Board of Supervisors — 2019-06-04

Good morning everybody, we're just going to wait a few extra minutes. Supervisor Williams is caught up in some traffic so we'll- If you're interested in speaking on any item on the agenda Make sure you have your speaker slip in ahead of time because once we get to for example a3 We're gonna have a lot of public comment I'm going to turn off I'll put it in for Mrs. Wilkins, the A2.

I'll just say thank you.

Good

morning everybody. I'd like to welcome you to this Tuesday, June 4th meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Chair can I...Madam Clerk can I get a roll please?

Mr. Hart? Here. Ms. Hartman? Here. Mr. Adam? Here, Mr. Williams?

Here.

Chair Lavinino? Here

Thank you.

Kind of jumped the gun, you're not really Veteran of the Month yet we haven't voted on it so I'm hoping it gets through. So yeah, stick around. It could get ugly. Let's see if we can get a motion to approve the minutes of May 21st. Moved and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. Can I get a motion to approve the minutes of May 28th special meeting?

So moved.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. All right, any changes or additions to today's agenda?

Chair Lavinino and members of the board I do have one announcement to make today we posted an addendum To our hearing today adding administrative item number 50 to our administrative agenda Which is sponsored by Supervisor Adam is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring Sergeant Stephen So we are going

to do, we're gonna change the agenda around just a tad to make it run a little bit smoother. We're gonna take items A2 and A50 which are our honorary resolutions. We'll come back to A1 for a separate vote on that resolution. We will do the balance of the administrative agenda and then we will come back to A3 so that we can get some of our senior staff back working And not sitting through a bunch of public comment, so Can I get a motion to accept items a 2 and a 50 so moved?

Second

moved in second it all those in favor. Aye Anybody opposed they pass unanimously can we read a 2 in please?

Chair Lavinino and members of the board, administrative item number two sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring the exceptional life of local civil rights and social justice champion Mrs. Nanny Elizabeth Browning Wilkins. And if I can have Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt of the NAACP and members of the nanny's family. I believe they may be in Santa Maria so we can go there.

I think they're both in Santa Maria and down here in Santa Barbara. Thank you. Whereas, Nanny Elizabeth Browning was born in Mabane, North Carolina on March 13th 1927 And whereas Nannie graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and commercial education from North Carolina A&T University, which was an extraordinary feat for women of color in that era. And whereas in 1951 Nannie married Air Force officer Smiley Edward Wilkins and raised three children Gwendolyn Pearl, Smiley Edward Jr., and Marcus Henry And whereas, when Smiley Sr. retired from the U.S. military in 1972, the family settled in Lompoc and engaged in a life of community service and volunteerism to improve the fabric of our community. And whereas, in addition to volunteering for hospice care for 25 years, Nanny was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, for 43 years where she served on the executive committee of the Santa Maria-Lompoc branch until her heavenly transition.

And whereas Nanny's husband, Smiley Sr., was the longest serving president of the NAACP Santa Maria Lompoc branch. And together they tackled race-based discrimination most notably taking action to end the Elks Lodge black ball policy of membership discrimination. Which led to the nationwide change to allow people of color to become ELKS members. And whereas Nanny, Smiley and NAACP also work to end discriminatory housing practices in Lompoc. Therefore let it hereby be resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognize the exceptional life of Mrs. Nanny Elizabeth Browning Wilkins and her tremendous service to civil rights and social justice passed and adopted today.

I just wanted to say that I had the privilege of meeting Nannie. She was a stalwart in our community and her influence in civil rights was felt nationally, so it's really an honor to celebrate her life today.

Very good. LaWanda would you like to say a few words?

Good morning Supervisors, Chairman Lavinino, members of the Wilkins family. Thank you so much for recognizing Mrs. Nanny as she was affectionately known by The Santa Maria Lompoc community. Thank you so much, we tried to recognize her every day but I feel it's important that everyone know the great work that she did in the community which actually transcended on a national level. So thank you so much for recognizing her and we're humbled that she did so, thank you.

All right, that takes us to 850.

Chair Lavinino and members of the board, administrative item number 50 is sponsored by Supervisor Adam. It's to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring Sergeant Steven Baird as Veteran of the Month for Santa Barbara County. If I can have Sergeant Steven to the podium please? Whereas Santa Barbara County is home to more than 22,270 veterans who have given the ultimate service to this nation by serving in its armed forces and are deserving of recognition and gratitude by all Americans. And whereas 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam has the privilege of recognizing Sergeant Stephen Baird of the United States Marine Corps who served honorably from December 12, 1994 through December 11, 1998.

And whereas, Sergeant Baird received honors throughout his military career serving as an infantry platoon sergeant which included the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, President Unit Citation, Expert Pistol and Rifle Markmanship, and Personnel Accommodation while conducting operations in Indonesia. And whereas after completing his service and returning to his home in Orchid California, Sergeant Baird funded and served as the president CEO of Echo Vets Nonprofit Corporation, Band of Brothers. An organization focusing on camaraderie amongst veterans through recreational sports programs and community volunteering.

And whereas Sergeant Baird opened and operates Camp Flores, a residential stability home for homeless and at risk veterans. Which has improved the lives of over 30 veterans since 2017. And whereas, Sergeant Baird was established a groundbreaking collaboration while working with law enforcement agencies to provide emergency assistance to veterans in crisis 24 hours per day. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors honors Sergeant Stephen Baird as Veteran of the Month for his service in our armed forces and commends him for his continued commitment to better the lives of all veterans on the Central Coast passed and adopted today.

Chairman Lavinino and board members, I am honored to be here today. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to meet you. What we do is representative of North County and going forward we look at bringing this whole program throughout Santa Barbara County In its entirety, I believe that what we are doing with Banner Brothers and Echo Group is something that's not being done anywhere in the nation where we have veterans that are working together not only to mentor other veterans but also mentoring our community.

Give back to the students, volunteer for events throughout the city and housing homeless vets. We

which will also support safe parking and our supportive services for veteran families program where we've served more than 100 veterans this year. With your funding, we'll also be able to hire a housing retention specialist who will help ensure the long term housing stability of our clients. We are depending on your continued support of our efforts to end homelessness throughout Santa Barbara County. Thank you again for the committee's recommendation and for your time and consideration of the recommendation before you.

Thank you, can I get a motion on A19 please?

Move approval

Second, and I just want to remind folks out there that New Beginnings is looking for parking spots. There's still a significant waiting list on the program if you control a commercial Parking space The program uses it at night not during the day they have programmatic requirements that ensure significantly less incidents and problems And a great staff that makes sure that's enforced.

So if you want to or have the ability to extend that compassion, but want there to be accountability this is a great program for you to participate in. Sorry for

that

long second.

No problem we got a motion and a second all those in favor? Aye. Any opposed passes unanimously Very good, so that moves us to A3. So how many public speaking requests do we have on A3?

Chair Lavinino and members of the board, we have 14 requests to speak on item A3

Okay, we're going to go at this point if you don't have your speaking slip in for A3 You've got 20 seconds to get it in Otherwise I see everybody's not moving so that's gonna end A3's ability to turn in additional speaking slips at this time We will go two minutes a piece, so please call the names.

Chair Lavinino and members of the board, administrative item number three is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman and Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution supporting the principles of the Green New Deal. And we are going to Santa Maria first with Joe Armaderas to be followed by Roy Reed.

I think we need to read it in. Before Joe starts speaking. Okay, you already read it? We're not going to read the resolution or do we need to read the resolution? That's fine. Mr. Armendariz.

Good morning members of the board. I'm Joe Armendariz representing Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association. I have some mixed feelings about this item. We all, of course, want a clean environment. We all want to make sure that our policies are consistent frankly with environmental integrity and economic vitality. I would argue that in California where we do indeed lead the world in trying to strike that balance between environmental integrity and economic vitality It's a little disconcerting to watch your hearing a couple of weeks ago, as though Santa Barbara County in particular and perhaps California in general is ground zero of where no environmental activism is taking place.

The state of California through its cap and trade program, through its greenhouse gas reduction programs at the APCD level. At the city municipal county level is leading the world in this attempt to reduce greenhouse gases not just worldwide but locally and at the state level. The oil and gas industry, which was the poster child to be beat up on last hearing. I would argue is doing more perhaps disproportionately than any other sector of the economy to address this issue primarily through the cap and trade program. I don't know if we have a cap and trade program in Santa Barbara County, I don't believe we do. But I would submit to you that just as in California, we need to be focusing on carbon pricing. We ought to be doing that at the local level and the state level.

And then if we do that, we can unleash the kind of market forces and the sort of incentives through technology to address these issues and to guarantee these pessimistic kids which it pains me that they're so pessimistic, they can have a brighter future.

Thank you. Thank you, before we go to our next speaker apparently we didn't move the balance of the agenda so can I get outside of A3? Can I get a motion to accept all the other items?

So moved.

Moved and seconded, all those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right very good. We'll go to our next speaker.

Chair Lavagnino, we are going to stay in Santa Maria with Roy Reed and return back to Santa Barbara with Robert Perry. Roy?

Hi, good morning Chair Lavinino and board members. I'm Roy Reed, resident of Santa Maria. Appeasement is never an attractive process. I find it disappointing that despite the fact that our county has a very comprehensive climate management plan in place And that many of the activities in the county are managed by arguably the most effective planning department in this state, particularly with respect to energy. A couple of our supervisors seek to take time off the board's busy agenda in attempt to appease a vocal but very small minority of voters in our county.

I think that this support of the Green New Deal, which contains many elements that are actually outside the purview of county governments. This support and This endorsement will really accomplish nothing for the citizens of the county, but it will accomplish two things. It will certainly forever cast a shadow over the objectivity of the Board of Supervisors in their capacity as in approving land use applications for the county and it will certainly increase the polarization that so often impacts the ability of the Board of Supervisors to work together in the better interest as the citizens of the county.

So I could definitely like to register my displeasure in this act, thank you.

Chair Lavinino, members of the board we're going to return to Santa Barbara with Robert Perry and to be followed by Vijay.

Supervisors of the Board my name is Robert Perry and I am a member of the Climate Mobilization it's non-profit organization and the operative word in our name is mobilization. And what I find in the resolution that is before us is a lack of that word, of that intent. I would like to submit that we need to put more active language and measures into the resolution.

The climate mobilization Not only looks to the Green New Deal, which I would add would generate far more taxable revenue than what we're currently experiencing right now. Because we would be developing infrastructure producing energy here in the county and used in the county. But that we need To approach this much as we did back during World War II. This is an emergency that we're in and I would ask, I have copies of an amended resolution I would like to submit it to the board but basically to declare that we are in a climate emergency I think we can all agree that what happened in Montecito was an emergency, but it was really a symptom of a much larger emergency that we're in. And I think we all have to recognize that we're all Montecito.

Where we live is all subject to these types of events and take concrete action in developing plans. So, in my revised resolution I would first resolve that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors declares that a climate emergency exists and that threatens our region and that we take actions and we have a number Uh specific actions that can be taken. I think uh we should resolve to to assemble all the county staff, great people and work towards fashioning solutions that will move us in the right direction because our climate energy and Climate Action Plan while laudable, we have not made significant progress on We can not only fulfill the needs, the objectives of that plan but move it forward even faster so that we can truly reduce our emissions.

Thank you. Okay.

So I guess I should have given you a few rules. First off, we don't clap or boo otherwise we're going to be here for ad nauseum and the other thing is there is two minutes. The clock's up there. You'll have a red light. The last one went 251, so just be cognizant of that. So I don't have to cut you off. I don't like doing that. Go ahead.

Chair Lavinino, members of the board, our next speaker is Vijaya to be followed by Jim Richardson.

Good morning Mr. Chair and members of the board. My name is Vijaya Jamala Madaka. I am speaking for the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara The league met last weekend in our statewide convention and we passed a resolution on climate change. Declaring it an emergency. It was unanimous, there were over 200 delegates. We know the scientific consensus on this, it is an emergency. One million animal and plant species are now threatened with mass extinction and would require 10 million years of recovery according to a new United Nations report.

Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are already at 415 parts per million and sequestration methods to reduce the drawdown may not be sufficient to reduce it to the target level that we had set off 350 parts per million. Climate disruption will have a disproportionate effect on impacted communities such as indigenous tribes, rural communities, coastal areas, workers, low-income households and people of color who typically have fewer resources for adapting and are more vulnerable to displacement adverse health impacts job loss etc.

So in the absence of effective engagement at the federal level, it is the responsibility of individual states, counties and cities to take immediate actions to address this climate crisis. We are pleased to see the county take another step in acknowledging the climate catastrophe that we are now facing and we thank you for your leadership. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jim Richardson to be followed by Linda Kropp.

Good morning. It's good to see you all again. You know, I deserve it as I was sitting here. I have an envelope that's green but then on there somebody pointed out to me there is a smudge of oil on there. Uh-oh. I wanted to say that the goals and desires of the new Green Deal are admirable but difficult to attain. I think we have to understand that in the first place these proposed Senate resolution House resolutions have not been passed. They were presented to the Senate, they failed with a 0-57 vote with the Democrats voting present rather than taking a stand.

It's important to know that the cost of the New Green Deal is going to be somewhere between $51 and $93 trillion. That's estimated at a cost per household of $600,000 in the United States. The cost for eliminating carbon emissions from transportation systems is $1.3 to $2.7 trillion, and guaranteeing a job to every American is $6.8 to $44.6 trillion. It's been suggested that we can raise an increase in the margin level of taxes to 70%. Over 10 years, that's just going to generate six or seven hundred billion dollars which won't even pay for half of the correction in the transportation costs.

There's a lot of organizations that are opposed to it. The Building and Construction Trades Council represents more than 400,000 workers demonstrated before the California Democratic Committee meeting last Saturday. And they argue that the measures gold would endanger thousands of jobs in Southern California oil industry alone. What to do?

Mayor Richardson?

I'm done

already. I hate to do this to you. I'm sorry. You know what, my guess is that's not oil but knowing you it's probably chocolate on the outside of that.

Actually it's hamburger

dripping. Thanks for being here.

Our next speaker is Linda Kropp to be followed by Owen Bailey.

Good morning Chair Lavagnino, members of the board I'm Linda Kropp chief counsel of the Environmental Defense Center wearing my green. I wrote a whole speech about the climate crisis but we all know the facts And I wanted to alert you all that on May 15, the University of California San Diego Scripp Institute measured an unprecedented level of carbon in our atmosphere of over 415 parts per million.

And we know what the United Nations has said about the million plants and animals going extinct, Through its fourth National Climate Assessment affirming that the Earth's climate is changing faster than at any point in history, primarily as a result of human activities. And the International Panel on Climate Change report in October pointing out that global carbon emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 which is only 11 years away and fully by 2050 but we all know this.

So instead, I want to focus on the opportunities that are presented by this resolution. The Green New Deal is intended to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. The goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers. The Green New Deal will create millions of good highway jobs and investment in clean infrastructure and industries.

The result will be to provide us all with clean air and water, healthy food, a resilient environment and safe communities. This proposal is called the Green New Deal for a reason in the 30s President Roosevelt established the New Deal to take a crisis and turn it into opportunities for individuals and the country. We say we face a crisis now. We'll take this crisis, turn it into opportunities for individuals to secure jobs and training. And benefit our communities, our nation and the planet as a whole. If you believe in these principles please support this resolution in the Green New Deal. Thank you.

Our next

speaker is Owen Bailey to be followed by Jeff Leninger

Good morning, Chair Labenino, honorable members of the board. I'm Owen Bailey. I am the Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Center and I appreciate you giving us the opportunity to speak briefly with you about this critical issue. The Green New Deal has been demonized by many looking to score cheap political points. The fact is there's no honest debate about climate change anymore. It's here.

It is happening and it requires action. We're witnessing a global collapse of biodiversity and seeing unprecedented, extraordinary devastating natural disasters as this community can attest to. So the options before us are we can either act in a way that creates good jobs, shores up clean infrastructure, ensures clean air and water and builds healthy communities Or we can wait until the next unfathomable disaster hits and we can respond expensively and inefficiently.

I applaud the County of Santa Barbara for addressing once again this urgent climate crisis and adding our voices to those who are calling for a just transition to 100% clean renewable energy. By supporting the Green New Deal, the county puts itself on the right side of history and supports a set of policies that invest in building stronger safer communities and addressing historic injustices that have defined our nation's economic growth.

By passing this resolution, the County of Santa Barbara is simply acknowledging reality and endorsing a strategic conversation about how we can best act in the face of a climate crisis. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jeff Leninger to be followed by Ricardo Arias

Good morning. I'm Jeff Leninger, and I'm the site manager for the Phillips 66 Santa Maria refinery. And while we operate in Slough County, 52% of our workforce lives in Santa Barbara County. We're members of the community just like all of you. So we clearly want to cleanest air and safest fuels in the world. And we take great pride in producing the cleanest fuels and safest fuels in the world to meet California's transportation needs.

California is the third largest consumer of gasoline and diesel in the world, behind only China and United States as a whole. The Santa Maria Refinery has been in operation since 1955 and has 165 employees and contractors represented by the USW, IAM, and as of 2018 after SB 54 our current contract craft workforce is represented by Building Trades. We connect to the Rodeo refinery up in the Bay Area Which employs another 480 employees and 205 contractors.

This represents approximately 6.4% of the overall total California refining capacity. Any impacts to the operations of the Santa Maria Refinery will also affect our workforce in the Bay Area, and the gasoline fuel production in the state of California. Our refinery provides highly skilled good paying head of household careers with an average salary of $102,000 a year.

75% of these jobs don't require college degrees. We ask that you take into consideration the importance of protecting these blue collar careers and ensuring California has a strong refining industry to meet California's transportation demands with the cleanest burning fuels, thank you.

Our next speaker is Ricardo Arias to be followed by Adalberto Velazquez

Morning Chairman, members of the board. My name is Ricardo Arias. I am a member of United Steelworkers Local 534. I've been working in the oil industry for the past 11 years. This industry has provided me with the opportunity to be financially stable. I have a good paying job and I live in an area where it's getting increasingly harder to live. Everything is already more expensive than most other places in the country.

The Green New Deal as proposed would drastically increase our cost of living and shut down jobs for many of our working families. Oil has been a big part of California for decades, and we should keep that at bay. For if we don't, we will run into an unrealistic 2030 deadline of 100% clean and renewable energy. That is just setting us up for failure. Furthermore, we should not be transporting oil into California while lowering gas prices and supporting good jobs for Santa Barbara County families. I am proud to be part of this industry and work for a company that is best in class when it comes to safety.

An industry where we manufacture and deliver affordable clean products in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Adalberto Velasquez to be followed by Chris Wheeler.

Morning, Supervisors. My name's Adalberto Velazquez. I'm a migrant. Been in the United States for 47 years. I've been working in the oil industry for 27 years of that. My parents worked out in the fields in the Santa Barbara County for their whole life and I am proud to work for a company that is in the oil industry, as it gave me the opportunity to provide for my kids.

The opportunity to go to college. My kids are going to be the first generation in college. Safety is our number one goal in our industry. I'm sure you've heard it all, all the time. Our company supports a lot of the activities in the community. They allow us to volunteer for youth programs, and then they also provide financial support for our kids and make it better for everybody.

Well-paying jobs in the area, we can't afford to lose well paying jobs in the area. And I'm just totally opposed to this. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Chris Wheeler to be followed by Zach Blumenstein.

Good morning everybody. My name is Chris Wheeler, I am the president of the United Steel Workers Local 534 representing and working at the Santa Maria Refinery. We have 76 members currently employed at the refinery. I myself have been there for 24 years as a direct hire and four years prior to as a contractor. I'm a disabled combat vet. I have volunteered and am volunteering through the PTA, the local food bank, diversion program. You may have seen me on the side of a highway with a highway cleanup.

I donate time to the Humane Society and I'm also part of the Welcome Home Committee that welcomes veterans home. I'm member of the VFW. I am a member of the American Legion. I have spent many hours coaching rec soccer, recreational football, softball, basketball. I've been an AYSO board member. I have been a club soccer coach. I have refereed high school football games.

I have been a Baptist youth minister. My daughter is a graduate from Allan Hancock College and is currently enrolled in Antioch University here in Santa Barbara. My son works at a nursery who sells and delivers houseplants to local small businesses throughout Santa Barbara County. I've been a small business owner, I have two rescue cats at my house. I am a homeowner. I bring all this up Because all this was made possible for what I do, where I work within the oil industry.

I would not have had the time nor the finances to be able to do any of this otherwise. Thank you very much for hearing me.