[00:00:03]

- FOR THOSE PRESENT TODAY WHO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE

[INTRODUCTORY ITEMS]

WE HAVE SOMEONE AVAILABLE WHO WILL TRANSLATE YOUR COMMENT INTO ENGLISH.

FOR THOSE WHO REQUIRE TRANSLATION OF THE WHOLE MEETING, PLEASE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS IN ADVANCE WITH THE CLERK OF THE BOARD, EITHER BY VISITING THEIR OFFICE IN PERSON OR BY CALLING OUR OFFICE AT AREA CODE 831 454 2323.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY, SO PLEASE DO REQUEST TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE IF YOU FEEL LANGUAGE IS A BARRIER TO YOUR PARTICIPATION.

- GOOD MORNING.

[CALL TO ORDER]

WILL THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - CERTAINLY, CHAIR. SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- PRESENT.

- KOENIG. - HERE.

- HERNANDEZ. - HERE.

- CUMMINGS. - HERE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - HERE.

WE WILL NOW HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE.

[MOMENT OF SILENCE AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]

THANK YOU.

PLEASE JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

- I PLEDGE ALL ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

- THANK YOU.

WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO CONSIDERATIONS

[CONSIDERATION OF LATE ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA; ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS TO CONSENT AND REGULAR AGENDAS]

CEO COBURN, DO WE HAVE ANYTHING THIS MORNING? - UH, YES, CHAIR, WE DO. ON THE REGULAR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL MATERIALS.

UH, THERE IS A REVISED STAFF REPORT FOR PACKET PAGES 17 THROUGH 18.

UM, FOR ITEM NUMBER 31, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL MATERIALS.

THERE'S A NEW ATTACHMENT FOR THE STATEMENT OF VOTE FOR THE JUNE 2ND, 2026 PRIMARY ELECTION.

AND THIS HAS BEEN INSERTED AFTER PACKET PAGE 542.

AND THEN LASTLY FOR ITEM 38, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL MATERIALS.

THERE'S A REVISED STAFF REPORT REPLACING PACKET, PAGE 651, AND THERE ON THAT PAGE THERE'S AN AMENDED FINANCIAL IMPACT.

THAT'S ALL.

- THANK YOU, CEO COBURN.

WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO REMOVAL OF ITEMS

[ANNOUNCEMENT BY BOARD MEMBERS OF ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT TO REGULAR AGENDA]

I'M GONNA START ON MY LEFT WITH SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO, UM, REMOVE, UH, ITEM NUMBER 69.

THAT'S THE ITEM ON OUR BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY.

- THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

WE WILL BE PUTTING THAT ITEM AS ITEM NUMBER 6.1, SO IT WILL BE HEARD IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.

WOULD ANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES LIKE TO REMOVE ANYBODY- ANYTHING THIS MORNING? ALL RIGHT, SEEING NONE, WE WILL NOW BE MOVING ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT.

[PUBLIC COMMENT]

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON A REGULAR AGENDA ITEM, I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU PLEASE WAIT AND SPEAK ON THE ITEM WHEN IT'S HEARD.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE ITEM RELATED TO THE BATTERY STORAGE ORDINANCE HAS BEEN PULLED AND THAT WILL BE ITEM 6.1.

SO THAT WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO SPEAK ON THAT ITEM.

ADDITIONALLY, COMMENTS ON THE PARKS BUDGET AND ART IS ALSO MOST APPROPRIATELY HEARD WHEN WE HEAR THOSE ITEMS. THANK YOU. SO IF YOU'RE HERE TO SPEAK THIS MORNING, PLEASE FORM A LINE OR RAISE YOUR HAND SO I CAN GET A SENSE OF HOW MANY IN THE ROOM HOPE TO SPEAK.

AND MADAM CLERK, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON THE PHONE? - CURRENTLY WE HAVE TWO HANDS RAISED ONLINE.

- WONDERFUL. I WILL SET THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR TWO MINUTES EACH. GOOD MORNING.

- GOOD MORNING.

FROM APTAS, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE RAIL TRAIL AND PHASE THREE OF HIGHWAY ONE EXPANSION.

CALTRANS ON THEIR WEBSITE SHOWS THAT

[00:05:02]

THAT MEANS THAT CALTRANS WILL SPEND THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THOSE TWO BRIDGES.

AT DISCUSSIONS AT THIS BOARD LAST YEAR, HEAVY FREIGHT WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAN.

EITHER I HEARD WRONG OR THE BOARD DID NOT RECOMMEND THAT, OR THE RTC HAS FAILED TO CHANGE THEIR PLANS.

LAST YEAR, I RECOMMENDED THE RTC SHOULD BE FIRED FOR ALL OF THE MISTAKES ON THE RAIL TRAIL PLAN.

THEY NEGLECTED TO INCLUDE THE COST OF PARKING STRUCTURES IN ALVA APTAS AND CAPITOLA.

IF THEY HAD, THEN THE PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE DIED.

CAN YOU CLARIFY WHETHER THE PLAN IS TO HAVE HEAVY FREIGHT BEARING BRIDGES OR NOT? WILL YOU HAVE THE RTC REPORT ON WHAT THEY HAVE TOLD CALTRANS? THE RTC HAS PROPOSED A PLAN THAT WILL TAKE 40 YEARS TO EXECUTE AND ARE HAPPY WITH THAT.

THEY WILL RETIRE BEFORE THEY COMPLETE THE PLAN.

THAT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT? THANK YOU.

- HI, MY NAME IS JUDY ROSEA MYERS. I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE.

THANK YOU, MANU.

AND, UM, I REALLY WANNA THANK YOU FOR TAKING 69 OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA.

SO MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE, UM, HEARD IN TERMS OF THE PROS AND THE CONS, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE FIRE ISSUES.

THERE WAS A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL MEETING THIS PAST WEEKEND ON SUNDAY AT PINTO LAKE AND, UM, IT WAS AN AMAZING TURNOUT AND INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM SACRAMENTO, WHICH WE NOW KNOW IS KIND OF DIRECTING THE APPROVAL OR NON-APPROVAL OF THIS PROJECT.

SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING THE FORESIGHT TO KNOW THAT WE NEED TO HAVE MORE AUDIENCE OF INPUT IN TERMS OF THE SAFETY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY THE FIRE ISSUES.

AND WE NEED TO BE HEARD.

THERE'S A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY WHO HAS PARTICIPATED IN A VERY, VERY INTENSELY.

I MEAN, WE HAVE PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS ON SO MANY LEVELS AND WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE AND ATTENDED ALL THESE AMAZING MEETINGS THAT YOU HAD.

AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AT LEAST, UM, HAVING IT SO THAT WE CAN BE HEARD AND HOPEFULLY, UH, YOU WILL LISTEN TO WHAT EVERYONE HAS TO SAY THAT HAS IS RELEVANT TO THIS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS.

- THANK YOU, JAY. MY NAME IS JAMES EWLING WHITMAN.

I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, CONSENT AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 69 WAS TAKEN OFF AND MOVED TO 6.1.

WHICH PRESIDENT SAID THIS? "I SEE IN THE NEAR FUTURE A CRISIS APPROACHING THAT UNNERVES ME AND CAUSES ME TO TREMBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF MY COUNTRY...

CORPORATIONS HAVE BEEN ENTHRONED AND AN ERA OF CORRUPTION IN HIGH PLACES WILL FOLLOW.

AND THE MONEY POWER OF THE COUNTRY WILL ENDEAVOR TO PROLONG ITS REIGN BY WORKING UPON THE PREJUDICE OF THE PEOPLE UNTIL ALL WEALTH IS AGGREGATED INTO A FEW HANDS AND THE REPUBLIC IS DESTROYED." IT'S NOVEMBER 21ST, 1864, MR. LINCOLN.

YOU KNOW, ALMOST ALL THE GOVERNMENT THAT I SEE AROUND ME IS AN INVERSION OF THE TRUTH.

YOU KNOW, I WISH I HAD MORE TIME THAN TWO MINUTES.

YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY QUITE SAD.

YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED SOMETHING IN THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ABOUT A MONTH AGO.

IF SANTA CRUZ WAS HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF MAGIC, I WAS IMPLYING THAT THEY, THIS THE COUNCIL AND THEIR EXECUTIVE STAFF ARE THE DEATH EATERS.

UM, DO I THINK MORE OR LESS OF THIS CIRCLE? YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY CAN CHANGE.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY.

SO MOVING ON TO SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY QUITE HUMOROUS, ONE OF THE CHARACTERS WHO RECENTLY PASSED AWAY, MR. SEAN CONNERY.

I'VE OFTEN BEEN ASKED, WHAT DO YOU OLD FOLKS DO NOW THAT YOU'RE RETIRED? WELL, I'M FORTUNATE TO HAVE A CHEMICAL ENGINEERING BACKGROUND AND ONE OF THE THINGS I ENJOY MOST IS CONVERTING BEER, WINE, AND VODKA INTO URINE.

I DO IT EVERY DAY AND I REALLY ENJOY IT.

YOU KNOW, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER FOLKS, AND WE CAN ALL JUST SAY, I CAN DO BETTER OR WHATEVER.

THANK YOU.

[00:10:01]

I AM DR. LISA HERNANDEZ, COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER.

GREAT. I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE, NICOLE.

UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU CHAIR MARTINEZ FOR HAVING, LETTING US HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE A REMARKABLE COLLEAGUE WHO'S SITTING, STANDING RIGHT TO THE LEFT OF ME, UM, WHO IS RETIRING AFTER 26 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THIS COMMUNITY.

OVER HER CAREER, NICOLE BENJAMIN HAS WORKED ACROSS NEARLY EVERY CORNER OF THE HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY.

AND WHEN THE COUNTY FACED ITS HARDEST, ONE OF ITS HARDEST TIMES, SHE DEMONSTRATED HER COMMITMENT THROUGH RESPONDING TO THE PAJARO RIVER FLOODS, THE CZ ZOO FIRE, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, TO NAME A FEW OF THE EFFORTS OF HER COMMITMENT.

NICOLE CLOSES HER REMARKABLE CAREER AS A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE AND THE CHILDREN AND FAMILY HEALTH, UH, BRANCH SERVING FAMILIES THROUGH THE NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP.

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES ARE A KEY PART OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S FOUNDATION AND NICOLE IS ONE OF THE FINEST, AND I'M HONORED TO HAVE WORKED ALONGSIDE HER OVER SOME OF HER YEARS.

ON BEHALF OF THE HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY, WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR HER SERVICE AND WISH HER A WELL EARNED RETIREMENT.

I WILL NOW TURN THE, UH, PODIUM OVER TO EMILY FINNAN DI-, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR OF NURSING AND PRIMA HERNANDEZ, HEALTH SERVICES MANAGER AND CHILDREN'S FAMILY HEALTH, WHO WILL READ THE PROCLAMATION, UH, FOR NICOLE.

- THANKS, DR. HERNANDEZ.

UH, EMILY FINNAN, DIRECTOR OF NURSING, HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY, PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION.

WHEREAS NICOLE BENJAMIN HAS SERVED THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ AND ITS RESIDENCE FOR OVER 26 YEARS AS A BILINGUAL PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE, AND WHEREAS THROUGHOUT HER TENURE WITHIN THE HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY, PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION, NICOLE HAS SERVED ACROSS MULTIPLE PRO-, PROGRAM AREAS, INCLUDING FIELD NURSING, TUBERCULOSIS CLINIC, HIV/AIDS TESTING AND EDUCATION, SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT PROGRAMS, THE COUNTY JAIL AND DISASTER RESPONSE EFFORTS SPANNING THE PAJARO RIVER FLOODING, THE CZU FIRE, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

AND WHEREAS NICOLE HAS PROVIDED CARE FOR NEARLY A THOUSAND MOTHERS OVER HER CAREER, SUPPORTING THEM THROUGH BIRTHS, ILLNESS, LOSS, AND LIFE'S HARDEST CHALLENGES WHILE ADVOCATING FOR CONSCIENTIOUS FAMILY PLANNING AND THE PREVENTION OF UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES.

- GOOD MORNING. PRIMAVERA HERNANDEZ, MANAGER FOR THE CHILDREN AND FAMILY HEALTH BRANCH, PUBLIC HEALTH.

I WILL CONTINUE THE PROCLAMATION.

WHEREAS NICOLE HAS EARNED THE TITLE OF UNDISPUTED TEEN QUEEN OF MATERNAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH DEVELOPING INNOVATED OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT WATSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AND SEQUOIA SMALL SCHOOLS THAT CREATED LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEEN MOTHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

AND WHEREAS NICOLE HAS SHARED HER UNWAVERING DEDICATION AND PASSION FOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY BY GENEROUSLY TRAINING AND MENTORING COUNTLESS NURSING STUDENTS, INTERNS, AND NEW PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES PRIORITIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF NURSES.

NOW THEREFORE, WE RECOGNIZE AND THANK NICOLE FOR HER EXTRAORDINARY AND EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE RESIDENTS OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, HONOR HER INVALUABLE AND LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING AND MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH, AND CONGRATULATE HER ON HER WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT.

[APPLAUSE] I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH YOUR OFFICIAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PROCLAMATION HONORING NICOLE BENJAMIN, RN, PHN, ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT.

AND WE HAVE ONE MORE, UH, PERSON TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OR FOR NICOLE.

- HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME ON THIS? - [LAUGHTER] - UM, I'M BETH BLOSSER.

I'M THE NURSING SUPERVISOR FOR THE NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITHIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND FROM WHOM NICOLE IS RETIRING.

SO I SPEAK AS, UM, HAVING KNOWN HER FOR ONLY FOUR YEARS AS I'VE BEEN HER SUPERVISOR DURING THAT TIME.

UM, AND, AND IN THAT TIME I FOUND HER TO BE A FIERCE ADVOCATE AND ALLY FOR HER CLIENTS FOR THE NFP PROGRAM AS A WHOLE AND FOR ALL PREGNANT PERSONS, UH, NEW MOMS AND DADS AND THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN.

NICOLE IS AN OUT OF THE BOX THINKER.

SHE BRINGS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF WISDOM AND CAN-DO ATTITUDE BUILT FROM BOTH PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND HER OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE.

SHE'S OFTEN BEEN HEARD TO SAY, WELL, AS MY MOTHER USED TO SAY, FOLLOWED BY A PITHY TRUISM ON SOMETHING COMMON TO THE GREATER HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND SPECIFICALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MATTER AT HAND.

[00:15:02]

YAY.

- CONGRATULATIONS.

GOOD MORNING, UM, CHAIR. GOOD MORNING, BOARD.

UH, MY NAME IS SARAH SHEA AND I AM ONE OF THE PARK SUPERINTENDENTS AND I'M HERE THIS MORNING ON BEHALF OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PARKS DEPARTMENT, JUST TO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING JULY AS PARKS MAKE LIFE BETTER MONTH.

UH, THIS PROCLAMATION HIGHLIGHTS SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW AND WE GET TO SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

PARKS ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN OPEN SPACES.

THEY'RE PLACES WHERE CHILDREN LEARN AND PLAY, FAMILIES GATHER, NEIGHBORS CONNECT, AND PEOPLE OF ALL AGES CAN IMPROVE THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLBEING.

FROM YOUTH SPORTS AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS TO HIKING TRAILS, BEACHES, AND NATURAL AREAS, OUR PARKS HELP BUILD HEALTHIER, STRONGER, AND MORE CONNECTED COMMUNITIES.

PARKS ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL ROLE IN PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT, SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND TOURISM, AND HELPING OUR COMMUNITY BECOME MORE RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL DISASTERS.

I'D LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORTIVE PARKS AND RECREATION, OUR DEDICATED PARK STAFF AND ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO EVERY DAY.

AND IMPORTANTLY, OUR COMMUNITY WHO COMES OUT, LOVES, ENJOYS AND SUPPORTS THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

AS WE CELEBRATE PARKS MAKE LIFE BETTER MONTH THIS JULY, WE CELEBRATE WITH OTHER AGENCIES ACROSS THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY COME ON OUT, MAKE A SPLASH AT SIMKINS FAMILY SWIM CENTER, UM, DISCOVER A NEW FAVORITE PARK, A NEW FAVORITE TRAIL, CHEER ON YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL YOUTH SPORTS TEAM OR ADULT SPORTS TEAM, UM, AND SIMPLY ENJOY TIME OUTSIDE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO CELEBRATE, WE HOPE YOU'LL GET OUTSIDE AND EXPERIENCE FIRST HAND HOW PARKS TRULY MAKE LIFE BETTER.

THANK YOU.

- WELL, THE $18,978,000 THAT YOU SPEND ON PARKS SEEMS TO BE A GOOD INVESTMENT.

UH, I AM HERE. I'M THOMAS WHEELDON.

I AM HERE TO URGE YOU TO, UH, NOT PASS CONSENT ITEM 38.

I AM SURE THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURES WHO WROTE AB 1486 WERE TO LOOK AT SEVENTH AND BROMMER, THE PROPERTY, AND SEE HOW POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT IT MAY BECOME IN THE FUTURE OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY RESIDENCE AND OTHER RESIDENTS FROM CALIFORNIA TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE OCEAN.

UM, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE SEA LEVEL RISE, IT'S HAPPENING NOW.

YOU CAN SEE IT ON WESTCLIFF DRIVE.

YOU CAN, THERE'S NO QUESTION IN 30 YEARS, UH, THE HARBOR'S GONNA HAVE PROBLEMS WITH PARKING.

UH, THE HARBOR IS ONE OF THE BEST RECREATION FACILITIES IN THE COUNTY, AND THE ONLY FACILITY IN THE COUNTY THAT, THAT OFFERS ACCESS TO THE OCEAN.

UH, I APPLAUD THE $19 MILLION THAT YOU SPEND ON THE PARKS, BUT I THINK THE HARBOR, UH, IF YOU WERE TO EVALUATE FROM PEOPLE WOULD, WOULD BE A, A BETTER FACILITY THAN ANYTHING THAT THE PARKS HAS TO OFFER.

NOT, NOT, NOT NEGATING WHAT THE PARKS HAVE TO OFFER, BUT THAT, THAT HARBOR FACILITY IS AN INCREDIBLE FACILITY.

SO I, I WOULD PLEASE URGE YOU TO NOT PASS 38, BUT TO WORK WITH THE STATE ON AN EXEMPTION FOR AB1486 FOR SEVENTH AND BROMMER.

AND ONCE YOU GET THAT EXEMPTION, I WOULD URGE YOU TO WORK WITH THE HARBOR SO THAT LAND CAN BE USED IN THE FUTURE FOR ACCESS TO THE, FOR PEOPLE TO THE OCEAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

- GOOD MORNING, CHAIR MARTINEZ AND SUPERVISORS.

MY NAME IS TRICIA WEBER AND I'M THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CLERK REGISTRAR VOTERS.

AND I'M HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ON CONSENT ITEM 31, THE STATEMENT OF VOTE FOR THE JUNE 2ND, 2026 STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION.

HISTORICALLY, PRIMARY SEE LOW TURNOUT.

OVER THE PAST SIX STATEWIDE PRIMARIES, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AVERAGED 42.6% TURNOUT.

I'M THRILLED TO REPORT THAT FOR THIS ELECTION, 50.37% OF OUR VOTERS HAD THEIR VOICES HEARD, FAR EXCEEDING THE STATE'S CURRENT TURNOUT OF 40.8%.

AS WITH PAST ELECTIONS, VOTER BEHAVIOR HAS LEANED TO RETURNING VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS ON ELECTION DAY, MORE THAN 40,000 VOTERS RETURN VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS ON ELECTION DAY AT VOTING LOCATIONS, DROP BOXES, AND BY MAILS, ACCOUNTING FOR MORE THAN HALF OF OUR TOTAL VOTE BY MAIL TURNOUT.

[00:20:01]

OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM OF PERMANENT AND EXTRA STAFF HELP MET THIS DAUNTING VOLUME WITH SMILES.

THEY WORK LONG HOURS INTO EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS TO PROCESS AND TABULATE EVERY BALLOT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF THE ELECTION.

WELL AHEAD OF THE STATE'S JUNE 15TH DEADLINE.

THEY SEAMLESSLY SHIFTED INTO COMPREHENSIVE AUDITS, MANUAL TALLIES, SAME-DAY REGISTRATION RESEARCH, AND PROVISIONAL BALLOT ADJUDICATION TO ENSURE ABSOLUTE ACCURACY.

I WANT TO DEEPLY THANK THE COUNTY CLERK ELECTION STAFF FOR MAKING THIS ELECTION POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU ALSO TO THE 400 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO STAFFED OUR VOTING LOCATIONS OR SERVED ON A BALLOT RETRIEVAL TEAM, OUR FELLOW COUNTY DEPARTMENTS WHO KEPT THE LIGHTS ON AND PROVIDED US VITAL LOCATIONS AND SUPPORT, AND TO THE FAMILIES OF OUR STAFF FOR THEIR IMMENSE SACRIFICES OVER THESE PAST FEW MONTHS.

AS WE PIVOT TO NOVEMBER, WE ARE FULL THROTTLE ON VOTER EDUCATION TO EMPHASIZE HOW SAFE, SECURE, AND TRANSPARENT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY ELECTIONS ARE.

I LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING IN 150-ISH DAYS WITH OUR NEXT STATEMENT OF THE VOTE.

THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

-  GOOD MORNING. BECKY STEINBRENNER.

THANK YOU, UM, COUNTY CLERK TRISHA WEBER FOR YOUR GOOD WORK, ESPECIALLY THE HAND COUNTS ON THE TWO VERY CLOSE, UH, ELECTION RACES RECENTLY.

I ALSO WANNA SUPPORT, UH, THE GENTLEMAN'S REQUEST THAT YOU NOT PASS ITEM 38.

I WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOU, UM, ACCORDING TO THE RECENT GRAND JURY REPORTS RELEASED.

ONE OF THEM, UM, ADDRESSES THE PARKING ISSUE HERE AT 701 OCEAN STREET.

I DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE'S NO PARKING FEE ON BOARD OF SUPERVISORS DAY.

DID ANY OF THE PUBLIC HERE KNOW THAT? WELL, THANK YOU TO THE GRAND JURY FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR, OUR, OUR ATTENTION.

UH, I URGE EVERYONE TO READ THE SANTA CRUZ CIVIL, UH, GRAND JURY REPORTS.

THEY'RE EXCELLENT.

I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK NOW TO ITEM ON THE CONSENT NUMBER 15 COUNTY SERVICE AREA 48, 2020, BENEFIT ASSESSMENT INCREASE.

I WANNA TAKE, UH, EXCEPTION THAT ON THE RESOLUTION IT SAYS THERE HAS BEEN A PUBLIC HEARING TODAY.

PUTTING THIS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING.

TO HAVE A OPEN THE HU-, PUBLIC HEARING, TAKE COMMENT, AND CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING.

PUTTING IT ON THE CONSENT IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING.

I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT IN THE RESOLUTION IT LISTS SEVERAL EXEMPTIONS TO CSA 48, UH, 2020.

WHEN THAT, UH, ISSUE WAS PASSED AS A TWEN-, PROP 218 ISSUE, THERE WERE NO EXEMPTIONS, AND YOU CAN LOOK THAT UP IN THE ENGINEER'S REPORT.

NO PARCELS WERE EXEMPT, AND THAT INCLUDED COUNTY AND STATE PARCELS.

THOSE PARCELS ARE NOT BEING ASSESSED AT ALL.

THE BIG PARCEL FOR NISENE MARKS STATE PARK PAYS NO PROPERTY TAX FOR S-, NO TAX FOR CSA 48.

FINALLY, I WANNA SAY THIS NEEDS AN AUDIT.

THERE ARE PROPERTIES THERE LISTED ERRONEOUSLY CHARGED.

ONE WAS A MOBILE HOME IN LIVE OAK THAT WAS CHARGED.

AND, UM, I WANNA SAY FINALLY THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO FUND THIS WITH REALLOCATION OF PROP 171.

- SEEING NO ONE ELSE IN THE CHAMBERS, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE FIRST ONLINE CALLER? AND AS A REMINDER, AS SHE PULLS THEM UP, IF YOU ARE ONLINE TO SPEAK, I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THE ITEM RELATED TO THE BATTERY STORAGE HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE REGULAR AGENDA AS ITEM 6.1.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

CALL-IN USER 1, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- MARILYN GARRETT.

TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK IS WHY IS SOMETHING HAPPENING AND WHO BENEFITS? AND I WANT TO ADDRESS AI DATA CENTERS, WHICH ARE GROWING, PROLIFERATING EVERYWHERE.

AND I'M, UH... HERE ARE SOME FACTS.

ON JANUARY 21ST, 2025, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCED A FIVE HUNDRED BILLION VENTURE AT A WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE.

UM, DATA CENTERS INCREASED FROM 2667 IN 2021 TO 5381 IN 2024.

[00:25:05]

ANTHROPIC CLAIMS THAT THE US WILL REQUIRE AT LEAST 50 GIGAWATTS OF ELECTRIC CAPACITY FOR AI BY 2028 TO MAINTAIN AI LEADERSHIP.

THE GENERATIVE AI COMPANIES SAID THAT TRAINING FRONTIER MODELS WILL REQUIRE DATA CENTERS WITH FIVE KILOWATT, UH, CAPACITY.

GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, AND META, THAT'S NOT US, THE PEOPLE, ARE SIGNING AGREEMENTS TO PURCHASE NUCLEAR ENERGY, INCLUDING NEXT GENERATION ADVANCED REACTORS AND THE RESTART OF RETIRED PLANTS.

AN INCREASE IN LITHIUM BATTERY STORAGE IS ALSO REQUIRED TO MEET THIS DEMAND.

THE AI DATA FARM RACE IS MORE DEADLY THAN PEOPLE REALIZE, AND I'M WONDERING WHAT THE CONNECTION IS TO THE INCREASED KILOWATT ELECTRICITY BY PG&E CUTTING DOWN TREES.

- TIM, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- COOL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY.

REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, SO I HEARD THE COMMENTS, UH, AT THE, THE LAST MEETING AND EVERYTHING, AND, UH, YEAH, I FELT THAT THE, THE BACK AND FORTH COMMUNICATION WITH ALL OF YOU WAS PRETTY DARN GOOD.

I LIKE TO SEE THAT.

I, I HEARD THE WORD EQUITY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I AM OLDER AND, UH, CALIFORNIA WAS QUITE DIFFERENT WHEN I WAS A KID, AND NEVADA AS WELL.

SO I SAW THAT BIG OLD WINTER IN 1982.

SO HERE'S SOME EQUITY.

IF THAT TURNS OUT TO BE WHAT THEY THINK IT IS, OUR EL NIÑO HERE, AND SAY WE HAVE 140 TO 200 INCHES OF RAIN ON MY PROPERTY UP AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, AND ALL THAT WATER COMES DOWN AND ANNIHILATES A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE DOWN THERE AND RUINS HOUSES AND EVERYTHING, YOUR LIVES COULD BE UPENDED AND, WELL, THAT'S SOME EQUITY.

AND YOU HAVE A JACKAL IN THE WHITE HOUSE, YOU KNOW THAT.

SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT FOCUSING ON INFRASTRUCTURE, JUST LIKE THE GENTLEMAN CAME UP AND WAS TALKING ABOUT THE HARBOR AND ALL THAT, YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUT YOURSELF INTO THE POLE POSITION WHEN IT GOES WRONG WITH THIS NEXT WINTER, AND THAT DUDE IN THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANNA LIFT A FINGER TO HELP ALL OF YOU OUT.

SO THINK ABOUT THAT.

I ALSO WANNA MENTION I DON'T LIKE WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH SENTENCES FOR PEOPLE THAT PROTEST.

IT'S A LITTLE SKETCH.

SO MY RECOMMENDATION FOR OUR COUNTRY IS PERHAPS TO HAVE DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN VISIT CAMBODIA AND TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE BUILDINGS FILLED WITH SKULLS.

IT'S NOT TOO COOL WHEN YOU DEMONIZE FOLKS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, AND YOU ROUND THEM ALL UP AND DECLARE THEM THE FALSE CAMBODIANS, I GUESS, RIGHT? THINK ABOUT IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU HAVE A FINE DAY.

- LIAM, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- HI, GOOD MORNING, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

THIS IS LIAM MCLAUGHLIN, UH, POLITICAL ORGANIZER OF SEIU 521.

SORRY I CAN'T BE THERE IN PERSON TODAY.

UM, FIRST, BEFORE I GIVE MY COMMENT, I WANNA, UM, GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO SIMPKINS.

I'M A SWIMMER. I LOVE SIMPKINS.

THAT'S... I KNOW SOMEONE COMMENTED EARLIER ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL THE FACILITIES ARE, AND IT REALLY, REALLY IS.

UH, I'VE SWUM IN LOTS OF POOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES, SO THANKS FOR ALL THE WORKERS AT SIMPKINS.

UM, BUT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY WAS JUST REGARDING THE BUDGET, JUST SEIU 521 REALLY APPRECIATES THAT THIS BUDGET DOESN'T LAY ANYONE OFF FROM THEIR JOB.

UM, WE WISH WE COULD'VE AVOIDED ELIMINATION OF EMPTY POSITIONS.

OF COURSE, UH, THOSE ARE POSITIONS 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR FOLKS NEED THE HELP, UH, IN DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY SERVICES.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT SAID, WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THIS BOARD, UH, TO FULLY STAFF OUR COUNTY, UH, SO WE CAN DELIVER THE HIGH QUALITY SERVICES THAT SANTA CRUZ RESIDENTS DESERVE.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

- CHAIR, I SEE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS ONLINE.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD

[ACTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA (ITEMS 21-89)]

I WILL START ON MY LEFT WITH SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR MARTINEZ.

THERE'S A LONG CONSENT AGENDA, SO BEAR WITH ME HERE.

UM, ON ITEM 32, THE SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.

UM, I DON'T SEE ANYONE FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.

[00:30:01]

I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF VERY USEFUL AND ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS IN HERE.

UH, I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE, THE WORK YOU'VE DONE HERE, AND, UM, ALSO WANNA APPRECIATE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR REALLY LEANING INTO THIS WORK AND BEING A COLLABORATIVE PARTNER.

UM, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO DIGGING EACH, INTO THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE SHERIFF, UM, AND ULTIMATELY CONTINUING TO IMPROVE OUR DEPARTMENT WITH THE HELP OF, UH, THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.

UM, ON ITEM 34, AUTHORIZING THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO ADD THE US SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL COMMISSION'S AMERICA AT 250 FLAG TO THE 2026 FLAG AND LIGHTING SCHEDULE AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

I JUST WANNA THANK COUNTY STAFF FOR PULLING TOGETHER THIS OVERVIEW OF INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTY AND TAKING STEPS TO MARK THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME MILESTONE FOR AMERICAN HISTORY.

ON ITEM 38, THE PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REDEVELOPMENT SUCCESSOR AGENCY AND BROMMER STREET HOUSING FOR THE SALE OF PORTIONS OF THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 855, 901, AND 905, 7TH AVENUE.

I WANNA THANK ANALYST PETER DETLEFS AND DIRECTOR KIMBERLY FINLEY FOR THEIR YEARS OF WORK ON THIS.

UM, ALSO I SEE, UH, STEPHANIE HANS-, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR STEPHANIE HANSEN THERE AS WELL FROM PLANNING, THANK YOU.

UM, I, I, I THINK MAYBE YEARS IS EVEN, UH, AN UNDERSTATEMENT DECADES ALMOST, AT LEAST A DECADE OF WORK ON THIS.

UM, I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THE HUNDREDS OF...

HUNDRED UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED IS GOING TO BE A HUGE RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING FOR PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THE HARBOR.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SOLUTION THAT IS BEFORE US TODAY HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED WITH A LOT OF PARTIES.

UH, STATE AGENCIES, INCLUDING THE COASTAL COMMISSION, HCD, UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, THE LEGISLATURE HAD NO SMALL ROLE IN DEFINING THE SOLUTION SET FOR US HERE.

UM, WE ARE RE-, ARE REQUIRED TO, UH, OFFER THE PROPERTY FOR SALE TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS FIRST, AND NOT ONLY, UH, ANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPER, BUT THE ONE THAT MAXIMIZES THE NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS ON THE SITE IS THE ONE THAT, UH, WE SH-, ARE SUPPOSED TO SELECT AND HAVE WITH THIS.

UM, COMMUNITY HOUSING WORKS THROUGH THEIR BROMMER STREET HOUSING UH, LLC IS THE, THE BUYER HERE, AND FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN WORKING WITH THEM, THEY WILL, UH, THEY ARE RECEPTIVE AND A VERY RESPECTFUL PARTNER, UM, AND I THINK ARE ULTIMATELY GOING TO BUILD A GREAT PROJECT.

UM, I WILL SAY FOR, FOR THOSE ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF THE PORT, I MEAN, WE HAVE HAD YEARS OF DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PORT, UM, ON HOW TO, UH, TO BUILD SOMETHING HERE THAT ULTIMATELY BENEFITS THEIR OPERATIONS AS WELL.

UM, AND WHILE THE EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM ULTIMATELY EXPIRED BECAUSE THE, THE INITIAL PROPOSAL WOULDN'T QUITE WORK, UH, WITH OUR REQUIREMENT TO BUILD HOUSING, I, UH, HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS, AND THEY CAN CERTAINLY BID ON, UH, THE REMAINDER OF THE PROPERTY THAT WILL GO UP FOR AUCTION HERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

SO, UM, I REMAIN CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP A GREAT, UH, GREAT SITE HERE THAT HAS NOT ONLY HOUSING, BUT ALSO LOTS OF VISITOR SERVING ACCOMMODATIONS, AND IS WELL INTEGRATED WITH THE, WITH THE PORT'S OPERATIONS.

ON ITEMS 47 AND 48, DIRECTING THE BOARD CHAIR TO SEND A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR ASSEMBLY BILL 1817, THE MOBILE HOME FAIR PROCESS ACT, AND SENATE BILL 722, THE MOBILE HOME PARK PROTECTIONS ACT, TO THE BILL'S AUTHOR.

I JUST WANNA THANK THE MOBILE AND MANUFACTURED HOME COMMISSION FOR THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT THESE TWO BILLS.

THE COMMISSION REALLY DOES A GREAT JOB LOOKING OUT FOR THE WELLBEING OF THOUSANDS OF COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN MOBILE AND MANUFACTURED HOME PARKS, UH, WHICH IS REALLY SOME OF THE LAST, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY.

UH, AND THEY, AND THEY DO SUCH A GOOD JOB THAT MUCH OF THEIR WORK DOESN'T RISE TO THE LEVEL WHERE THIS BOARD NEEDS TO REVIEW IT.

AND THIS IS JUST ONE SMALL EXAMPLE OF THE COMMISSION'S WORK.

AND AS THE LIAISON TO THE COMMISSION, I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT IT.

UH, ON ITEM 51, ACCEPTING AND FILING THE UPDATE ON THE 2025 COUNTY COORDINATOR PROGRAM EXTENSION OF $151,000 GRANT FROM CALIFORNIA'S FIRE SAFE COUNCIL, AND RECOGNITION OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AS A DESIGNATED FIRE RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY BY THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION.

I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF, UH, ON THEIR WORK TOWARDS THE, UH, EARNING US THESE TWO SIGNIFICANT WILDFIRE RESILIENCE MILESTONES, BOTH THE, THE GRANT EXTENSION, UH, THROUGH CALFIRE, AND BEING DESIGNATED AS A FIRE RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY WHICH REALLY, UH, TOGETHER OPEN THE DOOR TO INSURANCE DISCOUNTS FOR RESIDENTS, A STRONGER GRANT ELIGIBILITY, AND A STRONGER FOUNDATION FOR DEPLOYING MEASURE Q FUNDS.

AND THEN FINALLY, ON ITEM 77 THE ROBERTSON STREET, UH, SIGNALIZATION PROJECT.

THIS ALSO IS A PROJECT THAT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.

UM, IT, IT WILL ULTIMATELY SIGNALIZE THE SECOND MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTION WITHIN THE COUNTY TODAY IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING THE, UH, THE, THE TRAFFIC SAFETY REPORT THAT WE SAW RECENTLY.

UH, THE SAFETY ACTION PLAN, UM, THERE'S JUST A, A LOT OF HORRIBLE ACCIDENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED HERE, AND WE KNOW THAT SIGNALIZING THE INTERSECTION WILL REDUCE THOSE ACCIDENTS, UH, AND MAKE IT SAFER FOR EVERYONE

[00:35:02]

UH, IT'S ALSO THE LAST STOP SIGN INTERSECTION ON SOQUEL DRIVE AND, UH, I KNOW WILL HELP TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW A LITTLE BIT.

UM, WE DIDN'T GO ALL THE WAY IN ON, ON CHANGES TO THIS AREA THAT WE KNOW COULD POTENTIALLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC.

UM, THIS WILL BE A SMALL STEP FORWARD, AND WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE ANOTHER ONE, I THINK, IN THE NEAR FUTURE WE'RE GONNA ANALYZE.

UM, ALSO WITH THE HOUSING PROJECT GOING UP ON 41ST IN SOQUEL, UH, WE'RE, UH, AS MENTIONED AT A PREVIOUS MEETING, UH, PUTTING IN A RIGHT-HAND TURN LANE THERE FROM SOQUEL DRIVE ONTO 41ST, SO THAT WILL HELP TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE AREA AS WELL.

UM, AND I WANNA APPRECIATE THE RTC GRANT THAT WILL HELP GET THIS DONE, UM, WHEN IT C-, UH, WHEN THIS WAS AWARDED A COUPLE YEARS AGO.

I THINK EVERYONE, INC-, ESPECIALLY THE BUS DRIVERS WHO GET STUCK IN THAT TRAFFIC WERE, WERE IN SUPPORT OF SIGNALIZING THIS INTERSECTION, UH, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP PEOPLE MOVING THROUGH MID-COUNTY.

THAT'S ALL MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- UH, THANK YOU.

UH, SIMILARLY, I'VE GOT SOME COMMENTS ON ITEM 32, THE OIG REPORT.

I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND, UH, OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, UM, TO CONTINUING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT COMMISSION.

I'M GRATIFIED TO HEAR WE HAD NO DEPUTY-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS AND NO IN-CUSTODY DEATHS IN 2025.

I'D LIKE TO THANK CHRIS CLARK, UH, FOR LEADING THE EFFORT OF CREATING A CULTURE IN OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT RESPECTS AND IS COMPASSIONATE WITH OUR INMATES.

UM, ITEM, ITEMS 35 AND 49, THE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING COALITION FUNDING ITEM, THANK YOU, UH, TO THE BOARD FOR SUPPORTING THIS WORK.

I WANNA RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUE, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, FOR HIS WORK.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN CONTINUING TO COORDINATE ALL THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES SO THAT WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO STOP, UM, THE ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO RESTART OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING AND SEABED MINING OFF OUR COASTS IN CALIFORNIA.

I'M GLAD TO SEE WE HAVE PARTNER FUNDING COMING IN FROM MONTEREY, SAN MATEO, AND MARIN TO HELP US WITH THIS EFFORT, AND I APPRECIATE, UM, THOSE COMMUNITIES, UM, HELPING TO FUND THESE EFFORTS.

ON ITEM 46, UH, RISK MANAGEMENT INSURANCE, IT'S A HARD NUMBER TO LOOK AT.

WE'RE PAYING MORE THAN $3 MILLION MORE NEXT YEAR FOR INSURANCE JUST TO COVER OUR RISK.

UM, SO I JUST WANT, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I BROUGHT THAT TO EVERYBODY'S HIGHEST, UH, AWARENESS.

WE CAN, I, HOPEFULLY DO A BETTER JOB, UH, REDUCING OUR RISK ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS.

UM, ON ITEMS 47 AND 48, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR KOENIG, FOR BRINGING THOSE BILLS FORWARD IN TERMS OF OUR, UH, PROTECTION OF OUR RESIDENTS IN MOBILE HOMES.

UH, SUPPORT BOTH OF THOSE, UM, LETTERS.

ON ITEM 51, THE WILDFIRE RESILIENCE GRANT AND FIRE RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY DESIGNATION, I'M VERY HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS.

OUR COUNTY IS A NATIONAL LEADER IN FIRE WISE WORK.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 100 RECOGNIZED COMMUNITIES, UM, OF FIREWISE.

THIS CAME FROM YEARS OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL WORK BY RESIDENTS FIRE SAFE COUNCILS, FIRE AGENCIES, AND OR3.

THANK YOU, DAVE REED, AND YOUR TEAM TOO.

UM, ON ITEM 85, PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROJECT, GLAD TO SEE THE CONTRACT CAME IN UNDER THE ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE.

APPRECIATE PUBLIC WORKS PULLING TOGETHER MEASURE D STATE GRANTS AND GENERAL FUND MATCH.

I WISH WE HAD MORE MONEY TO PAVE OUR ROADS, SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, THE REPORT TODAY.

AND ON ITEM S-, 86, PVUSD AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING AGREEMENT, THANK YOU, UM, TO OUR FRIENDS AT PVUSD AND OUR COUNTY PARKS FOR KEEPING THIS PARTNERSHIP GOING.

OUR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS HELP WORKING PARENTS GIVE STUDENTS A SAFE PLACE TO BE AND PROVIDE ENRICHMENT, SO THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- JUST A FEW ITEMS I WANTED TO MENTION.

UM, HAPPY TO SEE THE, THE LOW BARRIER HOUSING NAVIGATION CENTER MOVE FORWARD AS, UH, THE LEVEE, LEVEE PROJECT CONTINUES.

WE'RE GONNA NEED TO CONTINUE TO HOUSE THE HOUSELESS THERE IN, IN THE COMMUNITY ALONG THE RIVER.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF THIS LOW HOUSING BARRIER.

AND 72, UM, HAPPY TO SEE THIS PROJECT MOVE FORWARD, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THE TRAFFIC THAT IT CAUSES.

I KNOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE COMPLAINING LATER ON ABOUT TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSECTION, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND ELEVATED AND THAT WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THE LEVEE PROJECT AS WELL.

AND ITEM NUMBER 82, UH, HAPPY TO SEE SECOND HARVEST, UH, GETTING SOME FUNDS FOR, UH, FOOD INSECURITY.

[00:40:03]

AND 86 ALSO, UH, POWER VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, UH, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER TIMES AND AFTER SCHOOL.

SO THAT'S IT.

- THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UM, ITEM NUMBER 35, UM, THIS IS THE RESOLUTION ACCEPTING UNANTICIPATED REVENUE IN THE AMOUNT OF 50,000 FOR AGREEING WITH RICHARD CHARTER FOR OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING COALITION COORDINATION.

JUST WANNA THANK, UM, THE COUNTIES OF MARIN, SAN MATEO, AND THE CITY OF MONTEREY FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO HELP US WITH THIS EFFORT.

UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, UH, WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN ALL POOL OUR RESOURCES SO THAT WE CAN, UM, WORK TOGETHER AND SUSTAIN RICHARD'S GREAT WORK.

UM, ITEM NUMBER 41, JUST WANNA THANK STAFF FOR THEIR CONTINUED WORK ON THE MCDERMOTT FIRE STATION AND THE REPAIRS AFTER, UM, WHAT IS SUSPECTED TO BE AN ARSON EVENT THAT HAPPENED THERE.

UM, ITEM NUMBER 46, UM, THE INSURANCE POLICIES, I HOPE WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH OUR, WITH, WITH THE NEXT INSURANCE COMMISSIONER ON HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO ADDRESS INSURANCE ISSUES.

I MEAN, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE AND FIRE INSURANCE, BUT WE'RE SEEING INSURANCE COSTS GO UP ACROSS THE BOARD, AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO WORK WITH OUR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER TO SEE HOW WE CAN HELP, UM, REDUCE THOSE RATES.

ITEM NUMBER 49, I JUST WANNA, UM, EXTEND MY APPRECIATION AND THANKS FOR STAFF TO WORKING ON THIS TO EXTEND RICHARD CHARTER'S CONTRACT SO HE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH US TO HELP US FIGHT AGAINST OFFSHORE OIL AND SEABED MINING.

THAT WAS PULLED.

YEP, AND THEN I THINK THE REST OF THE COMMENTS ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT MY OTHER COLLEAGUES HAVE BROUGHT UP.

SO FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I'LL END MY COMMENTS THERE.

THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, AND GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.

UM, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO CAME TO SPEAK WITH US THIS MORNING.

I WANNA START WITH RECOGNIZING SOMETHING THAT ISN'T ON TODAY'S AGENDA BUT WILL BE HAPPENING IN THIS ROOM TOMORROW.

UM, SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND, UM, MY TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD ON A YOUNG SUPERVISORS ACADEMY.

AND SO FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS, WE'VE HAD MORE THAN A DOZEN YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGE AS IF THEY WERE YOUNG SUPERVISORS.

THEY'VE MET WITH MANY DEPARTMENT HEADS, UM, OUR CEO, AND VISITED MANY COUNTY SITES.

TOMORROW, THEY'LL BE HOLDING A MOCK SUPERVISOR MEETING, WHERE THEY'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING A SALES TAX MEASURE AND COMING TO A DECISION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO MOVE THAT FORWARD, AND THEY'LL BE RECOGNIZED, UM, WITH OFFICIAL BUTTONS, UM, ON BEHALF OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

SO, UH, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND D4 FOR, UM, BRINGING D5 ALONG FOR THAT JOURNEY, UM, THIS YEAR, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN FOR OUR TEAM.

UH, IN OUR CONSENT AGENDA, YOU KNOW, THE AGENDA PACKET THIS M-, WEEK WAS 2,800 PAGES, AND SO IT'S FULLY LOADED WITH MANY, MANY IMPORTANT ITEMS. I WON'T BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON ALL OF THEM, BUT I DO WANT TO CALL OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS.

AND THE FIRST IS RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER 32, WHICH IS THE SECOND ANNUAL REPORT BY THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.

I, UM, ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR REALLY WORKING WELL WITH OUR IG.

IT'S CLEAR THAT, UM, THEY WERE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE AND BE RESPONSIVE TO ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME FROM THIS REPORT.

UM, AND SINCE WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES TODAY FROM OUR INSPECTOR GENERAL HERE TODAY, I WAS WONDERING IF YOU'D COME UP AND JUST ANSWER A QUICK QUESTION, UM, ABOUT ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU HAD RELATED TO AN OMBUDSMAN OR OMBUDSPERSON, UM, ROLE.

HA-, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, AND, AND HOW MIGHT THAT, UH, BE ROLLED OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY AS FAR AS A RECOMMENDATION GOES? - YEAH. UH, GOOD MORNING, UH, CHAIR, UH, MARTINEZ AND SUPERVISORS.

HAPPY TO BE HERE AND, AND THANKS FOR YOUR, UH, KIND WORDS ABOUT THE REPORT.

I, I WENT BACK AND FORTH. OMBUDSMAN IS SORT OF A TERM OF ART AND SO IT'S LIKE, IS IT... SHOULD IT BE OMBUDSPERSON? IT SHOULD BE. BUT THEN ANYWAYS, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE'S, UH, IT, IT...

THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME DISCUSSION AROUND THIS.

I KNOW THAT THE SHERIFF, UM, AND HIS TEAM SUPPORT THE IDEA AND THINK IT WOULD BE A USEFUL, UM, ASSET FOR THEM AND, AND, UM, AND FOR THE INCARCERATED POPULATION.

IT'S GOING TO BE A, UM, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME COUNT-, SOME WORK WITH COUNTY PARTNERS TO GET THAT DONE.

WE HAVE SEEN IT, UH, WORK TO N-, VARIOUS DEGREES OF SUCCESS IN, IN OTHER PLACES.

IT REALLY IS JUST...

IT'S OFTEN, UH, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WHO IS APPOINTED TO THAT POSITION AND HOW RESPONSIVE THEY CAN BE TO THE INCARCERATED POPULATION.

BUT WE REALLY DO SEE, UM, BASED ON A LOT OF THE CONCERNS WE HEAR FROM COMMUNITY,

[00:45:01]

UM, AND SO YOU REALLY NEED SOMEBODY, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT KIND OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BACKGROUND WHO CAN, WHO CAN DIG INTO THAT AND GET THAT, UM, ESTABLISH THOSE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE MEDICAL TEAM, WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH TEAM, AND, AND WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

UM, WE'VE SEEN IT, WE'VE SEEN IT WORK IN OTHER PLACES, BUT I THINK IT'S... WE'RE AT THE POINT OF JUST NEEDING TO START THAT CONVERSATION HERE.

- THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU FURTHER ILLUSTRATING HOW THAT ROLE MIGHT BE HELPFUL, AND, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND OUR CEO'S OFFICE ABOUT HOW WE COULD POTENTIALLY START TOWARDS THAT DIRECTION AND A, AND A PATH IN THAT DIRECTION.

SO, UM, THANK YOU.

- AND I, I DID JUST WANNA SAY, I KNOW IT'S A BUSY AGENDA, AND SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

I'VE REACHED OUT TO ALL OF YOUR STAFF, UM, AND, AND OFFERED TO MEET LATER, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE SUMMER AFTER THE BUDGET RUSH IS DONE, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THIS REPORT, ABOUT THE WORK WE DO, UH, HEAR WHAT YOUR PRIORITIES ARE, IF THERE ARE THINGS YOU'D LIKE US TO LOOK AT IN PARTICULAR.

SO, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, YOUR AIDES HAVE OUR CONTACT, AND, AND PLEASE, UM, HAPPY TO BE A RESOURCE TO ALL OF YOU.

- WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE THIS MORNING. - OF COURSE.

- AND FOR YOUR EXCELLENT REPORT.

- THANK YOU.

- AND MY FINAL COMMENTS ARE RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER 51, UM, WHICH IS REALLY RECOGNIZING A BIG UPDATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A FIRE RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY.

AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT OUR COUNTY HAS DONE REALLY YEARS OF WORK FOCUSING ON, UM, FIRE RESILIENCY, ENGAGING WITH OUR FIRE-WISE COMMUNITIES AND OUR FIRE SAFE COUNCIL AND MANY, MANY OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS.

AND IT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO, UM, STRENGTHEN COMPETITIVENESS WITH STATEWIDE GRANTS POTENTIALLY LEVERAGE OUR MEASURE Q FUNDS FOR MORE WILDFIRE RESILIENCY LARGE SCALE PROJECTS, AND ALSO, UM, MAY HELP HOMEOWNERS ACCESS INSURANCE INCENTIVES OR REDUCTIONS THROUGH THE STATE'S SAFER FROM WILDFIRES PROGRAM.

AND SO REALLY, H-, I SEE THIS AS, UM, THE STARTING LINE FOR FUTURE WORK, NOT THE FINISH LINE, AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH OR3 TO REALLY LEVERAGE THIS RECOGNITION.

UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO OR3 FOR HELPING US TO GET THERE.

SO WITH THAT, I WILL RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR ACTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

- I'LL MOVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

ANY FURTHER COMMENT? SEEING NONE. MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- MARTINEZ? - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

WE WILL NOW BE MOVING ON TO THE REGULAR AGENDA.

[69. Accept and file report on the status of the Energy Storage Systems Combining District Ordinance and the proposed 90 Minto Road Energy Storage System project, and take related actions]

AND AS THIS ITEM WAS PULLED, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO START BY INTRODUCING STEPHANIE HANSEN TO COME AND, AND INTRODUCE THE ITEM FOR THE STAFF OR FOR THE BOARD.

THEN WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BOARD MEMBERS TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THEN DISCUSSION AND ACTION.

WELCOME.

- THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR MARTINEZ, SUPERVISORS.

STEPHANIE HANSEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CDI, ON THE PLANNING SIDE.

UM, THIS ITEM GOES BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH IS NO SURPRISE TO ANYBODY.

IN AUGUST OF '24, THE BOARD DIRECTED THAT, UH, STAFF CREATE AN, UH, ZONING COMBINING DISTRICT OR A ZONING OVERLAY THAT COULD, UM, ACCOMMODATE A BETTER, UH, ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM.

UM, WE ALSO HAD AN APPLICATION A FEW MONTHS LATER, UH, FROM NEW LEAF ENERGY FOR PLACEMENT OF A SYSTEM, UM, DOWN AT 90 MINTO ROAD.

IN THE BOARD'S DIRECTION, THEY ASKED STAFF TO, UH, CONSIDER A CONCURRENT REVIEW OF BOTH THE PROJECT AND THE ORDINANCE SO THAT ONE WOULD KIND OF FEED, UH, THE OTHER.

WE HAD INTENDED TO DO A JOINT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

[00:50:02]

HOWEVER, AFTER THE, UH, BOARD APPROVED THE DRAFT ORDINANCE AFTER, UM, MANY MONTHS OF WORK AND CON-, SEVERAL MEETINGS CONSIDERING IT, THE APPLICANT EVENTUALLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO WITHDRAW THEIR APPLICATION AND PUT IN AN APPLICATION INTO THE STATE'S, UM, OPT-IN PROGRAM UNDER AB 205 AND SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION, UM, WHICH THEY DID.

THEY WITHDREW THEIR APPLICATION ON MAY 7TH, AND THEY SUBMITTED THEIR APPLICATION MATERIALS TO THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION ON MAY 27TH.

UM, ON JUNE 8TH, THEY, UH, RECOGNIZED RECEIPT OF THE APPLICATION AND SENT OUT A NOTICE THAT THE APPLICATION HAD BEEN RECEIVED.

I BELIEVE THE STATUS AT THIS TIME IS THAT IT'S BEING REVIEWED FOR COMPLETE APPLICATION STATUS, AND AFTER THAT, UM, STATUS IS ACHIEVED, THE CEC HAS 270 DAYS TO APPROVE THE APPLICATION OR DENY THE APPLICATION.

UM, AND THEIR WORK WILL INCLUDE, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AS WE HAD INTENDED AS WELL.

UM, SO WORKING WITH THE CEO'S OFFICE AND COUNTY COUNCIL, WE CAME UP WITH, UH, SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BOARD TO CONSIDER TODAY.

UH, THE FIRST IS TO ACCEPT AND FILE THIS REPORT.

UH, THE SECOND IS TO DIRECT THE CHAIR TO SEND A LETTER TO THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION ASKING THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER THE COUNTY'S DRAFT ORDINANCE, UM, DIRECTING THE CEO'S OFFICE TO NEGOTIATE A COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT WITH THE DEVELOPER.

THIS IS A PART OF THE PROCESS THAT'S ACTUALLY REQUIRED, UM, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

UH, DIRECT STAFF TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CEC'S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS, AND DIRECT STAFF TO SUSPEND CONTINUED PROCESSING OF THE DRAFT ORDINANCE.

UH, WITH THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'M GONNA START, UM, BY REQUESTING QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD, AND I'M GONNA START ON MY LEFT WITH SUPERVISOR DESERPA.

- STEPHANIE. SORRY.

- HI. SORRY. YEAH.

- UM, OKAY. SO I, I'M HEARING THE TIMELINE MAY 27TH, JUNE 8TH AND THEN THE, HOW... I D-, I MISSED THE PART ABOUT HOW LONG DOES THE, UM, CEC HAVE? WHAT'S THEIR TIMELINE? - I, I, I'M ACTUALLY UNCERTAIN ON HOW LONG THEY HAVE TO REVIEW THE APPLICATION FOR COMPLETENESS.

I DID LOOK. I DIDN'T SEE THAT.

IT COULD BE SOMEWHERE.

BUT AFTER THEY GET TO THAT POINT, THEN THEY HAVE 270 DAYS TO EITHER APPROVE OR DENY THE PROJECT.

SO I WOULD EXPECT IT WITHIN A MONTH OR SO.

- YEAH, I, I BELIEVE, UM, I, I MET WITH THE, THE APPLICANT WITH THE CEC, AND IT SOUNDED AS IF, UM, THE PROCESS BEFORE THE 270 DAYS STARTS, UM, I, I BELIEVE WE HAVE UNTIL LATER THIS YEAR.

SO, UM, I AM... I WAS MEETING WITH THEM TO TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT, AND THAT PROCESS, IN ORDER TO HAVE THE WHOLE PACKAGE, NEEDS TO WRAP UP BY THIS FALL.

SO I THINK THE TIMELINE FOR THE 200 DAY-, 270 DAYS STARTING WILL START LATER THIS CALENDAR YEAR.

- UM, OKAY. I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE REST OF THE BOARD, UM...

AS I S-, YEAH, AS I THINK ABOUT MY FURTHER QUESTIONS.

- SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UM, SO I GUESS IN TERMS OF...

I MEAN, I HAVE MORE COMMENTS THAN QUESTIONS, UM, JUST GOING THROUGH THIS.

THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS I'M CONCERNED IN TERMS OF CONSISTENCY WITH THE BOARD'S ACTION AND WHAT'S BEFORE US TODAY, AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS ON CONSENT AND I THINK WE ACTUALLY DESERVE, AND THE COMMUNITY DESERVES, A PRESENTATION ON THIS ITEM.

UM, BUT I DO... I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT THE...

WHAT IS GONNA BE NEGOTIATED IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS? BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING REALLY BEFORE US TODAY THAT...

I MEAN, WE'RE PROVIDING DIRECTION FOR THE CEO TO GO AND NEGOTIATE COMMUNITY BENEFITS.

THERE'S NOTHING BEFORE US REALLY TODAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS, WHAT'S, WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING NEGOTIATED, RIGHT? - YEAH, THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT

[00:55:02]

SO IT INCLUDES THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT THE PROJECT GENERATES THE SALES TAXES THAT THE PROJECT GENERATES.

UM, THERE ARE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT IT MIGHT GIVE TO THE FIRE AGENCY THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESPONDING IN THE AREA.

AND THEN, UM, WITH THE COUNTY, THEY'RE GONNA NEGOTIATE AN AMOUNT EITHER A ONE-TIME LUMP SUM AND/OR AN ANNUAL AMOUNT OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT.

AND SO THE AGREEMENT ITSELF IS JUST ALL THE AMOUNTS, THE DOLLARS THAT WOULD BE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR COUNTY.

IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING...

IT WON'T SPECIFY WHERE OUR DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT.

THAT'S UP TO THE COUNTY TO DETERMINE THAT SEPARATE FROM THE AGREEMENT.

SO, UM, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD.

RIGHT NOW, IT'S JUST I'M WAITING ON TEMPLATES FROM THE DEVELOPER ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE ENTERED INTO IN THE PAST.

AND, UM, FROM THERE, I'M GOING TO BE WORKING WITH STAFF TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING FOR AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

- YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THIS TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD FOR FINAL APPROVAL OF THOSE, OF WHATEVER'S NEGOTIATED.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT JUST GIVEN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROJECT AND THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED OVER ALL THESE YEARS, I THINK IT'S JUST REALLY CRITICAL THAT WE'RE BEING TRANSPARENT THAT THAT COMES BACK TO THE BOARD FOR FINAL APPROVAL.

UM, AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME OTHER QUICK QUESTIONS, TOO.

UM, LOOKING AT THE DRAFT UM, I GUESS THIS IS THE DRAFT ORDINANCE OR, UM, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CHANGES THAT THE BOARD MADE.

UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD A THREE-TO-ONE AG LAND CONVERSION REPLACEMENT.

WE HAD... I, I CAN'T REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY IF WE HAD, UM, PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS IN THIS.

UM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT INFORMATION, THAT, THAT DIRECTION GOT REMOVED FROM THIS ORDINANCE BEFORE US.

- NO, THE DIRECTION, UM, WAS THREEFOLD BUT THE ONE REGARDING THE THREE-TO-ONE AG REPLACEMENT WAS JUST TO CONTINUE STUDYING THAT, NOT TO CHANGE IT.

- SO I GUESS WHAT WOULD THE REC-, I MEAN, SINCE WE PROVIDED THAT DIRECTION TO CONTINUE STUDYING IT, I MEAN, I GUESS THERE'S NOTHING IN HERE THAT KIND OF REF- REFERS TO WHERE THE, WE LANDED ON THAT.

- THAT, THAT WOULD HAPPEN DURING THE EIR IF WE WERE TO PROCEED WITH THAT.

THAT WOULD BE ALTERNATIVES UNDER THE EIR.

- GOT IT. I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE DIRECTION WE GAVE KIND OF FITS INTO WHAT'S BEFORE US TODAY BECAUSE, I MEAN, IF WE'RE, IF THIS IS OUR LAST SHOT AT THIS AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ON CONSENT, WHICH I THINK WAS A, A MISTAKE, UM, IT'S REALLY HARD FOR US TO KNOW WHERE, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE GOING TO THE CEC AS RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS BOARD.

SO, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA RECONCILE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT CAME UP, BUT IF THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE RECOMMENDING TO GO TO THE STATE, I JUST HAVE SOME CONCERNS WITH THE FACT THAT THERE WERE SOME STANDARDS THAT WE WERE WANTING IN HERE, AND INFORMATION COME BACK TO US THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS WE'RE MAKING THIS MAJOR DECISION TODAY.

- THE, UH, CHANGES THAT THE BOARD REQUESTED TO THE ORDINANCE I BELIEVE THERE WAS ONE ABOUT RETURNING TO THE BOARD, UM, IF THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THE OPERATOR.

UM, AND THERE WAS A THIRD ONE, AND I'M SPACING ON WHAT THAT IS.

BUT THE TWO THAT WERE DIRECTED AS CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE ARE INCLUDED IN, IN THE PACKET.

- I... AS I LOOKED THROUGH THE...

'CAUSE I THINK THE ONE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, UM, WAS OWNERSHIP CHANGE AT THE BOTTOM, AND I DIDN'T SEE THAT LANGUAGE INCLUDED.

SO IF THAT CAN BE CLARIFIED, MAYBE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT.

UM, BUT I, I DIDN'T SEE THAT LANGUAGE IN THERE.

SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE REGARDING THIS.

AND SO I'LL END MY, I'LL END MY COMMENTS THERE, AND WE CAN TALK MORE WHEN IT COMES BACK.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING AT THE, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS AND SOME OF THEM ARE JUST KIND OF, UM, ALMOST GO AGAINST EACH OTHER, WHERE WE'RE GONNA DIRECT STAFF TO SUSPEND THE CONTINUED PROCESS OF THE COUNTY'S DRAFT, UH, ORDINANCE BUT WE'RE GONNA ASK IN THE LETTER FOR THEM TO FOLLOW OUR, WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR IN OUR DRAFT ORDINANCE.

I GUESS IT WOULD BE AN INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE, WITHOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT, RIGHT? - IT, IT'S INADVISABLE TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE WITHOUT THE APPROPRIATE CEQA ANALYSIS.

- OKAY, SINCE THEY'RE GONNA, SINCE WE'RE GONNA HAVE STAFF ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE STATE'S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS.

[01:00:01]

- OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS IT.

- THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR HANSON, FOR THE OVERVIEW OF THIS ITEM.

UM, A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

CAN YOU JUST... UH, IN THE, IN THE LETTER THAT WE'RE HOPING TO SEND THE CEE, OR THE CEC, UM, WE ARE HOPING TO ADVISE ON THEIR PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.

CAN YOU, CAN YOU JUST ILLUSTRATE WHAT DEPARTMENTS MIGHT BE INVOLVED, OR WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS HELPING TO PARTICIPATE OR INFLUENCE THAT PROCESS? - UM, YES, I THINK OUR CONCEPT SO FAR IS TO, UM, RETURN THE DRAFT ORDINANCE, OR GIVE THE DRAFT ORDINANCE TO THE CEC.

THE BOARD WOULD DO THAT IN ITS RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

STAFF WOULD ALSO DO THAT BECAUSE TWO YEARS' WORTH OF WORK WITH SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS AND ADDRESSING THE BOARD'S CONCERNS AND THE COMMUNITY'S CONCERNS WENT INTO THAT DRAFT ORDINANCE.

IT REALLY DOES ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE NEGOTIATED DETAILS LIKE CEO COBURN WAS DISCUSSING, REALLY DOES ADDRESS ALL OF THE CONCERNS THAT WERE BROUGHT, UH, BEFORE THE BOARD.

UM, POSSIBLY WITH A, A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS WHICH THE BOARD DID NOT TAKE UP.

SO, UM, THE, THE, THE DRAFT REALLY PROVIDES A GREAT BLUEPRINT FOR WHAT THE COUNTY SEES AS IMPORTANT IN THIS, UH, FACILITY DEVELOPMENT.

- THANK YOU. I AGREE WITH THAT.

UM, WILL THE COUNTY BE ABLE TO SUBMIT ANY KIND OF MORE TECHNICAL COMMENTS AT DIFFERENT MILESTONES ALONG THE CEC'S PROCESS? - YES. THANK YOU.

UM, OUR INTENT WOULD BE TO INVOLVE ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY INVOLVED, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, OR3, UH, FIRE.

UM, WE REACHED OUT TO, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS.

WE WOULD TRY TO GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT AT THIS TIME, WHICH IS EARLY IN THE PROCESS.

UM, AND THEN WE WOULD ALSO WORK WITH THE CEC STAFF ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT, AND THEN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT AGAIN IF WE NEED TO.

SO IT WOULD BE AN ONGOING PROCESS OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.

- THANK YOU. AND DOES THAT INCLUDE WORK WITH, UM, COUNTY FIRE OR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS? - YEAH, WE WOULD SEEK TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE, AND THEY ARE ALSO REACHING OUT TO THE APPROPRIATE FIRE DISTRICTS UM, AND THE CITY OF WATSONVILLE, WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE.

UM, WE MEET, WE DID MEET WITH THE CEC, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AT A STAFF LEVEL, UM, AND MADE THEM AWARE THAT THE FIRE DISTRICT WAS KIND OF SEPARATE FROM THE COUNTY, AND SO THEY REALLY NEEDED TO BE INCLUDED AS A MAJOR PARTICIPANT AS WELL.

- THANK YOU.

AND KIND OF GOING BACK TO SUPERVISOR CUMMING'S POINT, UM, DO YOU IMAGINE THAT THE BOARD WILL RECEIVE PERIODIC UPDATES ALONGSIDE DIFFERENT MILESTONES OF THE CEC PROCESS? - WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE BOARD ALONG THE WAY.

- WONDERFUL.

AND THEN FINALLY, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CEC IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO DO WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LOCAL ORDINANCE SAYS, BUT THAT THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF INFLUENCE THAT MAY BE ABLE TO BE WEIGHED ON THE PROCESS THANKS TO THE TWO YEARS OF GOOD WORK THAT WE'VE DONE.

SO DO YOU FEEL... YOU KNOW, I READ THE DRAFT LETTER TO THEM.

DO, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT LETTER COULD POTENTIALLY BE STRENGTHENED TO SORT OF ASK THEM, UM, TO GIVE SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT TO ITS RECOMMENDATIONS OR PROVIDE REASONING IF THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION THAT THEY DON'T FOLLOW OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN THAT LETTER? - WE COULD PROBABLY WORK ON STRENGTHENING SOME OF THE LANGUAGE.

I DON'T. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A STATE PROCESS THAT'S DICTATED IN THE PUBLIC UTILITIES CODE.

SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, REQUESTING THINGS THAT'S NOT IN THERE.

BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, THE CEC'S STAFF, SO FAR HAS SHOWN THAT THEY'RE, THEY REALLY DO WANNA WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY.

THEY SHOWED UP AT SUNDAY'S MEETING, UM, AND THEY, THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM US.

WE ADDRESS WITH THEM THE QUESTION OF THE ADOPTED ORDINANCE.

IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER TO THEM ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

THEY JUST WANT TO HEAR WHAT THE COMMUNITIES AND THE COUNTY'S ISSUES ARE AND SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO TO RESOLVE THEM.

- THANK YOU SO MUCH. I-I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

AND AS WE COME BACK TO BOARD COMMENTS AND POTENTIAL DIRECTION, I MAY INCORPORATE SOME OF THESE PIECES. - THANK YOU.

- WITH THAT, SEEING NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, I'D LIKE TO....

- CAN I JUST MAKE A CLARIFICATION? UM, I WANTED TO RESPOND TO SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

[01:05:03]

IF YOU GO TO THE FINAL PAGE OF THE FIRST ATTACHMENT, IT ADDED ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION ON OWNERSHIP CHANGES.

SO, UM, THAT'S PAGE 17 OF THE DRAFT ORDINANCE.

- I THINK PART OF WHAT ISN'T CLEAR IS WHETHER OR NOT THE BOARD HAS ANY ABILITY TO DENY AN OWNERSHIP TRANSFER.

AND THAT I DON'T THINK THAT WAS INCLUDED BECAUSE ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT CAME UP, FOR EXAMPLE, IS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN BE WORKING WITH NEW LEAF, BUT IF VISTA COMES ALONG AND WANTS TO BUY THIS FACILITY AND WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE A BAD ACTOR, DO WE REALLY WANNA ALLOW THAT TYPE OF TRANSFER AND THAT OPERATOR TO COME INTO OUR COMMUNITY WHEN THEY HAVE A HISTORY OF NEGLIGENCE? AND WHICH HAS LED TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST BATTERY STORAGE FIRES IN, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF THIS REGION AT LEAST.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE INTENT WAS MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER, YOU KNOW, DO WE ALLOW BAD OPERATORS TO COME IN AND ISSUE THEM PERMITS? AND SO I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE, THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT, THAT DIRECTION.

AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S CAPTURED HERE BECAUSE UNDER, UM, THE OWNERSHIP CHANGE AND ITEM NUMBER TWO, IT REALLY JUST SAYS TRANSFERABLE OWNERSHIP OF A BEST FACILITY MUST BE PROCEEDED BY A NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

AT THE HEARING, THE, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER ANY ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OR APPROVAL ARE REQUIRED, OR WHETHER THOSE THAT ACCOMPANY THE ORIGINAL CONDITIONAL, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT SHALL BE MODIFIED OR STRENGTHENED IN ORDER TO MEET THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OBJECTIVES.

UM, BUT IT REALLY DOESN'T, IT REALLY DOESN'T LEAN INTO, IF THERE IS A BAD ACTOR, LIKE DO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO NOT ALLOW THEM TO OPERATE IN THE COUNTY? AND I FEEL LIKE THAT'S PROBABLY WHY THE NEW LEAF WENT TO THE STATE PROCESS.

'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T LIKE THAT LANGUAGE.

BUT I, I THINK FOR THE COMMUNITY, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER WHO'S GONNA OPERATE THESE FACILITIES AND THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE NOT ALLOWING BAD OPERATORS TO COME IN AND PUT THE COMMUNITY AT RISK.

SO THAT WAS KIND OF WHERE I WAS COMING FROM WITH THIS.

- THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT.

IF YOU'RE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU PLEASE FORM A LINE BEHIND THIS GENTLEMAN, AND IF YOU'RE ONLINE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

MADAM CLERK, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ONLINE? - PRESENTLY, THREE PEOPLE HAVE RAISED THEIR HAND ONLINE.

- WONDERFUL, THANK YOU.

UM, I'M GONNA SET THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AT TWO MINUTES EACH.

WELCOME.

- GOOD, GOOD MORNING AGAIN. BILL BEECHER.

UM, I'M A RETIRED, UH, MATHEMATICIAN PHYSICIST FROM SILICON VALLEY.

I AND SEVERAL OTHER RETIREE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN ADVISING MONTEREY ON WHAT WENT WRONG.

AND I'M HERE TO SAY THE PROPOSAL THAT YOU HAVE FOR THIS FACILITY IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I INTERVIEWED THE COMPANY MYSELF IN DEPTH, AND, UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND.

THE BATTERY DESIGN HAS FUSES OR CIRCUIT BREAKERS LIKE YOU HAVE IN YOUR OWN HOME.

THE ONES IN, IN MOSS LANDING DID NOT.

THERE WAS NOTHING TO STOP IT ONCE IT GOT STARTED.

AND IT WAS OPEN, IT COULD JUMP FROM UNIT TO UNIT TO UNIT.

SECONDLY, THEIR PROPOSAL HAS SEALED CONTAINERS SO THAT IF A MALFUNCTION HAPPENS, THEN IT'S CONFINED INTO A CONTAINER.

THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN MOSS LANDING.

THE FUSING, UH, CHECKS FOR TEMPERATURE.

THE TEMPERATURE GOES UP OR IF THE CURRENT DROP SAYING THERE'S A SHORT IN THE CELL, IT HAS A MICROPROCESSOR THAT SHUTS DOWN THAT CELL.

MOSS LANDING DIDN'T HAVE THAT.

THE ONLY QUALM I HAVE ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL IS LOCATION.

THE ROAD GOING IN AND OUT IS NARROW.

AND IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN, YOU GOTTA BE ABLE TO GET THE RESOURCES IN AND OUT EASILY.

IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT THAT'S CAPABLE AT THIS LOCATION.

SO LET GO OF THE EMOTIONS.

THIS THING HAS BEEN LOADED WITH EMOTIONS.

PEOPLE SAY, WE DON'T WANT ANOTHER MOSS LANDING.

THIS PROPOSAL FOR THIS FACILITY IS NOT ANOTHER MOSS LANDING.

IT, IT MEETS INTERNATIONAL AND FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR SAFETY FOR A LITHIUM BATTERY INSTALLATION.

SO, THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. BECKY STEINBRENNER.

THIS NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. [LAUGH].

SO THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR SUPER FOR PULLING IT.

I WANNA SAY, I WANNA ASK YOUR BOARD AND STAFF TO LOOK AT THIS, UH, ORDINANCE THROUGH A PUBLIC SAFETY LENS, NOT A CASH COW.

AND THAT'S HOW I THINK THE COUNTY IS CURRENTLY VIEWING IT.

UM, THERE IS, UH, NO WAY FOR ANYONE TO KNOW WHAT WAS ADDED AFTER YOUR JANUARY 13TH REVISIONS, BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER HIGHLIGHTED AS WAS DONE WHEN THERE WERE REVISIONS IN NOVEMBER.

I HAVE ASKED MANY TIMES, MANY TIMES FOR THIS TO BE DONE WITH NO RESPONSE.

SO WHO KNOWS WHAT GOT ADDED?

[01:10:01]

AND ONE OF THOSE IS THAT WE'RE ASKING THE OPERATOR TO HELP PAY FOR THE NEW INTEROPERABILITY RADIO PROJECT.

WELL, THERE WE GO. A CASH COW.

I WANNA SAY THAT, UH, THIS ORDINANCE, THE ORDINANCE IS NOT, IS EXAMINED FROM CEQA.

YOU CAN FOLLOW THE GOOD LEADERSHIP OF THE CITY OF VACAVILLE WHO DID THAT.

THEY DON'T HAVE A BEST ORDINANCE COMING IN WITHIN THE CITY BOUNDARY, BUT THEY MADE AN ORDINANCE FOR BESS, AND IT IS EXEMPT FROM CEQA.

YOU CAN CALL MR. ALBERT INAL, THE SENIOR PLANNER AND TALK WITH HIM ABOUT THAT.

AND THEY, THEY PROHIBIT BESS, UM, FACILITIES USING LITHIUM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

I'M GIVING YOU A COPY OF THIS.

I ALSO WANNA GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE REPORT FROM THE PAJARO VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION BESS AD HOC COMMITTEE WHEREIN THEY SAY THEY WANT TO, UH, WORK WITH AGENCIES.

THAT AGENCY IS DISSOLVING, UH, VERY SOON JOINING UP WITH COUNTY FIRE.

SO COUNTY IS INVOLVED WITH FIRE.

I ALSO WANNA GIVE YOU, UH, COPIES OF THE TWO RECENT LETTERS OF FROM THE CITY OF WATSONVILLE.

THE COUNTY WAS ASKED BY THE CEC TO SUBMIT COMMENT, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET REIMBURSED FOR TIME THAT IT TAKES TO DO THAT. - THANK YOU.

- HI, MY NAME IS LINDA SANTOS.

I WASN'T PREPARED TO DISCUSS MUCH DETAILS ABOUT THE ORDINANCE OTHER THAN TO MOVE IT OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THESE BATTERIES MAY BE A DIFFERENT CHEMISTRY THAN MOSS LANDING, BUT THEY'RE STILL LITHIUM AND THEY STILL BURN AND YOU STILL CAN'T PUT 'EM OUT.

UM, I'D REQUEST THAT YOU POSTPONE THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION TO THE NEXT MEETING, UM, ALLOWING PUBLIC ADVANCE NOTICE THAT THERE IS A DISCUSSION TAKING PLACE ON THIS TOPIC.

I THINK THAT IT WAS VERY, UM, SLY MOVE ON THIS PART OF THE STAFF TO PUT THIS IN THE BURIED IN THE CONSENT AGENDA, GOT EVERYBODY CONFUSED WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND THE STAFF SHOULDN'T BE TELLING YOU GUYS WHAT TO PASS AND WHAT LETTER TO WRITE AND WHAT TO SEND AND NOT HAVE ANY DISCUSSION WITH ANYBODY AND THE PUBLIC.

UH, WE WERE, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THIS WHOLE TIME THAT THE ORDINANCE IS PAUSED.

AT THE LAST APAC MEETING, THEY WERE TOLD THAT IT'S PAUSED AND THEY DON'T NEED TO REVIEW ANYTHING.

THEY WERE TALKING, ASKING ABOUT IT.

AND THERE YOU GUYS DIRECTED THEM IN JANUARY TO REVIEW THIS ORDINANCE.

UM, AND WE HAD CEC CAME TO OUR COMMUNITY MEETING ON SUNDAY AT PINTO LAKE AND THEY TOLD US THAT THERE IS A 30 DAY CLOCK THAT STARTS WHEN THEY DEEM IT COMPLETE.

BUT THAT COMPLETE DATE DOESN'T HAPPEN UNTIL THEY FEEL THEY HAVE ALL THE DOCUMENTS THEY NEED.

THEY TYPICALLY ASK FOR LOTS MORE DOCUMENTS FROM THE DEVELOPER, AND THAT CAN TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS, EVEN UP TO A YEAR OR MORE TO GET IT TO BE DEEMED COMPLETE.

SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO RUSH TO SEND THIS TO THE STATE WHEN IT'S NOT COMPLETE.

IT HASN'T GONE THROUGH DUE DILIGENCE.

THERE'S NO SOIL TESTING, THERE'S, THERE'S APAC HASN'T, HASN'T WEIGHED IN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

AND THIS IS AN INDUSTRIAL FOR-PROFIT BESS THAT DOESN'T BELONG ON AG LAND. THANK YOU.

- GOOD MORNING. UM, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

UM, ON THE NOVEMBER 18TH, UM, OF LAST YEAR AND JANUARY 13TH OF THIS YEAR, UH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETINGS UM, WHERE YOU MOVED THE ORDINANCE, UM, FORWARD, UM, JUSTIN AND KIM, YOU BOTH HAD SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT CONVERSION OF AG LANDS.

JUSTIN, YOU SPOKE TO THAT AGAIN TODAY, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I AM NOT CLEAR AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOUR QUESTION IS ACTUALLY GOING TO GET ADDRESSED IN ANY WAY.

UM, WE HAVE HAD A 25% LOSS OF IMPORTANT FARMLAND BETWEEN 1990 AND 2018 IN THIS COUNTY.

THAT'S FROM YOUR OWN SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE, EIR, FROM 2022.

THERE IS A LACK OF DATA ON HOW MUCH MORE LAND WE'VE LOST BETWEEN 2018 AND 2025.

I CAN'T FIND IT.

THE 1978 MEASURE J IS A VOTER-APPROVED GROWTH MANAGEMENT REFERENDUM, AND IT CANNOT BE AMENDED OR REPEALED EXCEPT BY PEOPLE'S VOTE.

A VOTER APPROVED MEASURE HOLDS THE HIGHEST LEGAL AUTHORITY IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND COURTS ARE DUTY BOUND TO JEALOUSLY GUARD THE LOCAL INITIATIVE POWER AND APPLY A LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION TO IT WHENEVER IT GETS CHALLENGED IN COURT.

I URGE YOU AS INDIVIDUAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO WRITE COMMENT LETTERS TO THE CEC TO DENY THE BESS PROJECT ON ANY PARCEL ZONED AGRICULTURAL IN THIS COUNTY.

I ALSO URGE YOU TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS OF CODIFYING THE DRAFT BESS ORDINANCE, AMENDING IT FIRST TO LIMIT BESS DEVELOPMENT TO PARCELS ZONED FOR INDUSTRIAL USE AND TO LIMIT BATTERY TECH TO NON-FLAMMABLE, NON-EXPLOSIVE OPTIONS.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, WE HAVE HAD 18 MONTHS OF NOT EMOTIONALISM

[01:15:03]

UM, TRIP FUSE DEVICES FAIL LIKE MANY OF THE OTHER BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INSIDE THESE FACILITIES AND INSIDE THE CONTAINERS.

THERE HAVE BEEN 13 LFP SPECIFIC CONTAINERIZED FIRES SINCE 2019.

UM, WE HAVE HYPERSCALE AI CENTERS GOING UP VERY NEAR OUR COUNTY'S BOUNDARIES.

THEY WILL LOOK HERE AS WELL.

YOU NEED TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND PROTECT THIS COUNTY.

IT IS YOUR LEGAL OBLIGATION UNDER CALIFORNIA STATE LAW.

- THANK YOU. - THANK YOU.

- SEEING NO ONE FURTHER IN THE ROOM, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE FIRST ONLINE CALLER? - KH, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- UH, GOOD MORNING.

THIS IS KATHERINE HEDGES IN LIVE OAK AND, UM, I THANK THE FIRST PUBLIC SPEAKER FOR HIS SCIENTIFIC ENDORSEMENTS, BUT I AM CONCERNED AS THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE ABOUT THE LOSS OF FARMLAND, POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON FARMLAND IF THERE'S A FIRE.

UM, AND THE WHOLE PROCESS OF TRYING TO PUT THIS ON A CONSENT CALENDAR AND NOT HAVING A PRESENTATION, THIS JUST, THIS IS NOT HOW THIS TYPE OF PROCESS SHOULD BE HAPPENING AND WE NEED TO HAVE A FULL PRESENTATION, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS, ET CETERA.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

- THANK YOU.

- CALL IN USER 454. YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- YEAH. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. THIS IS JAMES EWING WHITMAN.

YOU KNOW, I WROTE THIS FIVE YEARS AGO.

I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING.

JOHN LOCKE, 1632–1704, WHENEVER THE LEGISLATORS ENDEAVOR TO TAKE AWAY AND DESTROY THE PROPERTY OF THE PEOPLE OR TO REDUCE THEM TO SLAVERY UNDER ARBITRARY POWER, THEY PUT THEMSELVES INTO A STATE OF WAR WITH THE PEOPLE, WHO ARE THEREFORE ABSOLVED FROM ANY FURTHER OBEDIENCE AND ARE LEFT TO THE COMMON REFUGE, WHICH GOD HAS PROVIDED FOR ALL MEN AGAINST FORCE AND VIOLENCE.

YOU KNOW, THIS SUBJECT IS REALLY QUITE FASCINATING.

YOU KNOW, I, I WITNESSED THAT FIRE, I WITNESSED SOME OF THE OFFICIA L REPORTS SAYING THAT THE FLAMES ONLY REACHED 67 FEET WHERE I COULD SEE THE FIRE FROM 12 MILES AWAY.

YOU KNOW, I DO APPRECIATE THE FIRST SPEAKER SAYING THAT THIS MEETS INTERNATIONAL AND FEDERAL STANDARDS.

UM, MAYBE THERE ARE SOME SAFEGUARDS BEING PUT INTO THIS, BUT HOW MUCH ACTUAL ENERGY IS THAT GONNA PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY? NOT VERY MUCH IN THE LARGE SCOPE OF THINGS.

WANNA REMIND THE PUBLIC THAT IN 1987 A STUDY WAS STOPPED AT THE MOSS LANDING POWER PLANT, WHERE THEY WERE TAKING THE PARTICULATES FROM THE DIESEL GENERATORS AND PUMPING THEM INTO ALGAE BEDS.

IT'S VERY EFFICIENT.

60% OF THE WEIGHT OF THE ALGAE COULD BE REDUCED, BE TURNED INTO FUEL, OIL, DIESEL, OR KEROSENE.

SO WE HAVE ALL THESE SOLUTIONS, BUT ARE THE LEGISLATORS REALLY DOING WHAT THEY COULD? I WOULD SAY NO, BUT YOU KNOW, I SUPPOSE IT'S JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL.

I DO APPRECIATE THAT THIS WAS TAKEN OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA.

THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

- CALL-IN USER 401. YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ON THE CONSENT AGENDA IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I'M LOOKING AT YOUR PRINTOUT OF THE AGENDA.

IT SAYS CONSENT ITEMS INCLUDE ROUTINE BUSINESS THAT DOES NOT CALL FOR DISCUSSION.

OBVIOUSLY, CONSENT ITEMS AS THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBERS ADDRESS TODAY, DO CALL FOR DISCUSSION.

THE PUBLIC IS PUSHED OUT.

THEY USED, PEOPLE USED TO BE ABLE TO PULL CONSENT ITEMS AND PUT 'EM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.

FURTHERMORE, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN A PRESENTATION BY BECKY STEINBRUNNER OR NINA ADINO OF THIS WHOLE ISSUE INSTEAD OF JUST THE STAFF.

A MOST IMPORTANT ITEM THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED IS FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 10

[01:20:04]

SO THIS REFERS TO LA COUNTY IS PERTINENT TO ALL CEASE AND DESIST DEMAND FROM ANY CONSIDERATION, REVIEW, APPROVAL, CONDITIONAL APPROVAL OR FACILITATION OF ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM FACILITIES PROPOSED.

AND THAT SHOULD APPLY TO HERE BECAUSE OF SEVERE RISK, IT CONSTITUTES AN UNACCEPTABLE, UNSAFE AND INDEFENSIBLE ACTION THAT DIRECTLY... - THANK YOU.

- WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.

I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON THIS ITEM.

I'M GONNA START ON MY LEFT, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- UM, SO I, I HAVE A CONCERN THAT, UM, PROVIDING SORT OF A WISHLIST FOR NEGOTIATION OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT, UH, CONSTRUES SOMEHOW THAT THIS BOARD IS 100% IN, IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT.

UM, YOU KNOW, MY PAST COMMENTS HAVE INDICATED THAT I HAVE STRONG CONCERNS ABOUT CONVERSION OF AG LAND, ABOUT THE SITING OF THIS PARTICULAR BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY IN A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR SCHOOLS, NEAR CHILDCARE, NEAR PEOPLE WHO, UH, ARE HARDWORKING AND LATINO.

WHEN I MET WITH THE NEW LEAF, UM, PEOPLE AT THE VERY START OF THIS, THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT PG&E HAD LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE WAS A POWER NEED UP ON THE WEST SIDE AND THAT THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY WAS GONNA STORE ENERGY SO THAT THEY COULD PUSH IT UP TO THE WEST SIDE.

HAVING, UH, THE PEOPLE OF WATSONVILLE TAKE THE RISK SO THAT WE COULD PUSH ENERGY TO THE WEST SIDE DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT, JUST, OR FAIR TO ME.

SO THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS.

UM, I GUESS I, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF TRYING TO, UH, NEGOTIATE OR, UM, PROVIDE DIRECTION ABOUT COMMUNITY BENEFIT, UH, UH, ARE WE JUST TRYING TO, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL YET AT THE STATE LEVEL SO WHY ARE WE PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION NOW? BECAUSE IT DOES LOOK LIKE SOMEHOW WE'RE ALL IN SUPPORT.

- YEAH, AND I, I WOULDN'T JUST NEGOTIATE IT AND SIGN ON TO SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY THE AGREEMENT WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO APPROVE.

I COULDN'T EXECUTE ANYTHING WITH YOUR, WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL.

SO THIS IS JUST AN ABILITY TO START TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS.

THEY HAVE TO HAVE A COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT.

AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS IF NOT WITH US, THEN THEY WOULD ENGAGE WITH OTHERS.

SO, UM, THIS WOULD ALLOW ME TO START THAT CONVERSATION AND GET MORE INFORMATION.

- OKAY, THANK YOU.

UM, LAST WEEK I WAS AT, UM, DOWN AT THE ELKHORN FLU FOUNDATION, AND, UM, I UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WILL BE A, A PUBLIC PRESENTATION ON AUGUST 7TH, I THINK, BY THE MONTEREY BAY RESEARCH LABS, UM, TALKING ABOUT UM, THE OUTCOMES, UM, OF THEIR FINDINGS ON MUCH OF THE RESEARCH THAT THEY'RE DOING ON THE AFTERMATH OF THE MOSS LANDING BATTERY FIRE.

UM, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT ONLINE AND I DON'T SEE IT, I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN, UM, PUSHED OUT INTO, UM, PUBLIC VENUE JUST YET.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT THAT'S COMING, THAT THE RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE IN TERMS OF THE UPTAKE OF THOSE HEAVY METALS THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND SCATTERED.

THERE'S ALSO A GREAT ARTICLE IN NATURE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT MOSS LANDING AND, UM, AS THESE BATTERY PLANTS, UM, BECOME MORE AND MORE COMMON IN OUR COMMUNITIES AS WE REACH TOWARDS GREEN ENERGY GOALS, WHICH ARE A GOOD THING, UM, I THINK IT'S JUST, UH, VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SAFETY AND SITING IS, UH, SORT OF AT THE FOREFRONT OF, UM, OF ALL OF THESE DECISIONS.

[01:25:02]

UM, I WOULD LIKE, UM, STAFF TO COME BACK, UM, AT, UH, AT INCREMENTAL TIMES TO GIVE US UPDATES, UH, ON HOW THE STATE IS MOVING FORWARD.

AND I DON'T IF ANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES HAVE MORE DIRECTION.

- THANK YOU. I'LL MOVE TO SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

AND I DO WANT TO THANK STAFF AND NEWLEAF, UM, FOR THE YEARS OF WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA THAT TOUCH ON, YOU KNOW, STOPPING OFFSHORE DRILLING, AND YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE MOVING INTO A GREENER FUTURE, WE'RE HAVING TO LOOK AT THESE NEW TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES IN ORDER FOR US TO GET OFF OF OUR DEPENDENCES ON FOSSIL FUELS.

SO, YOU KNOW, THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES ARE GONNA ALLOW US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOLAR.

IT'S GONNA HELP US CAPTURE ENERGY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HARNESS DURING THE DAY AND THEN UTILIZE THAT AT NIGHT.

AND I THINK WHAT'S- WHAT REALLY IS COMING TO US TODAY, OR WHERE I'M COMING FROM, IS REALLY JUST MAKING SURE THAT IT'S DONE IN A WAY THAT'S- IT'S THAT MAXIMIZES PUBLIC SAFETY AND ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE PUBLIC INPUT.

ADDITIONALLY, WITH THE, UH, CONVERSION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M CONSTANTLY CONCERNED OF BECAUSE AS WE SEE MORE AND MORE AGRICULTURAL LAND BEING CONVERTED TO, UM, WHETHER IT'S DATA CENTERS OR BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES OR HOUSING, THAT MEANS LESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO PRODUCE FOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY HERE LOCALLY.

SO I THINK GIVEN WHERE WE'RE WE ARE TODAY, UM, I'M ALSO WANTING TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, UM, THE CEO ENTER INTO THESE CONVERSATIONS AROUND COMMUNITY BENEFITS BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THIS IS NOW OUT OF OUR HANDS, UM, FOR THE MOST PART, AND WE NEED TO TRY TO MAXIMIZE AS MUCH BENEFIT AS POSSIBLE.

UM, THAT BEING SAID, THE DRAFT KIND OF LANGUAGE THAT WE HAVE, UM, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THE STATE IS ACTUALLY GONNA ADOPT IT OR NOT, OR FOLLOW THROUGH.

SO I DO THINK THAT, UM, I'D LIKE TO ADD BACK IN ON PAGE SEVEN, UM, CURRENTLY UNDER, I THINK IT'S LIKE IB, BUT IT'S RELATED TO AG RESOURCES, ADDING BACK IN THE THREE TO ONE RATIO.

UM, THEY CAN AGREE TO IT OR NOT.

UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE OWNERSHIP CHANGES, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE LANGUAGE, AND I CAN JUST READ IT QUICKLY.

UM, THAT'S THE WRONG ONE.

GIMME ONE SEC. SORRY.

TOO MANY TABS. OKAY.

SO, UM, AT THE BOTTOM, UNDER OWNERSHIP CHANGE, UNDER I TWO, TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF A BESS FACILITY MUST BE PROCEEDED BY NO PUBLIC HEARING AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

AT THE HEARING, THE BOARD WILL DETERMINE APPROVAL OR DENIAL OF THE PERMIT, UM, OR WHETHER ANY ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL ARE REQUIRED, ET CETERA.

UM, AGAIN, THEY CAN, THE STATE CAN CAN TAKE THAT, OR THEY CAN SAY, NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA INCLUDE THAT, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD BE CLEAR OF WHERE OUR COMMUNITY'S AT.

AND I THINK THAT THOSE TWO, UM, ISSUES WERE SOMETHING THAT CAME TO THE FOREFRONT.

AND, AND I DO AGREE WITH SUPERVISOR DE SERPA THAT WE, UM, NEED TO HAVE UPDATES ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THIS PROCESS, GIVEN THE CONCERNS THAT ARE RAISED BY THE COMMUNITY.

- SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, IF THE BOARD WANTED TO ADD THAT TO THE LETTER, WE COULD, BUT TO CONSIDER THAT AS PART OF THE ORDINANCE, THAT'S, UM, CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE HAVEN'T BEEN AGENDIZED.

SO WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK AND DISCUSS CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE IF WE WANTED TO TAKE THAT UP AGAIN.

SO I THINK THAT, UM, IF YOU WANTED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DIRECTION TO INCLUDE THAT IN YOUR DIRECTION AS PART OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE CEC, THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST APPROPRIATE PLACE AT THIS TIME.

- SO, LET ME THEN ASK A QUESTION WITH THIS ATTACHMENT THAT WE HAVE, SO HOW IS THAT GONNA BE USED IN THIS PROCESS? 'CAUSE MY SUGGESTION IS REALLY JUST ADDING THAT INTO THIS DRAFT THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US, UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT, YEAH, WE'RE NOT GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH THE EIR, WHICH MEANS WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ORDINANCE.

BUT I'M-I'M JUST TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEN HOW IS THIS DOCUMENT THAT'S PROVIDED GONNA BE USED IN THESE DISCUSSIONS? BECAUSE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S JUST ADDING THAT LANGUAGE INTO THIS DRAFT.

I MEAN, WE'RE NOT ADOPTING AN ORDINANCE, BUT IT'S MAKING SURE THAT THAT LANGUAGE IS CLEAR AND THAT IT'S INCLUDED IN WHATEVER DOCUMENTS ARE GONNA BE USED FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS.

- I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE TRANSMITTING THE DOCUMENT THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD TO DATE BASED ON THE HEARINGS AND THE MEETINGS YOU'VE CONDUCTED.

UM, IF WE WANTED TO, UM, TRANSMIT WHAT WE HAVE AND THEN POTENTIALLY COME BACK AND DISCUSS ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO WHAT'S BEEN ALREADY APPROVED, WE COULD DO THAT.

UM, BUT I-I THINK THE NEXT- I THINK WE HAVE FIVE TO SIX MONTHS WHERE THE CEC IS GONNA BE COLLECTING THIS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATING WITH A VARIETY OF PARTNERS ON MAKING SURE THAT THE APPLICATION'S DEEMED COMPLETE.

UM, I THINK WE COULD TRANSMIT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THEM, BUT AT THIS POINT, WHAT'S-WHAT'S BEFORE YOU IS WHAT THE BOARD HAS ALREADY APPROVED.

[01:30:01]

- I GUESS THE ISSUE IS THAT WE ACTUALLY DIRECTED STAFF TO GO OUT AND TO STUDY THE THREE TO ONE AND TO COME BACK TO US AND WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT INFORMATION COME BACK.

AND WHAT'S BEFORE US IN THE DRAFT IS A ONE-TO-ONE RATIO, WHICH WE DID NOT AGREE ON AT THE LAST MEETING.

- YEAH, THAT'S- WE WERE STUDYING IT BASED ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS THAT WAS GONNA TAKE PLACE.

AND THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN PAUSED BECAUSE OUR APPLICANT PULLED THEIR APPLICATION.

SO AT THIS POINT, UM, WE ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS.

- RIGHT. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THEN, HOW DO WE, I GUESS, SO IS THIS APPROVED DRAFT ESCDGP CODE AMENDMENTS, IS THAT GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT'S TRANSMITTED TO THE STATE? I'M JUST TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND.

I THINK WE'RE ALL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LIKE WHAT INFORMATION'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE CONVEYED AND HOW DO OUR CONCERNS GET TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT GIVEN NOW THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO ENTER INTO THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE STATE.

- YEAH, THAT DRAFT ORDINANCE WILL BE CONVEYED.

UM, IF YOU WANNA BRING THIS BACK, IF WE WANNA DELAY THIS ITEM AND BRING IT BACK IN AUGUST, WE CAN.

UM, BUT AT THIS POINT, UH, WHAT'S GONNA BE CONVEYED IS WHATEVER YOU WANNA PUT INTO THE LETTER IN THE DRAFT ORDINANCE THAT THE BOARD'S APPROVED AS OF JANUARY.

- UM, I'M GONNA PAUSE RIGHT HERE.

I'M GONNA ASK THAT THE AUDIENCE PLEASE REFRAIN FROM MAKING ANY COMMENTS WHILE THE BOARD IS IN THE MIDDLE OF DELIBERATION. THANK YOU.

AND SO WHAT I HEAR IS, UM, SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO EXPRESS THE BOARD'S CONSIDERATIONS AND THOUGHTS, UM, TO THE CEC.

AND WHAT I'M HEARING FROM BOTH MS. HANSON AS WELL AS THE CEO, IS THAT THERE'S NUMEROUS ROUTES AND MULTIPLE TOUCHPOINTS IN WHICH WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS THAT WE PROCEED WITH THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS, BUT FOCUS OUR COMMENTS OR EDITS TO THE, UM, TO RECOMMENDED ACTION NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS THE LETTER TO THE CEC, IN WHICH WE CAN INCLUDE THE COMMENTS FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS THAT CAME UP AT THE LAST MEETING, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, THE QUE- THE COMMENTS THAT I MADE IN MY PREVIOUS QUESTIONS AROUND, UM, YOU- YOU KNOW, REALLY UNDERSCORING ARE, ARE OUR HOPE AND EXPECTATION THAT THEY FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE GUIDANCE THAT'S COMING THROUGH OUR DRAFT ORDINANCE, AS WELL AS RESPOND WITH JUSTIFICATION IF THEY DON'T.

UM, AND THEN OF COURSE ASK THAT THE, THE CEO AND THE UM, CDI RETURN TO THE BOARD AT DIFFERENT MILESTONES THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.

DOES THAT SOUND LIKE THE GOOD DIRECTION FOR THE BOARD? - SO I'LL-I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTION WITH THE FOLLOWING: UM, THAT IN THE LETTER WE INCORPORATE INFORMATION REGARDING WANTING A THREE TO ONE AG REPLACEMENT, THAT WE, THAT OWNERSHIP CHANGES MUST BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD.

UM, THAT ANY REJECTION OF WHAT'S IN THE DRAFT ORDINANCE BE JUSTIFIED AND THAT WE RETURN, UM, I DON'T KNOW, DURING, WHEN THERE ARE, WHEN THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES IN THE PROCESS FOR AN UPDATE TO THE BOARD.

I THINK THAT'S TRYING TO CAPTURE.

- I'LL SECOND.

- OKAY.

- SO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

ANY QUESTIONS FROM STAFF ON THE DIRECTION? - NO, I THINK IT'S CLEAR.

- OKAY. UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION FROM MY COLLEAGUES? - YES.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- LET ME ASK, UM, SO OUR CEO, HAVE WE RECEIVED THE, THE TEMPLATES FOR THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT YET OR ARE THOSE...

- I HAVE NOT, NO.

- IF YOU COULD SHARE THOSE ONLINE WHENEVER THEY DO, WE DO GET 'EM.

THANK YOU.

- AND I GUESS THE LAST THING UNDER NUMBER THREE, AND MAYBE THIS CAN BE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, THAT, UM, THIS IS DIRECT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO PURSUE NEGOTIATE COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENT WITH THE DEVELOPER OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT AND RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.

JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT LANGUAGE IN.

- SOUND OKAY TO YOU, SUPERVISOR DE SERPA? - AS AMENDED. YES.

- ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA. - AYE.

- KOENIG. - AYE.

[01:35:02]

- CUMMINGS. - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN,

[7. Consider approval of the Proposed 2026-27 Budget for Parks, Open Space, and Cultural Services, including any supplemental materials, and take related actions, as outlined in the referenced budget documents, and as recommended by the County Executive Officer]

WELCOME.

- GOOD MORNING.

- PLEASE PROCEED. GOOD MORNING.

- GOOD MORNING. REBECCA HURLEY HERE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ON BEHALF OF DIRECTOR GAFFNEY.

ALONGSIDE ME IS, UH, RYAN FRIEDRICH, AS WELL AS MELODY SERINO FROM THE CEO'S OFFICE.

AND, UM, WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO PRESENT WHAT WE, UM, ANTICIPATE BEING THE FINAL PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FISCAL YEAR 26-27.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST THANK THIS BOARD FOR THE FEEDBACK AND WORKING WITH US, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH THE CEO'S OFFICE TO PUT THIS FINAL BUDGET PROPOSAL TOGETHER.

IT'S, UM, AS YOU'VE SEEN IN THE STAFF MEMO AS WELL AS YOU'LL SEE IN THE WHAT I'M TRYING TO MAKE A VERY BRIEF PRESENTATION TODAY.

UM, IT'S BEEN A REALLY BIG COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UM, AND SPECIFICALLY REALLY WANNA THANK, UM, CEO COBURN AND HER STAFF FOR HELPING US KIND OF IDENTIFY, UM, THE PATH TO GET THIS FINAL BUDGET PROPOSAL FORWARD.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO START BY THANKING, ACKNOWLEDGING MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD FOR THEIR MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE PARKS BUDGET THIS YEAR.

UM, AND THEN AS AGAIN, AS YOU'VE SEEN IN THE STAFF MEMO AND YOU'LL SEE IN THE PRESENTATION TODAY, THIS HAS REALLY BEEN A SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AMONGST OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS.

SO SPECIFICALLY I'D LIKE TO, UM, THANK ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CDI SANITATION, CAROLYN BURKE, DIRECTOR KIMBERLY FINLEY AND HER TEAM OVER AT GSD, DIRECTOR TAMMY WEIGEL AND HER TEAM OVER AT ISD, SHERIFF CLARK AND HIS STAFF, AS WELL AS THE CEO STAFF WHO IDENTIFIED SOME FUNDING FROM THEM.

AND THEN AS WELL, I'D LIKE TO REALLY WANNA SINCERELY THANK THE ARTS COUNCIL IN MAH AND I KNOW THAT BOTH EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ARE HERE TODAY FOR THEIR COLLABORATION WITH US ON TAKING A MODEST REDUCTION TO THEIR BO-, UM, TO THEIR CONTRACTS.

UM, THESE ARE VALUED LONG-TERM PARTNERS OF THE COUNTY, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THESE REDUCTIONS RESTORED IN FUTURE BUDGET YEARS, AND REALLY THEIR-THEIR ABILITY TO WORK WITH US REALLY SHOWS THEIR COMMITMENT TO THEIR COMMUNITY.

SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HELPED COLLABORATE.

AGAIN, I'LL TRY TO QUICKLY GET THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.

I KNOW THAT THIS IS A LONG DAY AHEAD OF EVERYBODY.

SO A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY.

WE BROUGHT, UM, FORTH THE FIRST PROPOSED BUDGET ON JUNE 11TH THAT INCLUDED, UM, SERVICE REDUCTIONS AS WELL AS A PROPOSED PILOT PAY-TO-PARK PROGRAM.

THIS BOARD DIRECTED US NOT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PILOT PAY-TO-PARK PROGRAM, AS WELL AS LOOK INTO RESTORING THE OPERATIONAL AND STAFFING REDUCTIONS.

ON JUNE 24TH, WE RETURNED WITH A PLAN TO RESTORE THOSE OPERATIONS.

HOWEVER, IT DID MEAN A SLIGHT, UM, REDUCTION IN A CONTRACT TO THE MAH AS WELL AS ELIMINATION OF THE CONTRACT WITH THE ARTS COUNCIL.

THIS BOARD DIRECTED US TO RESTORE THE ARTS COUNCIL CONTRACT, AS WELL AS THE ONE WITH THE MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY.

NOW, TO REMIND EVERYBODY, THESE RESTORATIONS IN OPERATIONS AND STAFFING INCLUDES, UM, HAVING TO, UH, IDENTIFY FUNDING FOR THE MISPLACE OF THE ANTICIPATED REVENUE FOR THE PAY-TO-PARK PROGRAM, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY $280,000, RESTORING SEVEN DAY A WEEK OPERATIONS AT SIMKINS FAMILY SWIM CENTER IN THE AMOUNT OF $80,000, RESTORING CONTRACT FOR PORTABLE RESTROOMS COUNTYWIDE IN THE AMOUNT OF $70,000, AND RESTORING OUR EXTRA HELP BUDGET BY APPROXIMATELY $160,000.

THIS TOTAL RESTORATION WAS $590,000 NEEDED.

OUR BUDGET SOLUTION THAT WE ARE PROPOSING TODAY IS, AGAIN, A SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AGAINST OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, OUR PARTNERS, AS WELL AS THIS BOARD.

SO WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE RESTORATION WITHOUT HAVING TO DO ANY REDUCTIONS IN OPERATIONS OR STAFFING FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

UTILIZING AGAIN, UM, ONE TIME FUNDING FROM BOARD MEMBERS' CONTRIBUTION OF MEASURE K, USING FUNDING FROM COUNTY RISK AS WELL AS, UM, FISCAL YEAR 25-26, MEASURE Q, UM, CONTINGENCY FUNDS, GETTING REDUCED FEES IN OUR TECHNOLOGY COSTS FROM ISD, BOTH WITH OUR LUCITY SUBSCRIPTION AS WELL AS SOME USER FEES.

IDENTIFYING RENTAL REVENUE COMING FROM GSD THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO BE USED IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THIS YEAR AS WELL AS A CD- A CONTRIBUTION FROM CDI

[01:40:01]

UM, AND FINALLY, AS WELL, THE SHERIFF IS DEFERRING TO PURCHASE A FIXED ASSET SO THEY'RE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE AS WELL.

REALLY, IT'S, UM, IT'S A GREAT COLLABORATION THAT THAT'S, IT'S-IT'S GREAT TO SEE EVERYBODY WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE PARKS BUDGET WHOLE.

AND I ANTICIPATE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF COLLABORATION MOVING FORWARD IN NEXT BUDGET CYCLE YEARS.

UM, AGAIN, I DO THANK THE ARTS COUNCIL AND THE MUSEUM OF ART, UM, ART AND HISTORY.

THEY HAVE TAKEN A 15% REDUCTION, A MODEST, UM, REDUCTION TO THEIR CONTRACTS, WHICH I WOULD LOVE TO, AGAIN, IN BETTER BUDGET, SEE RESTORED.

AND THEN AS WELL, WE WILL BE REDUCING OUR OWN PARKS, UM, GRANT PROGRAM BY 12% OR 25%, A REDUCTION IN $12,000.

AND THEN, UM, THE LUCITY SUBSCRIPTION THAT I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT.

SO HERE ARE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS THAT WE ARE ASKING THIS BOARD TO PRODUCE, UM, TO APPROVE TODAY.

AND I AM AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS ALONG WITH STAFF ALONGSIDE HERE, UM, WITH ME FROM THE CEO'S OFFICE.

- THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I THINK I'M GONNA START BY GOING OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO SEE IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.

IF SO, PLEASE FORM A LINE IN FRONT OF US.

- I'M GONNA KEEP IT BRIEF.

I JUST WANNA THANK ALL THE SUPERVISORS, NICOLE COBURN, EVERYONE AT THE PARKS OFFICE, AND JUST EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE, UM, FOR LARGELY RESTORING FUNDING TO THE ARTS.

UM, PRESIDENT KENNEDY BELIEVED ARTISTS WERE ESSENTIAL TO THE MORON CULTURAL HEALTH OF OUR DEMOCRACY.

AND HE SAID, I SEE LITTLE OF MORE IMPORTANCE TO THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY AND OUR CIVILIZATION THAN FULL RECOGNITION OF THE PLACE OF THE ARTIST.

HE REALLY BELIEVED THAT ARTS WERE CENTRAL TO JUDGING THE QUALITY OF A NATION.

AND A FEW YEARS BACK, I WAS REALLY HONORED TO ATTEND THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE ART AND EMBASSY PROGRAM IN DC, WHICH IS A REALLY IMPORTANT INITIATIVE THAT STRENGTHENS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THROUGH THE POWER OF VISUAL ART, CELEBRATING CREATIVITY AS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

AS YOU KNOW, ART REALLY BUILDS EMPATHY.

IT, UM, IT FOSTERS EMPATHY, IT BUILDS COMMUNITY.

AND I JUST REALLY THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING HOW INTEGRAL THE ARTS ARE TO THE MORAL AND SOCIAL FABRIC OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. THANK YOU.

- GOOD MORNING, CHAIR MARTINEZ, SUPERVISORS.

UH, I'M JIM BROWN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

FIRST, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, WH-, WHO TURNED OUT LAST WEEK TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY DEEPLY VALUES THE ARTS.

UH, WHILE A 15% CUT FOLLOWING NEARLY A DECADE OF FLAT FUNDING WILL BE DIFFICULT TO ABSORB, WE UNDERSTAND THE COUNTY IS FACING INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING BUDGET TIMES AND WE'RE PREPARED TO DO OUR PART.

HOWEVER, WE ALL KNOW THAT TODAY'S SITUATION IS A STOP GAP WITH FUTURE BUDGETS PROJECTED TO BE EVEN TIGHTER.

I URGE THE COUNTY TO LOOK FOR DEDICATED REVENUE SOLUTIONS FOR THE ARTS.

IT'S COMMON FOR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS TO HAVE A DEDICATED FUNDING STREAM, OFTEN THROUGH A TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX, WHICH SUPERVISOR KOENIG BROUGHT UP LAST, UH, LAST WEEK.

UM, OR THROUGH A PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT FEE.

WE DON'T HAVE TO LOOK FAR FOR PROOF THAT THIS WORKS.

THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ PASSED AN ARTS PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT FEE JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.

THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ IS ACTIVE, ACTIVELY WORKING ON A SIMILAR ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW, AND THE COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK FOR THE COUNTY TO FOLLOW SUIT.

WE WANT TO BE YOUR PARTNERS IN THIS.

I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND COUNTY STAFF OVER THE COMING MONTHS TO ADVANCE A REVENUE SOLUTION, ENSURING THAT WE AREN'T BACK NEXT YEAR FIGHTING FOR EVEN MORE LIMITED GENERAL FUND RESOURCES.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT TODAY.

UH, AND THANK YOU FOR THE ARTS COMMUNITY FOR STANDING UP FOR THE ARTS LAST WEEK.

- THANK YOU.

- GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS DOBY JENKINS AND I'VE BEEN- MY FAMILY HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY FOR THE LAST 25 OR 27 YEARS.

I KNOW FELIPE WELL FROM MY SERVICE DOWN ON, UH, WATSONVILLE, UH, COMMISSIONS.

AND I COMMEND, UH, THE STAFF FOR THEIR WORK TO ADJUST THINGS AND TO GET SOME MONEY BACK FROM AGENCIES, SO ON.

MY PROPOSAL THIS MORNING IS TO CALL UPON THE PUBLIC OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY TO THE EXTENT THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE HAPPY TO CONTRIBUTE TO TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU'RE FUNDING AT LEAST A THOUSAND DOLLARS.

BUT WE WANNA CALL ON A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY

[01:45:01]

SO YES, I SAY LET-LET THE CALL GO OUT TO ALL THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD IT TO MAKE A MODEST OR TO MAKE A LARGER CONTRIBUTION TO THE PARKS OR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY USE IN THEIR ENJOYMENT OF THIS AREA.

BUT THANK YOU, THE BOARD, FOR THIS TIME, AND I HOPE THAT THE WORD WILL GO OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, THAT IT'S VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CAN SUPPLEMENT THE PUBLIC EFFORT TO MAKE THESE THINGS LESS OF A TRIAL IN THE YEAR AHEAD.

THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

SEEING NO ONE FURTHER IN THE ROOM, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - CHAIR, I SEE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR DISCUSSION AND AN ACTION ON THIS ITEM.

SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UH, WELL, I WANT TO START BY THANKING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR DOING BACK FLIPS AND CARTWHEELS AND CLIMBING TREES AND DIGGING HOLES AND EVERYTHING ELSE, UH, IN ORDER TO GET US TO THIS FINAL BUDGET TODAY.

UM, I'M- I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL THE OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS WHO PARTICIPATED, UH, IN HELPING TO MAKE THE PARKS BUDGET WHOLE.

UM, IN PARTICULAR, I THINK THE, UH, COLLABORATION WITH, WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR IS, UH, IS GREAT.

UM, AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO SEE ISD COLLABORATE BY REDUCING FEES FOR THE DEPARTMENT, UM, AS WELL AS THE COLLABORATION WITH, WITH GENERAL SERVICES AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

UM, OF COURSE, THANK YOU TO THE ARTS COUNCIL AND TO THE MA ALSO FOR YOUR SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION, AND WE DEFINITELY WILL WORK TO FIND OTHER DEDICATED FUNDING STREAMS FOR THE ARTS, WHICH ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, UH, BOTH AS WE SAW TO EV-, EVERYONE WHO, WHO LIVES HERE, BUT ALSO IS, UH, MAKING US A PERMANENT DESTINATION, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO VISIT AND PROVIDING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO COME VISIT.

UM, ALSO WANNA THANK DISTRICT FIVE FOR CONTRIBUTING SOME DISCRETIONARY FUNDS TO HELP FILL THE GAP.

AND, UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN WORK PROACTIVELY TO, TO CREATE A MORE SUSTAINABLE BUDGET GOING FORWARD IN NEXT YEAR, GOING INTO NEXT YEAR.

AND I REALLY HOPE THAT WE'LL USE THE AUGUST DISCUSSION AROUND MEASURE Q TO DO JUST THAT.

UM, I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN THE CITIES ALL USE THEIR MEASURE Q, UH, DIRECT FUNDS TO, UM, TO IMPROVE PARKS, AND I, I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE US DO MORE OF THAT HERE, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF INCREASED VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN OUR PARKS AND ADDRESSING DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROJECTS.

UH, I THINK THERE'S ALSO POTENTIALLY SOME OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, WATER SAFETY CLASSES OR OUTDOOR EDUCATION CLASSES AS WELL.

UM, SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

UM, I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK WE NEED ANY ADDITIONAL DIRECTION AROUND PARKS AND OR3 WORKING TOGETHER FOR OPTIONS FOR, FOR SPENDING OUR MEASURE Q DOLLARS BECAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY DOING THAT.

UM, AND WE'LL HAVE A ROBUST DISCUSSION IN AUGUST.

BUT I'LL, I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

FURTHER DISCUSSION? - YEAH.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANNA THANK PARKS FOR ALL THEIR WORK AND, YOU KNOW, BEING, UM, COLLABORATING WITH ALL, ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE FROM CDI, SANITATION, GSD, ISD, SHERIFFS.

I WANNA THANK THEM ALL FOR HELPING OUT WITH THIS, UH, BUDGET FOR PARKS.

SO I HOPE WE, THAT CONTINUED COLLABORATION CONTINUES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.

THAT'S IT.

- SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- YEAH, I'LL BE BRIEF.

I JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR THE HARD WORK OF TRYING TO PULL THIS TOGETHER, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY THAT WHILE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PAR-, THE, THE PAY-TO-PARK PROGRAM, I THINK BECAUSE THAT CAME AS A SURPRISE TO MANY FOLKS, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE PRETTY STARTLED BY IT, WHICH HAS LED US TO NOT PURSUE IT AT THIS TIME.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, IN CONSIDERATION OF FUTURE REVENUE MEASURES, IT, I THINK IT'S WORTH, UM, IF THAT'S GONNA BE PURSUED, JUST HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY.

I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHILE I DON'T HAVE MANY PARKS TECHNICALLY WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED PART OF MY DISTRICT, I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE CITY, LIKE DEPOT PARK, THEY CHARGE PEOPLE TO PARK THERE, AND PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GO AND PLAY SOCCER ON THE WEEKENDS, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS...

WELL, AT LEAST WHEN I WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL, WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE REALLY COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.

AND SO I THINK THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES.

IT'S JUST THAT IF THERE'S A WAY TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS EARLY, UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE FIGURING OUT

[01:50:03]

OR SORRY, THE PROPER PRI-, PRICE POINT WITH THE COMMUNITY, THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO PURSUE, PURSUE THOSE, UM, TYPES OF REVENUE SOURCES IN THE FUTURE.

BUT JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.

AND THEN JUST WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WITH THE ARTS, WITH THE MAA AND THE ARTS COUNCIL, AND I TOTALLY AGREE THAT THERE'S, UM, SOME POTENTIAL, UH, REVENUE GENERATING MECHANISMS THAT WE SHOULD START CONSIDERING AFTER, UM, WELL, CONSIDERING IN THE FALL.

AND SO, UM, AND THEN I GUESS THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS I HOPE WE CAN JUST TRACK THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE SO THAT IN THE FUTURE, IF WE WANNA BACKFILL SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS, WE REMEMBER, UM, THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING IN TERMS OF THE REDUCTIONS.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE LEAVE, AND THAT KNOWLEDGE GETS LOST.

AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO REMEMBER WHERE WE'VE MADE REDUCTIONS, WE CAN TRY TO BACKFILL THAT IN THE FUTURE.

SO, THANKS.

- SUPERVISOR DESERPA.

- THANK YOU.

UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU, UM, PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND FRANKLY, ALL THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT SHOOK THE COUCH CUSHIONS AND FOUND SOME WAY TO HELP MAKE, UM, THE PARKS', UM, BUDGET WHOLE THIS YEAR.

UM, APPRECIATE, UM, THE REDUCTION THAT MAA AND ARTS, UM, COUNCIL TOOK.

UM, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY ONE THING.

I WAS THINKING ABOUT DISTRICT 2 IN APTOS, AND WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION.

THERE ARE NO ART GALLERIES THERE, UH, I DON'T THINK.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME TYPE OF OUTREACH SO THAT WE COULD START THINKING AND PLANNING FOR SOME ART IN MY DISTRICT AS WELL.

UM, SO, UH, THANKS ANYWAY. THANK YOU.

I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK, UM, ON, ON THIS.

I WILL BE DOING A DRIVE ALONG WITH SUPERVISOR KOENIG TO LOOK AT HIS 22 PARKS.

I WANNA SEE THEM WITH MY OWN EYES.

I KNOW THERE'S A COUPLE OF THEM THAT ARE COMPLETELY, I KNOW NOT COMPLETELY, BUT THE PLAYGROUNDS ARE CLOSED BECAUSE THEY'RE IN, UH, POOR SHAPE.

SO, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING A LOOK AT THOSE.

THANK YOU FOR HOSTING ME.

- THANK YOU. AND JUST MY FINAL COMMENTS ECHO THOSE OF MY COLLEAGUES OF APPRECIATION TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS WHO COLLABORATED TO HELP FILL THIS GAP ONE TIME.

UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION THAT WE NEED TO RELY ON DURING THESE FISCAL, FISCALLY DIFFICULT TIMES.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR...

IT'S CLEAR THAT OUR PARKS AND OUR ARTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO OUR FAMILIES, AND TO THE PUBLIC.

SO, UM, WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRESERVE CRITICAL PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE.

WE'RE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO DO THAT.

SO, UM, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO GOT US TO THIS PLACE.

WITH THAT, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - BEFORE CALLING ROLL, TO ENSURE THE RECORD IS CLEAR, THIS IS FOR SIMPLY THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS AS PROVIDED BY STAFF, CORRECT? - CORRECT.

- THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

- THANK YOU.

- WE HAVE OFFICIALLY PASSED OUR ENTIRE BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.

NOTHING LIKE WAITING TILL THE VERY LAST MOMENT.

UM, SO WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT,

[8. Consider the final County Strategic Plan 2026–2032, and take related actions]

WELCOME.

LOOKS LIKE I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CEO'S OFFICE.

- THANK YOU.

UM, SO NICOLE COBURN, YOUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER.

I'M JOINED TODAY BY SVEN STAFFORD, UH, DEPUTY COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER.

TOGETHER, WE'RE GOING TO PRESENT THE FINAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 2026, 2020... OR 2032.

UM, SO AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A CULMINATION OF ROUGHLY 18 MONTHS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, STAFF COLLABORATION, AND BOARD DIRECTION.

WHAT WE WANNA PRESENT TO YOU TODAY IS SIMPLY WHAT CHANGED SINCE MAY WHEN WE PRESENTED THE PROPOSED STRATEGIC PLAN, AND HOW WE'RE PLANNING TO USE THE PLAN GOING FORWARD.

UM, THIS PLAN PROVIDES A SHARED DIRECTION FOR THE COUNTY OVER THE NEXT SIX-YEAR PERIOD.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON THREE THINGS TODAY.

THE FIRST ARE THOSE MAJOR CHANGES SINCE MAY.

SECOND, HOW WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN, AND THEN FINALLY, HOW THIS FRAMEWORK WILL HELP GUIDE DIFFICULT BUDGET DECISIONS AHEAD.

NEXT SLIDE.

[01:55:01]

- THANKS, NICOLE. GOOD MORNING, BOARD.

ONE OF THE CLEAREST MESSAGES THAT WE HEARD FROM THE BOARD IN MAY WAS THE NEED TO ELEVATE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS PLAN.

WE HEARD THAT INFRASTRUCTURE EXTENDS WELL BEYOND JUST HOUSING AND ROADS, THAT MANY OF THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE ARE AGING, IN NEED OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT, AND THAT DELAYING THE MAINTENANCE, INCREASE THOSE COSTS CAN DISRUPT SERVICES, CREATE SAFETY RISKS, UH, LIMIT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THAT WE NEED.

THE GOAL HERE FOCUSES ON UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE COUNTY OWNS, ASSESSING ITS CONDITION, AND MAKING SMART INVESTMENTS THAT KEEP INFRASTRUCTURE SAFE RELIABLE, RESILIENT, WHILE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT HOUSING, COMMUNITY WELLBEING, AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC RESOURCES.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE ALSO SIMPLIFIED THE IMPLEMENTATION LENSES, AND THE INTENT OF THESE DIDN'T CHANGE, BUT THE IDEA WAS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE EASIER TO APPLY, WITH THE GOAL THAT IT CAN BE APPLIED BROADLY, THAT IT CAN HELP ALIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS AND PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC PLAN ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY, AND THAT IT DOES PROVIDE A CONSISTENT WAY OF PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT TRADE-OFFS TO THE BOARD IN TERMS OF HOW YOU ALL EVALUATE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT COME BEFORE YOU.

IN ADDITION TO THE MAJOR REVISIONS, WE MADE A NUMBER OF TARGETED REFINEMENTS.

THE... WE ADDED A THEORY OF CHANGE PAGE TO ALLOW THE OVER 4,500 CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CAME IN AND INFORMED THIS PLAN TO SEE HOW THEY, HOW THOSE FILTER DOWN INTO THE 10 GOALS THAT WE'RE PRESENTING, UH, AND FOR THE BOARD'S CONSIDERATION.

UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL, UH, SEVERAL SMALL CHANGES TO STRENGTHEN EQUITY AND REPRESENTATION, INCLUDING EXPLICITLY NAMING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR BLACK COMMUNITY AND LOOKING AT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR EDUCATION AND FAITH PARTNERS.

THERE ARE OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO LOOK AT ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH NEW INDICATORS AND CLEARER LANGUAGE.

SO IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUSTICE AREA, WE ADDED THE RE-ARREST RATE INDICATOR FOR THE ORIGINAL COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACES GOAL.

UH, WE ADDED PARKS IN THERE TO BE MORE EXPLICIT AROUND PARKS AS ONE OF THE MAIN GATHERING SPACES THAT ARE...

THE, THE COUNTY PROVIDES.

AND WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED AN AT-, AN ATTACHMENT IN THE, UH, IN THE BOARD MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBES EXACTLY ALL THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE AND WHERE THOSE CAN BE FOUND IN THE N-, IN THE REVISED PLAN.

AND SO APPROVING THE PLAN IS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF THE IMPLEMENTATION, SO YOU'LL START SEEING THIS FRAMEWORK REFLECTED THROUGH-, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.

WE'RE REALLY, WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED ON ALIGNMENT AND THINKING ABOUT HOW WE BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE GOALS, THE STRA-, AND, AND THE GOALS AND THE COUNTY VISION.

UM, THIS INCLUDES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AND MATERIALS WHERE WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, WORK OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS TO UPDATE THOSE AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT PEOPLE CAN START SEEING HOW, HOW THEIR INPUT INFORMED THE GOALS, AND HOW WE'RE STARTING TO TAKE ACTION ON THOSE.

UH, IT INCLUDES THROUGH BOARD LETTERS AND HOW WE'LL START INTEGRATING, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION LENSES AND, AND HOW THE DEPARTMENTS COME AND REPORT ON POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO YOU ALL.

IT'LL INVOLVE, UH, ENGAGING WITH OUR STAFF, CONTINUING TO ENGAGE WITH OUR STAFF AND PARTNERS, AND WORKING ON ALIGNMENT AND PROVIDING PROGRESS UPDATES.

AND THEN IT'LL ALSO, UH, IT'LL ALSO INCLUDE WORKING ON OUR NEXT OPERATIONAL PLAN AND BUDGET.

THOSE ARE REALLY OPPORTUNITIES WITH OUR PARTNERS TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE ALIGN AND PUT THESE, YOU KNOW, PUT THIS PLAN INTO ACTION AND THINK ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES.

UH, AND SO AS WE DO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO COME BACK BEFORE YOU ALL AS WELL.

UH, AND AGAIN, IT'S... FOR THE, FOR THIS PLAN, THERE'S GONNA BE, THERE'S...

IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT SAYING THAT WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING, AND IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT,

[02:00:02]

AND SO NICOLE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE MORE ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

- YEAH, SO, UM, WE JUST GOT THROUGH A BUDGET, BUT WE WILL QUICKLY BE WORKING ON THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, AND THAT'S WHERE THIS PLAN BECOMES ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, THIS PLAN ISN'T ASKING US TO DO MORE WITH FEWER RESOURCES BUT IT WILL REALLY HELP US MAKE THE DIFFICULT CHOICES AHEAD, UM, ABOUT WHAT MATTERS MOST AND WHERE WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE OUR INVESTMENTS.

IT ALSO PROVIDES THIS LINE OF SIGHT BACK TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS US TO DO AS A COUNTY AS, UH, AS WE LOOK AT REPRIORITIZING WITHIN OUR MEANS.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, SO TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR DIRECTION TO RETURN THIS FALL WITH A FEDERAL POLICY RESPONSE STRATEGY OR GOAL, AND THAT WORK WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AS WE SEE CONDITIONS CHANGE.

THINGS ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING, AS YOU KNOW, UM, BASED ON THE CURRENT FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.

SO WE WILL BE, UH, RETURNING TO YOU, UH, AS THAT HAPPENS.

AND WITH THAT, WE'D HAPPY, BE HAPPY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS OR, UM, ENGAGE IN A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE PLAN.

SO THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO SEE IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.

SEEING NONE. MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? OH, WE DO HAVE SOMEBODY. WELCOME.

- THANK YOU. UM, MARIAH ROBERTS WITH COUNTY PARK FRIENDS.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UM, OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT SERVES EVERY RESIDENT, AND THE COUNTY IS INTEGRAL TO FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE CAN THRIVE AND BELONG.

THANK YOU FOR APPROVING THEIR BUDGET.

WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THEM REPRESENTED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

YOUR PLAN PRESENTS, UM, LOOKS THROUGH THREE LENSES, HEALTH, EQUITY, AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, IN SUMMARY.

UM, AND AS CEO COBURN JUST OUTLINED, THE PLAN WILL HELP DIRECT THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, WHICH IS FAST UPON YOU.

UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'D LOVE TO, UM, BRING UP IS JUST, I-, FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, HOW THE INTERNAL FEES THAT ARE, UH, CHARGED BY THE COUNTY TO THE COUNTY ARE STRUCTURED UM, AND HOW IT AFFECTS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND EQUITY IN PARTICULAR.

UM, WE... IT IS AN EQUITY VERSUS EQUALITY ISSUE, SO WE JUST OFFER... THERE'S A... IT'S A REAL-WORLD OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ACTION IN A WAY THAT WILL REALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN THE LONG TERM AND ALLOW THEM TO, UM, DELIVER FOR THE STRATEGIC GOALS.

UM, SO AS YOU LOOK AT, FOR THINGS LIKE TECHNOLOGY FEES, THINGS LIKE THAT, LOOKING NOT AT BLANKET ALLOCATIONS BUT RATHER AT, UM, ALLOCATIONS BASED ON ACTUAL DEPARTMENTAL USAGE IS GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND TALK.

IT ALLOWS, UM, THEM TO CONTINUE...

OTHERWISE, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BEAR AN OUTSIZED IMPACT.

SO WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.

UM, PARKS ARE OWNED BY ALL OF US.

THEY'RE THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF DEMOCRACY.

THEY DESERVE, UM, THINGS LIKE AN INTERNAL FEE STRUCTURE AND VOTER-MANDATED FUNDING THROUGH MEASURES K AND Q, UM, TO REFLECT THAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

- ANYONE FURTHER IN THE CHAMBERS? SEEING NONE. MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ONLINE? - YES, THERE IS, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU.

- CALLING USER 454. YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- YEAH. HELLO AGAIN. MY NAME IS JAMES EWING WHITMAN.

THIS IS ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, CONSIDER THE FINAL COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN 2026-2032, AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

TO REMIND THE PUBLIC THAT I BELIEVE HIS NAME IS ROBERT SHAW.

IN 2012 HE TALKED ABOUT THE AGENDA 21, 2030, 2050.

YOU KNOW, HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE LOGIC THAT COMES OUT OF SOME OF THE LEADERSHIP HERE.

THIS IS TAKEN BY AN ARTICLE BY JESSICA YORK ON MAY 29TH, 2020.

"IF THERE IS ANYONE THAT HAS HAD A COVID DIAGNOSIS AND HAS DIED, IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY FEEDS INTO THEIR DATABASE AS A COVID DEATH, EVEN IF IT WASN'T A COVID DEATH." FOR EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS BY COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER GAYLE NEWELL SAID THURSDAY.

"FOR EXAMPLE, A 25-YEAR-OLD DIES IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT AND THEN BECAUSE OUR CORONER IS DOING A POSTMORTEM TESTING ON EVERYONE, SHE FINDS THAT HE INCIDENTALLY HAD COVID, SO IT IS ANNOUNCED AS A COVID DEATH." THIS WHOLE THING IS REALLY PRETTY RIDICULOUS.

I'M ONLY ENDURING LISTENING TO THIS STUFF BECAUSE I ACTUALLY CARE AND I'M PART OF THE COMMUNITY,

[02:05:03]

LOOK AT THE AGENDA 21, 2030, 2050. THOUSANDS.

ANYWAY, THANK YOU. IT'S INTERESTING TO LISTEN TO THIS STUFF.

I WISH I COULD BE THERE IN PERSON. THANK YOU.

- KH, YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOW AVAILABLE.

- [INAUDIBLE].

- KH, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO HEAR YOU CLEARLY.

IF YOU COULD PLEASE ADJUST YOUR VOLUME.

- CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? - COULD YOU PLEASE TRY AGAIN? - HELLO? - YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW. THANK YOU.

- HI.

UM, YES, I'M GLAD THE BOARD IS CONSIDERING THE SPECIFIC PLAN.

I'M... I WISH THAT MY GROUP HAD BEEN PREPARED TO SPEAK ON THIS SO I WILL JUST LEAVE IT AT THIS, UM, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY ISN'T JUST A FUNCTION OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND CORRECTIONS.

IT'S THE RESULT OF HAVING A THRIVING COMMUNITY.

SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE SPECIFIC PLAN EMPHASIZES, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH, FOOD, F-, YOU KNOW, FOOD AVAILABILITY, ARTS, PARKS.

UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

- I SEE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.

I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR DISCUSSION, QUESTIONS, AND A MOTION.

STARTING WITH MY LEFT, SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- OKAY. THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND, UH, THANK YOU TO, UH, DEPUTY CEO STAFFORD FOR THE, UH, UPDATED STRATEGIC PLAN.

I, I LIKE A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, INCLUDING CHANGING STRATEGIES TO GOALS, THE SIMPLIFICATION OF LANGUAGE, WHICH I THINK REALLY IMPROVES THE USABILITY OF THE PLAN AS WE ACTUALLY GO TO IMPLEMENT IT.

UH, LOVE THE ADDED INFRASTRUCTURE GOAL, OF COURSE.

UM, BOTH HOW THAT ACKNOWLEDGES, UH, ROADS AS WELL AS, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OUR COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE, PARKS OF COURSE, UM, AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE.

I MEAN, WE KNOW THERE'S A BIG NEED FOR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE OUT THERE, AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN'T QUANTIFIED IT, AND ONE OF THE BIG TO-DOS IS JUST SET THE BASELINE THERE, UM, I THINK POINTS TO, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING THIS.

UM, AND YEAH, I, I MEAN THAT'S REALLY IT.

I LOOK FORWARD TO ACTUALLY GETTING SOME OF THESE BASELINE MEASURES IN THERE, NOT ONLY ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE GOAL, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHIN, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, INDICATORS WHICH ARE CURRENTLY NEED UPDATING AS WELL SO THAT WE CAN GO FORWARD AND, UH, TRACK OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION.

THANKS.

- ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SUPERVISOR DESERPA.

- UM, SOMETIMES IN LEAN BUDGET TIMES, LIKE THE STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, BEFORE THE, UH, UH, ALL THE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, UM, IS SORT OF WISHFUL THINKING.

CAN YOU JUST HELP US UNDERSTAND LIKE EVEN THOUGH TIMES ARE LEAN, LIKE HOW, HOW WE HOPE TO IMPLEMENT ASPECTS OF THIS PLAN? - YEAH, I MEAN, EVEN IN TOUGH TIMES, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES, WHAT IT HELPS US DO IS WHEN WE FACE TRADE-OFFS OF FUNDING, IF WE HAVE CHOICES WE HAVE TO MAKE, I WOULD RETURN TO THE PLAN AND SEE WHAT WE'VE AGREED TO PRIORITIZE AND THE GOALS WE'VE SET SO THAT WE COULD TRY TO MAKE, UM, DECISIONS BASED ON THAT.

SO OBVIOUSLY WE DO A LOT OF MANDATED THINGS AS A COUNTY, BUT WITHIN THAT THERE ARE SOME LEVELS OF SERVICE, AND THEN WE DO DO SOME DISCRETIONARY THINGS.

SO IT WILL, LIKE I'VE SAID BEFORE, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE DISCRETIONARY THINGS WE DO AND CHOOSE BETWEEN THEM IN TERMS OF WHERE WE MAKE INVESTMENTS.

- THANK YOU.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- WELL, I THANK ALL THE TEAMS AND SVEN FOR ALL HIS WORK

[02:10:03]

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ, AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS? - YEAH, I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF AND OUR CONSULTANT, AND ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WERE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON THIS, AND, AND FOR MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND THEIR SUPPORT FOR THIS.

UM, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO HOUSING, THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO MEET THE AFFORDABILITY NEEDS OF THE COUNTY, AND ENSURING THAT WE'RE BUILDING HOUSING FOR OUR WORKFORCE, SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT AND RETAIN PEOPLE, UM, WHO WILL BE HERE LONG TERM.

UM, SO AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH STAFF, THEM, SO THAT WE CAN WORK ON IMPLEMENTATION, UM, AND DEMONSTRATING TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS PLANNING PROCESS, UM, IS ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE AND WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO DELIVER ON THE GOALS THAT WE'VE SET FORTH IN THIS PLAN.

AND SO REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING WORKING WITH YOU ALL THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

UM, I ALSO WANNA EXTEND MY GRATITUDE.

I REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS A GOOD PIECE OF WORK.

UM, IT'S REPRESENT-, IT REPRESENTS EXTENSIVE, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AS WELL AS RESPONSIVENESS, DEEP THINKING, AND IT TRULY REFLECTS THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SO, UM, I'M, I'M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED, AND, UM, EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM WHO WILL HELP IMPLEMENT THIS ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY.

UM, I DO HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.

THE FIRST RELATES TO DEFERRING THE FEDERAL RESPONSE GOAL.

UM, WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST YEARS, EVEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, THAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THEN, UM, TRICKLES INTO THE STATE DECISION-MAKING, AND WE'VE, AND WE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO RELY PRETTY HEAVILY ON OUR STATE LEGISLATORS TO RESPOND TO WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

DO YOU IMAGINE THAT THAT GOAL MIGHT INCLUDE, UM, STATE LEVEL, STATE LEVEL ADVOCACY AS WELL? - YEAH. IN, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR FEDERAL IMPACTS WORKING GROUP THAT'S BEEN A COLLABORATION BETWEEN COUNTY AND COMMUNITY, AND IN PARTICULAR THE PAJARO VALLEY COLLABORATIVE, ONE OF THE, YEAH, ONE OF THE MAIN IDEAS IS AROUND ALIGNED ADVOCACY.

AND I KNOW THAT WE'LL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CAPACITY WITHIN OUR OFFICE TO HAVE COORDINATED APPROACH ON ADVOCACY AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL.

- GREAT. THANK YOU.

AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE NEWER GOAL OF, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENTS, UM, THERE'S A STATEMENT THAT SAYS ONE THING WE MIGHT MEASURE IS THE PERCENT OF SANITATION, SEPTIC, AND SOLID WASTE INFRASTRUCTURES THAT MEET STANDARDS.

WAS THAT INTENDED TO BE SPECIFICALLY COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTIES OR WAS THAT SORT OF PRIVATE AS WELL? - YEAH, THAT'D BE PRIMARILY COUNTY-OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE.

- OKAY. THANK YOU.

I THINK, UM, Y-, AS WE CONTINUE TO FLESH OUT PRIORITIES FOR THE COUNTY, UM, AT LEAST IN THE TOWN HALL THAT WE HELD IN DISTRICT 5, YOU KNOW, JUST THIS IDEA OF STRENGTHENING INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SOURCE OF RESILIENCE, UM, ACROSS OUR COUNTY AND IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS WAS JUST A THEME THAT JUST KEPT BUBBLING UP.

AND SO KIND OF THINKING ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT, UM, LEVERAGE ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO STRENGTHEN RESILIENCY ACROSS THE COUNTY WOULD BE HELPFUL.

- YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT.

- SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR AND A SECOND.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

GOOD WORK.

WE'LL NOW BE MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER NINE,

[9. Consider report on revenue options to address pavement management on County-maintained roads, and take related actions]

WELCOME.

- OKAY. UH, GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

MY NAME IS RYAN FRIEDRICH.

I'M A PRINCIPAL ANALYST, UH, IN THE CEO'S OFFICE, AND I'M JOINED HERE TODAY BY, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CDI, UH, STEVE WIESNER, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING INTO OUR REPORT BACK,

[02:15:01]

NEXT SLIDE.

- YEP.

- SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS REALLY KINDA ANCHORED, UH, IN THE BOARD'S DIRECTION BACK ON JANUARY 27TH, WHICH WAS AROUND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PUT TOGETHER REVENUE MECHANISMS THAT MAINTAIN COUNTY ROADS THAT HAVE PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX, OR PCI, OF 57, AS WELL AS ADDRESS RELATED, UH, STORM DAMAGE AND CULVERT NEEDS.

UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS BROKEN INTO THREE PARTS.

UH, FIRST DIVING STRAIGHT INTO THOSE FUNDING STRATEGIES.

UH, SECOND IS GOING INTO THE CONTEXT AND LIMITATIONS OF, OF LOOKING AT PCI AS A SOLE METRIC.

AND THEN LASTLY, LOOKING AT A BROADER PERSPECTIVE OF OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, UM, ACROSS DIFFERENT, FOUR DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF HOW WE MANAGE OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

TO HELP GIVE US SOME BACKGROUND HERE, I WANNA, UH, HAVE STEVE KINDA START US OFF.

- THANK YOU, RYAN. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.

UM, YEAH, THIS IS, UH, JUST TO REMIND YOUR BOARD, UH, BACK IN JANUARY, UH, WE HAD, UM, PRESENTED OUR FIVE-YEAR, UM, PAVEMENT SURVEY, UM, WHICH, UH, FOUND THAT, UM, WE HAD A SYSTEM-WIDE AVERAGE, UM, PCI, THIS IS PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX, OF 57.

AND AT THE TIME, WE HAD REPORTED TO YOUR BOARD THAT IT WAS GONNA, UM, ONE OF THE SCENARIOS WE RAN IS HOW MUCH FUNDING WOULD IT TAKE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO HOLD THAT 57.

UM, AND THE MODEL SHOWED THAT IT WOULD, UH, CURRENT PRICING, UM, IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 29.5 MILLION, UM, TO DO THAT.

UM, AND, AND THAT, UM, WE ALSO, UH, LOOKED AT WHAT OUR CURRENT, UM, AVERAGE, UH, PA-, PAVEMENT FUNDING WAS ON AN ANNUAL.

UM, AT THE, AT, IN JANUARY, WE REPORTED $5.5 MILLION.

THAT WAS ACTUALLY AN AVERAGE OF, OF, LIKE, ABOUT EIGHT TO TEN YEARS LOOKING BACK.

UM, W-, A MORE MODERN LOOK BACK, UM, JUST THE LAST THREE YEARS IS WE'VE BEEN INVESTING ABOUT $6.3 MILLION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

UM, SO WE FIND THE GAP TO BE AROUND $23 MILLION.

UM, WE ALSO REPORTED IN JANUARY THAT, UM, THERE, UH, BETWEEN SOME OF THE WORK THAT THE ROAD OPERATIONS CREW DOES AND S-, THE UTILITY COMPANIES OUT THERE, UM, SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF AROUND $3 MILLION AVERAGE PER YEAR.

UM, AND, AND SO THAT WOULD LEAVE THE GAP AT ABOUT $20 MILLION.

UM, NEVERTHELESS, THERE IS A GAP, UM, AND WE'RE HERE TO REPORT ON SOME IDEAS THAT, UH, MIGHT BE ABLE TO CLOSE THAT GAP.

OKAY. UM, YEAH, AND JUST, UM, ALSO, UH, REMINDING YOU THAT WE HAD REPORTED, UM, BACK IN JANUARY THAT, UM, THAT, UM, WITH THAT, UM, PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX AVERAGE SYSTEM-WIDE OF 57, UM, WITH THE CURRENT FUNDING LEVELS, UM, IN 10 YEARS WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A DROP, UM, IN OUR PAVEMENT CONDITION, UM, UM, DOWN TO 36.

AND AGAIN, THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MODEL, RIGHT? UM, THAT WE USE TO, TO CALCULATE WHAT THE DETERIORATION OF THE ROADWAYS WOULD BE OVER THAT TIME PERIOD.

UM, THAT WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY EXPECT OUR, OUR PAVEMENT, UM, DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BACKLOG TO GROW QUIT SIGNIFICANTLY.

- YEAH. THANK YOU, STEVE.

SO I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT JUST REAL QUICK THAT 683 NUMBER, UH, THERE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE.

UM, ONE THING THAT KINDA GETS LOST IN OUR REPORTING SOMETIMES IS THAT'S, UH, A NUMBER AFTER INFLATION, SO THAT'S IN 2035 DOLLARS.

WHEN YOU ACTUALLY DISCOUNT THAT NUMBER BACK TO TODAY'S DOLLARS, THAT NUMBER IS 484 MILLION.

AND THAT'S AN INTERESTING POINT BECAUSE IT TELLS US TWO THINGS.

IT TELLS US, A, THAT, THAT, THAT OUR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BACKLOG GROWS BY TWO THINGS.

FIRST IS JUST INFLATION, COST, AND THE SECOND IS DETERIORATION OF THE ROADS AS THEY GO ON, AND IT'S ABOUT HALF EACH.

SO JUST SOMETHING TO KINDA KEEP IN MIND, UH, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT NUMBERS GOING INTO THE FUTURE.

OKAY. SO AS STEVE OUTLINED THE CHALLENGE AHEAD, UH, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE REVENUE SOLUTIONS, UH, THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER AS FAR AS THE MENU.

WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING DIRECTLY, UH, REC-, UM, RECOMMENDED TODAY, UH, TO PURSUE.

THIS IS ABOUT EDUCATING THE BOARD ON THE DIFFERENT REVENUE OPTIONS AT OUR DISPOSAL IN LOOKING AT TACKLING OUR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, UM, WITHIN OUR ROAD NETWORK.

SO, UH, STARTING FROM THE TOP, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, "EASIER," UH, REVENUES TO, UH, UM, TO, TO PURSUE WOULD BE RELATED TO THINGS LIKE, UH, DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES.

UH, IT DOESN'T REQUIRE, UH, A, A PUBLIC VOTE.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH ORDINANCE AS WELL, BUT THERE ARE LIMITATIONS FOR USE.

SO USING IMPACT FEES REQUIRES A NEXUS TO NEW DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE THE CONCEPT IS TO, AS NEW DEVELOPMENT COMES ON BOARD THERE'S AN IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY AS IT EXISTS, SO WE NEED TO ACCOMMODATE THAT DEVELOPMENT THERE.

SO IT DOESN'T HELP OUR DEFERRED BACKLOG, BUT IT DOES HELP RELIEVE PRESSURE ON CURRENT FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE BEING USED FOR THINGS LIKE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MATCHES AND THAT SORT OF THING.

SO, UM, SO SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND, WE ESTIMATE SOMEWHERE IN THE $5 MILLION RANGE, AGAIN HIGH LEVEL, UH, YOU KNOW, ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OF RANGES THERE, AGAIN, BUT ARE RESTRICTED AS FAR AS USE.

UH, THINGS THAT REQUIRE A BIT MORE EFFORT, UH, TO, TO, UM, TO PURSUE ARE RELATED TO PARCEL TAXES.

THAT'S A BIG FAMILY, UH, OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF STRATEGIES.

WE HAVE EVERYTHING, UH, FROM BENEFIT ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS,

[02:20:01]

YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, OTHER, UH, OTHER OPTIONS HERE.

GONNA KEEP MY NOTES TOGETHER.

IS AROUND, I-, IS AROUND... OOH, THERE WE GO. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

UH, IS AROUND, UH, IN, IN 19TH, 1911, 1930.

ACT, ACT ASSESSMENTS, UH, DEVELOPMENT PA-, OR SORRY, UH, COMMUNITY F-, UH, FACILITY DISTRICTS AS WELL.

AND SO EACH OF THESE HAS DIFFERENT LEVELS OF, UH, VOTER THRESHOLD NEEDED TO PURSUE ON THEIR...

IT GENERALLY IS A RESTRICTION AROUND, UH, GEOGRAPHY OR, UH, OR USE OF THOSE FUNDS.

BUT AGAIN, UH, THEY MAY NOT BE RELATED DIRECTLY TOWARDS PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT, BUT THEY MAY BE RELATED TO OFFSETTING OTHER COSTS, WHETHER IT'S ROAD OPERATIONS, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S STORM DAMAGE AND REPAIR, THAT MAYBE WILL TAKE RELIEF OFF OF LOCAL FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO USE TOWARDS PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT.

BUT LASTLY, THE BROADEST, UH, UH, TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX THAT WE COULD CONCEPTUALLY USE IS A LOCAL SALES TAX MEASURE.

UM, GIVEN THIS WOULD BE DEDICATED TOWARDS TRANSPORTATION, UH, BASED ON STATE LAW THAT REQUIRES A TWO-THIRDS VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.

UM, WE KNOW BASED ON, YOU KNOW, ANALOGS OF MEASURE G, MEASURE K THAT THAT WOULD, UH, THAT, THAT WOULD GENERATE FOR US ABOUT TEN POINT SEVEN, YOU KNOW, ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ANNUALLY.

SO ALL, ALL THIS TO SAY IS THAT THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT TOOLS, UH, AT THE COUNTY'S DISPOSAL TO LOOK AT AUGMENTING CURRENT TRANSPORTATION, UH, FUNDING.

AND WE ARE WORKING, UH, VERY DILIGENTLY NOW KICKING OFF, UH, A STUDY SESSION WITH, UH, WITH A CONSULTANT ON BOARD TO BEGIN TO PUT THIS TOGETHER INTO A STRATEGIC ROADMAP, UH, FOR, UH, FOR BRINGING BACK TO THE BOARD, UH, UH, OF A PLAN TO AUGMENT OUR CURRENT, UH, REVENUE STREAMS. BUT HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND AROUND WHAT ARE OUR CURRENT REVENUE STREAMS. SO WE PUT TOGETHER THIS SLIDE TO KINDA SHOW, SHOW THE BOARD AND SHOW THE PUBLIC THAT SINCE 2017 THROUGH 2025 ARE LOCALLY CONTROLLED.

THESE ARE DOLLARS THAT ARE NOT STATE FUN-, STATE DOLLARS, UH, THROUGH GRANTS.

THIS IS NOT FEDERAL DOLLARS THROUGH GRANTS.

THIS IS NOT EMERGENCY OR, UH, DISP-, RESPONSE AND REPAIR RELATED FUNDING.

UH, THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, PASS-THROUGH FUNDING FROM THE RTC, UH, THROUGH GRANTS.

THIS IS JUST PURELY WHAT COMES TO THE COUNTY THAT IS PREDICTABLE, THAT IS REOCCURRING, AND THAT WE HAVE THE MOST DISCRETION OVER IN HOW WE DEPLOY THEM ACROSS OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT NUMBER, THAT NUMBER HAS INCREASED FROM 2017 TO 2025 BY A HUNDRED AND SIXTY PERCENT.

A BIG PART DRIVEN BY PASSAGE OF MEASURE D IN 2016, UH, BEGAN TO RAMP UP AROUND 2017, 2018 AND THEN PASSAGE OF SB1 BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE, UH, WHICH HAPPENED IN 2017, RAMPED UP IN '18 AND '19 AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, AS THAT NUMBER GROWS.

AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE LOOK TO AUGMENT OUR EXISTING REVENUE STREAMS, WHAT ARE THOSE REVENUE STREAMS? HOW ARE WE USING THEM TODAY? AND HOW CAN WE USE THEM THE SAME OR DIFFERENTLY INTO THE FUTURE? AND GIVEN THAT THESE ARE REOCCURRING, FAIRLY PREDICTABLE REVENUE STREAMS, AS STEVE AND I LIKE TO DEBATE BACK AND FORTH, IS AROUND DO YOU LOOK AT THIS AS AN ANNUAL BASIS, OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU LOOK AT A MORE LONGER TERM BASIS? 'CAUSE $22.4M PER YEAR IS ONE THING, BUT SAYING THAT'S $224 MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS IS FUNDAMENTALLY A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION.

SO SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE CONTINUE, UH, UH, IN THIS CONVERSATION.

WHEN WE STEP BACK TO THE BROADEST SENSE OF WHAT WE'VE PUT INTO OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, UH, FROM 2017, UH, THROUGH 2025, WE'VE SPENT $410 MILLION ON OUR LOCAL ROAD NETWORK.

THAT'S ACROSS OPERATIONS, THAT'S ACROSS D-, DISASTER RESPONSE AND REPAIR, THAT'S ACROSS PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT, THAT'S ACROSS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.

SO FOR EVERY ONE LOCAL DOLLAR IN THAT REVENUE STACK THAT WE HAVE, WE TURN THAT INTO $2.57, UH, CENTS OF ACTUAL SPEND ON OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.

THAT ISN'T IT... THAT ISN'T TO SAY THAT OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK IS CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED. IT IS.

BUT IT IS ALSO TO SAY THAT WE DO HAVE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO US, AND WE NEED TO THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT HOW WE DEPLOY NEW REVENUE STREAMS WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE WORKING WITH A CONSULTING TEAM TO DEVELOP THAT STUDY, DEVELOP THAT TECHNICAL MEMO, UH, TO BRING BACK TO THE BOARD.

SO A COUPLE QUICK OTHER TIDBITS HERE.

OF THAT 410 MILLION, 198 OF THAT IS RELATED TO STORM, STORM RESPONSE, RECOVERY, REBUILDING, REPAIR.

NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR HISTORIC RATE OF, OUR HISTORIC RATE OF, UH, REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE STATE CAL OES THROUGH FEMA, THROUGH FHWA, THAT MEANS WE'RE ON THE HOOK FOR ABOUT 15 TO 20 PERCENT.

OF THAT 198 MILLION, ABOUT $40 MILLION OF LOCAL DOL-, OF LOCAL FUNDS DIDN'T GET TO GO TOWARDS, UH, GO TOWARDS STORM RESPONSE.

IT COULD BE USED FOR OTHER THINGS.

[02:25:01]

SO HAVING MATCH CAPACITY IS SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT A LOT AS STAFF HERE AND, AND WE LOOK AROUND, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THROUGH THE STATE, THROUGH THE FEDS, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OTHER, THROUGH THE RTC OR DIRECTLY THROUGH THE STATE, A DOLLAR OF LOCAL FUNDS CAN BE SPUN INTO FOUR TO NINE DOLLARS OF GRANT DOLLARS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FUTURE.

SO I'VE, I'VE MENTIONED, UH, SO FAR IN THE PRESENTATION, UH, STAFF IS WORKING, UH, WITH A CONSULTANT TO PUT TOGETHER A STRATEGIC TECHNICAL DOCUMENT OF HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THOSE THAT MENU OF REVENUE, UH, REVENUE TOOLS TO BEGIN TO PUT TOWARDS DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF OUR SYSTEM.

SO WE'RE REPORTING ON THAT TODAY JUST TO GIVE THE BOARD AN EDUCATIONAL, UH, REPORT BACK OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO US.

WE'RE GONNA START OUR, UH, IN EARNEST THAT STUDY WITH OUR CONSULTANT THIS SUMMER, BRING SOMETHING BACK LATE FALL OR EARLY WINTER, AND THEN REPORT TO THE BOARD ON THOSE RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS, UM, IN JANUARY 2027.

BUT BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR AHEAD, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO LOOK BACK, UM, AT THE PROBLEMS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO SOLVE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, UH, AS STEVE WALKS THROUGH THAT.

- THANK YOU, RYAN.

YEAH, THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES, UM, REALLY TALK ABOUT OUR PAVEMENT CONDITION, UM, INDEX AND WHAT THAT MEANS, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS, UH, SYSTEM-WIDE, UM, AND HOW IT'S BROKEN DOWN THROUGH THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS WE HAVE ON OUR ROADWAY SYSTEM.

UM, WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT WE HAVE A NETWORK AVERAGE OF 57, UM, IF YOU REALLY BREAK IT DOWN, UM, BY THE DIFFERENT ROADWAY TYPES THAT WE HAVE, UM, ON OUR 600-MILE ROAD, UM, NETWORK, UH, IT LOOKS...

YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE DOING WHERE WE'RE INVESTING OUR FUNDS, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IN CONTEXT.

UM, AND SO THE CHART THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU REALLY BREAKS OUR ROAD SYSTEM DOWN INTO OUR ARTERIAL ROADWAYS, OUR COLLECTOR ROADWAYS, AND THEN OUR LOCAL ROADWAYS, WHICH IS BY AND LARGE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

UM, AND SO THE COUNTY REALLY LAST COUPLE DECADES HAVE BEEN, UM, FOCUSING ITS LIMITED AMOUNT OF RESOURCES FOR PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT ON ITS ARTERIAL AND COLLECTOR ROADWAYS.

THESE ARE THE ROADWAYS THAT CARRY THE VAST VOLUME OF TRAFFIC THAT WE HAVE, AND REALLY THE HEAVIEST, UM, TRAFFIC, SO LIKE OUR BIG TRUCKS AND REALLY, UM, OUR COMMERCE RELATED TYPE OF VEHICLES.

UM, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING PRETTY WELL.

IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ARTERIALS AND OUR COLLECTORS, UM, ARTERIALS ARE HOVERING AROUND 70 PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.

THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, SYSTEM-WIDE REALLY.

UM, AND OUR MAJOR COLLECTORS ARE, YOU KNOW, JUST IN AND AROUND 60.

UM, NOW WHILE THAT'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR ROADWAY NETWORK JUST BY SURFACE AREA, IT'S REALLY WHAT CARRIES THE VAST AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AGAIN.

UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE, UM, OUR LOCAL RESIDENTIAL ROADS.

THIS IS WHERE OUR PAVEMENT CONDITION, CONDITION IS REALLY NOT DOING QUITE AS WELL.

UM, AND BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE MORE THAN 50% OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM UM, AND WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND TO THAT SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE, UM, THAT WE HAVE ON OUR PRINCIPAL AND, AND COLLECTOR ROADWAYS, IT REALLY IS DRAGGING THE AVERAGE FOR OUR ENTIRE COUNTY DOWN.

UM, AND THAT'S REALLY THE POINT OF THIS SLIDE.

AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, REALLY JUST LOOKS AT PCI, PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX, IN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT OF A WAY.

UM, AND IT, IT... WHAT'S KIND OF COOL ABOUT THIS SLIDE IS IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE SPREAD, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL, UM, ON OUR ARTERIAL AND, AND COLLECTOR ROADWAYS.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LOCAL ROAD NETWORK, UM, WHICH IS AGAIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS, UM, W-, WE HAVE QUITE A SPREAD, UM, OF, OF PAVEMENT CONDITION.

AND, AND WE HAVE QUITE A FEW ROADS THAT ARE IN REALLY, REALLY GOOD CONDITION.

YOU CAN SEE THAT HERE.

UM, AND THAT'S REALLY LARGELY, UM, CONTRIBUTE TO, UM, THE REDEVELOPMENT AREA THAT WE HAD FOR A COUP-, ABOUT BETTER PART OF A COUPLE DECADES THAT INVESTED QUITE A BIT OF FUNDING INTO PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE IN THE, IN THE LIVE OAK AREA OF THE COUNTY, UM, WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF ROADWAYS.

AND, AND THEN ALSO MEASURE D, WHICH CAME ON BOARD, YOU KNOW, 2016, 2017, WHERE WE HAVE BY AND LARGE INVESTED MOST OF THOSE FUNDS IN OUR LOCAL ROADWAYS.

OKAY, YEAH. SO, UM, THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES ARE, ARE GONNA TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SYSTEM.

UM, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT PAVEMENT CONDITION, IT'S DEFINITELY WHAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY SEE.

IT'S, UM, YEAH, IT'S WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S-IT'S-IT'S WHAT THE EYE IS DRAWN TO.

UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER COMPONENTS OF A ROADWAY THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, JUST TO POINT OUT, THAT, UM, THAT TRAFFIC LOADING, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST TRAFFIC AND THE HEAVIEST TRAFFIC, UM, THAT'S REALLY THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF DETERIORATION, AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE OUR ARTERIAL ROADWAYS AND COLLECTOR ROADWAYS GETTING MORE TREATMENT ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS BECAUSE THEY JUST BREAK DOWN WAY FASTER.

UM, BUT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IS IT'S NOT JUST THE SURFACE, BUT IT'S WHAT'S COMPRISED OF THE- OF THE ENTIRE ROADWAY SECTION.

WHEN WE BUILD A NEW ROADWAY, WE BUILD A FULL STRUCTURAL SECTION WHICH IS, IS COMPRISED OF, UM, BASE ROCK, UM, AND OTHER TYPES OF MATERIAL BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY PUT THAT FINAL SURFACING ON, WHICH IS WHAT EVERYBODY LOOKS AT.

[02:30:01]

ANOTHER LARGE DRIVER IN WHAT DETERIORATES OUR ROADWAY IS RAINFALL.

AND SO HAVING REALLY, REALLY GOOD CULVERTS, STORM DRAIN SYSTEMS IN PLACE, SUPER, SUPER IMPORTANT.

UM, NONE OF THESE, UH, NONE OF THESE ITEMS ARE REFLECTED IN THE PAVEMENT SURFACE CONDITION, WHICH OUR SURVEY INDICATES.

AND SO THIS IS JUST A BROADER LOOK AT THE OTHER TYPES OF THINGS THAT WHEN WE RECOMMEND, UH, FOR PROJECTS TO GO REHABILITATE PAVEMENT, WE ALSO LOOK AT THESE THINGS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, GREAT.

AND THEN, SO THIS IS REALLY GETTING INTO A MUCH MORE HOLISTIC LOOK AT OUR ROADWAY SYSTEM AND HOW WE INVEST OUR DOLLARS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

UM, SO WHILE PAVEMENT CONDITION IS REALLY SUPER IMPORTANT, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FOLKS, AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING, UH, YOUR VEHICLES, UM, AND THESE TYPES OF THINGS.

AND THEN ALSO PROTECTING OUR INVESTMENT.

UM, WE- THERE'S A BUNCH OF OTHER AREAS THAT WE INVEST ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, RIGHT? AND THIS IS OUR ROAD OPERATIONS.

THAT'S THE ENTIRE ROAD CREW THAT TAKES CARE OF OUR 600 MILE ROAD NETWORK FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST.

UM, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO REPAIR STORM DAMAGE SITES.

UM, AS YOUR BOARD IS AWARE, WE'VE HAD SOME, SOME MAJOR, MAJOR, UH, STORM, UM, DISASTERS BOTH IN 2017 AND '23 MOST NOTABLE.

UM, BUT WE CONTINUE ALSO TO INVEST IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.

AND THESE ARE PROJECTS LIKE SOQUEL DRIVE, UM, BUFFER BIKE LANE PROJECT THAT WE RECENTLY COMPLETED, WHICH IS REALLY FIVE AND A HALF MILES OF, OF SOQUEL DRIVE, UM, UH, HIGHWAY 2 AS WE LIKE TO REFER TO IT.

UM, AND SO WE NEED TO REALLY KEEP, UM, OUR EYES IN IMPROVING OUR ROADWAYS, UH, THROUGH CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND WHETHER THAT'S DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE OR SAFETY PROJECTS FOR BICYCLES AND PEDESTRIANS, UM, THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS.

AND THEN, UH, LAST AND OF COURSE NOT LEAST IS OUR PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT UM, FOR THIS ENTIRE PRESENTATION.

UM, AND SO REALLY I LOOK AT THESE AS LIKE THE FOUR PILLARS OF-OF INVESTMENT TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE OUR ROADWAY NETWORK.

- YEAH. AND JUST TO DRIVE THAT HOLISTIC, UH, MESSAGE HOME, WE WANTED TO SHOW LIKE AN ILLUSTRATIVE, UH, CONCEPT OF WHAT NEW LEVELS OF FUNDING COULD LOOK LIKE AS WE DEPLOY THEM, UM, ACROSS THE, THOSE FOUR ELEMENTS.

SO, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE FROM, YOU KNOW, A 10 TO A $25 MILLION OF NEW FUNDING, YOU WOULD SEE THAT THESE FOUR DIFFERENT PILLARS GROW, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PROPORTIONALLY OVER TIME.

AND WE WOULDN'T BE OVER-INDEXING NEW DOLLARS INTO ONE AREA, UH, AT AN EXPENSE, UM, ANOTHER AREA.

AND IT REALLY JUST KINDA GOES ALL BACK TO KIND OF THREE TAKEAWAYS AS WE KINDA WRAP UP OUR PRESENTATION, IS THAT THESE CAN ALL BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.

OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED.

YOU KNOW, PCI IS AN IMPORTANT METRIC, BUT IT'S NOT ALL ENCOMPASSING OF HOW WE EVALUATE OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE NEED TO DEPLOY NEW RESOURCES IS ALSO CONTEXTUALIZED WITH HOW WE CURRENTLY USE OUR EXISTING FUNDING SOURCES.

SO TO- WANNA KEEP THAT ALL IN MIND, UH, AS WE WRAP UP TODAY, UM, AND REALLY KIND OF COME BACK TO OUR RECOMMENDED ACTIONS, WHICH IS TO ACCEPT AND FILE THIS REPORT, UH, AS WELL AS DIRECT THE CEO AND CDI TO COMPLETE OUR TRANSPORTATION FUNDING STUDY WITH OUR CONSULTANT WORK AND REPORT BACK, UM, NO LATER THAN JANUARY OF 2027.

SO, AND WE'RE, STEVE AND I, VERY HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS - THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE? SEEING NO ONE IN CHAMBERS.

IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS.

SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UH, WELL, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRELIMINARY REPORT TODAY.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION, RIGHT? I MEAN, IN THE, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE PCI REPORT, SORT OF, WELL, WE-WE KNOW WE NEED A LOT MORE FUNDING.

WE JUST HAVE SOME GENERAL IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA GET THAT FUNDING, BUT WE, WE HAVEN'T EXACTLY MAPPED IT OUT.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, THEN, "A PRAYER IS NOT A PLAN." LET'S CREATE A PLAN.

AND SO I'M RELIEVED THAT WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US HERE TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF A PLAN, AND BY JANUARY OF THIS COMING YEAR WE'LL HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

UM, I HOPE THAT PLAN DOES ADDRESS SOME THINGS IN PARTICULAR.

I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, THE BIGGEST SORT OF GREEN BAR OF POSSIBLE REVENUE SOURCES IN THIS PRESENTATION WAS A SALES TAX.

AND THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE DEPENDING ON TOTAL CAPACITY FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ON OUR SALES TAX CAP IN THIS COUNTY.

UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.

UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE PROPERTY TAX PIECE, UM, AND REALLY IT'D BE GOOD TO UNDERSTAND, I MEAN, AND I-I ASSUME THE REPORT'S GONNA DO THIS, LIKE, HOW MUCH OF THAT PIECE WOULD BE FROM, YOU KNOW, ZONE OF BENEFITS CSAS, AND HOW MUCH MIGHT BE FROM SOME SORT OF BLANKET, UH, PARCEL TAX MORE LIKE MEASURE Q, OR IF IT WAS JUST BEING WITH SPECIFIC AREAS LIKE CSA 48,

[02:35:03]

UM, I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH A ZONE MIGHT NEED TO GENERATE THINGS BEYOND JUST THE PAVEMENT CONDITION, RIGHT? I MEAN, AS I SAID, THE PAVEMENT CONDITION IS ONE MEASURE, BUT I THINK AS HAS CONSISTENTLY COME UP, PROBABLY THE CULVERTS ARE THE MOST, MOST IMPORTANT PIECE.

AND, AND THIS IS WHERE, UM, I'M GLAD WE'RE MOVING ON THIS, IT WOULD'VE BEEN- WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE STARTED MOVING A LOT SOONER, BECAUSE IF WE HAVE TO CREATE A ZONE OF BENEFIT AND ASK PEOPLE TO PAY FOR FAILED CULVERTS, THAT'S GONNA BE A HECK OF A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ASKING 'EM TO PROACTIVELY REPLACE CULVERTS BEFORE THERE'S-THERE'S MAJOR ROAD FAILURE.

SO REALLY THE SOONER WE CAN, UH, GET THIS DONE, THE BETTER.

UM, AND I DO HOPE THAT THE FINAL REPORT WILL CONSIDER SOME OF THOSE OTHER ELEMENTS.

JUST, I MEAN, TALKING ABOUT PCI, UM, ALONE IS NOT PROVIDE A FULL PICTURE.

AND-AND THIS PRESENTATION SORT OF, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT IT, THE-THE POSITIVES, WELL, WE'RE NOT JUST SPENDING MONEY ON PAVEMENT CONDITION, WE'RE ALSO SPENDING MONEY ON, UH, ON REGULAR ROAD MAINTENANCE AND STORM DAMAGE REPAIR.

YES. AND THERE'S ALSO MUCH BIGGER LIABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS AS WELL.

AND SO LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT THIS REPORT IN, UM, SORT OF ADDRESSING THE IDEA OF, OF ROAD FUNDING AND HOW WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE CAN GET TO AND FROM THEIR HOMES ALSO TAKES THAT STUFF INTO CONSIDERATION.

THANK YOU.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- SO I ALWAYS, I REALIZED THAT, UH, ROADS ALWAYS GET UNDERFUNDED BUT I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT SB 1, AND ARE WE CONSIDERING THAT IT'S GONNA BE DIMINISHING A LITTLE MORE WITH THE, YOU KNOW, HYBRIDS, ELECTRICS, SUPER ULTRA LOW EMISSIONS VEHICLES, AND MAYBE EVEN, I KNOW THE LEGISLATURE IS TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO IT, UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON.

- YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, UH, SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

UH, WE-WE GET GUIDANCE FROM THE STATE EVERY YEAR AROUND THEIR PROJECTIONS AROUND, UH, SB 1.

AND SO THEN WE INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR ANNUAL BUDGET CYCLE.

BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, CDI, STEVE AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IS, IS HOW DO WE SORT OF LOOK AHEAD, YOU KNOW UM, BASED ON THOSE REVENUE TRENDS? AND THOSE ARE ALL REALLY GOOD POINTS AND, UM, CONSISTENT WITH, YOU KNOW, THINKING MORE MULTI-YEAR AND LONGER TERM.

- I'LL KEEP AN EYE OUT TO SEE WHAT THE LEGISLATURE'S DOING WITH SB 1 IN THE NEAR FUTURE, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON TOP OF IT.

- SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR, UM, THIS GREAT REPORT.

IT, UH, I'M SURPRISED THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THE DOOR, CONSIDERING HOW MANY COMPLAINTS I GET DAILY ABOUT ROADS.

AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL THE ROAD CREWS FOR GETTING RIGHT OUT AND ON TOP OF, YOU KNOW, POTHOLES, ET CETERA.

UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE LOOKING AT ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS, UM, HOPEFUL THAT AT SOME POINT WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WE'LL HAVE SOME INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THESE OTHER OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN LAID OUT HERE.

UM, SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. AND, UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.

IT-IT, THERE WAS A LINE IN YOUR REPORT THAT KIND OF STRUCK ME, WHICH WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY THE, THE LOAD ON THE ROADS THAT DETERMINES THE CONDITION, AND JUST THINKING ABOUT THE INCREASE IN DELIVERY TRUCKS BECAUSE OF ONLINE PURCHASES, UM, IN MY DISTRICT, THE PG&E AND TREE TRUCKS AND THE QUARRY VISITS, ARE THERE WAYS TO RECOUP FEES THROUGH HIGH UTILIZERS OF OUR COUNTY ROADS? - OOH, I'M GONNA INVITE, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, [LAUGH] PRINCIPAL ANALYST, UH, PETER DOUGLASS UP HERE, WHO'S, UM, WHO'S HELPING LEAD THE STUDY WITH OUR GROUP.

- WELCOME.

- GOOD AFTERNOON. PETER DOUGLASS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE.

THE ANSWER IS MOSTLY NO.

WE-WE DO RECOUP FEES THROUGH THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WITH THE HAULERS, UM, FOR THE IMPACT OF-OF, UH, THE GARBAGE TRUCKS ON OUR ROADS.

BUT IN GENERAL, IMPACT FEES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NEW GROWTH.

UM, AND THAT THERE REALLY ISN'T A MECHANISM IN LAW TO COLLECT THOSE FEES ON OTHER ENTITIES.

- THANK YOU. AND I MEAN, I IMAGINE IF THERE WAS, IT MIGHT HAPPEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO JUST KEEP AN EYE OUT IF THERE'S ANY LOCAL ORDINANCE OR IMPACT FEE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLECT

[02:40:03]

- YEAH.

- THANK YOU.

UM, OKAY, WELL, I'D BE HAPPY TO ACCEPT A MOTION TO, UM, ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

- I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

- SECOND.

- A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS, A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? - I-I JUST, I, I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT.

UM, JUST HAD A QUESTION IS WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS FINAL REPORT IN JANUARY, OR MAYBE IT'S THE DRAFT VERSION, I MEAN, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SEE, PARTICULARLY WITH SOME OF THESE SORT OF AREA OR ZONE OF BENEFIT DISCUSSIONS, LIKE A CASE STUDY, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA GO OUT AND TRY TO IMPLEMENT THIS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

I MEAN, WE NEED TO, I MEAN, WE, WE ACTUALLY, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR REASONER KNOWS WE-WE SORT OF STARTED LOOKING AT THIS FOR GLEN HAVEN ROAD OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THERE WAS INTEREST AMONG RESIDENTS, SOME RESIDENTS, I SHOULD SAY, THERE WERE OTHERS WHO WERE VOCIFEROUSLY AGAINST.

UM, AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA RUN INTO OUT THERE.

UM, BUT IT-IT-IT JUST CONCRETE EXAMPLES ARE GONNA HELP MAKE SURE THAT LIKE, WHEN THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD, THIS IS ACTUALLY A FEASIBLE SOLUTION.

AND I HOPE THAT THAT WILL BE PART OF THE REPORT.

- YEAH, WE ARE ACTUALLY, UH, CURRENTLY WORKING ON A CASE STUDY WITH THE BONNIE BRIERAND, UH, DISTRICT FIVE, UH, TO SEE HOW THIS COULD WORK IN SETTING UP A, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS TO ACCOMMODATE.

- GREAT. THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. UM, SO SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENTS, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA. - AYE.

- KOENIG. - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ. - AYE.

- CUMMINGS. - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

I'D LIKE TO ASK CEO COBURN HOW LONG YOU THINK ITEM 10

[10. Consider approval of the Measure D 5-Year Plan for Fiscal Year 2026-27, and take related actions]

- I THINK THAT'S VERY FAST. THE MEASURE D ITEM, UM, I THINK YOU COULD TAKE THAT BEFORE LUNCH.

- OKAY. SO AS A PLAN, LET'S TAKE NUMBER 10, AND THEN WE WILL HOLD ALL OF THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR AFTER OUR TWO SCHEDULED ITEMS THIS AFTERNOON.

SO WITH THAT, WELCOME.

- EXCELLENT. THANK YOU.

UM, GOOD MORNING AGAIN, UM, CHAIR MARTINEZ, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, CEO COBURN AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

AGAIN, MY NAME IS STEVE WIESNER, UM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, OF PUBLIC WORKS WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

HERE WITH ME TODAY IS CASEY CARLSON, OUR SENIOR ENGINEER IN CHARGE OF THE COUNTY'S PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

UH, MR. CARLSON AND I ARE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT YOUR BOARD WITH A BRIEF, UH, MEASURE D FIVE-YEAR PLAN UPDATE.

WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR.

UM, OUR PRESENTATION WILL COVER A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEASURE D, OUR PAST YEARS' PROJECTS, THIS YEAR'S PROJECT, AND, UM, AND THEN THE MEASURE D PLAN UPDATE THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OKAY, GREAT.

JUST, UH, TO REMIND OUR BOARD MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UM, MEASURE D WAS A COUNTYWIDE HALF-CENT SALES TAX MEASURE THAT WAS PASSED BY VOTERS, UM, IN NOVEMBER, 2016.

UM, IT'S A 30-YEAR FUNDING SOURCE FOR TRANSPORTATION COUNTYWIDE.

COUNTY ROADS REVENUE, UH, LOCALLY IS ESTIMATED AT AROUND $4 MILLION PER YEAR.

UM, AND, UH, THE ANNUAL REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE PRODUCING A FIVE-YEAR PLAN.

UM, EVERY YEAR WE DO THIS, WE UPDATE THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN.

AND THAT'S WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TODAY, AND IT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED IN A PUBLIC HEARING BY THE BOARD OF SUPS, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY AS WELL.

UM, AND, UM, BACK IN 2016 WHEN THE FUNDING FIRST STARTED COMING ON BOARD, UH, WE, WE SURVEYED OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, ABOUT THE TOP, UH, THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE OUT THERE.

AND THE TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY AND WE THINK THEY REMAIN TODAY, UM, IS MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF OUR COUNTY ROADWAYS, SUPER IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN OUR ROADS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, PROTECT OUR INVESTMENT.

UM, NEIGHBORHOOD RESURFACING PROJECTS, UH, FOLKS REALLY WANTED TO SEE NEIGHBORHOODS IMPROVED.

UM, AND THAT GOES ALONG WITH SOME SAFETY PROJECTS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE.

OKAY, SO CASEY'S GONNA COVER A BRIEF HISTORY, UM, OF MEASURE D HOW SUCCESSFUL IT'S BEEN.

- ALRIGHT, UH, SO JUST GOING OVER OUR PROGRAM, UH, I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT WITH THE MEASURE D FUNDING, SINCE IT'S COME ONLINE FULLY IN 2018, WE'VE PUT OUT A PROJECT WITH THAT FUNDING, UH, EVERY SINGLE YEAR, UH, SINCE WE'VE HAD THAT FUNDING.

AND HERE'S JUST KIND OF A, A QUICK REVIEW OF EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE WITH THIS.

SO STARTING IN DISTRICT ONE, UH, WE DID SOME WORK IN THE SUMMIT AREA IN OUR INAUGURAL 2018 PROGRAM, UH, MOVING ON TO LIVE OAK THURBER AND THEN SOQUEL, UH, SOME GOOD STREETS IN '22 WITH, UH, SEVENTH, THURBER, AND PORTOLA, UH, FOLLOWED BY EAST CLIFF.

UH, DID A FULL, LIKE, UH, BIKE IMPROVEMENT IN THIS AREA, WHICH ALSO DOVETAILED INTO THE '24 WORK ON PORTOLA, UH, AND THEN '25 LIVE OAK, SOQUEL AND PARK AVENUE.

KIND OF, UH, WRAPPING UP SOME, SOME CORRIDOR WORK LEFT OVER FROM THE PURE WATER PROJECT.

UH, IN DISTRICT TWO, WE STARTED IN LA SELVA,

[02:45:02]

UM, A LOT OF OUR PROGRAM, I'LL MENTION, WE'VE KIND OF TRIED TO START WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS IN THE MORE CONCENTRATED AREAS, WORKING OUR WAY OUTWARD.

UM, SO WE'VE PRETTY MUCH WRAPPED UP, UH, ALMOST ALL OF THE SEACLIFF AREA, UH, WORKING MORE IN RIO DEL MAR.

NOW THERE'S A REALLY LARGE SECTION OF RIO DEL MAR.

UH, DISTRICT THREE.

UH, WE TOOK TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE MARTIN ROAD, UH, AND THEN LAST YEAR VERY PLEASED TO HAVE COMPLETED SWANTON ROAD.

THAT WAS, UH, MANY YEARS OF PATIENCE AND SAVING ON DISTRICT THREE'S PART.

AND I HOPE EVERYBODY'S HAPPY WITH THE RESULT OUT THERE.

WE CERTAINLY ARE.

UH, DISTRICT FOUR, OUR ARGO PROJECT WE HAD A, A FAILING BRIDGE THAT HAD NO FUNDING SOURCE AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, GET THAT BRIDGE REPAIRED, UH, FOLLOWED BY A COUPLE YEARS ON LAKEVIEW DRIVE TO GET THAT UP TO SPEED.

UH, THREE YEARS OF FUNDING ON PAULSON.

UH, GREEN VALLEY PATH WAS A GREAT JOINT, UH, DISTRICT TWO AND FOUR PROJECT.

UM, DISTRICT FOUR DID A DIRECT CONTRIBUTION TO THIS AND, UH, REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW THAT PATH TURNED OUT.

UM, AND WE'RE SAVING, UH, THE LAST YEAR'S FUNDING FOR, UH, CASSERLY ROAD, WHICH IS GONNA BE A GRANT PROJECT.

ON DISTRICT FIVE, UH, WE FOCUSED KIND OF ON THE CORE AREAS OF SAN LORENZO VALLEY.

WE DID, UH, STARTED WITH BOULDER CREEK, BEN LOMOND AND FELTON.

AS YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'RE GONNA SEE IT REPEATED, UH, FURTHER, UH, WORKING ON THOSE CORE AREAS.

BOULDER CREEK, BEN LOMOND AND FELTON.

UM, MOVED TO A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, SCOTTS VALLEY OUTSKIRTS AND A LITTLE BIT MORE OF FELTON IN '25.

THERE WAS, AGAIN, AN EMERGENCY SITE THAT, UH, HAD A DIRE NEED AND DIDN'T HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE.

AND SO, UH, WE DID STORM REPAIR ON MOUNT CHARLIE, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR, UM, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS A SLIDE OF, UH, SOQUEL SAN JOSE ROAD.

UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE SITES FOR THIS YEAR.

SO HERE'S JUST KIND OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S GOING ON THIS YEAR.

SO IN DISTRICT FIVE, UH, WE'RE IN THE BROOKDALE AREA, AND I'LL HAVE A SLIDE ON MOST OF THESE.

UM, DISTRICT ONE, SOQUEL SAN JOSE PORTER, DISTRICT TWO TROUT GULCH.

UM, THERE'S ALSO A DISTRICT TWO GRANT PROJECT THAT'S NOT, UM, MEASURE D FUNDED, BUT IN THE SAME PACKAGE THIS YEAR, SO JUST MENTIONING THAT.

UH, SO FOR DISTRICT ONE, WE'RE DOING A LARGE SECTION OF SOQUEL SAN JOSE ROAD FROM SOQUEL DRIVE OUT TO OLIVE SPRINGS.

UH, THERE'S A STRIPING ENHANCEMENT ZONE YOU SEE THERE IN GREEN, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE, UM, TO DON LANE, WHICH IS, IT'S GONNA LOOK RATHER LIKE SOQUEL DRIVE LOOKS NOW WITH ALL THE GREEN ENHANCEMENTS, UH, CROSSWALK UPGRADE.

SO, UH, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH WHAT WE CAN ON THE REST.

THE REST IS NOT, UH, BIKE ACCESSIBLE, BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH THE, UH, PUTTING SOME MORE SHADOWSAND, AND TRYING TO MAKE THE SHOULDERS WIDER WHERE WE CAN.

UH, DISTRICT TWO, THE UPPER SECTION OF TROUT GULCH, WHICH HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS OVER THE YEARS, UH, PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO SEE THAT WORK DONE.

UM, DISTRICT THREE, WE'RE, UH, SAVING OUR FUNDS TOWARD A 2027 PROJECT, AN EMPIRE GRADE, WHICH WE'LL, UH, MATCH WITH GRANT FUNDING.

UH, SAME IN DISTRICT FOUR.

WE'RE SAVING OUR FUNDING TOWARD A PROJECT ON CASSERLY ROAD, UH, AND DISTRICT FIVE.

WE'RE, UH, DOING SOME WORK. IT'S ACTUALLY MOSTLY DONE.

UH, THE PROJECT HAS MOVED THROUGH, UH, SAN LORENZO VALLEY AND WE'VE GOTTEN IRWIN WAY AND THESE OTHER STREETS SO THEY'RE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD NOW.

UH, CURRENTLY THE PROJECT IS, UH, ON SOQUEL SAN JOSE, UH, MOVING TOWARD TROUT GULCH.

DONE SOME WORK ON TROUT GULCH ALREADY.

UM, AND WITH THAT I'LL TURN IT BACK TO STEVE.

- GREAT, THANK YOU, CASEY. OKAY, GOOD.

UM, SO, UM, THIS REALLY GETS DOWN TO THE PLAN THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY, THE UPDATE.

UM, I'LL JUST NOTE A FEW THINGS.

UH, WE-WE DO MAKE A FEW MINOR TWEAKS EVERY YEAR TO THE PLAN.

UM, IT'S SMALL, BUT SOME OF 'EM ARE SMALL.

BUT WE WORK WITH EACH ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ON THE PRIORITIES WITHIN EACH SUPERVISOR OR DISTRICT COUNTYWIDE.

UM, AND SO SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT I'LL NOTE TODAY, UM, ONE IS, UM, YOU'LL NOTICE ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE PLAN, UM, THAT WE'VE NOW ADDED A SECTION FOR, UM, FOR FUNDING THAT'S BANKED EITHER FROM PREVIOUS PROJECTS OR FROM PREVIOUS YEAR FUNDING.

AND SO, UM, AS CASEY MENTIONED AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE LIKE FOR SWANTON ROAD THAT TOOK, UH, SEVERAL YEARS OF BANKING MEASURE D FUND UP UNTIL WE COULD AFFORD A MEANINGFUL PROJECT OUT ON SWANTON ROAD.

AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THAT IN THE YEAR THAT THE FUNDING BECOMES, LIKE, WHOLE, RIGHT? UM, AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO NOTE THAT.

UM, AND SOME OF THEM ARE, AGAIN, EITHER BANKED FUNDS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS SUCH AS THE RAIL TRAIL SEGMENT NINE, UM, OR, UH, FUNDING, UH, MINOR FUNDING SAVINGS, UM, THAT WAS LEFT OVER, SAY FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR'S, UH, PAVING PROJECT.

SO WE CAN REALLY KEEP TRACK OF HOW MUCH DOLLARS WERE SPENT

[02:50:01]

UM, SO JUST MOVING ON, UH, TO EACH DISTRICT.

ALSO JUST NOTE THAT, UM, OBVIOUSLY AS WE COMPLETE ROADS OR WE COMPLETE PROJECTS, THEY COME OFF THE LIST, RIGHT? SO ROADS THAT WE DID LAST SUMMER YOU WON'T SEE ON THE [INAUDIBLE] THIS YEAR.

UM, AND THEN, AGAIN, WE WORK WITH EACH BOARD MEMBER TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS FOR FUTURE YEARS.

UM, SO IN DISTRICT ONE, UM, THERE'S REALLY NO CHANGE, UM, TO ANY OF THE ROADS THERE.

UM, ALL THE FUNDING, IT GOES INTO, UM, IF IT HASN'T BEEN PREVIOUSLY BANKED, IT'S GOING INTO THE DISTRICT ONE ROAD RE-RESURFACING PROGRAM.

UM, IN DISTRICT TWO, UH, WE'VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE ADDITIONS.

THIS IS AMESTI ROAD AND CORRALITOS ROAD.

THIS IS GONNA BE A TREND, I THINK, THAT YOUR BOARD'S GONNA SEE MOVING FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE, WHICH IS, UM, WE ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING MATCH FUNDING FOR OUR LARGER FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS FOR, UM, THE PAVING WORK THAT WE DO ON OUR PRINCIPAL, ON OUR ARTERIAL ROADWAYS AND COLLECTORS.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE PINCHING OUT OF THE MEASURE D PROGRAM TO PROVIDE THAT MATCH TOWARDS THOSE GRANTS SO WE CAN KEEP THOSE PROJECTS ON-ON ONLINE AND KEEP DELIVERING THEM.

UM, AND SO IN DISTRICT TWO, AGAIN WE ADDED AMESTI ROAD AND CORRALITOS ROAD FOR A FUTURE PROJECT.

UM, IN DISTRICT THREE, UM, MOST, MOST OF ALL OF OUR FUNDING IS BEING RECOMMENDED TOWARDS EMPIRE GRADE, AND WE DID ADD LIMITS UM, AS WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN A GRANT, UM, AWARD JUST RECENTLY.

SO THE LIMITS HAVE CHANGED, UM, FOR THAT.

UM, IN DISTRICT FOUR, WE ADDED CASSERLY ROAD THAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED AT A, AS A PRIORITY IN DISTRICT FOUR.

UM, AND THEN IN DISTRICT FIVE, WE ADDED BEAR CREEK ROAD, AND THAT'S REALLY TO PROVIDE MATCH FOR A LARGER FEDERAL GRANT THAT WE- THAT WE RECENTLY RECEIVED ON THAT AS WELL.

UM, SO NEXT SLIDE.

AND SO WITH THAT, UH, THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS BEFORE YOU TODAY ARE ADOPT THE ATTACHED MEASURE D FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR THE, UM, FISCAL YEAR 26/27, AND AUTHORIZED PUBLIC WORKS TO SUBMIT A COPY OF THE APPROVED BOARD PACKAGE TO THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

AND CASEY AND I ARE HERE, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

- THANK YOU. I'LL START BY GOING OUT TO THE PUBLIC.

IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NO ONE IN CHAMBERS, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION, AND A MOTION.

SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UH, WELL, THANK-THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

OBVIOUSLY, ALL THE WORK BEING DONE OUT THERE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BOTH BY US, BECAUSE WE SEE THE, THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS GO DOWN AND, AND BY THE PUBLIC WHO ENJOYS THE NEW FACILITIES.

I JUST WANNA DOUBLE UNDERLINE ONE OF THE POINTS YOU MADE WHICH IS, UM, THAT THE MEASURE D FUNDS, WHICH ARE REALLY OUR ONLY SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR REPAVING THE-THE LOCAL ROADS, WHICH, AS WE JUST SAW IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, ARE THE ONES IN THE GREATEST NEED, INCREASINGLY GETS SPENT ON THESE LARGER ARTERIAL PROJECTS.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE SEEING, LIKE IN MY DISTRICT.

AND SO, LESS THAN ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES BE TOO ENVIOUS OF THE AMOUNT, LARGE AMOUNT OF GREEN THAT WAS SHOWN IN DISTRICT ONE ON THE MAP LET ME EXPLAIN, UM, THAT IF YOU GO TO THE, LIKE, ORIGINAL PLANS FOR THAT, THAT SAYS, SO SAN JOSE ROAD PROJECT 2021.

SO THAT GOT A CONSOLIDATED GRANT FROM THE RTC IN MY FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE BACK IN 2021.

AND THEN IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT BECAUSE COST ESCALATED.

SO WE HAD TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER CYCLE OF CONSOLIDATED GRANT IN 2020- I THINK IT WAS '23. YEAH.

UM, AND NOW, WITH ALL OF THIS YEAR'S MEASURE D MONEY FOR MY DISTRICT, WE'RE ABLE TO GET IT DONE.

WONDERFUL.

FIVE YEARS, WAIT, SIX SIXTH YEAR, UH, IN OFFICE, RIGHT? SO FIRST YEAR, SIXTH YEAR, UM, AND NO MONEY FOR LOCAL ROADS THIS YEAR.

SO JUST THAT'S WHAT YOU COULD BE FACING WITH BEAR CREEK ROAD.

UH, WE'LL PROBABLY SEE WITH, POTENTIALLY WITH SOQUEL. EXACTLY.

SO, UM, AND ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY IN OUR DISTRICT ONE, WE ALSO HAVE 1.5 MILLION THAT WAS PLEDGED BY MY PREDECESSOR TO THE RAIL TRAIL.

SO WE'LL SEE ANOTHER YEAR LIKE THAT WHERE THE MEASURE D FUNDS ARE USED AS THE LOCAL MATCH FOR, UM, A GREAT REGIONAL PROJECT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS WILL GET SHORTCHANGED.

SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALL THE WORK THAT GETS DONE OUT THERE EVERY YEAR, UM, IS IS MUCH APPRECIATED. THANKS.

- SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- UH, THANK YOU, UH, VERY MUCH.

UM, IT'S COMPLICATED HOW ALL OF THIS MONEY COMES IN, THE MATCH THAT'S NEEDED, ET CETERA.

UM, ON, IN TERMS, JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON, IN TERMS OF CORRALITOS AND AMESTI, WHAT, LIKE WHAT IS THE MATCH NEEDED FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT? - GOT THOSE NUMBERS? - YEAH.

- UM, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS.

I CAN GET THE NUMBERS, BUT I DON'T HAVE IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.

BUT WHAT I CAN SAY FOR, UM, ALL OF THE GRANT MONEY THAT WE RECEIVED, THERE'S A MINIMUM LOCAL MATCH OF 11.47.

[02:55:01]

UM, PLUS, UH, TYPICALLY OVERHEAD COSTS ARE NOT REIMBURSABLE SO THAT'S A SEPARATE, YOU KNOW, LIKE ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, 10-ISH PERCENT ON TOP OF THAT.

UM, AND THEN FOR THAT PARTICULAR SITE, THE GRANT AWARD WAS NOT WHAT WE ASKED FOR.

UH, SO IT WAS ABOUT 70% OF OUR ASKED.

SO TO GET THE FULL LIMITS OF THE ROAD, IT'S LIKE WE'RE GONNA NEED THE LOCAL FUNDS TO COVER BOTH OF THOSE POTS, AS WELL AS THE, UM, RESIDUAL THAT THE GRANT DIDN'T COVER.

BUT I CAN GET YOU SPECIFIC NUMBERS ON THAT. I'D BE HAPPY TO.

- THANK YOU AND, UM, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- I SHOULD BE BRIEF.

UM, THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS AND FOR THE TRANSPARENCY AROUND HOW THE-THE FUNDING IS USED AND HOW IT'S BANKED, 'CAUSE IT REALLY HELPS US TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE GETTING PHONE CALLS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN IS THIS ROAD BEING DONE, AND, UM, IT HELPS US TO BE ABLE TO LET FOLKS KNOW WHERE DIFFERENT THINGS ARE IN THE QUEUE.

AND JUST ALSO WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING SO RESPONSIBLE WHEN WE GET THOSE EMAILS AND HELPING THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE CERTAIN ROADS ARE, UM, IN THE PIPELINE AND, AND WHY CERTAIN ONES ARE PRIORITIZED OVER OTHERS.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- SO I, I KNOW THAT FOR CASSERLY, WE, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY MEASURE D'S ON THIS REPORT AND, BUT THERE WAS ALSO SOME CONSOLIDATED, UH, GRANTS FROM RTC.

I WONDER HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE? AND THEN YOU CAN ANSWER THIS OFFLINE.

IT'S KIND OF SIMILAR QUESTION TO SUPERVISOR, UH, DE SERPA, BUT HOW MUCH IS LEFT TO FUND, FULLY FUND IT WITH BOTH THE, THE RTC FUNDING AND-AND MEASURE D FUNDING? HOW MUCH MORE IS STILL NEEDED? - UH, IN TERMS OF THE CASSERLY SITE? - YES.

- UM, SO I THINK THE CASSERLY SITE, WE DIDN'T GET OUR FULL ASK ON THAT IN THE LATEST...

- I THINK IT WAS FIVE FIFTY OR SOMETHING. [CROSSTALK] - UM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE SURE THAT WE'VE SHOWN- THE LIMITS SHOWN IN THE MEASURE D PLAN ARE FROM, UH, HIGHWAY 129 TO WHITING.

AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN GET THAT, AS WELL AS OUR OTHER MEASURE D COMMITMENTS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET MORE THAN THAT BUT, UH, WE'RE CONFIDENT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET AT LEAST THAT MUCH WITH THE GRANT AND THE MEASURE D FUNDING.

- OKAY. AND WE CAN CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION OFFLINE.

I THINK THAT'D BE GREAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND PUTTING TOGETHER ALL THESE FUNDS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE DECENT ROADS. THANK YOU.

- YES. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AGAIN THIS YEAR.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH THIS ITEM AND THE PRIOR ITEM REALLY HELPS TO ILLUSTRATE JUST HOW-HOW COMPLEX OUR ROAD SYSTEM AND FUNDING IS AND HOW, UM, HOW FRAGILE IT IS AND HOW, UM, THOUGHTFULLY YOU ARE COBBLING TOGETHER AND LEVERAGING FUNDS TO TRY TO MEET THE HIGH, HIGH DEMAND FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE.

I HAVE A QUESTION THAT ACTUALLY CAME FROM SOME READING IN THE CONSENT AGENDA EARLIER AROUND THE BRIDGE PROGRAM.

SO I UNDERSTAND THAT OUR COUNTY HAS FUNDING TO REPLACE OR IMPROVE A NUMBER OF BRIDGES ACROSS THE COUNTY.

AND ONE OF THE NOTES THAT I READ WAS THAT, UM, THAT FUNDING MIGHT BE AT RISK IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MATCH OR FILL THE GAP FOR THE PROJECT.

AND I'M WONDERING IF WE ANTICIPATE THE MEASURE D FUNDS MAY NEED TO BE USED TO GET THOSE PROJECTS TO THE FINISH LINE.

UM, OR IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU CAN SPEAK TO THAT.

- YEAH, I'LL TAKE THAT. UM, UH, THANK YOU.

YEAH, OUR, UM, THE HIGHWAY BRIDGE PROGRAM, UH, WHICH IS FUNDED THROUGH, UH, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTERED THROUGH CALTRANS, UM, IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM FOR US.

UH, WE MAINTAIN OVER A HUNDRED BRIDGES ON OUR 600-MILE NETWORK COUNTYWIDE.

UM, A LOT OF 'EM ARE REALLY OLD AND THEY'RE IN NEED OF EITHER REHABILITATION OR REPLACEMENT.

UM, RIGHT NOW, WE'VE GOT 11 BRIDGES IN, UM, IN THE PROGRAM.

UM, AND THEY'RE ALL AT VARIOUS STAGES OF, UM, DEVELOPMENT.

SO WHETHER THAT'S LIKE EARLY PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PHASE OR THE RIGHT-OF-WAY PHASE, UM, IT'S GREAT THAT YOU NOTED THAT THE SAN LORENZO WAY BRIDGE, UH, IS, UM, RECOMMENDED FOR FUNDING FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT.

AND WE'RE GETTING READY TO BID THAT PROJECT ACTUALLY OUT, UM, ENTERTAIN BIDS AND-AND, UH, WITH THE HOPES TO BUILD IT IN THIS NEXT YEAR.

UM, THE FUNDING THAT'S AT RISK IS, UH, WE HAVE INVESTED A LOT OF MONEY IN ALL OF THESE PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS, AND IF WE'RE UNABLE TO DELIVER, UM, ON SPECIFIED TIMELINES, UH, THAT THE STATE AND, UM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REQUIRE, UM, THEN WE EITHER HAVE TO FINISH FUNDING THE PROJECT OUT OURSELVES OR WE PAY THE MONEY BACK.

AND SO, UM, THE SAME GROUP WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS THAT DOES OUR BRIDGE PROGRAM MANAGES AND DESIGNS OUR BRIDGES ALSO MANAGES AND DESIGNS ALL OF OUR STORM DAMAGE REPAIRS.

UM, THESE ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THE CIVIL ENGINEERS, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS THAT WE HAVE, UM, WORKING ON ALL THESE PROJECTS.

AND BECAUSE OF THE 2017, THE IMPACT FROM 2017 AND '23,

[03:00:02]

AND AS YOU HEARD FROM THE LAST PRESENTATION, TO THE TUNE OF AROUND $200 MILLION SINCE 2017, UH, REPAIRING OUR ROADWAYS.

AND SO THE BRIDGE PROGRAM HAS BEEN DELAYED.

A LOT OF THE BRIDGES HAVE BEEN DELAYED.

WE'VE, UM, WE'VE GOTTEN EXTENSIONS, UH, GRANTED THROUGH BOTH CALTRANS AND FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ON THESE.

BUT, UM, A LOT OF THESE ARE GETTING TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR, OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE THAT, IF WE DON'T DELIVER, UM, NOW, BASED ON THE TIMELINES THAT ARE SET BEFORE US, THAT WE'LL-WE'LL EITHER HAVE TO FUND 'EM OURSELVES OR, UM, PAY THE MONEY BACK.

AND SO, UM, WE DO HAVE A GOOD PLAN THAT SHOWS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS.

UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO, UM, GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE INVESTING MEASURE D DOLLARS AS MATCH ON OUR FEDERAL BRIDGE PROGRAM.

I MEAN, I REALLY THINK SB1'S A MUCH BETTER SOURCE FOR THAT.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO STRETCH THOSE SB1 DOLLARS OUT AS FAR AS WE CAN, UH, TO LEVERAGE AGAINST THESE LARGER FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS.

- THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL. THANKS FOR THAT, THAT INFORMATION.

UH, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR AND A SECOND.

MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA. - AYE.

- KOENIG. - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ. - AYE.

- CUMMINGS. - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

SO, AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GOING TO RECESS FOR LUNCH, AND WE WILL RETURN AT 1:30 FOR OUR SCHEDULED ITEM, AND THEN WE'LL PROCEED WITH OUR TWO O'CLOCK SCHEDULED ITEM.

AND THEN WE'LL RE-BEGIN OUR AGENDA AT ITEM NUMBER 11.

- CHAIR, I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION. ARE WE? - AND WE ARE. THANK YOU FOR THAT.

WE ARE GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION.

IS THERE ANYTHING REPORTABLE FROM CLOSED SESSION? - NO, THERE'S NOT.

- THANK YOU.

WELCOME BACK.

WE WILL NOW BEGIN OUR SCHEDULED 1:30 ITEM,

[17. Recognize and congratulate the graduates of the County’s Learn, Engage, Apply, Perform (LEAP) Leadership Training Program in Fiscal Year 2025-26, and take related actions]

THE ITEM IS TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE THE GRADUATES OF THE COUNTY'S LEARN, ENGAGE, APPLY, PERFORM LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM IN FISCAL YEAR 25-26, AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

FOR THIS ITEM, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM DEPUTY CEO, MELODY SERINO.

THEN I'LL BE INVITING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO MAKE COMMENT.

I'LL INVITE MY COLLEAGUES TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS OR MAKE ANY COMMENTS.

AND FINALLY, THERE WILL BE A MOMENT FOR YOU TO GET PHOTOS AT THE END.

SO WITH THAT, TAKE IT AWAY.

- JUST WAITING FOR THE MIC TO COME ON.

GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

BEFORE YOU TODAY IS AN ITEM RECOGNIZING THE GRADUATES OF THE COUNTY'S LEARN, ENGAGE, APPLY, PERFORM, OR LEAP, AS WE CALL IT, LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM.

AS THE BOARD KNOWS, LEAP WAS RELAUNCHED THIS YEAR WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE ANNIE E.

CASEY FOUNDATION AS PART OF THE COUNTY'S CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

THIS PROGRAM WAS REDESIGNED TO ALIGN WITH THE COUNTY'S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND TO HELP BUILD A STRONG PIPELINE OF LEADERS ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.

OVER THE COURSE OF 11 SESSIONS, SPANNING NEARLY A YEAR, 29 EMPLOYEES FROM DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTY PARTICIPATED IN INTENSIVE TRAINING FOCUSED ON LEADERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING, PUBLIC SECTOR BUDGETING, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, AND RESULTS-BASED ACCOUNTABILITY.

PARTICIPANTS ALSO APPLIED WHAT THEY LEARNED DIRECTLY TO THEIR DAY-TO-DAY COUNTY WORK AND COMPLETED FINAL PRESENTATIONS CONNECTING THEIR LEADERSHIP GROWTH TO ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES.

IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT SIX GRADUATES WERE PROMOTED OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM, AS WAS MY CO-FACILITATOR, SVEN STAFFORD.

THIS PROGRAM REFLECTS THE COUNTY'S COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPING A COLLABORATIVE, ADAPTIVE, AND HIGH-PERFORMING WORKFORCE THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND ADDRESS COMPLEX PUBLIC CHALLENGES.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDED ACTION IS FOR THE BOARD TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE THE 2026 LEAP GRADUATES AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE COUNTY'S CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. WOULD NOW BE THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO COME UP AND CALL OUR...

- YES. [LAUGH] YOU CAN START THEM HOWEVER YOU WANT. [LAUGH] - OKAY.

- SO THE SUPERVISORS ARE GONNA CALL YOUR NAMES AND, UH, GIVE YOU YOUR CERTIFICATES, AND THEN SVEN WILL GIVE YOU YOUR GRADUATION PIN.

[03:05:10]

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND WHAT INCREDIBLE CLASS OF LEAP GRADUATES WE HAVE.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

UM, WE START OFF JUST A GENERAL ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR GOOD WORK.

[APPLAUSE] AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO BE, UM, ACTUALLY I THINK, CAN YOU HAND ME THAT SLIP OF PAPER? [LAUGH] - IS IT TOO MANY THINGS TO- - YEAH.

[LAUGH] ALRIGHT. I'LL BE PRODUC-, UM, GIVING CERTIFICATES TO THE FIRST BATCH.

AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH JULIET RESOTO FROM THE CEO'S OFFICE.

[APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS.

- THANK YOU.

- GOOD WORK.

- THANK YOU.

- NEXT UP, WE HAVE RYAN FRIEDRICH.

[APPLAUSE] WELL DONE.

NEXT UP, FROM GENERAL SERVICES, WE HAVE BRIAN BECKER.

WELL DONE.

- THANK YOU.

- ALSO FROM GENERAL SERVICES, WE HAVE KIMBERLY FINLEY.

WONDERFUL.

- THANK YOU SO MUCH.

- NEXT, FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE HAVE ADRIANA GARICA.

- THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

- AND FINALLY, FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE HAVE ETHAN RUMRILL, [APPLAUSE] WHO I BELIEVE IS ON A WELL-EARNED VACATION.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE NEXT UP...

- [INAUDIBLE] KIND OF ORDER, BUT- - THERE'S NO ORDER.

- OKAY. [LAUGH].

SO FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE, AMANDA PAULSON.

[APPLAUSE] - IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO TAKE A PICTURE.

- YEAH, WE'RE GONNA DO A PICTURE ALL AT THE END.

[LAUGH].

- WELL, FROM THE AGGRO...

ALSO FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE, WALTER MAYEDA.

[APPLAUSE] FROM THE ANIMAL SHELTER, RODOLFO MANRIQUES.

[APPLAUSE] I SEE THIS GUY EVERYWHERE.

RIDING THE BIKE, AND I SEE HIM ON THE TRUCK. CONGRATULATIONS.

- THANKS.

- AND NEXT IS MONICE TONHEIM.

PRONOUNCED THAT RIGHT.

CONGRATULATIONS. - THANK YOU.

- HERE YOU GO.

- THANK YOU.

- AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, FROM THE COUNTY CLERK'S ELECTIONS, SALVADOR MESA LEMOS.

CONGRATULATIONS.

- APPRECIATE IT.

- THERE YOU GO.

- THANKS. APPRECIATE IT.

- ALRIGHTY. WHO'S UP NEXT, NEXT OFF THE BAT? - THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROGRAM SHOWS THE COMMITMENT TO BUILDING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO OUT FOR BEING, UH, BETTER AT YOUR JOB AND FOR PUTTING YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE.

[03:10:03]

I'VE DONE A BUNCH OF LEADERSHIP WORK MYSELF.

I WAS- I HAD A SPECIAL FELLOWSHIP, FELLOWSHIP IN SOCIAL SERVICE LEADERSHIP, AND LOOK WHERE IT GOT ME.

SO [LAUGH].

SO HOPEFULLY, SOMEDAY YOU WILL BE THE CEO ALSO OF THE COUNTY.

UM, MALIA YAMASHITA FROM HUMAN RESOURCES.

[APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS.

- NEXT UP IS KIARA MILLER, [APPLAUSE] HEALTH SERVICES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

- THANK YOU.

- NEXT, AGAIN FROM HEALTH SERVICES, IS OLGA ZUNIGA.

[APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS.

RAQUEL RAMIREZ RUIZ.

CONGRATULATIONS.

- THANK YOU.

- SARAH MEZER FROM HEALTH SERVICES.

- THANK YOU.

- CONGRATS.

- THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

- AND CHERYL NOTARI. DID I SAY THAT RIGHT? CHERYL? NO, I DIDN'T.

NOTARI. GOT IT RIGHT THAT TIME.

- THANK YOU. - THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS.

- THANK YOU, I WANNA ECHO WHAT SUPERVISOR DE SERPA JUST SAID.

YOU KNOW, WE-WITH OUR NEXT ITEM, WE'RE GONNA SEE, UH, SOME LONG-SERVING COUNTY EMPLOYEES MOVE ON, AND, UM, IT WOULD CAUSE CONCERN ABOUT WHO'S GONNA LEAD THIS COUNTY IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL OF YOU WHO'VE JUST GRADUATED FROM THIS PROGRAM, STEPPING UP AND BECOMING LEADERS YOURSELVES.

SO, UH, IN THE NOW FUNDED PARKS DEPARTMENT, ROB TIDMORE.

[APPLAUSE] - ALSO IN PARKS, SARAH SHEA.

- THANK YOU.

- IN THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT, DANIELLE GRINDY.

[APPLAUSE] ALSO IN PROBATION, GERARDO LEON GARCIA.

AND IN THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, CYDNEY NGUYEN-CRUZ.

- ALL RIGHT, THE LAST BATCH, STARTING WITH AMY WILBANKS FROM CDI AND PLANNING.

NEXT FROM CDI AND PLANNING, NATHAN MACBETH.

ALL RIGHT, FROM CDI PUBLIC WORKS, HEATHER WILLIS.

- THANK YOU.

- AND FINALLY, COREY OSBORNE FROM INFORMATION SERVICES.

SO, JUST THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT CLASS OF LEAP LEADERS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

SO, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.

- AND THEN, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE EVERYONE

[03:15:01]

THANK YOU.

- WE DO HAVE RECOMMENDED OPTIONS.

- WELL, CONGRATULATIONS, ONCE AGAIN, TO ALL OF OUR LEAP GRADUATES.

THAT WAS A REALLY SWEET CEREMONY. NICE WORK.

UM, AT THIS POINT, WE DO HAVE A SCHEDULED ITEM AT TWO O'CLOCK.

BUT SINCE WE CANNOT BEGIN THAT UNTIL TWO O'CLOCK OR AFTER, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 11,

[11. Hold public hearing to consider proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 benefit assessment/sewer service charge report for the Sanitation County Service Area 7 Zone 2 - Boulder Creek, and take related action]

[03:20:01]

UM, SO ITEM NUMBER 11 IS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 BENEFIT ASSESSMENT/SEWER SERVICE CHARGE REPORT FOR THE SANITATION COUNTY SERVICE AREA 7, ZONE 2, BOULDER CREEK AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

WELCOME.

- OKAY. HOW'S THAT? THANK YOU.

UH, SO AS, UH, YOU NOTE, ONCE AGAIN, CAROLYN BURKE, ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR OVERSEEING SPECIAL SERVICES.

AS NOTED, THE COUNTY OPERATES THE SEWER SYSTEM FOR COUNTY SERVICE AREA 7, ZONE 2 IN BOULDER CREEK.

AND ON MAY 19TH, 2026, THE BOARD ADOPTED THE FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 SERVICE CHARGES FOR THE SEWER SERVICE AND SET TODAY AS THE DATE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CHARGE REPORT.

THE SERVICE CHARGE REPORT FOR THIS ZONE, CONTAINING THE ASSESSOR PARCEL NUMBER AND THE AMOUNT OF SERVICE CHARGES, WAS ELECTRONICALLY FILED WITH THE CLERK OF THE BOARD FOR PUBLIC REVIEW ON OR PRIOR TO JUNE 16TH AND POSTED ONLINE.

IN ORDER TO INCLUDE THE SERVICE CHARGES ON THE PROPERTY TAX ROLL IT'S NECESSARY FOR THE BOARD TO HOLD THIS PUBLIC HEARING.

THEREFORE, WE RECOMMEND THE BOARD HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AND HEAR OBJECTIONS OR PROTESTS, IF ANY, TO THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 BENEFIT ASSESSMENT SERVICE CHARGE REPORT FOR SANITATION COUNTY SERVICE AREA 7, ZONE 2, BOULDER CREEK, AND ADOPT THE RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 BENEFIT ASSESSMENT SERVICE CHARGE REPORT FOR CSA 7, ZONE 2, BOULDER CREEK. THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.

IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NO ONE IN CHAMBERS, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR A MOTION.

- I'LL MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION.

- I SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- DE SERPA? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ? - AYE.

- AYE. MOTION PASSES 5 TO 0.

ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 12.

[12. Hold public hearing to consider approving a resolution updating charge for Recycling and Solid Waste Services infrastructure at the County's Buena Vista Landfill for Fiscal Years 2026-27 through 2030-31, and take related actions]

UM, THIS IS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER APPROVING A RESOLUTION UPDATING CHARGES FOR RECYCLING AND SOLID WASTE SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE COUNTY-COUNTY'S BUENA VISTA LANDFILL FOR FISCAL YEARS '26-'27 THROUGH '30-'31 AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

WELCOME.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR MARTINEZ AND BOARD.

UH, AT THIS TIME, UH, WE ARE-I REQUEST THAT THE BOARD TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER APPROVING THE RESOLUTION, UH, UPDATING THE CHARGE FOR RECYCLING AND SOLID WASTE SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE COUNTY'S BUENA VISTA LANDFILL FOR FISCAL YEARS '27 THROUGH 2031.

TAKE OBJECTIONS OR PROTESTS, IF ANY, AND THEN CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

I-I AM HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE CHAMBERS WHO ARE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO CALLERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND ACCEPT A MOTION.

- I'LL MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION.

- I SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- YEAH, I DO-I DO JUST WANNA MENTION FOR THE RECORD THERE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL HERE EARLIER WHO HAD SOME QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS RELATED TO THIS.

AND SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THEM THROUGH EMAIL AND CONNECT THEM WITH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, SO YOU ALL CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THEM.

- OKAY. - OKAY.

- THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ? - AYE.

MOTION PASSES 5 TO 0.

WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 13.

[13. Hold continued public hearing to consider certification of the vote results for County Service Area 13A, Oak Flat Road benefit assessment, and take related actions]

WE SHALL HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM PUBLIC WORKS.

[03:25:05]

- GO AHEAD AND PRESS THE BUTTON THAT SAYS MIC ON YOUR MICROPHONE TO TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON.

- TESTING. OOH.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, OR AFTERNOON.

GOOD MORNING, BOARD.

CHRISTINE HICKS WITH PUBLIC WORKS.

ITEM 13 IS FOR COUNTY SERVICE AREA NUMBER 13A, OAK FLAT, LOCATED IN LOS GATOS, AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL ELECTION TO INCREASE THEIR BENEFIT ASSESSMENT RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 AND THEREAFTER.

EXCUSE ME, I HAD TO RUN UP THE STAIRS.

ON MARCH 10TH, 2026, FOLLOWING THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THE RELATED ENGINEER'S REPORT, THE ELECTION BALLOTS WERE MAILED TO THE 18 AFFECTED PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN CSA NUMBER 13A, OAK FLAT.

AND ON MAY 5TH, 2026, THE BOARD AUTHORIZED TABULATION OF THE VOTES AND DIRECTED US TO CONTINUE THE PUBLIC HEARING TO TODAY FOR REPORTING OF THE ELECTION RESULTS.

THE ELECTION RESULTS ARE OF THE 18 BALLOTS MAILED, 10 WERE RETURNED TO CDI WITH 9 YES VOTES AND 1 NO VOTE.

90% IN FAVOR OF THE ASSESSMENT INCREASE.

THIS ELECTION PASSES AND WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REVENUE OF $9,000 FOR A TOTAL ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REVENUE OF $36,000 FOR THE CSA.

THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS FOR THE BOARD TO ACCEPT CERTIFICATION OF THE VOTE RESULTS, DIRECT THE RETENTION OF THE BALLOTS FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS, AND ADOPT THIS BOARD ITEM'S RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE LEVYING OF THE ASSESSMENT FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE, OPERATIONS AND PROJECTS WITHIN CSA 13 OAK FLAT FOR THE 2026-27 FISCAL YEAR.

AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.

- THANK YOU, MS. HICKS.

IT'S NEVER MY INTENTION TO CATCH ANYBODY OFF GUARD.

MY APOLOGIES.

WE ARE RUNNING A LITTLE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING I CAN EVER SAY FOR THIS BOARD.

SO IT'S AMAZING.

- GOOD THING I LIKE TO RUN, SO.

- THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

UM, I WILL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE ROOM WHO IS HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD.

- SO MOVED AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OAK FLAT, UH, SERVICE AREA.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DE SERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ? - AYE.

MOTION PASSES 5 TO 0.

ONE MORE.

- YES.

- UM, I WILL NOW CALL ITEM NUMBER 14,

[14. Hold continued public hearing to consider certification of the vote results for County Service Area 36, Forest Glen's Norman Zone F benefit assessment, and take related actions]

- THANK YOU.

36, UH, CSA 36, NORMAN ZONE F, AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL ELECTION TO INCREASE THEIR BENEFIT ASSESSMENT RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR '26-'27.

ON MARCH 10TH, FOLLOWING THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THE ENGINEER'S REPORT, THE ELECTION BALLOTS WERE MAILED TO THE 14 AFFECTED PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN NORMAN ZONE F OF CSA 36.

AND ON MAY 5TH, THE BOARD AUTHORIZED TABULATION OF THE VOTES AND DIRECTED US TO RETURN TO THE-TODAY FOR THE CONTINUANCE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS, WHICH ARE OF THE 14 BALLOTS MAILED, 9 WERE RETURNED TO CDI WITH 8 YES VOTES AND 1 NO VOTE FOR 88.89% IN FAVOR OF THE ASSESSMENT INCREASE.

THIS ELECTION PASSES.

IT WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT REVENUE FOR NORMAN ZONE F OF $24,000 IN THE FISCAL YEAR '26-'27 ONLY AND THEREAFTER.

THERE'LL BE AN ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REVENUE INCREASED TO 5,600 FOR THE ZONE F AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER.

THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ARE TO ACCEPT THE CERTIFICATION OF THE VOTES, DIRECT CDI TO RETAIN THE BALLOTS FOR 2 YEARS AND ADOPT THE BOARD ITEM RESOLVING AND AUTHORIZING THE LEVY OF THE ASSESSMENT FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS AND PROJECTS FOR CSA NUMBER 36, FOREST GLEN, NORMAN ZONE F, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR '26-'27.

[03:30:02]

I WILL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE CHAMBERS WHO'S HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO CALLERS WITH THEIR HANDS RAISED ONLINE.

- THANK YOU, I'LL NOW ACCEPT A MOTION FROM THE BOARD.

- I MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR KOENIG AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- DE SERPA? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ? - AYE.

MOTION PASSES 5 TO 0.

- THANK YOU.

- ALL RIGHT. OKAY, AT THIS TIME, WE WILL BE MOVING ON TO OUR SCHEDULED TWO O'CLOCK ITEM.

SO, FOR THOSE WHO ARE HERE FOR ITEMS NUMBER 15 AND 16, WE WILL BE HOLDING THOSE HEARINGS FOLLOWING OUR TWO SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS.

[18. Consider authorizing the issuance of a proclamation honoring Assistant Chief Probation Officer Valerie Thompson on her retirement, to be signed by all members of the Board]

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE FOR OUR TWO O'CLOCK ITEM WHICH IS TO CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A PROCLAMATION HONORING ASSISTANT CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER VALERIE THOMPSON ON HER RETIREMENT TO BE SIGNED BY ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY MAKING A FEW COMMENTS.

I'VE HAD THE-OH, THERE'S A REQUEST FOR HER TO STAND UP.

YEAH, PLEASE STAND UP, ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON.

[APPLAUSE] - THANK YOU.

- SO YOU GET TO STAND THERE WHILE I TALK ABOUT YOU.

AND I JUST WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING THAT I HAVE HAD THE INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING PERSONALLY WITH ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON, REALLY, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF, YOU KNOW, MY TIME AND YOUR TIME WORKING IN THIS COUNTY.

UM, I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY'S YOUTH, YOUR COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS, AND DOING RIGHT BY OUR FAMILIES.

AND PERSONALLY, YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAD, TO GET RESULTS, AND TO NOT SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.

NOW I'LL GO TO MY SCRIPT.

I WASN'T IN THE SCRIPT.

ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON HAS SERVED 37 REMARKABLE YEARS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING 12 AND A HALF YEARS OF EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE WITH THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT.

DURING THAT TIME, SHE EXEMPLIFIED UNWAVERING PROFESSIONALISM, DEEP INTEGRITY, AND A STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE THAT PROFOUNDLY SHAPED BOTH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.

THROUGHOUT HER TENURE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON HAS CULTIVATED A WORKPLACE CULTURE GROUNDED IN INNOVATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT MODELING A COACHING-BASED LEADERSHIP STYLE CHAMPIONING OF THE RESULTS COUNT FRAMEWORK THAT POSITIONS SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AS A LEADER IN DATA-DRIVEN, EQUITY-CENTERED SUPERVISION STRATEGY THAT KEEPS YOUTH AND FAMILIES AT THE HEART OF OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM PRACTICES.

ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN ADVANCING SYSTEM REFORM STRATEGIES, CONTRIBUTING TO IMPROVED YOUTH OUTCOMES AND STRENGTHENED FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.

SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SECURING CRITICAL GRANT FUNDING, WHICH DIRECTLY SUPPORTED THE COUNTY'S 92% DECREASE IN OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS.

JUST PAUSE AND THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND.

- YEP.

- SHE ADVANCED EXCELLENCE IN PROBATION PRACTICE SHARING SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S INNOVATIONS AND STRENGTHENING CROSS-JURISDICTION LEARNING BY WELCOMING TEAMS FROM ACROSS THE NATION AND MEXICO.

ASSISTANT CHIEF THOMPSON'S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO EQUITY WAS ALSO KEY IN SECURING FUNDING FOR ANNIE E. CASEY'S FOUNDATION'S RESULTS COUNT FRAMEWORK COUNTYWIDE, EMBEDDING PRINCIPLES IN FAIRNESS, CLARITY, AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT AND PARTNERING AGENCIES.

SO AGAIN, IT'S MY HONOR TO INVITE MY COLLEAGUES TO EXTEND A HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO ASSISTANT CHIEF VALERIE THOMPSON FOR HER EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP, BOLD VISION, AND INCOMPARABLE SERVICE TO JUSTICE, EQUITY AND COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.

[APPLAUSE]

[03:35:13]

ANY COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES? [LAUGH] SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- THESE ARE ALWAYS HARD MOMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE SO DEDICATED, UM, DECIDE TO RETIRE, WHICH ALL POWER TO YOU.

I'M WAITING FOR THE DAY WHEN I CAN RETIRE AT SOME POINT.

NOT COMING ANYTIME SOON, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING BEING IN THE, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND HEARING, YOU KNOW, CONCERNS AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOW CAN WE DO THINGS BETTER.

AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IS LIKE SANTA CRUZ IS DO-, IS ALREADY DOING A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IN TERMS OF IMPROVEMENT, REDUCING RECIDIVISM.

PEOPLE ALWAYS WONDER WHY WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY, YOU KNOW, KIDS IN THE JUVENILE HALL.

IT'S 'CAUSE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT, THAT YOU AND ALL THE FOLKS ON YOUR TEAM HAVE DONE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT KEEPING KIDS IN THE SYSTEM AND THAT WE'RE REDUCING RECIDIVISM AND DOING ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THAT WE ALL SAY WE WANT TO DO.

AND SO IT'S JUST BEEN REALLY INSPIRING FOR ME TO HEAR ABOUT ALL THE AMAZING WORK YOU'VE DONE OVER THESE YEARS.

AND WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA WISH YOU THE BEST IN YOUR RETIREMENT.

WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA MISS YOU.

BUT WE KNOW THAT PROBATION DEPARTMENT, THERE'S SO MANY AMAZING FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA CARRY THIS WORK FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO, TO LEAD, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, PROBATION AND, AND SO I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE IN YOUR TIME, DEDICATION HERE AND, AND ENJOY YOUR SUMMER, WHICH APPARENTLY STARTS TOMORROW.

[LAUGH] - SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- REALLY QUICK. I REMEMBER THE TIME WE DID THE, THE TOUR, UH, OUT THERE.

I THINK MY FIRST YEAR MIGHT HAVE BEEN FIRST YEAR, UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND BEING AN INTEGRAL PART OF, YOU KNOW, CREATING A, CHANGING THE CULTURE FROM WITHIN, UH, AND MAKING IT A BETTER PLACE AND MAKING OUR PROBATION DEPARTMENT ONE OF THE ONES A STANDOUT THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

AND SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT BEING AN INTEGRAL PART OF ALL THAT. SO THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- YEAH. WELL, VALERIE, YOU'RE SUCH A PRO.

I MEAN, IF ANYTHING LIKE THE, THE BUDGET HEARINGS WE JUST GOT THROUGH, YOU'RE LIKE, YEAH, MY CHIEF'S, UH, ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION, BUT I GOT THIS.

I MEAN, I THINK YOU JUST, YOU WENT THROUGH LIKE A 30, 45 MINUTE PRESENTATION, LIKE YOU HAD MEMORIZED IT FOR A WEEK.

UM, AND I THINK YOU PROBABLY JUST LIKE REVIEWED THE NOTES LAST THE, THE NIGHT BEFORE.

UH, YOU JUST KNOW THIS SO WELL.

UM, SO WE, THE DEPARTMENT IS REALLY GONNA MISS YOU.

THE COUNTY'S GONNA MISS YOU.

AND I MEAN, I WILL SAY, I, I DON'T, ESPECIALLY BEFORE COMING INTO OFFICE, DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIARITY WITH PROBATION, AND IT WAS SORT OF JUST LIKE THIS WARM SUNRISE OF REALIZATION, REALIZING ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT THE DEPARTMENT DOES AND WHAT A MODEL IT IS FOR OTHERS AND AN INSPIRATION.

AND OF COURSE YOU'VE BEEN A HUGE PART OF THAT.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL CAREER.

- THANK YOU.

- SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- I'M ALREADY VERKLEMPT AND I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED TALKING YET.

UM, SO VALERIE, YOU KNOW ME.

WE STARTED A LONG TIME AGO AND I WAS A CHILD WELFARE SOCIAL WORKER AND THE PROBATION THERE, THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT WORKING IN INVESTIGATIONS AND CASE MANAGEMENT TOGETHER BECAUSE WE SEE THINGS THAT ARE UNSPEAKABLE.

WE KNOW LIKE WHAT THESE KIDS HAVE BEEN THROUGH.

AND, UM, SO BETWEEN CHILD WELFARE, PROBATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND EVEN THE HOSPITALS, LIKE WHAT EVERYBODY HAS TO SEE TOGETHER IS HARD.

YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A WONDERFUL MENTOR TO YOUR STAFF AND, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF NICE THINGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN SAID ABOUT YOU, BUT WE ARE REALLY GONNA MISS YOU.

AND WE, I HOPE WE SEE YOU AGAIN SOMEDAY IN THE FUTURE.

COME BACK AND VISIT US OR INTERIM OR WHATEVER WE NEED.

BUT I HOPE YOU'RE, YOU HAVE SUCH GIFTS THAT YOU'VE PROVIDED TO, TO OUR COUNTY AND YOU'VE MADE US A MODEL FOR NOT ONLY THE STATE, BUT THE COUNTRY.

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT WORK. REALLY APPRECIATE YOU.

- THANK YOU.

- I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO CEO COBURN.

- THANK YOU, CHAIR MARTINEZ.

SO VALERIE, UM, PROBATION WAS ONE OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENTS I WAS ASSIGNED AS AN ANALYST.

AND, UM, IT WAS JUST SO, UM, SUCH A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU AND THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT.

UM, YOU OPENED MY EYES TO A RESULTS-ORIENTED FRAMEWORK.

WE STARTED OFF WORKING ON RESULTS FIRST,

[03:40:01]

AND WE WENT FROM THERE TO RESULTS COUNT.

AND NOW YOU'VE HELPED US LAUNCH THAT FRAMEWORK THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, AND WE JUST RECOGNIZED, UM, MANY COUNTY EMPLOYEES WHO'VE BEEN INSTILLED WITH THOSE CONCEPTS AND ARE BRINGING THEM TO MORE THAN JUST PROBATION TO ALL THAT THE COUNTY DOES.

AND WE'RE REALLY A MODEL FOR THE NATION NOW IN TERMS OF HOW COUNTIES CAN UTILIZE THOSE TOOLS.

SO, AND MUCH OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH YOU AND YOUR PERSISTENCE.

AND, UM, WE REALLY WANNA THANK YOU.

AS I SAID, YOUR RETIREMENT PARTY, YOUR LEGACY IS GONNA LIVE ON HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND IT'S JUST BEEN SUCH AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU.

THANK YOU.

- PLEASE GO AHEAD.

- WELL, VALERIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT HAS BEEN MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO BE YOUR LAWYER FOR 10 YEARS.

UM, IT HAS ALSO BEEN, IT WAS ALSO MY FIRST ASSIGNMENT WHEN I CAME HERE TO THIS COUNTY, AND I VERY, VERY GLADLY REPRESENTED PROBATION.

UM, I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER THAT YOU, DANA AND I WENT TO LUNCH, UM, SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED.

AND, UM, I LEFT THE TABLE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND WHEN I CAME BACK DANA LOOKED AT ME DIFFERENTLY.

AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SAID TO HER, BUT HERE I AM [LAUGH]. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE.

[LAUGH].

- OH GOODNESS.

- THANK YOU. WELL, UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE ANY WORDS? - I THINK I WOULD JUST CLOSE MY FINAL DAY WORKING WITH JUST GRATITUDE, JUST FOR ALL THE PEOPLE YOU SEE IN THIS ROOM.

ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HERE.

I THINK I APPRECIATE THE CREDIT THAT YOU GIVE ME, BUT WHEN YOU SHARE OPPORTUNITIES WITH FOLKS AND THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AND THEY APPLY IT, AND WE CENTER THE COMMUNITY TO DO THAT, THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT.

AND I CAME INTO A DEPARTMENT THAT WAS ALREADY A MODEL SITE, AND I SAID THIS EARLIER TO OUR CHIEF, I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS ANY OTHER WAY TO DO THE WORK, RIGHT? WE HAD TO DO THE WORK THE RIGHT WAY.

AND SO I AM JUST LEAVING FULL OF JOY.

IT WAS A JOY TO COME TO WORK EVERY DAY.

SO I'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS, DO WHAT YOU LOVE, THE FACT THAT I CAN LEAVE 37 YEARS OF WORK AND I COULD HAVE COME TO WORK TOMORROW—I WON'T, BUT [LAUGH].

BUT IT WOULD'VE BEEN WITH JOY.

AND I JUST WANT TO JUST SAY I HOLD THAT BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO GRATIFYING TO WORK WITH JUST AWESOME FOLKS AND TO SEE AWESOME RESULTS HAPPEN FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO I'M JUST LEAVING WITH GRATITUDE TO ELISA AND TO NICOLE FOR HEARING MY CRAZY IDEA, JOSPHINE FOR UNDERSTANDING MY CRAZY IDEA, WHICH THE FACT THAT HE GETS HOW I THINK IS, IT'S LIKE A WHOLE NOTHER SKILL, RIGHT? [LAUGH].

SO THAT'S JUST BEEN AMAZING AND IT'S JUST TO HAVE MELODY HELP TO MAKE THINGS JUST COME TO FRUITION.

SO IT'S JUST BEEN A GREAT WORKING WITH THE TEAM AT THE CEO'S OFFICE, BUT I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU, I WORK WITH AKA TEAM AT PROBATION.

WE HAVE GREAT LEADERS.

THEY HAVE JUST A GREAT JUST DESIRE TO DO THIS WORK REALLY, REALLY WELL.

AND SO I'M PROUD TO HAVE WORKED WITH EVERYBODY AND PROUD TO HAVE WORKED FOR THIS BOARD AND PRIOR BOARDS, AND I WISH YOU ALL WELL AND I'M, I'M LEAVING WITH JOY AND GRATITUDE, SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY.

THANK YOU.

[APPLAUSE] - DON'T SIT DOWN YET.

I, I, I DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE IT VALERIE THOMPSON DAY OR GIVE YOU KEYS TO THE CITY OR ANYTHING.

BUT I CAN GIVE YOU A SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PROCLAMATION HONORING VALERIE THOMPSON ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT.

- THANK YOU.

- HEY, CHAIR MARTINEZ.

- I THINK I NEED, WE NEED TO...

I'LL, I'LL MOVE APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION.

- SECOND.

- SECOND.

- MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - PUBLIC COMMENT TOO, PLEASE.

WOULD THE, WOULD THE CHAIR, PLEASE TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT? - YEAH. [LAUGH] - I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST A PARTY.

[LAUGH].

IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? - I JUST. - PLEASE DO.

- HELLO? HELLO.

GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

UH, CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER, SANDRA MENDEZ.

I WILL KEEP THIS SHORT.

I DO WANT TO JUST CONGRATULATE OUR ASSISTANT CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER, VALERIE THOMPSON.

I DO WANNA POINT OUT A FEW, A FEW THINGS IS, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE TRUST THAT SHE PUT IN ME, UM, TO BE ABLE TO LEAD THIS DEPARTMENT.

THE CONFIDENCE, THE DRIVE, AND THE MENTORSHIP THAT SHE'S PROVIDED THESE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.

I WOULDN'T BE WHERE I'M AT TODAY, IF NOT FOR HER.

AND THEN ALSO I WANNA CONGRATULATE OUR ENTIRE TEAM.

AS SHE MENTIONED, THIS HAS ALL BEEN A TEAM EFFORT.

I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, SHE HAS, SHE WILL CONTINUE

[03:45:02]

SHE RECENTLY WENT UP, UH, TO SA-, WENT TO SACRAMENTO AND SUPPORTED AN ACT.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT VERY POPULAR AROUND THEIR ENTIRE STATE.

HOWEVER, WE NEED TO SHOW EVERYONE AROUND WHAT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IS ABOUT.

IT'S ABOUT EQUITY, INCLUSIVITY, AND REALLY SUPPORTING OUR YOUTH.

AND THAT'S WHAT VALERIE HAS DONE HER ENTIRE CAREER.

SO, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU, VALERIE, AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING HER AND CELEBRATING HER TODAY.

- THANK YOU. - MM-HMM.

- GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, MY NAME IS LIZETTE JONES.

I AM A FIELD REPRESENTATIVE FOR STATE ASSEMBLY MEMBER GAIL PELERIN.

AND I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE MOLLY FROM STATE SENATOR LAIRD'S OFFICE.

AND WE ARE HERE TO HONOR VALERIE FOR YOUR, UH, OVER, CLOSE TO 40 YEARS OF SERVICE AT THIS POINT.

UM, THESE ARE NOT THE OFFICIAL RESOLUTION YOU'LL BE RECEIVING BUT THIS SHOULD BE COMING FOR YOU IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS.

UM, SO ON BEHALF OF THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER AND THE SENATOR, WE WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, BOTH IN THE COUNTY, BUT ALSO AT THE STATE LEVEL.

- THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

- ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? MADAM CLERK? ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - FOR THE RECORD, UH, COULD WE PLEASE HAVE A RESTATING OF THE SECOND? - ME.

- OKAY.

SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- AYE.

- KOENIG - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ. - AYE.

- CUMMINGS. - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ.

- AYE. MOTION PASSES. FIVE TO ZERO.

[APPLAUSE] NOW WE GET TO TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOUR PROCLAMATION.

[LAUGH] [CROSSTALK] - GET MY PEN.

TWO MORE ITEMS. 16, 16, AND 19. DONE.

[19. Consider authorizing the issuance of a proclamation honoring Assistant County Executive Officer Elissa Benson on the occasion of her departure from the County of Santa Cruz, to be signed by all members of the Board]

COME ON UP HERE. [LAUGH] I WAS LIKE, WHERE ARE YOU? UM, IT'S MY HONOR TO NOW CALL THE NEXT SCHEDULED ITEM, WHICH IS TO CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A PROCLAMATION HONORING ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ELISA BENSON, ON THE OCCASION OF HER DEPARTURE FROM THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ, TO BE SIGNED BY ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

HI.

- HI.

- AGAIN, THESE ARE SO DIFFICULT.

I WANNA START OFF BY EXTENDING MY DEEP GRATITUDE FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE COUNTY.

UM, I FEEL LIKE I'VE SEEN HOW HARD YOU WORK BEHIND THE SCENES AND KNOW THAT EVERY ITEM THAT COMES BEFORE THIS BOARD HAS YOUR FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER IT.

AND, UM, IN A GOOD WAY.

[LAUGH] AND, UM, I, I AM SO SAD TO BE SAYING GOODBYE, BUT, UM, KNOW THAT YOU'LL, YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO IMPACT COMMUNITIES WHEREVER YOU GO.

SO, UM, ELISA BENSON HAS SERVED THE RESIDENTS OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AS ASSISTANT CEO SINCE 2018, HELPING TO GUIDE COMPLEX POLICY DECISIONS, STRENGTHEN GOVERNANCE

[03:50:01]

SPECIFICALLY, FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE CZU LIGHTNING COMPLEX FIRE, ELISA BENSON HELPED ESTABLISH THE OFFICE OF RESPONSE, RECOVERY, AND RESILIENCE AND DEVELOP THE COUNTY'S CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN, CREATING LASTING CAPACITY TO PREPARE FOR, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER FROM EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS WHILE STRENGTHENING THE COUNTY'S RESILIENCE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

ASSISTANT CEO BENSON ALSO PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE HOUSING FOR HEALTH DIVISION, HELPING CREATE A COORDINATED COUNTYWIDE APPROACH TO HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF APPROXIMATELY 25% REDUCTIONS IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

ELISA WAS NOT ONLY FEARLESS IN HER WILLINGNESS TO TACKLE LARGE AND DAUNTING PROBLEMS LIKE HOMELESSNESS AND DISASTER RECOVERY AND RESPONSE.

SHE'S ALSO BEEN A STEADFAST ADVOCATE FOR EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND DIGNITY FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, SUPPORTING POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT EXPAND OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS TO SERVICES, INCLUDING EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND STRENGTHEN ACCESS TO GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES FOR LGBTQ+ RESIDENTS DURING A PERIOD OF RISING THREATS TO THESE COMMUNITIES.

AND BY SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTY STAFF AND LEADERS, MENTORING, FOSTERING COLLABORATION ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, AND HELPING BUILD AN INTERNAL CULTURE OF INTEGRITY, SERVICE INNOVATION, AND PUBLIC STEWARDSHIP.

AS SHE WORKED TO STEWARD THE COUNTY THROUGH ITS ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM DEBT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, AND COUNTYWIDE OPERATIONS, CEO BENSON LOOKED FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO DO SO MORE EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY, PUSHING TO KEEP THE COUNTY UP TO SPEED AND ACCOUNTABLE AS WE MOVE INTO THE ERA OF AI AND WORKING TO IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES TO ENSURE THE RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC RESOURCES WHILE ADVANCING THE COUNTY'S LONG-TERM PRIORITIES.

BEYOND HER MANY PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ELISA IS ADMIRED FOR HER THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATIVE APPROACH, UNWAVERING INTEGRITY, AND DEDICATION TO IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR THE COMMUNITIES SHE SERVED.

WE WISH ASSISTANT CEO BENSON WELL AS SHE PUTS HER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE TO USE CLOSER TO FAMILY IN WASHINGTON STATE AND SADLY CONGRATULATE KING COUNTY ON THEIR EXCEPTIONAL HIRE.

[LAUGH] UM, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN SUCH A PRIVILEGE, UM, AND JOY TO WORK WITH YOU.

AND, UM, WHILE IT'S NOT IN THE SCRIPT, YOU'RE JUST FUN TO WORK WITH.

YOU, YOU, YOU MAKE REALLY HARD THINGS FUN AND A JOY AND, UM, AND GIVE US THE ENERGY THAT WE NEED TO TACKLE SOME THINGS THAT FEEL LIKE HUGE MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE.

I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES TO SEE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY FURTHER COMMENTS.

THIS TIME I'LL START THIS DIRECTION.

SUPERVISOR DE SERPA.

- I'M GONNA VOTE NO ON THIS ONE.

UH, MONICA SAID IT ALL REALLY, BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S WONDERFUL TO KNOW YOU.

I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA DO GREAT THINGS IN KING COUNTY.

UM, WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU, FORTUNATE, REALLY, TO HAVE YOU HERE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ESPECIALLY DURING COVID.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID, UH, TO HELP OUR COUNTY.

AND, UM, YOU DID SOME BIG THINGS, OR3 HOUSING FOR HEALTH.

THOSE ARE THOSE STARTING THAT FROM THE GROUND AND BUILDING THAT UP.

I'M, THOSE ARE BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND I JUST WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.

WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU.

- SUPERVISOR KOENIG.

- UH, THE FIFTH FLOOR IS JUST GONNA BE A LOT LESS FUN WITHOUT YOU, ELISA.

UM, WE WILL TRY TO MAKE DO.

I MEAN, I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO START LIKE COSTUME FRIDAYS OR SOMETHING TO LIKE MATCH THE LEVEL OF ENERGY THAT YOU BROUGHT.

UH, AND YOU'RE ALSO JUST ALWAYS A SOURCE OF TRUTH OF WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON WITH THINGS.

UM, AND I, I THINK WHAT, AS HAS BEEN SAID, THE AMAZING PART ABOUT WHO YOU ARE IS HOW YOU JUST MATCH THAT, THAT ENERGY AND EXUBERANCE AND JOY WITH HARD WORK.

SO YOU ALWAYS JUST BACK UP EVERYTHING WITH, UM, WITH YOUR OWN REPUTATION AND TIME AND ENERGY.

AND, UM, IT'S A REAL LOSS TO HAVE YOU GO AS YOU...

THE REASON YOU'RE GOING, I MEAN, TO BE CLOSER TO A CHILD IS PROBABLY THE ONE EXCUSE THAT I WOULD ACCEPT.

UM, AND SO FOR THAT REASON, I'LL VOTE AYE,

[03:55:02]

- THANK YOU. - THANKS.

- SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

- WELL, THEY SAY THE BEST PART OF ANY JOB IS, ISN'T ALWAYS THE WORK, BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH.

AND SO IT'S, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY LUCKILY, LUCKY TO WORK WITH YOU.

AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING ALL THE TOUGH DAYS, TOUGH ITEMS SURVIVABLE, AND THE GOOD DAYS GREAT.

SO THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU.

- SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

- ELISA, [LAUGHS] I WAS SO BUMMED WHEN I HEARD THAT YOU WERE GONNA BE LEAVING US, UM, ESPECIALLY 'CAUSE, YEAH, I THINK TO SOME OF THE, WHAT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN COVID OCCURRED AND HAPPENED, LIKE, THAT WAS WHEN I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH YOU, ESPECIALLY ON HOMELESSNESS.

AND IT WAS JUST SO REFRESHING TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH SOMEONE WHO GOT, WHO UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND UNDERSTOOD THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY, AND REALLY WORKED TIRELESSLY TO TRY TO GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE COULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE PEOPLE THE SERVICES AND THE SHELTER THAT THEY NEEDED SO THAT THEY COULD, UM, FEEL SAFE IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND, UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS COMING OVER TO THE COUNTY KNOWING I WAS GONNA BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU, I WAS LIKE, "THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT." LIKE, WE'RE GONNA DO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS.

AND I FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'VE BEEN SOME, SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD, BUT OVERALL, UM, THE SPIRIT THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING TO MAKING TOUGH DECISIONS, THE HONESTY, AND JUST THE CANDID NATURE OF BEING ABLE TO BE APPROACHABLE I THINK HAS MADE MY JOB THAT MUCH EASIER AND, UM, HAS MADE ME, YOU KNOW, REALLY TAKE THINGS INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS.

AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE'RE IN AGREEMENT AND SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT, BUT WE CAN STILL LOOK EACH OTHER IN THE EYE AND LAUGH, UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY.

SO, UM, SO YEAH, I'M DEFINITELY GONNA MISS YOU.

TH-, YOUR, YOUR SHOES ARE GONNA BE HARD TO FILL HERE, BUT WE'VE GOT A BIG TEAM OF FOLKS IN THIS ROOM WHO ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO KEEP THE TORCH MOVING FORWARD.

SO GOOD LUCK UP IN SEATTLE.

IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S TOO WET UP THERE, YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK DOWN HERE TO THE SUNSHINE.

UM, AND, UH, YEAH, UM, BEST OF LUCK.

HOPEFULLY WE'LL, WE'LL SEE YOU IN THE FUTURE.

- THANK YOU.

- I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO CEO COBURN.

- ALL RIGHT.

- OH, I CAN'T BELIEVE.

- AH, IT'S HARD.

UM, SO IN 2017, CARLOS BECAME CEO, AND, UM, ELISA AND I BOTH COMPETED FOR THE JOB, AND CARLOS DECIDED TO HIRE NOT ONE, BUT TWO ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

SO I MET ELISA AT OUR DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING THAT DECEMBER, AND I HAVE TO BE HONEST, I WAS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WONDERING WHO IS THIS PERSON FROM SEATTLE? HOW IS SHE GONNA FIT IN TO SANTA CRUZ? UM, WILL I WORK WELL WITH HER? YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, ANXIOUS AND SCARED ALL AND EXCITED ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

BUT, UM, THIS PAST, WHAT, ALMOST EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS NOW IT'S BEEN TRULY INCREDIBLE.

LIKE, I CAN HONESTLY SAY YOU'RE MY WORK BESTIE.

NOW IT'S VERY HARD TO THINK ABOUT YOU LEAVING NEXT WEEK.

UM, AND TOMORROW'S YOUR LAST DAY IN THE OFFICE.

UM, WE THINK MUCH THE SAME NOW IN TERMS OF IT'S ALMOST AS IF WE COULD COMPLETE EACH OTHER'S SENTENCES.

WE'RE TWO... WE HAVE TWO VERY DIFFERENT STYLES.

UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, ELISE IS VERY EXTROVERTED.

I'M MORE INTROVERTED, BUT WE COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER VERY WELL, AND WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MANY THINGS, TOO MANY DISASTERS TO EVEN NAME AT THIS POINT.

CARLOS ALWAYS HAD THE ABILITY TO GO ON VACATION EVERY TIME THERE WAS A DISASTER.

SO ELISE AND I WERE ACTING AND WORKED NEW YEAR'S IN THE EOC, CHRISTMAS IN THE EOC, MANY OTHER TIMES IN THE EOC WHEN CARLOS WAS NOT HERE.

MAYBE I SHOULD START THAT, START GOING ON VACATION.

UM, S-, UH, WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH.

THE PANDEMIC, UM, CREATE, YOU KNOW, TACKLING ALL KINDS OF INITIATIVES FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING, OPERATIONAL PLANNING, THE EQUITY WORK THAT YOU LED.

UM, IT'S... THERE ARE REALLY TOO MANY THINGS TO NAME, AND I'M GONNA MISS YOU DEARLY AND WISH YOU THE BEST IN SEATTLE WITH YOUR HUSBAND, MARK, WHO'S HERE TODAY, AND, UM, YOUR DAUGHTER, WILLOW.

AND HOPEFULLY I CAN COME VISIT YOU UP THERE.

- ABSOLUTELY. - BUT I KNOW YOU'RE ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD...

WELL, ACTUALLY, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? - CAN I [INAUDIBLE]? - GO AHEAD.

- OKAY.

- YOU GET TWO MINUTES.

- ALL RIGHT. I THINK I MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN TWO MINUTES IN ME.

UM, THANK YOU. I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE BOARD FOR THIS MOMENT AND TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE.

EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO, I CAME AS AN ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE, UH, OFFICER, READY TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE, TO BE PART OF CARLOS' NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM, ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND SOLVE PROBLEMS AND INNOVATE, AND I GOT TO DO THOSE THINGS AND SO MUCH MORE.

[04:00:01]

BUT THIS ALL GOT ME THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT HAS SORT OF PERMEATED THIS EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS, AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT'S LEARN AND ADAPT.

YOU JUST GOTTA LEARN AND ADAPT. YOU GOTTA FIND RESILIENCE.

I MEAN, I THINK THROUGH THESE MOMENTS I FOUND RESILIENCE THAT I NEVER THOUGHT I HAD, AND I THINK THAT'S THE EXPERIENCE OF SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM.

AND TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO NEED US MOST, AND WORKING HERE HAS REALLY, UM, GIVEN ME THAT OPPORTUNITY.

SO I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE BREADTH AND THE DEPTH OF THE WORK, AND THE INCREDIBLE TEAMS, UM, THAT I GOT TO BE A PART OF ALONG THIS JOURNEY.

I THINK JUSTIN STARTED IT.

IN MY FIRST TWO AND A HALF YEARS, CARLOS TAPPED ME TO TAKE ON THE HOMELESS SERVICES WORK, AND TAKE THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THE COUNTY TEAM AND OUR CITY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND WE PUT FORWARD THAT THREE-YEAR, UH, STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK, AND DID HOUSING FOR HEALTH TO CARRY IT FORWARD.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE COUNTY HAD REALLY LEANED INTO THIS MAJOR, MAJOR PUBLIC POLICY AND HUMANITARIAN CHALLENGE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I FEEL SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THAT FOUNDATIONAL WORK.

THE PANDEMIC AND CZU FIRES ASKED US TO ADAPT IN REAL TIME AND LEAD THROUGH CRISIS, WHICH LED TO BUILDING OR3, UM, SO WE'D BE READY THE NEXT TIME.

BEING A PART OF ESTABLISHING OR3 AND SUPPORTING THE OFFICE'S GROWTH AND SUCCESS IN BLUE SKIES AND IN GRAY SKIES, HAS BEEN NOTHING LESS THAN EXTRAORDINARY.

AND THEN, HECK, 2023, FIRST 90 DAYS OF 2023, STORMS PUSHED US ALL AGAIN AND WE HAD TO LEARN AND GROW AGAIN.

UM, DEVELOP THIS LEGACY WORK FOR ME WAS DEVELOPING THE COUNTY'S EQUITY STATEMENT WITH SVEN AND CARES JUSTICE BASED ON COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE AND VOICE, AND MAKING IT A PERMANENT COUNTY TOUCHSTONE THAT TO CENTER, TO BRING YOU BACK TO WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

CHAMPIONING WITH TATIANA AND DAVE REED, CAP, AND THE MEASUREMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK, SO WE COULD INTEGRATE IT INTO HOW WE THINK AND OPERATE.

AND THIS REALLY REFLECTS A SIMPLE CONVICTION: CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE LARGEST HAZARD WE HAVE.

THE WORK IS NOT EXTRA WORK, IT IS THE WORK THAT HAS TO GET FOCUSED ON.

SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE CLOSEST TO MY HEART, UH, BUILDING LASTING FACILITIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR COMMUNITY, SOUTH COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, CHILDREN'S CRISIS AND STABILIZATION CENTER, AND BRIDGE HOUSING.

I AM SO APPRECIATE THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT AND SHEPHERD THOSE TEAMS FOR SUCH INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, UM, BUILT FACILITIES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT.

AND OF COURSE, OF LATE, MY FOCUS TO SUPPORT AI AND STREAMLINE SANTA CRUZ AND RING, UM, THAT ALL COMES FROM A SHARED COMMITMENT THAT THIS ORGANIZATION, UM, NEEDS TO WORK BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ON IT, BOTH THE PUBLIC AND OUR EMPLOYEES.

SO NONE OF THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF ONE PERSON.

IT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE KNOWLEDGE, CREATIVITY, WORK ETHIC, AND DEDICATION OF THE COUNTY STAFF WORKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH MANY OF YOU, WITH COMMUNITY AND CITY PARTNERS WHO ALSO CARE AS MUCH ABOUT THIS PLACE AS WE DO, WHO ADAPTED AGAIN AND AGAIN, NEVER LOSING SIGHT OF WHO WE SERVE.

UM, I'M NOT GONNA NAME NAMES, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY, BUT MY THANKS FIRST GO OUT TO STAFF WHO I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LEADING AND LEARNING FROM.

YOU'RE THE REASON WHY WE, THIS ORGANIZATION COULD MEET EVERY ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS.

AND YOU MADE THE VERY HARD WORK ALSO A LOT OF FUN.

UM, TO MY TRUSTED COLLEAGUES ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, THANK YOU.

AND TO NICOLE, THANK YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIP AND TRUST.

TO THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO DO WORK THAT MATTERED.

UM, JUST LOOK UP, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY.

THESE JOBS ARE INCREDIBLY HARD.

UM, AND I FEEL LUCKY AND HONORED THAT I GOT TO DO IT EVERY DAY, BUT THEY'RE DEMANDING, AND NOBODY KNOWS THAT MORE THAN ALL OF YOUR FAMILIES.

SO MY LAST AND DEEPEST THANKS GOES TO THAT GUY, MARK BRANNAN, MY PARTNER, MY BEST FRIEND, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

HE'S THE ONE WHO SUSTAINS ME, SETS ME UP TO ACTUALLY LIVE OUT MY VALUES OF EQUITY AND RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY,

[04:05:02]

NONE OF THIS WORK IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT SOMEONE HOLDING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE STEADY WHILE YOU GIVE YOURSELF TO THE WORK.

SO MARK, THANK YOU FOR THAT GIFT EVERY SINGLE DAY.

TO THE BOARD, COUNTY TEAM, COMMUNITY, AND THIS COUNTY, THANK YOU.

SANTA CRUZ HAS BEEN MY HOME FOR ALMOST NINE YEARS.

I LIVE FULL AND GRATEFUL. THANK YOU.

- WE'LL NOW OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT.

- HI. ME AGAIN. UM, DO I NEED TO STATE MY NAME FOR THE RECORD? I'M LIZETTE JONES.

I'M FROM ASSEMBLY MEMBER PELLERIN'S OFFICE, AND MOLLY AGAIN.

UM, ON BEHALF OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER PELLERIN AND SENATOR LAIRD, WE WANTED TO PRESENT YOU WITH A RESO, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE RESOLUTION WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE TODAY AT 1:00 P.M.

IT HAS NOT SHOWN UP.

CHANCES ARE IT'S GONNA SHOW UP WHILE WE'RE UP HERE.

THAT'S HOW USPS WORKS.

SO ON BEHALF OF THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER AND THE SENATOR, WE WANNA HONOR YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR TIME, AND WE ALSO WANNA COMMEND THE COUNTY OF, UH... IS IT KING COUNTY? YEAH, KING COUNTY FOR PICKING UP SUCH A GREAT PERSON WHO'S GONNA BRING SOME SANTA CRUZ SPIRIT UP TO WASHINGTON STATE.

AND I ALSO WANNA PERSONALLY THANK YOU.

THE FEW TIMES THAT DAVE REED WAS OUT OF TOWN, TOWN FOR AN EMERGENCY, YOU ALWAYS CALLED ME EARLY IN THE MORNING SO I COULD MAKE SURE THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER WAS UP TO DATE SO WE KNEW WHETHER WE NEEDED TO GET INVOLVED.

SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING...

FOR HELPING US AT THE STATE LEVEL BE IN STEP WITH THE COUNTY PARTNERS.

AND I HAVE A COLLEAGUE WHO WANTS TO TAKE A PHOTO. SORRY.

- ANY FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE CHAMBERS? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- GREAT. I'LL NOW ACCEPT A MOTION.

- I'LL MAKE, I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTION.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ.

MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ? - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

- ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULAR MEETING AGENDA.

IT IS NOT RUDE FOR YOU TO STAND UP AND WALK OUT AT THIS TIME.

ALL RIGHT. WE'LL NOW RECONVENE FOR ITEM NUMBER 15,

[15. Hold public hearing to consider County Service Area (CSA) 48, CSA 48 2020 and CSA 4 Fire Protection special benefit assessment charge reports for Fiscal Year 2026-27, and take related actions]

- WE DID THAT ONE. WAS MISSING.

- ...2020,

[04:10:01]

WELCOME.

- THANK YOU.

THAT'S A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW.

- NO KIDDING. GOOD LUCK.

- GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

MY NAME IS KIMBERLY FINLEY.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF GENERAL SERVICES, AND TODAY I HAVE WITH ME CHIEF JED WILSON OF COUNTY FIRE.

UM, TODAY WE REQUEST THE BOARD CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY26, '27 SPECIAL BENEFIT ASSESSMENT CHARGE REPORTS FOR COUNTY SERVICE AREA 48, CSA 48, 2020, AND CSA 4.

UPON CONCLUSION, WE REQUEST THE BOARD ADOPT THE RESOLUTIONS CONFIRMING THE BENEFIT ASSESSMENT CHARGE REPORTS.

THE CSA 48 COUNTY FIRE RATES INCLUDE TWO SEPARATE SPECIAL BENEFIT ASSESSMENTS, THE 1997 CSA 48 ASSESSMENT AND THE 2020 CSA 48 ASSESSMENT.

FOR FY26, '27, BOTH PROPOSED CSA SPECIAL BENEFIT ASSESSMENTS REFLECT THE ALLOWED CPI ADJUSTMENT OF 2.18%.

THE 1997 ASSESSMENT WILL INCREASE FROM $97.18 PER FIRE FLOW UNIT TO $99.30, AN INCREASE OF $2.12 PER FIRE FLOW UNIT.

THE 2020 ASSESSMENT WILL INCREASE FROM $172.71 TO $176.48 PER SINGLE FAMILY EQUIVALENT, AN INCREASE OF $3.77.

FOR CSA 4, PAJARO DUNES, THE PROPOSED RATE IS $1,666.47 PER FIRE FLOW UNIT AND PER DURATION BENEFIT UNIT, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF $35.55 OVER THE ADJUSTED FY25, '26 RATES.

THE RATE INCREASES WOULD RESULT IN ESTIMATED REVENUE INCREASES OF APPROXIMATELY $40,500 FOR CSA 4, $32,000 FOR CSA 48, 1997, AND $36,000 FOR CSA 48, 2020.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE NOW REQUEST THAT THE BOARD CONDUCT THE PUBLIC HEARING.

- THANK YOU. I WILL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE CHAMBERS WHO'S HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I'LL NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD FOR, UH, ACTION.

- I'LL MOVE THE RECOMMENDED ACTION.

- SECOND.

- ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO OUR FINAL ITEM OF THE REGULAR AGENDA,

[16. Consider approving in concept an “Ordinance Amending Section 2.46.060 of the Santa Cruz County Code Regarding Officers of the Civil Service Commission”, and take related actions]

CONSIDER APPROVING IN CONCEPT AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 2.46.060 OF THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CODE REGARDING OFFICERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND TAKE RELATED ACTIONS.

HI, AND WELCOME.

- SORRY, I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE BEFORE. IT'S CUT OFF.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR MARTINEZ AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

THE ITEM BEFORE YOU TODAY IS TO CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE CHANGES FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE RECOMMENDING TWO-YEAR TERMS FOR THE ROLE OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR INSTEAD OF ONE YEAR, AND THE ABILITY TO SERVE CONSECUTIVE TERMS WITHOUT A SIT-OUT PERIOD, SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE COMMISSION.

THESE CHANGES, WHICH ARE SUPPORTED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONERS, WILL ENSURE CONTINUITY, CONSISTENCY, AND STABILITY IN THE LEADERSHIP ROLES.

THAT ENDS MY COMMENTS, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

AND I FORGOT TO TELL YOU WHO I AM.

I'M AJITA PATEL, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR.

- THANK YOU, DIRECTOR PATEL.

UM, WE WILL NOW GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.

IS THERE ANYONE HERE IN THE CHAMBERS WHO WISHES TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE PHONE? - NO SPEAKERS ONLINE, CHAIR.

- THANK YOU. I WILL RETURN TO THE BOARD.

- SO MOVED.

- SECOND.

- WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SUPERVISOR HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND FROM SUPERVISOR CUMMINGS.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? - SUPERVISOR DESERPA? - AYE.

- KOENIG? - AYE.

- HERNANDEZ? - AYE.

- CUMMINGS? - AYE.

- AND MARTINEZ. - AYE.

MOTION PASSES FIVE TO ZERO.

[04:15:02]

[Adjournment]

- NO, THERE WAS NOT. THANK YOU.

- THANK YOU. WE WILL NOW ADJOURN OUR MEETING AT 2:45 P.M.

THANK YOU.

- SEE YOU IN AUGUST.

- SEE YOU IN AUGUST.

- RECORDING STOPPED.

[END]

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.