Board of Supervisors — 2018-02-13

♪ Music Hi. Hi.

All right, ladies and gentlemen I'd like to welcome you to the February 13th meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Happy Valentine's Day, go get your cards don't get in trouble. Mr. Allen can we get a roll call please?

Mr. Adam? Here. Mr Lavinino? Here. Ms Wolfe? Here Ms Hartman? Here And Mr Williams in Santa Barbara?

I'm here,

All right, let's move to the approval of the minutes. There are some questions, Supervisor Wolf?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'm looking at the item that dealt with the cannabis ordinance and there was reference to attachment A. And I just wanted to clarify the language being That there was consideration of language regarding the capping of retail permits to eight. Regarding just the consideration of capping, so it was to consider that language. So I just wanted to make that clarification to the minutes.

And then I'll move the minutes with that clarification.

Second?

Yeah, I think that was the intent definitely. So guess we have to do a roll call on everything. So let's roll call the minutes

Mr. Adam?

Aye.

Mr. Lavinino? Aye. Ms. Wolfe? Aye Ms. Hartman? Aye Mr. Williams?

Aye Alright, Ms. Misato do we have a CEO's report?

Good morning Supervisors, we have a quick report and this is just to re-emphasize our storm readiness plan. It's been widely disseminated through the media which we appreciate and that's last week we announced a new storm evacuation definition for those areas affected by the Thomas Burn area it's a 72 hour storm evacuation timeline with interactive map on our website At this time, the National Weather Service is reporting there are expected storm systems coming in but they're weakening. And presently no evacuations are anticipated in these areas impacted by debris flow or in the burn areas. But we're asking people to keep a watch on our website. You can see all the information on readysbc.org. That concludes my report.

Great, thank you very much. We'll move to Mr. Allen. Are there any changes and addendums to the agenda?

Chair Lavinino, members of the board. We did post an addendum on Friday and there were two changes to the agenda today. First on item A3 this is from the county executive office this is the second reading of the ordinance regarding the tax on cannabis operations and we just wanted a note and indicated that it's a four-fifths vote required in this item. And secondly we added a departmental item to the agenda number five Also from the county executive office this will be a hearing to consider recommendations during the Human Services Commission update And it's my understanding that we're going to take this out of order this morning and move this up to be considered as our first departmental item all

right outstanding and Let's move. We have an honorary resolution today a 14 Claiming the month of February 2018 is Black History Month in Santa Barbara County Can I get a motion to move a 14, please?

So moved Second.

Moved and seconded, roll call please.

Mr. Adam? Aye. Mr. Lavinino? Aye. Ms. Wolfe? Aye Ms. Hartman? Aye Mr. Williams?

Aye All right very good And I think we have Pastor Ron Wiley here and Pastor Louis Watkins down in Santa Barbara. And we also have with us today Chief Master Sergeant Deanna Mosley, she's in attendance wanted to recognize her as well. And Mr. Allen could you read 814 into the record please?

Chair Labonino, members of the board. I'll note this is a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Williams and I will go ahead and read the resolution. This is a resolution proclaiming February of 2018 to be Black History Month in Santa Barbara County. And whereas Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson, a distinguished African American author, editor, publisher, and historian was known as the father of black history. He founded Negro History Month in 1926.

Upon the 50th anniversary of Black History Week, representation was extended to encompass Black History Month to encourage further research and publishing regarding the untold stories of African American heritage. And whereas a history of African Americans in the United States as well as throughout the ages is powerful and vibrant it is appropriate to celebrate this history during the month of February 2018 which has been proclaimed nationally as Black History Month.

And whereas, we recognize and honor the outstanding contributions of African-American veterans from Santa Barbara County who have served with distinction, bravery and valor in the armed forces of our country. And whereas on March 5th 1770, the first American to sacrifice his life in the Revolutionary War was Christmas Atticus, an African-American seaman and slave.

African Americans also fought bravely during the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April of 1777, the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29th of 1778, the Battles of Ticonderoga, White Plains, Bennington, Brandywine, Saratoga, Savannah, Yorktown and Bunker Hill. Also in the War of 1812, including the Battle of New Orleans, The Civil War, The Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, Gulf War, and current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now therefore it be hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes the month of February 2018 as Black History Month and encourages residents of Santa Barbara County to celebrate the invaluable contributions, talents, and achievements And of African Americans to protect, support and enrich Santa Barbara County, our community and culture. Pass it adopted today by the board.

On behalf of the Office of Arts and Culture Division of the Community to Service Department, we would like to thank Pastor Ron Wiley for his service. Pastor Watkins in Santa Barbara and also recognize Chief Master Sergeant Diana Mosley from the Vandenberg Air Force Base. We would also love to invite the community to join us in the Channing Peak Gallery in Santa Barbara for the exhibition Afro-Brazilian Arts and Identities.

It will be up through mid-March and we really hope that everyone can take an opportunity to visit and celebrate that wonderful culture. Thank you so much, and thank you for your service.

Supervisor Williams? Did you have somebody down there?

No, the Reverend Lewis Watkins is not in attendance. And I do have the resolution so we will get that to Reverend Watkins sometime this week.

All right perfect. So are there any other items on the administrative agenda that board members would wish to pull? Supervisor Wolfe.

Thank you Mr. Chair.

Hi, good morning. My name is Adalia Gomez and I'm here on behalf of Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. We thank you for the support that you have provided us over the past years. SBRCC is a current recipient of Human Services Grant. Over the last year because of the support of this grant we've provided services to over 600 clients. These individuals received individual counseling via the 24-hour hotline in person, couples counseling and attended support group. Ma'am? They received support services... Excuse me. Yes?

I think you're speaking on the wrong item. I think you want to speak on D5, not A5. So we're going to be discussing that in just a moment. You're talking about the Human Services Commission? Yeah. Okay, just give me a few minutes and we'll be there on that item.

All

right, Supervisor Hartman.

Thank you Mr. Chair, this item I'm very supportive and excited to see that Planning and Development is applying for this grant. I would like to ask that special focus be given on trails in North County It turns out that, for example, North County has about eight miles of community trails compared to 330 miles of community trails in South County. That's a huge inequity. We know that trails and parks are very important for health and well-being. And so I think we need to start redressing that imbalance and hope that we could begin through this study.

Okay, also Supervisor Adam on A5.

Yeah, well from the North County we disagree. And just on a financial basis which is the reason I pulled this in the first place you know free money isn't free as usual there's a local match which is pretty hefty in this case at 11.47% and We're about to have a tremendously incomplete fiscal outlook report. And if we had something in front of us that was at all accurate, and I realize I'm not blaming anybody for not having an accurate fiscal outlook because it hasn't been long enough to figure out what the real damage is.

to us and ramifications of that are going to be. But I think that we should start to discipline ourselves a little bit more, and not take every apparently free dollar that comes around because it sucks out a lot of our general fund money which we're going to be needing to husband carefully in the future. So I'm opposed.

Okay, is there any other comments on A5? Supervisor Wolff.

Thank you Mr. Chair. As I read this project description, this is an item that's brought to us from long range planning and P&D. And I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to get grant funding for really something that we would be doing anyway as I read this. We're going to have to update our 1980 circulation element and there's a lot of background studies, and I'm just reading from the CEQA exemption.

A lot of background studies that would include the assessment of circulation, multimodal needs, traffic counts and VMTs. Future needs assessments would include future traffic volumes, complete streets goals and potential policies in community priorities and needs. So I look at this again as a way for us to do what we need to do with the assistance of a grant.

And come out with a very good project that hasn't been updated since 1980. So I'm definitely in support of us moving forward with this.

Okay, Supervisor Williams any comments? Ready to vote?

Absolutely.

Okay. Supervisor Adams just ready to vote. Can we get a motion on A5?

So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded. Roll call please.

Mr. Adam? No. Mr. Lavinino?

Aye.

Ms. Wolfe? Aye. Ms Hartman? Aye Mr. Williams? Aye Passes 4-1

All right, let's go to A7 Supervisor Wolf

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just bringing this up because I have to recuse myself on a couple of items. My, I've talked to county council and my husband's law practice is involved with one of these contractors so I'm going to have to recuse myself from item A7A1, A7B2, So if you take those first, I'll just walk out and then come back and vote for the rest. Sounds good. Okay, thank you. All

right can we get a motion to move A7, A1 and 2 and B1 and two?

So moved.

Second.

Moved and seconded roll call please

Mr. Adam, aye. Mr. Lavinino, aye. Ms. Wolfe has recused herself. Ms Hartman? Aye. Mr Williams? Aye. Passes four ayes one abstention.

Okay I don't think we have any other administrative agenda items to pull so can I get a motion on the balance Separate? You just roll it all into

one.

Okay, we'll roll it all into one. Actually since Sue Razor Wolf was present she wanted to actually vote on that one but you could do it either way.

Okay well let's just do it separate then. A7. Thank you. The balance of A7

I'll move the balance of A

7. Moved and seconded. Roll call.

Mr. Adam. Aye. Mr Labonino. Aye. Ms Wolk. Aye Miss Hartman. Aye Mr Williams Aye. Passes 5-0. Okay,

now let's move the balance of the entire administrative agenda.

So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded. Roll call?

Mr. Adam? Aye. Mr. Labanino?

Aye.

Ms. Wolfe? Aye Ms. Hartman? Aye Mr. Williams?

Aye

Passes 5- 0

Okay, we've now got ourselves to the point where it is time for public comment. Time for the public to comment on items that are not on today's agenda and that fall under our purview. Mr. Allen how many speakers do we have?

Chair Lavinino we have eight requests to speak and I

think that's nine now. All right so we'll all have three minutes

And we're going to start with David Hosking.

Good morning, Board of Supervisors. My name is David Hosking and I'm a resident of Guadalupe. I'm here today to ask you to please place the Guadalupe to Santa Maria hiking and biking trail on your regular board agenda so that we can discuss the possibility of establishing this permanent trail. Initially, I thought I would speak to you this morning about how the Santa Maria River Levee would be an ideal spot for a hiking and biking trail. I was going to tell you about the unique nature of the riparian habitat that still exists along the levee and how a variety of wildlife continues to use this area as their home.

I was also going to tell you about how families from both Guadalupe and Santa Maria would use this trail for a variety of outdoor recreational activities. And how the trail would help to draw new visitors to our area, thereby stimulating the economy of both cities. Lastly, I was going to tell you about how the trail could be used to restart the half marathon foot race that used to exist between Guadalupe and Santa Maria. But I will leave these topics for others to discuss because I believe it is more important that I use this opportunity to share with you what our community is really like.

Approximately 28 years ago, my wife and I moved from Arizona to Guadalupe so that I could accept a science teaching position at the junior high school. Many people from outside of Guadalupe warned us that this was not a good place to live. Since then we have learned that nothing could be further from the truth. From day one, we were greeted with open arms. The local residents helped us find a place to live and over the years they've shared with us their food, their culture and many of their traditions and most importantly their friendships While it is true that Guadalupe has the highest poverty rate of any city in Santa Barbara County, it also has the lowest per capita crime rate of any city in the county. Residents of Guadalupe like the residents of most cities are comprised of friendly hardworking families who want nothing but the best for their children.

During our 28 years in Guadalupe, we have found this close-knit community to be supportive, highly respectful, very friendly and exceptionally quiet. For these reasons we believe that Guadalupe continues to be the best kept secret on the Central Coast. When driving through our town on Highway 1, most people are quick to see that Guadalupe has not caught an economic break in quite some time. 25 years ago our business district was the home of more than 15 family-owned restaurants including the famous Far Western Tavern. Over the years many of these family restaurants have disappeared including the Far Western. Driving through town today drive through town today and you will find numerous vacant buildings and only a small handful of locally owned restaurants Despite these economic challenges, Guadalupe is preparing for its future.

Upon the completion of the new 200-acre Pasadena residential development and the addition of 800 new homes and 18 acres of commercial development, Guadeloupe's population is expected to grow to over 10,000 residents. When you think about Guadalupe's growing population and the 100,000 people who already live in Santa Maria, you can understand the need for providing additional family-centered outdoor recreational activities to the Santa Maria Valley.

A hiking and biking trail between Guadalupe and Santa Maria would not only be used by countless families both local and from afar, the trail would also be used by the Dune Center and the Guadaluable Cultural Arts and Education Center and our local school district.

Mr. Husky, we're asking you to wrap up please.

Okay, two more sentences.

No

problem. These non-profit organizations and the school district could use the trail to help teach our children about their local environment. I ask you to please provide the residents of Guadalupe and Santa Maria with a healthy, safe, and prosperous environment and place the hiking and biking trail on your regular board agenda. Thank you very much.

I wanted to first of all acknowledge that you're the third district appointee to the trails committee for the county. And also, you serve on the school board and the school has a policy related to student health and well-being?

Yes, we've recently revamped our health and wellness policy for our school district. And Ms. Dina Bortz is here as she's our nutritional services director for the district and she's here to share some comments with you today.

Perfect thank you.

And Dina Bortz is our next speaker to be followed by Jeannie Sparks

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the topic of the hiking and biking trail from Santa Maria to Guadalupe. My name is Dina Bortz, and I'm the new director of Child Nutrition Services for Guadalupe Union School District. And I'm also representing Ed Cora, our superintendent who was not able to be here today due to a prior engagement. In my capacity, I'm also the chairperson of the district's wellness policy which is mandated by the California Department of Education that we look at the overall health and well-being of our students. I believe that this trail would be an incredible opportunity not only for our students and their families to provide an opportunity for citizens of all ages to exercise in a fun and safe manner.

It would also increase business sales in the city from visitors such as walkers, jockers, bikers to stop and enjoy the restaurants that we have. And I'm sure there will be more plus our museums, shops and markets. I want to thank you for your time and your interest in this project. And now you're going to hear from a few of our students as well. Thank you.

Thank you.

Jeannie Sparks? And then we're going to hear from Valerie Grimaldo.

Hello, I'm Jeannie Sparks representing Santa Barbara County Action Network. And I want to encourage you to put this item on your agenda. When the original Santa Maria River Levee Trail was approved several years ago which I'm trying to find out exactly when that was, it was when Supervisor Tom Hrabanski was on the board. And at that time, there was a proposal to go out to Guadalupe with the trail. But it didn't happen and the thought was okay let's do this segment in the city of Santa Maria later we can extend it to Guadalupe. Well I say now is the time now is later and you have a lot of school children here which I know somebody's going to be representing them and I'm not sure what they're going to come up and talk or not but The critical math needed now that shows that it's really wanted, needed.

It provides a safe alternative for bicyclists, joggers, hikers to go between the cities. Highway 166 is just not the way to go if you're on a bike or you're walking. We really need a safe transportation route, alternative transportation route. It goes along with sustainable communities. It's good for business, it's good for recreation. I know that we'll have a chance to discuss these more in detail but I really like to encourage you to consider it because it's time.

Thank you. Thank you. Valerie Grimaldo? Come on up to the podium. Pull the mic down so we can hear you and go ahead and

don't be

nervous.

It's all right

Hi, my name is Valerie and this is Sabrina today We are going to talk about why we should build a trail from Santa Maria to Guadalupe Beach Theme is to talk about exercise and we have six regions of exercising from Santa Maria to Guadeloupe Beach

Cardiovascular exercise helps create new brain cells. This improves brain power and brain activity. Exercising on a regular basis helps boost your immune system. This means you'll get sick less often than people who don't exercise. Exercises can help Ease your mind of rejuvenate. Your body working out will make you feel great and boost your confidence

A pound of muscle burns three times more calories than a pound of fat. More muscles mass burning more fat while resting. Exercising improves brain performance. Finally those are our reasons why we should build a trail from Santa Maria to Guadalupe Beach Thank you.

Thank you great job

Next we're gonna hear from Raylina Mendez, Raylina And then we'll hear from Cruz Ramos after we hear from Raylena

Hello, I'm Raylena Mendez and I am very excited to be here. I'm going to be talking about pollution and ways to reduce it. Walking and biking trails is an extracurricular activity that reduces your carbon footprint. People will not be driving their cars creating smog, which is good. Running is supposed to be good for you but if you frequently run in urban environments you could be putting yourself at risk for a number of health conditions due to air pollution.

According to the American Lung Association, the ill effects of air pollution can include coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath, acute or chronic asthma comprised immune function, damage to the heart, swelling of lungs and lung cancer. It can also be a negative factor in reproductive health for adults and cause developmental harm in young children. Individuals who frequently exercise in areas or on days with elevated pollution levels are at greater risk for these health conditions than the general population.

You can find out about the air quality in your local area by checking out American Lung Association's latest state of the airport, which states more than four in ten people live where pollution levels are too often dangerous to breathe. Running or walking, even riding your bike before or after a shower lowers your exposure to pollutants because there are fewer of them in the air. It also tends to be a little cooler during these times of the day especially in the morning and high temperatures generally correspond to higher pollution levels. Air pollution has been linked to an array of health issues including worsened allergies and anxiety.

Those at risk include adults, children and people with cardiovascular or lung disease like asthma. I recommend that people use air quality information to plan their outdoor workouts so they can get exercise that's so important to our health while also reducing their exposure to air pollution. But in almost all cases concerns about pollution shouldn't be an excuse to skip exercise altogether. That's an unhealthy choice for sure.

Thank you.

We're going to hear from Cruz Ramos, and then we're going to hear from Gabriel Amasius and Nashay Sahagan.

Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to speak on this issue. My name is Cruz Ramos, I'm here representing the city of Guadalupe. As a city administrator for slightly over a year, I know the city is ridden with poverty. I know we're in low income community. But yet beyond all of that, I see the residents. I see the culture. I see the pride of the people, the children playing out in the streets because we lack amenities.

I also see the touring cyclists that come to our community with no place to go, no place to stay so they stay, they camp behind Our city hall. I truly, truly believe that this project goes beyond the local, the region. I think it is a worldwide attraction based on the cyclists that come through our community. They come from all over the world. Most recently one from British Columbia.

There are many, many reasons that I can explain as to why we need this project. Bottom line, the city needs more amenities that benefit health but also reduce greenhouse gas. Thank you for your time.