Board of Supervisors — 2026-02-10

Good morning, everybody. I call to order the February 10, 2026 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

So moved.

Second. Motion from Capps, second by Lee. A roll call vote.

Motion passes unanimously.

Our next item of business is the CEO's report.

Thank you. Good morning Chair Nelson and board members. This morning I'm pleased to share the final video of the county's 175th anniversary series. As you know, the county was established on February 18, 1850, so our birthday is in a few days, and this video series, as you know, has explored the milestones of the county, the creation of the courthouse, development of North County communities, History of our Indigenous Population and other important videos. The full series is available in English and Spanish on the county's YouTube channel, CSB TV. The video also airs on channel 20 throughout the week. Today's video offers a special look, appropriately, at the history of county government through our legislative record and there's a special guest in there and you might recognize her.

Welcome to Santa Barbara County, a place with immense natural beauty and rich history. Founded in 1850 as one of California's original counties. Join us as we acknowledge the 175th anniversary of the County of Santa Barbara.

Chair Nelson and members of the board, I do have a few announcements this morning. Administrative item number 16 is from the County Health Department. The Office of the Clerk of the Board is the official record keeper for the County Board of Supervisors from all the minutes from 1850 to present day today. We are the only county in the state of California that has all of their records available online. The credit really needs to go to former 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr and former Chief Deputy Clerk of the Board Mike Allen. They really spearheaded that project and solidified funding in order to scan, digitize, and archive those and work with UCSB Special Collections and the library at UCSB to store those older records of ours. So what we have here is the very first minute book for the County of Santa Barbara.

You can see the years are 1850 to 1863 and they're currently all housed in the UCSB Special Collections here at the library at UCSB, but we have digitized all of these original minute books and they're available online.

So really any member of the public can do their research.

Exactly. So any member of the public, county department, a researcher across the globe can research our archives. These records bring to life the history makers who have shaped Santa Barbara County. This includes Joaquin Carrillo and Pablo de la Guerra, who were influential Spanish families who settled in Santa Barbara County. It is always interesting to look through these books and see the history that has made our county what it is today. From building a beach club in Montecito to renaming our National Forest from the Santa Barbara National Forest to Los Padres National Forest.

And here in our 175th year, we are making our own history with a beautiful new ceremonial resolution and transitioning to fully digital processing of board items and record keeping, which expedites everything for the public and county departments. The Clerk of the Board has a public facing window for anyone who needs to do business with the Clerk of the Board's office. Another great feature we have here in Santa Barbara and in Santa Maria is our Clerk of the Board kiosks have access to all of our digital records for anyone who might not have access to the internet.

So going through these historical minutes, it's always neat to find our county history and how we started, starting from the very beginning where our county was presided over by three judges and now today we have five elected officials. These records are an amazing window into our past and help us understand where we come from and who we are today.

That concludes our report and I hope that we can send that to Doreen Farr and Mike Allen as a special thanks. They are the ones who got this going. Thanks.

Well, thank you. Excellently done. Madam Clerk, are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, I do have a few announcements this morning. An addendum was posted on Friday, February 6, 2026, adding administrative item number 21 to today's agenda. Administrative item number 21 is being added to today's agenda. It is from the clerk recorder assessor regarding a record retention schedule for the clerk recorder division. This addition included in the addendum has been posted and made available online to both the board and the public.

Additionally, we received a continuance request from the Department to continue Departmental Item No. 1 to the March 10, 2025 meeting. Departmental Item No. 1 is from the Planning and Development Department. It is a hearing to consider recommendations regarding the approval and adoption of Case No. 22, GPA 3, the environmental justice element. And lastly, for information on the Board of Supervisors' methods of public participation and instructions on how to provide public comment on items listed on today's agenda or during general public comment, please refer to page 2 of the agenda. Individuals that would like to provide verbal public comment may do so via Zoom by registering in advance via the link available on page 2.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Board's Office at 805-568-2240. Again, that number is 805-568-2240. 568-2240. And please note that the board may act on the request to continue departmental item number one regarding the environmental justice element either at this time or following general public comment when the board transitions to the departmental agenda as we have no request to speak on that item. And that concludes my announcements for today.

All right, thank you, Madam Clerk, and just for a note for the public, on today's agenda, we'll be adding the March 10th meeting to our calendar, so that's, I believe, item A8, just to reflect the moving of departmental item number one to that new board date. At that time, we'll also be canceling the March 17th meeting, just for those of you on the public tracking the Board of Supervisors. So, Madam Clerk, do we have any items that have been pulled from the public?

Cheryl Nelson and members of the Board, we have a request from the public on Administrative Item Number 10.

Okay. All right, I'll go ahead and take a motion from the Board to adopt the Administrative Item, Administrative Items except for Item A-10. Also in that motion, if we can go ahead and continue Departmental Item Number 1 to March 10th. Make that motion. Okay, motion from Supervisor Lavagnino. Second. Second by Lee. Madam Clerk, may I have a roll call vote, please?

Motion passes unanimously.

All right, let's go ahead and read item A-10 into the record. Oh, I'm sorry. No, let's go ahead and we're gonna move on to our honorary resolutions. Let's start with A-1 and then we'll come back to A-10 after that.

Chair Nelson and members of the board, administrative item number one is sponsored by Supervisor Capps and Supervisor Hartmann. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming February 2026 as Black History Month in Santa Barbara County. And joining us in person today, we have Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, President of the Santa Maria Lompoc NAACP, Connie Alexander, President of the Santa Barbara NAACP and Co-Executive Director of Gateway Educational Services, and Audrey Gamble, Co-Executive Director of Gateway Services.

Whereas February is nationally recognized as Black History Month, a time to honor the history, legacy, and contributions of African Americans and people of African descent to the strength and character of our nation and local communities. And whereas the 2026 National Theme for Black History Month, A Century of Black History Commemorations, marks the 100th year legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson's establishment of Negro History Week through the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, ASALH.

a milestone in promoting the study and public recognition of African American history. And whereas Dr. Woodson's work laid the foundation for broadening public understanding that Black history is American history and that the stories, struggles, and achievements of African Americans must be preserved, shared, and celebrated. And whereas local organizations play a vital role in sustaining Black history, culture, and civic engagement, including the Santa Barbara Black Culture House, which showcases Black artistry, history, and activism, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committees of Santa Barbara and Lompoc, which organizes annual events honoring civil rights legacies, the Juneteenth Santa Barbara, which celebrates emancipation and community heritage, Healing Justice Santa Barbara, which advances racial equity, historical preservation, and community empowerment.

Gateway Educational Services, whose mission centers on providing equity through educational intervention in reading, math, and writing to help students reach the dream of attending college, and the Santa Maria Lompoc and Santa Barbara branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, who continues a 117-year-old tradition of advocating to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights.

Thank you. and uplift voices across generations, strengthening Santa Barbara County's civic life, cultural heritage, and collective future. Now, therefore, be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara does hereby proclaim February 2026 as Black History Month in Santa Barbara County and encourages all residents to join in appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities honoring the theme, A Century of Black History Commemorations, passed and adopted today.

Good morning Chair Nelson and board members. LaWanda Lyons Pruitt, President of the Santa Maria Lompoc branch of the NAACP, NAACP, proudly standing on the shoulders of my ancestors and my roots from Boca Cheta, Mississippi, Thank you so much for the resolution. You all know my history. I've said it enough. I won't say it again. It will be in the Santa Maria Times, though, if you would like to read it.

In February, we all know that black history is American history. 365 days of the year, 7 days a week. But that was not the case years ago. And we celebrate not because it's about not recognizing and taking a look at the harm that slavery, racism, and oppression of Black people cause, but it's our history. As my friend Wendy says, Black history is American history 365 days of the year.

And when we celebrate, we honor and remember the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future. I would just like to make an announcement on some of the celebrations. Santa Barbara Black Culture House celebration on Sunday, February 15th. They are having a panel discussion about Dr. Carter G. Woodson, featuring Aaron Jones and James Joyce III. It will be at the CEC Hub at 1219 States Street.

in Santa Barbara, and I believe all the time is one o'clock. Then Hill Injustice, Santa Barbara, February 1st through the 28th, their community exhibition is Santa Barbara City College is hosting Umanja Black History Timeline at 60 East Anapamu in Santa Barbara. They have a field trip to an HBCU Fair and Expo in Pomona on February 14th. And on February 21st at 4, there's a book signing at Santa Barbara Eastside Branch of the Public Library.

And then, of course, Santa Maria, Lompoc. We have to have our Black History Celebrations. We're down to two now instead of three. Thank goodness. We will be in Lompoc on Sunday the 15th at Lompoc Public Library at 2 p.m. And then on Sunday the, excuse me, Saturday the 21st from 12 to 5, we will be at Allan Hancock College. Superior Court Judge Annabelle Denise Hippett is our keynote speaker on the 21st and then on the 15th we have our very own City of Guadalupe Chief Michael Cash will be our speaker.

Thank you for being one of our sponsors, our partners I should say, also to Allan Hancock College and then all of our other partners. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Good morning Chair Nelson, Supervisors, Connie Alexander from the Santa Barbara NAACP. It was so nice to see the historical video this morning and as I think about that with regard to the history of the black community in Santa Barbara County, just a reminder of where we've come from that we Certainly don't want to in any way return to, right? And so I think about the histories of what is now called the funk zone that was the traditional and was the largest part of the African American community in Santa Barbara itself and now has been reduced to more like, you know, retail art space. But please remember that there were families there and those families were there due to some of the redlining history in our county. The families I think of that were a part of the Mesa district that were again redlined and not allowed to buy housing.

And so I just want to kind of remind us that we, the point is to keep moving forward, right? That we don't want to return to that. And so this morning I think about the priorities of health. for Women. On April 25th, the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Lompoc NAACP will be sponsoring a Black Women's Health Equity Day to talk about how the urgency of black women's health, heart health, mental health, all of those things. So just remember that there are organizations out here that we are doing the work.

We are doing the work. And so thank you for this opportunity and thank you for this resolution.

You're welcome.

Good morning councilmembers. I would also like to echo the sentiments of my colleagues here. My name is Audrey Gamble, cofounder of Gateway Educational Services and we started this nonprofit learning center almost 20 years ago in Santa Barbara and it is because of the shoulders that we stand on. from our ancestors that we've been able to continue our work, not just in Santa Barbara, but we have opened up a learning center in Lompoc as well. We serve students throughout the county. So I just want to thank you for the recognition and the resolution. We greatly appreciate your support. Thank you, Ms. Campbell.

Supervisor Capps.

I just wanted to thank you for being here and thank the colleagues for support of this resolution. My partner in this resolution, Supervisor Hartmann in Santa Barbara today. And you mentioned the fact that this isn't just about Black History Month, but the work that goes on 365 days a year. And I just want to acknowledge the work that you do 365 days a year. We just came off such a glorious Martin Luther King Day celebration that you all, and so many others, put so much work into. And I just want to acknowledge that work, the way in which you keep alive the black history here in Santa Barbara County, but really the way in which you're building the future of the black community here in Santa Barbara. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

you

so

much. Thank you, Supervisor Capps. Supervisor Hartmann wants to make some comments from Santa Barbara. Supervisor Hartmann?

Thank you, Chair Nelson. Well, I just wanted to join the chorus in appreciating the NAACP and how significant it has been in Santa Barbara County in really creating celebrations that we can all participate in and learn more about black history. And a call out to the Gateway. They're working actively in Lompoc and focusing on STEM education and I think it's going to really have tremendous long-term impacts.

I just wanted to say also in this moment in our country, What really resonated with me was you're talking about standing on the shoulders that preceded you. And that is really true with all of us. And for that, you have to know your history. You have to understand your history. And black history really matters. Truth matters. And a democracy strong enough to endure must be brave enough to remember. So, thank you.

Thank you, Supervisor Hartmann. And thank you all.

And I would also like to mention that Supervisor Hartmann will be joining us on Sunday the 15th. Thank you. Thank

you. All right, we're gonna go ahead and move back to our administrative agenda. Item A-10. Madam Clerk, will you please read that into the record?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, administrative item number 10 is from the General Services Department. It is to consider recommendations regarding the North Branch Jail Expansion Project award agreement for services of independent contractor for construction management. Project number 23040. This is in the 5th district and requires a four-fifths vote. And we have three requests to speak from the public on this item.

And we'll go ahead and begin on Zoom with Graham Neiman. Then we will go to Santa Barbara with Maureen Earls. Graham?

Yeah, if I may.

Before we go to public comment, we're going to go ahead and actually Supervisor Capps hold this one and give her an opportunity to make comment at this time.

Yeah, thank you. I pulled this and I hope it gets clarified after we hear from public comment and we can hear from the relevant staff. I think it's really important when it comes to expansion of the Northwest, of the North Jail, that we understand what this is for. It's a big ticket item of five million dollars and my understanding, and I hope that that is clarified for the public, that this is just for the firm. It's just basically the company that would do the work, not necessarily the scope. And so decisions on the size aren't being made today but again I want that to be clarified very loudly and clearly so that people understand that and so many people have been watching this very closely and a board that is, to be blunt, not totally set on what that size and scope is.

So that's my reason for polling it today and so we'll hear from the public but then come back to staff to affirm that my assumption is correct as I read the materials. Thank you.

All right, thank you Supervisor Capps. Madam Clerk?

We will now go to Zoom with Graham Neiman and then we will return to Santa Barbara with Maureen Earls. Graham?

Hi, good morning, everyone. I want to express my opposition to any type of expansion. From what I understand, it seems like the supervisors are still, you know, deciding on what the scope of this might look like. And I just want to make sure that we have in mind that We need to, before thinking about expanding and increasing the capacity of the jail, is to address misuse of funds, which we think are coming from the sheriff's office.

And also recognizing that the financial problems that do exist in the county right now, I think that it's irresponsible for us to be investing in an expansion of the jail. I do understand that some changes are required to the jail, but I think that these should not take the form of expansion and much less expanding capacity. And even to have the changes that will take place Concord with the Murray case, I think what we should be seeing is reducing the jail population. I think that there's many different ways to do this, and I'm confident that the supervisors are competent enough to explore and address these options in a way that could be really effective for our county.

And I think that an unaffordable expansion and increasing jail capacity is not going to be helpful for this. So what I want to highlight is to not Increase the spending for this jail and first think about fixing this mismanagement, especially from the Sheriff's Office, who seem to be mismanaging funds, and think about the other ways that the jail population can be reduced before attempting to expand the jail.

Thank

you, Mr. Nieman.

We will now go to Santa Barbara with Maureen Earls, then we will return here in Santa Maria with Larry Barrett. Maureen?

Thank you. Good morning, Supervisors. I'm speaking on the agenda item to approve funding for a project manager for the new North Branch jail design. I want to be clear at the onset. A project manager is needed whether the county ultimately builds a 1.0 or a 1.5 housing unit expansion. Strong management matters. What matters just as much are the values and priorities that guide what that manager is asked to manage.

Today, people are being held in our jails who do not need to be there, people delayed because the county is not meeting public defender staffing standards, People waiting in custody for court-ordered treatment or program placements that are not yet available, and people booked on misdemeanors later rejected for lack of evidence. These are system failures that cause real harm. They do not require more jail beds. They require implementation, funding, and accountability.

Since your April vote, you have received jail reduction recommendations, showing that population reductions are achievable. What the community has not yet seen is an updated CEO analysis grounded in a proposed implementation plan for the jail reduction solutions you have already accepted and showing how those actions affect the jail size actually needed. That clarity matters not only for justice, but to protect the county's safety net for critical needs.

Avoiding the additional $146 million tied to the .5 housing unit could instead help preserve funding for mental health care, substance use treatment, housing supports, and other essential services now at risk. We should fix the system first, not spend $146 million building around its failures. If you approve this manager position today, I urge you to do so with clear direction that the CEO return promptly with a public analysis comparing a 1.5 and a 1.0 housing unit option grounded in a proposed implementation plan.

Leadership here means managing towards solutions that reduce harm first, protect the safety net, and build only what is truly needed. Thank you.

We will now return to Santa Maria with Larry Barrett. Larry?

Before I speak, I want to make sure is Primitiva Hernandez also on the list of speakers?

Chair Nelson, members of the board, I do not see her listed today. There is one member of the public with their hand raised, Anna Garcia, who has signed up for departmental item number two regarding the sheriff's overtime report.

If there's an issue with Primitiva speaking, I would cede my time to her. She did

submit a slip. She's not logged in. We

don't do ceding of time. It's your moment to speak and go ahead and provide public comment. I think her slip might be in that

box. Thank you. Chair Nelson, Supervisors, I'm Larry Barrett with Indivisible Santa Barbara. A proud member of the 805 Immigrant Coalition, I ask you to postpone signing the Professional Services Agreement for construction of North County Jail Expansion. I'll put this succinctly. The proposal before you asks you to spend money you don't have towards construction of a project larger than you need, to be run by a sheriff struggling to manage existing operations, all the satisfied plaintiffs in the Murray case who said expansion is the opposite of what they want.

It's hard to imagine a more perfect storm of what the hell than we have here. Jail expansion supposedly flows from the remedial plan under the Murray litigation. But this plan calls for jail population reduction and not the maintenance or increase of jail bed capacity. Council, from where we plaintiffs have said, it's likely the county won't be able to staff a jail expansion or provide the treatment required there. And they promised further legal action in that event.

So the proposed expansion threatens to increase the county's legal risk, just the opposite of what the county says it wants. The Murray Plain has expressed this skepticism before we learned of the waste and fraud in the Sheriff's Office. Now is not the time to give the Sheriff more facilities to manage. Finally, we've heard about impending cuts in the County's budget. Cuts you've described as grim, bleak, tough, and painful.

We deserve that you consider this $5 million in the context of those cuts. What are you going to slash from the budget to fund the spending? Who's going to go without food, be left homeless, and without health care? Here's a fair warning. If the county has money today to pay $5 million plus to a jail architect, they will expect the money to be there in June.

for the poor and the hungry. So don't plan on pleading poverty then when you tell us you can afford this expenditure today. The sensible thing, wait to consider this contract as part of adoption of next year's budget. Take the time to consider cost-effective alternatives to jail expansion. Make it clear that nothing you say or do today will preclude you from approving a smaller project down the road.

and postpone the spending until you have the money to pay for it. Slow this down for the sake of a rational and budget sensitive approach to this problem. Thank you. Thank you.

And Chair Nelson, members of the board, we did have a few additional requests to speak on this item. We are going to remain here in Santa Maria with Primitiva Hernandez. Then we will go back to Zoom with Ana Garcia and Gina Juarez. And just a heads up to our members on Zoom, we did just get notification that you signed up for departmental item number 2 regarding the Sheriff Overtime Report. That is not this item. This is administrative item number 10.

regarding the North Branch Jail Expansion Project from the General Services Department, so I just want to ensure that your comments are related to that item. Thank you. Primitiva?

Good morning, Chair Nelson and Board of Supervisors. My name is Primitiva Hernandez and I'm the Executive Director of 805 UndocuFund. We're the convener of the 805 Immigrant Coalition across the Tri-County region. And today I'm here on behalf of nearly 200 people representing different sectors from the faith-based community to some elected officials, to advocacy, and also grassroots organizations that have been working on the ground on a daily basis.

And to ask that you take very careful consideration when looking at what this item means to the community, especially in a time that we know you're going to need to be making difficult decisions around budget items. And as some of the speakers have said, we're expecting cuts. And some of those programs are going to be very difficult decisions to make. When you are expanding a jail, you're going to have to I have a brother that's been in jail multiple times. Started with substance abuse and then that led to a life of crime.

So if treatment had been available I think people would take I also have other family members that have been able to get sober. So if you implement systems and programs that help people instead of keeping them in jail, there's alternatives. You're going to revise budget items and you're going to need to make difficult decisions on behalf of everyone in Santa Barbara County.

So I ask that you take into consideration the very difficult road that you have ahead of you for this year and not only for this year. Um, future years because there's going to be state cuts, federal cuts that are going to be impacting programs around food, around housing, and when we come back again, what is going to be the response? That there is no funding, but there was funding for jail.

And I hope that we don't, we don't get those responses. And, um, Lastly, there's going to be some information, some follow-up that we're going to be sending over around multiple decisions that have been made around different budget items for the jail, for the sheriff's office, because it is your responsibility to look at all those items and question how our taxpayer dollar are being spent in Santa Barbara County and if this is what we believe in as a county and the great majority says no. Thank you.

We will now go back to Zoom with Anna Garcia to be followed by Stephanie Forrester and Chelsea Lancaster. Anna?

Hello. My name is Anna Garcia and I am here to oppose the passing of this jail expansion funding. As has been noted by all of the speakers today, we don't need to expand a jail. We are struggling budgetarily and the people want our tax dollars to come back to the things that we want and we need. Expanding a jail, as Primi said, means that you will have to fill the jail. And I know for some of the fascists in charge, that's exactly what they want, but we the people do not want that anymore.

Y'all are always talking about how we don't collaborate and we come in with ideas, but don't ever help with the follow-through, right, Lavagnino? We're telling you right now, save that money and redistribute it to programs that actually keep people out of jail. So we don't need that. Additionally, There needs to be consideration for the fact that this will likely be misspent and that we will need to address this with legal representation at some point. So the costs will continue to grow. The projections will continue to grow. We do not have capacity or need to expand jail at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Garcia.

We will now go to Stephanie Forrester to be followed by Chelsea Lancaster. Stephanie. Hi. Hi. Stephanie, can you please mute the meeting on your end? Stephanie, if you can please mute the meeting on your end to provide your comments. Alrighty, we are going to Chelsea Lancaster and then we will return to Stephanie Forrester. And Stephanie, if you wouldn't mind just muting all streaming devices before we return to you, that would be greatly appreciated. Chelsea Lancaster?

Hello, Board of Supervisors community. I'm here, as I always am, in strong opposition of the continued moral and fiscal bankrupting of our county at the hands of Sheriff Bill Brown. As Ruth Wilson Gilmore taught us, abolition means not just the tearing down of jails and prisons, but the construction of life-affirming systems. What we're facing in our county is the defunding and devaluation of life-affirming systems, of our healthcare systems, of food, of all the basic necessities of our social services, All the basic necessities and life-affirming systems that actually keep people out of jails and prisons.

In the context of Black History Month, I really wish that we would listen deeply to the Black women who have warned us over and over again about the very police state that we have created. Angela Davis taught us that jails and prisons do not fix social problems, they disappear them. And again, this is just so fiscally irresponsible. This is the one thing that y'all can do is to hold this sheriff accountable. And if you keep telling us that you can't hold him accountable because he's a constitutionally elected employee, then please provide us with some kind of pathway or advisement on how we can change that.

This is just absolutely ridiculous to even suggest this, given the number of lawsuits, the number of payouts, not just for all of the people that have died in the jail, but the people in our community that have died at the hands of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department, also on our streets, and their ongoing collusion and cooperation with ICE. Please find a way to stop this, get creative, and center again the robust needs of the community so we can build life-affirming systems and keep each other safe. Thank you.

We will now return to Stephanie Forrester, then we will go to Gina Juarez. Stephanie?

Are you able to hear me?

Yes, we can. Please proceed.

Good morning. My name is Stephanie Forrester. I am a Santa Barbara County resident and I'm also a mother who lost her child to fentanyl. My comments relate to Sheriff's Office overtime and uses reports and the crisis respond items on today's agenda. I want to say clearly that I support the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Deputy does not create the fentanyl crisis. They responded to it after prevention, education, and early intervention had failed.

Project Opiate was implemented under the leadership of Sheriff Bill Brown to address fentanyl through enforcement coordination that works matters. But without sustaining enforcement and following through across systems, no program can be successful. As the board reviews To overtime overage, I ask that the data be evaluated with contents. Overtime exists because deputies are responding to overdoses, mental health crisis, and emergencies that occur after prevention has been broken. These numbers don't exist in isolation. In 12 days, it will be my For four years since my son died, February 22nd, 22, and he was 22 years old.

For families like mine, there are ongoing issues and they are urgent. What's difficult for me as a parent is to see the Sheriff's Department to continue to carry the consequences while other systems remain unimplemented. Fentanyl education in our junior high school and high school is still inconsistent. Preventive efforts lag. Behavioral health and housing programs remain stretched beyond capacity. I'm asking the board to look at this holistically, to support the Sheriff's Department with the fairness and the contents to ensure the enforcement and the follow through.

Initiatives like Project Opiate could actually prevent loss and not just respond to it.

Thank you Ms. Forster. I believe that was actually a comment for departmental item number two but we will take that into the record and make sure that we take that in consideration. So thank you for being here and we're sorry for your loss.

And Chair Nelson, members of the board, we have two additional requests to speak on A-10 and just a reminder to the public who have requested to speak on this item. This is from the General Services Department regarding the Northern Branch Jail Expansion Project and not the Sheriff Overtime Report. We will now go to...

Madam Clerk, before you do that, I'm gonna go ahead and close public comment on A-10 just in case. Great. So we're gonna go ahead and close that so we can finish up this item and eventually get to our departmental item where I think it's most people want to speak on.

We will now go to Gina Quarez to be followed by Kim Cochran. Gina?

Good morning Chair Nelson and members of the Board of Supervisors. I actually wanted to comment on departmental item number 2.

Great. We will add your name to departmental item number 2. Thank you. And our final request to speak on A10 is Kim Cochran. Kim? Oh, Kim has left our meeting. So that concludes our request to speak on Administrative Item Number 10. All

right. All right. Back to the Board for questions or additional comments. Supervisor Capps, please.

Thank you. I just wanted to go back to my initial statement and comments. It would be helpful to just explain what is this contract for? What's the scope? Does this relate to the size of the expansion? Does this bind us to the size of the expansion? Go

ahead.

Good morning Chair Nelson, Board of Supervisors, Diana Estorga, Capital Division Chief, General Services, Capital Division, Supervisor Capps through the Chair. This is to award the construction management services for the oversight of the design-build process.

Right, I understand that, thank you. But does it, in the contract itself, does it clarify, does it bind us to, I'm on record, in support of the minimal size of the expansion, which is one pod. Does it clarify within the size of this contract that the board is being asked to vote on, the size of the expansion?

There is no direct correlation between the number of pods and the cost of the contract, but the proposal that was submitted for it was based off of the determination by the board to proceed with one and a half pods.

Supervisors, thank you Ms. Storgum. Wade Horton's Assistant CEO, and we apologize that Kirk Lagerquist is on jury duty, so he's not able to be here, but Wade.

Supervisor Capps, to answer your question directly, no, there's not a correlation between 1 and 1.5 pods. The construction manager is important because it's important that they be, they're part of the process of the design-build process as we're evaluating, we bring them on board usually with the design-build process, so they're part of the evaluation of the competing firms and that's why it's important to bring them on today, but there's not, Making this decision today does not lock in whether we're going to proceed with one or 1.5 bods. That discussion is going to be brought back in April for your board to consider, and we have the construction manager, as I mentioned before, they're going to be part of the process to select the design-build team, which will be brought back to your board in June.

Okay I with due respect I just got two different answers though and I just don't want to get to the point and I've been an elected official long enough that sometimes inertia takes over and then you get told oh it's hard to pull it back and so I am I'm not going to support something that that does lock us in and I want to be crystal clear this is a big contract it's for a lot of money it says up to five million dollars it's not up to me to read every initial of the contract, but it is up to me to vote for it. So I just want to be very clear that if I am to support this, and you do need four of us to do so, I understand the need to get somebody in place, and the point was made to slow this down. We have slowed this down for years, so I don't want to continue to do that.

But I also want to make sure that we are not locking in something that has not yet been fully locked in by this board.

Definitively, this does not lock in whether we proceed with one or one and a half pods by approving this construction management contract today.

Thank you for that answer. And so also, too, does this include the cost of rehabbing the Northwest space, which is confusing to say, but that is in the South County Jail.

No, this action today does not include the costs of rehabbing the Northwest space. This is just for the construction management contract.

Okay, I got a different answer when I posed that to General Services earlier in the week. That that was part of the camp, that that was again staff to staff, but that it was, that this contract was part, that this contract included a cost analysis. of rehabbing the Northwest space in the main jail?

No, it does not. Okay. Can I have one minute to convey with staff, please? Yes, certainly. Through the chair.

Yep, absolutely. And maybe I kind of have a question for CO Miyasato while they're talking. What is board direction right now? Because I think we It sounds like there might be an off-ramp in April, but I do think we, and I understand there's some supervisors that want to change what was voted on, but there was a vote to move forward with one-and-a-half pods. I know that some of us wanted two pods, and some of us wanted one, and I think we settled in on one-and-a-half.

Thank you to the Chair Nelson. Yes, the board had directed staff to proceed with one and a half pods. The board also was interested in a study to see what would it be the cost to look at parts of the existing South County Jail, which is called Northwest, and to look at what's that cost. That work of, I think what Supervisor Capps is referring to, the work to evaluate Whether that could be fully made ADA compliant and renovated and the cost of that and doing a cost comparison, that's proceeding right now. And we would hope to bring something back to the board in April for the board to see that. And then if the board wanted to give us direction, we've heard enough, but the board hasn't formally given us direction to come back, not only with that analysis, but for the board to potentially have a different direction on the number of pods.