL DEFINITELY, WHEN WE COME BACK TO THE BOARD WITH A PRESENTATION, WE WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AT THAT TIME ONCE THERE IS SOME SORT OF DECISION MAKING, UM, COMPLETED IN WASHINGTON.
- THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT TODAY,
[01:55:01]
AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU'RE DOING[7. Consider approving in concept an "Ordinance Enacting Chapter 7.138 of the Santa Cruz County Code Regarding Cannabis Farm Retail License Pilot Program,” an “Ordinance Amending Section 13.10.640 of the Santa Cruz County Code Regarding Temporary Produce Sales Areas and Produce Stands,” and an “Ordinance Amending Section 13.10.372 of the Santa Cruz County Code Regarding Allowance of Temporary Produce Sales Areas and Produce Stands in the Timber Production Zone District” allowing for retail cannabis sales at produce stands, approve the California Environmental Quality Act Addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Sustainability Policy and Regulatory Update, and take related actions]
TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO BROADBAND.UH, JUST A FEW QUICK COMMENTS ON ITEM 27, THE PARKS, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, ROTATING EXHIBITS, AND LIVE OAK ART AND HISTORY PROGRAM.
I WANT TO THANK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, PARTICULARLY KATHY DEWILDE, SARAH SHEA, AND THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR HELPING TO CRAFT THIS POLICY.
WE'VE HAD A REALLY STRONG INTEREST FROM LIVE OAK COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND UTILIZING THE SIMPKINS SWIM SEMINAR TO CELEBRATE LIVE OAK ART IN HISTORY.
HOWEVER, UP TILL NOW, THERE'S BEEN NO DEFINED PROCESS FOR PEOPLE TO SUBMIT WORK AND HAVE IT REVIEWED, AND THEN ULTIMATELY DISPLAYED.
THIS POLICY WILL CHANGE THAT AND CREATE A PROCEDURE FOR ROTATING EXHIBITS.
I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES WILL FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE THIS POLICY IN THEIR OWN DISTRICTS AND LOOK FORWARD TO INVITING YOU TO SEE THE CREATIVITY OF COUNTY RESIDENTS IN CELEBRATING THE CULTURE OF LIVE OAK AT THE SWIM CENTER SOON.
ON ITEMS 28 AND 29, APPROVING THE REAPPOINTMENT OF MANY, UH, CURRENT D1 COMMISSIONERS, AS WELL AS THE APPOINTMENT OF JULIAN HOWARD, UH, OUR NEWEST COMMISSIONER TO THE MEASURE Q CITIZENS OVERSIGHT ADVISORY BOARD.
I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE THE DEDICATED COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, WHO-WHO HAVE AGREED TO CONTINUE TO SERVE IN ALL OF THESE VITAL ROLES, UH.
THESE COMMISSIONS ARE-ARE SO IMPORTANT IN ADVISING THE BOARD ON ON HOW TO KEEP OUR COUNTY RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
ON ITEM 30, NOMINATING MYSELF FOR THE COASTAL COMMISSION.
I WANNA STRESS THAT MY CHOICE TO THROW MY HAT INTO THE RING IS IN NO WAY A REFLECTION ON SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS' SERVICE.
SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, I THINK YOU ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB REPRESENTING OUR COUNTY, AND IN FACT, BECAUSE I'VE SEEN HOW HARD YOU WORK AT THIS ROLE, THAT, UH, ESPECIALLY FROM A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY IF YOU CONTINUE, UH, TO DO THE WORK.
UH, I THINK THAT GOING FORWARD, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY TO MAINTAIN REPRESENTATION ON THE COASTAL COMMISSION, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
OUR COUNTY IS REALLY LITERALLY ON THE FRONT LINES OF MANY COASTAL ISSUES, UH, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
UH, THAT'S PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE FIRST DISTRICT TOO, AS ANYONE WHO HAS WATCHED RECENT STORM SURGES ROLLING INTO MAROON LAKE AND CORCORAN LAGOON KNOW, UH, I THINK THAT'S WHY SO MANY OF MY OWN CONSTITUENTS ASK THAT I APPLY FOR THIS ROLE.
THE SPEAKER HAS ASKED FOR OPTIONS TO CONSIDER.
AND SO I HUMBLY SUBMIT MY NAME IN THE SPIRIT OF ENSURING THERE ARE MORE NOMINEES FROM SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, THEREBY INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THIS SEAT IS ULTIMATELY HELD BY SOMEONE WHO IS ACCESSIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
ON ITEMS 52 AND 53, APPROVING PLANS, UH, AN ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE FOR MILLER CUTOFF ROAD PROJECT, AND THEN ACCEPTING IMPROVEMENTS FOR SOQUEL SAN JOSE ROAD, UH, MILE 1.25, I JUST WANNA THANK THE PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION FOR THEIR TIRELESS WORK, PREPARING STORM DAMAGE AND KEEPING OUR ROADS IN OPERABLE ORDER.
OF COURSE, UH, WE'LL DISCUSS THAT TOPIC A LITTLE BIT MORE TODAY.
UH, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS.
- THANK YOU, UM, I'D LIKE TO, UH, SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT ITEM NUMBER 19, 36 AND 40.
BUT BEFORE THAT, YOU KNOW, I-I THINK THAT I I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE, UH, CHANGES TO THE OPERATIONS FOR THE VETERANS' OFFICE.
UM, I REALLY THINK THAT VSOS ARE REALLY CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH.
UH, I WORKED WITH VETERANS THAT HAVE, UH, BEEN THROUGH NUMEROUS WARS, UH, DEALING WITH DIFFERENT, UM, ISSUES FROM PTSD TO, UH, TRAUMATIC, UH, BRAIN INJURY.
IT REALLY NEEDS A SPECIAL PERSON.
AND I THINK THAT THE-THE OUTPOURING OF THE COMMUNITY, VETERAN COMMUNITY WE SAW TODAY WAS INDICATIVE OF, UM, OF OUR VSO.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION.
UH, WITH, UH, UM, ITEM NUMBER 40, I WANNA THANK, UH, THE COMMISSIONER CUMMINGS FOR CONTINUING, WANTING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE ON THE COASTAL COMMISSION.
UH, LIKE, UH, SUPERVISOR KOENIG SAID, I THINK HE'S DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB.
AND, YOU KNOW, NUMBER 19, SANTA CRUZ LIKE ME, I THINK THAT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF CANDIDATES OUT THERE THAT-THAT, UM, ARE CAPABLE AND, YOU KNOW, IT MAKES A LITTLE TOUGHER TO GO OUT AND LOOK FOR THEM.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, TODAY'S, UM, ITEM NUMBER 36, JULISSA ESPINDOLA FOR THE MEASURE Q CITIZENS OVERSIGHT ADVISORY BOARD, THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF, UH, THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE NEEDED FROM SOUTH COUNTY, UH, TO BE ON THIS BOARD.
SO, I WANNA THANK ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND JULISSA ESPINDOLA FOR SERVING ON THIS IMPORTANT COMMITTEE.
WITH THAT, I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE, TO THE BOARD FOR A MOTION.
- YEAH, I'LL MOVE CONSENT WITH THE AMENDMENT TO ITEM NUMBER 34 TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY AROUND THE TIMING OF THE BEACH CLOSURES OR BE-, PARK, BEACH PARKING CLOSURES.
- CAN I ASK A QUESTION OR A, OR ANY ADDITIONAL DIRECTION? UM, SO STAFF UNDERSTANDS WHAT DOES ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY MEAN? - SO, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW, THE-THE RECOMMENDATION IS, UM, STRICTLY FROM, UH, OVERNIGHT PARKING
[02:00:02]
FROM MIDNIGHT TO 5:00 AM THOUGH I KNOW SOME OF THE SIGNAGE UP THERE IS LIKE FROM 10:00 PM TO 6:00 AM.SO JUST BY PROVIDING A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY SO IT'S NOT CONSTRAINED SPECIFICALLY TO THAT TIME PERIOD, SO THAT IF THERE'S A NEED TO COORDINATE, YOU KNOW, WITH OTHER PARKING ISSUES IN THE NORTH COAST AREA THAT IT CAN BE, THAT THERE'S FLEXIBILITY AROUND STAFF'S ABILITY.
- OKAY. BECAUSE THE DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD IS GONNA BE FOR FOR STAFF TO GO PROCESS A COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COASTAL COMMISSION.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, UM, THAT THE BOARD'S INTENT ON THAT IS SPECIFIC ENOUGH THAT STAFF HAS-HAS DIRECTION.
SO, IS... ARE THERE ANY OTHER PARAMETERS FOR STAFF OTHER THAN PROCESS AN OVERNIGHT PARKING PERMIT? NOT-NOT, I'M SORRY, NOT PARKING PERMIT PROCESS, OVERNIGHT PARKING CLOSURES FOR THOSE AREAS WITH FLEXIBILITY.
- RIGHT. SO THE IDEA IS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S, 'CAUSE, UM, I CA-, I CAN'T REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I THINK THERE MAY BE CURRENT LANGUAGE AROUND CLOSURES FROM 10:00 PM TO 6:00 AM AND I KNOW THIS IS MIDNIGHT TO 5:00.
AND SO, UM, AND I KNOW THAT THERE MAY BE SOME CONCERNS WITH THE COASTAL COMMISSION, SO IF THERE'S FLEXIBILITY AROUND THAT TIMING.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY CONSTRAINED BY SAYING IT'S THE SPECIFIC, UNLESS-UNLESS IF IT, IF IT NEEDS TO BE THAT SPECIFIC, THEN SO BE IT.
BUT I'M, I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IF- IF STAFF NEEDED TO MOVE FOR WHATEVER REASON, THAT THERE WAS THE FLEXIBILITY FROM THE DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD.
- OKAY. I THINK WITH THAT ADDITIONAL, UM, CONTENT, IT GIVES STAFF UNDERSTANDING AND STAFF CAN COME BACK TO THE BOARD IF STAFF DOESN'T UNDERSTAND OR IS FACED WITH AN OBSTACLE THAT IT WOULD NEED TO COME BACK.
- I JUST DIDN'T WANT US TO BE, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S ANY NEED FOR WIGGLE ROOM THAT IT'S THERE.
- THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
MADAM CLERK IF WE COULD TAKE A VOTE.
- CERTAINLY. SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
AND WE DO HAVE, WE'RE OVER THE TIME BUT WE DO HAVE A SCHEDULED ITEM FOR NINE, OR IS IT 10:45 AND WE ARE AT 10:50.
UH, SO, WE HAVE THE ZONE 7 TODAY SCHEDULED FOR 10:45.
SO, I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER FOR THE ZONE 7, TUESDAY, MARCH 25TH OF 2025.
DO WE NEED TO TAKE ROLL CALL ON THIS? OKAY.
WE NEED TO WAIT FOR THE COMMISSIONERS TO COME UP, UH.
- YES, IF THERE'S ANY MEMBERS OF THE ZONE 7 BOARD IN CHAMBERS, NOW WOULD BE THE TIME TO APPROACH, UH, THE DAIS.
OTHERWISE, WE'LL BEGIN CALLING ROLL.
NEXT, ITEM NUMBER TWO, IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATIONS OR ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE CONSENT OR THE REGULAR AGENDA? - UH, NONE TODAY, THANK YOU.
- WOULD ANY, UH, ANY PERSONS FROM THE BOARD LIKE TO, UH, COMMENT ON PUBLIC, ON THE CONSENT AGENDA OR ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? SEEING NONE HERE, ANY ONLINE? - WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.
UM, NUMBER FIVE, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
THE MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 29TH, 2024.
- I'LL MOVE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM-FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
- NEED A ROLL CALL? - DIRECTOR CUMMINGS AND CHAIR HERNANDEZ, I BELIEVE WE'RE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
- OH, YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU'RE RIGHT.
- I WANTED TO CLARIFY IF THAT MOTION WAS FOR ONE SPECIFIC OR [INAUDIBLE] - YES, YES, YES.
SO I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR, UH, CONSENT AGENDA.
- I WAS... DID YOU JUST MOVE? I'M SORRY, I'LL SECOND.
- WE HAVE A MOTION FOR CONSENT AGENDA FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
UH, WE COULD TAKE IT- - I CAN CALL THE ROLL.
NOW WE HAVE AN ITEM NUMBER FIVE, RULE OF MINUTES.
[02:05:01]
- OH, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY.ITEM NUMBER 10, REGULAR AGENDA.
UH, CONSIDER NOMINATIONS FOR THE ELECTION OF ZONE 7 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRPERSON.
IF THERE'S NO ONE INTERESTED, I WOULD LIKE TO.
I'D BE INTERESTED IN BEING THE CHAIR FOR ZONE 7.
UH, I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.
ANY NOMINATIONS? - I'LL NOMINATE, UM, SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ TO BE CHAIR OF ZONE 7.
- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR, UH, CUMMINGS AND A TIE BETWEEN SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ AND DE SERPA.
WE CAN TAKE THE ROLL CALL VOTE.
- ALL RIGHT. DIRECTOR MARTINEZ.
- AYE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
AND THE ZONES? - UH, VICE CHAIR AS WELL.
DID WE MAKE A DECISION? - UH, IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT WE'LL ALSO NOMINATE FOR A VICE CHAIR.
- I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR.
- I'LL NOMINATE SUPERVISOR DE SERPA FOR VICE CHAIR.
[LAUGHTER] - SO WE HAVE A NOMINATION FOR SUPERVISOR DE SERPA FOR VICE CHAIR FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM HERNANDEZ.
- CHAIR, IF YOU COULD PLEASE RESTATE THE MOVER AND THE SECONDER.
- UM, THE MOVER WAS, UH, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND THE SECOND WAS SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.
[CHUCKLES] - DIRECTOR MARTINEZ.
AND THE MEETING FOR THE ZONE 7 IS ADJOURNED UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
- THAT'S IT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[SILENCE] [SILENCE] - SO WITH THESE ITEMS, I'M GONNA COMBINE ITEMS-ITEMS, UM, 6.1 AND 7, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE 1:30.
UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE STAFF UNDERSTANDS THE...
- STAFF DOES NOT HAVE A PRESENTATION ON, UH, THE SECOND READING.
WOULD YOU LIKE US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PRESENTATION ON, UM, ITEM 7, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACT ON ITEM 6.1 OR 7.1? - FOR CLARIFICATION, POINT OF ORDER.
UH, I BELIEVE WE MOVED ITEM FROM,16 FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO 6.1 IS WHAT I HEARD.
AND IF THAT IS TRUE, THEN I-I THINK WE'LL NEED TO COVER 6.1 AT THIS POINT.
- NO, I THINK WHAT-WHAT-WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ COMBINED 6.1 AND THIS ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM 7.
AND SO YOU'RE HEARING BOTH OF THOSE ITEMS AT THE SAME TIME.
SO YOUR BOARD COULD CHOOSE TO EITHER HEAR THE STAFF PRESENTATION ON 7 AND THEN, UH, BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD TO HEAR FROM, UM, THE SUPERVISORS WHO PULLED ITEM 16, UH, AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ASK IS AROUND THAT.
AND THEN GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE COMBINED ITEMS. - SO YOU'RE RECOMMENDING TO HEAR, UH, THE FARM STAND ITEM FIRST THEN? - I'M-I'M NOT RECOMMENDING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
IT'S... IT-IT... YOU CAN DO [CROSSTALK] IT HOWEVER YOU WANT IT, BUT THEY'RE COMBINED SO...
SO, CHAIR, IF I COULD START SINCE I PULLED THE ITEM.
- SO, UM, SINCE THE FIRST READ OF THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UH, MY OFFICE HAS HAD MANY, MANY, UM, CORRESPONDENCE.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WRITING ME AT A RATE OF AT LEAST FOUR TO ONE AGAINST OPENING CANNABIS LOUNGES, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS, UM, THAT ARE CURRENTLY APPROVED FOR THAT, WHICH IS IN MY AREA, ON SOQUEL DRIVE IN A VERY HEAVILY POPULATED AREA OF THE APTOS VILLAGE.
WE'VE HEARD FROM, UM, PEOPLE ON CITY COUNCILS, OUR HEALTH LEADERS, ALL THE SCHOOL LEADERS, EVERY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT IN THIS COUNTY, YOUTH COUNCILS, INCLUDING, UH, EMPOWER WATSONVILLE AND OTHERS.
[02:10:04]
EVERY ONE OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, CHP, SHERIFF AND POLICE EXPRESSING THEIR OPPOSITION.I HAVE A QUESTION THAT DIDN'T, I DON'T THINK I ASKED LAST TIME BUT I'D LIKE TO ASK IT OUT LOUD HERE TODAY REGARDING, UM, THE VOTES, UM, BY THIS BOARD ON, UM, RELAXING OUR RULES AROUND, UM, THESE TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS OR FACILITIES THAT WOULD, UM, ALLOW PEOPLE TO USE CANNABIS ON SITE.
IS THERE, IS THERE PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR ANY PARTICULAR BOARD MEMBER WHO VOTES TO APPROVE THIS TYPE OF ORDINANCE? - NO, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANY PERSONAL LIABILITY TO ANY BOARD MEMBER AROUND THAT.
UM, THE BOARD GENERALLY AND THE COUNTY GENERALLY HAS WHAT WE CALL PERMITTING AND, UM, AND LICENSING IMMUNITY, UM, UH, THAT ENABLES A BOARD TO ADOPT POLICIES, UM, TO PUT A LICENSING SCHEME OR A PERMITTING SCHEME IN PLACE.
- OKAY, AND WHAT ABOUT AS A COUNTY TO ALLOW THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES TO OPERATE, RUN, AND POTENTIALLY PUT MORE PEOPLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE ON THE ROAD? - IT'S THE SAME ANSWER.
ESSENTIALLY, WE, THE COUNTY HAS PERMITTING AND-AND LICENSING IMMUNITY.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE NOT EXPOSED TO LAWSUITS GENERALLY BUT PEOPLE FILE LAWSUITS, YOU KNOW, OVER ALL MANNER OF THINGS.
AND NOW I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT A PERSONAL THING, WHICH I FEEL LIKE I-I PROBABLY TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, BUT IT, I JUST NEED TO SAY IT AGAIN.
MY FATHER WAS KILLED WHEN I WAS THREE YEARS OLD UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOMEBODY WHO WAS USING ALCOHOL.
THAT LOSS WAS NOT ONLY PAINFUL FOR MY MOM WHO WAS PREGNANT AT THE TIME, BUT IT THRUST MY FAMILY INTO POVERTY.
AND WE HAD A VERY DIFFICULT LIFE WHERE OFTENTIMES WE'D HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SINCE 1970, IF WE WERE GONNA EAT THAT MONTH OR KEEP OUR ELECTRICITY ON.
I'D BEEN WORKING SINCE I WAS 11 YEARS OLD TO HELP MY MOM MAKE ENDS MEET.
SO, THAT'S MY BACKGROUND STORY AND WHY I AM ABSOLUTELY AGAINST PUTTING MORE PEOPLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE ON OUR ROADS.
I AM ALSO SOMEBODY WHO'S A FIRST RESPONDER.
I HAVE WORKED IN ERS BOTH IN THIS COUNTY AND MONTEREY COUNTY.
AND I SEE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF PEOPLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE WHO HAVE HURT THEMSELVES OR OTHERS COMING INTO THE ER AND SOMETIMES NOT MAKING IT AND SOMETIMES BEING INCREDIBLY, UM, PARALYZED AND AFFECTED, UM, BY THEIR ACTIONS.
OFTENTIMES, PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAUSED THESE ACCIDENTS SOMETIMES SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, UH, IN JAIL AND PRISON AND THE HEARTACHE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES IS TANGIBLE.
DEAR FRIENDS OF MINE IN APTOS, LIBBY AND SCOTT WILSON.
LIBBY ACTUALLY WAS A PAJARO VALLEY TRUSTEE BEFORE ME.
AND THE REASON I'M LIKELY SITTING UP HERE TODAY, BECAUSE SHE TALKED ME INTO RUNNING FOR HER SEAT 14 YEARS AGO.
THEIR, UM, SISTER-IN-LAW, AN MD WHO HAD JUST BEEN FINISHING, WHO HAD JUST FINISHED HER TRAINING AND HAD AN 11-MONTH-OLD BABY WAS PLOWED DOWN BY SOMEBODY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS UP IN THE BAY AREA.
SHE SPENT MORE THAN A MONTH IN THE ICU.
LIBBY AND SCOTT GAVE UP THEIR LIVES AND MOVED UP TO OAKLAND TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR INFANT NEPHEW.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE APPROVING.
AND NOW I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO THIS ADMINISTRATION KNOWS AND THE, AND MANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS KNOW, AND THAT'S ALLISON ENDERT WHO WAS AN ANALYST FOR, IN THE SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE, WHO WAS AGAIN KILLED ON JUNE 15TH, 2020, BY SOMEBODY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS.
A 19-YEAR-OLD YOUNG MAN WHO USED CANNABIS AND HIT ALLISON AND HER TEENAGE DAUGHTER.
IT'S SHOCKING TO ME THAT THIS BOARD WOULD EVER AGREE TO ALLOW PEOPLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS TO BE ON OUR ROADS, IN OUR RURAL AREAS, IN OUR DOWNTOWN AREAS, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS, PUTTING OTHER PEOPLE AT RISK.
[02:15:02]
THE MEMORY OF ALLISON ENDERT MATTERS.PLEASE, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THAT THIS IS, THAT NOT EVEN, I MEAN, ASIDE FROM PEOPLE BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, THE HEALTH, UM, THE HEALTH RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS ARE LARGE.
THERE WAS A STUDY THAT JUST CAME OUT ON FEBRUARY 6TH THIS YEAR.
15% OF CANADIAN WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE REPORTED CANNABIS USE.
A TREND THAT IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE WITH CHANGING LEGISLATION IN THE US.
THE RELAXATION OF LEGISLATION SURROUNDING CANNABIS USE HAS PROMPTED STEADY INCREASES IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN USING CANNABIS PRIOR TO AND DURING THEIR PREGNANCY.
AS A SOCIAL WORKER WHO WORKS IN A MATERNITY AREA, I DO SEE MORE AND MORE WOMEN COMING IN TESTING POSITIVE FOR CANNABIS OR USING CANNABIS DURING THEIR PREGNANCY.
WE KNOW THAT THIS HAS EFFECTS ON CHILDREN.
IT HAS JUST BEEN REPORTED IN THE CANADIAN RESEARCH THAT WAS JUST RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 6TH.
WHY WOULD WE MOVE TO NORMALIZE THIS? IT'S NOT GOOD FOR OUR KIDS.
IT'S NOT GOOD FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND IT'S NOT GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
- SUP-SUP-SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS? - YEP.
UM, I WANNA START OFF, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA, FOR SHARING YOUR PERSONAL STORIES.
UM, JUST WANNA PAUSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHALLENGE IT IS TO SHARE THOSE STORIES.
AND I HEARD YOU I HEARD YOU ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THE BOARD AND I HEAR THAT THERE IS NONE.
UM, I DO FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOME MORAL LIABILITY FOR US, UM, IF WE CHOOSE TO PASS THIS AND-AND ALLOW MORE IMPAIRED DRIVERS ON OUR ROADS.
UM, AS I STATED IN THE MEETING TWO WEEKS AGO, I, UM, DID SHARE OUR REPORT FROM THE HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY TO ALL CITIES IN OUR COUNTY, AS WELL AS ALL SCHOOL BOARDS AND RECEIVED NUMEROUS RESPONSES.
UM, THAT LETTER WAS SIGNED BY BOTH ME AND SUPERVISOR DE SERPA, UM, NUMEROUS RESPONSES THANKING US FOR OUR EFFORTS TO, UM, SLOW THIS DOWN, TO REGULATE, OR TO OPPOSE THE OPENING OF CANNABIS LOUNGES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT-THAT CONTINUES TO BE MY POSITION.
I'VE HEARD FROM SOME FOLKS ON THE BOARD COMPARING CANNABIS LOUNGES TO BARS AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT.
WE HAVE BARS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD OUR REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CHP TODAY TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN, UM, BEING ABLE TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH WHEN SOMEBODY DRINKS ALCOHOL VERSUS HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH WHEN SOMEBODY USES CANNABIS.
UM, THERE'S NO STANDARD AMOUNT OF CANNABIS THAT CAN BE MEASURED IN AN EASY WAY.
HOWEVER, THIS COMPARISON, REALLY GOT ME THINKING ABOUT HOW BARS DO DISINCENTIVE, DISINCENTIVIZE DUIS.
UH, THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL ACT MAKES IT A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO SELL ALCOHOL TO SOMEONE WHO IS OBVIOUSLY INTOXICATED AND A BAR THAT DOES CAN LOSE ITS LIQUOR LICENSE FOR THAT, PARTICULARLY, IF THE SALE OF ALCOHOL RESULTS IN DEATH OR BODILY INJURY.
AND TITLE VIII OF THE COUNTY CODE FURTHER ESTABLISHES THAT IF THE COUNTY ALCOHOL COMPLIANCE OFFICER DETERMINES THAT THE ACTIVITIES OF A BAR HAVE RESULTED IN HARM, THE COUNTY CAN SUSPEND OR REVOKE THAT ESTABLISHMENT'S PERMISSION TO OPERATE IN SANTA CRUZ.
BUT IN LOOKING INTO IT, THE GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CANNABIS CONTROL DOESN'T MAKE IT CLEAR THAT DEATH OR GREAT BODILY INJURY THAT ARE DETERMINED TO HAVE RESULTED FROM THE SALE OF CANNABIS ARE REASON FOR, UH, REVOKING A DISPENSARY'S LICENSE.
AND FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, UM, WE HAVE NOTHING IN THE COUNTY CODE THAT CLARIFIES THAT EITHER.
SO, MY QUESTION FOR STAFF IS, UM, AM I MISSING SOMETHING? IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE CODE THAT DOES ALLOW US TO REVOKE A LICENSE FROM A DISPENSARY IF IT'S FOUND THAT THEY OVER-SERVED SOMEBODY AND IT RESULTS IN HARM? - THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICER HAS DISCRETION TO REVOKE LICENSES FOR, UM, ANY VIOLATIONS OF COUNTY CODE.
SO, THAT COULD EASILY BE, UM, BE DETERMINED OVER SERVICE
[02:20:01]
AS A VIOLATION OF COUNTY CODE.BUT IT'S NOT SPELLED OUT IN THERE SPECIFICALLY? - UH, THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS OF THE DISCRETIONARY PIECE OF COUNTY CODE THAT ARE NOT SPELLED OUT SUCH AS THAT.
BUT I DID SEE WHERE MANY ACTIONS, UM, ARE SPELLED OUT IN THE COUNTY CODE.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT DISPENSARIES COULD DO TO RESULT IN THEM LOSING THEIR LICENSE.
AND IF THE BOARD IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT FOLKS AREN'T OVER SERVED AT THE CONSUMPTION LOUNGES, IT SEEMS LIKE WE SHOULD PUT THAT IN THE CODE THAT WE'RE HOPING TO ADOPT TODAY.
UM, SO I'M GONNA PROPOSE THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH EXPLORING SIMILAR LANGUAGE TO WHAT THE ABC REQUIRES FOR, UM, LIQUOR DISPENSARIES.
AND, UM, AND IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO CONSIDER THAT.
SO, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION.
THAT STAFF RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH PROPOSED LANGUAGE, ALLOWING THE COUNTY TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST A DISPENSARY.
SUCH AS SUSPENDING OR EVOKING A DISPENSARY'S PERMISSION TO OPERATE HERE, IF IT'S DETERMINED THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS CONSUMED CANNABIS AT A LOUNGE DRIVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSES HARM OR DAMAGES.
- I JUST WANTED TO ADD FOR-FOR CLARIFICATION.
UM, I THINK THAT I HEARD STAFF SAY THAT STAFF HAD DISCRETION TO REMOVE A LICENSE.
I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THAT DISCRETION WOULD BE.
THE CODE SECTION FOR 7.130 LAYS OUT ALL OF THE REASONS AND WAYS THAT A LICENSE CAN BE REMOVED.
UM, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH ANYTHING IN THE CODE THAT ALLOWS FOR REMOVAL FOR OVER CONSUMPTION AT DISPENSARIES SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE RIGHT NOW CONSUMPTION IS NOT ALLOWED AT DISPENSARIES.
AND SO I JUST WANNA ADD THAT COLOR FOR CONTEXT AND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THE BOARD HAS ALL OF THE, O-O-OF OF THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO GO FORWARD.
UM, I THINK THAT'S FURTHER REASON TO CLARIFY.
[SILENCE] [SILENCE] SO GIVEN THAT THE LANGUAGE IN THE PROPOSAL IS CAUSING SOME CONFUSION FOR BOTH OUR, UM, CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE AS WELL AS COUNTY COUNCIL, IT SEEMS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET CLARITY TO ENSURE THAT THE COUNTY IS ABLE TO HOLD THE CONSUMPTION LOUNGES AND DISPENSARIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IMPACT THAT THEY'LL HAVE ON OUR LOCAL ROADS.
AND SO UM, I'VE MADE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
- SO, YOU NEED TO TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT BUT, ON-ON IT BEFORE VOTING.
- SO, IS THERE ANY CLARITY ON THAT ISSUE, THOUGH? - NOT IN MY MIND.
SO WITH THAT, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
- SO WITH THAT, NOW WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
[SILENCE] - HELLO, WE'RE SURE WE'RE HERE.
SO I LEFT THE MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO, BELIEVING AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THE REASONS OR JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THOSE THAT VOTED FOR THE, TO ALLOW CANNABIS LOUNGES WERE SOUND, MADE SENSE, AND WERE LOGICAL, BUT I STILL JUST DIDN'T AGREE WITH IT.
SO THAT KIND OF HIT ME AND I HAD-HAD TIME TO DIGEST THIS AND THINK ABOUT IT.
AND I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE REASON IS, UM, I AM AN ADULT CHILD OF AN ALCOHOLIC AND IN MY YOUTH, THAT WAS A TIME BEFORE MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVERS.
AND SO I HAVE MEMORIES OF AS A LITTLE CHILD BEING DRIVEN HOME FROM EASTER, CHRISTMAS, WHATEVER, WITH MY FATHER, OBVIOUSLY TOO INTOXICATED TO SAFELY DRIVE.
SO, I THINK THAT IF THE COUNTY MOVES FORWARD WITH THIS KIND OF THING, THEY NEED TO FIND FUNDS TO, UH, TRAIN THE SHERIFFS AND CHP IN OUR AREA
[02:25:02]
AND MAYBE WORK WITH THE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE OFFICERS TRAINED TO SEE THIS WHEN THEY PULL SOMEONE OVER AND MOVE FORWARD IN THAT MANNER.I OWN SANTA CRUZ NATURALS IN APTOS.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVEN'T EVER SHARED IN FRONT OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS BEFORE, BUT MY FATHER WAS KILLED WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS OLD.
UM, HE WAS USING CANNABIS, UM, AND ALCOHOL TO A SMALL EXTENT, BUT HE WAS USING CANNABIS AND HE DROVE OFF A ROAD INTO A TREE AND HE WAS IN A COMA FOR NINE MONTHS AND DIED WHEN I WAS SEVEN.
UH, MY FAMILY HAS HAD REALLY CONFLICTED FEELINGS ABOUT MY CHOICE OF INDUSTRY.
UM, AND I HAVE CONSIDERED OPENING A CONSUMPTION LOUNGE IN OUR LOCATION AND I'M CONFLICTED BECAUSE I HAVE BUSINESS INTERESTS AND I HAVE PERSONAL CONFLICTS WITH IT.
I'M NOT SURE WHICH DIRECTION I STAND ON IT.
UM, MY OPINION IS GENERALLY THAT I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S GONNA BE A SIGNIFICANT REVENUE DRIVER.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S REALLY GOING TO HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON TOURISM COMING TO SANTA CRUZ.
UM, AND I THINK THAT IT HAS A LOT OF, UH, CHALLENGES THAT IT'S GONNA BE FACED WITH BOTH FROM A FUNDING MECHANISM, UM, TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, SO I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT IT.
UM, THE PLACE THAT I WOULD STAND ON IT MOST, UH, CONFIDENTLY WOULD BE THAT IF THERE WAS AN ESTABLISHED MECHANISM BY WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN, UM, SIGN UP AND PARTICIPATE IN A RETREAT TYPE EXPERIENCE AND THEY'RE GONNA STAY SOMEWHERE, THEY HAVE LODGING, THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND THERE'S A TOUR SHUTTLE THAT BRINGS THEM TO AND FROM A PLACE, THEN MAYBE THAT'S A SITUATION THAT WOULD MAKE BEST SENSE FOR THE COUNTY.
UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I-I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE I STAND ON IT BUT I JUST FIGURED I WOULD GIVE THAT.
I ALSO WANNA ADD THAT, UM, ABOUT A YEAR LATER, MY MOM WAS HIT BY, UH, SOMEBODY THAT WAS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS ALSO AND WAS PUT IN A HOSPITAL.
[SILENCE] - GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD. MY NAME IS BRYCE BERRYESSA.
I'M ONE OF THE CO-FOUNDERS OF TREEHOUSE DISPENSARY.
UM, IT'D BE ONE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGE, UM, UNDER THIS ORDINANCE AND HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THIS PROCESS, WHICH HAS, UM, STARTED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE-WE'VE DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH, UM, AND PARTICIPATED IN THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
YOU'VE SEEN ME SPEAK BEFORE AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF OUR RESEARCH HAS FOUND AND IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO POINT THIS OUT BECAUSE IT GETS A LITTLE CONVOLUTED IN THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND CHILDREN AND-AND A LOT OF THE GROUPS THAT ARE NOW, UM, I'M SURE WRITING KIMBERLY DE SERPA ARE VERY ACTIVE IN SOLICITING THEIR MEMBERS TO VOICE OPINIONS ON THINGS AT THE 11TH HOUR, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN.
UM, FOR ALL OF THE JURISDICTIONS IN CALIFORNIA THAT HAVE ALLOWED FOR CONSUMPTION LOUNGES, THERE'S NOT BEEN A STATISTICALLY RELEVANT INCREASE IN IMPAIRED DRIVING CITATIONS.
THIS HAS COME OUT OF THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD.
THIS HAS COME OUT OF THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO.
IT'S COME OUT OF THE CITY OF BERKELEY.
UM, THERE IS AMPLE RELEVANT RESEARCH IN UH, IN CANADA, EXCUSE ME THAT HAS ALSO SHOWN THAT AFTER LEGALIZATION THERE, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO CONSUMPTION LOUNGES, THEY HAVEN'T HAD STATISTICALLY RELEVANT INCREASES IN IMPAIRED DRIVING.
SO, PEOPLE ARE ALREADY HIGH DRIVING ON OUR ROADS.
THEY'RE ALREADY DRUNK DRIVING ON OUR ROADS AND IT'S AN ISSUE AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD WORK TO INFORM AND EDUCATE AND-AND WORK AGAINST.
BUT ALLOWING FOR A SAFE SPACE FOR 21 YEAR OLD PEOPLE THAT ARE ADULTS, 21 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, TO BE ABLE TO SOCIALIZE AND CONSUME AND GET EDUCATED AND-AND HAVE A POSITIVE AREA WHERE THEY CAN DO THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO INCREASE IMPAIRED DRIVING ON OUR ROADS BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE STILL DOING IT ANYWAY.
WHAT-WHAT IT WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO IS TO HAVE A VEHICLE WHERE WE CAN EDUCATE THEM.
WE CAN ENCOURAGE, UH, DESIGNATED DRIVERS.
SANTA CRUZ IS ONE OF THE MOST EASILY ACCESSIBLE COUNTIES FOR PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY AND BIKE WALKWAY AROUND.
AND SO I THINK THERE ARE WAYS TO MITIGATE A LOT OF THESE ISSUES IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER.
AND I THINK THAT WE'VE THOROUGHLY EXPLORED THAT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THROUGH THE GREAT WORK THAT STAFF'S DONE AND A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY INPUT WE'VE HAD IN THE PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
I'VE WORKED ON THESE ISSUES FOR THE LAST DECADE WITH ALL OF YOU.
UM, AND LET ME JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, BRING SOMETHING UP TO PUT IN THE CONTEXT IS THAT FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO, THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY AND, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH GROUPS LIKE COMMUNITY PREVENTION PARTNERS HAVE, LIKE TACKLED THIS ISSUE AND WE'VE DONE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD JOB.
[02:30:01]
WE'VE, YOU KNOW, DETERMINED THAT WHERE KIDS WERE ACCESSING CANNABIS WAS, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY FROM THEIR PARENTS.SO, WE DID THE TALK IT UP, LOCK IT UP CAMPAIGN.
UM, THE NUMBERS FOR YOUTH USE OF CANNABIS HAVE GONE DOWN SINCE 2015 WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS.
AND IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE REALLY GOOD WORK OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, DISPENSARY OWNERS, MYSELF.
LIKE WE'VE RECEIVED AWARDS FROM COMMUNITY PREVENTION PARTNERS FOR KEEPING KIDS OFF DRUGS AND DOING THE RIGHT THING.
AND I THINK THAT LIKE, THE PRIMARY THING THAT GETS CONVOLUTED IN THIS DISCUSSION OVER THE YEARS IS THAT WE LIKE ASSOCIATE ILLICIT CANNABIS AND ALL THE RESULTS AND, YOU KNOW, ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS WITH THE ANSWER TO ILLICIT CANNABIS AND THE PROBLEMS, WHICH IS A PROPERLY REGULATED MODEL, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE'VE GOT YET.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE PROPERLY REGULATED MODEL, BUT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS IT.
AND WE SHOULD ALL BE CONSIDERING IT OURSELVES ON THE SAME SIDE OF THIS ISSUE, REALLY FUNDAMENTALLY, BECAUSE THE ISSUE, LIKE THE TERRIBLE STORIES THAT WERE SHARED IN HERE.
THAT WASN'T REGULATED CANNABIS COMING OUT OF A DISPENSARY RIGHT? AND SO WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME SIDE OF THIS, TRYING TO GET PROPER, YOU KNOW, FUNCTIONING SET OF REGULATIONS.
AND THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY THAT YOU HAVE, WE'VE BEEN PARTNERED WITH THOSE PEOPLE, LITERALLY, THAT ARE WORKING ON THESE ISSUES.
I COULD HAVE BROUGHT MY AWARDS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NEXT TO MY MEDICAL CARDS, NEXT TO MY GARDEN IN MY HOUSE, RIGHT? SO, THAT'S LIKE WHERE WE'RE AT IN THIS THING.
AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE RE-LITIGATING THIS WHOLE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM FOR IN PLACE.
- ANYONE ON THE, ON THE ONLINE? - YES, CHAIR.
DARREN, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
- THANKS, THIS IS DARREN STORY FROM STRONG AGRONOMY DOWN IN SOUTH COUNTY.
SORRY, I COULDN'T MAKE IT IN TODAY.
I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING OVER SOME OF THE SAME OLD TRACKS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN, UH, TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
UM, WE'RE REALLY OVERREACHING HERE WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT ALCOHOL, UM, BEING THE SAME THING AS CANNABIS.
UM, I'M LOOKING, I HAVE THE LUXURY OF BEING ONLINE RIGHT NOW AND I'M LOOKING AT THE MOST RECENT STUDY THAT'S BEEN POSTED ON THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH WEBSITE, AND IT'S ACTUALLY REGARDING 440 TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS THAT WERE IN CALIFORNIA.
UM, AND IT SAYS ALCOHOL USE WAS RELATED TO CRASH CULPABILITY, CANNABIS USE WAS NOT.
UM, ALCOHOL IS 100 TIMES MORE DANGEROUS IN, FOR IMPAIRING DRIVERS THAN CANNABIS, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE, IT'S PRETTY EASY TO GO AHEAD AND LOOK THAT UP.
SO, WE CAN'T COMPARE ALCOHOL AND CANNABIS.
UM, THAT'S REALLY REACHING TO TRY AND MAKE THAT, UM, TRANSITION THERE.
AND AS BRYCE SAID, THERE'S SEVERAL OTHER LOCAL JURISDICTIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND OTHER PLACES WHERE CANNABIS IS LEGAL THAT HAVE DONE CONSUMPTION LOUNGE, THEY'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
THERE'S BEEN NO INCREASES IN TRAFFIC INCIDENTS OR FATALITIES.
UM, HOWEVER, THERE IS A KNOWN PROHIBITIONIST, LYNN SILVER, WHO'S NOT FROM SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, BUT SHE WAS REALLY UPSET THAT PROP 64 PASSED AND SHE'S GONNA SPEND THE REST OF HER YEARS TRYING TO FIND ANY WAY TO INFLUENCE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS TO CONTINUE TO PROHIBIT CANNABIS USE, UM, WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE OR NOT.
UM, SO WE JUST HAVE TO TAKE ALL OF THOSE SOURCES INTO ACCOUNT.
- CALLING USER 2, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
- I'D LIKE TO THANK SUPERVISOR DE SERPA AND MARTINEZ FOR YOUR, UM, TESTIMONY AND YOUR OPPOSITION.
I-I AGREE WITH YOU AND FOR THOSE WHO COMMENT THAT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY SMOKING, UM, POT.
UM, WHY INCREASE THE DANGERS WHEN IT CAUSES THIS KIND OF IMPAIRMENT? THERE ARE OTHER REASONS NOT TO HAVE THESE CANNABIS LOUNGES.
I TRIED A CIGARETTE IN FOURTH GRADE, YUCK, AND I DON'T LIKE SMELLING SMOKE, WHETHER IT'S FROM MARIJUANA OR CIGARETTES.
I'VE NEVER BEEN DRUNK IN MY LIFE.
AND UM, THERE ARE OTHER, UM, CAUSES OF COURSE, THESE ACCIDENTS AND I WISH AS MUCH ATTENTION WERE PAID TO CELL PHONE AND MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY
[02:35:02]
BECAUSE THE RADIATION ALSO CAUSES CONCENTRATION DIFFICULTIES AND MEMORY LOSS, AND HEADACHE, AND FATIGUE.BUT TO INCREASE THESE, UM, DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS BY HAVING CANNABIS LOUNGES, UM, THIS SHOULD, THIS SHOULD NOT BE APPROVED.
I HAD ONE EXPERIENCE WHERE I HAD A COOKIE AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE.
SHE WAS OUTSIDE AND HAD A BUNCH OF COOKIES.
I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS LACED WITH, UM, MARIJUANA.
AND I ACTUALLY WAS AT APTOS NATURAL FOODS AT THE TIME AND I THOUGHT, AM I HAVING MICROWAVE SYMPTOMS? I FEEL SO OFF-BALANCE.
AND, UM, I DROVE HOME AND MY VISION WAS LIKE INTO TUNNEL VISION.
- JEN, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
[SILENCE] JEN, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
AS A REMINDER, IF YOU'RE ON THE PHONE, *6 TO MUTE OR UNMUTE YOURSELF.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? - YES, WE CAN.
- YEAH, SORRY, I WAS TALKING AWAY.
DR. JEN HASTINGS, FAMILY PRACTICE WITH THE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP.
WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY PREVENTION PARTNERS.
AND YEAH, I AGREE, WE CAN DEBATE BACK AND FORTH, BUT, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE BOARD TO REALLY WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH AND LISTEN TO, UH, JUST-JUST BE CAREFUL.
ARE... YOU-YOU CAN, [SIGHS] EVERYONE MAY HAVE THEIR BELIEFS, BUT WE DO HAVE DATA THAT DRIVING IS IMPAIRED.
WELL, YOUTH, LIKE, THRILLED THAT THERE'S LESS SMOKING.
I'M NOT ANTI-CANNABIS IN GENERAL, BUT I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE INCREASED POTENCY AND THE LACK OF AWARENESS BOTH ON OUR YOUTH AND IT SEEMS ON OUR BOARD ABOUT THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF, UM, CANNABIS USE.
AND I JUST, I JUST WANT THE BOARD TO REALLY WORK CLOSELY WITH THE, UH, WITH THE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH AND NOT BE CAVALIER HERE.
- THERE ARE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, CHAIR.
- SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA CHECK AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
- UH, CHAIR-CHAIR, I DID HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, IT DID SEEM LIKE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE STAFF THERE AND COUNTY COUNCIL I'M JUST WONDERING IF, UM, CLO STAFF COULD CLARIFY WHAT PART OF THE CODE THEY BELIEVE GIVES US DIRECT, UH, DISCRETION TO REMOVE A LICENSE IN THE CASE OF OVER-SERVING.
COULD YOU JUST CITE THE-THE CODE SECTION? - UM, I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE WITH COUNTY COUNCILS.
UM, THEY-THEY THINK IT'S A, IT'S A STRETCH.
SO I'M GONNA, UH, I FEEL LIKE, UH, JASON HEATH HAS OUR BEST INTEREST IN HEART AND HE SAID THAT IT'S NOT THERE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR THAT, UH, I-I MISSPOKE.
- YEAH. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET SOME CLARITY NOW ON THIS SITUATION.
SO, CAN-CAN YOU ALL JUST CLARIFY? - I BELIEVE, UH, THE MOTION WHICH-WHICH MAY NEED TO BE RESTATED.
UM, I-I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE THE MOTION IS ASKING FOR COUNTY STAFF TO ADD A SPECIFIC BASIS IN THE COUNTY CODE TO ALLOW FOR THE LICENSING OFFICER TO WITHDRAW A LICENSE, REVOCATE, OR DENY A LICENSE IF IT'S DETERMINED AT SOME POINT THAT OVER CONSUMPTION AT A DISPENSARY LED TO DAMAGES OR INJURY BY A, BY AN INDIVIDUAL.
SO, WHAT I THINK WHAT THE MOTION'S ASKING IS FOR US TO GO AWAY AND-AND ADD THIS LANGUAGE TO THE ORDINANCE AND BRING IT BACK AGAIN FOR THE BOARD'S CONSIDERATION THAT WOULD INCLUDE THAT LANGUAGE.
AND WHAT WE WOULD DO IS WE WOULD HAVE TO BRING IT BACK AGAIN FOR A FIRST READ BECAUSE IT'S SUBSTANTIVE LANGUAGE THAT, UH, THE PUBLIC WOULD NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THE MOTION IS.
- SO, ON WHAT... [CROSSTALK] SORRY I HAVE A QUESTION THEN.
I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD TODAY AND THEN HAVE THAT COME BACK AS A SEPARATE ITEM.
- YEAH, THERE IS A WAY FOR YOUR BOARD TO MOVE FORWARD TODAY.
YOU C-, YOU-YOU COULD ADOPT THE ORDINANCE AND AT THE SAME TIME INSTRUCT STAFF TO GO AWAY AND MAKE ADDITIONAL CHANGES AND COME BACK, UM, UH, WITH-WITH, TO INCLUDE THAT.
THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A WAY THAT YOU COULD, THAT ONE COULD MOVE FORWARD IF ONE WANTED TO.
[02:40:02]
- OKAY, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE, PERSONALLY, I THINK IF WE CAN SEPARATE THE TWO MOTIONS AND MAYBE TAKE ACTION ON BOTH SEPARATELY SO THAT WE CAN, UM, MOVE FORWARD AND THEN BRING THAT BACK.AND I'LL JUST MAKE A FEW COMMENTS TOO.
UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA REMIND, UM, THE COMMUNITY, THIS FIRST CAME FORWARD TO US IN NOVEMBER OF 2023.
AND ONE OF, WHEN THAT CAME FORWARD, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS I HAD WAS REALLY TRYING TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THIS ITEM.
AND IF THE-THE COMMUNITY WAS ON BOARD WITH THIS, UM, THE STAFF WENT OUT, THEY CONDUCTED NUMEROUS COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO-TO GET INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND WHAT THEY'RE BRINGING BEFORE US TODAY IS REALLY A REFLECTION OF THE CONVERSATION THAT THEY'VE HAD IN THE COMMUNITY, TRYING TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY CONCERN.
UM, THERE ARE SOME PROVISIONS IN HERE THAT REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT CAN BE CONSUMED ON SITE.
THERE'S NO INTENT TO TRY TO MARKET THIS TOWARDS CHILDREN.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE A LOT OF EDUCATION AROUND RESPONSIBLE USE OF, UM, CANNABIS.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS THAT I'VE HAD IS THAT AS THIS INDUSTRY IS, I MEAN, ONE, IT'S LEGAL NOW.
SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE INTO OUR SOCIETY IN A WAY THAT'S GONNA BE THE SAFEST POSSIBLE.
AND I HAVE SOME CONCERNS AROUND THE FACT THAT, UM, NOW WHEN YOU GO INTO DISPENSARIES, THE POTENCY LEVELS GOING UP, THERE'S DIFFERENT PRODUCTS ON THE SHELVES.
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW, LIKE IF-IF-IF AN INDIVIDUAL GOES IN THEY DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY CONSUME.
AND I THINK THE POINT OF THIS IS TO TRY TO PROVIDE A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN HOW TO CONSUME THESE PRODUCTS RESPONSIBLY AND KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING THEMSELVES INTO.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE HEARD IS PEOPLE GO BUY EDIBLES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THEY GO HOME, THEY OVER CONSUME, THEY END UP IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, BE A LEADER IN TRYING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON RESPONSIBLE CANNABIS USE, WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING IT, RATHER THAN THE-THE CULTURE OF ABUSE THAT WE'VE SEEN WITH SO MANY OTHER THINGS.
UM, I ALSO DID WANNA TOUCH ON, UM, THE DU-DUI STATISTICS, WHICH, UM, FROM THE DUI REPORT, UH, FROM 2022, UM, ISSUED BY THE STATE DMV, IT SHOWS THAT, UM, OVER TIME FROM 2010 TO 2020, DUIS HAVE BEEN GOING DOWN, AND THAT'S EVEN POST LEGALIZATION.
AND SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS, WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE THE FIRST.
AND, UM, IN DOING THIS, AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, THERE'S OTHER COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY'VE IMPLEMENTED THIS, BUT REALLY THE-THE-THE REASON WHY I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS DIRECTION WE'RE GOING IN IS BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF OUTREACH THAT'S BEEN CONDUCTED, AND OUR COMMUNITY'S ABILITY TO WEIGH IN TO GET US TO SOMETHING WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO STRIKE A BALANCE.
AND SO, UM, I THINK, SO, I MEAN, IF WE COULD SEPARATE THE TWO, I'D BE HAPPY TO MOVE, UM THE, UM, THE SECOND READING AND ADOPTION.
- BEFORE THAT, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, HAS ANY CANNABIS OR CANNABIS RELATED LICENSES BEEN REVOKED AND WHO HAD THE JURISDICTION TO DO THAT? - WE HAVE NOT, UH, WE HAVE NOT REVOKED ANY RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS LICENSES, THAT I'M, THAT I'M AWARE OF, YEAH.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME NON-RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS LICENSES, WHICH HAVE BEEN REVOKED, BUT NO RETAILERS.
- AND WHO-WHO HAD THE JURISDICTION TO REVOKE THOSE LICENSES OR THE, UH, CAPACITY? - THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICIAL, UH, MS. SARINO HERE, UM, SHE HAS THE CAPACITY IN HER ROLE UNDER, UM, THE DISCRETION THAT SHE HAS FOR-FOR VIOLATIONS OF-OF CODE.
UM, SO OUR OFFICE GENERALLY, WE-WE ALL WORK IN CONCERT, RELATIVELY SMALL OFFICE, MYSELF, UH, MR. GOMEZ, MS. SARINO, UM, AND WHEN WE'VE DISCOVERED THINGS, UM, THAT WOULD CONSTITUTE VIOLATIONS OF COUNTY CODE, UH, WHEN WE ISSUE NOTICES OF VIOLATIONS, UH, WE ALL CONSULT WITH EACH OTHER, WE ALL DISCUSS IT AND EGREGIOUS ACTS, UM, HAVE RESULTED IN THE NEED TO, UH, TO-TO TAKE LICENSE REVOCATION ACTIONS.
SO, WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND A, AND A-A AMENDMENT? APPARENTLY AMENDMENT.
- WELL, LOOK-LOOK, CHAIR IF I, IF I MAY, UM... I THINK THE-THE WAY TO DO THIS WOULD BE TO OFFER A SUBSTITUTE MOTION THAT, UH, WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.
- AND-AND-AND IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT, I DO HAVE A FEW ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, IF IT'S ALL RIGHT? - YES, GO AHEAD.
- UM, WELL, FIRST OFF, I WANNA EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT SYMPATHY FOR EVERYONE WHO SHARED, YOU KNOW, DEEP PERSONAL STORIES OF-OF LOSING A LOVED ONE.
UH, OF COURSE IS, UM, IT'S JUST INCREDIBLY TRAGIC.
UH, MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU, UM, ALL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I DID HEAR THROUGHOUT THAT WAS-WAS THAT, UH, OFTEN ALCOHOL WAS INVOLVED AS WELL.
UM, AND IT SEEMS DIFFICULT TO-TO BLAME SOLELY CANNABIS, UH, FOR THESE ACCIDENTS.
YEAH I-I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANYONE'S WORD FOR IT.
[02:45:01]
UM, AND MY OFFICE ACTUALLY DID QUITE A BIT OF OUTREACH, UH, OVER THE LAST WEEK TO MANY OF THE PLACES THAT ALREADY HAVE, UM, LEGALIZED LOUNGES.AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW, UH, THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, CATHEDRAL CITY, COALINGA, COACHELLA, COTATI, UH, UP IN SONOMA AREA, EMERYVILLE, EUREKA, HAWTHORNE, LEMOORE, LOMPOC, NATIONAL CITY, NEEDLES, OAKLAND, OJAI, PALM SPRINGS, SAN FRANCISCO, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, UH, AND WEST HOLLYWOOD TO NAME A FEW.
UM, AND SO WE REACHED OUT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THESE MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS.
UH, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE HEARD FROM FOLKS, UH, FROM THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT UM, WHICH OF COURSE COVERS NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA UH, DEPUTY BRADLEY WHITMER SAID, "I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY RECENT DRUG DUIS COMING FROM OVER THERE NEAR THE LOUNGES.
UH, AND I HAVEN'T TAKEN ANY THIS YEAR." LEMOORE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAID, UH, "WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE CANNABIS LOUNGE IN TOWN AND NHC HAS BEEN A GOOD PARTNER SO FAR, AND THEY DO A GOOD JOB POLICING THEIR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY." EUREKA POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, WELL, WE HEARD FROM THEIR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER WHO SAID "I COULD NOT FIND ANY INCIDENTS FROM DRUG DRIVING REGARDING THE CRISP CANNABIS LOUNGE.
I DID A CURSORY SEARCH AND FOUND ONLY FIVE INCIDENTS IN THE LAST YEAR.
FROM WHAT I COULD TELL, NONE WERE CANNABIS RELATED NOR NEAR THE LOUNGE." PALM SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, DUI, ENFORCEMENT OFFICER MOSLEY SAID, "REGARDING AN INCREASE IN CANNABIS RELATED DUIS, I HAVE NOT OBSERVED NOTICEABLE RISE IN SUCH INCIDENTS.
THE CITY OF ISLETON, UH, COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER, CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER NATE ANDERSON, SAID "IN MY THREE AND A HALF YEARS IN ISLETON I HAVE NOT OBSERVED NOR BEING INFORMED OF ANY CANNABIS RELATED VEHICLE CRIMES, INCLUDING DUIS.
I WORK CLOSELY WITH THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, AND NEITHER AGENCY HAS REPORTED CANNABIS VIOLATIONS DURING OUR INTERACTIONS." SO, IF LOUNGES WERE REALLY AS BIG A PROBLEM, UH, AS-AS FOLKS ARE SUGGESTING THEY MIGHT BE, I-I WOULD THINK THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE PEOPLE WE REACHED OUT TO WOULD HAVE EXPRESSED SOME CONCERNS WHEN, IN FACT, IT WAS QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
WE HEARD BASICALLY, UH, NO CONCERNS WITH...
UH, FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THESE AREAS WHO WERE TASKED, UM, WITH-WITH, UM, KEEPING FOLKS SAFE.
UM, ALSO I WANNA STRESS WE ARE NOT APPROVING DRUG DRIVING WITH THIS POLICY.
AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS THAT PEOPLE COULD GET TO A LOUNGE, UH, OTHER THAN DRIVING.
AND WE... THAT IS, UH, WHAT WE ARE ENCOURAGING AND REALLY THE ONLY LEGAL WAY TO GET TO AND FROM A LOUNGE WOULD BE WALKING, UH, BIKING, TAKING THE BUS, TAKING AN UBER, HAVING, UM, UH, A DESIGNATED DRIVER.
UM, THESE ARE ALL WAYS THAT PEOPLE COULD ACCESS A LOUNGE WITHOUT ACTUALLY GETTING BEHIND A WHEEL.
AND THOSE, LET'S BE HONEST, ARE THE ONLY LEGAL WAYS TO DO SO.
AND THAT NOTHING ABOUT THAT IS CHANGING IN THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE.
UM, IF WE DO... AND I SHOULD SAY, I APPRECIATE ALL THE FEEDBACK FROM, UH, OUR SUPERINTENDENTS, UM, FROM OTHER CITY COUNCILS, FROM, UM, FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR AREA.
I WOULD EXPECT PARTICULARLY LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, AND OUR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO-TO BE AS CONSERVATIVE AS POSSIBLE AND-AND NOT WANNA TAKE ON ANY UNNEEDED RISK.
UM, AND, UM, AND SO I-I DO APPRECIATE THEIR INPUT AND HOPE THAT THEY WILL-WILL CONTINUE TO BE GOOD PARTNERS AS WE DEVELOP POLICIES THAT FURTHER REDUCE, UM, DRUGS DRIVING AND, UH, AND YOUTH UTILIZATION OF CANNABIS, UH, GOING FORWARD.
UM, AND-AND I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE CAPTAIN GRAHAM OF THE CHP TO SEND THOSE OFFICERS WHO ARE TRAINED TO IDENTIFY DRUG DRIVING TWO DISPENSARIES AND LOUNGES OF CONCERN.
I MEAN, IF ANYTHING, THIS MAKES THEIR JOB EASIER, UH, BECAUSE IT CONSOLIDATES USAGE IN ONE PLACE, UH, AND-AND AVOIDS MORE OF THOSE PUBLIC NUISANCE ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING WHEN-WHEN THERE'S NO LEGAL PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO, UH, CONSUME TODAY IN OUR COUNTY OTHER THAN THEIR OWN HOMES.
UH, YOU KNOW, I-I... WE'VE KIND OF GOTTEN, ARGUMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE BACK AND FORTH ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS BEING RUSHED AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS UH, I THINK IT'S WORTH BACKING UP JUST A LITTLE BIT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT...
WHERE THE MOTIVATION FOR THIS POLICY CAME FROM.
AND I-I MEAN, I APPRECIATE THE CHAIR'S EFFORT TO COMBINE BOTH, UH, 6.1 AND 7 HERE BECAUSE I MEAN, REALLY THESE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN, UH, IN ALLOWING SOCIAL USE IN OUR COUNTY OF CANNABIS.
SO I-I THINK IN MANY WAYS, UM, ROBERT KITAYAMA, THE GENTLEMAN WHO SPOKE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, AND RUNS MANY GREEN HOUSES, HAVE GROWN, UM, RETAIL FLOWERS FOR DECADES AND-AND NOW THEY'VE-THEY'VE DABBLED SOME, UH, IN CANNABIS CULTIVATION, SAID IT BEST, WHICH IS THERE'S SO MUCH REGULATION, THERE'S SO MANY CHALLENGES FOR THE LEGAL MARKET THAT IT...
HE QUESTIONS WHETHER UNDER TODAY'S REGULATION IT'S EVEN VIABLE TO GROW CANNABIS, UH, IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
AND IN MANY WAYS WE'RE SEEING THE SAME, UM, CONCERN FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE-ARE OPERATING RETAIL LOCATIONS.
RETAIL SALES WERE DOWN 12% FROM, UH, FROM AVERAGE, THIS PAST FULL YEAR THAT WE HAVE REPORTED, UH, REPORTED DATA
[02:50:02]
FROM UNDER, UH, DOWN 24% FROM THE NON-COVID PEAK BACK IN 2018/19, UH, AS DETAILED, UH, IN THE FISCAL ANALYSIS FOR, UM, THE ITEM 7, UH, ITEM 7.UM, AND, UH, PER JANUARY 28TH, BIENNIAL REPORT FROM THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE, NON-RETAIL CANNABIS BUSINESS TAXES DOWN 52% FROM LAST YEAR.
SO, THE QUESTION REALLY IS DO WE WANT SANTA CRUZ ENTREPRENEURS TO HAVE ANY ROLE IN THE CHALLENGING AND RAPIDLY CHANGING CANNABIS MARKET, OR SHOULD WE LET THE LOCAL INDUSTRY SIMPLY DIE OUT? TO ME, THE ANSWER IS, YES, WE DO WANT OUR LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS TO TAKE A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PLANT THAN, UH, THE ALTERNATIVE, WHICH IS HEDGE-FUND OWNED BUSINESSES THAT ARE CHASING A GAS STATION, DRIVE-BY, SUPER HIGH CONCENTRATION THC MODEL.
IF WE WANT TO BREAK THAT MOLD, WE NEED TO ALLOW OUR LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE TAKING A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH, UH, TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL USE AND EDUCATION, WE NEED TO ALLOW LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS TO COMPETE BY SELLING EXPERIENCES.
AND AS A TOURIST-BASED ECONOMY HERE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, WE ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO DO THAT.
UH, WE KNOW THAT 22% OF AMERICANS CONSIDER LEGAL CANNABIS STATUS WHEN CHOOSING A DESTINATION.
THAT MEANS IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, WE HAVE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO POSITIVELY IMPACT CANNABIS CULTURE COUNTRYWIDE AND REAP SOME ECONOMIC BENEFIT.
I DON'T… YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO ILLUSIONS THAT THIS IS, UH, GOING TO FUND THE REPAIR OF ALL THE COUNTY ROADS, UH, BUT I DO THINK THAT WE'LL SEE A BUMP IN, UH, INCREASE IN CANNABIS SALES AND, UH, ALSO INCREASE IN HOTEL ROOM BOOKINGS AND RESTAURANTS AT REVENUES AND OTHER ANCILLARY SPENDING FROM PEOPLE VISITING OUR COMMUNITY, UM TO ACCESS THESE EXPERIENCES.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE-WE COVERED THIS MORE EXTENSIVELY DURING THE LAST MEETING, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN THAT, UH, USE, USAGE AMONG YOUTH IS ACTUALLY DOWN, UH, AS MUCH AS 50% ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, SINCE THE, UH, LEGALIZATION RE-, LEGALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IN 2016/17.
UM, SO I-I JUST DON'T SEE ANY DATA TO SUPPORT THE ARGUMENTS THAT, UH, CREATING THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL USE ARE GOING TO INCREASE TEEN USAGE, UH, OR LEAD TO MORE, UH, MORE ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF DRUG DRIVING.
AND SO THAT'S WHY, UH, I SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TODAY.
- THANK YOU. SO WE DO HAVE AN ALTERNATE MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVEN MAKE MY COMMENTS ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
YOU KNOW, UM, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS MENTIONED ABOUT THE, UH, PUTTING IN THE LISTENING TOUR, WHAT THEY CALLED THEM AND I ATTENDED, UH, THE MAJORITY OF THEM, UH, EVEN NOT IN MY DISTRICT, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, UM, I THINK WHATEVER ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED THERE WERE MITIGATED AND DISCUSSED, AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANY OF THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT UP NOW WERE BROUGHT UP THEN.
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS, UH, SORT OF A REHASH OR RELITIGATION OF, UH, THE-THE ARGU-, THE ARGUMENTS THAT WERE BEING MADE DURING THE TIME OF THE-THE 4C COMMITTEE THAT WAS HERE IN THE COUNTY TO REGULATE, UH, CANNABIS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I-I EVEN, I WASN'T ON THE BOARD AT THAT TIME BUT I-I KEPT TABS ON EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON IN THE COUNTY.
UM, SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE ALTERNATIVE MOTION.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE TAKE ROLL CALL? - I HAVE A COMMENT, UH, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE SHE DOES.
UM, I JUST WANNA REMIND THE BOARD MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, WE AREN'T HERE TO, AS YOU PUT IT, RE-LITIGATE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE AT THE STATE LEVEL, BY OUR VOTERS HERE LOCALLY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A REAL SPECIFIC ALLOWANCE THAT ARE GOING TO IMPACT SPECIFIC ROADS IN JUST A FEW DISTRICTS.
MINE, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA'S, AND D1, RIGHT? AND OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT THE SAME AS OTHER COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, FOR THE RESEARCH.
WE HAVE OUR CHP CAPTAIN SITTING IN THE CHAMBERS RIGHT NOW REPRESENTING OUR ROADS.
THE RURAL ROADS THAT ARE WINDY, THAT ATTRACT TOURISTS ON WEEKENDS, MOTORCYCLE RIDERS THAT ARE SHARING ROADS WITH FAMILIES THAT ARE COMMUTING TO SOFTBALL PRACTICE AND SCHOOL AND THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
NOT THE MACRO DISCUSSION OF THE INDUSTRY, NOT BUSINESS INTERESTS BEFORE FAMILIES, NOT CANNABIS AT LARGE.
[02:55:02]
I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT MY NEIGHBORHOOD, MY ROADS, AND I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY FROM THIS BOARD THAT IS WILLING TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT SAFEGUARDS AROUND REVOKING PERMITS IF SOMEBODY OVERSERVES BECAUSE IT FEELS SO URGENT.THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO TIMELINE SET BY THE STATE.
WE'RE NOT GONNA MISS OUT ON FEDERAL FUNDING, OR A STATE GRANT, OR SOME DEADLINE THAT'S FORCED UPON US.
IT FEELS LIKE IF-IF-IF THE BOARD IS SO COMMITTED TO MOVE THIS FORWARD, LET'S GET IT RIGHT.
THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT HAPPENED BEFORE WAS INSUFFICIENT.
I DON'T THINK THAT OUR CHP CAPTAIN WAS IN THE ROOM.
I DON'T THINK OUR SUPERINTENDENTS WERE IN THE ROOM.
I KNOW THE FAMILIES THAT I TALK TO AT DROP OFF AND PICK UP EVERY DAY AT THE SCHOOL, THEY WEREN'T IN THE ROOM.
IT WAS FOR THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.
AND SO IF WE'RE GONNA DO IT, LET'S GET THE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE.
AND LET'S DO IT CORRECTLY, BUT TO SAY, OKAY, WELL, LET'S MOVE THIS FORWARD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THE SECOND READING ALREADY, AND THEN DO AN ALTERNATIVE MOTION TO THEN PUT SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE.
IT JUST, IT'S NOT SIGNALING TO THE COUNTY THAT WE'RE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY.
IT'S NOT SIGNALING TO OUR RESIDENTS THAT THEIR SAFETY MATTERS ON THE ROADS.
AND SO, I'LL BE VOTING NO ON THIS, NO SURPRISE.
UM, AND AFTER THIS I'LL, IF-IF IT PASSES, WE'LL COME FORWARD WITH AN ADDITIONAL DIRECTION.
SO, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
MOTION PASSES, UH, WITH TWO NO VOTES FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA AND SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
- CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE ADDITIONAL, AN ADDITIONAL MOTION.
I THINK WE'RE DONE WITH THAT ITEM AND MOVING TO ITEM 7.
- I'M, I AM GONNA MAKE A MOTION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION TO THE STAFF THAT THEY RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH PROPOSED LANGUAGE, ALLOWING THE COUNTY TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST A DISPENSARY SUCH AS SUSPENDING OR REVOKING A DISPENSARY'S PERMISSION TO OPERATE HERE IF IT'S DETERMINED THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS CAUSED, WHO HAS CONSUMED CANNABIS AT A LOUNGE DRIVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSES HARM OR DAMAGES.
- THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE JUST VOTED ON RIGHT NOW. NO? - NO, THE MOTION, THE MO-, THE MOTION THAT YOU VOTED ON WAS JUST TO ACCEPT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS.
- OKAY. - SO, I THINK SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ IS-IS OFFERING AN ADDITIONAL MOTION ON THE SAME TOPIC.
- OKAY. - WHICH IS, WHICH IS, UH, WHICH IS ALLOWED, YOU KNOW.
- AND I WAS CONFUSED ABOUT THAT TOO, ACTUALLY.
I HAD TO THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.
UM, AND I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION.
- SO, WE'LL TAKE IT OUT TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS.
NO? - NO. IT'S... YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL- ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT ON IT.
- OKAY. - THIS IS, THIS IS ALL PART OF THE SAME DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING FOR THE LAST, YOU KNOW, FOUR...
- OR DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON IT THEN? - OF COURSE.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND.
SO, YOU WOULD VOTE ON-ON-ON WHETHER TO HAVE STAFF COME BACK WITH ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE.
- SO, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
AGAIN, A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
CAN WE TAKE A ROLL CALL VOTE? - I'M HAPPY TO SPEAK TO THE MOTION FIRST.
- YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, AGAIN, SO, THIS WILL, THE SECOND READING WAS APPROVED, AND THEN STAFF'S GONNA COME BACK WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS? - YEAH.
- AND I THINK IT'D BE GOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S NOT A FIRST READING, IF WE CAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT'S COMING BACK FROM STAFF, TO HAVE SOME KIND OF DISCUSSION AROUND, WHAT THIS IS GONNA LOOK LIKE SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'RE HEARING ABOUT THIS BEING PROPOSED TODAY.
I THINK IT'D PROBABLY BE HELPFUL.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING WITH THE CANNABIS COMMUNITY AND OTHER FOLKS SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, SETTLE ON SOMETHING THAT'S MUTUALLY AGREEABLE, I THINK WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL.
- AND LET-LET ME JUST EXPLAIN, JUST TO JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
- RIGHT. - ON THE SECOND READ.
IT'S GONNA GO INTO EFFECT 31 DAYS FROM TODAY.
WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THERE'S A NEW, A NEW MOTION ON THE FLOOR, TO SAY, "HEY, EVEN THOUGH THAT ORDINANCE JUST PASSED, I'D LIKE TO SEE ADDITIONAL CHANGES MADE TO IT." AND SO I WANT STAFF TO COME BACK WITH A-A-A RECOMMENDED ACTIONS AROUND ADDING TO THE ORDINANCE THAT YOU JUST PASSED.
- AND JUST TO SPEAK TO THAT, UM, WHAT WAS MADE CLEAR IN THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION IS THAT THERE AREN'T SAFEGUARDS OR CONDITIONS IN OUR CURRENT ORDINANCE THAT ALLOW, THAT CLARIFIES THAT WE WILL, OR WE-WE CAN REVOKE A PERMIT IF THERE'S A BAD ACTOR, IF ONE OF THE LOUNGES OR DISTRIBUTORS IS OVERSERVING AND CAUSES HARM TO THE COMMUNITY.
[03:00:04]
I-I-I...THERE'S SO MANY THINGS, UH, LISTED IN THE ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE MAY REVOKE A PERMIT.
- DO YOU HAVE SOME COMMENT, SUPERVISOR? - THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS ARGUMENT, MANY OF YOU HUNG YOUR HAT ON THE FACT THAT THERE'LL BE EDUCATION IN THE CANNABIS LOUNGES AS A REASON FOR HAVING A LOUNGE.
UM, AND I DO, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME TYPE OF AN EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE BARTENDERS OR THE SERVERS THERE, UM, WHO ARE PROVIDING CANNABIS AND EDUCATION, UH, TO THE-THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BUYING IN THE LOUNGES.
SO, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CAN BE ADDED AS ADDITIONAL DIRECTION AS WELL.
I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE CURRICULUM LOOKS LIKE OR-OR THERE SHOULD BE A CURRICULUM.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ONE OUT THERE OR MAYBE WE COULD CREATE ONE.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE PART OF OUR ACTIONS TODAY.
- STAFF HAS DISCUSSED THIS, UM, TOPIC SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM.
UM, THERE IS NO CANNABIS SERVER TRAINING, UM, CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT THE STATE LEVEL, SIMILAR TO THE ABC STYLE TRAINING.
UM, AND WE HAVE, UH, DISCUSSED THE CREATION OF THAT WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT, HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT.
UM, WITH OUR LIMITED STAFF, WE JUST REALLY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT.
AND DO BOTH OF US FEEL THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE STATE TO DEVELOP SUCH TRAINING.
UM, BUT CURRENTLY IT DOES NOT EXIST.
- WELL, THEN I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING ANY EDUCATION IN THESE LOUNGES IF THERE'S NO CURRICULUM, EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM TO BACK IT UP.
- UM, SIMILAR TO ANY, UM, SUPPLEMENT YOU BUY IN THE STORE, THERE ARE NO MEDICAL CLAIMS THAT CAN BE MADE FOR THESE THINGS OR-OR THOSE TYPES OF CLAIMS LEGALLY.
SO, UM, I CAN SPEAK FROM MY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE RETAILERS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND DOING RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC, MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE STORES KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS OF THE CANNABIS AND THEY CAN DESCRIBE THOSE EFFECTS TO PEOPLE.
UM, THAT IS GENERALLY, THAT'S THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT.
UM, SIMILAR THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE WITH OUR RETAILERS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS, SUCH AS, UH, THE WO/MEN'S ALLIANCE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA, UM, THE SANTA CRUZ VETERANS ALLIANCE, WHO HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE ON THE STRAINS THAT THEY PRODUCE, UM, BASED ON THE EFFECTS AND-AND THE, UH, OSI POLLING THEY DO WITH THE GROUPS THAT THEY SERVE.
UM, SO, JUST SOME PERSPECTIVE FOR [INAUDIBLE] KIND OF HOW, UH, INFORMATION IS DERIVED AND-AND HOW THAT IS PROVIDED TO-TO THE PUBLIC CURRENTLY.
- SO, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
- I... I'M STILL HAVING ANOTHER COMMENT.
SO I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'RE DOING EDUCATION IF THERE ISN'T AN EDUCATION CURRICULUM THAT IS PROVIDED TO THE LOUNGES IN THIS COUNTY.
SO, I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF CAPACITY, BUT HOPEFULLY, PUBLIC HEALTH COULD HELP US OUT WORKING WITH THE CANNABIS, UM, PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTY WHO DO HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE.
MAYBE WE COULD CREATE SOMETHING SO THAT SERVERS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY SHOULD NOT OVER SERVE PEOPLE IN THE LOUNGES.
- UM, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM, IF-IF THE BOARD WISHES TO DIRECT THEM TO DEVELOP THAT KIND OF TRAINING.
UM, WE CAN INCLUDE IT IN OUR, UM, LICENSING REQUIREMENTS AS PART OF OUR [CROSSTALK].
- I JUST THINK IT'S LAUGHABLE THAT EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON TO HAVE A LOUNGE IS TO EDUCATE THE CONSUMER, BUT YET THERE'S NOTHING TO EDUCATE ABOUT.
LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING, THERE NEEDS TO BE A STRUCTURE FOR THAT EDUCATION TO TAKE PLACE.
IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO USE A CANNABIS LOUNGE IN OUR COUNTY.
THAT'S- I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING PUT TOGETHER.
- IS THERE SOMEONE HERE FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM? CAUSE WE'VE CERTAINLY BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE WITH THEM AND WOULD WELCOME THEIR INPUT HERE.
- FOR THE RECORD, MONICA MORALES, HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY DIRECTOR.
CURRENTLY, WE DON'T HAVE A CURRICULUM.
THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE ONE EITHER.
UM, I WILL ALSO CAUTION US TO ASSUME THAT ANYBODY WITHOUT CREDENTIALS OR ANY CLINICAL, YOU KNOW, CERTIFICATION CAN JUST SAY, THIS IS THE WAY CANNABIS WILL IMPACT YOU
[03:05:02]
IF YOU'RE A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD, IF YOU'RE SIX FOOT, OR IF YOU'RE TINY LIKE ME.YOU REALLY DO NEED SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION FOR THAT.
WE ARE HAPPY TO TEAM WITH, UH, CLO TO MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
I WILL ALSO CAUTION THAT, UM, RESOURCES ARE IMPORTANT FOR US.
WE HAVE NOTHING, UM, IN PLACE TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THAT.
TOBACCO HAS HAD 20 YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND, INCLUDING ALL THE UCS FUNDED, INCLUDING THE COUNTIES FUNDED ACROSS THE STATE TO DO THIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, PARIS, WHAT, THREE PEOPLE? TOGETHER TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING WE'RE HAPPY TO SUPPORT.
BUT JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND THAT RESOURCES ARE IMPORTANT FOR US AT THIS POINT.
- THANK YOU, UM, I USED TO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION LOCALLY CALLED ETR AND THEIR ENTIRE REASON FOR BEING IS TO, UM, DO HARM REDUCTION IN THE AREAS OF TOBACCO AND SUBSTANCES, ET CETERA.
AND THEY DO CREATE CURRICULUM ACROSS THE NATION.
I'M NO LONGER AFFILIATED WITH THEM.
I HAVEN'T BEEN FOR SOME YEARS, BUT THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE SOME TYPE OF STRUCTURE FOR US.
AND SO I WOULD, UM, DIRECT STAFF TO PLEASE LOOK TO THEM POTENTIALLY TO CREATE, UH, SOMETHING FOR OUR COUNTY, AND HOPEFULLY THEN IT COULD BE ADOPTED LATER BY THE STATE.
- CAN-CAN I JUST ADD, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN TRAINING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SERVING, RIGHT? TO PEOPLE WHO ARE PURCHASING FOR A CONSUMPTION LOUNGE VERSUS WHAT SAM WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS THE ACTUAL EDUCATION THAT IS GOING ON WHEN PEOPLE ARE BUYING TO CONSUME WHEN THEY LEAVE, RIGHT? SO, THE SERVER TRAINING THAT THE ABC DOES FOR, UM, BARS IS ALL ABOUT RECOGNIZING WHEN SOMEONE SHOULDN'T BE SERVED, RIGHT? AND SO, I WANNA MAKE, I-I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CREATING EDUCATION, BECAUSE EDUCATION DOES GO ON IN THE RETAIL LOUNGES ABOUT THE PRODUCTS ALL THE TIME, BUT THEY'RE JUST TAKING THE PRODUCTS AND TAKING THEM HOME RIGHT? SO, I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICE TRAINING, RIGHT? I JUST...
IF YOU COULD CLARIFY THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
- I-I WOULD POTENTIALLY LIKE TO SEE IT BE BOTH IF POSSIBLE.
I DON'T THINK, I THINK THEY ARE... IT'S ALL RELATED.
- [CROSSTALK] HERE'S WHAT I MIGHT RECOMMEND, UM, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET A VOTE ON THE MOTION THAT I HAVE ON THE FLOOR AND I'M GONNA RECOMMEND THAT YOU BRING FORWARD AN ADDITIONAL DIRECTION AS A MOTION.
- SO, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR...
- WE SHOW THAT SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ IS MOVING AND SUPERVISOR DE SERPA IS SECONDING THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION.
- CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT ADDITIONAL DIRECTION FOR THE BOARD? - YES. THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION THAT I, UM, HAVE RECORDED, UH, IS DIRECTING STAFF TO PROPOSE LANGUAGE AND RETURN WITH THAT PROPOSED LANGUAGE FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION REGARDING, UM, I'M SO SORRY.
- SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ... - I'M HAPPY TO REPEAT THE MOTION.
- ADDITIONAL DIRECTION THAT STAFF RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH PROPOSED LANGUAGE ALLOWING THE COUNTY TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST A DISPENSARY, SUCH AS SUSPENDING OR EVOKING A DISPENSARY'S PERMISSION TO OPERATE HERE, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS CONSUMED CANNABIS AT A LOUNGE DRIVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSES HARM OR DAMAGES.
[SILENCE] - WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND.
- COULD WE TAKE ROLL CALL VOTE? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
[SILENCE] - OKAY, AND THEN SEPARATELY, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO PROVIDE DIRECTION TO CREATE, UH, CURRICULUM FOR SERVERS IN CANNABIS LOUNGES TO EDUCATE PROPERLY, I MEAN, PROPERLY NEEDS TO BE IN THERE, BUT TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS REGARDING THE USE OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS WITHIN THOSE LOUNGES.
AND TO RECOGNIZE IMPAIRMENT IN THOSE CUSTOMERS
[03:10:01]
AND OFFER ALTERNATIVES TO DRIVING.IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I'M MISSING? - I WOULD DO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO ASK THE CAO TO COME BACK IN BUDGET HEARINGS WITH RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO THAT EFFORT.
- CHAIR, IF I COULD JUST MAKE A QUICK COMMENT.
UM, I'LL NOT BE SUPPORTING THE, UH, THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT EDUCATION IS HELPFUL OR-OR NEEDED AS, UH, AS I'VE STATED AND AS SUPERVISOR DE SERPA, UH, RECOGNIZED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IS A LARGE PART OF THE ARGUMENT FOR ALLOWING SOME SOCIAL USE, UH, I JUST...
YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT I'VE...
I CAN POINT TO LOTS OF THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED THAT DID NOT COME FROM A CURRICULUM, OR THAT WERE TAUGHT TO ME BY SOMEONE WHO DID NOT LEARN THOSE THINGS FROM A CURRICULUM.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE POINTED OUT THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF EDUCATION THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING IN DISPENSARIES, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NOT A FORMAL CURRICULUM.
UH, I THINK THAT THE, UM, MOTION JUST APPROVED BY THIS BOARD TO UH, MAKE DISPENSARIES RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, PREVENTING DRUG DRIVING AND, UH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY, CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES FROM THAT, UM, WILL CERTAINLY ALIGN INTERESTS IN ENSURING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THE CLIENTELE, ARE, UH, ARE-ARE MONITORED AND-AND RECEIVE APPROPRIATE ADVICE.
UH, I'M JUST EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO ALLOCATING ANY OF THE COUNTY SCARCE RESOURCES, UM, TO BASICALLY PIONEERING, UM, A-A NEW EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM.
UM, YOU KNOW, P-PERHAPS WE COULD ASK THE STATE TO, TO DO SO.
UM, BUT I-I-I THINK THAT SUFFICIENT EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES EXIST WITHOUT A CURRICULUM, UM, AND A-AS OF, SO I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION.
UM, I SHARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS AROUND THIS AS WELL.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IN TERMS OF, 'CAUSE I HEARD SOME CONCERNS AROUND AVAILABLE RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH OUR CANNABIS OFFICE OR THROUGH OUR HEALTH OFFICE.
AND I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND LIKE WHAT THIS EFFORT WOULD LOOK LIKE BECAUSE I THINK WHAT COULD BE HELPFUL IS IF STAFF CAN DETERMINE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AND HAVE A CONVERSATION DURING THE BUDGET HEARINGS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS KIND OF ROLLOUT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
- WELL, WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH PUBLIC HEALTH ABOUT WHAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY LOOK LIKE.
I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT THE ROLE OF THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE IS REGULATORY.
AND SO, WHATEVER GETS CRAFTED, WHETHER IT'S CRAFTED BY OUR PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM OR THE STATE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM, WE WOULD GO OUT AND INSPECT FOR THAT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S-THAT'S THE ROLE THAT WE DO.
WE DO INSPECTIONS FOR RETAIL DISPENSARIES EVERY YEAR WHEN THEY ARE UP FOR RENEWAL, REMINDING EVERYONE OUR, EVERY LICENSE THAT'S A CANNABIS LICENSE MUST BE RENEWED EVERY YEAR AND THEY MUST PASS OUR INSPECTIONS IN ORDER TO GET RENEWED.
UM, SO WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF WHATEVER THE CURRICULUM WOULD COME UP WITH, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING WE COULD INSPECT ON.
SO, IF IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT THE ABC DOES, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC CURRICULUM PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE THE ONLINE TEST OR WHATEVER THEY TAKE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE CURRICULUM.
AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO PROVE TO US THAT THERE ARE SERVERS IN THE CONSUMPTION LOUNGE OR THEIR PEOPLE WHO ARE SERVING AT THE COUNTER, HAVE, IN FACT, DONE THAT CURRICULUM SIMILAR TO THE WAY WE DO SEXUAL HARASSMENT CURRICULUM HERE WHERE WE-WE DO IT, WE DO IT ONLINE, WE GET OUR CERTIFICATES AND THEN THE, YOU KNOW, PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT IS DOUBLE CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE ALL DONE IT, RIGHT? SO, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, OUR ROLE IS-IS A REGULATORY ROLE AND SO THAT WOULD BE THE ROLE OF THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE IN THIS.
- AND I JUST WANNA ASK BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW...
WELL FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, IT SEEMED LIKE THAT'S NOT GONNA BE YOUR ROLE IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING THIS CURRICULUM.
AND SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND CAPACITY FROM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AS TO WHO WOULD BE WORKING ON THIS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S FUNDING ISSUES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING TO DISCUSS HERE SOON.
- YEAH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE REFERRING TO PUBLIC HEALTH, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, JUST FOR THE RECORD.
YEAH, CURRENTLY WE DO HAVE, UM, PROGRAMMING THAT SUPPORTS THIS EFFORT.
PART OF WHAT IT WILL TAKE FOR US IS REACHING OUT TO THE, UH, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO GET A SENSE OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING, REACHING OUT TO EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS PHI, WHO HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF DOING THIS, UM, RESEARCH.
AND THEN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS TO SEE
[03:15:02]
WHERE THEY'RE AT IN TERMS OF RESEARCH.WE KNOW THROUGH PROP 64 THAT THERE WERE ALLOCATIONS TO SOME OF THESE, UM, INSTITUTIONS FOR RESEARCH.
SO, WE WOULD TAP INTO THAT INITIALLY TO REALLY GET A COMPREHENSIVE SENSE OF THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS, UM, AND THE TRAINING AND WHAT OTHER STATES MIGHT BE DOING AS SUCH AS COLORADO.
SO, YOU CAN TELL IT'S A LOT OF RESEARCH INITIALLY FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
AND SO THEN, WE WOULD COME AND THEN PROPOSE BASED ON WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, A CURRICULUM THAT MIGHT ADDRESS THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS BECAUSE THERE'S VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT WE'RE OUTLINING HERE AS WELL.
UM, BUT LET ME PAUSE, SEE IF, UH, DR...
- [LAUGHS] - YES, GOOD MORNING.
EMILY CHUNG, PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION DIRECTOR.
I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT WE DO HAVE TEAMS CURRENTLY WORKING ON OVERARCHING, UM, SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON YOUTH AND THESE, UH, THE COLLABORATION WITH THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE HAS BEEN IN PART RELATED TO THAT.
HOWEVER, WE DO NOT HAVE SPECIFIC RESOURCES OR GRANT ALLOCATIONS TO DESIGN A SPECIFIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR SERVERS.
OUR STAFF ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC AND WANT TO COLLABORATE ON THAT.
AND IF RESEARCHED APPROPRIATELY, WE COULD BE WORKING WITH, UH, VENDORS LIKE ETHR, OR CARDEA, OR OTHERS AND THE STATE AS WELL AS PHI TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE ADDRESS THIS FROM A SYSTEMS LEVEL FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR THE STATE BECAUSE THIS IS AN AREA THAT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AS A MISSING PIECE OF THE ROLLOUT OF CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGES IN CALIFORNIA.
- IF THAT'S THE CASE, I THINK WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS SEE IF I CAN MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UM, THAT WOULD DIRECT STAFF TO EXPLORE RESOURCES, UH, FOR CREATING CURRICULUM, UM, FOR CANNABIS, UM, LOUNGE DISPENSARIES, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS COULD BE A VERY BIG LIFT.
AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, A LOT OF ISSUES IN PUBLIC HEALTH RIGHT NOW AROUND FUNDING.
AND SO, TO TAKE PEOPLE AWAY FROM DOING THE CRITICAL WORK THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING TO FOCUS ON THIS, UM, I THINK IT'D BE BEST IF WE SEE WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF WHETHER THERE'S GRANTS AND ADVOCATE OF THE STATE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE FUNDING TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT.
SUPERVISOR [INAUDIBLE], OR SUP-SUP - OKAY, I WAS JUST GOING TO OFFER A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT WE ALSO, UM, SEND A LETTER TO, UM, THE STATE, UM, DEPARTMENT-DEPARTMENT OF CANNABIS CONTROL AND ASK THAT THEY DEVELOP A CURRICULUM.
SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ? - I WAS JUST HOPING YOU COULD REPEAT THE MOTION.
- YEAH, THE MOTION IS TO DIRECT STAFF TO EXPLORE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR CANNABIS, UM, LOUNGE, CANNABIS ON SITE CONSUMPTION LOUNGES.
- AND, YOU KNOW, I-I THINK, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FACING IS-IS SOME BUDGET SHORTFALLS IN HEALTH SERVICES.
AND FOR US TO TAKE OUT MONEY TO PAY A THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT WHERE WE'RE LAYING OFF PEOPLE IS REALLY NOT THE RIGHT OPTIC AND IT'S NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
AND SO, UH, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DEPARTMENTS.
SO, THAT'S WHY I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION.
THERE'S NO FURTHER COMMENT? WE'LL HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, SECOND FROM HERNANDEZ AND THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.
[SILENCE] NEXT WE HAVE, UM, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, CONSIDERING AND APPROVING IN THE CONCEPT AND ORDINANCE ENACTING CHAPTER 7.138 OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE-CODE REGARDING CANNABIS FARM RETAIL LICENSE PILOT PROGRAM.
AND IN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS 13.10.640 OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE REGARDING TEMPORARY PRODUCE SALES AREA AND PRODUCE STANDS.
AND THE ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 13.10.372 OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE REGARDING ALLOWANCE OF TEMPORARY PRODUCE SALES AND PRODUCE STANDS IN THE TIMBER PRODUCTION ZONE DISTRICT, ALLOWING FOR RETAIL CANNABIS SALES AT PRODUCE STANDS, APPROVE THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT ADDENDUM AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT RE-REPORT FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY AND REGULATORY UPDATES IN ALL RELATED ACTIONS.
I'LL TURN-TURN IT OVER TO SAM LAFORTE.
[03:20:03]
- ALL RIGHT, UM, THANK YOU, CHAIR HERNANDEZ.I'M GONNA MOVE THROUGH THE, UH, THROUGH THE BACKGROUND SECTION OF THIS PRESENTATION RATHER QUICKLY.
UM, AS-AS DISCUSSED EARLIER, UH, THIS BEGAN IN NOVEMBER, 2023, UM, AND THIS SPURRED A DISCUSSION WITH THE BOARD THAT LED THE BOARD DIRECTING STAFF TO SEEK COMMUNITY INPUT ON THESE ITEMS. UM, LISTING SESSIONS OCCURRED IN FOUR DISTRICTS.
UM, STAFF WORKED WITH BOARD MEMBERS TO IDENTIFY KEY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE PIO.
UM, WE HAD, UH, OVER 15,100 COMBINED VIEWS ON, UM, POSTS FROM NEXTDOOR, FACEBOOK, AND PRESS RELEASES.
ON JUNE 4TH, STAFF PROVIDED THE BOARD A REPORT ON THOSE PUBLIC LISTENING SESSIONS.
UM, THE BOARD HAD A THOROUGH DISCUSSION, AND, UM, THEY FELT LIKE THE FEEDBACK AND THEMES FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE CLEAR.
UM, THE BOARD THEN DIRECTED STAFF TO DRAFT ORDINANCES RELATED TO THE MEMO.
ON OCTOBER 29TH, THE DRAFT ORDINANCES WERE REVIEWED BY THE BOARD.
THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION LED TO ADDITIONAL DIRECTION WITH PROPOSING, UM, LIMITING CANNABIS FLOWER SALES AT FARMS. UM, THE BOARD ALSO DISCUSSED LIMITING EXTRACTS TO TARGET, UH, MEDICINAL PRODUCTS.
BASED ON THAT DISCUSSION, STAFF INCLUDED SOME ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE WITHIN THE ORDINANCE TO ALLOW FOR FOOD GRADE, UM, PRODUCTS.
THIS WOULD BE MEDICAL TINCTURES AND TOPICAL PRODUCTS TO BE SOLD BY LICENSEES WHO ALSO HAVE A MANUFACTURING LICENSE WITHIN THE COUNTY.
UM, IN SUMMARY, THE BOARD FIRST PROPOSED THESE CHANGES IN NOVEMBER 2023, AND THIS MARKS THE NINTH PUBLIC MEETING TO ALLOW COMMUNITY INPUT ON THIS.
ACTUALLY, THIS SHOULD BE THE 10TH AFTER, UM, THE LAST ITEM.
SO, THE PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENTS, UM, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS A TRIO OF CODE AMENDMENTS TO ENACT THE BOARD DIRECTION FROM JUNE 4TH.
UH, CHAPTER 7.138 IS THE NEW BUSINESS LICENSE CHAPTER OF CODE, AND IT WILL ALLOW FOR RETAIL SALES AND CONSUMPTION AT FARMS. IT INCLUDES OPERATIONAL RESTRICTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SAFETY, SECURITY, AND PROHIBITION OF ON-SITE CONSUMPTION FOR DRIVERS.
UM, ONLY VIA PRODUCE STANDS ALLOCATION WITHIN 13.10.640.
SO, UH, 13.10.640 LAND USE CODE AMENDMENTS ARE TECHNICAL CHANGES ALLOWING FOR FARM STANDS IN THE SU AND TP ZONE.
IN ADDITION TO THE CA AND A ZONE.
UM, THESE CONTAIN SEASONAL RESTRICTIONS AND RESTRICTIONS ON ONLY BEING ABLE TO SELL WHAT YOU GROW.
UM, LASTLY, 13.10.372 IS A CHANGE TO THE TP ZONE USE CHART TO ALLOW THIS IN THE TP ZONE.
SO, CANNABIS FARM STANDS WILL BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL FARM STANDS, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT BE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THEY WILL BE ADJACENT TO THE CULTIVATION AREAS WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO SETBACKS FROM ROADS, HOMES, SCHOOLS, PARKS, ET CETERA.
UH, THEY WILL BE STAFFED AND NOT VISIBLE FROM ROADWAYS AND PROHIBITED FROM HAVING, UM, NON-PERMANENT SIGNAGE.
SO THE LICENSING PROCESS, UM, DURING THE LISTENING SESSION, WE HEARD COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND ENTHUSIASM OVER PROPOSED CHANGES.
ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS WE HEARD IS WITHOUT HAVING SPECIFICS FROM SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THEY STRUGGLED TO PROVIDE SOME OPINIONS.
THEY WANTED TO KNOW HOW THESE SITES WOULD BE ASSESSED.
SO THE PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A LICENSE INCLUDES CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE REVIEW AND DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY, CEQA REVIEW AND DETERMINATION AND THEN CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE, UH, CAN CONDITIONALLY APPROVE OR DENY A LICENSE AT THAT POINT.
CONDITIONAL APPROVAL TRIGGERS A PUBLIC NOTIFICATION PROCESS.
THIS PUBLIC NOTIFICATION PROCESS IS THE SAME AS THE PLANNING NOTIFICATION PROCESS, INCLUDING MAILERS AND POSTERS AT THE SITE.
ANYONE CAN APPEAL IN IT, UM, THIS IS THE DEVIATION FROM THE PLANNING PROCESS.
APPEALS ARE ACTUALLY HEARD BY AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER.
AND THOSE ARE FINAL, UH, RULINGS AT THAT PHASE.
SO, STAFF, UM, HAS PROPOSED A THREE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM.
THIS WOULD LIKELY LEAD TO TWO YEARS OF OPERATIONS.
IT WILL ALLOW US TO GAIN DATA ON IMPACTS SUCH AS TRAFFIC AND ALLOW FOR MORE COMMUNITY INPUT AFTER THE PROGRAM BEGINS.
IT WILL PROVIDE THE BOARD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS IF THESE CHANGES SHOULD BE PERMANENT.
TO EMBED THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS INTO THE PROCESS, WE INCORPORATED CLO DISCRETION, UH, IN THE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL PROCESS, AND REVIEWED THIS WITH THE BOARD IN OCTOBER.
THIS DISCRETION IS FOCUSED ON SITE APPROPRIATENESS, WHICH INCLUDES DISTANCE TO COMPETING LAND USES ACCESS FROM PUBLIC ROADS, VISIBILITY FROM ROADWAYS AND SURROUNDING PROPERTIES, AS WELL AS PARKING.
UM, WE PROPOSE THESE OPERATIONS BE PROHIBITED ON PRIVATE ROADS WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF ALL LANDOWNERS BACK IN OCTOBER.
WE CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE ONE FARM ON A PRIVATE ROAD.
THIS MAY NOT BE NECESSARY FOR A PILOT PROGRAM BUT THE COMMUNITY INPUT WAS VERY CLEAR ON THIS.
UM, UNLIKE OTHER CANNABIS CODES, WE ARE NOT INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE CITATIONS.
VIOLATIONS OF CODE ARE GROUNDS FOR LICENSE REVOCATION, AND AS A PILOT PROGRAM, WE NEED TO EXPECT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF COMPLIANCE FROM ALL OF OUR OPERATORS.
UM, IF THERE ARE ANY ILLEGAL OPERATIONS, UM, OUR EXISTING CODE UM, IN THE NON-RETAIL AND THE RETAIL CODE CAN BE UTILIZED TO ADDRESS THOSE SITES.
[03:25:02]
SOME RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR THE BOARD.UM, THERE'S CURRENTLY ONE RETAIL FARM IN THE STATE, AND IT'S LOCATED IN NEVADA COUNTY.
STAFF TOURED THE FACILITY AND INTERVIEWED THE OPERATOR, UM, AND THEIR STAFF.
THEY NOTED THEIR CONSUMERS OR THEIR-THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE NOT DISPENSARY CUSTOMERS, THEY ARE TOURISTS, PEOPLE WHO COME AND WANT TO LEARN ABOUT CANNABIS.
MOST OF THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE ONSITE FOR 25 TO 45 MINUTES AND THEY ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS.
UM, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE CONSUMPTION ON SITE, BUT THEY SAID THAT IT'S A CRITICAL MISSING PIECE OF THE EXPERIENCE.
THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE A MIX OF SENIORS, UM, WORKING PROFESSIONALS AND PEOPLE INTERESTED IN CANNABIS, BUT NOT FREQUENT USERS.
UM, THEY OFTEN ASK HOW TO SMOKE, HOW TO ROLL A JOINT, HOW WILL THIS AFFECT ME? UM, WHAT DOSAGE SHOULD I START WITH, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WITHOUT CONSUMPTION, THEY FEEL HAMPERED IN THEIR ABILITY TO MEET THEIR CUSTOMER'S NEEDS.
THEY DO SELL MORE THAN THEY GROW.
THEY SELL, BUT THEY ARE RESTRICTED TO SELLING ONLY CANNABIS GROWN IN THEIR COUNTY.
UM, SO CANNABIS TOURS ARE HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
A VARIETY OF TOUR COMPANIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE BOARD LETTER BUT MOST FARM TOURS FOLLOW A FORMULA.
A TOUR COMPANY BRINGS PEOPLE TO THE FARM FOR A TOUR, THEN THEY TAKE FOLKS TO A RETAILER WHO SELLS THAT FARM'S PRODUCTS, UH, THEN SOMEWHERE OUTDOORS FOR THE PEOPLE TO ENJOY THE CANNABIS, FOLLOWED BY AN ACTIVITY.
FOR THE FULL DAY TOURS, THEY USUALLY ADD IN A RESTAURANT COFFEE, UM, AND EITHER A WINERY OR BREWERY TO CAP OFF THE DAY.
UM, ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE FARM TOURS IS THE PLANTS ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW.
PEOPLE WANNA TAKE PHOTOS WITH THEMSELVES IN THE PLANTS.
THEY WANNA LEARN ABOUT THE FARMING PROCESSES.
UH, THE MISSING LINK WITH THESE TOURS IS THERE'S NO SAFE PLACE TO CONSUME, RIGHT? THESE TOUR COMPANIES TAKE PEOPLE OUT, UM, TO BEACHES ON NATURE WALKS, AND PEOPLE ARE PUBLICLY CONSUMING RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT'S-THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT WE HOPE TO, UH, TO ADDRESS WITH THIS.
SO, UM, TOURS COME IN MULTIPLE FORMS, MULTIPLE PRICE POINTS.
MOST TOURS, UM, ARE IN EXCESS OF $200 FOR HALF A DAY.
UM, SOME TOURS ARE OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS A PERSON.
THE TOURISTS ON THESE TOURS REPORTEDLY SPEND MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE CONSUMER AT RETAIL STORES.
UM, AND THEY OFTEN BUY MORE NON-CANNABIS BRANDED MERCHANDISE.
SO, THE ECONOMICS OF RETAIL SALES AT FARMS SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO THE DIRECT SALES, UH, MADE BY THESE TYPE OF OPERATIONS AS THEY WILL LIKELY BE A TOURISM DRIVER WITH CASCADING BENEFITS FOR OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES.
THE TOURISTS WHO COME FOR A CANNABIS WEEKEND WILL NEED PLACES TO STAY, FOOD TO EAT, THEY WILL LIKELY WANT TO HAVE YOUR TYPICAL TOURIST EXPERIENCES.
UH, RESEARCH INDICATES CANNABIS TOURISTS SPEND AN AVERAGE OF $2.80 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR THEY SPEND ON CANNABIS.
UM, RETAIL FARMS PROVIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR A CURATED HIGH ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCE THAT MIMICS ALL OTHER ENGAGED TOURISM MODELS ACCORDING TO, UM, MULTIPLE ARTICLES, WE FOUND.
UM, THE CANNABIS TOURISM MARKET, UH, HAS AND IS CONTINUING TO GROW.
UH, THE MARKET WAS VALUED AT $17.1 BILLION IN 2021.
THAT VALUE GREW TO 57.18 BILLION IN 2023 WITH PROJECTIONS THAT THE VALUATION COULD REACH 444 BILLION IN 2030.
UM, OUR COUNTY HAS A RICH HISTORY, RICH CANNABIS HISTORY.
SOME OF THE EARLY WELL-KNOWN STRAINS WERE DEVELOPED HERE AND SOME OF THE FIRST ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WAS DONE HERE.
AND CANNABIS TOURISM IS A DRIVER WITH, UH, 50% OF MILLENNIALS NOTING THAT RECREATIONAL CANNABIS AVAILABILITY IS A DECIDING FACTOR IN THEIR TRAVEL AND LEISURE CHOICES.
AND 43% OF MILLENNIALS SAY THEY'VE CHOSEN A DESTINATION BASED ON CANNABIS BEING LEGAL THERE.
UM, AROUND 20% OF AMERICAN LEISURE TRAVELERS ARE INTERESTED IN CANNABIS RELATED EXPERIENCE, BUT THAT NUMBER JUMPS TO 62%, UM, WHEN THE SURVEY DATA IS NARROWED TO PEOPLE MAKING OVER 50,000 A YEAR.
SO CONSUMPTION IS THE MISSING PIECE OF OUR LEGAL MARKET.
UH, CURRENTLY THE ONLY PLACE SOMEONE CAN LEGALLY CONSUME IS WITHIN THEIR PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
WITH THE LOUNGES NOW BEING APPROVED, UM, THAT WILL CHANGE.
BUT THE FARM AND LOUNGE ARE COMPLIMENTARY FOR TOURISM SIMILAR TO WINERIES AND WINE BARS, UM, THAT CAN BE SEEN IN NAPA AND TUSCANY.
UH, LASTLY, MODESTO HAS EMBRACED CANNABIS TOURISM AND THEY CREATED THE MOTOWN CANNAPASS.
UH, THE CAO VISIT MODESTO, NOTED THAT THE APP DELIVERED AN IMMEDIATE 11% BOOST IN TRAFFIC TO LOCAL RETAILERS AND OVERNIGHT STAYS IN MODESTO.
UM, THE APP INCLUDES THINGS LIKE THE DO'S AND DON'T OF CANNABIS FOCUSING ON PUBLIC AND PERSONAL SAFETY, WHILE PROVIDING DISCOUNTS TO LOCAL THEATERS, RESTAURANTS, AND SHOPS.
AND LASTLY, FINANCIAL IMPACTS FOR, UM, STAFF, UH, RETAIL SALES AND FARM TOUR COULD BOOST CBT AND TOT.
UM, THESE ACTIVITIES WILL LIKELY BOOST ANCILLARY SPENDING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY LEADING TO BROADER FINANCIAL IMPACT, UM, BENEFITS.
STAFF COST OF IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE OFFSET BY LICENSE AMENDMENT PROCESSING FEES, WHICH ARE BILLED AT COST AND WE WILL NEED TO DETERMINE NEW LICENSE FEES FOR THESE ACTIVITIES, WHICH WILL PROBABLY COME BACK DURING THE UFS.
UM, QUESTIONS? - WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TAKE IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC
[03:30:01]
TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.[SILENCE] - GOOD AFTERNOON, JON KOLODINSKI.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING ON THIS ISSUE.
UH, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A DISCUSSION HERE IN SANTA CRUZ WITH REGARDS TO THE TRANSITION TO LEGAL CANNABIS SINCE THE EARLY 2010S AND IT'S VERY EXCITING TO SEE THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE AS A COMMUNITY, UM, TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION HERE TODAY.
I THINK THAT IN THE LONG TERM, THE GOAL WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A RETREAT EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, UH, OFFER A SAFE SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO GET EDUCATED AND INDULGE AND HAVE COMFORTABLE LODGING OPTIONS IN THE SHORT TERM.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS BEING HEAVILY ON EDUCATION AND SAFE USE.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS SANTA CRUZ COUNTY MAJOR ECONOMIC DRIVERS ARE AG AND TOURISM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY WITH THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE INDUSTRY AND THE COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FACING THE ISSUE OF HOW TO FLIP THE SCRIPT ON-ON, UM, WHAT MOST-MOST NEWS OUTLETS REFER TO AS ONE OF THE GREATEST FAILURES OF STATE GOVERNMENT IN RECENT TIMES.
AND AS AN INDUSTRY, WE'RE FIGHTING THE BLACK MARKET, WHICH HAS RECENTLY REPORTED NEARLY 10 TIMES THE LEGAL MARKET IN CALIFORNIA.
AS A COMMUNITY, WE'VE LOST OVER 40% OF THE CULTIVATION OPERATORS IN RECENT YEARS AND DOWN FROM OVER 90% FROM WHEN WE HAD FIRST LEGALIZED CANNABIS UM, WE'LL BE SOME OF THE FIRST FARMS IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS ONSITE CONSUMPTION EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, IT'LL BE JUST IN TIME FOR WHEN THE WORLD CUP IS WITHIN A STONES THROW DISTANCE FROM US.
AND IT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY PUT OUR INDUSTRY IN THE MAP BUT ACTUALLY DRIVE AN ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY OF FARMERS IN AN INDUSTRY THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS SUPPORT.
THERE USED TO BE POSSIBLY STILL ARE MORE FARMERS THAN RETAILERS AND THE POLICIES SHOULD BE WRITTEN, UM, SO THAT, UH, THE CULTIVATION OPERATORS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RISE, UM, IN THAT SAME WAY THAT THE RETAILERS DID SO MANY YEARS AGO.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANNA JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND THIS CONSIDERATION, UH, RESPECTFULLY, HOPE THAT THIS, UH, MOVES FORWARD.
REALLY EXCITED TO BE HEARING THIS ISSUE AGAIN AND HOPEFULLY GOING FORWARD.
UM, IN THE LATE 1990S, I HEARD A REALLY GOOD JOKE THAT THE ONLY THINGS THAT SANTA CRUZ MAKES IS GOOD WEED AND BAD IDEAS.
UM, I'M PART OF BOTH, UH, HISTORIES, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TO SAY.
BUT, UH, BUT THAT THE GOOD WEED HAS BASICALLY BEEN EXTINGUISHED, YOU KNOW, LEAVING US WITH ONLY BAD IDEAS, I GUESS.
BUT, UH, BUT THAT'S HOW MY WHOLE GENERATION STAYED HERE.
THEY... WE WORKED IN THAT, YOU KNOW, GOOD WEED INDUSTRY.
YOU KNOW, AND IT LIKE HAS BASICALLY BEEN EXTINGUISHED, AND THERE'S STILL THE SMALL FLAME OF IT GOING WITH MONEY AND THE BRAVE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM.
AND WE NEED EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEW PARADIGM.
AND REALLY LIKE, WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET BACK WHAT WE HAVE, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE ON THE LIKE, TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE THAT WE HAD HERE AROUND THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS USED TO BE LIKE ONE OF THE PREMIER PLACES FOR LAW ABIDING CANNABIS PEOPLE TO OPERATE.
WE HAD OVER 250 OF THOSE FOLKS GIVE UP THEIR ADDRESS AND SAY THEY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS.
AND WE HAD MAYBE FIVE OF THOSE RURAL FOLKS ACTUALLY GET THROUGH.
WE HAVE ONE REMAINING RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THAT'S FROM A INDUSTRY THAT YOU KNOW, IS BIG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ALL OF US WHO WOULD'VE BEEN RAN OUT OF TOWN, YOU KNOW? AND I REMEMBER ALSO WHEN THE WRIGLEY'S PLANT CLOSED ON THE WEST SIDE AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, "WHOA, DEATH OF THE WORKING CLASS.
SO HORRIBLE." YOU KNOW? AND THIS WAS MUCH, MUCH WORSE FOR ALL OF US.
AND-AND MANY OF US, YOU KNOW, INVOLVED IN THIS WERE MEDICAL PATIENTS, PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ALL THE OPTIONS THAT THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THESE DECISIONS FOR US HAVE.
WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO COLLEGE, ALL OF THE, LIKE, STUFF THAT HAPPENED, WE MADE IT WORK.
AND SO WE'RE HERE STILL, DESPITE WHAT HAPPENED AND, UH, WE'RE-WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING.
I AM AN OWNER AND OPERATOR OF A CANNABIS BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTY, STRONG AGRONOMY.
WE, UH, APPRECIATE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TAKEN THIS INTO CONSIDERATION.
WE ARE AN ORGANIC REGENERATIVE FARM THAT HAS MADE EDUCATION A HUGE PART OF WHAT WE DO AND BEING ABLE TO SHOW PEOPLE ON A FARM THAT CANNABIS CAN BE SOMETHING MORE BECAUSE WE ARE MORE THAN CANNABIS.
WE STARTED IN ORGANIC BLUEBERRIES AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVE THAT YOU CAN USE THAT KNOWLEDGE
[03:35:01]
AND MOVE IT INTO SOMETHING LIKE CANNABIS, SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PESTICIDES ARE USED ON.SO, WE PROVIDE, IN MY OPINION, SUPERIOR QUALITY MEDICINE AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.
AND WE FOCUS HEAVILY ON EDUCATION AT RETAIL WITH OUR RETAIL PARTNERS AND THEN ON OUR FARM.
UH, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE TAKING SOMEBODY TO THE GROUND LEVEL AND SHOWING THEM WHAT IMPACT THEY CAN MAKE OUTSIDE OF JUST CANNABIS USE.
I HAVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, IT RUNS IN MY FAMILY, AND I WAS PUT ON HEAVY NARCOTICS, THREE DIFFERENT KINDS FROM THE AGE OF 16 ON, AND I COULDN'T EVEN FUNCTION AND GO TO SCHOOL.
SO, CANNABIS SAVED MY LIFE AND PUT ME IN A LOT BETTER PLACE.
SO, I KNOW THAT THERE IS NEGATIVE EFFECTS AROUND ANY CONSUMPTION BUT THAT'S ALL CHOICES.
MY FATHER WAS AN ALCOHOLIC AND WE LOST HIM TO DRUG USE, BUT IT WASN'T CANNABIS, AND ALL OF THESE ARE CHOICES.
WE MAKE CHOICES AS ADULTS TO CONTINUE AND FURTHER A PROCESS LIKE EDUCATING ON CANNABIS.
DOING THAT IN PERSON AT THE FARM LEVEL IS GONNA BE A HUGE UPTURN I THINK FOR EVERYBODY, AND I KNOW THERE'S NOT A SET LEVEL OF EDUCATION, THAT'S CAUSE THE RESEARCH HASN'T BEEN PUSHED ON IT BECAUSE THE MONEY HASN'T BEEN ALLOCATED FOR IT.
WE ARE ALL HERE HAPPILY OPEN TO MEET WITH EVERYONE FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH OR ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST KIND OF IN THAT HEARSAY POINT OF, WHAT THAT EDUCATION IS, BUT BEING ABLE TO TALK TO YOUR USERS ABOUT HOW TO USE CANNABIS AND THE BENEFITS OF IT IS GOING TO BE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE COUNTY.
- HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD.
MY NAME IS JAKE FARRAR AND I'M A CANNABIS ENTHUSIAST, CANNABIS OPERATOR IN SOUTH COUNTY.
UM, WE KNOW THAT THE PROGRAM HASN'T BEEN PERFECT, BUT WE'RE ALL HERE STILL TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THIS, UH, DEDICATED MY LIFE'S WORK TO, UM, SUPPORTING CANNABIS AND-AND TRYING TO BRING IT TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN A POSITIVE WAY.
UM, IT'S HAD A NEGATIVE, UH, STIGMA FOR WAY TOO LONG AND REALLY APPRECIATE SAM LAFORTE'S WORK ON TRYING TO BRING THIS, UM, IMPROVEMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY LIMITATIONS, UH, SIMILAR TO THE RETAIL, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO SELL, UM, A-A LIMIT BASED OFF OF CALIFORNIA'S REGULATIONS.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD, UM, HAVE OUR OWN LIMITATIONS.
SO, THAT WAS MY POINT I WANTED TO MAKE.
UM, OTHER THAN THANKING YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UM, SO I'VE BEEN SPEAKING IN FRONT OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HERE FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS ON CANNABIS POLICY ISSUES.
UM, AND I'VE SEEN THE EVOLUTION OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY HAPPEN.
UM, I'VE SEEN SOME POSITIVES AND I'VE SEEN A WHOLE LOT OF NEGATIVES, AND HAVE SEEN THE INDUSTRY BASICALLY COLLAPSE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS JUST A-A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF RETAIL SALES POINTS, AND NOT ENOUGH CONSUMERS TO BE ABLE TO FACILITATE, YOU KNOW, TO KEEP THE BUSINESSES GOING IN-IN MANY WAYS.
UM, ADDING ADDITIONAL RETAIL POINTS, UM, AT CULTIVATION SITES, I THINK IS A REALLY DANGEROUS AND SLIPPERY SLOPE THAT CAN, UH, LEAD TO FAILURES OF NUMEROUS BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
UM, WHAT I WOULD ADVOCATE FOR IS, UH, A TOURISM INDUSTRY THAT BRINGS TOURISTS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD TO COME AND SPEND MONEY IN SANTA CRUZ.
TRAVEL HERE FOR THAT PURPOSE, TO GO TO A TOUR, GO TO A RETREAT, EXPERIENCE THAT, UM, THAT EXPERIENCE AND MAYBE COME AWAY WITH ENOUGH CANNABIS THAT CAN SATIATE THEM FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR EXPERIENCE IN CALIFORNIA.
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LEAVE WITH CANNABIS, UM, OUT OF THE STATE.
UM, SO I-I RECOMMEND THAT THE BOARD REALLY CONSIDER CREATING THIS ORDINANCE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT SUPPORTS RETREAT CENTERS, UH, SUPPORTS, UH, A TOURISM ECONOMY, BUT THAT DOES NOT IMPACT THE LOCAL MARKET.
THAT IT'S NOT A PLACE WHERE LOCALS JUST GO TO-TO PICK UP THEIR CANNABIS TO GET IT FOR CHEAPER.
BECAUSE THE CHEAPER IS THE REASON WHY TAX REVENUES ARE COMING DOWN, EVERYTHING IS GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME SORT OF BASELINE THAT IS SUSTAINED.
I'M AN OPERATOR HERE IN SANTA CRUZ, FULLY LICENSED.
UH, WE HAVE A PROPERTY IN BOULDER CREEK, WHICH IS AN OLD FORMER, UH, SUMMER CAMP,
[03:40:01]
AND IT IS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY AS A RETREAT CENTER AND, UH, FOR, UH, BRINGING IN PEOPLE RESPONSIBLY, SAFELY.AND WHAT WE HAVE BEEN PROPOSING THIS ENTIRE TIME WHEN THIS IDEA FIRST CAME UP.
THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT SANTA CRUZ IS EXPECTED TO BE SORT OF PIONEERS IN EXPERIENCES, AND I THINK THAT CANNABIS CULTURE IS PART OF SANTA CRUZ CULTURE AND PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE SANTA CRUZ ARE LOOKING TO SANTA CRUZ FOR SORT OF LEADERSHIP AND PIONEERING IN EXPERIENCES.
NOW IF WE'RE GONNA DO EXPERIENCES, WE HAVE TO DO IT SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY WHERE IT'S NOT, UH, ENDANGERING OR DEGRADING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR CITIZENS.
SO, WHAT I HAVE BEEN PROPOSING, AT LEAST FOR OUR, UH, PLACE THE ENTIRE TIME IS, UM, RESERVATIONS PRIOR TO, UH, PEOPLE COMING TO OUR FARM.
'CAUSE PERSONALLY, I WANNA KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE, BUT THAT ALSO IS A BURDEN WHERE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ATTRACTING LOCAL CUSTOMERS.
WE REALLY ARE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON TOURISTS.
UH, THE OTHER COMPONENT FOR OUR PARTICULAR, UH, VENTURE IS GOING TO BE, UH, SHUTTLING PEOPLE IN.
SO A VAN OR A-A SHUTTLE WHERE WE DO NOT WANT, UH, IMPAIRED DRIVING RISK.
UH, SO WE ARE PLANNING TO LIKE PICK PEOPLE UP AT BROOKDALE LODGE FOR EXAMPLE, TAKE THEM TO OUR FARM, THEY HAVE THE FULL EXPERIENCE, AND THEN WE TAKE THEM BACK AND SAFELY PLOP THEM BACK AT THEIR, UH, LODGING.
UM, BUT IF WE'RE GONNA ATTRACT TOURISTS, WE, THE EIGHTH OUNCE LIMIT THAT'S BEING PROPOSED RIGHT NOW IS GONNA BE A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TOURISTS WHO TRAVELED ALL THE WAY FOR THIS TOUR.
THEY REALLY WANT TO SAMPLE A VARIETY, SO, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY ASK THAT WE HAVE A MOTION TO GO BACK TO THE OUNCE LIMIT, BUT WITH THE RESERVATION AND...
I WANT YOU TO RECONSIDER THE PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS, UH, LIMITING DIRECT CANNABIS TO JUST FLOUR AND FOOD GRADE EXTRACTS AS WELL AS SETTING ARBITRARY LIMITS.
UM, THIS LIMITATION WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OUR LOCAL BUSINESS.
AND WE RUN A FULLY OPERATED, INTEGRATED, UH, ECOSYSTEM OF CANNABIS BUSINESSES HERE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
UH, WE HAVE A PROCESSING PLANT, A PRODUCTION FACILITY, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER ALL IN THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ WHILE OUR CULTIVATION SITE IS IN THE COUNTY.
WE'RE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO THE SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SUSTAINABILITY IS CENTRAL TO OUR MISSION.
WE RUN ON A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY.
WE USE 50% SOLAR AND 50% WIND.
AND ALL OF OUR MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES ARE OCAL ORGANIC CERTIFIED.
WE USE REGENERATIVE FARM, UH, LIVING SOIL PRACTICES, AND WE PARTNER EXCLUSIVELY WITH SE LABS HERE IN TOWN FOR ALL OF OUR TESTING.
MY CULTIVATION SITE IS A BIT UNIQUE IN THAT WE GROW EXCLUSIVELY FOR CONCENTRATES.
WE DROP ABOUT 10 SKUS PER MONTH AND WE SELL OUT IN OVER A HUNDRED RETAILERS STATEWIDE.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THE LOCAL RETAILERS THAT ARE OPPOSING THE EXPANDED DIRECT SALES SUPPORT OUR BUSINESS, SUPPORT OUR BRANDS, OR MY EMPLOYEES.
WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO UNDERMINE THESE RETAILERS, WE SIMPLY WANT AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD WITH EXISTING STATE REGULATIONS.
WINERIES, BREWERIES, AND DISTILLERIES HAVE LONG BEEN PERMITTED TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS DIRECT TO CONSUMERS WITHOUT ARBITRARY QUANTITY RESTRICTIONS.
DISTILLERIES, FOR EXAMPLE, OFFER TASTINGS AND DIRECT SALES THAT HELP CUSTOMERS ENGAGE WITH THEIR PRODUCTS MORE DEEPLY.
THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY SHOULD BE... WE SHOULD BE AFFORDED THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO INNOVATE AND THRIVE.
WE RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU ALIGN THE COUNTY POLICY BY ALLOWING DIRECT SALES OF CANNABIS CONCENTRATES PERMIT CONCENTRATES AT STATE LIMITS, AND ALLOW PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING TO TAKE PLACE IN THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ.
[SILENCE] - HELLO BOARD, MY NAME IS BRYCE BERRYESSA.
UH, THANKS FOR GIVING ME THE CHANCE TO SPEAK ONCE AGAIN.
UM, ONE OF YOUR PREDECESSORS THAT'S NO LONGER ON THE BOARD, UH, MENTIONED TO ME A FEW YEARS AGO THAT POLITICS IS THE ART OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
AND THAT'S ALWAYS REALLY RESONATED WITH ME WHEN WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A BALANCE BETWEEN THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT CONSTITUENTS AND DIFFERENT INTEREST GROUPS THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE DEALING WITH IN YOUR SEATS EVERY DAY AND WE ALSO DEAL WITH AS WE'RE TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT ABOUT FROM THE RETAIL SIDE AS-AS-AS MY COLLEAGUE COLIN MENTIONED IS THERE'S ALMOST MORE DISPENSARIES PER CAPITA THAN ANYWHERE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND SO IT'S A VERY TOUGH PLACE TO SURVIVE AND TO, UH, RUN A BUSINESS WITH ALL OF THE REGULATIONS AND THE COSTS AND THE TAXES AND THE FEES.
AND, UM, THE SAME IS TRUE FOR CULTIVATION, BUT IN A DIFFERENT LEVEL.
THE CULTIVATION, UH, INDUSTRY IS COMPLETELY TANKED.
UH, AS A CULTIVATOR, WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, PRICES 25% OF WHAT WE WERE SEEING FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO IN SOME CASES.
[03:45:01]
AND SO, YOU KNOW, FROM THE DISPENSARY SIDE, WE ADVOCATED FOR A REASONABLE CAP.I THINK SELLING AN OUNCE IS FAR TOO MUCH FOR CONSUMERS TO GO TO THESE FARMS. BUT ALSO FOR TALKING TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AND MY FARMERS AND MY VENDORS THAT I WORK WITH AT THE DISPENSARY, SELLING AN EIGHTH JUST DOESN'T REALLY ALLOW THEM TO HAVE THE TYPE OF MODELS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND I THINK THE INTENTION OF THIS FROM THE GET-GO WAS TO FACILITATE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COULD VISIT THESE FARMS. THEY COULD GET EDUCATED, THEY COULD HAVE TOURISM.
AND I THINK THAT STAFF HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB TRYING TO LOOK AT THAT FRAMEWORK.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO AS COUNTER AS IT SOUNDS TO MY RETAIL PERSPECTIVE OF LIMITING IT, I THINK IF YOU ARE GOING TO ALLOW THAT MODEL TO EXPAND TO WHAT'S POSSIBLE, THAT WORKS FOR THE FARMERS AND WORKS FOR THE RETAIL IS TO FOLLOW SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT JEFF RECOMMENDS.
AND IF YOU'RE GONNA ALLOW FOR DAILY SALES UP TO AN OUNCE, UH, YOU CAN NAVIGATE THESE BY NOT ALLOWING PRIVATE VEHICLES.
SO IT'S ONLY SHUTTLES AND BUSES, A RESERVATION SYSTEM OF 48 HOURS SO THEY KNOW WHO'S COMING AND THEN MAYBE POTENTIALLY CAP THE SELLS OF THOSE FARMS TO TWO ANNUALLY PER YEAR PER VISIT.
AND SO I THINK THAT GIVES JEFF AND SOME OF THESE OTHER GUYS THE ABILITY TO HAVE THIS ROBUST TOURISM SYSTEM, SELL A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THEY WERE LOOKING FOR.
BUT IT ALSO PROTECTS US AS RETAILERS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING... - THANK YOU.
- ...GLOBAL CONSTITUENTS COMING...
- WE CAN BE CIVIL IN THE DAIS HERE.
IF THERE'S NO FURTHER COMMENT IN PUBLIC, WE'D LIKE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ONLINE.
- YES, CHAIR, WE HAVE SPEAKERS ONLINE.
ALLISON, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
MY NAME IS ALLISON AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND THIS ITEM, THIS ITEM DIDN'T COME BEFORE US AS THE PILOT PROGRAM INSTEAD IT CAME TO US AS AN AMENDMENT TO 13.10.640.
AND I JUST WANNA BRING UP THAT YOU'RE ALSO BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO 13.10.640 AS PART OF TODAY'S ITEM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THE PLANNING COMMISSION ASKED YOUR BODY TO, ACTUALLY DIRECTED STAFF TO DO WAS IN WORK BEFORE BRINGING BACK TO YOU, WAS TO WORK TO CLARIFY LANGUAGE IN 3E THAT, IN PARTICULAR, UM, PRODUCE STANDS NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE OPEN YEAR ROUND 'CAUSE WE FELT THAT THIS LANGUAGE NEEDED TO BE CLARIFIED.
AND SO I WOULD ASK YOUR BODY TO CONSIDER, UH, LOOKING AT THAT BEFORE YOU MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE WE FELT, AS A COMMISSION, THAT THE LANGUAGE WAS NOT CLEAR AND IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR THIS TYPE OF, UM, MARKET TO BE, PARDON ME, PRODUCE STAND TO BE OPEN YEAR ROUND.
AND THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT YOUR BODY HAD-HAD BEEN, UH, LOOKING TO DO, NOR DID THE PLANNING COMMISSION SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY SHOULD YOU MOVE TOWARDS THIS TYPE OF, UM, CONSUMPTION.
AND AS-AS A POSSIBILITY IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH WHEN, UH, RETAIL CONSUMPTION CAME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID SUPPORT IT.
UM, AND ALTHOUGH, UH, FARM CONSUMPTION DID NOT COME BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE PLANNING COMMISSION STILL FELT THE NEED TO CLARIFY, AND RECOMMEND TO YOUR BODY THAT THEY DID NOT SUPPORT, UM, PRODUCE STAND CONSUMPTION OF CANNABIS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
AND ALTHOUGH THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE STAFF REPORT, I FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THAT BE STATED BECAUSE IT WAS PART OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THAT BE STATED TO YOUR BOARD.
SO, I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU LOOKING AT THIS ITEM AND I JUST FELT IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY TWO THINGS THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID INCLUDE IN THEIR RECOMMENDATION.
SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
- DARREN. YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
UM, DARREN STORY, STRONG AGRONOMY.
UM, THANKS FOR WORKING ON THIS.
YEAH, MY ONLY INPUT IS I-I, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, I'VE BEEN PRETTY MUCH ABSENT FROM THIS-THIS CONVERSATION BUT MY INPUT IS THAT I THINK THAT AN EIGHTH IS NOT GONNA WORK.
IT'S DEFINITELY, THE JUICE IS NOT WORTH THE SQUEEZE THERE.
UM, I AGREE WITH BRYCE AND COLIN.
OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE TWO GREAT CUSTOMERS, SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MAKE IT WORK FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, I THINK THAT THERE'S WAYS FOR THE CULTIVATORS AND THE, AND THE RETAILERS TO COLLABORATE HERE.
WHETHER OR NOT IT'S SOMETHING LIKE THE RETAILER, YOU KNOW, RUNS THE STORE ON THE-THE MINI DISPENSARY ON THE CULTIVATOR SITE.
AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN THE, THEN WE CAN ALLOW FOR THE LEGAL LIMITS TO BE SOLD.
UH, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A PRODUCT THAT'S MADE IN THE COUNTY FROM, UH, ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS.
UM, OR I MEAN, THERE WAS TALK ABOUT DOING A VOUCHER PROGRAM WHERE WE SELL VOUCHERS THAT ARE REDEEMABLE AT A LOCAL DISPENSARY.
I MEAN, WE COULD DO THAT RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED SPECIAL PERMISSION AND SO, TO DO VOUCHERS.
BUT I THINK GETTING CLOSE TO AN OUNCE STARTS TO MAKE SENSE.
UM, UH, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER WAY TO MAKE IT VIABLE TO BE REALLY CANDID.
SO I-I THINK THAT I WOULD LEAN TOWARDS THAT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN INCENTIVIZE GROWERS TO WORK
[03:50:01]
WITH THE DISPENSARIES SOMEHOW TO COLLABORATE ON THESE PROJECTS.I THINK THEN IT REALLY STARTS MAKING SENSE FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ALL HAVE TO SURVIVE AND IT'S HARD ENOUGH.
I THINK WORKING TOGETHER IS A GOOD WAY TO DO IT.
- BRETT, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE.
I OWN ONE OF THE DISPENSARIES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CALLED SURF CITY ORIGINAL.
UM, I'M JUST GONNA ECHO THE SENTIMENT WE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE, WHICH IS, THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION, I THINK FOR ALL OF US IN THE INDUSTRY BECAUSE ALL OF US ARE EQUALLY SUFFERING TO SOME DEGREE WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPRESSED MARGINS AND THE EFFECT IT HAS ON ALL OUR BUSINESSES.
AND SO SADLY, THIS TYPE OF ORDINANCE PITS CULTIVATORS IN SOME WAYS, CAPACITIES AGAINST RETAILERS.
SO, JUST AS DARREN SAID, JUST AS JEFF SAID, AND A COUPLE OF MY RETAIL, UM, FRIENDS, COLIN AND UH, BRYCE, I THINK THERE IS A-A NECESSARY SORT OF COMING TOGETHER.
AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING IT HERE.
WE'RE SEEING OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY LOOK AT LIFTING UP, WHAT I WAS ORIGINALLY PITCHED ON THIS CONCEPT, WHICH WAS THE TOURIST, UM, ASPECT AND HOW WE REALLY COULD LIFT UP THE ENTIRE COUNTY BY BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THE COUNTY TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
SO, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US EXPLORE WHAT TYPES OF RESTRICTIONS, OBVIOUSLY, AS FEW AS NECESSARY BUT THINGS LIKE, UM, SETTING SPECIFIC RESERVATIONS LIKE WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, HAVING SHUTTLE BUSES, TAPPING NUMBER OF TIMES PER YEAR.
OBVIOUSLY, THESE ARE ALL THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO IMPOSE AS THEY LIMIT THE FREE COMMERCE FOR ALL OF US BUT WE DO WANNA LOOK FOR WAYS TO TRY TO NOT BRING DOWN OUR SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY AS WELL.
SO, I JUST WANNA CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THAT, UM, EXPLORE, HOPE THE BOARD CONTINUES TO EXPLORE THAT, AND THEN WE CAN FIND A SOLUTION THAT ALLOWS US NOT TO HAVE TO CAP WITH ANY RESPECT TO THE ONE OUNCE GOING BELOW THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A BIG PAIN POINT, AND SO I WANNA FIND WAYS TO ALLOW THAT AND FIND WAYS TO COMPROMISE TO TRY TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE TOURISM ASPECT OF THIS.
SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MY TIME.
- WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, CHAIR.
- THANK YOU. SO I DID TALK TO COUNTY COUNCIL, AND I'M GONNA PUT A PAUSE ON THIS ITEM AND PUT IT TOWARDS THE END.
UH, WE DO HAVE A 1:45, UH, 1:30 PRESENTATION.
UH, WE DO HAVE THOSE SESSION THAT WE HAVE TO DO AS WELL.
SO, IF WE CAN COME BACK FOR THESE ITEMS AFTER 1:30.
- SO, THE INTENTION IS TO HOLD THE 1:30 ITEM AND THEN PICK THIS ITEM BACK UP IMMEDIATELY, UH, POST CONTINUANCE? - YES. RIGHT AFTER.
- RIGHT AFTER THE 1:30 ITEM? - YES. - YEAH.
- AND THERE'S NOTHING REPORTABLE FROM CLOSED SESSION.
- YEAH, WE'LL PROBABLY DO IT AFTER THE 12.1 OR BEFORE THE 12.1.
ITEM NUMBER 57 FROM CONSENT AGENDA.
- YOU CAN CHOOSE, YOU CAN CHOOSE [CROSSTALK] TO ORDER IT HOW YOU WANNA ORDER IT, YEAH.
- OKAY. SO WE'LL BE BACK AT 1:30.
[12. Consider report and presentation on the Organizational Assessment of the Building Permit Process from Baker Tilly, and take related actions]
- RECORDING STOPPED.[SILENCE] - ARE YOU READY RIGHT NOW? - RECORDING IN PROGRESS.
- SO, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO THE SCHEDULED ITEM FOR 1:30 PM TO CONSIDER THE REPORT AND PRESENTATION ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS FROM BAKER TILLY AND TAKE ALL RELATED ACTIONS.
- GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD, ELISSA BENSON, ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND A SPONSOR FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN ORG LEARNING WITHIN OUR OFFICE.
I'M GONNA BE INTRODUCING THIS ITEM TODAY.
OUR STUDY SESSION, UH, IS REALLY GONNA FOCUS ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT, THE CAO, UH, CONTRACTED FOR, FROM THE CONSULTING FIRM OF BAKER TILLY.
I WANNA PROVIDE A SHORT, VERY SHORT, UH, BACKGROUND ON THIS FOR OUR VIEWING AUDIENCE.
JUST AS CONTEXT, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, THIS BOARD, AND THE BOARD, UH, THE BOARD OF THE PAST FIVE TO SIX YEARS, UM, AS WELL AS THE PLANNING TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE AROUND BUILDING PERMITS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR MANY YEARS.
[03:55:01]
THERE'S BEEN, UH, THIS IS NOT A-A NEW TOPIC FOR THIS BOARD AND I'M WHEN... WE'RE NOT GONNA REALLY BE TALKING ABOUT THE EFFORTS FROM, I WOULD SAY 2018 TO TODAY BUT I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW AREA OF WORK.THERE'S BEEN WORK BEFORE AND-AND-AND-AND GOOD WORK BEFORE.
AND, BUT WE WANNA BRING FORWARD TO WHERE WE ARE NOW.
AND ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UH, CAO PALACIOS IN FULL RECOGNITION OF THAT GOOD WORK SAID, WE NEED TO PAUSE, TAKE STOCK, START FRESH, LET'S GET SOME-SOME INDEPENDENT EYES TO COME IN AND HELP US DETERMINE WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE CAME FORWARD AND SELECTED AFTER TALKING TO MANY, MANY CONSULTING FIRMS, SELECTED BAKER TILLY, AND THIS VERY SPECIFIC TEAM WITH EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN CALIFORNIA TO COME FORWARD AND HELP US WITH THIS ASSESSMENT.
SO, REALLY OUR, UH, CONVERSATION, OUR STUDY SESSION, AND I WANNA STRESS THIS IS A STUDY SESSION IS STRUCTURED IN TWO PARTS.
THE MAIN PART WILL REALLY BE, UH, BAKER TILLY PRESENTING THEIR DETAILED ASSESSMENT AND THEIR-THEIR-THEIR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THE SECOND PART WILL BE THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UH, CDI PLANNING LEADERSHIP ON THAT STUDY AND ON WHAT EARLY ACTIONS THEY BELIEVE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THEN I'LL CLOSE OFF THE STAFF PART OF THE DISCUSSION WITH, UH, OUR-OUR PLANS TO MOVE FORWARD IN DEVELOPING A VERY DETAILED WORK PLAN AROUND IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
I JUST WANNA REALLY QUICKLY, I'D LIKE TO SET SORT OF THE EXPECTATIONS, WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO TODAY? AND REALLY WE'RE TRYING TO COME TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
AND IN PARTICULAR, OUR-OUR BUILDING, UH, OUR BUILDING APPLICATION PROCESSES.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THOSE EARLY ACTIONS AND WE WANNA GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON THOSE, AND AROUND IMPROVING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, OUR PROCESS EFFICIENCY AND OVERALL VALUE THAT WE'RE-WE'RE-WE'RE GENERATING THROUGH THESE, UH, THESE PROCESSES.
WE'LL... WE WILL PRESENT OUR KEY ELEMENTS THAT WE EXPECT TO BE COVERED IN THE WORK PLAN, BUT WE ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT WE MAY NOT HAVE INCLUDED ON THE LIST THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU.
AND THAT'S REALLY ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES AND EXPECTATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, CDI LEADERSHIP WILL BE JOINING US IN THE, IN THE PART OF THE PRESENTATION AFTER BA-BAKER TILLY, UH, PRESENTS THE ASSESSMENT, AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THIS MATERIAL.
WE RECOGNIZE IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
THERE'S SOME NATURAL BREAKS IN THE MATERIAL.
SO, AL AND PETE FROM BAKER TILLY, WILL-WILL ACTUALLY, WILL PAUSE AND SO YOU'LL HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, BA-, OUR-OUR-OUR FOLKS FROM BAKER TILLY.
PETE AND AL, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.
- AM I ON OVER HERE? OKAY, GREAT.
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TO BE PRESENTING THIS IMPORTANT WORK TO YOU.
UH, I'M PETE GONDA WITH BAKER TILLY.
I'M THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THIS PROJECT.
WITH ME HERE IS ONE OF OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, AL ZELINKA.
AL'S A FORMER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AND CITY MANAGER.
UH, I LIVE HERE IN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTY.
UM, JUST VERY, VERY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS EFFORT.
UH, THE COUNTY ENGAGED WITH BAKER TILLY IN JULY.
THIS, UH, EFFORT KICKED OFF IN JULY, AND YOU CAN SEE ON SCREEN HERE THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH MULTIPLE PROJECT PHASES.
UH, WE HAD OUR KICKOFF, OF COURSE, AND-AND REVIEW OF DATA MIN-, DATA AND DOCUMENTS.
WE'RE AT THE FINAL STAGE HERE OF PRESENTING OUR SUMMARY OBS-OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POINT, WE'RE GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE THEMES THAT WE HEARD FROM THIS-THIS PROJECT.
UM, CARLOS WANTED VERY ROBUST STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN THIS PROJECT AND-AND WE DID THAT IN THE FORM OF, UH, EMPLOYEE AND SUPERVISOR INTERVIEWS, UH, STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP MEETINGS.
WE DID, UM, A CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEE SURVEY AND THERE WERE 89, UH, SURVEY RESPONDENTS, MORE OR LESS.
WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A LITTLE WHILE ABOUT HOW-HOW MANY PEOPLE RESPONDED TO CERTAIN QUESTIONS.
UM, AND WE ALSO INTERVIEWED EIGHT DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND THEN WE DID ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS WITH, UH, MAINLY WITH CZU FIRE-IMPACTED FAMILIES.
[04:00:02]
UM, WE SEE THIS AS A-A LONGER-TERM EFFORT.OUR-OUR FOCUS WAS ON BUILDING PERMITS, THE BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS.
UH, AS YOU'LL SEE, IT'S BEEN VERY, IT-IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US AS STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS EFFORT TO REALLY SEPARATE OUT BUILDING PERMITS FROM OTHER ASPECTS OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
BUT, UM, OUR-OUR FOCUS REALLY IS ON, UM, THE BUILDING PERMIT REVIEW PROCESS.
UH, I'M GONNA INVITE AL TO WALK US THROUGH THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE THEMES.
CONTEXTUALLY, I THINK ALL OF YOU KNOW THAT, UM, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IS A VERY UNIQUE, UH, EN-ENVIRONMENT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BUILDING.
AND-AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE HAVE, WE'RE IN A STATE WHERE, UM, STATEWIDE THERE IS A BUILDING CODE THAT, UM, WITH, I BELIEVE IT'S DEPENDING ON HOW YOU COUNT, THERE'S 12 PARTS TO THAT BUILDING CODE, UM, THAT ARE VERY SUBSTANTIVE IN NATURE.
AND, UM, AND, UH, UNLIKE OTHER STATES, ALABAMA, ARIZONA, COLORADO WHERE BUILDING CODES CAN BE ADOPTED AT A LOCAL LEVEL, UM, UH, VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT, UH, OCCURS HERE IN CALIFORNIA, UM, UH, CALIFORNIA'S REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, IT MATCHES THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF.
AND SO, UM, WHAT WE, UM, HAVE LEARNED IN THIS, UH, IN THIS LAST SEVEN, EIGHT MONTHS IS THAT, UM, NOT ONLY DOES, AS ELISSA SAID, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD GROUNDWORK DONE FOR, UM, UP TO EIGHT YEARS IN-IN LENGTH.
UM, THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT HAS GOTTEN MORE COMPLEX OVER THOSE EIGHT YEARS AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE MANY, UH, UH, CUSTOMERS THAT ARE FIRST TIME DEVELOPERS WHO, UH, BUY A PIECE OF LAND WITHOUT REALLY DOING THE DUE DILIGENCE OF UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHAT, UH, THEY'RE GETTING INTO, IF YOU WILL, UH, WHAT-WHAT IS, UH, WHAT THE-THE COMPLEXITY IS THAT GOES ALONG WITH DEVELOPING THAT LAND.
IT, UH, CREATES, UM, A MENU FOR, UM, THE NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE COMMUNICATING INFORMATION HOW WE'RE, UM, PROCESSING APPLICATIONS AND REVIEWING PROJECTS, SO THAT WE CAN BE, UM, UH, OPTIMIZING AND-AND COUNTERBALANCING IF YOU WILL, UH, THE REGULATORY COMPLEXITY TO HELP CUSTOMERS.
AND SO WE LEARNED, UM, IN THE NEXT TWO SLIDES, AND I WON'T GO INTO, UM, GO DOWN THESE, BUT WE LEARNED IN ALL OF, IN ALL THE INTERVIEWS AND MEETINGS THAT, UH, PETE SHARED THAT, UH, SO OVER THE LAST FIVE, SIX YEARS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UH, IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS MADE.
AND I THINK RIGHT HERE WE HAVE 19 OR 20 OF THEM, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE.
BUT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS OCCURRED THAT IS REALLY GOOD AND POSITIVE.
AND LIKE ANY ORGANIZATION, THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO.
THERE'S... IT'S NEVER-ENDING AND IT'S A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT EFFORT.
AND HERE'S, UH, THE-THE NEXT NINE OR 10 ITEMS, BUT LOTS OF EFFORT TO MAKE THINGS BETTER, AND WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY.
UM, WE UNCOVERED IN ALL OF OUR INTERVIEWS AND TALKING WITH THE, UH, COUNTY TEAM.
UM, PETE NOW IS GOING JUST AS A CONTEXT, HE'S GONNA GO INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY UH, THE-THE, UH, THEIR EMPLOYEE INTERVIEWS, THE CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS, THE FOCUS GROUPS, AND THE SURVEY.
SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR WHAT WE LEARNED AND HOW WE LEARNED IT TO ARRIVE AT, UH, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS.
SO, BUT BEFORE WE GO INTO THE SPECIFIC THINGS, THEMES, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO-TO SET-SET TONE AND CONTEXT HERE.
SO, IN-INVARIABLY WHEN WE DO THESE TYPES OF ENGAGEMENTS, UM, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT MAYBE WHAT ISN'T WORKING SO WELL.
BUT REALLY FOR US IT'S-IT'S-IT'S GETTING INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVES.
OUR INTERVIEWS ARE CONDUCTED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON A ONE, ONE-TO-ONE BASIS BECAUSE THEY, WE DO CONSIDER THEM TO BE CONFIDENTIAL.
WE REALLY WANT AN UNVARNISHED LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING ON.
AND FOR US, IT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO THREE THINGS: WHAT'S WORKING WELL, WHAT ISN'T WORKING WELL, AND WHERE ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT? SO, UM, INVARIABLY, YOU'RE GONNA SEE MORE OF THE FLAVOR OF WHAT ISN'T WORKING WELL.
BUT-BUT JUST IN TERMS OF CONTEXT, UM, THERE-THERE ARE SOME- SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS HAPPENING HERE AT THE COUNTY AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S BROUGHT FORWARD.
SO, IN TERMS OF THE, UH, EMPLOYEE INTERVIEW THEMES,
[04:05:02]
THIS IS, UH, BY SUBJECT AREA AND THIS, UH, SPECIFIC AREA RELATES TO STAFFING AND SERVICE DELIVERY.THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT THE OVERALL WORKLOAD AND-AND TURNOVER WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
AND AS YOU'LL SEE, THAT'S NOT ONLY ECHOED BY STAFF, WHICH IS-IS FAIRLY TYPICAL, BUT IT'S ALSO ECHOED BY THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AS WELL.
UM, THERE'S HIRING DIFFICULTIES, RIGHT? THERE-THERE IS A BUILDING OFFICIAL ON STAFF NOW, BUT THE FACT THAT THAT POSITION WENT VACANT FOR MANY MONTHS PROVED TO BE A-A CHALLENGE FOR THE, UM, CDI DEPARTMENT.
UM, CURRENT WORKLOAD METRICS REALLY DON'T PROVIDE KEY INSIGHTS ON HOW LONG PLAN CHE-, PLAN CHECKS ARE TAKING FOR INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES.
AND BY PLAN CHECKS, I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES OF SEPARATING, UM, THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS VERSUS OTHER ELEMENTS OF-OF LAND DEVELOPMENT REVIEWS.
UM, FOR-FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, OUR FOCUS HERE TODAY IS GONNA BE BUILDING PERMITS, BUT ALSO THE INTAKE PROCESS.
BUT YOU WILL SEE OTHER REFERENCES TO DISCRETIONARY REVIEWS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE, OF THE PROCESS, WHICH WERE JUST SIMPLY, UH, VERY CHALLENGING TO SEPARATE OUT.
UM, THERE ARE CONCERNS, UH, ABOUT PROD-PRODUCTIVITY OF SOME EMPLOYEES, AND-AND THAT'S, UM, I THINK THE WAY THAT-THAT WHAT-WHAT WE HEARD FROM WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION IS THERE APPEARS TO BE A CULTURAL DIVIDE AMONG MORE AND LESS TENURED STAFF.
AND THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN-IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN TERMS OF HOW, UM, HOW PRODUCTIVITY IS APPROACHED.
AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM EMPLOYEES IS-IS EMPLOYEES DON'T FEEL THAT THERE'S A WELL-DEFINED TRAINING PROGRAM STRUCTURE.
SO THE NEXT, UM, THEMATIC AREA HERE IS TECHNOLOGY AND TOOLS, AND THERE WAS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, UH, BY STAFF...
OOPS. [LAUGHTER] I'VE GOT TWO DIFFERENT DECKS GOING HERE.
UM, IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO ONLINE SERVICES AND INFORMATION POST-COVID, BUT-BUT THERE'S A FEELING AMONGST STAFF THAT MORE IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED.
UM, CUSTOMERS, THEY'VE, UH, IT'S FELT BY STAFF THAT CUSTOMERS DO APPRECIATE ONLINE OPTIONS.
BUT THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A NEED FOR IN-PERSON INTERACTIONS.
THERE ARE, UM, THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES USING THE E-PLAN SYSTEM PORTAL FROM BOTH A CUSTOMER AND EMPLOYEE PERSPECTIVE.
UM, HAVING SAID THAT, WHEN-WHEN WE DID DO THE STAKEHOLDER, UH, ADVISOR GROUP MEETINGS, WHICH IS THE WAY WE'LL END THESE THEMES, WE-WE HEARD FROM FOLKS IN THE, IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ACTUALLY THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE TECHNOLOGICAL EFFORTS THAT THIS COUNTY, IN PARTICULAR, HAS PUT FORTH.
SO, THAT'S SOMETHING TO-TO BE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT.
UM, TRAINING RESOURCES ON USE OF THE E-PLAN PORTAL, UH, ARE NOT THE EASIEST TO FOLLOW.
AND THAT WAS A-A THEME EXPRESSED BY STAFF.
AND THERE'S, UH, MULTIPLE SYSTEMS, SOFTWARE SYSTEMS THAT USE THAT-THAT MAYBE, UM, COULD BENEFIT FROM SOME BETTER INTEGRATIONS AND, UM, AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATING FOR STAFF.
AND THE CAMINO TOOL USE FOR, UH, FOR GIS, UH, STAFF FEELS IS UNDERUTILIZED.
THERE'S-THERE'S DEFINITELY WAYS, UM, TO, UM, UTILIZE THAT TOOL FOR THE COUNTIES AND THE CUSTOMER'S BENEFIT.
SO, THESE ARE THE EMPLOYEE THEMES.
WE CAN STOP, PAUSE AT THIS POINT IF ANYBODY HAS ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? SO, THESE WERE THE, UM, WHAT WE CALL THE ROUND ONE OF CUSTOMER THEMES.
THIS WAS, UH, LARGELY FOLKS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
AND THEY TOO SEE THE CULTURAL DIVIDE AMONG, UH, MORE AND LESS TENURED STAFF, UH, VERY, VERY, UH, SIGNIFICANT COMMON THEME ACROSS ALL STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
UM, THIS PARTICULAR GROUP THAT WE ENGAGED REALLY FEELS THAT THE CONSOLIDATION OF, UH, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE DEPARTMENT WAS A POSITIVE, BUT THERE'S ALSO A SENSE THAT SILOS REMAIN.
UM, THIS GROUP ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE PORTAL, THE ONLINE PORTAL IS AN IMPROVEMENT, BUT IT'S ALSO PERCEIVED TO BE A WAY TO, UM, ACTUALLY MANIPULATE THE PERMIT STREAMLINING ACT 30-DAY COMPLETENESS DETERMINATION.
WOW. WHAT A MOUTHFUL FOR DISCRETIONARY PERMITS.
SO, THERE'S, UM, A BIT OF A DISCONNECT THERE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS-THIS SENSE OF, UM, MISTRUST.
ANOTHER THEME HERE IS THAT COMMENTS ON PLAN SETS AND-AND THIS WOULD, UM, HOLDS TRUE FOR BOTH INTAKE AND-AND THE ACTUAL, UM, BUILDING PERMIT APP-APPLICATION.
THERE'S A SENSE THAT COMMENTS LACK SPECIFICITY AND REQUIRE TIME-CONSUMING FOLLOW UP ON THE PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
[04:10:04]
UH, THEY ALSO FEEL VERY, VERY, UH, VERY CLEARLY THAT THERE'S TOO MANY ROUNDS OF REVIEW.THEY REALLY DESIRE TO BE, UH, LESS ROUNDS OF REVIEW.
UH, ALSO THE, WHAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT IS A SENSE THAT REVIEWS ARE SEQUENTIAL AND NOT HAPPENING IN PARALLEL.
THEY REALLY ARE HAPPENING IN PARALLEL BUT THERE'S, THE-THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY DOESN'T PERCEIVE THAT.
UM, THEY-THEY PERCEIVE THAT THERE'S A MOVING OF THE GOALPOSTS DEPENDING ON WHO'S MAKING DECISIONS, UM, ON-ON CERTAIN, UM, APPLICATIONS OR FORMS OF COMPLETENESS.
AND THEN THERE'S SOME MIXED FEELINGS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIRD PARTY PLAN CHECKERS, AND, UH, DEFINITE SENSE AMONG THIS GROUP THAT WE ENGAGE THAT ADDITIONAL STAFFING WOULD HELP WITH, UH, HELP IMPROVE CYCLE TIMES.
SO, UH, THIS WAS A GROUP THAT-THAT CAME- CAME TO OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH SOLUTIONS.
AND SELECT... UH, SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE THE CREATION OF AN OMBU-OMBUDSMAN POSITION OR POSITIONS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S ONE POINT OF CONTACT.
DIDN'T TRU-, ENTRUST ME WITH TECHNOLOGY, SORRY.
I ADVANCED MY DECK, BUT NOT THIS ONE.
UM, SO, O-OMBUDSMAN POSITION, UM, MAYBE SOME CONSISTENCY AT THAT POSITION TO HELP-HELP GUIDE APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UH, THIS GROUP REALLY FELT THAT, UH, AN IMPROVED PRE-PLANNING PROCESS WOULD PAY DIVIDENDS.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE ALSO CONCUR WITH.
UM, YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT A ONE BITE AT THE APPLE APPROACH.
IT'S, UH, IT'S, UH, IT'S- IT'S A GOLD STANDARD, UH, SOMETHING TO STRIVE FOR.
YOU'RE-YOU'RE-YOU'RE RARELY GONNA GET THERE BUT-BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT-THAT STAKEHOLDERS FELT IS PRETTY IMPORTANT AS-AS A BENCHMARK.
UM, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF OVER-THE-COUNTER PERMITS WITH DISCRETION TO ISSUE, UH, CONDITIONS FOR FINAL IS SOMETHING THAT HAS COME UP.
SOMETHING THAT HAS, UH, APPARENTLY HAPPENED IN THE PAST YEAR, THAT, UM, THAT SOME DEVELOPERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE REVIVED.
AND THEN, UM, THERE'S A SENSE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTY REQUIRES ONE SET OF PLANS, UM, THERE'S OUTSIDE AGENCIES, I THINK FIRE, IN PARTICULAR, THAT REQUIRES A DIFFERENT FORMAT IN PLANS.
UM, I-I THINK IT'S FIRE, UH, BUT THERE'S A SENSE THAT, UM, THERE'S DIFFERENT PLAN SETS THAT-THAT ARE BEING REQUIRED BY DIFFERENT AGENCIES, WHICH REALLY ISN'T CONSISTENT WITH WHAT, UH, CDI, UH, REQUIRES BUT-BUT IT'S THIS PERCEPTION IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S, UH, ROUND ONE OF OUR INTERVIEWS WITH-WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO ROUND-ROUND TWO, ARE THERE QUESTIONS UP TO THIS POINT? - YEAH? - UM, I-I DO HAVE A QUESTION, I'M SORRY.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN, UH, BULLET POINT 4, INCREASED NUMBER OF OVER-THE-COUNTER PERMITS WITH DISCRETION TO ISSUE WITH CONDITIONS FOR FINAL? I JUST DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS.
- SO-SO MY-MY UNDERSTANDING AND-AND I'M NOT A-A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT PER SE, IS THAT IN THE PAST, UH, PERMITS WERE ISSUED, UH, CONDITIONALLY THAT-THAT WOULD BE FINALED UPON BUILDING INSPECTION AND-AND PERHAPS THERE'S SOMEONE, UH, STAFF MEMBERS WITH US WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT ON THAT.
- YEAH, I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE.
- I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN ADDRESS WHEN WE GET TO, UH, TO STAFF REACTIONS TO THE STUDY.
AS WE'RE DESCRIBING, THESE ARE SOME OF THE-THE THEMES THAT CAME FROM CUSTOMERS.
THESE ARE BASICALLY CUSTOMER SUGGESTIONS.
SO, THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT IF IT, THERE'S INTEREST IN THE BOARD, UM, AND WITH STAFF AS PART OF THE WORK PLAN.
UM, LATER ON IN OUR ENGAGEMENT AFTER THE-THE INITIAL, UH, STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONS, WE DID REACH OUT TO, MAINLY TO FIRE-IMPACTED FAMILIES.
UM, AND- AND RECEIVE SOME GOOD FEEDBACK.
THE-THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE WITH THE FOLKS THAT WE SPOKE TO IS THAT THERE'S REALLY A CONSENSUS THAT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IS-IS THEIR MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE.
AND THIS IS, UH, NOT NEWS TO ANYBODY,
[04:15:02]
THIS IS, UM, SEPTIC SYSTEM REPLACEMENT, UM, AND A CLOSE SECOND BEHIND THAT IS FIRE ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND THERE'S ALSO SOME SIGNIFICANT GEOLOGIC HAZARD HURDLES.SO THAT'S REALLY DEFINITE CONSENSUS AMONG THESE STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP REALLY UNDERSTANDS THAT REBUILDING UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES IS COMPLICATED.
UH, THEY ACKNOWLEDGE EARLY STREAMLINING EFFORTS.
BUT, UH, FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, THE PROCESS IS NOT CURRENTLY SEEN AS COLLABORATIVE OR REALLY DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE THE BEST POSITIVE RESULTS FOR IMPACTED ENTITIES.
AND ALONG WITH THAT IS-IS, UH, SORT OF A LINGERING PERCEPTION OF-OF A "CULTURE OF NO" THAT IT'S-IT'S-IT'S PERSISTENT.
UH, THIS STAKEHOLDER GROUP ALSO SEES THAT APPARENT CULTURAL DIVIDE BETWEEN, UM, LONGER AND-AND, UM, LESS TENURED EMPLOYEES.
UH, THEY SHOW AN ABSOLUTE APPRECIATION FOR NEW LEADERSHIP AND-AND THAT REALLY WAS EX-EXPRESSED ACROSS THE BOARD AS WELL.
UH, RE-REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, LEADERSHIP RIGHT NOW THAT REALLY DESIRES CHANGE.
UM, THAT'S REALLY TEMPERED BY...
FOLKS ARE DISHEARTENED, THEY'RE FRUSTRATED, THEY'RE, UH, THEY FEEL LIKE THE PROCESS IS HIGHLY BUREAUCRATIC.
UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE... ASIDE FROM THE EARLY, THE EARLY WINS THAT ARE ACKNOWLEDGED.
AND IT'S-IT'S REALLY TOUGH FOR FOLKS, ESPECIALLY THE FOLKS THAT WE SPOKE TO, AND THERE WERE NINE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE SPOKE TO THAT, THAT ARE REALLY, UM, DISHEARTENED IS-IS, UM, IS OUR TAKEAWAY.
UM, THERE'S THIS SENSE OF PERCEPTION THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF CODE REQUIREMENTS DEPENDING ON WHO YOU TALK TO OR WHEN YOU TALK TO SOMEBODY.
UM, AND THERE'S A SENSE THAT-THAT STAFF WHO FOLKS ARE-ARE DEALING WITH DON'T-DON'T HAVE EMPOWERMENT FOR MAKING DECISIONS THAT THERE'S THIS, UH, BASED ON IN FEAR OF MAKING THE WRONG DECISION.
ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THIS ELEMENT OF OUR, OF OUR ENGAGEMENT? RIGHT. WE CAN MOVE ON.
- WE CAN CONTINUE TO THE PRESENTATION.
- THAT'D BE... CONTINUE? - YEAH.
- SO THE-THE... WE DID DO A, UM, AN EMPLOYEE SURVEY.
UM, THIS WAS SENT OUT TO EVERYONE IN CDI.
UM, FOLKS WERE ASKED WHETHER THEY STRONGLY AGREED, AGREED, DISAGREED, OR STRONGLY DISAGREED WITH THE QUESTIONS.
UH, THERE WAS ALSO AN ALLOWANCE FOR DON'T KNOW OR, OR NOT APPLICABLE.
UM, YOU COULD SEE HERE THE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT MO-MOST OF THE FOLKS WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY, UH, WERE FROM THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER FOLLOWED BY PLANNING, UM, PUBLIC, AND PUBLIC WORKS.
THERE WERE EIGHT CATEGORIES IN SNAPSHOT.
THERE'S COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, SERVICE DELIVERY, CUSTOMER SERVICE, MATERIAL TOOLS, EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, STAFFING AND WORKLOAD TRAINING, AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT.
SO, THIS WAS AN-AN INTERESTING SURVEY FOR US, AND-AND I INDICATED THAT THERE WERE 89 RESPONDENTS, BUT NOT EVERYBODY RESPONDED TO EACH QUESTION, AND THERE'S REASONS FOR THAT.
UM, MAYBE IT WAS OUT OF THEIR WHEELHOUSE, THERE WAS IN A, IT HAD TO DO WITH THE DIVISION THEY WEREN'T IN OR, UM, WHATEVER THE REASON.
BUT THERE WAS VARYING LEVELS OF RESPONSE RATES TO EACH QUESTION.
UM, THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS BELIEVE THAT COMMUNICATION ACROSS DIVISIONS, UM, WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT IS GOOD.
BUT-BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS ONE-THIRD DISAGREED OR STRONGLY DISAGREED THAT INTRA DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION IS GOOD WITH A SIMILAR RESPONSE RATE FOR COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION.
UM, ON THE POLICY SIDE, 80% OF THE RESPONDENTS INDICATED THEY WERE AWARE THAT-THAT OF ADMIN POLICIES AND OPERATAL- OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES PERTAINING TO THEIR JOBS.
UM, WITH 70%, THESE ARE PRETTY HIGH RATES INDICATING THAT THE DIVISION PROCEDURES ARE CLEAR.
BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, A MAJORITY OF THE RESPONDENTS INDICATED THEY WERE UNAWARE IF ACTUAL PROCEDURES EXISTED.
SO THAT... YOU KNOW, THERE-THERE WAS THAT FLAVOR OF DISCONNECT THROUGHOUT THE SURVEY RESPONSES THAT-THAT WE WERE SEEING.
UM, AGAIN ON CUSTOMER SERVICE, THE 90% OF HIGH-HIGH RESPO-,
[04:20:01]
UM, HIGH NUMBER, UH, HIGH PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS FEEL THAT THEY DELIVER HIGH QUALITY SERVICES BUT THEY'RE LARGELY UNAWARE WHETHER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS BEING MEASURED.AND YOU'LL SEE THIS COME UP IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE FEEL THIS COULD BE ADDRESSED.
THE, UM, MAJORITY... UH, 75% OF RESPONDENTS FEEL CUSTOMER NEEDS ARE A TOP PRIORITY, BUT THERE ARE SOME DISCONNECTS IN TERMS OF WHETHER, UH, CUSTOMERS ARE GIVEN ENOUGH INFORMATION, HOW MANY PLAN, ROUNDS OF PLAN CHECK ARE PROVIDED, UM, WHETHER BUILDING PLAN REVIEWS ARE-ARE COMPLETED ON TIME UM, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AGAIN, IT COULD BE SUGGESTIVE OF, UH, THE NEED FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION OR IT COULD BE JUST FOLKS NOT RESPONDING OR-OR RESPONDING 'CAUSE THEY TRULY DON'T KNOW.
SO, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THE KEY TAKEAWAYS HERE IS, UM, THERE-THERE IS THIS DISCONNECT ABOUT, UH, COMMUNICATION ACROSS DIVISIONS AND THAT REALLY NEEDS ATTENTION TO FIGURE OUT WHY THERE'S-THERE'S GAPS THAT-THAT ARE OCCURRING.
UH, WE-WE DO FEEL THERE'S A NEED FOR WRITTEN ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES AND-AND PROCEDURES AT THE DIVISION LEVEL.
AND IT'S COMMENDABLE THAT STAFF TAKE PRIDE IN-IN DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES BUT WITHOUT ANY-ANY ACTUAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION METRICS RESULTS AND-AND OUTCOMES REALLY ARE UNKNOWN HERE.
UH, LACK OF AWARENESS OF-OF MEETING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS UH, FURTHER INDICATES THE NEED FOR-FOR METRICS IN THIS SPACE.
IN THE ABSENCE OF CLARITY AS TO WHETHER CUSTOMERS ARE PROVIDED ENOUGH INFORMATION SUGGESTS A NEED TO ENHANCE PRE-SUBMITTAL ASSISTANCE, AND-AND YOU'LL SEE THAT REFLECTED IN OUR OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE SURVEY ITSELF INCLUDED SOME OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS FOR FOLKS TO PROVIDE, UM, SELECT WHAT THEY FELT WERE THE TOP FIVE, UM, AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
ADEQUATE STAFFING LEVELS, UM, CAME UP AS-AS NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS FAIRLY TYPICAL.
UM, BETTER PUBLIC INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS, COMPREHENSIVE PRE-SCREENING PROCESS.
BETTER INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION AND COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT TRACKING SYSTEMS, UM, ALL-ALL MADE THE TOP FIVE OF, UM, EMPLOYEE SELECTIONS AND TO WHICH WE WOULD, WE WOULD CONCUR WITH THAT ASSESSMENT.
THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT, UM, THAT, UM, CARLOS WAS INTERESTED IN SEEING.
UM, THIS REFLECTS THE NUMBER OF IN-OFFICE WORK DAYS AND-AND WE JUST SIMPLY NOTE HERE THAT THE-THE VAST MAJORITY, UM, REPRESENTS IN-IN OFFICE TIME.
UM, 3-3, 4 OR 5 DAYS IN THE OFFICE, WHICH YOU CAN SEE BY-BY DIVISION HERE.
BUT THAT'S, UM, UM, THE REASON TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT WAS OUT OF PERCEPTIONS THAT-THAT FOLKS MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE AT TIMES.
WE-WE CAN SEE FROM THIS DATA THAT-THAT STAFF IS IN THE OFFICE, UH, MOST OF THE TIME.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THOSE... THAT BIT OF DATA? NO? OKAY.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUPS.
UM, WE DID TWO GROUPS BACK TO BACK.
UH, THERE WERE, UM, 13 TOTAL MEMBERS I WANNA SAY, UH, SIX STAFF MEMBERS AND, OR FIVE STAFF MEMBERS AND EIGHT, UM, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK, UH, AL AND I FACILITATED THOSE SESSIONS.
UM, WE CAME AWAY FROM THOSE SESSIONS REALLY PUMPED UP.
UM, THERE WAS A GENUINE INTEREST IN WANTING TO WORK TOGETHER.
UM, THEY WERE VERY RESPECTFUL CONVERSATIONS AND-AND, UM, WE-WE ALL LEFT THOSE MEETINGS FEELING LIKE, "WOW, IT WOULD BE REALLY AWESOME IF WE COULD CONTINUE THESE DISCUSSIONS." SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO DO THAT.
UM, IN TERMS OF THEMES, THE COUNTY HAS A GOOD, A GOOD E-PLAN SYSTEM IN COMPARISON TO OTHER AGENCIES WITH, YOU KNOW, ALL ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED BUT-BUT BETTER THAN MOST.
UM, THERE'S A SENSE THAT THERE'S FILE FORMATTING ISSUES FOR ONLINE-ONLINE SUBMITTALS.
IT SEEMED TO BE MORE PREVALENT HERE THAN IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
UH, BUT THOSE ARE BEING WORKED OUT.
THERE'S-THERE'S IMPROVEMENTS IN-IN PROCESS TO ADDRESS THAT.
THERE'S A SENSE THAT THE APPLICATION FORMS ARE CONFUSING AND-AND A DESIRE TO HAVE BETTER INSTRUCTION AND ASSISTANCE.
THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE APPRECIATED.
UM, APPLICANTS ARE NOT SURE ALL THE TIME WHO THEIR PERMIT TECH IS, AND THERE'S, UM, SOMETIMES CHALLENGES WITH FINDING INFORMATION ON THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE.
[04:25:03]
UH, THERE'S A SENSE THAT EMAIL CONVERSATIONS ARE NOT CONSISTENTLY OCCURRING OR PERHAPS LACKING IN CONTENT AT TIMES.AND, UH, PROCESSING TIME IS, UH, WHILE BETTER UH, THAN SOME JURISDICTIONS, THERE'S A DESIRE TO SEE QUICKER PROCESSING TIMES.
UM, NOT SURPRISINGLY HERE, UH, AS-AS WE'VE SEEN WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IS PERCEIVED TO BE THE BIGGEST ROADBLOCK.
UM, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH SEPTIC SYSTEMS. THIS-THIS GROUP SEES A-A HUGE LEVEL OF VARIABILITY IN REVIEW COMMENTS, UH, AND THAT-THAT GOES FOR INTAKE AS WELL AS THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.
UM, THE USE OF THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANTS IS APPRECIATED.
IT'S SEEN AS A WAY TO EXPEDITE PROCESSING.
THERE'S A SENSE THAT DIFFERENT SYSTEMS ARE USED FOR MINISTERIAL AND DISCRETIONARY PERMIT PROCESSES.
AND ALSO A SENSE THAT IT-IT'S A GOOD THING THAT THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANTS, UM, FOR-FOR PLAN CHECKING IS HAPPENING BUT THEIR-THEIR, UM, UH INVOLVEMENT VARIES BASED ON, UM TURNAROUND TIMES OR WORKLOAD AND-AND HOW-HOW LONG THINGS ARE TAKING TO GET, TO GET PROCESSED.
AND THEN THE LAST THING HERE IS A SENSE THAT APPLICATIONS ARE ASSIGNED WITHOUT REGARD TO INDIVIDUAL WORKLOAD OR COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT.
SO, WHAT MIGHT END UP WITH FOLKS GETTING STACKED WITH WORK WHILE OTHERS MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME WORKLOAD.
SO, THIS WAS ALSO A GROUP THAT-THAT WAS, UM WANTED TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS, UH, AND-AND THEY-THEY CLEARLY SEE THAT MAXIMIZING COUNTER ASSISTANCE AND AVAILABILITY BEYOND THE CURRENT APPOINTMENT PROC-, UH, APPOINTMENT PROCESS IS A POSITIVE, ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE SPECIFICITY ON COMMENTS THAT ARE PROVIDED.
UH, CONTINUITY WITH PERMIT TECHS SO FOLKS WHO ARE, UH, RECEIVING, UH, RESUBMITTALS AT INTAKE, THEY WOULD, THEY'D-THEY'D LOVE TO SEE SOME CONTINUITY THERE SO DIFFERENT HANDS AREN'T TOUCHING.
AND THEN FOR ONE-TIME USERS, IS-IS THERE A WAY TO CREATE A STABLE OF CONSULTANTS TO HELP WITH E-PLAN.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT UPDATING CHECKLISTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE, UM, FOR CLARITY PURPOSES.
THERE'S AN AGING REPORT THAT'S PRODUCED THAT FOLKS IN THE, UH, BUSINESS COMMUNITY WASN'T REALLY AWARE OF THAT- THAT THEY FEEL WOULD BE GREAT TO-TO HAVE AND SEE, UM, HOW MANY PRO-, UH, JECTS ARE PENDING.
AND THEN, UM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN INCREASED USE OF ONLINE CHAT FUNCTIONALITY, WHICH THEY SEE AS AN IMPROVEMENT TO COMMUNICATION.
SO, THAT'S, UM, THAT'S OUR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, ALL THE THEMES THERE TOO, AND WE'RE READY TO, UH, PROCEED TO OUR OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OFF TO AL.
- OKAY, SO OF ALL THAT PETE SHARED, THERE'S ABOUT NINE KEY OBSERVATIONS THAT ROLL UP INTO ABOUT 13 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE.
SO AS, UH.. SO, UH, UH, AS TO START OFF THE OBSERVATIONS, AS PETE SAID, THE FIRST KIND OF, UM, BIG BROAD OBSERVATION FROM BOTH EMPLOYEES AND FROM CUSTOMERS IS THAT THERE'S JUST SEEMS TO BE A CULTURAL DIVIDE OF, UH, IN... I THINK APPROACH TO CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, UH, AND PROCESSING APPLICATIONS BETWEEN LESS TENURED AND MORE TENURED STAFF.
UM, W-WE HAVEN'T VETTED THAT OUT, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, EMPIRICALLY, BUT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE GOT, THERE'S A CULTURAL DIVIDE THERE.
UM, THE CULTURAL, THE "CULTURE OF NO" UH, SEEMS TO BE, UM, PRESENT, UM, EVEN THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS MADE, UM, IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WHETHER WE SPOKE WITH, UM, CUSTOMERS OR, UH, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS.
THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE FEEDBACK THAT, UM, IS BEING RECEIVED THAT THERE'S STILL THIS KIND OF A "CULTURE OF NO" ROOTED IN PLANNING AND BUILDING.
UM, AND THAT, UM, CULTURAL CHANGE THOUGH CAN OCCUR, UM, BY, UM, REALLY LOOKING AT HOW SERVICES ARE DELIVERED AND WHAT THE SERVICE ENVIRONMENT IS LIKE BOTH IN PERSON AND-AND, UM, UH, VIRTUALLY, AND IMPROVING THE PROCESSES, SO, THAT THE-THE SERVICE EXCELLENCE MODEL CAN BE REALIZED.
[04:30:01]
SO, ALL OF THE GOOD WORK THAT HAS OCCURRED OVER THE LAST FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS TO CONTINUE THAT AND-AND, UM, GROW THAT.SO, THAT, UM, UH, INVESTMENT AND TRAINING AND WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT AND THE METRICS AND, UM, JUST, UH, INVESTING IN BETTER COMMUNICATION, COORDINATION.
ALL OF THAT COMBINED CAN LEAD THIS ORGANIZATION INTO A SERVICE EXCELLENCE, MINDSET, AND MODEL.
UM, IF THERE IS INTENT AND, UM, DEDICATION TO IT.
CLEARLY, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE GEOLOGIC AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IS A BIG DEAL HERE, AND IT COMPLICATES HOW THINGS GET DONE.
UM, AS PETE MENTIONED, UM, SOME OF THE ANCILLARY REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSES WHETHER IT'S, UH, PROVIDING, UM, A VERY LONG ACCESS ROAD TO, UH, UH, A LEGAL SITE AND, UM, OR WHETHER IT'S, UH, GETTING SEPTIC SYSTEMS PUT IN REALLY COMPLICATES AND EXTENDS THE LENGTH OF TIME FOR GETTING A PERMIT DONE, UH, PERMIT, UM, PROVIDED.
UM, AND ANOTHER OBSERVATION IS EFFORT NEEDS TO BE PUT IN PLACE TO KIND OF BRING BACK WHAT, UM, HAS BEEN HERE IN THE PAST, BUT A REALLY ROBUST PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS FOR BUILDING PERMITS SO THAT, UM, ALL OF THE DIMENSIONS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED, UH, TO BE SUCCESSFUL THROUGH A BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS ARE CONVEYED AND UNDERSTOOD EARLY ON AND THERE'S NO SURPRISES.
AND THAT'S THE KEY IS WE HEARD LET'S MINIMIZE THE SURPRISES AS IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, POLICY UPDATES, YEAH, AND, UH, WHETHER IT'S I-IN THE MUNIC-, I MEAN, THE, UH, COUNTY CODE OR WHETHER IT'S, UM, IN GENERAL PLAN OR WHAT HAVE YOU, JUST, UM, UPDATING POLICIES SO THAT THERE'S A, UM, ALWAYS BEING THOUGHT OF ARE THESE CLEAR AND ARE THESE CONSISTENT, UM, WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO, UM, APPLY ON THE BUILDING CODE SIDE OF THE LEDGER.
IS EVERYTHING CONSISTENT AND EITHER NEUTRAL OF OR SUPPORTIVE OF ONE ANOTHER? UM, UH, IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOT US SO EXCITED IN THAT STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY MEETING IS NOT ONLY DID, UH, STAFF AND CUSTOMERS SAY THAT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB WITH OUR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS BUT THE CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY BROUGHT LIKE THREE OR FOUR REALLY GOOD EXAMPLES AND STAFF WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
AND THAT WAS WHAT, KIND OF, WAS THE SPRINGBOARD TO SAY, "CAN WE KEEP MEETING AND CAN WE KEEP PROBLEM SOLVING AND KEEP WORKING TOGETHER LIKE THIS?" CAUSE THIS COLLABORATION IS AMAZING.
AND SO, UM, THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY EXCITING.
UM, LOTS OF, UM, OPPORTUNITIES, UM, EXIST TO, UH, TO KIND OF SEEK, UM, THROUGH THE BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS TO-TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, UM, BE MORE CONSISTENT, HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHERE, UM, FLEXIBILITY EXISTS WITH THE, UH, AND NOW YOU HAVE A-A NEW BUILDING OFFICIAL, AND HAVING THAT STEADY PRESENCE, UM, WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN-IN CONSISTENCY AND TRAINING ALL THE MEMBERS OF THAT BUILDING TEAM TO DO THINGS CONSISTENTLY.
AND SO THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP MAKE THAT BUILDING PERMIT CYCLE BETTER, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH LEADERSHIP.
SO WE WRAP UP THOSE NINE OBSERVATIONS AND THE 13, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
ONE IS ALWAYS, UM, CONSULT WITH COUNTY COUNCIL ON-ON MATTERS OF REGULATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN, UM, DO WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH, UM, TO REALLY INVEST IN A CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM THAT, UM, HAS METRICS THAT ARE REPORTABLE, UM, TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, INVEST IN A PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS THAT BENEFITS LARGE DEVELOPERS AND HOMEOWNERS TO DO IT YOURSELF OR MOM AND POPS.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE AHA MOMENTS WE HAD IN-IN THAT STAKEHOLDER, UM, MEETING WAS THAT, UM, CAPTURING THIS CORRECTLY AS IT WAS EXPLAINED TO US, YOU-YOU GET THROUGH PRETTY FAR ALONG IN THE PROCESS WHERE YOU'RE, YOU WANNA PUT THE BUILDING.
AND IT'S AT THAT POINT THAT, UM, UH, THE-THE LOCATION OF
[04:35:06]
SENSITIVE BIOTIC OR SEPTIC LOCATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED.AND THEN THE, WHERE THE, WHERE THE ARCHITECT OR THE DEVELOPER HAS BEEN WANTING TO BUILD THEIR BUILDING NOW AFTER ALL THAT TIME, THEY HAVE TO MOVE IT.
AND-AND SO ONE OF THE IDEAS WAS, WHY DON'T WE DO THIS UPFRONT? LET'S FIGURE OUT WHERE THE SEPTIC CAN GO WHERE THE BIOTIC, UH, SITES ARE UPFRONT.
AND THEN, UM, WHEN WE PUT OUR, UH, BUILDING FOOTPRINT ON THE, ON THE LOT, WE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE CONFIDENCE IT'S IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
UM, CONDUCT PROCESS MAPPING, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK DONE IN THAT AREA, BUT, UH, OVER TIME, UH, REGULATIONS GET MORE COMPLICATED AND PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES, UH, GET MORE COMPLICATED.
AND SO REFRESHING, UH, YOUR PROCESS MAPPING SO, THAT, UM, WE CAN FIND THE PAIN POINTS AND WORK, UM, UH, WORK TO, UH, IRON OUT THOSE PAIN POINTS.
AND ALSO, UM, AT EVERY SINGLE STEP, ASK OURSELVES WHETHER IT'S AN INTERNAL CUSTOMER OR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER.
AT THIS STEP, WHAT IMPEDES OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE? AND-AND REALLY, UM, SPEND TIME ON THAT BECAUSE EVERY STEP MATTERS AND THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE MATTERS, WHETHER IT'S WITH A COLLEAGUE DOWN THE HALL OR A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC.
UH, JUST TO MAKE SURE AS PETE WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE UP TO SPEED, UM, AND THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, UM, UH, THE SOPS SO THAT, UM, CONSISTENCY IS CREATED.
AND HOW, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, UH, THEIR RETURNING OF EMAILS WITHIN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, OR WHETHER IT'S HOW YOU ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS, UM, ALL OF THOSE POLICIES MATTER AND, UH, THOSE NEED TO BE UPDATED.
ENHANCED COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION.
UM, THERE'S LOTS OF TOOLS IN THE TOOLKIT FOR IMPROVING, UH, COMMUNICATION, , UH, UH, INTRA-DEPARTMENTAL, AND, UH, WITHIN THE COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
AND-AND THAT'S A-A KEY PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD STUFF ON THERE RIGHT NOW.
AND TO JUST KEEP REFINING IT, SO THAT IT DELIVERS THE INFORMATION MORE EFFECTIVELY TO THE PUBLIC WHO NEEDS IT.
UM, IDENTIFY AND PURSUE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE COLLABORATION, UM, ACROSS BUILDING PERMIT DEPENDENT SERVICES.
SO THIS INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, FIRE DEPARTMENT, ET CETERA.
UM, UH, INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS.
THERE, AS PETE SAID, THERE'S, UH, A PRETTY HEALTHY LIST OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE USED THAT, UM, CREATE SOME FRUSTRATION AND SOME, UM, DRAG COEFFICIENT IN THE, UM, IN THE EFFICIENCY OF THE, UM, UH, THE-THE BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS AND, UH, REALLY SPENDING TIME MAKING SURE EVERYTHING'S TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER AND WORKING WELL TOGETHER.
AND THAT AS, UH, THE AI ASSISTED PLAN REVIEW, UH, GETS BETTER AND BETTER TO START INCORPORATING THAT, UM, UH, SO THAT, UH, YOU HAVE MORE EFFICIENT, UH, PLAN REVIEW FUNCTIONALITY IN YOUR PROCESS.
UM, PETE TALKED ABOUT THE ONE BITE AT THE APPLE APPROACH.
UM, WHAT, THE FRUSTRATIONS WE HEARD IS THAT, UM, SOMETIMES THE FIRST SET OF COMMENTS THAT COME BACK ARE VERY LIGHT AND VERY GENERALIZED.
AND SO IT-IT CREATES A GUESSING GAME ALMOST FOR THE APPLICANT TO, UH, FIGURE OUT WHAT DID I...
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THE SECOND ROUND.
AND THEN THE SECOND ROUND COMES ON AND THEN THE-THE, UM, THE COMMENTS ARE MUCH MORE DETAILED WHICH THEN CAUSES A THIRD ROUND OF ROUTING.
AND, UM, AND SO THE IDEA OF, AND AGAIN, THIS, I THINK WHAT'S GONNA BE VERY HELPFUL IS NOW THAT YOU HAVE A BUILDING OFFICIAL, THAT CONSISTENCY WILL BE THROUGH TRAINING AND, UM, LEVEL SETTING THE, UH, THE, UM, THE EXPECTATIONS FOR PLAN REVIEW, UH, WILL REALLY BE HELPFUL HAVING, UM, A NEW BUILDING OFFICIAL, UM, LEADING YOUR-YOUR SHOP.
UH, ONE THING THAT WAS PRETTY LOUD AND CLEAR, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT IT IS HOW CENTRAL YOUR BUILDING PERMIT TECHS ARE TO GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND, UM, AND QUALITY SUBMITTALS COMING IN.
AND THE BUILDING PERMIT TECHS ARE THE WORKOUT HORSES, UH, ON THE FRONT END OF-OF YOUR, UH, PROCESS.
AND THE WAY THAT IT'S SET UP NOW, UH, TWO OF THEM ARE FOCUSED ON IN-PERSON STUFF, TWO ARE ONLINE.
AND THE, IF ONE IS OUT ON VACATION OR ONE IS SICK,
[04:40:01]
IT CREATES A BACKLOG OF-OF, UM, APPLICATIONS.SO, HAVING, UH, A COUPLE MORE BUILDING PERMIT TECHS WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE PIPELINE AND THE. AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
'CAUSE AS PETE IDENTIFIED, CUSTOMERS DEPEND ON THESE BUILDING PERMIT TECHS FOR CONSISTENCY AND FOR, UM, CONTINUITY OF-OF-OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.
LAST TWO, UM, UH, JUST MAKING SURE THAT FOR THOSE, UH, IN THAT ONE BITE OF THE APPLE IDEA, UNDERSTANDING, UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS GONNA BE REALLY HELPFUL HAVING A BUILDING OFFICIAL, IS UNDERSTANDING ON THOSE THIRD SET OF COMMENTS WHY ARE THOSE THIRD SET OF COMMENTS OCCURRING? UM, SO THAT YOU CAN KIND OF LOOK BACK AND SAY "COULD WE HAVE PREVENTED THAT THIRD ROUND, UM, BY DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY?" AND-AND THAT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT WILL, UM, UNDOUBTEDLY HAPPEN WITH YOUR BUILDING OFFICIAL.
AND THEN LASTLY, UH, PUTTING ALL THIS TOGETHER AND MORE INTO A DETAILED ACTION PLAN SO, THAT, UM, YOU ALL AS THE LEADERS OF THE COUNTY, UM, AND THE, AND THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER KNOW WHO'S GONNA DO WHAT BY WHEN, AND WHAT THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE.
AND SO I THINK, PETE, I'M AT THE END OF MY 13, AND THEN IT GOES TO ELISSA, UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
SO, THAT'S THE PRESENTATION OF THE ASSESSMENT.
WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU RAISE ANY QUESTIONS NOW, OR WE CAN WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE MATT AND JOCELYN COME UP TO TALK ABOUT REPRESENTING THE-THE DEPARTMENT'S, UH, REACTION AND THOUGHTS ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL THEMES.
THAT'S THIS FIRST SLIDE THAT MATT WILL SPEAK TO.
AND THEN JOCELYN'S GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EARLY ACTIONS, AND THEN I'LL CLOSE UP WITH DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE WORK PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.
UH, THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND SUPERVISORS.
MATT MACHADO, UH, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND, UH, I'M GONNA START BY, UH, SAYING, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY, THERE'S ONLY A FEW THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT ARE GUARANTEED, AND ONE OF THEM IS CHANGE.
AND IN THIS SPACE UNDER THIS TOPIC, CHANGE IS CONSTANT.
AND SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH IT.
UH, AND SO THIS EFFORT IS REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATED BECAUSE, UM, THIS TEAM, BOTH OUR CONSULTANT AND OUR CAO GROUP HAS BEEN HELPING US ACCOMMODATE AND RESPOND TO CHANGES.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE, UH, ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AND CHANGES.
UH, I'LL SAY SOME OF THESE CHANGES ARE NOT IN OUR CONTROL.
WE TALK ABOUT STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS, SOME OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE JUST, WE JUST HAVE TO ADAPT TO THOSE CHANGES.
WE CAN'T NECESSARILY CHANGE THEM, BUT THERE ARE POLICIES THAT YOUR BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AND THOSE ARE THE CHANGES THAT WE HOPE TO AFFECT.
THERE'S ALSO POLICIES IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT WE CAN AFFECT AND CHANGE, AND WE HOPE TO DO ALL THAT.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU HEARD TODAY, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON PROCESS IMPROVEMENT IN-IN EARNEST, UH, FOREVER, BUT IN EARNEST WITH THIS GROUP FOR THE LAST SIX TO SEVEN YEARS, UM, WE MADE A LOT OF GOOD CHANGES, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO GO.
AND I THINK THAT WILL BE FOREVER.
WE'LL NEED TO MAKE CHANGES, WE'LL NEED TO ADAPT.
UM, JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE COMPLETED A GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, A CODE MODERNIZATION, AND, UH, WE SAW SOME REALLY DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS WITH THOSE CHANGES.
I THINK THERE'S MORE TO, MORE WORK TO BE DONE ON THE CODE.
UH, I ACTUALLY SAW IT TODAY IN SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THAT.
UM, SOME OF THAT IS CULTURAL THINGS THAT-THAT WE'RE LIVING WITH FROM THE PAST, AND WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT CULTURE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE TENURED, LESS TENURED.
SOME OF THE CULTURE OF THE PAST IS STILL WITH US TODAY, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT CHANGE, AGAIN, TO THIS MODERN DAY NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I WILL END ON SAYING THAT, UM, ALL OF OUR STAFF, WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE DO.
UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO DEVELOPING A WORK PLAN.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO QUICK WINS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO PROVIDING BETTER SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE'RE ALL COMMUNITY TOO.
WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THIS, UH, TIME AND ATTENTION.
AND, UH, AND HERE TODAY, JOCELYN DRAKE ONE OF OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, IS GONNA TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT SOME OF THE QUICK WINS.
SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
JOCELYN DRAKE, UNIFIED PERMITTING CENTER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
AND I THINK THERE IS A POWERPOINT SLIDE THAT GOES WITH MY COMMENTS, BUT I'M HERE TO REPORT ON SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE, UM, ACTIONS
[04:45:04]
WE ARE TAKING IN RESPONSE TO THE BAKER TILLY REPORT.UM, YEP, THERE'S THE SLIDE, GREAT.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH BAKER TILLY ON A MORE COMPREHENSIVE WORK PROGRAM AS THEY'VE RECOMMENDED TODAY, SHOULD IT MOVE FORWARD.
UM, HOWEVER, WE WANTED TO MOVE, UH, MORE QUICKLY ON SOME OF THESE EFFORTS THAT WE FELT LIKE WE COULD, UH, TACKLE NOW IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE HEARD IN THE BAKER TILLY REPORT.
SOME OF THESE MEASURES ARE WORK PROGRAMS THAT WERE ALREADY, UM, IN PROGRESS THAT WE MODIFIED SLIGHTLY AFTER HEARING THE BAKER TILLY RESULTS.
AND SOME OF THEM ARE, UM, NEW ITEMS THAT WE'VE ADDED BASED ON WHAT WE HEARD.
SO, UM, IN THE 30 DAY OR LESS BRACKET, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, INCREASING OR ACTUALLY DEVELOPING, UH, WALK-IN HOURS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
UM, WE DID HEAR FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS THAT, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR BUILDING, UM, CUSTOMERS SOMETIMES, UM, THERE ARE LONG WAIT TIMES ASSOCIATED WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE MAINLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT OUR APPOINTMENTS ARE FULL SOMETIMES, UM, FOR BUILDING, UH, CUSTOMERS.
SO, WE WILL BE ADDING, UH, INITIALLY ADDING WALK-IN, UM, HOURS BETWEEN EIGHT, NINE IN THE MORNING.
THAT IS WHAT WE'VE OBSERVED TO BE THE BUSIEST TIME OF DAY, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR LOCAL CONTRACTORS.
UM, SO, WE'LL BE DOING THAT SOON.
UM, KIND OF RELATED TO THAT ITEM IS, UM, MODIFYING OUR APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER TO, UM, INCLUDE A, UM, HOW WAS OUR SERVICE FEEDBACK, UM, OPTION, UM, POST APPOINTMENT.
SO, WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR CUSTOMERS THAT WE AREN'T QUITE HITTING THE MARK SOMETIMES WITH OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
OF COURSE, THIS WOULD REALLY BE RELATED TO OUR IN-PERSON CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT IT'S A START AND SOMETHING EASILY IMPLEMENTABLE.
SO, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THAT, UM, VERY SOON WITHIN 30 DAYS.
UM, AND THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS TO OUR WALK-IN HOURS, OUR APPOINTMENTS, UM, ET CETERA.
UM, ANOTHER ITEM, OKAY, AM I MOVING TO, UH, OH, NO, STILL IN THE 30-DAY BRACKET.
UM, ANOTHER, UM, ISSUE THAT YOU HEARD, WHICH WASN'T SUPER CLEAR, I FELT LIKE IN THE INITIAL, UM, UH, PRESENTATION BUT, UH, AS THE BOARD KNOWS, SOME OF OUR, UM, OUR DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS REQUIRE DISCRETIONARY APPROVAL BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN GET TO THE BUILDING PERMIT ISSUANCE STAGE.
AND WE HAVE HEARD OVER THE PAST, UM, SEVERAL MONTHS THAT SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE FRUSTRATED WITH OUR, UM, APPLICATION APPOINTMENT INTAKE PROCESS FOR DISCRETIONARY PERMITS.
SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO TACKLE.
UM, IT WAS ECHOED IN THE BAKER TILLY RESULTS.
AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME TO TACKLE IT NOW.
UM, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING, UH, REVISED PROCEDURES FOR OUR DISCRETIONARY PERMIT PROCESS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ACCEPT SAME DAY SUBMITTALS DURING BUSINESS HOURS.
UM, SO, I THINK THAT WILL ADDRESS, UM, THAT ISSUE, HOPEFULLY.
UM, NOW I THINK WE'RE GOING TO THE 60 DAYS OR UNDER MARK.
UM, AS YOU HEARD, I THINK BRIEFLY IN THE REPORT FROM BAKER TILLY BUT I-I, UM, I WAS ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE FOLLOW-UP CONVERSATION WITH BAKER TILLY.
UM, SOME OF OUR CZU, UM, CUSTOMERS, REBUILD CUSTOMERS ARE, UH, FRUSTRATED WITH THE, UM, PERMIT INTAKE PROCESS FOR CZU REBUILD SPECIFICALLY.
UM, THAT IS SORT OF A, UM IT'S DUE TO THE WAY THAT 4LEAF, UM, PROCESS THE PERMITS WHEN THEY WERE IN CHARGE OF THE RPC.
AND, UM, WHAT REALLY IT COMES DOWN TO IS THERE'S A LACK OF AUTOMATION WITH OUR PERMITS SUBMITTAL PROCESS.
SO, UM, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR SUBMITTAL PROCEDURES AND AUTOMATING THEM SORT OF CONSISTENT WITH ALL OF OUR BUILDING PERMIT, UM, INTAKES WHICH IS PRIMARILY, UM, MAKING E-PLAN PORTAL UPGRADES AND SOME, UM, PERMIT SOFTWARE TRACKING UPGRADES.
UM, YOU ALSO HEARD FROM THE REPORT THAT, UM, STAKEHOLDERS AND STAFF NOTED THAT THERE ARE SOMETIMES CHALLENGES WITH INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.
UM, THERE WAS SOME FEEDBACK THAT THIS COULD BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE SOME OF OUR REVIEW STAFF WORKING REMOTELY.
UM, MOST OF OUR REVIEW STAFF, OUR-OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE STAFF WORK EVERY DAY.
OUR REVIEW STAFF IN THE BACK, BACK OF THE HOUSE STAFF WORK, UM, REMOTELY THREE DAYS A WEEK.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT TRYING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BY INCREASING IN OFFICE PRESENCE OF OUR REVIEWERS FOR BETTER, UM, INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.
[04:50:05]
UM, AND I THINK, UH, OKAY, THESE ARE THE 90-DAY MARK.WE HEARD FROM BAKER TILLY THAT THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS WERE-WERE REALLY ENERGIZING AND BENEFICIAL TO DEVELOPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND I HAD A CHANCE TO FOLLOW UP WITH SOME OF THE STAFF THAT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND THEY FOUND THEM VERY BENEFICIAL AS WELL.
AND THERE WERE A LOT OF LIKE AHA MOMENTS ACROSS THE TABLE.
UM, WE WANNA CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE WITH THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP, ESPECIALLY AS WE TACKLE AND BEGIN IMPLEMENTING PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK LOOP WITH THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP.
UM, SO WE PLAN ON CONTINUING THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, MAYBE MORE, WE'LL SEE KIND OF WHAT COMES OUT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE WORK PLAN.
UM, ANOTHER PROCESS IMPROVEMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO, UH, REALLY MAKE MOVEMENT ON IS OUR IMPROVING OUR INSPECTION MODULE, OUR BUILDING PERMIT INSPECTION MODULE.
IT IS NOT USER-FRIENDLY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
IT IS SUPER LABOR INTENSIVE FOR OUR STAFF.
UM, AND WE-WE HAVE BEEN GETTING DEMOS FROM, UM, VENDORS FOR, UM, UM, A NEW, UM, INSPECTION MODULE.
AND I THINK WE'VE LANDED ON ONE AND WE INTEND TO, UM, WORK TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THAT NEW SOFTWARE THIS SUMMER.
THAT WILL BE, UM, REALLY GREAT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
WE'LL HAVE REAL-TIME INSPECTION, UM, YOU KNOW, ETAS, ETCETERA.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO TEXT WITH FOLKS.
THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, SCHEDULE ONLINE, ALL KINDS OF STUFF.
SO, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE IMPROVEMENT FOR STAFF AND OUR CUSTOMERS.
AND THEN THE LAST ITEM IS, UM, A-A STAFFING REQUEST.
BAKER TILLY, UM, AS YOU HEARD, IS RECOMMENDING ADDITIONAL PERMIT TECH STAFFING.
THEY'VE RECOMMENDED TWO PERMIT TECHS.
SO, AT LEAST THAT WAS IN THE-THE-THE CURRENT SLIDE DECK.
UM, WE'RE RECOMMENDING, UM, WE PLAN ON GOING TO THE BOARD WITH A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET ITEM, UM, ADDING ONE PERMIT TECH AT THIS TIME, BUILDING PERMIT TECH.
I MEAN, NOT TODAY, BUT YOU'LL BE SEEING THAT.
UM, WE'D LIKE TO START WITH ONE, UM, AS WE'RE TACKLING OTHER PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS.
I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME STREAMLINED PROCEDURES.
SO, I DON'T KNOW IF, YOU KNOW, THAT WILL HELP IN SOME OF THE, UM, BACKLOG THAT WE'RE FACING, ET CETERA.
UM, SO THAT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION.
UM, AND WE'LL BE COMING BACK, AS I SAID, WITH THAT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WRAPS UP OUR-OUR QUICK WINS SLIDE.
I'M GONNA GO VERY QUICKLY TO OUR FINAL STAFF SLIDE, WHICH IS ON THE WORK PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.
UH, OUR INTENTION IS TO COME FORWARD WITH A DETAILED WORK PLAN, UH, BY THE END OF JUNE FOR YOUR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION.
THIS WILL BE A MULTI-YEAR AND THAT'S A LITTLE SCARY WHEN THEY SAY MULTI-YEAR, BUT THAT-THAT SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT ARE BOTH RECOMMENDED BY THE BAKER TILLY, UH, REPORT, AS WELL AS IDENTIFIED BY STAFF THESE ARE NOT QUICK OPTIONS.
AND OUR INTENTION IN THIS WORK PLAN IS TO ACTUALLY HAVE THINGS BROKEN DOWN BY PROJECT, UH, WITH SPECIFIC SCHEDULE, UH, EXPECTATIONS RESOURCE NEEDS, SOME OF THEM WE WILL BE ABLE TO DO WITH EXISTING RESOURCES.
SOME OF THAT WE MAY, WE MAY NEED TO ARTICULATE.
THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES NEEDED TO CARRY THOSE THINGS OUT.
AND THEN THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDED-RECOMMENDED PRIORITIZATION OF THOSE PROJECTS.
WE CAN'T DO ALL THINGS AT ONCE.
I WANNA HIT VERY QUICKLY, I'M GONNA LET YOU ALL READ THE DETAILS OF THIS.
I'M PROBABLY MORE INTERESTED IN YOUR...
ARE THERE THINGS YOU WANT TO ADD TO THE WORK PLAN DEVELOPMENT PLAN? FOR, UH, LACK OF A BETTER WORD.
I'VE GROUPED SORT OF THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS OUT OF BAKER TILLY INTO THESE TWO BUCKETS OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AND THINGS TO ADDRESS COMPLEXITY, HOPEFULLY REDUCE COMPLEXITY.
WHAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HERE IS THE COUNTY CODE MODERNIZATION.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BE TAKEN IN CHUNKS AND HAS TO COME BACK TO YOU.
SO, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS NOT, YOU KNOW, AN OVERNIGHT OVER THE SUMMER.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE TIME.
AND PART OF WHAT WE ANTICIPATE WILL BE IN THE WORK PLAN IS ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE TEAM ABOUT WHAT PARTS OF WHAT CHAPTERS WHEN BECAUSE THERE MAY BE ACTUAL SEQUENCING CONSIDERATIONS WE WANT TO, WANT-WANT TO THINK THROUGH.
THE OTHER THING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HERE IS WHAT JOCELYN'S ALREADY SPOKEN TO IN TERMS OF EARLY ACTIONS ADDING THAT CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ELEMENT TO THE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER, FORMALIZING THE STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP.
[04:55:02]
THOSE ARE PARTS OF A CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SYSTEM.AND WHAT WE HOPE TO, IN THE WORK PLAN IS DRAW THAT OUT MORE AS WHAT THAT CAN LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
UH, ONE OF THE ITEMS HERE, BULLET FOUR, THIS TECH-TECHNOLOGY AND PROCESS INTEGRATION.
THIS IS WHERE WE REALLY SEE, THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE THERE AROUND THE-THE MINI SCOPE FOR THAT.
AND I SHOULDN'T SAY MINI, IT WILL BE A-A SCOPE.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE REALLY SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOCUSING ON THAT PRE-APPLICATION CHALLENGE THAT HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND THE TOOLS TO WORK THROUGH THAT ARE-ARE EVOLVING.
AND WE'RE-WE'RE NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO BE PERFECT.
AND WE WANT TO START THINKING ABOUT, THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE NOW.
THE NEXT BUCKET OF WORK IS REALLY MORE THAT SOFTER CULTURE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE QUESTIONS.
THESE, THE QUESTIONS AROUND WHERE SHOULD WATER SEPTIC, YOU KNOW, PERMITTING REVIEW PROGRAMS SIT AND HOW SHOULD THEY RELATE TO THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER.
THAT'S A MUCH LARGER QUESTION.
THERE WAS THAT QUESTION OF ROLES, THE OMBUDSMAN OR OMBUDS PERSON WITHIN THE UPC AND TRYING TO REALLY TAKE SOME TIME WITH PLANNING LEADERSHIP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT-WHAT'S WORKING NOW, WHAT CAN WORK BETTER.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THAT QUESTION ABOUT HOW DO WE, CAN WE DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY WITH OUR FIRE AGENCIES? IS THERE A WAY WE CAN WORK MORE, UH, EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY WITH THEM? THE, UH, THIRD PART OF THE WORK PLAN WILL BE TAKING A MOMENT TO ALIGN THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND HOW DO THEY ALL, HOW DO THESE THINGS FIT TOGETHER? AND WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE SOME CLARITY ABOUT HOW ARE WE MEASURING SUCCESS.
IS IT REDUCED REVIEW CYCLES? IS IT TIME TO REVIEW? IS IT, I MEAN, THERE'S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN TRY AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WHEN WE MAKE SMALL TESTS OF CHANGE WITHIN THE SYSTEM WHAT OUTCOME IS AFFECTED.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO TALK ABOUT AND BE ABLE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO, MOVING FORWARD.
AS MENTIONED, THIS WILL BE A JOINT COLLABORATIVE PROCESS WITH OUR OFFICE, WITH, UH, WITH CONTINUING, UH, CONTRACT WITH BAKER TILLY AND WITH PLANNING LEADERSHIP AND STAFF.
SO, THAT'S OUR-OUR WORK PLAN FOR GETTING YOU A WORK PLAN IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS.
AND AT THIS POINT, I THINK WE WOULD LOVE TO OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS OR TO PUBLIC COMMENT, HOWEVER YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED.
- I THINK WE'LL DO PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST, ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS US ON THIS ITEM? - GOOD MORNING. MATSON BRITTON ARCHITECTS.
UM, OR GOOD AFTERNOON, EXCUSE ME.
UH, I REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THE BOARD, IN PARTICULAR, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD TO ACTIVELY TRY TO MAKE SOME DIFFERENCE, UH, IN THE PROCESS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS EFFORT HAS GONE BACK ALL THE WAY TO SUPERVISOR WORMHOUDT, INCLUDING OMBUDSMAN EFFORT.
UM, THE COUNTY HAS GOTTEN STEADILY WORSE FROM THAT TIME.
SO, THIS IS A BIG TOUR IN FRONT OF YOU AND HOPEFULLY, UH, BY TILLY'S ASSISTANCE, YOU CAN GET THERE.
I'M CERTAINLY ROOTING FOR YOU, AND SO IS MOST OF THE PUBLIC.
UH, I'VE WORKED IN OVER 200 JURISDICTIONS.
WE'RE NOW WORKING ON EIGHT DIFFERENT ONES, INCLUDING TWO STATE AGENCIES, UH, RESPECTFULLY TO TILLY, THERE'S A NUMBER OF FACTUAL ERRORS.
UM, IN OUR EXPERIENCE ALSO, THE COUNTY IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORST SUBMISSION PROCESSES.
UH, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT ISN'T YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM.
IT'S THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, IT'S PUBLIC WORKS, IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE COVERING THAT.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT GOES UP AND DOWN, BUT BY AND LARGE IS NOT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM.
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IS DISCUSSED HERE REGULARLY.
THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ IS UNIQUE.
YEAH, AND I'VE WORKED IN 200 JURISDICTIONS AND I'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH MY PROFESSIONAL PEERS, GEOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS, LIKE, NO, IT'S NOT UNIQUE.
THERE'S NO REASON FOR THE COUNTY BUILDING, UM, CODE TO BE DIFFERENT THAN THE STATE CODE, BUT IT IS.
GET A TRULY QUALIFIED BUILDING APPEALS BOARD.
UH, ALSO THE PRE-SUBMISSION PROCESS, PLEASE GRANT ME JUST A FEW SECONDS MORE.
UM, THE PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS IS AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME AND OTHERS OFFICES THAT KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
THE BEST WAY TO PROCESS A PERMIT IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ OR ANY PLACE IS TO KEEP MOVING.
YOU KEEP MOVING AND PRESS IT AHEAD.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CZU FIRE PEOPLE.
[05:00:01]
THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO SUBMIT.THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO SUBMIT AND GET THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO, THE PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS, THAT'S A DISASTER.
YOU SHOULD HAVE IT AVAILABLE, BUT 99% OF THE TIME, WE GET THE WRONG INFORMATION WHEN WE DO PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS.
- ANYONE ONLINE? - YES, CHAIR.
MONDO, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.
- DO YOU GUYS HEAR ME? - YES, WE CAN.
- OKAY, GUYS, THIS IS MONDO MORLOS, AND I WANTED TO BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THESE, UH, CONSULTANTS CAME UP WITH.
THE CULTURAL DIVIDE BETWEEN THE, UH, THE NEWEST, UH, MEMBERS THAT WORK WITH US AS WELL AS THE SENIOR MEMBERSHIPS.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, MY EXPERIENCE AS SOMEONE WHO BUILDS HERE AND WANTS TO BUILD HERE, UH, IS THAT THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN THESE DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS' JOBS.
UH, WE, MYSELF, WE WORK AT THE STATE, WE GET NEW LAWS PASSED SO WE CAN MAKE THINGS BETTER HERE IN THE COUNTY AND STAFF FAILS TO BRING THEM TO THE BOARD, WHICH IS VERY UPSETTING.
SEPTIC HAS BEEN DISCUSSED MANY TIMES HERE SO I'LL USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE.
FIVE YEARS AGO, YOU COULD PUT A SEPTIC SYSTEM IN FOR $15,000.
WELL, ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, THEY CHANGED THAT LAW, AND NOW IT COSTS $150,000.
WHEN THAT HAPPENED, I SPOKE TO THE HEAD SEPTIC LADY AT THE TIME AND SAID, "HEY, THIS IS GOING TO HURT A LOT OF PEOPLE." AND SHE SAID, WELL, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO.
THE STATE HAS, UH, MANDATED IT.
SO I SAID, "OKAY, WHAT STATE AGENCY IS MANDATING THIS?" AND SHE REFUSED TO GIVE ME THAT INFORMATION.
SO, EVENTUALLY I LOOK IT UP AND THE STATE SAYS, "NO, IT'S NOT US." IT'S THE, IT'S YOU GUYS HERE AT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ THAT ARE ADDING ALL THESE EXTRA EXPENSES.
SO, WHAT I'M GOING TO DO AS SOMEONE IN THE PUBLIC IS I'M GOING TO GO STRAIGHT TO YOU, UH, AS THE BOARD AND I'M GOING TO RECOMMEND SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE ALREADY MADE THAT WE COULD QUICKLY IMPLEMENT THAT COULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION.
WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS CONSTRUCTION COSTS WENT FROM $100 A SQUARE FOOT TO $640 A SQUARE FOOT, WHICH MEANS WHEN WE HAVE A FIRE, WE HAVE TO REPLACE THAT BUILDING.
IT COSTS MORE TO REPLACE IT THAN THE ENTIRE PROPERTY IS WORTH.
SO, LET'S WORK TOGETHER AND-AND LET'S, UH, LOWER THE COST SO WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS SO OUR FIRE INSURANCE DOESN'T GO THROUGH THE ROOF.
- WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, CHAIR.
ANYONE WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS US, PLEASE COME UP TO THE DAIS TOO.
THANKS, UM, FOR TAKING ON THIS PROJECT.
UM, I'M A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER.
I HAVE DONE, UH, BUILT OUT A FEW THINGS, SIX OR SEVEN THINGS AROUND, UM, THE CITY AND COUNTY.
SO, I'M KIND OF FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS, UM, ON A, ON A SMALL SCALE.
I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE CULTURAL PIECE, UM, BECAUSE THE DATA POINTS, THINGS YOU CAN MEASURE, THOSE ARE THE EASIEST TO SOLVE.
EVEN IF THEY'RE COMPLEX, UM, IF IT CAN BE MEASURED, IT CAN GENERALLY BE SOLVED FOR.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, UM, WE'RE, UH, MY FAMILY'S WORKING ON A PROJECT ON OUR PROPERTY AND IT'S A MODULAR PREFAB.
SO, KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE PARK HAVEN PROJECT.
YOU BRING IN MODULES, YOU STACK THEM UP, AND THERE'S, UM, A HOUSE ALREADY EXISTS ACTUALLY THE SAME MODEL AS WE'RE DOING.
AND, UM, JUST BY WAY OF A COUPLE ANECDOTES, WHEN WE INITIALLY CAME IN TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, WE SAID, "HEY, BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING ALREADY EXISTS IN THE COUNTY.
CAN YOU BE AWARE OF THIS? START BY LOOKING AT THIS?" AND THE RESPONSE WAS, UM, "WELL, EACH PERMIT'S UNIQUE." AND THAT JUST KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF THE WIND OUT OF YOUR SAILS.
UM, AND THEN WHEN WE DID THE SUBMITTAL, THE ARCHITECT SAID YOUR SUBMITTAL'S IN.
AND, UM, I WENT IN, BE THE SHARK, UM, WENT IN, "WELL, IT'S NOT IN THE SYSTEM." NOW, AGAIN, A NORMAL PERSON MIGHT JUST TURN AROUND AND WALK OUT AND COME BACK THE NEXT DAY OR SOMETHING.
BUT I WAS LIKE, "WELL, THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE HERE." SO, APPARENTLY THERE'S A PRE-SYSTEM WHERE THINGS SIT.
AND-AND OUR SUBMITTAL WAS LITERALLY JUST SITTING THERE.
AND THE PERSON I WAS SPEAKING WITH SAID, "OH, ACTUALLY, HERE IT IS." CLICK, MOVES OVER.
THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, WHERE IF YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL DON'T KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK OR HOW TO FOLLOW UP OR IF THE GENERAL ATTITUDE IS WE DO THINGS DIFFERENT, SANTA CRUZ IS UNIQUE, WE DON'T NEED TO LEVERAGE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
I THINK THOSE, IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS FANTASTIC AND I REALLY APPLAUD, UM, THOSE KIND OF CULTURAL SHIFTS ARE GOING TO ADDRESS, I THINK, A LOT OF WHERE THE FRUSTRATION IS COMING FROM.
SO, JUST ENCOURAGING YOU TO FOCUS ON THE CULTURE ALSO.
[05:05:04]
- THANK YOU. WITH THAT, I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR-FOR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.- UM, THANK YOU, UM, FOR COMING INTO OUR COUNTY AND, UH, ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
I DON'T THINK WE HAD THIS PRESENTATION IN OUR PACKET, CORRECT? - NO, WE WILL BE PROVIDING THAT TO YOU ALL.
- OKAY, BECAUSE WHEN THEY-THEY ASK, DO I HAVE ANY COMMENT LIKE I DON'T KNOW, I NEED TO SEE ALL THE SLIDES OVER AGAIN.
- LIKE HAVE MY QUESTIONS AT THE READY.
UM, BUT I'M JUST GONNA ASK SOME QUESTIONS.
YOU MIGHT HAVE ALREADY COVERED THIS.
BUT IN-IN GENERAL, YOU GUYS, I'M GUESSING, HAVE SEEN MANY DIFFERENT SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE, RIGHT? YEAH. - YEAH.
- AND IN TERMS OF THIS SYSTEM, IS IT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN YOU'VE SEEN IN OTHER PLACES? I'VE HEARD THAT-THAT OUR, UH, PROCESS IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING AND FRUSTRATING FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON THAN OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT-WHAT YOU THOUGHT AS BEING, COMING FROM OUT THE OUTSIDE.
- UM, I-I WON'T COMPARE IT TO LIKE A MUNICIPAL SYSTEM 'CAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, UM, THE MUNICIPAL SYSTEMS ARE JUST, UH, DIFFERENT IN, UM, IN HOW THEY FUNCTION MUCH MORE BUT MUCH MORE URBAN AND-AND THINGS ARE MUCH, UM, UH, MUCH LESS COMPLEX.
BUT IN TERMS OF COUNTY SYSTEMS, UM, A-A NUMBER OF COUNTIES ARE KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS THAT YOU ARE BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR ORGANIZATIONS OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INTERRUPTION OF COVID TO UM, UH, TO HAVE, UM, PROCESSES GET, UM...
KIND OF GUNKED UP AND, UH, BY REGULATIONS AND THEN NEW PRACTICES TO RESPOND TO REGULATIONS.
SO, I CA-, I CAN'T SAY SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IS WORSE THAN UM, NAME YOUR OTHER COUNTY, UH, BUT, UM, SOME COUNTIES ARE VERY VERY STREAMLINED, ESPECIALLY THE MORE RURAL YOU GO CAN GET REALLY, REALLY STREAMLINED.
UM, SO I DON'T THINK SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IS, BY ANY MEANS, IS A LOST CAUSE IT'S JUST, IT REQUIRES FOCUS.
- OH, YEAH. I DIDN'T, [CROSSTALK] I DIDN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE A LOST CAUSE.
IT'S JUST... I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS LIKE YOU MENTIONED THAT WE'RE, UM, GEOGRAPHICALLY VERY, VERY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW.
AND UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE COASTAL, YOU KNOW, ATTRIBUTES THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT.
- UH-HUH. COASTAL ADMISSION. - WE, UH, YOU KNOW, I AM, UM, NEW.
I'M A FRESHMAN ESSENTIALLY OF IN A FOUR-YEAR TERM, SO I JUST ASSUMED MY SEAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE, UM, HAVE FRIENDS THAT HAVE DONE REMODELS.
I'VE DONE REMODELS OVER THE YEARS.
I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DOING A REMODEL RIGHT NOW.
SO I'M ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UM, SO I HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH HOW DIFFICULT IT IS.
BUT YOU KNOW, IN-IN MY, IN MY FRESHMAN, UM, ORIENTATIONS, I MET WITH THE COASTAL COMMISSION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY POINTED BACK TO THE COUNTY AS BEING A BIGGER PROBLEM IN TERMS OF, UM, TRYING TO GET THINGS THROUGH WITH THE LCP THAT LIKE THEY'RE SAYING IF PEOPLE WOULD JUST COME TO US, IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER.
WE WOULD APPROVE MUCH MORE AND IN A TIMELY WAY, THAN, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, WHEN PEOPLE COME HERE, IT'S LIKE ALMOST LIKE WE HAVE A MORE STRIDENT OR CAREFUL, CAREFUL PROCESS IN TERMS OF, UM, THE-THE COASTAL ASPECTS.
- SO, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE, BUT THAT'S, UH, WHAT-WHAT I WAS TOLD IN A MEETING.
SO, ANYWAY, I THOUGHT THAT WAS SUPER INTERESTING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A HOUSING ELEMENT THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE STATE, SUPPOSEDLY IN THE RURAL AREA.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO UPLOAD, YOU KNOW, LIKE 4,600 UNITS OF HOUSING.
LIKE RIGHT NOW, WE PROCESS ABOUT A HUNDRED PERMITS PER YEAR.
IN ORDER OVER THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS IF WE WERE GONNA GO ON BOARD WITH THE 4,600 THAT-THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO BUILD, THAT WOULD BE 700 PERMITS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE APPROVED EVERY YEAR.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE GO FROM A-A VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS APPROVING JUST THE HUNDRED THAT WE DO NOW TO THEN MOVING THAT NEEDLE ALL THE WAY TO 700.
UM, SO ANYWAY, I, MAYBE STAFF CAN TALK TO THAT UH, IN, AT A DIFFERENT TIME WHEN YOU BRING IT BACK BUT THAT SEEMS REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT.
SO, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN STREAMLINE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PROCESS, I THINK WE NEED TO.
[05:10:03]
- WELL, AND I, AND, UH, SUPERVISOR, I-I DO REMEMBER AND PETE PROBABLY REMEMBER, EARLY ON, WHEN WE WERE BROUGHT INTO THIS AND JUST HAVING A CONVERSATION A MAJOR IMPETUS FOR THIS WAS THE HOUSING ELEMENT.AND TO MEET THE PRODUCTION GOALS THAT YOU, AS A BOARD, HAVE ADOPTED IN THAT, UM, ELEMENT.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT YOU CAN MAKE, UH, I'M-I'M-I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU NUMBERS, BUT YOU CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN, UH, PERMIT ISSUANCES IF EVERYONE'S ALIGNED.
AND-AND WE-WE GET THE ENVIRO-, YOU KNOW, WE GET, WE GET THE PUBLIC WORKS AND WE GET, UH, PLANNING, WE GET BUILDING, WE GET EVERYONE ALIGNED.
UM, YOU CAN MAKE VERY, UH, SIGNIFICANT STRIDES.
AND-AND PART OF IT IS, UH, DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER AND AS I MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES, HAVING A BUILDING OFFICIAL UH, ON BOARD NOW IS A BIG DEAL.
AND, UM, DAN, YOUR-YOUR NEW BUILDING OFFICIAL, UM, CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE AT, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE, UH, PAIN POINTS ARE AND THEN PROVIDING THE TRAINING AND THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SO THAT THERE'S CONSISTENCY THAT'S OCCURRING, SO THAT WE HAVE FEWER THIRD ROUNDS OR FOURTH ROUNDS OF COMMENTS AND THINGS MOVE MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY.
I ALSO THINK THE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION'S GONNA BE A BIG DEAL TOO.
BECAUSE IT-IT IS KIND OF, I MEAN, THERE'S-THERE'S A LOT OF UPSIDE TO WHAT'S GOING ON NOW, BUT WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CLUNKINESS AND A LOT OF, UH, MANUAL EFFORT.
UM, UH, RATHER THAN, UM, ALLOWING THE SYSTEMS TO DO THINGS MUCH MORE, UH, AUTOMATICALLY.
SO, I-I DO THINK YOU COULD MAKE BIG STRIDES.
- YEAH. I JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS AND FOR THE COUNTY'S, UM, ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I HEAR IN THE PUBLIC, THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGER CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE IN TERMS OF MAKING THIS, UH, MORE EFFICIENT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE CONSISTENT IN TERMS OF WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY START MOVING DOWN A PATH AND MAYBE THEY GET SWITCHED TO A DIFFERENT PLANNER WHO WILL SAY, "OH, NO, YOU ACTUALLY, YOU CAN'T DO THAT." BEING ABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE MOVING FORWARD I THINK IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE CAN HELP ADDRESS HERE.
UM, AND, UH, I MEAN, I APPRECIATE ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW WE CAN START MOVING FORWARD IN TERMS OF THE 30, 60, 90 DAY APPROACH.
AND, UM, JUST HOPE TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, FEEDBACK THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS.
AND, UM, AND, I WILL SAY, ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE A CHALLENGING COUNTY, I MEAN, WE ARE ALSO VERY SMALL COMPARED TO MANY OTHER COUNTIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA.
AND SO I THINK THAT IF THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN LEAN, YOU KNOW, LEARN FROM SOME OF THESE OTHER MORE GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COUNTIES AND HOW THEY APPROACH PERMITTING AND WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT INTO HOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD, I THINK THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT TOO BECAUSE, UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO REINVENT THE WHEEL IF THERE'S OTHER COUNTIES OUT THERE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING THINGS WELL, LIKE LEARNING FROM-FROM OUR NEIGHBORS IS PROBABLY GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP US PROCESS AND MOVE A LOT QUICKER AS WELL.
WITH THAT, I'LL JUST, I'LL END MY COMMENTS THERE.
- AND IF-IF I MAY, SUPERVISOR, REAL QUICK, LIKE WE, EARLY ON IN THIS PROCESS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SEPTIC.
AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF COUNTIES THAT ARE DOING SOME, UH, VERY THOUGHTFUL THINGS TO NOT COMPROMISE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BUT EXPEDITING SEPTIC SYSTEM INSTALLATION.
AND SO TO YOUR POINT, WE CAN LEARN A LOT FROM OTHER COUNTIES.
AND THEN I ALSO DO WANNA THANK THE CAO'S OFFICE.
UM, AT ONE POINT, UM, WHEN, UH, WE MET WITH BAKER TILLY, UH, ONE OF THE CONCERNS WE HAD WERE JUST FROM SOME OF THE SMALLER, I MEAN, YEAH, THERE'S THE LARGE SCALE DEVELOPERS, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO JUST PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, WANNA BUILD A DECK ON THERE, IN THEIR BACKYARD AND THEY RUN INTO SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SO GOING FROM SMALL, YOU KNOW, JUST MOM AND POP DO IT YOURSELF DEVELOPERS, UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA BE DOING LARGE SCALE.
I THINK HAVING THAT SPECTRUM OF INPUT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THIS PROCESS.
SO I JUST WANNA THANK CAO'S OFFICE FOR ALLOWING MORE TIME TO GET THAT INPUT AS WELL.
- THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
UM, AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO THE COUNTY FOR PROBABLY OUR INVESTMENT IN LEARNING AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT.
UM, I'M ALSO NEW TO THE BOARD AND I CAN SAY THAT PROBABLY THE-THE MOST CONSISTENT FEEDBACK I GOT AS A CANDIDATE RUNNING FOR COUNTY SUPERVISOR WAS
[05:15:01]
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO IMPROVE THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND THE PLANNING PROCESS.THIS ISSUE IS TERRIBLY IMPORTANT TO MY DISTRICT AND TO THE COUNTY AT LARGE TO MEET OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOALS TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE CZU FIRE TO RECOVER AND TO JUST ADVANCE ANY SORT OF PROGRESS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING TO US IS, IN MY EYES, SUCH A TOP PRIORITY AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.
UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR STAFF PROBABLY, THE FIRST ONE IS THAT, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO ADD TWO BUILDING TECHNICIANS AND I HEAR THAT THERE'S A PLAN TO ADD ONE.
UM, WHY-WHY-WHY STOP AT ONE? - SO THIS WAS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE-THE... WE WOULD, WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD BOTH FROM A, LET'S SEE WHAT'S WORKING AND HAVE SOME MEASUREMENT TO SEE WHEN WE ADD THIS RESOURCE HOW DO THINGS CHANGE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, JUST THE FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCE WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
AND I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THAT THE DEPARTMENT SAID, "YEAH, WE COULD, COULD-COULD WE DO TWO? SURE." BUT RIGHT NOW, LET'S-LET'S GO WITH THIS AND LET'S MOVE FORWARD.
THE OTHER THING, AND THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK THE TEAM COULD SPEAK TO, UH, NOT BAKER TILLLY BUT THE-THE, UM, BUILDING, UH, UPC TEAM IS ACTUALLY HIRING PEOPLE FOR THESE ROLES IS ANOTHER THING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE-WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH.
SO, UM, I... WE-WE APPRECIATE FROM THE CO'S, CAO'S PERSPECTIVE LET'S START WITH ONE AND THEN LET'S-LET'S GROW IF WE NEED TO.
SO, IT'S REALLY THAT IDEA OF UNDERSTANDING THE INCREMENTAL GAIN AND-AND THEN PROCEED FROM THERE.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE STAFF WAS GONNA COME BACK AT THE BUDGET HEARINGS WITH THAT PROPOSAL.
DO YOU NEED ADDITIONAL DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD TODAY TO DO THAT? - YOU DON'T... NOT NECESSARILY.
I MEAN, THAT IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, CONCURRENCE FROM THE CAO'S OFFICE TO PUT THAT FORWARD TO YOU AS PART OF OUR SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST.
AND THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HIGHLIGHT IN THE BUDGET HEARINGS WHEN WE WALK THROUGH THE PROPOSED BUDGETS PLUS THE SUPPLEMENTALS.
AND LIKEWISE, THIS CONCEPT OF LIKE THE OMBUDSMAN, OR THE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT WAS A RECOMMENDATION.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GENERATED YEARS AGO.
UM, IT'S FEEDBACK THAT I'VE HEARD FROM CONSTITUENTS.
WHAT'S A TIMELINE WE MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? - IN TERMS OF THAT, I THINK THAT'S MORE IN THE CATEGORY OF THAT DEEPER EXAMINATION OF ORG STRUCTURE WITHIN THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER AND THE ASSOCIATED SECTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING ROLES.
AND I THINK IN ANY OF THIS, IT'S-IT'S WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE DAN, OUR NEW BUILDING, AND OUR NEW BUILDING, UM, UH, CHIEF BUILDING O-...
WHAT'S THE TITLE? - CHIEF BUILDING OFFICER, CBO.
UM, WE'RE-WE'RE THRILLED TO HAVE HIM BUT IT'S, THESE ARE NOT ONE PERSON SOLUTIONS, RIGHT? THESE ARE LARGER, HOW ARE TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER OR NOT WORKING TOGETHER? SO, WHAT I THINK WE WILL BE, WE WOULD BE RECOMMENDING IS, LET'S LOOK AT THAT AS, AND MAYBE THAT'S IN THE FRONT END OF OUR WORK PLAN.
AROUND HOW ARE THE ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT'S WORKING, WHAT ARE AUTHORITY BETWEEN THOSE? WHAT DO YOU HAPPEN WHEN THERE'S CONFLICT? AND THEN ROLL OUT THAT IDEA OF-OF AN OMBUDS PERSON.
UM, AND IS THAT A-A NEW ROLE OR IS THAT, DO WE DESIGNATE WITHIN THE EXISTING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE? UM, I JUST WANT TO BE VERY METHODICAL AROUND THAT'S THE SOLUTION VERSUS LET'S REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM A LITTLE BIT DEEPER THAN WHERE WE'VE GONE TODAY.
AND IT... I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A BOTH AND IT'S GONNA BE, YES, WE NEED THAT RESPONSIBILITY WELL ARTICULATED AND WHERE DOES IT SIT AND HOW DOES IT RESOLVE CONFLICT? AND THEN WE CAN ALSO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION.
UH, AND 'CAUSE THEN YOU GOT TO TRAIN OTHER PEOPLE. - MM-HMM.
- RIGHT? THEY GOT TO HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT AUTHORITY AS WELL.
SO I, THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD COME FORWARD AND AS- NOT DETERMINED IN THE WORK PLAN, BUT WITH A WORK PLAN TO GET THERE.
I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT PROGRESS ON THAT POINT SPECIFICALLY.
AND I ALSO NOW JUST WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UM, THE CZU RECOVERY PROCESS.
UM, I-I PULLED THE 4LEAF REPORT TO GO ON AFTER THIS ITEM BECAUSE I DO SEE THESE AS RELATED.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOUR REPORT DOES HAVE SOME KIND OF IN THE 60-DAY ACTION PLAN, SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO STREAMLINE, UM, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT, UM, YOU DID SOME INTERVIEWS WITH CZU VICTIMS AND KIND OF UNDERSTOOD THEIR EXPERIENCE.
[05:20:02]
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES, UM, SOME THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE PRE-CLEARANCE PROCESS, SOME THAT HAVEN'T SUBMITTED, SOME THAT FOR A WHOLE HOST OF REASONS WHETHER IT'S COSTS INSURANCE, SEPTIC, GEOLOGIC, LIKE HAVEN'T EVEN STEPPED FOOT IN OUR UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER YET.AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN THIS REALLY INCREDIBLE WORK TO IMPROVE THE PLANNING PROCESS AND THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT WORK EXTENDED TO INTEGRATE A MORE SPECIFIC FOCUS ON THE CZU PROCESS.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF LEARNING THAT CAN BE DONE IF WE DO FURTHER EXPLORATION WITH THEIR PARTICULAR EXPERIENCES AND, UM, I THINK WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, AS A BOARD MEMBER REPRESENTING MANY OF THOSE RESIDENTS, I AM EAGER TO PROPOSE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL, IT'S TOO LATE TO ACCELERATE, BUT WILL SUPPORT THEIR REBUILDING PROCESS.
AND I'M HOPING THAT SINCE WE HAVE EXPERTS AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, YOU MIGHT HELP TO ADVISE ON WHAT GUIDANCE COULD HELP TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS FOR THEM.
UM, AND SO WHEN IT COMES TIME TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL DIRECTION TO ENGAGE BAKER-BAKER TILLY TO DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED SCOPE OF WORK THAT WOULD PROVIDE GREATER ANALYSIS AND SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING CURRENT CZU REBUILDING PERMIT PROCESSES WITH THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING GREATER PRE-CLEARANCE AND PERMIT COMPLETIONS AND PRESENT OPTIONS TO THE BOARD AS A PART OF THE WORK PLAN THAT'S PRESENTED IN JUNE.
- SO, GIVEN THAT THIS IS A STUDY SESSION AND I'M GONNA TRY AND GET JASON'S EYE.
I THINK YOU CAN JUST PROVIDE THAT DIRECTION SINCE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ON A STUDY SESSION, BUT WE DO HAVE TWO...
- THIS IS... - OH, THAT'S RIGHT.
WE DO HAVE JUST TODAY TO COME BACK WITH A WORK PLAN.
- SO I CAN ADD IT TOO? - SO THAT'S-THAT'S FINE.
NEXT WE HAVE, UM, WE CAN HAVE SURPERVISOR KOENIG.
AND I WANNA THANK THE CAO'S OFFICE FOR COMMISSIONING THIS STUDY.
UM, AND THAT THE COMMITMENT THAT IT HAS DEMONSTRATED OVER, UH, THE LAST YEARS, OF COURSE, AS WELL AS THE-THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN, UH, IMPROVING HOW WE ISSUE PERMITS IN THIS COUNTY.
UH, I JUST WANNA THANK BAKER TILLY, OR I GUESS I SHOULD SAY PETE AND AL FOR, UH, ALL YOUR WORK DIVING INTO THIS ISSUE.
UM, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES THAT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONVERSATION THAT WE COULD BE HAVING, UH, RIGHT NOW BECAUSE REALLY ALL ISSUES LEAD BACK TO OUR HOUSING CRISIS.
WE HAVE, UH, IN FACT, A DIVISION, THE HOUSING FOR HEALTH DIVISION THAT BASICALLY REPRESENTS THIS CONCEPT THAT MANY OF, UH, THE HEALTH RELATED ISSUES WE SEE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE DUE TO A LACK OF HOUSING OR STRESS ABOUT KEEPING HOUSING.
UM, WE, UH, HAVE MANY, UH, ISSUES WITH HIRING AS WAS, UH, AS WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS REPORT, IN FACT, INCLUDING HIRING FOR THE, OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, BUT IT EXTENDS TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, OFFICERS, WHETHER THEY'RE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS OR DEPUTIES WHO ARE ON THE STREET OR, UH, OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UM, STAFF.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN VACANCIES AS HIGH 40% IN THE PAST AND IN THAT DIVISION AND-AND FOR MANY REASONS, UH, RELATED TO HOUSING AND HIGH, AND THE HIGH COST OF LIVING IN THIS AREA.
SO REALLY, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST URGENT CONVERSATION WE COULD BE HAVING.
UM, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE SOME PROGRESS TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, UH, I THINK THAT...
I-I AGREE WITH A LOT OF WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED BEFORE US AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE DONE TODAY, UM, THAN JUST KIND OF ADJOURN TO JUNE.
UM, THE REASON BEING, I MEAN, I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN SORT OF SITTING ON MY HANDS, UH, UNTIL THIS STUDY CAME OUT FOR, IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST YEAR.
I MEAN, AS, ALSO MY COLLEAGUES NOTED THE ELECTIONS ARE GREAT TIME FOR ENGAGING WITH CONSTITUENTS, HEARING WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT AND BELIEVE ME, IT IS ABSOLUTELY STILL, UH, HOW TO IMPROVE THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
AND SO I KNOW I CAME OUT OF LAST YEAR'S MARCH-MARCH PRIMARY, AND WHICH-WHICH I WON, REELECTION REALLY FIRED UP.
ABOUT IMPROVING THE-THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT UM, AND OUR PERMITTING PROCESS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WENT FORWARD AND COMMISSIONED THIS STUDY, UM, AND I WANNA GET SOME STUFF DONE NOW.
UM, A LOT OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE BAKER TILLY REPORT ECHO THINGS THAT I'VE CONSISTENTLY HEARD.
I THINK A FEW OF THEM, UH, REALLY CAPTURE IT.
UM, THE "CULTURE OF NO" THAT EXISTS IN THE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW, AND THE-THE SENSE OF ANTA-ANTAGONISM SOMETIMES BETWEEN APPLICANTS, UM, AND STAFF.
THIS IDEA OF MOVING THE GOALPOSTS THAT, UH, FOLKS ARE GETTING TO SOMETIMES THE FIFTH ROUND OF REVIEW AND STILL GETTING NEW COMMENTS AND THAT THOSE COMMENTS SOMETIMES ARE INCREDIBLY TRIVIAL.
I MEAN, LET ME JUST GIVE AN EXAMPLE.
UM, SOMEONE GOT A COMMENT THAT THEY NEEDED
[05:25:02]
TO PROVIDE THE SPEC SHEET, THE PRODUCT SPEC SHEET FOR THE TYPE OF INSULATION THAT THEY WERE GOING TO USE.UH, AND THAT THEY ALSO NEED TO CITE THAT ON THE PLANS THEMSELVES.
I MEAN, THIS IS WHILE SOMEONE IS APPLYING FOR A BUILDING PERMIT.
THEY'RE A YEAR OUT FROM ACTUALLY HAVING AN INSULATION CONTRACTOR WHO COULD SAY "WHAT EXACT TYPE OF INSULATION THEY'RE GOING TO USE." UM, AND THAT MIGHT CHANGE BASED ON WHO KNOWS THE, THE TARIFF ENVIRONMENT, UH, THAT WE'RE SEEING COMING OUT THE CURRENT, UM, ADMINISTRATION, OR-OR ANY NUMBER OF THINGS.
AND I JUST, I MEAN, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING IN CODE THAT SAYS WE ABSOLUTELY NEED IT, I MEAN, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT IT.
UM, IT SHOULD NOT BE SLOWING DOWN THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
UM, SO, UM, I'VE-I'VE ACTUALLY GOT A FAIRLY DETAILED SET OF, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I-I'D LIKE, UM, TO PRESENT TODAY.
AND, UM, HOPEFULLY MY COLLEAGUES WILL-WILL HUMOR ME ON THIS.
I-I THINK I HAVE BEEN STEWING IN THIS ISSUE LONGER, UH, THAN ANYONE ELSE.
AND OF COURSE, IT, UM, REALLY IMPACTS THE FIRST DISTRICT AND THAT, UH, WE'VE GOT THE MOST UNINCORPORATED RESIDENTS IN THE FIRST DISTRICT AND THEREFORE, UH, MOST FOLKS WHO-WHO WE'RE DEALING WITH OUR COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, AGAIN BEFORE I, BEFORE I JUMP INTO THESE, I DO WANNA THANK, UH, THE DEPARTMENT FOR SOME OF THE 30, 60, 90 DAY RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, SOME OF THESE DO REALLY GET AT, UH, THE CORE ISSUES THAT I'VE HEARD.
I MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, SAME DAY INTAKE-INTAKE FOR DISCRETIONARY PERMITS THAT-THAT'S FANTASTIC.
UH, I'M SO GLAD THAT WE'RE SIGNING UP FOR THIS.
IT-IT HAS BEEN A HUGE SORE POINT THAT FOLKS HAVE TO WAIT FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE 10-10 DAYS TO TWO WEEKS TO JUST TO SUBMIT PLANS, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION.
SO THIS IS, WE'LL GO, UH, A LONG WAY TOWARDS RESOLVING THAT FRUSTRATION.
UH, THE WALK-IN HOURS FOR THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER.
UM, THIS IS A FAIRLY, YOU KNOW, CAUTIOUS APPROACH WITH JUST AN HOUR-HOUR PER DAY.
BUT IT'S A, IT'S A HECK OF A LOT BETTER THAN NOTHING.
AND I THINK REALLY IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE INITIAL VISION FOR THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, WHICH IS, UM, TO HAVE THAT SORT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TO-TO BRING DOWN THE WALLS, BOTH BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS BETWEEN, UH, THE DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC.
AND SO THIS IS A, IT'S A GREAT START.
UM, AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT, UH, I ALSO THINK ARE FANTASTIC AT THE CONTINUED FACILITATED QUARTERLY STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, UH, I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING UM, ON-ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOTH FOR PUBLIC AND THE STAFF.
UM, AND, UM, TO HAVE THE, UM, CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FOLLOW-UP SURVEY ATTACHED TO THE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER.
UM, I JUST HAVE A-A FEW OTHER SUGGESTIONS WHICH I THINK, UM, WELL ACTUALLY, LET ME START WITH A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UM, SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ, YOU ADDRESSED ONE THAT I HAD AS WELL, WHICH WAS, UH, AROUND, WHY NOT HIRE TWO, UH, TWO PERMIT TECHS.
UM, AND I'LL JUST THROW OUT THE COMMENT THAT IF THERE WAS ONE THING THAT I'D BE PREPARED TO SPEND, UH, COUNTY BUDGET ON IT IS IN BEEFING UP, UH, OUR-OUR PERMIT REVIEW STAFF, BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A CORE ISSUE.
UM, I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THERE'S MORE THAN ONE PERMIT TECH PER APPLICATION.
AND I-I WOULD ACTUALLY LOVE A EXPLANATION, UM, FROM, UH, OUR-OUR, UH, DIRECTOR ON THIS IS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS AND IS THERE ANY ISSUE WITH JUST SAYING THAT WE'RE ONLY GONNA HAVE ONE PRINCIPAL PERMIT TECH PER APPLICATION? - HI, JOCELYN DRAKE AGAIN.
UM, I JUST WANNA ADDRESS THAT QUESTION BRIEFLY.
I THINK, UM, I CAN DO IT, BUT I CAN ALWAYS BRING UP BRIAN, OUR U-UPC MANAGER.
UM, A LOT OF IT IS JUST WHAT, WHICH... RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A LARGE VOLUME OF, UH, BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS COMING IN THROUGH THE PORTAL SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
UM, DEPENDING ON WHO THE STAFF IS AT THE TIME THAT, YOU KNOW, IS STAFFING THE INTAKE PORTAL, UM, THEY ARE REVIEWING THE APPLICATION SUBMITTAL AND IF IT'S THE SECOND, YOU KNOW, TIME IT'S SUBMITTED, SAY THERE WERE COMMENTS MADE BY THE PRIOR TECH, THEY'RE GONNA LOOK AT THOSE COMMENTS, UM, AND, UM, MOVE FROM THERE.
SOMETIMES THE FIRST ROUND OF SUBMITTAL COMMENTS CAN BE, YOU'RE MISSING THIS INFORMATION.
SECOND ROUND SUBMITTAL COMMENTS COULD BE, OKAY, NOW WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION, IT'S NOT FORMATTED CORRECTLY OR WHATEVER.
SO, SOMETIMES THEY DO LEGITIMATELY PIGGYBACK ON EACH OTHER.
UM, HOWEVER, IN SPEAKING WITH, UM, BRIAN, OUR UPC MANAGER, WE DO THINK THERE WOULD BE, UM, IT-IT-IT WOULD OPTIMIZE INTAKE PROCESS TO TRY AND ASSIGN THE, UM, TEXT TO THE, UM, TO THE SUBMITTALS FOR GREATER CONSISTENCY.
UM, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT DOING THAT.
UM, NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT A WAY TO IMPLEMENT THAT PROCESS CHANGE.
NOW, I DIDN'T INCLUDE IT IN THE EARLY WINS.
THE OTHER THING IS WE DO HAVE BRIAN, WHO IS OUR OMBUDSMAN, UM, HE'S OUR UPC MANAGER.
HE'S BEEN TAKEN OFF OF HIS DUTIES WHILE WE'VE HAD ALMOST A YEAR OF VACANCY WITH OUR CBO, BUT NOW HE'S ABLE TO FOCUS HIS ATTENTION ON MAKING SURE
[05:30:03]
THAT THESE COMMENTS ARE STREAMLINED AND WE HAVE CONSISTENT STAFFING ON INTAKE.SO I THINK, UM, WE ARE TACKLING THAT NOW.
I THINK YOU'LL SEE A MORE FOR-FORMALIZED RECOMMENDATION, UM, WHEN WE COME BACK IN JUNE, BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING AT, 'CAUSE WE-WE AGREE WITH THAT COMMENT.
UM, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND, WHY WE CAN'T JUST IMPLEMENT THAT NOW? I MEAN, WHEN A SECOND ROUND, UH, YOU KNOW, APPLICATION COMES IN AND WE CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT WAS, DAN SMART. WHO WAS THE PLANNER WHO GAVE THE FIRST ROUND OF COMMENTS, WHY CAN'T WE JUST APPLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE DAN SMART REVIEW FOR THE SECOND ROUND? - WELL, WE TRY AND, UM, GET THOSE APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE PORTAL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO IF DAN SMART'S WORKING THE COUNTER AND JANE DOE'S WORKING THE INTAKE, YOU KNOW, PORTAL THEN JANE CAN GET TO IT QUICKER, RIGHT? SO, WE REALLY JUST, WHOEVER'S STAFFING, UM, INTAKE PORTAL IS-IS GOING THROUGH THE INTAKES AS THEY'RE COMING IN.
AND LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, ATTEMPTING TO BE CONSISTENT, I THINK WE COULD DO A BETTER JOB WITH THAT.
BUT I DO THINK, UM, UM, WE-WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB AT ASSIGNING THE TEXTS AND, UM, I'LL BE WORKING WITH BRIAN AT LOOKING ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THAT.
WE HAVEN'T STARTED, UM, THAT WORK PROGRAM YET, BUT I THINK THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CURRENT SYSTEM.
UM, I JUST CAN'T, YOU KNOW, ARTICULATE IN DETAIL EXACTLY HOW WE'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH THAT AS SOMETHING THAT WE-WE JUST STARTED LOOKING AT AFTER THE BAKER TILLY REPORT CAME OUT.
UM, BUT WE ARE GONNA TACKLE IT, AND WE'LL HAVE A BETTER WORK PROGRAM I THINK THAT WE CAN OUTLINE, UM, IN THE JUNE REPORT BACK.
- OKAY. I MEAN, I-I HEAR YOU THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE-THE PRIMARY REASON THAT WE CAN'T DO IT IMMEDIATELY IS, UM, THAT MAYBE IT'S-IT'S FASTER TO A-ASSIGN IT TO-TO A DIFFERENT PLANNER TO-TO JANE DOE, AS YOU SAID.
UM, BUT I DON'T HEAR ANY TECHNICAL REASON WHY IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO DO IMMEDIATELY.
AND I MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT BOTH IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST THE FAMILIARITY WITH THE APPLICATION, WHICH IN ITSELF IS GONNA SAVE TIME BY ASSIGNING IT TO THE SAME PLANNER, UM, AS, UH, AS WELL AS ACCOUNTABILITY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT FOLKS FEEL A SENSE OF, UH, PRIDE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN TRYING TO HELP, UH, MOVE FOLKS THROUGH THE PROCESS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
- WELL, WE HAVE TWO PERMIT TECH VACANCIES RIGHT NOW, I'LL JUST SAY THAT. [CHUCKLES] SO, UM, THIS ISN'T THE BEST TIME TO, UM, LOOK AT REORGANIZING OUR STAFFING DUTIES.
I THINK ONCE WE'RE FULLY STAFFED, WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK ADDRESSING EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
UM, SO I THINK THAT, UM, AS WE FILL THOSE POSITIONS AND TRAIN WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF CONSISTENCY WITH, UM, ASSIGNING A, UM, CONSISTENT TECH.
I THINK PART OF THE ISSUE ALSO IS DEVELOPING BETTER GUIDELINES AS CAME OUT IN THE REPORT, AROUND WHAT WE'RE REVIEWING REVIEWING FOR AND MAKING SURE THERE'S CONSISTENCY THERE.
UM, SO I THINK THERE'S A FEW ISSUES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS OVERALL PROBLEM.
AND I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME WITH OUR UPC MANAGER IN IDENTIFYING WHAT THE BEST SOLUTION IS.
I DO THINK, THOUGH, CONSISTENT STAFF REVIEW, YOU KNOW, ASSIGNMENT IS PART OF THE SOLUTION BUT I THINK THERE ARE OTHER COMPONENTS TO THE SOLUTION AS WELL.
BUT RIGHT NOW, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE UNDERSTAFFED AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO KEEP BUSINESS MOVING AT THIS TIME.
BUT WE WILL BE EXPLORING, UM, THE IMPROVEMENTS AS I MENTIONED.
- [CROSSTALK] I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ONE THING THAT I THINK IS PROBABLY IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT HERE.
WHAT I'M HEARING FROM JOCELYN IS WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MOVE ON THAT RECOMMENDATION THAT IT'S, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S NOT, UH, INFEASIBLE, UM, AND IT'S MANAGING, IT'S MANAGING THAT CHANGE.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO... WE WOULD BE DOING THIS ANYWAY, BUT I WANNA SAY THE OBVIOUS, WE WILL REPORT BACK AT A MINIMUM AND IN ON THESE 30, 60, 90-DAY ACTIONS IN OUR JUNE REPORT.
SO, YOU'LL HEAR FROM THAT, AND VERY LIKELY YOU'LL BE HEARING ABOUT THAT BETWEEN NOW AND THEN AS WELL.
SO I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS THAT WE'LL BE ACCOUNTABLE.
SO, WHAT DID WE DO AND WHAT HAPPENED? AND-AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT.
SO, THIS IS THAT, THIS CONVERSATION CONTINUES AS WE COME BACK TO THIS TOPIC IN JUNE.
BUT I-I AM SURE, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, I KNOW YOU HAD SOME OTHER-OTHER - YEAH, WELL [CROSSTALK].
- RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WANTED US TO CONSIDER.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THAT THE PRIMARY CONCERN FROM SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS THE EXCESSIVE BUREAUCRACY, UM, YOU'LL FORGIVE ME FOR JUST BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, SLIGHTLY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT THE IDEA THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER STUDY SESSION IN 90 DAYS AND THEN, AND THEN WE'LL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
UM, SO ANYWAY, LET ME GET THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS I THINK WE CAN DO IMMEDIATELY, UH, AS WELL AS OTHER THINGS THAT WE COULD DO WITHIN 30 DAYS AND THEN AT THE, AT THE JUNE SESSION.
[05:35:01]
UM, THE FIRST IS I THINK THAT ALL INTAKE AND REVIEW COMMENTS MUST BE CITED IN CODE.WE... AND THIS SHOULD BE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
I MEAN, TH-THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WAS-WAS ECHOED THROUGHOUT THE REPORT.
UM, THE SECOND IS THAT I THINK WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ONE BITE AT THE APPLE APPROACH, AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN ONE ROUND OF REVIEW COMMENTS THAT WILL BE ISSUED FOR BUILDING PERMITS, UH, WITH THE EXCEPTION UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF COMMENTS IF THE APPLICANT HAS INADEQUATELY RESPONDED TO THE ORIGINAL COMMENTS.
AND I THINK THAT ADDRESSES, UH, THE CONCERN SHARED BY OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UM, MS. JOCELYN DRAKE, THAT-THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ENOUGH INFORMATION PROVIDED INITIALLY.
UM, AND I WOULD ALSO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN INTAKE COMMENTS AND REVIEW COMMENTS.
I MEAN, IF-IF WE HAVEN'T ACCEPTED AN APPLICATION, WE MIGHT BE ABLE, NEED TO PROVIDE MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF INTAKE COMMENTS, UH, IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR COMPLETE APPLICATION.
UM, BUT ONCE WE GET INTO ACCEPTING AN APPLICATION AS BEING COMPLETE, WE-WE CAN'T JUST BLEED INTO THESE 3, 4, 5, 6 ROUNDS OF REVIEW.
AND SO I THINK IT'S REALLY, THAT REALLY, THAT THIS DIRECTION HAS TO COME FROM THE BOARD, THAT THERE'S REALLY GONNA BE ONE ROUND OF PRIMARY COMMENTS AND THAT ANY SUBSEQUENT COMMENT ROUNDS WILL BE REALLY WORKING THROUGH RESOLVING THOSE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS MENTIONED THAT, UH, WE NEED AN OMBUDSMAN AND AS WAS ALSO JUST EXPLAINED, WE-WE CREATED THAT POSITION.
IT'S THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER MANAGER.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, UH, THIS BOARD SHOULD CLARIFY THAT THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER MANAGER, UM, AS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED, HAS THE ABILITY TO RESOLVE OTHER PLANNER'S COMMENTS.
UM, AND SO THAT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THE APPLICANT AND THE PLANNER ARE NOT, UM, THERE'S A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING THAT THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER MANAGER CAN COME IN, ACT AS AN, ACT AS AN OMBUDSMAN, AND, UH, ULTIMATELY RESOLVE THAT COMMENT IF IT'S APPROPRIATE.
UM, THE FOURTH THING, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ASSIGN ONE PRINCIPAL PERMIT TECH PER BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION.
I MEAN, WHY DOES THIS NEED TO TAKE TILL JUNE? I HAVE NOT HEARD A SINGLE GOOD REASON.
FRANKLY, THIS SOUNDS A LITTLE BIT TO ME, LIKE THE CULTURE OF NO, IT SAYS WHO THE CURRENT PERMIT TECH IS IN THE APPLICATION JUST ASSIGN IT TO THE SAME PERSON.
UM, I DO WANNA SEE A CUSTOM FEEDBACK SURVEY.
IT'S GREAT IF YOU WANNA ATTACH IT TO THE, UH, UM, APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER BUT I THINK ULTIMATELY THE MOST IMPORTANT FEEDBACK SURVEY IS GONNA BE WHEN THE PERMIT IS ISSUED.
I COULD GO IN AND HAVE A GREAT CONSULTATION WITH SOMEONE THROUGH AN APPOINTMENT, COME AWAY FEELING POSITIVE, AND THEN BE SLOGGED THROUGH NINE MORE MONTHS AND FIVE MORE ROUNDS OF COMMENTS.
WE ABSOLUTELY NEED THE FEEDBACK SURVEY WHEN THE PERMIT IS ISSUED AT THE END OF THE PR-PROCESS AND THAT-THAT SHOULD INCLUDE FEEDBACK FOR THE PRINCIPAL PERMIT TECH, SO THAT WE GET TO THE FACTOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY, WHICH STAFF SEEMS TO HAVE HIGHLIGHTED AS AN ISSUE TOO.
THE-THE DIFFERENCE IN-IN, UM, THE AMOUNT OF WORK BEING DONE BETWEEN STAFF MEMBERS.
AND SO I THINK THIS WILL ACTUALLY HELP, UH, TO RESOLVE THAT ISSUE AND BUILD, UH, FOLKS PRIDE IN THEIR WORK.
UM, AS A SIXTH ITEM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED IN THE 25-26 DRAFT BUDGET AN OPTION TO HIRE TWO BUILDING PERMIT TECHS.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO HIRE THE ONE FIRST BUT, UM, I-I WANNA SEE AN OPTION TO HIRE TWO.
UH, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE I'D, I... IS THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO SPEND MONEY ON GIVEN THAT HOUSING IS-IS THE ROOT OF REALLY ALL THE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH.
UM, SEVEN, I THINK THAT WE NEED, UH, THIS COULD BE AT THE JUNE 2025 WORK PLAN.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A SINGLE PUBLIC-FACING DASHBOARD THAT MEASURES PERFORMANCE AND, UH, THAT, THAT SHOULD INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS OR COMMENT ROUNDS PER PERMIT ISSUED.
YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, IF... PART OF OUR OPERATIONAL PLAN, THERE IS A PERMIT DASHBOARD THAT SHOWS HOW LONG, UH, IT'S TAKING TO ISSUE PERMITS.
I COULD, UH, DEMONSTRATE THIS WITH, UH, I THINK IT'S LIKE THREE OR FOUR CLICKS TO ACTUALLY GET TO A RELEVANT VIEW.
UH, I'M LOOKING AT MEDIAN PERMIT APPROVAL TIME OVER THE PAST 24 MONTHS FOR ADUS.
UM, IT KIND OF WHIPSAWS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SOMETIMES IT'S AROUND, UH, WHAT, 285 DAYS AS OF JULY 2024.
UM, AND THEN IT GOES DOWN TO 177 DAYS IN AUGUST '24, BACK UP TO 297 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER OF '24.
UH, AND NOW WE'RE DOWN AROUND 140 DAYS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I DISCUSSED THIS WITH PLANNING STAFF, IT SEEMED LIKE, "OH, WELL THAT'S NOT RIGHT, REALLY THE RIGHT WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS." UM, OKAY, FINE.
LOOK, WE NEED TO HAVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CAO STAFF, PLANNING STAFF ON WHAT THE RIGHT WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS ARE AND REFRESH THIS PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD SO THAT IT'S MORE ACCEPTABLE AND IT'S PRESENTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION.
UM, AND FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED IN THE JUNE WORK PLAN OPTIONS TO ESTABLISH A SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
THIS IS BASICALLY THE IDEA THAT, UH, THE ARCHITECTS, THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS WHO PUT THEIR STAMPS ON THE PLANS, UH, THAT ARE SUBMITTED FOR PERMITS, THEY'RE PUTTING THE PROFESSIONAL, UH, CERTIFICATIONS ON THE LINE
[05:40:02]
AND THEY SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO, UM, SELF-CERTIFY, START BUILDING, AND, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED WITH THAT.THERE COULD BE PROBLEMS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE FINAL PLAN SET OR-OR WHEN THE, ONCE THE CONSTRUCTION IS ACTUALLY DONE AND THE, UM, BUILDING INSPECTOR GOES OUT TO THE FIELD.
AND THAT COULD BE VERY COSTLY.
UM, BUT NEVERTHELESS, UM, WE HAVE SEEN IT, UM, IMPLEMENTED IN A NUMBER OF JURISDICTIONS ACROSS THE STATE.
UM, AND I THINK IN PARTICULAR, IT COULD BE USEFUL WHEN PEOPLE ARE RE-REBUILDING THEIR OWN HOMES.
OR-OR I SHOULD SAY WHEN AN, WHEN AN ARCHITECT IS-IS TRYING TO BUILD THEIR OWN HOMES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY- THEY-THEY KNOW THERE'S NOT THE RISK OF BEING SUED, OR WHEN PEOPLE ARE REBUILDING AFTER DISASTER, AND THEY'RE- THEY'RE REBUILDING TO THE SAME PLANS, UH, AS THEIR OLD HOME.
SO, UM, UM, AND I'VE PUT OUT A LOT ON THE TABLE.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS ANY ONE OF THOSE ELEMENTS, BUT, UM, I, AND I'M HAPPY TO FORM THAT INTO A MOTION, UH, WHEN THE TIME COMES.
- OKAY. I'LL COME BACK TO YOU A LITTLE LATER.
UM, SO I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE CAO'S OFFICE, UH, ALL THEIR STAFF AND THE FOLKS AT BAKER TILLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD THIS WHOLE THING ABOUT THE "CULTURE OF NO" EVEN WHEN I WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN SANTA CRUZ.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE, FOR ME, THAT'S THE BROADER, UH, KIND OF ISSUE WE HAVE TO RESOLVE, UH, THE CULTURE, THE PROCESSES.
UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN CALLS JUST IN THIS YEAR OF ABOUT ADUS, UH, IN MY DISTRICT, GARAGES, FENCES, AND IT'S ABOUT MOSTLY WITH CONSISTENCY ISSUES AND MOVING THE GOALPOSTS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT FOR ME, I, THE BROADER PICTURE IS WHAT I'M LOOKING AT.
UH, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO NEW SYSTEMS, UH, BEST PRACTICES TO ADDRESS SQUARELY THIS "CULTURE OF NO" THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL LOOK TO MY, UH, FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS FOR A MOTION.
YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE, UH, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, I'LL LET YOU TAKE THAT ON.
- OKAY. WELL, I WILL MOVE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION THAT, ONE, ALL INTAKE AND REVIEW COMMENTS MUST BE CITED IN CODE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
TWO, THAT NO MORE THAN ONE ROUND OF REVIEW COMMENTS, AS IT'S FROM INTAKE COMMENTS, WILL BE ISSUED FOR BUILDING PERMITS.
WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF COMMENTS IF THE APPLICANT HAS INADEQUATELY RESPONDED TO THE ORIGINAL COMMENTS, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
THREE, CLARIFY THAT THE ROLE OF THE UNIFIED PERMIT CENTER MANAGER, AS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED, HAS THE ABILITY TO RESOLVE OTHER PLANNERS-PLANNERS COMMENTS.
FOUR, ASSIGN ONE PRINCIPAL PER-, UH, ALSO EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
FOUR, ASSIGN ONE PRINCIPAL PERMIT TECH FOR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION, EFFECTIVE WITHIN 30 DAYS.
FIVE, INCLUDE A CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SURVEY WHEN THE PERMIT IS ISSUED, INCLUDING FEEDBACK ON THE PRINCIPAL PERMIT TECH WITHIN 30 DAYS.
SIX, INCLUDE THE '25-, INCLUDE WITHIN THE '25-'26 DRAFT BUDGET AN OPTION TO HIRE TWO BUILDING PERMIT TECHS.
THAT WOULD BE IN APRIL, OBVIOUSLY.
UH, SEVEN, TO PRESENT A SINGLE PUBLIC-FACING DASHBOARD, UH, TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE.
THAT INCLUDES THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS OR COMMENT ROUNDS PER PERMIT ISSUED THAT WILL BE LIVE WHEN THE JUNE 2025 WORK PLAN IS PRESENTED.
AND EIGHT, INCLUDE IN THE JUNE WORK PLAN OPTIONS TO ESTABLISH A SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, UH, INCLUDING IN THE WAKE OF DISASTERS BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER CALIFORNIA JURISDICTIONS.
- UM, MOTION AND, UM, A SECOND.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF THE MAKER OF THE MOTION WOULD BE WILLING TO ADD MY ADDITIONAL DIRECTION AROUND THE CZU RECOVERY PIECE.
I-I DID, UH, LIKE WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY THERE.
IF YOU COULD JUST RESTATE THAT FOR, UM, FOR THE COUNTY CLERK.
I THINK IT WAS TO BASICALLY TO ENGAGE BAKER TILLY IN LOOKING AT OPTIONS. - YES.
UM, TO ENGAGE WITH BAKER TILLY TO DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED SCOPE OF WORK THAT WOULD PROVIDE GREATER ANALYSIS AND SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING CURRENT CZU REBUILDING PERMIT PROCESSES, WITH THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING GREATER PRE-CLEARANCE AND PERMIT COMPLETIONS, AND PRESENT OPTIONS TO THE BOARD AS PART OF THE WORK PLAN PRESENTED IN JUNE.
AND CAN I ALSO, WHILE I HAVE THE FLOOR, JUST ASK A QUESTION? - OKAY.
- UM, WELL, LET ME START BY SAYING, UM, I APPRECIATE THE MOTION AND I...
WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT THE MOTION IS JUST THIS KIND OF LIKE BOLD INITIATIVE TO ACHIEVE RESULTS AND TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
[05:45:01]
UM, I-I APPRECIATE THAT.I THINK ALSO IT'S-IT'S OUR JOB AS-AS POLICY MAKERS JUST TO UNDERSTAND FEASIBILITY AND, YOU KNOW, PASS GOOD POLICY.
UM, AND SO I JUST WOULD LOVE IF-IF, UM, DIRECTOR MACHADO WOULD LIKE TO COME UP, OR-OR JOCELYN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND JUST SHARE YOUR-YOUR REFLECTIONS ON THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE FLOOR, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM GIVEN THE MOTION.
- THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THESE, SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS ONGOING FOR SOME TIME, AND, UH, WE ABSOLUTELY APPRECIATE THE-THE DIRECTION.
I THINK, UH, SOME OF THESE ITEMS ARE DEFINITELY GONNA BE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FROM A STAFFING PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE ONE PERMIT TECH, IF WE'RE DOWN TWO TECHS.
I THINK THAT COULD REALLY PUT A- A SLOW DOWN IN THE WHOLE PROCESS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE-WE'RE GONNA STRIVE TO FOLLOW YOUR DIRECTION BUT WE MAY HAVE TO COME BACK AND EXPLAIN WHAT, YOU KNOW, THAT-THAT MIGHT BE A REAL PROBLEM.
I MEAN, IF THERE'S JUST ONLY TWO TECHS DOING, YOU KNOW, I THINK TODAY WE'RE AT 160 APPLICATIONS, I MEAN, THAT MIGHT BE, THAT MIGHT PUT SOME-SOME APPLICATIONS IN REAL, UM, JEOPARDY.
I THINK THE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE OTHER IDEAS ARE, THEY'RE REALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOOD IDEAS AND SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
BUT I'LL GIVE, I'LL USE ONE AS AN EXAMPLE.
THE SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
WE'VE LOOKED AT OTHER, UM, AGENCIES THAT HAVE DONE THIS AND THEY HAVE SELF-CERTIFICATION TEAMS TO TRAIN APPLICANTS.
YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE TO GET ON A LIST TO BE ABLE TO SELF-CERTIFY.
THAT MAKES GOOD SENSE, RIGHT? FOLLOW A PROCESS, BE SELF-CERTIFIED, AND THEN YOU CAN SELF-CERTIFY YOUR OWN PLANS.
IT MAY FOLLOW THAT, YOU SHOULD SELF-CERTIFY YOUR INSPECTIONS TOO.
SO, THERE'S SOME INTERESTING WRINKLES WITH THAT.
I JUST THINK THE TIMELINE MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE FOR US, BUT I MEAN, I THINK WITH YOUR DIRECTION, WE'LL JUMP INTO IT, OF COURSE.
YEAH, I MEAN I THINK THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT REALLY STAND OUT TO ME.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE APPRECIATE DIRECTION AND WE'LL WORK ON IT.
AND IF WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM, THEN WE'LL COME RIGHT BACK TO THE BOARD IMMEDIATELY AND EXPLAIN WHY SOMETHING CAN'T HAPPEN.
WE'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT 160 APPLICATIONS IN PLAY, WE'VE GOT TWO PERMIT TECHS, AND MAYBE TO SEPARATE THEM INTO JUST TWO PILES, IT MAYBE DIFFICULT. I DON'T KNOW.
LET-LET-LET US DIGEST IT AND COME BACK TO SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
LET US DIGEST IT, WE'VE READ ABOUT IT, WE'VE SEEN IT, BUT THE IMPLEMENTATION MAY MEAN WE HAVE TO ADD SOME STAFF FOR TRAINING PURPOSES.
AND SO THERE MAY BE SOME DIFFICULTIES BUT WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO YOU.
- IF I COULD, COULD I ADD TO STAFF'S REACTION TO-TO THE MOTION? I WANNA CONCUR WITH DIRECTOR MACHADO AROUND HAVING CLARITY OF EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS BOARD AROUND STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE IS VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO DEVELOP A WORK PROGRAM.
AND TO MATT'S POINT, GETTING TO THAT STANDARD OF PERFORMANCE WILL TAKE TIME.
AND I APPRECIATE AGGRESSIVE TIMELINES AND OUR JOB IS TO THEN DETERMINE WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THERE.
AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH IN TERMS OF WHAT IT WILL TAKE.
AND IT MAY TAKE LONGER GIVEN THE KIND OF TRAINING AND STAFFING UP THAT WE NEED TO DO.
SO, I THINK IT FROM FOR OUR PURPOSES OF DEVELOPING A WORK PLAN HAVING CRYSTAL CLARITY OF WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO STRIVE FOR REALLY MAKES US SHARPEN OUR PENCILS AND GET CLEAR ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE.
SO, THAT, I WANT TO CONCUR WITH MATT, BUT ALSO APPRECIATE THE SPECIFICITY ALLOWS US TO BE MUCH MORE FOCUSED IN WHAT WE'RE STRIVING FOR, NOT JUST DO BETTER BUT DO BETTER AS MEASURED BY X.
AND-AND THAT I, SO I SEE IT AS SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP US, UM, SHARPEN THE WORK PLAN DEVELOPMENT.
YOU KNOW, I-I THINK THAT IT'S, UH, DEFINITELY THERE'S A, IT'S AN AGGRESSIVE SET OF, UH, UH, BOARD DIRECTION THAT WE HAVE, BUT I THINK THAT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO HAVE TO HAVE THE STAFFING LEVELS TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, AND FIND THE BEST PRACTICES TO DO THIS, AND THEN SET UP, SORT OF THE SETTING UP THOSE OPERATING SYSTEMS IN PLACE AS WELL.
AND ALL THAT, YOU-YOU CAN'T DO IN 30 DAYS OR, YOU KNOW, SO I KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT TOO BUT I THINK THAT IT GIVES A DIRECTION AS TO WHERE WE WANNA BE.
- YEAH, REAL QUICK, I WANNA APPRECIATE, UM, THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE FLOOR.
I HAVE SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS WITH IT, SO I, I CAN'T SUPPORT IT JUST BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT I-I DO THINK THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO PROVIDE OUR PRIORITIES TO THE STAFF.
[05:50:02]
UM, AND AS IT RELATES TO, YOU KNOW THESE, THIS WORK PROGRAM AS A WHOLE.AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT GO TO STAFF.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF SAYING WE'RE GONNA MEET, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY WE'RE GONNA DO X, Y, AND Z, UM, I JUST HAVE SOME CONCERN WITH OUR ABILITY TO BE EFFECTIVE AND TRYING TO MEET ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, OBJECTIVES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REACH HERE.
SO, UM, JUST FROM HEARING THE CONVERSATION, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S, YOU KNOW DESIRE TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION, AND SO, MY NO VOTE IS NOT GOING TO BE BECAUSE I'M OPPOSED TO ALL THIS.
IT REALLY IS AROUND THE TIMING.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CAN WE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THIS, RIGHT? BECAUSE, UM, WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO HERE IS SET OURSELVES UP FOR SUCCESS.
AND SINCE THERE HASN'T REALLY BEEN ANY BACK AND FORTH ON HOW CAN WE IMPLEMENT THESE THINGS ALONG WITH OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BROUGHT FORWARD BY BAKER TILLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST CONCERNED WITH OUR ABILITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IN TRYING TO IMPLEMENT ALL OF THE VARIOUS THINGS WE WANT TO DO.
AND SO, I'LL LEAVE MY COMMENTS THERE.
- UM, YOU KNOW, TO, JUST TO ILLUSTRATE THE FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNITY, I THINK STORIES ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF THEM, UM, BOTH FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL BUT ALSO, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE, I GET ABOUT 60 EMAIL A DAY PROBABLY THREE FOURTHS OF THEM ARE ACTION ITEMS WITH PEOPLE'S COMPLAINT ABOUT X, Y, AND Z, MANY OF THEM, UH, ON THIS PROCESS.
BUT, UH, UH, ONE OF THE MOST HEARTBREAKING STORIES I HEARD ACTUALLY CAME FROM FIFTH DISTRICT.
AND I, MONICA, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE THE STORY ABOUT THE GENTLEMAN WHO'S A CZU FIRE SURVIVOR.
- AND THIS GOES TO JUST CRITICAL THINKING.
LIKE WHAT WE NEED IS PEOPLE TO DO SOME CRITICAL THINKING AND NOT MAKE THESE TYPES OF MISTAKES.
SO, I-I WOULD ACTUALLY LOVE IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT STORY.
- UM, THANK YOU, [CHUCKLES] SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
UH, MAYBE JUST THE-THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE STORY HAS TO DO WITH SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN NAVIGATING THE PROCESS FOR SEVERAL YEARS, A LOT OF BACK AND FORTHS BETWEEN 4LEAF AND OUR DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, DIDN'T RECEIVE AN IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION FROM THE COUNTY BECAUSE IT GOT EMAILED TO THE BURNED MAILING ADDRESS, EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF TRYING TO REBUILD.
AND SO I THINK THE MESSAGE IN THAT WAS JUST, THERE'S-THERE'S VERY SMALL THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE.
AND, UM, THE MESSAGE THAT THAT SENDS TO PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN REALLY STRUGGLING TO REBUILD WAS JUST A-A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AND COMPASSION AND JUST, UM, CRITICAL THINKING AROUND COMMUNICATION.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO, THE MESSAGE YOU'RE TRYING TO DELIVER.
I-I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE INTENT OF THE DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEE IMPROVEMENT.
AND SO TODAY, WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO ME IS GETTING US THERE AND PASSING POLICY THAT WILL GET US THERE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT MAY EVEN BE HELPFUL TO HEAR FROM THE CONSULTANTS WHO SPENT MONTHS TALKING TO THE STAFF, THE LEADERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT YOUR REFLECTIONS ON THE, UM, MOTION ON THE FLOOR AND WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.
UM, AND ALSO, KIM, I DIDN'T...
OH SORRY, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA, I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE OVER YOUR TIME. [CHUCKLES] THAT WAS JUST ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD.
- I-I THINK, UM, I'M-I'M PROBABLY GONNA ECHO 99% OF WHAT, UM, - YEAH. - ELISSA HAS SAID IS I THINK THE, THERE'S NOTHING MORE APPRECIATED FROM GETTING FROM A BOARD THAN HAVING A MEASURABLE POLICY DIRECTION THAT SETS A STANDARD.
I THINK THAT WHAT, UM, WHAT IS VERY IMPORTANT IS FOR STAFF TO TAKE THAT, AND FOCUS ON IT AND FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND THEN BRING IT BACK SO THAT, YOU...
SO-SO THAT THE EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU HAVE ARE IMPLEMENTABLE BY THE TEAM.
ALL OF THE TIMEFRAMES THAT, UH, SUPERVISOR KOENIG CONVEYED, YOU'RE ALL FEELING, AND EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY IS FEELING AND THAT-THAT'S FRUSTRATED.
AND SO, AND I-I KNOW STAFF IS VERY AWARE OF THAT FROM OUR INTERVIEWS.
UM, SO IT'S HOW TO TAKE YOUR GOOD POLICY AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.
UM, AND I THINK THE-THE WISDOM OF THE TEAM, UM, CAN DO THAT.
- SO, THANK YOU, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WE STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS OR NOT BUT I THINK FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, UH, I'M GONNA LOOK TO MY, UH, COLLEAGUE, UM,
[05:55:02]
SUPERVISOR KOENIG, UH, TO, UM, GIVE US A MOTION.BUT I JUST WANNA SAY TO STAFF TOO, THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST SIMPLY THE GOALPOST THAT WE WANNA BE AT BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE AT THE SEVEN-YARD LINE AND WE NEED ANOTHER 40 YARDS TO GET THERE, TO GET TO THAT GOAL LINE.
SO, I'M SORRY FOR THE FOOTBALL ANALOGY.
OKAY, SO IF WE CAN, UM, MOVE IT ALONG THEN, OR-OR WE'LL BE HERE ALL DAY.
MOTION PASSES, UH, WITH ONE NO VOTE FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
READY? NEXT WE HAVE ITEM, UH, 12.1, UH, THE FORMERLY NUMBER 57 ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
- WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS ONE REALLY QUICK.
I PULLED THIS ITEM BECAUSE IT IS SO CLEARLY CONNECTED TO THE REPORT THAT WE JUST RECEIVED.
UM, AS I MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS COMMENT, YOU KNOW, I-I DEFINITELY SEE THE CONNECTION TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THOSE, UM, RECOVERING FROM THE CZU FIRE, AND THE FINDINGS OF THE BAKER TILLY REPORT.
UM, AND I'M GLAD THAT THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION WAS JUST PASSED.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ADDING THAT TO YOUR MOTION, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, UM, BECAUSE MY OVERALL INTENT WAS TO, UM, ONE, CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THESE TYPE OF REPORTS, UM, AS FAR AS THE-THE 4LEAF, UM, TRANSITION, BUT ALSO TO HAVE THE PROCESS MORE INTEG-INTEGRATED INTO THE BAKER TILLY WORK PLAN.
UM, I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR STAFF THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER.
ONE IS THAT THERE WAS A-A COMMENT ABOUT A FEW MINOR OPERATIONAL ISSUES THAT AROSE IN THE TRANSITION.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THOSE ARE, OR WHAT THAT MIGHT'VE LOOKED LIKE? - GOOD AFTERNOON, JOCELYN DRAKE AGAIN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE UPC.
UM, YEAH, I ACTUALLY ALLUDED TO ONE OF THE OPERATIONAL ISSUES WE HAD, UM, IN MY PRIOR REPORT, WHICH IS THAT, UM, THE, UM, INTAKE AND REVIEW, UM, MODULE THAT WAS SET UP FOR, UM, FOR THE CZU PERMITS, UM, BY, UM, BY 4LEAF, UM, WAS NOT, IS NOT EXACTLY ALIGNED WITH OUR CURRENT BUILDING PERMIT MODULE.
AND-AND THE-THE WAY THAT THEY WERE DOING IS VERY LABOR INTENSIVE.
SO, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT I MENTIONED TO STREAMLINE THE INTAKE PROCEDURES TO BE MORE CONSISTENT WITH HOW WE PROCESS ALL OF OUR OTHER APPLICATIONS.
SO, THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE THAT WE HAD.
UM, AND I THINK WE'RE WE'RE ABOUT 80% THERE IN IMPLEMENTING THE CHANGES WE NEED TO OUR PERMIT SOFTWARE SYSTEM TO ALIGN WITH OUR-OUR BUILDING PERMIT PROCEDURES.
IT MAKES SENSE TOO, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE APPLYING FOR THE CZU REBUILDS ARE THE SAME APPLICANTS THAT ARE USED TO WORKING WITH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM.
SO, THE FEEDBACK WE'VE GOTTEN IS-IS ACTUALLY NICE THAT WE'RE MAKING THESE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, SO THAT I THINK THOSE, THAT'S THE KEY OPERATIONAL ISSUE THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS JUST KIND OF THE-THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW WE, YOU KNOW, DO THE INTAKES.
- UM, ANOTHER PIECE OF FEEDBACK THAT I'VE BEEN RECEIVING SINCE THE TRANSITION FROM 4LEAF IS THAT WHEN FOLKS HAD, MAYBE NOT A WHOLE SUBMITTAL, BUT LIKE JUST A MINOR QUESTIONS BEFORE A SUBMITTAL OR, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A, YOU KNOW, TAKE, IT COULD TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS TO GET A RESPONSE WHEN 4LEAF WAS WORKING WITH THEM.
BUT WHEN THAT TRANSITION HAPPENED NOW IT'S TAKING MORE LIKE 10 TO 14 DAYS TO GET A RESPONSE JUST TO A VERY MINOR QUESTION.
UM, AND SO THE REQUEST WAS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE ACCELERATE JUST DIALOGUE BACK AND FORTH COMMENTS, UM, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE IN THE CZU REBUILD PROCESS? DO YOU HAVE A SENSE THAT THE DIRECTION THAT PASSED IN THE PREVIOUS ITEM WOULD HELP THAT? DO YOU SEE ANY WAY TO TRIAGE QUESTIONS FROM CZU REBUILD TO ALLOW THEM TO HAVE THE SERVICE THAT THEY LEARNED TO EXPECT FROM 4LEAF OR ANY-ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? - UM, YES, I-I SEE BRIAN STEPPING UP HERE.
I THINK WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF TRIAGING THOSE INQUIRIES AND, UM, AND BRIAN MIGHT HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON THAT.
I WILL NOTE THAT OUR APPOINTMENTS, WE HAVE DEDICATED APPOINTMENTS FOR CZU FIRE VICTIMS AND OUR APPOINTMENT, UH, VOLUME HAS BEEN VERY LOW
[06:00:03]
AND YOU CAN A SCHEDULE A PHONE APPOINTMENT.UM, SO, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THEY'RE USUALLY SAME DAY, YOU KNOW, AVAILABILITY.
SO, I THINK THAT PART OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, UM, WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THESE APPOINTMENTS MAYBE SO THAT PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING WITH US, UM, IN THAT WAY.
BUT, UM, I WILL DEFER TO BRIAN.
I THINK THAT, UH, WE COULD DO A BETTER JOB THOUGH, PROBABLY AT TRIAGING SOME OF THOSE INQUIRIES, BUT I'LL HAVE BRIAN, UM, RESPOND.
HE IS OUR UPC MANAGER, BRIAN RUBIN.
- HI THERE, BRIAN RUBIN, UPC MANAGER.
UM, AS JOCELYN MENTIONED EARLIER WE ARE DOWN TO PERMIT TECHS RIGHT NOW, SO THAT'S PUTTING KIND OF A STRAIN ON OUR PROCESSING IN ADDITION TO ALL THE E-PLANS AND STUFF.
BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE OUR INBOX AND WE ARE MAINTAINING THAT.
SO, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE 10-DAY TURNAROUND WAS.
WE'VE BEEN RESPONDING WITHIN AT LEAST 24 TO 48 HOURS.
AND, UM, AS JOCELYN MENTIONED, WE ALSO DO HAVE OUR APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE WHICH HAS SOME EMPTY SLOTS ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO, UM, I THINK GETTING THE WORD OUT, GETTING SOME MORE MESSAGING.
WE DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT MAYBE MORE INFORMATION OUT IN THE PUBLIC WOULD BE HELPFUL.
- I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU.
- UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY QUESTIONS.
UM, AND SO I'D BE HAPPY TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTION.
- I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION THOUGH.
UM, BRIAN, DO YOU MIND STEPPING BACK UP? SO, IN THE, AND-AND I CAN'T...
I-I THINK I SAW THIS IN A BRIEFING, UH, WITH THE CAO, BUT THE 30, 60, 90-DAY PLAN TO IMPLEMENT RIGHT AWAY, IT INCLUDED SOME OFFICE HOURS BETWEEN 8:00 AND 9:00 IS THAT CORRECT? - THAT'S CORRECT.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE PEOPLE WORK FOUR TENS IN THIS DEPARTMENT SO THAT THEY'RE THERE AT 7:00 TO WHAT-WHATEVER? UM, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE MORE COVERAGE BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WANT TO GET OUT TO JOB SITES RIGHT AWAY.
AND SO, IF THEY COULD COME IN FROM LIKE 7:00 TO 9:00, I THINK THAT WOULD BE MUCH MORE HELPFUL, BUT I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THE NEED ISN'T THERE AFTER YOU-YOU...
- I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S A DECISION FOR ME, BUT I THINK THAT IS POSSIBLE.
WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO PERMITS, NOT JUST LIKE MEETING AT THE COUNTER, WE DO HAVE THE FISCAL STAFF THAT ALSO NEED TO PAY AND, OR LIKE TO RECEIVE PAYMENTS.
SO, IT-IT TRICKLES INTO A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIVISIONS.
DO YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? - SURE.
I'LL JUST COMMENT ON THE, UH, IDEA OF FOUR TENS IS A GOOD ONE.
UH, BUT LET US CHECK WITH PERSONNEL.
I KNOW WE HAVE LABOR CONTRACTS THAT MAY DEFINE SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF THOSE WORK CONDITIONS.
- YEAH, AND MAYBE IF SOMEBODY'S HOURS COULD BE SEVEN, FOUR, OR, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DO IT. - RIGHT, UH, STAGGERING.
- BUT I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE FOR PEOPLE TO BE IN THE OFFICE A GOOD BLOCK OF TIME, ACTUALLY, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
- IS YOUR THINKING THAT THERE'D BE MORE APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY? IS THAT... OKAY AND...
- AND I THINK WHAT I HEARD WAS WE HAVE, WE HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT AVAILABILITY.
SO, I'M NOT SURE WHAT WOULD THIS ROLE.
- WELL I DON'T... - I DON'T KNOW.
- MAYBE THERE'S A DIFFERENT GOAL HERE.
IF MAYBE WE COULD OFFLINE AND TALK ABOUT WHAT THE GOAL OF THAT WOULD BE.
I THINK WE HAVE ADEQUATE APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY THAT PEOPLE AREN'T USING.
SO, MAYBE IT'S MORE THE EDUCATION PIECE, TELLING PEOPLE, LOOK, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT GETTING AN ANSWER, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY AT TWO O'CLOCK, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT, WHATEVER IT IS.
BUT IF YOU FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING MORE TO IT, THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT A STAGGERED WORK SCHEDULE.
WE CAN CERTAINLY GET TO... - OKAY.
- ...WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS. - I'M JUST LOOKING FOR BETTER ACCESS, THAT'S ALL.
- YEAH, I KNOW, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
AND I THINK EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATING OUT THAT WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR, YOU KNOW, ALMOST ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.
UM, AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE BRIAN AND I BOTH GET THE SAME KIND OF MAGNITUDE OF EMAILS AND-AND I'D SAY WE'RE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF RESPONSE TO THOSE TOO.
SO, MAYBE WE COULD PICK OFF SOME OF THESE EXAMPLES AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE IS, SO THAT WE COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION TO WHATEVER THAT ROOT CAUSE IS.
- YEAH, I WOULD JUST STATE THAT FOR SOME FOLKS, GIVEN JUST THE HISTORY AND PERHAPS THE LACK OF TRUST WITH THE DEPARTMENT GETTING A RESPONSE IN AN EMAIL IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEN THERE'S A PAPER TRAIL. - RIGHT.
RIGHT. - AND SO, THAT'S WHERE APPOINTMENTS ARE LESS DESIRABLE.
- YEAH. - UM, AND SO I THINK, THAT'S THE FEEDBACK I'M PASSING ALONG.
- YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT COMMENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AFTER A CONVERSATION, IF SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO BE REALLY SURE, I SAY, WELL, I CAN EMAIL YOU, YOU CAN EMAIL ME AND WE CAN FOLLOW UP.
- OKAY. - AND THEN IT'S A REALLY QUICK EMAIL BECAUSE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IT.
AND THEN SEE I CONFIRMED OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS.
I THINK THERE'S A COMBINATION THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
- OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, BUT WE DIDN'T DO, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.
THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WE PULLED OUT.
AND SO THE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM CONSENT DOESN'T APPLY TO THIS.
DO WE HAVE ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS US ON THIS ITEM? - I AM A CZU VICTIM AND I APPRECIATE SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ ASKING FOR A PUSH FOR THE PRIORITY THAT YOU TAKE A LOOK AT CZU VICTIMS. WE ARE AT FOUR AND A HALF YEARS GOING ON FIVE
[06:05:02]
AND WE REALLY LIKE TO REBUILD AND GO HOME.- THANK YOU. ANYONE ONLINE? - I SEE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.
- OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ AND A SECOND FROM DE SERPA.
- AYE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
UH, NEXT WE GO BACK TO THE ITEM, UH, NUMBER SEVEN, UH, WHICH IS NOW 12.1.
UM, 12.2, SORRY, UH, THE CANNABIS ITEM AND WE LEFT OFF AFTER FINISHING PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO, I'M GONNA BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
- I-I HAVE A QUESTION TO KICK US OFF IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT, CHAIR.
- UH, GO AHEAD, SUPERVISOR KOENIG.
- UM, YEAH, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HEARD IN PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, PARTICULARLY FROM SOME OF THE RETAIL OPERATORS, UH, AS WELL AS FROM THE FARM OWNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA OF A, UH, TIME OF YEAR, UH, WHATEVER THAT IS, JULY THROUGH OCTOBER OR SOMETHING, UM, WHEN, UM, THAT ON...
YOU KNOW, IF THE FARM STANDS WOULD BE OPERATIONAL.
UH, I THINK YOU EVEN MENTIONED IT IN CERTAINLY THE STAFF, UH, REPORT AND THE PRESENTATION.
I JUST COULD NOT FIND THAT ACTUALLY IN THE CODE.
COULD-COULD YOU DIRECT ME TO-TO WHAT SECTION OF CODE THAT, UH, IS LISTED IN, IF-IF IT IS CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE CODE? - UM, THERE IS SEASONAL RESTRICTIONS IN CHAPTER 13.10.640.
UM, THIS WOULD BE 13.10.640, A, B, C, D, E PRODUCE STANDS.
UM, A PRODUCE STAND MAY BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UP TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AS LONG AS THE FARM IS PRODUCING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO BE SOLD AT A PRODUCE STAND.
SO, THERE HAVE TO BE CURRENTLY CULTIVATING THE PRODUCTS THAT THEY WISH TO SELL.
UM, IF THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO FURTHER RESTRICT THAT, I BELIEVE, UM, I COULD, I, WE WOULD DISCUSS WITH COUNTY COUNCIL.
UM, BUT THAT COULD BE A DISCRETIONARY ASPECT OF THE LICENSE TO, UM, INVOKE THE POLICY DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD.
THAT'S, I JUST, UM, THAT WAS MY PRIMARY QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER POINT DISCUSSED WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OP-, UH, OPTION OF-OF REQUIRING A RESERVATION SYSTEM.
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ADD TO THE ORDINANCE TODAY WITHOUT COMING BACK FOR, UH, ANOTHER FIRST READ? - I BELIEVE, UM, THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE, WE COULD, UM, IMPLEMENT THAT POLICY DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD AS PART OF THE LICENSING REQUIREMENTS, UM, AS THERE IS BROAD DISCRETION FOR THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICIAL TO-TO ADD REQUIREMENTS.
- COUNTY COUNSEL, WAS THERE ANY FURTHER INPUT ON THAT? - NO, I-I DON'T HAVE ANY INPUT ABSENT A SPECIFIC RECITATION TO A CODE PROVISION OR SECTION THAT I CAN, I CAN LOOK UP, UH, RIGHT NOW AND ANSWER A SPECIFIC QUESTION ON.
- I-I CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE CLARITY FOR COUNTY COUNCIL AND FOR THE BOARD.
UM, IN 7.138070B6, UM, THE LICENSING OFFICIAL SHALL TAKE NECESSARY STEPS TO BUILD AND MANAGE THE-THE PILOT PROGRAM.
THIS INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO ACCOMPLISHING THE FOLLOWING TASKS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULES.
IT GOES ON TO LIST SEVERAL THINGS.
ITEM 6 IS ESTABLISHING AND/OR RECOMMENDING THE ADOPTION OF ANY POLICIES, PROCEDURES, RULES, REGULATIONS OR FEES NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PILOT PROGRAM.
I BELIEVE THAT IS THE LINE THAT WOULD PROVIDE THIS OFFICE, UM, THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES PRESCRIBED BY THE BOARD AT THIS TIME WITHOUT HAVING TO MAKE FURTHER, UM, CODE CHANGES ON THE TWO TOPICS THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD, UH, WITH REGARD TO RESERVATIONS OR RESTRICTING TO A SPECIFIC TIME OF YEAR.
I MEAN, JUST, UH, A GENERAL COMMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY HEAR WHAT, UM, FOLKS HAVE SAID THAT, UM, ON THE ONE HAND, UM, THE LIMIT TO ONE-EIGHTH OF AN OUNCE, UH, IS NOT ENOUGH, UM, AND ON THE OTHER, IF WE WERE TO INCREASE IT TO THE LEGAL LIMIT OR-OR ANYTHING
[06:10:03]
CLOSE TO THAT, IT WOULD COMPETE, UH, WITH OUR RETAILERS.UM, I DO THINK THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THAT, UM, OR-OR-OR-OR THAT WE CAN SQUARE THAT CIRCLE BY, UH, BUILDING SOME FRICTION INTO THE PROCESS, UH, THAT WOULD PREVENT PEOPLE FROM SIMPLY, UM, YOU-YOU KNOW, GOING TO FARM STANDS AND TURNING, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT BASICALLY A WHOLESALE OPERATION.
UM, AND I, AND I DO THINK THAT THE LANGUAGE PROVIDED, UH, IS SUFFICIENT THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE HAS TO BE ACTIVE CULTIVATION, UM, ON THE SITE OR PRODUCT BEING HARVESTED, UH, AND THAT IF WE INCLUDE A RESERVATION SYSTEM REQUIREMENT, THAT WOULD ALSO ADD, UH, ENOUGH FRICTION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO-TO PREVENT THAT FEAR FROM BEING REALIZED.
SO, UM, I'LL JUST THROW OUT THERE, I-I'D BE SUPPORTIVE OF, UH, INCREASING THE-THE-THE LIMIT, UM, FOR FARMS TO, YOU KNOW, OR-OR I GUESS REMOVING ANY, UH, LIMITATIONS SO, IT'S JUST THE LEGAL LIMIT OF ONE OUNCE, UH, IF WE ADDED THE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTION OF-OF REQUIRING A RESERVATION SYSTEM.
- I-I WOULD JUST LIKE TO-TO CLARIFY TO THE BOARD, UM, THE LIMIT FOR, UM, SALES ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN CODE IN, UM, 7.138110M SO IF WE WOULD LIKE... IF THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THAT, WE WOULD HAVE TO STRIKE THE CODE, UM, STRIKE THAT LANGUAGE AND-AND STATE THE NEW LANGUAGE HERE, WHICH I BELIEVE WE'VE DONE, AND WE-WE CAN DO THAT NOW AT THIS TIME TO MODIFY THAT CODE PROVISION.
- IF IT'S SPECIFIC ENOUGH, WE CAN DO IT.
LIKE IF YOU WANNA MAKE IT A-A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OR IF YOU WANNA SAY IN, YOU KNOW, IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW, FOR EXAMPLE.
- FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT EARLIER.
AGAIN, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THIS PROPOSAL.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT THE FARM AND MY DISTRICT IS INTENDING TO USE SHUTTLES, SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
IT DOES ALLEVIATE MY CONCERNS AROUND IMPAIRED DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.
HOWEVER, I DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT THAT EVERY OTHER FARM WILL HAVE THE SAME PROTOCOL AND POLICY, WHICH I DO BELIEVE WILL ADD MORE IMPAIRED DRIVERS ONTO OUR COUNTY ROADS, OFTEN THAT ARE RURAL ROADS.
UM, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR THE STAFF.
ONE IS REGARDING THE CALLER WHO, UM, CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION EARLIER.
UM, I DID LOOK AT THE MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON FEBRUARY 26TH AND THEY SAID THAT THEY HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE, THIS PROPOSAL, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THOSE COMMENTS IN THE REPORT.
WHAT WERE THOSE SERIOUS CONCERNS? - UM, I'M GONNA TRY PULL UP THE ACTUAL, UH, APPROVED MINUTES REAL QUICK.
SORRY, I'VE-I'VE GOT IT I'M JUST LOOKING ON A TINY SCREEN WITH BAD EYES. UH...
THE ACTION WAS APPROVE PER STAFF RECOMMENDATION WITH ADDITIONAL DIRECTION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS SERIOUS CONCERNS REGARDING FARM TO MARKET OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS IN PRODUCE STANDS.
THAT WAS THE, UM, THAT WAS THE ACTUAL MOTION THAT THEY VOTED ON.
UM, THEIR CONCERN FROM THAT MEETING WAS THE...
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PRODUCE STANDS BEING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, UM, AND WE EXPLAINED THAT THE PRODUCE STANDS FOR CANNABIS WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE ADJACENT TO THE-THE CANNABIS ITEM.
UM, THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, WAS DISPERSED.
IT WENT ON ONE TOPIC FOR A WHILE, AND THEN THEY TOOK A BREAK, THEN THEY CAME BACK, THEN SOME MEMBERS CHANGED THEIR MINDS, AND THEY-THEY CHANGED THEIR VOTE.
WHAT I READ TO YOU WAS WHAT WAS ACTUALLY APPROVED.
UM, AND-AND THAT'S-THAT'S THE BEST I THINK I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH CLARITY AT THIS TIME.
UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING UP WITH, I DIDN'T MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT.
WHAT I WOULD LOVE IN FUTURE REPORTS, IF THERE'S DIRECTION FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR COMMENTS REGARDING, UH, SO THAT THEY WANT THE BOARD TO HEAR ABOUT FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT IN-INTEGRATED INTO THE REPORT THAT WE RECEIVE.
[06:15:02]
UM, LET'S SEE, IT...THIS-THIS PROPOSAL IS ALSO INTENDED TO BE A THREE-YEAR PILOT PROJECT.
UM, I DIDN'T SEE IN YOUR REPORT WHAT DATA WE WILL COLLECT AND HOW OR WHEN THAT WILL BE SHARED WITH THE BOARD AND LIKE WHAT OUR METRICS OF SUCCESS WILL BE.
DID I MISS THAT? - UM, THE DATA THAT WILL BE COLLECTED, THAT'S GONNA BE REQUIRED OF-OF ALL APPLICANTS, UH, AT THIS TIME IS NUMBER OF VEHICLE TRIPS AND-AND PEOPLE.
UM, THA-THAT'S THE DATA THAT'S-THAT'S REQUIRED THAT STAFF IS SAYING IS REQUIRED.
WE CAN PROVIDE OR, UM, ADD THINGS TO THAT-THAT BOARD DIRECTION.
- SO, IT'S ABOUT TRAFFIC CONCERNS, IS THAT? - YES. - OKAY.
- BUT THERE IS NO METRICS FOR SUCCESS OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES, UM, THAT YOU MENTIONED.
WE WERE JUST TRYING TO, UM, COLLECT TRAFFIC DATA AS THAT WAS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATED WITH THESE.
- I SEE, IT'S NOT ABOUT LIKE PROGRAM SUCCESS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF ISSUE.
- UH, UM, THE-THE METRICS FOR PROGRAM SUCCESS ARE REALLY UP TO THE BOARD.
UM, AND-AND WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED DIRECTION ON THAT.
I-I DON'T WISH TO PROPOSE ANYTHING.
UM, THE BOARD HAS METRICS THAT THEY WANT US TO COLLECT AND PROVIDE.
UM, WE DO PROVIDE A LOT OF, UH, METRICS ON-ON TAXES, UH, EMPLOYMENT, UM, THESE BUSINESSES IN OUR SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS.
UM, I WILL... I'LL NAME THIS, UM, JUST THAT IT-IT SAYS THAT IT'S REQUIRED FINDINGS FOR THE CLO TO APPROVE AN APPLICATION.
THE CODE LANGUAGE SAYS THAT THE PERMIT WILL NOT CREATE OR MAINTAIN A NUISANCE OR OTHERWISE BE DETRIMENTAL TO PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, OR WELFARE.
AND SO, JUST GIVEN THE ATTACHED REPORT FROM PUBLIC HEALTH, IT DOES SEEM LIKE NO PERMIT COULD BE APPROVED GIVEN THAT REPORT.
UM, IT ALSO SAYS THAT THE CLO WILL WORK WITH PUBLIC HEALTH TO IDENTIFY STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT SAFE CONSUMPTION AND WORKPLACE SAFETY.
SO, MY QUESTION IS, HOW IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN AND HOW DO WE KNOW THAT PUBLIC HEALTH'S GUIDANCE IS BEING CONSIDERED OR ADOPTED? - WE WILL CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE WITH PUBLIC HEALTH.
THEY ARE, UH, THEY'VE PROVIDED A DRAFT, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH SAFETY PLAN AT THIS POINT.
UM, ONE OF THE MAIN CONSTITUENTS, UH, OR-OR MAIN-MAIN PIECES OF THE POLICY FOR RETAIL FARMS IS THERE'S NO CONSUMPTION FOR ANY DRIVERS.
UM, SO DRIVERS ARE PROHIBITED FROM CONSUMING.
UM, THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN SAFETY PIECES.
THE OTHER PORTION IS, UM, THESE BUSINESSES WOULD HAVE TO COMPLY WITH CALIFORNIA SMOKEFREE WORKPLACE LAWS.
SO, UM, THERE WOULD BE A SEPARATION BETWEEN PEOPLE CONSUMING AND PEOPLE WORKING AT THE FACILITIES.
- THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
- YEAH, I JUST WANNA THANK, UM, STAFF FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK ON THIS IT'S KINDA LONG JOURNEY TO GET HERE AND I KNOW MANY OF THE FOLKS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY FEEL THAT WAY AS WELL.
UM, I DID GET, UH, AN EMAIL AND I WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ADDRESSED.
ONE WAS RELATED TO THE SALE OF CANNABIS CONCENTRATES AND WHETHER THAT WILL BE ALLOWED, UM, AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
- UM, SO STAFF INCLUDED LANGUAGE.
UM, I DID BRING THIS UP IN THE, UH, PRESENTATION PIECE.
SORRY, I DON'T KNOW IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHERE IT IS IN CODE.
UM, BUT THERE IS A RESTRICTION ON CANNABIS CONCENTRATES.
THIS WAS LARGELY BASED ON THE BOARD'S, UM, DISCUSSION.
'CAUSE INITIALLY WE HAD PROPOSED ONLY ALLOWING CANNABIS FLOWER SALES.
UM, BUT THE BOARD WAS VERY INTERESTED IN ALLOWING, UH, MEDICINAL PRODUCTS.
SO, IN ORDER TO ALLOCATE OR ALLOW THAT, UM, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T IN BOARD DIRECTION BUT IT WAS SO HEAVILY DI-, UH, DISCUSSED, WE INCLUDED LANGUAGE THAT WOULD ALLOW MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS THAT ARE, UM, FOOD GRADE OR TOPICAL PRODUCTS.
SO, THE FOOD GRADE PRODUCTS WOULD ALLOW FOR, UM, MEDICINAL TINCTURES ESSENTIALLY, AND THEN TOPICAL PRODUCTS, UM, THOSE ARE JUST WHAT-WHAT I...
THEY'RE-THEY'RE LOTIONS. I DON'T KNOW HOW-HOW ELSE TO SAY IT.
THEY'RE GENERALLY USED FOR PAIN RELIEF.
UM, AND THERE WOULD BE NO INHALABLE CANNABIS CONCENTRATES SOLD, AND, UM, THESE PRODUCTS COULD ONLY BE SOLD IF THE CULTIVATOR MANUFACTURES THOSE PRODUCTS FROM THE CANNABIS GROWN WITHIN THE COUNTY AND THAT MANUFACTURING IS DONE WITHIN THE COUNTY.
SO, IT WOULD BE HEAVILY RESTRICTED TO ALIGN WITH THE PURPOSE
[06:20:02]
OF 13.10.640 TO ALLOW FARMERS TO SELL THEIR GOODS.- I GUESS TO-TO GET TO A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE EARLIER IF THERE'S CULTIVATION IN THE UNINCORPORATED, BUT THEN THEY DO THEIR MANUFACTURING WITHIN ONE OF THE CITY'S JURISDICTIONS, WOULD THAT STILL APPLY IN TERMS OF THEIR-THEIR ABILITY TO SELL THOSE PRODUCTS, UM, AT THEIR CULTIVATION SITE? - THAT WOULD APPLY.
BUT WHAT THAT, UM, MR. SUMP BROUGHT THAT UP, I BELIEVE, AND HE WAS REFERENCING INHALABLE PRODUCTS, WHICH WE DO NOT, ARE NOT PROPOSING TO ALLOW BASED ON THE BOARD'S DIRECT-, OR THE BOARD DISCUSSION.
SO, THOSE PRODUCTS COULD MEET THE REQUIREMENTS, UM, BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE MEDICAL FOOD-GRADE PRODUCT OR A TOPICAL PRODUCT ONLY.
AND THAT I DID JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THE POLICY THAT IS BEFORE TODAY WOULD ONLY, UM, APPLY TO, UH, CULTIVATORS THAT ARE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA.
SO, ANYTHING WITHIN CITY JURISDICTIONS THAT, THOSE-THOSE JURISDICTIONS WOULD NEED TO ADOPT SOME POLICY TO ALLOW FOR SOMETHING SIMILAR.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT, UM, THERE'S SOME RE-REQUESTS AROUND ALLOWING, UM, UM, SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS TO COME FROM, YOU KNOW, PLACES IN THE CITY AND-AND TO YOU KNOW, CHANGE OUR LAWS, UM, AS IT RELATED TO THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ.
AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY JURISDICTION OVER THAT.
I-I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE, UM, THE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS BROUGHT FORWARD BY SUPERVISOR KOENIG TO REFLECT SOME OF THE CONVERSATION WE'VE BEEN HAVING.
UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE MONITORING THIS VERY CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT, UM, WE'RE HAVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF IMPACTS ON OUR COMMUNITY AS POSSIBLE, BUT REALLY WANTING TO HELP SUPPORT MANY OF THE BUSINESSES HERE.
AND, UM, AND ALSO HAVE A RESPONSIBLE, WELL-EDUCATED COMMUNITY AS IT RELATES TO CANNABIS NOW THAT IT'S LEGAL.
AND WE NEED TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT IF IT'S...
IF WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, THAT IT'S DONE IN A WAY THAT'S RESPONSIBLE.
SO, UM, THAT ENDS MY COMMENTS.
UM, AND I'M SORRY, JUST, I THINK PARTLY BECAUSE I'M SO NEW AND I'VE NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED THESE ISSUES BUT IN THE PAST THAT, UM, I HAVE EXTRA QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, I DIDN'T REALIZE LIKE A FARM SITUATION WHERE A TOUR COULD GO TO AND PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THERE'D BE A DRIVER, AND A SHUTTLE, AND RESERVATIONS, AND WE COULD ADVERTISE AND GET PEOPLE TO COME INTO OUR COUNTY.
I MEAN, THAT ACTUALLY... I'M NOT ANTI-CANNABIS.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE FUN AND INTERESTING FOR PEOPLE COMING FROM DIFFERENT STATES, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, IS THAT WHAT THIS ORDINANCE IS GOING TO SUPPORT? OR COULD ANYBODY SHOW UP? LIKE, COULD I SHOW UP THERE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND GET AN EIGHTH OF AN OUNCE, FOR EXAMPLE? - UM, CURRENTLY THE ORDINANCE WOULD ALLOW SOMEONE TO SHOW UP EVERY SINGLE DAY.
UM, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME DOING OUTREACH FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THE FOLKS WITHIN OUR CANNABIS COMMUNITY, UM, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY OF THE OPERATORS WHO PLAN TO PURSUE THIS, UH, PLANNING ON BEING OPEN FOR MORE THAN THREE DAYS A WEEK, POTENTIALLY FOUR ON HOLIDAY WEEKENDS.
SO, I THINK, UM, THAT-THAT'S WHAT I'VE HEARD, DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO THAT.
- YEAH. - UM, BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, RESTRICTED HOURS IN THERE AND I DO BELIEVE, UM, THESE ADDITIONAL, AS THEY WERE DESCRIBED, FRICTION POINTS WOULD-WOULD FURTHER, UM, PUSH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AWAY FROM VISITING THESE FACILITIES.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, THEY ARE FAIRLY RURAL IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, IT DOES TAKE SOME TIME TO GET THERE, UH, SOME EFFORT, AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY INCENTIVE FOR THESE FARMS TO-TO SELL AT LOWER RATES THAN THE DISPENSARIES, BECAUSE THE ATTRACTION IS MORE THE EXPERIENCE THAN THE-THE FLOWER.
- WELL, I THINK THAT'S POTENTIALLY WHAT YOU HEARD AT THE MICROPHONE TODAY AND SOME OF THE CORRESPONDENCE THAT'S COME MY WAY IS THAT THE DISPENSARIES ARE HAVING A HARD TIME JUST MAKING IT WITH THE AMOUNT OF PRODUCT THAT THEY HAVE TO MOVE, AND THEN IF THE FARMS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SELL.
AND INCLUDING GOING UP, 'CAUSE I-I HEARD WHAT THE FARM, UM, GUY SAID, IT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR HIM UNLESS HE COULD SELL AN OUNCE.
UM, AND-AND IF THAT PRICE IS MUCH LOWER THAN WHAT LIKE A DISPENSARY WOULD GET, IT'S GONNA UNDERCUT ALL THE DISPENSARY BUSINESS.
SO I MEAN THAT... I JUST THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE AND SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LISTEN TO.
THE OTHER THING I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT, IS THERE ANY WAY TO, AND-AND MAYBE DISPENSARIES WOULD NOT WANNA DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT IS THERE A WAY TO PRIORITIZE PRODUCT THAT COMES FROM OUR OWN LOCAL, UH, GROWERS AND OPERATORS? - U-UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE - YEAH. - THAT ABILITY AT ALL.
[06:25:02]
OKAY. WELL, UH, YOU KNOW HOW MY PERSPECTIVE ON HAVING PEOPLE, UM, ON THE ROADS AND IN THE RURAL AREAS, VERY DANGEROUS TWO LANE ROADS.UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA UNLESS THERE'S A TOUR OPERATOR WITH A SHUTTLE BRINGING PEOPLE TO AND FROM.
- AND I JUST WANNA REEMPHASIZE THAT, UM, WE DID HEAR THAT FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC ALSO ABOUT, UM, FARM SALES, AND THAT IS WHY THE PROHIBITION ON DRIVERS FROM CONSUMING IS INCLUDED.
AND, UM, WE DID NOT PRESCRIBE A METHOD TO PREVENT THAT, BUT WHAT WE WILL DO IS PART OF THE LICENSE APPLICATION PROCESS IF THE BOARD CHOOSES TO MOVE FORWARD IS THEY WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THEY WILL IMPLEMENT THIS THAT IS AUDITABLE BY US.
UM, SO WE'RE THINKING SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF PHYSICAL DEMARCATION AND EVERYONE HAVING TO BE UNDER CAMERA SURVEILLANCE WITHIN THE CONSUMPTION AREA AT ALL TIMES, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE FOR ALL THE RETAILERS.
UM, SO THAT'S-THAT'S A THOUGHT BUT WE WOULD... I'M SORRY.
UM, WE WILL NOT HAVE, UH, THAT PROHIBITION IT'LL BE AN AUDITABLE LICENSE REQUIREMENT.
SO, IT-IT'S NOT JUST, UH, WORDS ON PAPER.
- THANK YOU. SO, I'LL KEEP MY COMMENTS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BRIEF.
I, UM, I THINK, I-I AGREE WITH, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, SUPERVISOR KOENIG ON HIS DIRECTION, UH, AND SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
UM, AND SO I'LL TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UH, WELL...
SO, JUST SEE, UH, IF MY COLLEAGUES ARE WILLING TO MAKE, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS WITH THE FOLLOWING, UH, AMENDMENTS TO, UM, ACTION-ACTION ONE, THE ORDINANCE.
UH, WHICH IS TO STRIKE 7.130.110M WHICH WAS THE LIMITATION OF SALES TO ONE-EIGHTH OF AN OUNCE.
UH, WHICH THAT MEANS, OF COURSE, IT WOULD REVERT TO THE-THE STATE LIMIT OF ONE OUNCE, UH, PER CUSTOMER PER DAY.
UM, AND THEN ALSO DIRECTING THE CANNABIS LICENSING OFFICE TO REQUIRE A RESERVATION SYSTEM UNDER 7.138.070B6.
I DO... I NEED TO SAY ONE MORE THING.
I-I MEAN, I HOPE THERE ARE NOT OPERATIONS THAT WOULD...
I MEAN, I'M WORRIED ABOUT SOMEBODY GOING IN THERE AND BUYING ONE OUNCE PER DAY.
BECAUSE THAT MEANS THEY'RE DISTRIBUTING IT SOMEWHERE ELSE IF THEY'RE TRULY BUYING ONE OUNCE PER DAY.
SO, THAT-THAT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH ME.
I CAN'T SUPPORT, UH, I CAN'T SUPPORT THAT.
'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE SELLING IT.
THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING SOMETHING WITH IT IF THEY'RE BUYING ONE OUNCE A DAY.
I DON'T THINK, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHAT ELSE ARE THEY GONNA BE DOING WITH AN OUNCE A DAY? UH, WELL-WELL-WELL, PEOPLE CAN GO BUY AN OUNCE FROM ALL OF THE DISPENSARIES RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S-IT'S CLEAR LIKE THAT IS THE CURRENT RECREATIONAL LIMIT, SO PEOPLE-PEOPLE CAN DO THAT NOW.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE AWARE.
- WHICH I UNDERSTAND, BUT THEY'RE LIKELY, IT'S GONNA COST A LOT LESS TO GET IT DIRECTLY FROM THE GROWER THAN IT IS TO GET IT AT THE DISPENSARY.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT THE DISPENSARY PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME.
SO, I MEAN, I GUESS I-I SUPPOSE WE COULD, UM, COULD WE ADD A REQUIREMENT UNDER THE RESERVATION SYSTEM THAT IT'D BE LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN, UM, YOU KNOW, TWO RESERVATIONS PER INDIVIDUAL.
SO, IT WOULDN'T COVER, YOU KNOW, A TOUR OPERATOR, BUT AN-AN INDIVIDUAL PER YEAR OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.
IS-IS, OR, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE ANY OTHER WAYS THAT STAFF SEES TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? - YEAH. I-I-I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UM, SO THE FIRST, THE FIRST PART OF YOUR MOTION, WHERE IT'S STRIKING M AND TURNING THE, UH, WHAT IS NOW N INTO NEW SUBDIVISION M, THAT'S VERY CLEAR AND FINE, BUT THE FURTHER WE, THE FURTHER WE'RE STRETCHING FROM PROVIDING ACTUAL LANGUAGE AND JUST GIVING STAFF CONCEPTUAL IDEAS TO EXPLORE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BRING ALL THESE BACK ON FIRST READ.
WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T REALLY JUST MOVE THIS TO A SECOND READ SCENARIO, UM, WITH-WITH STAFF BEING GIVEN DISCRETION TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE.
UM, SO YOU MAY WANT TO, YOU MAY WANNA TAKE, UM...
UH, YOU MAY WANNA GIVE DIRECTION AS YOU DID IN THE FIRST PORTION AND THEN PROVIDE SEPARATE DIRECTION TO STAFF TO DEVELOP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT STAFF WILL ENFORCE RELATED TO WHAT YOU WANT STAFF TO DO AROUND THE RESERVATION SYSTEM RATHER THAN, UM, RATHER THAN ADD THE LANGUAGE DIRECTLY INTO THE CODE.
[06:30:04]
- GOTCHA.ALRIGHT, WELL THEN I SUPPOSE IF IT'S OKAY WITH THE SECOND, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE ADD ONE MORE PIECE TO THIS MOTION-MOTION, WHICH IS TO DIRECT STAFF, UM, TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP POLICIES AND PRO-PROCEDURES THAT WOULD, UH, PREVENT THE FARM STAND PROGRAM FROM BECOMING, UM, YOU KNOW, WHOLESALE OUTLETS TO LOCAL CUSTOMERS.
- AND, IF I MAY, THROUGH THE CHAIR.
UM, I DO JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS, I MEAN, THIS IS A PILOT THAT'S GONNA COME BACK IN A COUPLE YEARS.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE AND ASSESS HOW IT'S DOING.
I THINK THE GROWERS UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WANT TO TRY TO STRIKE THIS BALANCE OF ALLOWING THEM TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S NEW AND INNOVATIVE, WHILE ALSO TRYING TO PROTECT OUR LOCAL RETAILERS.
AND SO I THINK AS PART OF THIS PILOT, IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO JUST UNDERSTAND THE, YOU KNOW, SALES PER DAY AND ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY THAT IF-IF, IF PEOPLE OUT THERE WANT TO GET, YOU KNOW, UM, BULK AND HAVE IT BE CHEAPER.
I MEAN, THERE, LIKE, THERE'S A BLACK MARKET THAT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGHT AGAINST THAT EXISTS, AND SO IF SOMEONE'S REALLY GONNA BE AT THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO EVERY SINGLE DAY TO GET AN OUNCE, THEY'LL PROBABLY GO TO THE BLACK MARKET AND GET MORE VOLUME, OTHER THAN WHAT THEY'LL GET OUT OF THESE PLACES.
BUT, UM, I JUST DEFINITELY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR POINT UH, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
- THANK YOU. WE GOT A, WE GOT A MOTION AND A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
- CERTAINLY. SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
MOTION PASSES WITH TWO NO VOTES FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA AND SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
UM, IN AN EFFORT TO MIRROR THE ACTIONS ALREADY TAKEN TODA, BY THE BOARD AND TO ADD SAFEGUARDS TO OUR AMENDED ORDINANCE WHEN IT COMES TO ALLOWING CONSUMPTION AT CANNABIS, CONSUMPTION OF CANNABIS AT DISPENSARIES, I MOVE THAT STAFF RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH THE FOLLOWING: ONE, TO PROVIDE PROPOSED LANGUAGE BEFORE THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT THAT ALLOWS THE COUNTY TO TAKE DISCRETIONARY ACTION AGAINST A FARM OR PRODUCE STAND, SUCH AS SUSPENDING OR REVOKING PERMISSIONS TO OPERATE HERE.
IF IT'S DETERMINED THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS CONSUMED CANNABIS AT A FARM OR PRODUCE STAND DRIVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE, AND CONSEQUENTLY CHANGE, CAUSES HARM OR DAMAGES.
AND TWO, INCLUDE FARMS AND PRODUCE STANDS IN THE DIRECTION GIVEN EARLIER TODAY TO EXPLORE FUNDING FOR AN EDUCATION TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO AVOID OVER-SERVING PATRONS.
WE HAD A, UM... BUT WE COULD DO THIS, RIGHT? WE COULD DO, TAKE THIS MOTION-MOTION ON? - AS I UNDERSTAND THE MOTION THAT THE RECOGNITION THAT-THAT THE ORDINANCES WERE ADOPTED ON FIRST READ, AND THEY WILL BE PUT ON SECOND READ ON APRIL 8TH.
UM, THIS IS A SEPARATE ASK, WHICH IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING THESE ARE PASSED ON SECOND READ ON APRIL 8TH, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDITIONAL CHANGES MADE THAT WOULD MIRROR THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE EARLIER THIS MORNING, WHICH WOULD HAVE STAFF COME BACK, AND WITH JUST AMENDMENTS LATER AFTER THIS HAS PASSED.
HOWEVER, IN THIS ONE, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GIVE A TIMELINE IN THE LAST ONE, UM, IN THIS ONE I WAS SUGGESTING THAT BEFORE IT TAKES EFFECT WHICH I BELIEVE THERE'S LIKE 30 DAYS FOR IT TO TAKE EFFECT.
- YEAH, SO THAT... - THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO.
- SO, IF THAT'S THE MOTION, THEN THIS WOULD REQUIRE THIS PACKAGE TO COME BACK ON-ON FIRST READ, UH, IT-IT WOULD BE CONTRARY TO WHAT THE BOARD JUST ADOPTED.
- ...THE WAY, THE WAY, THE WAY TO SOLVE THAT WOULD BE WHAT I JUST MENTIONED.
WHICH WOULD BE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO CONTI-, ESSENTIALLY CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE, AND IMPROVE THESE ORDINANCES, THE WAY THE MAKER OF THE MOTION WANTS THEM TO BE APPROVED.
- OKAY. I-I WILL AMEND MY MOTION TO INCLUDE THAT.
SO, THIS PROCESS MIRRORS WHAT WAS PASSED EARLIER TODAY.
- I NEED SOME CLAR-... I-I'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME CLARIFICATION.
- WHAT WOULD YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT CLARIFICATION? - UM, BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT I BELIEVE THAT EARLIER, THE DIRECTION THAT WAS GIVEN WAS HAVING STAFF EXPLORE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE.
THERE WAS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS TO THIS THAT WERE, UM, INCORPORATED, AND SO I'M JUST, IT'S JUST NOT CLEAR TO ME.
- YEAH. SO THERE WAS, THERE WAS THE, ON THE, ON THIS MORNING'S,
[06:35:02]
UM, CALENDAR, THERE WAS A SECOND MOTION, UM, AFTER WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO.WHICH-WHICH BASICALLY RECOGNIZED THAT THE BOARD JUST ADOPTED IT ON SECOND READ, AND IT'S GOING INTO EFFECT 31 DAYS FROM NOW.
THIS RELATES TO THE DISPENSARIES.
IT'S-IT'S GOING TO EFFECT 31 DAYS FROM NOW.
AND THERE WAS, UH, A MOTION, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD SECONDARILY TO ASK STAFF TO WORK ON ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE TO COME BACK AGAIN TO AMEND, TO AMEND IT IN THE FUTURE TO ADDRESS WHAT SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ IS-IS TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
- AND THEN THERE WAS THE SECOND MOTION THAT I THINK YOU MADE RELATED TO THE EDUCATION PIECE.
AND I JUST ADDED THAT TO THIS AS WELL RATHER THAN HAVING TWO SEPARATE MOTIONS.
- CAN YOU REPEAT THE MOTION? I'M JUST, I JUST NEED SOME CLARITY HERE.
- REPEAT [LAUGHTER] THE MOTION.
- YEAH, TRY-TRY TO, UH, REPEAT WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU SAID TO BEGIN WITH.
UM, I MOVE THAT STAFF RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH THE FOLLOWING: PROVIDE PROPOSED LANGUAGE BEFORE THE...
THAT ALLOWS THE COUNTY TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST A FARM OR PRODUCE STAND, SUCH AS SUSPENDING OR REVOKING PERMISSIONS TO OPERATE HERE.
IF IT'S DETERMINED THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS CONSUMED CANNABIS AT A FARM OR PRODUCE STAND, DRIVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSES HARM OR DAMAGES, AND INCLUDE FARMS AND PRODUCE STANDS IN THE DIRECTION GIVEN EARLIER TODAY TO EXPLORE FUNDING FOR AN EDUCATION TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO AVOID OVERSERVING PATRONS.
- AND THOSE, AND THOSE ACTIONS WILL JUST BE ON A SECONDARY TRACK FROM WHAT YOUR BOARD IS DOING TODAY AND JUST DID WITH REGARD TO ADOPTION OF THE ORDINANCES ON FIRST READ.
- CHAIR, CAN I ASK A QUESTION? UM, SO I MEAN, I-I THOUGHT WHAT I, WE JUST HEARD FROM STAFF WAS THAT THERE WILL BE...
THAT THEY'RE DEVELOPING PROVISIONS THAT WILL PREVENT DRIVERS FROM ACTUALLY PARTICIPATING IN ANY ON SITE CONSUMPTION.
UH, AND THE FURTHERMORE, SINCE THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM, UM, THERE'S SORT OF ADDITIONAL DISCRETION FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO REVOKE A PERMIT.
IS-IS THAT TRUE? - I DON'T ACTUALLY SEE THAT IN THE LANGUAGE.
YOU KNOW, THE... IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE MAKER OF THE MOTION WANTS TO SEE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT WOULD, UM, THAT WOULD DIRECT AND, UH, STAFF TO INSERT THESE ALONG WITH THE MANY OTHER REASONS WHY A LICENSE CAN GET REVOKED, AND IT'S A POLICY DETERMINATION FOR YOUR BOARD TO MAKE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO DO THAT.
- AND SUPERVISOR KOENIG-KOENIG, IF I CAN.
UM, I ALSO CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT IT-IT'S NOT THE INTENT FOR DRIVERS TO BE CONSUMING AT THE FARMS BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE ARE HOLDING...
WE WANT TO HOLD THE FARMS ACCOUNTABLE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT.
AND SO, IF THERE IS A BAD ACTOR SOMEWHERE, I WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR-OUR ORDINANCE ALLOWS US TO REVOKE THE PERMIT IN THE EVENT THAT DAMAGE IS CAUSED.
- CAN I JUST ASK, THIS MORNING WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS AROUND THE SERVER TRAINING AND THE TRAINING AND CURRICULUM, IN GENERAL, THAT-THAT WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STAYING WITH THAT SAME, UH, INTENT FOR THIS AS WELL.
- SO WHERE THE MONEY GOES? IT-IT, IS IT... I'M NOT COMPLETELY SURE.
WAS IT VOTER LED? OR-OR WE COULD THROW THE MONEY ANYWHERE WE WANT? - ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT TAX? - YEAH. - ...FUNDING.
- YEAH. - THE TAX FUNDING GOES DIRECTLY TO THE GENERAL FUND.
- CANNABIS BUSINESS TAX GOES DIRECTLY TO THE GENERAL FUND.
- I AM NOT SURE IF I'M COMFORTABLE WITH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NEED, UH, IN THE GENERAL FUND THIS COMING, THIS COMING TWO YEARS, FOUR YEARS.
SO, IT'S A CONCERN. - I DON'T THINK, AND...
I DON'T THINK ANYTHING THAT I PROPOSED HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE GENERAL FUND.
- WELL, WITH THE, WITH THE PROFITS OF THE, OF THIS PROGRAM? NO? - IT WAS TO EXPLORE. - IT WASN'T CONNECTED, YEAH.
- OKAY. - YEAH, IT WAS TO EXPLORE.
- OKAY. - HOW MUCH IT WOULD POTENTIALLY COST TO BUILD THAT, OR POTENTIALLY WE CAN ASK THE STATE TO DO IT.
- OR... - THE EDUCATION COMES WITH IT.
[LAUGHTER] WE'RE GETTING LIKE THE STATE.
SO, WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, FROM SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
[06:40:01]
- MARTINEZ.[8. Consider approving in concept an “Ordinance Amending Chapter 2.104 of the Santa Cruz County Code Regarding the County of Santa Cruz Mental Health Advisory Board”, and take related actions]
[SILENCE] NEXT, UH, NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS NUMBER 8.CONSIDERING APPROVING THE CONCEPT IN ORDINANCE AMENDING UM, CHAPTER 2.104 OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE REGARDING THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD AND TAKE ALL RELATED ACTIONS.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO KAREN KERN.
[SILENCE] [SILENCE] - GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, CHAIR, BOARD.
UH, BEFORE YOU TODAY, UH, IS A REQUEST TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE CHAPTER 2.104.
UM, I'M HERE TO SUMMARIZE THE CHANGES AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THAT.
UH, THIS ACTION IS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH THE PASSING OF PROPOSITION ONE IN CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 326 WITH THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT WHICH IS PART OF THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION.
UM, THIS LEGISLATION ALSO AMENDS CALIFORNIA WELFARE AND INSTITUTION CODE SECTION 5604.
UH, WIC 5604 REFERENCES THE REQUIREMENTS THAT EACH COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH BOARD CONSISTING OF 10 TO 15 MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNING BODY TO SERVE IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY TO THE GOVERNING BODY.
UM, AND THEN RELEVANT REQUIREMENTS IN WIC 5604 INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: UH, ONE MEMBER OF THE BOARD SHALL BE A MEMBER OF A LOCAL GOVERNING BODY.
WE HAVE, UM, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA JUST JOINS US, WHICH IS AWESOME.
UH, LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH BOARDS MAY RECOMMEND APPOINTEES TO THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS.
BOARD MEMBERSHIP WOULD REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE CLIENT POPULATION TO THE EXTENT THAT'S POSSIBLE.
UH, 50% OF THE BOARD MEMBERSHIP SHALL BE CONSUMERS OR PARENTS, SPOUSES, SIBLINGS, OR ADULT CHILDREN OF CONSUMERS WHO ARE RECEIVING OR HAVE RECEIVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
AND IN COUNTIES WITH A POPULATION OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR MORE, AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE BOARD SHALL BE A VETERAN OR A VETERAN'S ADVOCATE.
UH, ALSO PURSUANT TO WIC SECTION 5604.2, THE MENTAL HEALTH BOARD SHALL REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE LOCAL PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM AND ADVISE THE GOVERNING BODY ON COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DELIVERED BY THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AGENCY, UH, AS APPLICABLE.
UM, THE INTENTION OF PROPOSITION ONE AND SENATE BILL 326 IS TO BEGIN THE CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INTEGRATION OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.
SO, MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE DISORDER SERVICES INTEGRATING INTO ONE.
AND TO THAT END, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST, 2026 WE'RE ALREADY IN 2025, 2026, THE MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSHIP BYLAWS SHOULD BE UPDATED TO REFLECT THESE FOLLOWING CHANGES.
RENAMING THE BOARD FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD, THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD, OR BHAB, CHANGING TERMS THROUGHOUT THE BYLAWS FROM MENTAL TO BEHAVIORAL, INCLUDING A YOUTH MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT.
UM, WIC, SECTION 5604A2BI STATES THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE MEMBERS THAT ARE CONSUMERS OR PARENTS, SPOUSES, SIBLINGS, OR AN ADULT, UH, CHILD OF CONSUMERS WHO ARE RECEIVING OR HAVE RECEIVED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES SHALL BE 25 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER.
UM, AND INCLUDING, UM, A LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT IS ALSO PART OF THE NEW RULES.
UH, WIC SECTION 5604A2DI STATES THAT AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE BOARD SHALL BE AN EMPLOYEE OF A LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY.
UM, INCLUDING THE VETERAN OR VETERAN ADVOCATE MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT IS ALSO INCLUDED, UH, IN THE NEW RULES, AND THEN ADDING THE ADVICE, ADDING THAT ADVISING ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES.
SO, NOT JUST MENTAL HEALTH, BUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES, UH, IS THE ROLE OF THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD DUTIES.
UM, SHOULD THE ORDINANCE BE APPROVED TODAY, UH, UPON ADOPTION OF THE AMENDED, UM, CODE CHAPTER 2.104, THE MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD WILL ADDRESS CHANGES TO ITS BYLAWS IN A SUBSEQUENT AGENDA ITEM,
[06:45:02]
UH, WHICH WILL ENCOMPASS, UH, MEETINGS AND TRAININGS, OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES, COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENTS, AND OTHER CHANGES.ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? - NO. UM, I'M GONNA TAKE IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC FIRST.
IS THERE ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS US ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, ANYONE ONLINE? - I SEE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE.
UH, AGAIN, THIS IS JUST PROCEDURAL TO ALIGN WITH PROPOSITION ONE RULES? - CORRECT. - OKAY.
- I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
[LAUGHTER] LET ME TAKE THAT SECOND.
THERE'S ANY-ANY-ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA
[9. Consider report on status of 2016-17 Winter Storm projects, 2023 Atmospheric River projects, and Emergency Road Damage Assessment Resource, and take related actions]
AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.CONSIDER THE REPORT AND STATUS OF 2016-17 WINTER STORM PROJECTS, 2023 ATMOSPHERIC RIVER PROJECTS, EMERGENCY ROAD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT RESOURCE AND TAKE ALL RELATED ACTIONS.
I'LL BRING IT OVER TO OUR ASSISTANT COUNTY CAO, NICOLE COBURN.
UM, SO, I'M NICOLE COBURN, ASSISTANT CEO.
I'M JOINED TODAY WITH MATT MACHADO, WHO IS OUR DEPUTY CEO AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS LANA MARTINEZ DAVIS, WHO IS A SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST IN OUR OFFICE ASSIGNED TO THE PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION OF CDI.
SO, TODAY WE'RE GONNA BE PRESENTING ON THE 2016-2017 WINTER STORM PROJECTS AS WELL AS THE 2023 ATMOSPHERIC RIVER PROJECTS.
AND WE'RE VERY, ALSO VERY EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE EMERGENCY ROAD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT RESOURCE, WHICH WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR OVER A YEAR NOW.
UM, THIS ALL STARTED WITH US REFINING SOME OF THE PRIORITIZATION WORK THAT CDI WAS DOING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH PROJECTS WE SHOULD RANK HIGHER TO USE LIMITED RESOURCES DUE TO THE COUNTY HAVING BEEN HIT WITH OVER, YOU KNOW, EIGHT FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS.
WE HAVE CURRENTLY $260 MILLION IN STORM DAMAGE, AND LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WE HAD TO ISSUE DEBT TO, UM, ASSIST WITH OUR CASHFLOW NEEDS HERE AT THE COUNTY.
SO, THIS RESOURCE, WHICH MATT AND LANA WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IS REALLY GOING TO HELP US IN THE FUTURE AS WE HAVE EMERGENCY PROJECTS AND OTHER DISASTERS.
IT'S ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR US TO FIGURE OUT, HOW WE'RE GONNA USE OUR LIMITED RESOURCES TO REPAIR OUR ROADS.
SO, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MATT AND LANA, WHO'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE.
THANK YOU, CHAIR, SUPERVISORS.
MATT MACHADO, DIRECTOR OF CDI.
AND SO, I'M GONNA COVER A BIT OF AN UPDATE ON THE STORM DAMAGE.
AND BEFORE I DO, I WANNA THANK OUR TEAM.
I MEAN, THIS-THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT, I'LL SAY.
UH, YOU KNOW, OR3 HAS BEEN AMAZING WITH ASSISTANCE IN OUR, IN OUR FEMA REIMBURSEMENT, AND-AND THE DO TEAM HAS BEEN AMAZING WITH, UH, HELPING US MANAGE THE-THE FISCAL STRAINS AND ALL THAT.
BUT WE'VE DONE A LOT OF GREAT WORK.
AND SO I'LL COVER SOME OF THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO, WE'LL START WITH JUST THE WINTER STORMS, UH, 2016 AND THEN 2017, WE CALL THEM AND THEN THE 2023.
SO LOOKING AT JUST THE 2017, UM, STATUS OF WHERE WE ARE, WE'VE COMPLETED AS YOU CAN SEE 159 PROJECTS.
UH, THE NEXT TWO LINES, THE 15 AND THE 13 THAT'S 28 PROJECTS THAT ARE IN PROCESS TODAY.
AND-AND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS THAT OVER THE NEXT THREE BUDGET CYCLES, WE PLAN TO DELIVER ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS.
SO, IN THREE FISCAL TERMS, WE SHOULD HAVE ALL THE 2017 PROJECTS COMPLETE.
AND, UH, WHEN COMPLETE, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE VALUE AND THE, AND THE TOTAL MAGNITUDE.
UM, THEY, IN ESSENCE, WHEN A BIG DISASTER LIKE THIS HITS, THEY DROP EVERYTHING AND THEY, AND THEY WORK AS TIRELESSLY AS THEY CAN TO DELIVER THESE PROJECTS.
AND YOU SEE THE NUMBERS REALLY SHOW THEIR GOOD WORK.
FOR THE 2023 DISASTER, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, THE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT WE'VE COMPLETED.
AND, UH, COMPLETION OF THESE MOST OF THESE WERE EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
AT THE PEAK OF THE STORMS IN THAT JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, IT WAS TWO NATURAL DISASTERS TOGETHER.
[06:50:03]
AT THE PEAK OF THE, THAT EVENT, WE HAD 60 ROADS CLOSED.AND SO OUR TEAM FELT THAT WE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO JUMP IN AND START MAKING, UH, PERMANENT REPAIRS UNDER EMERGENCY ORDERS.
SO, WE COMPLETED, UM, TO DATE, WE'VE COMPLETED 145 PROJECTS.
YOU CAN SEE THE NEXT TWO LINES, THE 5 AND THE 14, UH, THOSE 19 PROJECTS, WE'RE PLANNING TO COMPLETE OVER THE NEXT THREE BUDGET CYCLES.
AND-AND THIS ONE'S, UM, A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF FEMA OBLIGATION.
UM, AND SO THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PROJECTS YOU CAN SEE ON HOLD FOR FUTURE BECAUSE OF LACK OF OBLIGATION.
AND OUR STRATEGY TODAY IS TO WORK WITH FEMA TO GET OBLIGATIONS BEFORE WE GO AND BUILD ANY MORE OF THOSE PROJECTS BECAUSE OF OUR-OUR FISCAL, UM, CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.
SO, YOU CAN SEE THE MAGNITUDE OF-OF ALL THOSE.
I WILL SAY THAT, UM, UH, TO DATE, WE'VE COMPLETED 304 PROJECTS VALUED AT $197 MILLION.
AND TO DATE, WE'VE SELECTED THOSE PROJECTS BASED UPON UH, UH, I'LL USE THE WORD PRIORITIZATION, BUT IT WAS A TOOL THAT WE USED TO ASSESS PRIORITIES.
- [CROSSTALK] BETTER EVERYDAY. [LAUGHS] - AND IT WAS A TOOL WE USED TO ASSESS PRIORITIES.
AND, UH, WE CREATED THAT TOOL IN 2017.
IT WAS REALLY THOUGH, JUST OUR ENGINEERING STAFF TAKING, UH, UH, A KIND OF A STAB AT-AT VALUES.
AND SO, IT WASN'T, UM, AS TRANSPARENT AS WE ALL WOULD LIKE.
AND SO, BUT WE'VE BEEN USING THAT TOOL SINCE 2017.
WE'VE BROUGHT TO THE BOARD MULTIPLE TIMES TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS WE COULD.
BUT IN TERMS OF THE SCORING, UH, MATRIX, IT WAS, IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE TOOL.
IT WASN'T AS SYSTEMATIC AS WHAT WE PROPOSED TODAY.
AND SO NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL GET INTO THAT, UH, TOOL A LITTLE BIT.
SO, NEXT WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR EMERGENCY ROAD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT RESOURCE.
SO BACK, UH, ONE YEAR AGO, A LITTLE, A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, UH, DURING OUR BUDGET HEARINGS, WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION YOUR BOARD HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW DO WE CHOOSE WHICH PROJECTS? HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, USE LIMITED RESOURCES TO PICK PROJECTS? AND SO, WE TALKED ABOUT PRIORITIZATION.
AND SO, UH, DUE TO THIS DISCUSSION AND MAYBE A LACK OF A SYSTEMATIC VERY TRANSPARENT TOOL, THE BOARD DIRECTED US TO RETURN WITH AN EXPANDED PRIORITIZATION RESOURCE TOOL.
AND SO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT.
IN SEPTEMBER, YOUR BOARD DIRECT US TO JUST FOCUS ON EMERGENCY PROJECTS.
AND THEN, HERE WE ARE TODAY, UM, WITH THIS STUDY SESSION TO-TO SHARE WITH YOU THE TOOL THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED.
AND SO, UM, WITH THAT, NEXT SLIDE, THANK YOU.
AND SO, AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, REALLY THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO HELP MANAGE THE LIMITED RESOURCES WE HAVE WITH THE VERY LARGE MAGNITUDE OF NEEDS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO IT'S TRYING TO, IT'S TRYING TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT BASED UPON A SYSTEMATIC, A TRANSPARENT AND A DATA-DRIVEN TOOL THAT WE CAN USE.
NOW, NOTE THAT THIS ISN'T AN END-ALL, BE-ALL TOOL, UH, BUT IT WILL HELP US MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOUR BOARD.
AND IT'LL BE A WAY TO EXPLAIN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LANA TO-TO GET INTO THE NITTY-GRITTY OF THIS NEW TOOL THAT WE HAVE.
THE TOOL HAS SIX CRITERIA SO FAR.
THE FIRST ONE, TRAVEL VOLUME, WHICH IS FAIRLY SELF-EXPLANATORY BASED ON TRAFFIC COUNTS IN THE, IN THE COUNTY.
DETOUR TIME, WHICH IS BASED ON MINUTES IT TAKES TO, UM, REROUTE IF A ROAD SEGMENT IS CLOSED.
LOSS OF LANE, WHICH IS THE EXTENT OF, UH, LANE DAMAGE OR THE ENTIRE ROAD DAMAGE.
COMPROMISED UTILITIES AND CULVERTS, WHICH IS BASED ON THE CUMULATIVE AMOUNT OF PIECES OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED AT THE SITE.
UM, ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS, WHICH IS OUR EQUITY COMPONENT HERE BASED ON THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENSUS SURVEY.
AND CRITICAL FACILITIES, WHICH IS THE PROXIMITY OF THE ROAD SEGMENT TO A, UH, COUNTY DESIGNATED CRITICAL FACILITIES SUCH AS FIRE STATIONS, HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, ET CETERA.
CURRENTLY THE CRITERIA IS WEIGHTED, UM, AS YOU SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE.
THE GREEN ITEMS ARE CRITERIA DATA SETS THAT WE'VE BEEN PULLED FROM THE CAVA REPORT THAT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER.
AND I'LL-I'LL MENTION THAT, UM, DAVID REID IS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE IN CASE THERE'S ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THAT DATA WAS, UM, COMPILED.
AND THEN THE ORANGE ITEMS, THE LOSS OF LANE AND COMPROMISED UTILITIES AND CULVERTS CRITERIA ARE, UM, EVALUATED ON A PROJECT BY PROJECT SITE BASIS BY PUBLIC WORKS STAFF.
AND I'D SAY THE CURRENT WEIGHTING IS HEAVILY, UM, WEIGHTED TOWARDS EMERGENCY AND SAFETY WITH DETOUR TIME
[06:55:05]
AND LOSS OF LANE, UM, BEING WEIGHTED THE HEAVIEST AT THIS POINT.UM, LOSS OF LANE IS WEIGHTED THE HIGHEST WHEN IT'S A COMPLETE SEVER OF THE ROAD, AND THERE'S NO WAY IN OR ACROSS, UH, THE ROAD.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE'RE, UM, REFINING THESE, UH, CRITERIA AS WE GAIN EXPERIENCE AND ARE OPEN TO ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE BOARD.
UM, AS MATT, UM, TOUCHED UPON, THERE ARE LIMITATIONS TO THE RESOURCE, UM, AT THIS POINT.
UM, IT'S NOT INTENDED TO BE AN END ALL PRIORITIZATION RANKING TOOL.
UM, THERE ARE KEY CONSIDERATIONS THAT AREN'T IN THE TOOL, PRIMARILY FUNDING.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE A PROJECT IS RATED THE HIGHEST ON THE TOOL DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE COUNTY NECESSARILY HAS THE RESOURCES TO TAKE ON THAT PROJECT.
IT ALSO DOESN'T, UM, ACCOUNT FOR HOW LEVERAGE COUNTY FUNDING MIGHT BE ON A PARTICULAR PROJECT.
UM, RISK AND POTENTIAL EXPOSURE OF NOT DOING A PROJECT IS CURRENTLY NOT IN THE TOOL THAT'LL BE EVALUATED REGULARLY OUTSIDE OF THE MODEL WITH OUR RISK AND COUNTY COUNCIL TEAM.
AND THEN THE PROXIMITY OF OTHER VULNERABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS.
UM, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE STETSON ROAD PROJECT.
IT DIDN'T NECESSARILY RATE REALLY HIGH ON THE LIST BUT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH IT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER VULNERABLE ROAD SEGMENTS IN THAT AREA.
AND IF A ROAD SEGMENT WERE TO FAIL IN PROXIMITY TO THAT CURRENT SITE, IT WOULD BE A-A BIG PROBLEM.
SOME RESIDENTS MIGHT BE TRAPPED.
WE HAVE SOME IDEAS ON HOW SOME DATA SETS MAY BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THAT, BUT CURRENTLY IT'S NOT IN THE MODEL.
SO, THE, THIS PROCESS HAS YIELDED THREE PIECES OF PRODUCTS.
WE HAVE THE METHODOLOGY REPORT, WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE BOARD THAT OUR FABULOUS GIS TEAM PUT TOGETHER ON HOW THE MODEL WORKS.
UM, WE HAVE THE ASSESSMENT REPORT ITSELF, WHICH IS THE-THE-THE SNAPSHOT HERE OF THE-THE RANKINGS, AND THE-THE PIECES OF CRITERIA, AND HOW THEY'RE WEIGHTED, AND THEN THE GIS DASHBOARD.
AND I'M GOING TO ASK THE CLERK TO-TO OPEN THAT, AND WE'RE GONNA SWITCH PLACES REAL QUICK TO USE, UH, THE MOUSE.
[SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] GREAT, SO HERE'S THE GIS DASHBOARD.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE ARE COMPROMISED OF ALL CURRENT EMERGENCY PROJECTS.
SO, NOT JUST THE '17 AND '23 PROJECTS THAT HAVE YET TO BE COMPLETED, BUT THERE'S A FEW FROM OTHER YEARS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN HERE.
AND THIS INCLUDES ALL PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT YET COMPLETED, SO.
PROJECTS THAT ARE IN DESIGN OR MAYBE IN BID AND AWARD ARE INCLUDED, BUT COMPLETED ARE NOT.
UM, THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE IS 100.
CURRENTLY, THE HIGHEST SCORING PROJECT IS 69.13 WITH THE LOWEST AT 13.
AND THE MODEL IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR DIFFERENT PRIORITY AREAS, UM, OR GROUPS, I SHOULD SAY.
SO, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CLICK ON ONE.
UM, THIS PROJECT SCORED A 52.9 OUT OF ALL THE C-CURRENT CRITERIA.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME INFORMATION HERE AS THE 2017 PROJECT IT'S CURRENTLY IN DESIGN.
AND THEN THE CRITERIA, WHICH IS THE TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORES IS DOWN HERE CURRENTLY.
SO, YOU CAN SEE, UM, THE DETOUR TIME BASED ON THE RATING CRITERIA IS RATED THE HIGHEST IT COULD BE.
UM, WHILE THERE'S SOME VARIATIONS IN THESE OTHER CRITERIA.
I'LL TRY TO GO FAST, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
UM, ANOTHER PROJECT I WANTED TO SHOW HOW IT WORKED IS, I BELIEVE IT'S THIS? NO.
SO, THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR HIGHEST, UH, RATING PROJECT USING THE CURRENT MODEL.
IT IS SCORES HIGH ON PRETTY MUCH EVERY CRITERIA INCLUDING MAXING OUT ON THE DETOUR TIME.
UM, THE LOSS OF LANE IS RATED AT 10, WHICH MEANS IT'S A PARTIAL LANE CLOSURE.
UM, THE EQUITY SCORE IS FOUR OUT OF, UM, 12, I BELIEVE.
[07:00:02]
I'LL LEAVE IT AT THERE, OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS.- AND THE RECOMMENDED ACTION SAYS JUST AN ACCEPT AND FILE AND THEN TO DIRECT, UH, CDI TO RETURN ON OR BEFORE THE SECOND MEETING IN JANUARY WITH A PROGRESS REPORT.
- THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE WORK ON THIS PRIORITIZATION TOOL.
UM, IT'S, UH, ONE STEP CLOSER TO EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION.
WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO SEE IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
SEEING NONE, WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO ONLINE COMMENTS.
- WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.
- ANY-ANY QUESTIONS OR....? ALL RIGHT, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING UP WITH THIS, UM, TOOL AND ALSO TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A MAP THAT WE CAN DIRECT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ROADS AND, YOU KNOW, AND-AND WHY THIS ROAD ISN'T GETTING FIXED AND WE CAN HELP THEM BETTER UNDERSTAND LIKE WHERE IT'S AT IN THE QUEUE.
AND, UM, AND I'M HAPPY TO MOVE THE ITEM WHEN IT'S TIME COMES.
- RIGHT. AND ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? - I JUST ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF, UM, BOTH FOR THE REPORT, BUT ALSO YOUR TEAM FOR JUST THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT'S GONE INTO REPAIRING THE ROADS, UM, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2017.
UM, IT HAS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MY DISTRICT AND, UM JUST GIVEN THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE WITH THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION AND WITH FEMA REIMBURSEMENTS,, IT ONLY ADDS GREATER PRESSURE TO YOUR TEAM TO BE, UM, EFFICIENT AND THOUGHTFUL IN YOUR FUTURE ACTIONS.
SO, UM, I THINK THIS TOOL IS REALLY GONNA HELP YOU TO DO THAT.
AND, UM, I'M REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK SO FAR AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
- OKAY, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS, UH, TALKED WITH OUR DIRECTOR, UH, MATT MACHADO, BECAUSE OF, UH, SB1, RIGHT? I-I WAS QUESTIONED, UH, SB1, AND HOW IT'S USED, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE PEOPLE IN SOUTH COUNTY DO BUY GAS AND, UH, TO DRIVE TO SANTA CRUZ MOSTLY.
AND I THINK THAT IT'S BEEN, UH, A BIT OF A TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, KIND OF, UH, THING FOR US.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, I-I BASICALLY SAW NO-NO EQUITY IN THAT CURRENT PROCESS.
SO, I'M GLAD THIS TOOL WAS DEVELOPED, AND I HOPE IT DOES ADDRESS THE SB1 TOO.
SO I'LL TURN IT, BRING IT BACK TO MY BOARD MEMBERS.
- I MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS.
- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR, UH, CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.
- AND-AND I'LL JUST ADD, I ALSO APPRECIATE THE TOOL.
I THINK IT'S, UH, A GREAT FACTOR TO CONSIDER, UM, AND A GREAT PUBLIC RELATIONS PIECE AS WAS MENTIONED BY SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.
UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT IT'S NOT, UM, SORT OF A-A BE-ALL AND END-ALL DECISION MAKING AS YOU EXPLAINED WITH THE STETSON ROAD EXAMPLE THAT, UM, OTHER FACTORS WILL BE CONSIDERED AS NECESSARY.
[SILENCE] - SO, WE HAVE A MOTION, AND, UH, FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.
- CERTAINLY. SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ.
[10. Public hearing to consider the 2024 General Plan Annual Report, accept and file two related annual reports, and take related actions]
- AYE.[SILENCE] THANK YOU, NEXT ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE, UH, ITEM NUMBER 10, PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE 2024 GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT, ACCEPT AND FILE THE TWO RELATED ANNUAL REPORTS AND TAKE ALL RELATED ACTIONS.
I'LL BRING, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SUZANNE ISÉ, UH, PRINCIPAL PLANNER AND NATISHA WILLIAMS, POLICY PLANNER.
- GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU, CHAIR.
UM, WE DO HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION PREPARED.
HOW-HOWEVER, I DO WANNA OFFER YOU THE OPTION BECAUSE I REALIZE IT'S VERY LATE TODAY.
UM, THE MISSION CRITICAL PIECE TODAY IS THAT WE HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO SKIP THE STAFF PRESENTATION AND GO RIGHT TO HEARING, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
OR WE COULD DO AN EXPEDITED VERSION OF THE PRESENTATION IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
- OKAY, I'LL INTRODUCE NATISHA WILLIAMS TO START US OFF.
UM, SO, TODAY WE'RE PRESENTING, UM, THE 2024 GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT.
UM, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE REGULATIONS AND STATE LAW REQUIRE PREPARATION OF AN ANNUAL REPORT ON THE PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THE COUNTY GENERAL PLAN AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT.
ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS FOR 2024, UM, THE CALENDAR YEAR BEFORE YOU TODAY AND FOLLOWING TODAY'S PUBLIC HEARING, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO BE FILED WITH THE STATE BY APRIL 1ST.
SO, THESE ARE THE FOUR, UM, PARTS OF TODAY'S ITEM.
UM, WE'VE GOT THE GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT,
[07:05:02]
THE HOUSING ELEMENT ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT, AND THE LOW-MOD, UM, INCOME HOUSING ASSET FUND REPORT.AND THOSE ARE THE THREE STANDARD REPORTS WE PRESENT TO THE BOARD.
THIS YEAR, WE ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL ITEM THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE AR, UM, APR PACKET TO FULFILL THE BOARD'S DIRECTION FROM THE DECEMBER 10TH, 2024 PUBLIC HEARING.
AND THIS DOCUMENT HIGHLIGHTS THE COUNTY'S ONGOING EFFORTS AND PLANS TO ADDRESS LOWER INCOME HOUSING NEEDS IN THE COUNTY.
UM, 2024 SAW THE COMPLETION OF SEVERAL MAJOR GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, INCLUDING FINAL CERTIFICATION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE AND STATE CERTIFICATION OF THE 2023 HOUSING ELEMENT.
AND BOTH OF THESE PROJECTS ARE MAJOR EFFORTS TO MODERNIZE THE COUNTY'S LAND USE POLICIES, STREAMLINE THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND FACILITATE MORE HOUSING OPTIONS IN UNINCORPORATED COUNTY.
UNDER-UNDER CALIFORNIA LAW, ALL GOVERNMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING NEEDS OF EV-EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THIS IS KNOWN AS THE REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION.
AND THE 2023 HOUSING ELEMENT IDENTIFIED THAT HOUSING CAPACITY UNDER THE CURRENT ZONING IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA FELL SHORT OF THE STATE REQUIRED ARENA.
SO, TO ADDRESS THE SHORTFALL, WE BEGAN WORK ON THE HOUSING ELEMENT REZONE PROGRAM, CHANGING THE ZONING AND LAND USE DESIGNATION OF SEVERAL PARCELS TO INCREASE HOUSING CAPACITY IN THE COUNTY.
AND THE FIRST BATCH OF THESE MAP AMENDMENTS WERE JUST ADOPTED IN DECEMBER.
THE SECOND BATCH IS EXPECTED TO BE BROUGHT TO PUBLIC HEARING THIS SPRING AND OTHER PENDING AMENDMENTS INCLUDE THE PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENT, AS WELL AS THE 2025 HOUSEKEEPING AMENDMENTS TO HELP THE COUNTY MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE AND CURRENT GENERAL PLAN AND COUNTY CODE.
THE HOUSING ELEMENT ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT DETAILS THE COUNTY'S PROGRESS IN MEETING THE RHNA GOAL, AS WELL AS LOCAL EFFORTS TO REMOVE GOVERNMENTAL CONSTRAINTS TO-TO MAINTENANCE IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING.
AND THIS YEAR MARKS THE FIRST HOUSING ELEMENT APR TO REPORT ON THE NEWLY CERTIFIED 2023 HOUSING ELEMENT, THE SIXTH CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT.
SO, TO START OUR REVIEW OF THE APR, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE PRIOR FIFTH CYCLE.
AND I'LL HAND IT OVER TO SUZANNE.
SO, UH, THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF THE, UH, FIFTH CYCLE, WHICH RAN FROM 2015 TO 2023.
AND SO, UM, WE DID HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER ALLOCATION IN THAT CYCLE.
IT WAS, UH, JUST OVER 1300 UNITS AND THE COUNTY WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE PERMITTING 93% OF THAT GOAL.
SO, THAT MEANS, UH, UNITS ACTUALLY PERMITTED AND BUILT.
UM, YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE, WE'VE, TO MAKE IT EASIER TO SORT OF ABSORB THE INFORMATION, WE'VE SHADED THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNIT PERMITS IN THE GREEN COLORS.
UM, AND THEN THE GRAY COLOR AT THE TOP IS WHAT THE STATE CONSIDERS THE ABOVE MODERATE INCOME CATEGORY.
SO, UH, ALL THE THREE GREEN COLORS ARE, UH, FOR AFFORDABLE INCOME LEVELS RANGING FROM EXTREMELY LOW ALL THE WAY UP TO MODERATE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE, UM, ABOUT 57% OF THE TOTAL UNITS THAT WERE PERMITTED ARE IN THOSE, UH, THREE AFFORDABILITY CATEGORIES.
AND IF WE JUST LOOK AT THE LOWER INCOME UNITS, UH, 38% OF THE TOTAL WAS IN THE LOW, VERY LOW AND EXTREMELY LOW INCOME CATEGORIES.
I'LL HAND IT BACK TO NATISHA FOR THE NEXT SLIDE.
- SO, THE CURRENT SIXTH CYCLE RHNA PLAN FOR THE MONTEREY BAY REGION ALLOCATES A GOAL OF 4,634 NEW HOUSING UNITS TO THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF THE COUNTY FOR THE EIGHT YEAR PLANNING PERIOD FROM 2023 TO 2031.
AND NOTABLY, THIS GOAL IS THREE AND A HALF TIMES HIGHER THAN THE PRIOR FIFTH CYCLE RHNA THAT SUZANNE WAS JUST DESCRIBING.
UM, SOME KEY DATA POINTS FOR THE 2024 APR INCLUDE THAT THE COUNTY RECEIVED 18 APPLICATIONS AND A TOTAL OF 16 HOUSING PROJECTS WERE APPROVED.
188 UNITS WERE GRANTED FINAL BUILDING PERMITS, AND 147, UM, NEW UNITS WERE ISSUED BUILDING PERMITS LAST YEAR.
AND THESE 147 NEW UNITS ARE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS FOUR INCOME LEVELS SHOWN HERE ON TABLE B.
TABLE B IS THE KEY APR TABLE SHOWING THE COUNTY'S OVERALL PROGRESS IN MEETING THE SIXTH CYCLE RHNA.
UM, SO, WE'VE EDITED DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE IT MORE LEGIBLE FOR THIS PRESENTATION, BUT IT-IT DOES COVER EIGHT YEARS.
UM, FOR 2024, THIS IS THE FIRST FULL YEAR OF THE SIXTH CYCLE RHNA.
UM, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE THE-THE SECOND HALF OF 2023.
AND FROM THAT SECOND HALF OF 2023, 79 UNITS WERE COUNTED TOWARDS PROGRESS IN THIS RHNA CYCLE.
AND WHEN YOU COUNT BOTH 2023 AND 2024 TOGETHER, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 226 NEW HOUSING UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SO FAR.
THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN IN GREEN HERE SHOWS THE TOTAL REMAINING RHNA IN EACH INCOME CATEGORY.
UM, ADUS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO OUR RHNA NUMBERS IN RECENT YEARS, PARTICULARLY IN THE NON-DEED RESTRICTED AFFORDABLE INCOME CATEGORIES.
IN 2024 ALONE, YOU CAN SEE THAT ADUS ACCOUNTED FOR 103
[07:10:03]
OF THE 147 TOTAL BUILDING PERMITS THAT WERE ISSUED UNITS.AND ALL OF THESE ARE AFFORDABLE AND MORE THAN HALF FELL IN THE, UM, LOW INCOME, UH, NON-ADU RESTRICTED CATEGORY.
SO FAR, THE SIXTH, UH, SIXTH CYCLE RHNA, UM, OF ALL THE PERMITS PERMITTED, 62% HAVE BEEN ADUS.
IN ADDITION TO ADUS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TOWARDS THE FIFTH CYCLE.
UM, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL MAJOR PROJECTS IN-IN THE PIPELINE IN THIS CYCLE AS WELL THAT INDICATE THAT THAT TREND IS CONTINUING AND SUZANNE'S GONNA DISCUSS A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THESE PROJECTS.
UM, SO, ON THIS SLIDE, WE WANTED TO DIVE INTO SOME OF THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT ALL THESE, UH, NUMBERS MEAN, AND SHOW YOU A SUMMARY OF OUR, UH, SUBSIDIZED HOUSING PROJECT PIPELINE.
AND THIS SLIDE, UH, SUMMARIZES THE PROJECTS THAT HAD DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY OCCURRING IN 2024.
SO, WHATEVER STAGE, MAYBE THEY SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION MAYBE THEY PULLED BUILDING PERMITS, MAYBE THEY GOT THEIR BUILDING FINALED, MAYBE THEY COMPLETED THEIR OCCUPANCY.
UM, THE TOTAL OF ALL OF THESE PROJECTS IS AROUND 700 UNITS.
UM, SO, IT HAS BEEN A PRETTY ACTIVE TIME PERIOD.
I CAN'T REMEMBER, UH, ANOTHER, UH, YEAR IN THE COUNTY IN WHICH WE HAD 700 SUBSIDIZED LOWER INCOME HOUSING UNITS IN SOME STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT.
UM, ALL BUT ONE OF THESE PROJECTS ON THIS LIST ARE, UM, DID EITHER ALREADY RECEIVE OR IN THE PROCESS OF RECEIVING COUNTY FINANCING, UH, FOR THEIR PROJECTS.
SO, THIS, UH, SLIDE KIND OF PROVIDES A SIMILAR SNAPSHOT OF THE, UH, WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL MARKET RATE PROJECTS IN OUR PIPELINE.
NOW, MARKET RATE PROJECTS IN MOST CASES ARE ACTUALLY MIXED INCOME PROJECTS BECAUSE THEY INCLUDE SOME, UH, BELOW MARKET RATE UNITS, BUT THEY DO NOT RECEIVE PUBLIC SUBSIDIES FOR THE PROJECT TO BE BUILT.
UM, SO THE PIPELINE THAT WE HAVE, AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOCUSING ON PROJECTS THAT HAD DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN, UH, 2024.
SO, UM, IT IS NOT A, UH, UP TO TODAY'S DATE.
IT DOESN'T COVER ANYTHING THAT OCCURRED IN 2025.
BUT YOU SEE THE PIPELINE ON THIS END OF, UH, THE SPECTRUM IS A LITTLE SMALLER.
THESE ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF A DEVELOPMENT.
WE, BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY PROJECTS TO FIT ON ONE SLIDE, WE SORT OF LUMPED THEM INTO CATEGORIES.
BUT YOU CAN FIND A DETAILED TABLE IN THE REPORT ITSELF THAT SHOWS, UH, A LINE FOR EACH PROJECT, AND YOU CAN SEE EACH PROJECT'S PARTICULARS.
SO, UM, NOTABLY, UH, IF WE LOOK AT, UM, THE TOTAL PIPELINE HERE 14% OF THE UNITS PROPOSED IN THESE PROJECTS ARE PROPOSED TO BE AFFORDABLE EITHER AT THE LOW OR MODERATE INCOME LEVELS.
AND THAT IS 81 OUT OF 591 UNITS TOTAL.
95 OF THOSE UNITS ARE BONUS UNITS EARNED THROUGH THE DENSITY BONUS.
HOWEVER, IF WE LOOK AT THE SUBSET, WHICH IS JUST THE TOP THREE ROWS IN THE TABLE AND-AND SET ASIDE FOR THE MOMENT, THE BOTTOM ROW, WHICH IS THE BUILDER'S REMEDY PROJECTS, THOSE ARE SORT OF UNUSUAL, UM, THEN WE SEE THE STATISTICS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UM, 13% OF THE TOTAL PROPOSED UNITS ARE AFFORDABLE AND JUST, AND THAT EQUALS 36 UNITS, AND ONLY 14% OF THE UNITS, I'M SORRY NOT 14, 14 ACTUAL UNITS, NOT 14% WERE DENSITY BONUS.
AND THAT'S JUST 5% OF THE UNITS.
AND THIS IS A TREND WE OFTEN SEE WHERE MARKET RATE PROJECTS OFTEN DON'T ACTUALLY BUILD THE DENSITY BONUS UNITS THAT THEY COULD BUILD.
THEY ARE USING THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM TO GET THE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY THAT IT INCLUDES BUT NOT NECESSARILY MAXIMIZING THOSE BONUS UNITS THAT THEY MIGHT EARN.
SO, THIS SLIDE, UM, COVERS ANOTHER IMPORTANT TOPIC.
THERE'S AN ATTACHMENT TO THE MAIN, UH, APR REPORT, WHICH IS THE HOUSING SUCCESSOR AGENCY ANNUAL REPORT.
THIS CONTAINS, UH, FISCAL INFORMATION FOR THE COUNTY'S HOUSING SUCCESSOR AGENCY, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY, UH, THE HEIR TO THE FORMER REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
UM, THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY MANAGES THOSE FORMER RDA HOUSING ASSETS AND THIS PROVIDES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF THE, UM, BASICALLY, THE MAJOR FISCAL, UH, MOVEMENT THAT HAPPENED IN FISCAL YEAR '23-'24.
UM, TWO OF THE PROJECTS THAT I SHOWED ON THE PRIOR SLIDE RECEIVED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FROM THIS PARTICULAR FUND, THE LOW MOD FUND IN, UM, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR.
AND THOSE INCLUDED THE TWO HOME KEY PROJECTS.
UH, ONE IS THE FREEDOM HOUSE PROJECT IN SOUTH COUNTY,
[07:15:03]
AND THE OTHER IS THE PARK HAVEN PROJECT IN SOQUEL.UM, SO THIS LAST, UH, COUPLE OF SLIDES ADDRESSES THE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVED.
UM, SO WE WANTED TO, UM, SORT OF CATEGORIZE THIS, UM, INFORMATION IN TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT IT'S USEFUL TO THINK ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT GENERAL TYPES OF APPROACHES TO SUPPORT LOWER INCOME HOUSING.
THE FIRST APPROACH IS A REGULATORY APPROACH, UM, THAT CAN INCLUDE-INCLUDE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS BUT ONE OF WHICH IS OUR-OUR ZONING ORDINANCE, OUR GENERAL PLAN, UM, GETTING DOWN MORE TO THE PROGRAM LEVEL.
THE REZONING PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT THIS YEAR IS A REALLY, UM, SIGNIFICANT AND-AND VERY IMPORTANT, UH, REGULATORY APPROACH PARTICULARLY THAT THE STATE IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT.
AND THAT IS REALLY KIND OF THE CORE OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE PROCESS BECAUSE IT LAYS THE GROUNDWORK TO PROVIDE THE CAPACITY UNDER OUR ZONING FOR US TO ALLOW MINUTES TO BE BUILT TO MEET THE RHNA.
ANOTHER, UH, ANGLE OF THE RE-REGULATORY APPROACH IS WHAT IS CALLED INCLUSIONARY ZONING.
UM, SOMETIMES THAT'S CALLED BELOW MARKET RATE HOUSING PROGRAMS. THE DENSITY BONUS IS A-A-A SORT OF TYPE OF BELOW MARKET RATE HOUSING PROGRAM.
AND WE HAVE SOME PROGRAMS IN OUR HOUSING ELEMENT THAT ARE, UM, HAVE TO DO WITH UPDATING, POTENTIALLY, OUR INCLUSIONARY PROGRAM.
THOSE ARE BOTH, UH, H-3H AND H-3G, I'M SORRY, J.
UM, WE HAVE A NEXUS STUDY THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AND-AND YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THAT LATER THIS YEAR.
UM, AND IN TABLE D, WHICH IS AN ATTACHMENT TO THE APR, YOU CAN SEE DE-DETAILED STATUS UPDATES ON A WHOLE LIST.
I THINK THERE'S 50 PLUS PROGRAMS IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT THAT WE HAVE TO REPORT ON AT THIS TIME AND-AND SUBMIT THIS REPORT SO YOU CAN FIND MORE DETAILS ABOUT OUR PROGRESS ON THIS FRONT IN THAT, UH TABLE D OF THE APR.
SO, THE SECOND GENERAL TYPE OF APPROACH THAT IS GENERALLY USED TO SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS, UH, PROVIDING MONEY, WHICH IS, [CHUCKLES] UH, UM, A VERY, UM, STRAIGHTFORWARD, UH, MECHANISM.
OF COURSE, THERE, THE CONSTRAINT IS GENERALLY, YOU KNOW, NOBODY HAS THAT MUCH MONEY.
SO, [CHUCKLES] THAT TENDS TO BE THE CONSTRAINING FACTOR.
BUT THE COUNTY HAS A LONG HISTORY AND A LONG TRACK RECORD OF PROVIDING DIRECT FINANCING FOR A WHOLE VARIETY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
PRIMARILY, MOST OF THAT MONEY IN THE EARLY DAYS CAME THROUGH OUR REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY FROM LIKE THE LATE 90'S THROUGH ABOUT 2011 OR SO, 2012.
UM, YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT IS OUR MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT THAT WE FINANCED, UM, WHICH IS THE CIENEGA HEIGHTS, UH, PROJECT THAT WAS JUST COMPLETED IN WATSONVILLE JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS ON, UH, BREWINGTON AVENUE.
I THINK IT LOOKS LOVELY, AND WE REALLY WANTED TO INCLUDE THE PHOTO IN YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
UM, AND THE COUNTY HAS PROVIDED A LOT OF OTHER TYPES OF HOUSING IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS, INCLUDING HELPING RESIDENTS PURCHASE THEIR MOBILE HOME PARKS, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, HOME OWNERSHIP PROJECTS, AS WELL AS VARIOUS, UH, AFFORDABLE RENTAL PROJECTS.
WE ALSO COORDINATE WITH PARTNER AGENCIES ON MOST OF THESE PROJECTS.
UM, THOSE INCLUDE THE CONTINUUM OF CARE, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, AND OUR LOCAL, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS.
MOST OF THOSE ARE NONPROFIT DEVELOPERS, BUT SOME ARE NOT.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
UM, WE'D, UH, LIKE TO, UM, HOLD THE PUBLIC HEARING WHEN YOU'RE READY.
- SO, THEN TO, FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, WE JUST STILL GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF GOING TO THE PUBLIC? - JUST OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. - OKAY.
- ASK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, YEAH.
- WE WILL OPEN THIS PUBLIC HEARING.
IF THERE'S ANYBODY IN THE BOARD WISHING TO ADDRESS US ON THIS ITEM, ON THIS PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE COME TO THE DAIS.
SEEING NONE, ANYBODY ONLINE? - YES, CHAIR.
RAFA, YOUR MICROPHONE'S NOW AVAILABLE? - YES. THANK YOU.
UM, RAFA SONNENFELD CALLING IN ON BEHALF OF SANTA CRUZ EMB.
UM, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO-TO HEAR THIS ITEM TODAY.
I WANTED TO DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO PROGRAM H-1H, WHICH IS, UH, THE COUNTY'S IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM FOR, UH, THE SENATE BILL 9, WHICH IS THE, UH, THE STATEWIDE DUPLEX ORDINANCE AND ASSOCIATED LOCAL COASTAL PLAN AMENDMENTS.
UM, UH, THE, UH, THE TABLE D, UH, IN-IN YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY,
[07:20:05]
I THINK INCORRECTLY LISTS THAT ITEM AS HAVING BEEN COMPLETED.UNFORTUNATELY, THAT-THAT, UH, ITEM IS STILL BEING HEARD AT THE COASTAL COMMISSION ON APRIL 11TH.
AND THE COASTAL COMMISSION IS RECOMMENDING AMENDMENTS TO THAT, UH, ORDINANCE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE COUNTY AND-AND GO BACK TO THE COASTAL COMMISSION FOR APPROVAL.
UH, THE COASTAL COMMISSION COULD EVEN DELAY APPROVAL OF THE LCP BY UP TO A YEAR.
UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, HOUSING ADVOCATES ARE CONCERNED WITH SOME OF THE AMENDMENTS THAT THE COASTAL COMMISSION IS PROPOSING.
UM, WE SUPPORTED THE-THE COUNTY'S, UH, IMPLEMENTATION ORDINANCE WHEN IT WAS PASSED, UH, LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT, UH, UH, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THE COASTAL COMMISSION, UH, IS, UH, RECOMMENDING REMOVING FROM CONSIDERATION, UH, SITES THAT-THAT THE COUNTY IDENTIFIES AS ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE HABITAT AREAS OR ESHAS.
UM, YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF THIS, UH, LAST YEAR.
UH, ESHAS ARE ALLOWED TO BE DEVELOPED FOR ADUS AND SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ALREADY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE COASTAL COMMISSION, UH, IS RECOMMENDING ELIMINATING SB9 FROM THAT, EVEN THOUGH SB9 ARE PRO-, DUPLEXES ARE NOT ANY MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE THAN SINGLE HOMES AND ADUS THAT ARE ALREADY ALLOWED IN THE COASTAL ZONE.
SO, WE JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO WORK WITH THE COASTAL COMMISSION TO, UH, TO SUPPORT HOUSING ON THIS MATTER.
- OKAY. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD.
UM, FOR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS? - YEAH, THANK-THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, I STILL HAVE SOME CONCERNS WITH, UM, THE PRODUCTION OF VERY LOW INCOME HOUSING, AND ALSO MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE DEED RESTRICTED LOW INCOME HOUSING, BECAUSE ONCE, JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS "AFFORDABLE BY DESIGN", QUOTE, UN-QUOTE, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN IT'S AFFORDABLE.
WE HAVE 425 SQUARE FOOT STUDIOS IN SOME OF THE NEW BUILDINGS GOING IN DOWNTOWN RENTING FOR $3,000 A MONTH.
AND SO WHILE IT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AFFORDABLE BY DESIGN BECAUSE IT'S SMALL, THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY GONNA HELP, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING HOUSING FOR LOW INCOME FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE WHO WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, IT CONTINUES TO BE A CONCERN OF MINE, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO ADDRESS IT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN TRACK, UM, LIKE WHO IS LIVING IN THIS HOUSING AND WHO THIS HOUSING IS GOING TOWARDS, I THINK THAT'LL BE REALLY CRITICAL FOR ENSURING THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THOSE INCOME CATEGORIES ARE ACTUALLY GETTING INTO THOSE HOMES.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I, YOU KNOW, I-I UNDERSTAND AND I APPRECIATE THE APPROACH, WELL, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE-THE PUSH TOWARDS BUILDING HOUSING BUT I DO THINK WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF THE FACT THAT WHAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY BE STRIVING FOR IS BUILDING COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE HEAR ABOUT HOW THERE'S CERTAIN PLACES WHERE YOU'LL HAVE LOTS OF HOUSING BUILT BUT YOU LIVE IN A FOOD DESERT, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND I THINK THAT AS WE'RE STARTING TO BUILD OUT AND SOME MORE MULTI-FAMILY HOMES, WE SHOULD ACTUALLY BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE AMENITIES AND WHAT ARE GONNA BE THE NEEDS OF THOSE FOLKS WHO LIVE IN THOSE AREAS, SO THAT WE DON'T, SO WE CAN REDUCE VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED, AND WE CAN REDUCE TRAFFIC SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE LIVABLE, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES AS WE BUILD THIS HOUSING OUT.
SO, JUST SOMETHING I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE AND KEEP IN MIND AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, UM, SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST BUILDING HOUSING AND NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE OTHER NEEDS THAT COMES WITH THAT.
- UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS UPDATE.
AS A NEW SUPERVISOR, THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES I'VE GOTTEN TO RECEIVE THIS TYPE OF REPORT.
AND, UM, I THINK I SHARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE LIMITED HOUSING STOCK IN OUR COUNTY AND THE NEED FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS FOR REALLY MY WHOLE CAREER.
AND, UM, AND I'M REALLY, UM, I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK I'M-I'M KIND OF ENERGIZED TO SEE THAT WE'RE-WE'RE... THE PIPELINE'S STARTING TO MOVE.
UM, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BUT I-I'M APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THOSE PROJECTS.
AND, UM, AND I HOPE YOU'LL COME FORWARD TO US WITH OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THE, UM, GROWTH OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE I THINK YOU HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS ON THE BOARD TO HELP THAT.
- IF ANYONE IS, UH, WE DO HAVE TO ACCEPT AND FILE THIS REPORT OR HEARING.
- CHAIR, I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.
UM, AND ALSO JUST ADD THAT I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE PIPELINE MOVING AS, UH, SUPERVISOR MARTINEZ SAID.
UM, AND OF COURSE, SOME-SOME BIG PROJECTS HAPPENING IN THE FIRST DISTRICT.
I HAD, UH... ANY-ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES WHO WANNA LEARN MORE
[07:25:02]
ABOUT THE 41ST AND SOQUEL PROJECT, I THINK IT'S THE BIGGEST, UH, PROJECT OF 245, UH, AFFORDABLE UNITS.UM, THERE-THERE IS A PUBLIC MEETING BY THE APPLICANT ON THURSDAY NIGHT, SO I WANT Y'ALL TO BE THERE.
AND, UM, AND ALSO DEFINITELY WANNA ECHO SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, UH, INTEREST IN BUILDING COMMUNITIES, UM, AROUND, UH, AS-AS WE'RE ALSO DEVELOPING HOUSING BECAUSE, UM, THAT'S WHAT ULTIMATELY IS GONNA LEAD TO, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE AND-AND ALL THE, UM, RELATED HEALTH OUTCOMES THAT WE WANT AND DESIRE.
- I'D LIKE TO SECOND THE MOTION WITH POTENTIAL DIRECTION TO COME BACK WITH A REPORT ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND HOW THAT GETS BUILT AND WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE.
I KNOW WE'RE WAITING ON A NEXUS STUDY, UM, WITH REGARD TO THAT BUT, UM, THERE'S BEEN A CALL FOR THAT.
I'VE WORKED AS A SOCIAL WORKER MOST OF MY LIFE AND ACTUALLY TRIED TO FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR MANY OF MY PATIENTS, AND IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
SO, UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU COULD COME BACK AND-AND MAYBE DO A REPORT ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
- THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.
IF WE COULD TAKE ROLL CALL VOTE.
[LAUGHS] SO, WITH THAT, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. IT IS...
UH, THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 8TH OF 2025 AT 9:00 AM.
I THINK THIS BEATS OUR 4:43 - THANK YOU - PM MEETING.
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* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.