Meeting Summary
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At a glance
Public Health and Emergency Response Reports
- Public health officials reported 88 confirmed cases, 600–761 completed tests, and 49 recoveries, with projections for peak dates ranging from late April to late July.
- The county is securing 500 to 1,000 alternate care beds and has requested additional ventilators from the state to support hospital capacity.
- Law enforcement reduced jail population to 685 through early releases and isolation protocols, while prioritizing voluntary compliance with stay-at-home orders.
- Fire services shifted to treating all calls as potentially positive, utilizing available PPE, and coordinating with partners to manage shortages and operational risks.
Personnel and Staffing Requests
- Staff requested authority to reinstate two recent retirees to assist with workload under Executive Order N3520, which suspends standard reinstatement restrictions.
- The County Employees Retirement System initiated a streamlined process to facilitate these hires without individual board determinations for each case.
- Additional requests included extra help services and retirement waivers for the Office of County Counsel, with funds confirmed as available.
Straus Wind Energy Project Appeal
- Staff recommended denying the appeal and granting preliminary design review approval, citing technical constraints that limit design flexibility for turbines and infrastructure.
- Appellants argued that the Planning Commission failed to make required findings for wind turbines and improperly used policy language to override code requirements.
- The applicant supported the staff recommendation, noting that the General Plan encourages wind energy development and that strict design compatibility would preclude such projects.
- The Board denied the appeal, certified the supplemental EIR, and granted preliminary design review approval, including a revision to Finding 2.0.
Remote Participation Procedures
- Staff clarified that telephonic and electronic participation via Zoom meets public participation requirements under Executive Order N2920 and Brown Act rules.
- A memo from the Planning and Development Department regarding revised findings was noted as available online and in the hearing room.
Spanish-Language Public Health Outreach
- Staff confirmed the establishment of a fully translated Spanish website and ongoing video production to support crisis communication.
- The immediate priority is reinforcing core public health messages such as hand washing and social distancing across the entire population.
- Staff committed to coordinating specific messaging strategies with board members to enhance outreach efforts.
Budget Revision Requests
- Staff presented proposed budget revisions for board review.
- The Board approved the presented budget revision requests.
Full summary
Agenda Item: Approval of Administrative Agenda
- Discussion: The Board reviewed Administrative Item 1. No board members requested to pull the item, and no public comments were received.
- Motion: A motion was made to approve the administrative agenda.
- Second: The motion was seconded.
- Decision: The motion passed.
Agenda Item: Department Item 1 (Public Health and Emergency Response Reports)
- Discussion:
- Public Health: A report was presented on public health efforts, including ventilator availability and testing. As of the report date, the county had 88 reported cases, with 600–761 total tests completed and 128 pending. 49 cases had recovered. The county is using three models to project peak dates ranging from April 26 to July 28. The county is pursuing 500 to 1,000 alternate care beds to free up hospital capacity. The county has 85 ventilators (64 standard, 21 surge) and has requested 100 additional ventilators and 500 disposable ventilators from the state. The Immigrant Health Rapid Response Collaborative is working on bilingual/bicultural health education. Co-pays for uninsured individuals with COVID-like symptoms have been waived.
- Law Enforcement: Sheriff Bill Brown provided a report on law enforcement operations, custody operations, and the Sheriff’s Office response to the pandemic. Law enforcement is prioritizing voluntary compliance with stay-at-home orders and using discretion to minimize physical arrests. Jail population decreased to 685, the lowest in over 50 years, due to early releases, electronic monitoring, and reduced admissions. New inmates are isolated for 14 days; at-risk inmates are consolidated in a separate wing. Five Sheriff’s employees and one contract worker tested positive for COVID-19; none required hospitalization. The Coroner’s Bureau is preparing for a potential surge in investigations.
- Fire Department: Fire Chief Mark Hartwig and Ms. McSutto presented on fire department operations. Over 70% of calls are medical emergencies. The department has shifted to treating every call as potentially COVID-positive due to community spread. Personnel are utilizing Tyvek suits, N95 masks, eye protection, and gloves due to shortages of gowns. Assessment stations at fire stations are used for daily health screening of personnel. One exposure incident occurred where a crew was isolated pending public health results. The department continues to respond to structure fires and oil spills. The county’s incident management team is coordinating PPE acquisition and reducing duplicate efforts. Contingency planning is underway for potential PPE shortages and for managing fires during social distancing, including evacuation and sheltering protocols. Daily operational calls are held with law enforcement, AMR, and other partners.
- Q&A: A board member asked about strategies to reach the local community in Santa Maria with public health messages, suggesting PSAs or text messaging, and asked about the priority system for ventilator distribution and the status of the Santa Maria High Shelter. Staff confirmed that Dignity Health is working with Jay Hardy regarding testing. Staff explained that ventilator distribution follows a rigorous algorithm involving community providers and emergency preparedness experts. Staff reiterated that co-pays are waived for uninsured patients with COVID-like symptoms. Staff indicated they did not have information on the Santa Maria High Shelter readily available at that moment.
- Motion: A motion was made to accept the report.
- Second: The motion was seconded.
- Decision: The motion passed.
Agenda Item: Department Item 2 (Personnel/Staffing)
- Discussion: Staff presented a request for authority to reinstate two recent retirees, Martin McKenzie and Jerry Zuliger, to assist with workload. This action is based on Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N3520, which suspended restrictions on reinstating retirees within six months of retirement. The County Employees Retirement System (SBCERS) has initiated a streamlined process to allow this without case-by-case board determinations, but the board was asked for authority to proceed with these two specific hires. Funds are available, and hours will be managed to the normal ceiling. Staff also presented a request for extra help services and retirement waivers for the Office of County Counsel. No public comments were received.
- Motion: A motion was made to approve items A through E.
- Second: The motion was seconded.
- Decision: The motion passed.
Agenda Item: Department Item 3 (Appeal of Preliminary Design Review Approval for the Straus Wind Energy Project)
- Case Numbers: 20 APL 8 and 18 BAR 113.
- Appellants: George and Cheryl Bedford.
- Respondent: County Planning Commission.
- Discussion:
- Staff Presentation: Staff presented the appeal of the Planning Commission’s preliminary design review approval for the Straus Wind Energy Project. The project includes 29 wind turbines, a substation, a switchyard, and transmission lines. Staff outlined technical constraints that limit design flexibility for certain components (turbines, substation, switchyard, transmission lines) due to safety and operational requirements. Staff recommended denying the appeal, making the nine required design review findings, certifying the supplemental EIR, and granting preliminary design review approval. Staff proposed a revision to Finding 2.0.
- Appellant Presentation: Richard Adam, representing the appellants, argued that the Board of Community Appeals (CBAR) and the Planning Commission failed to make the nine required findings under the Land Use Development Code (LUDC) Design Review section for the wind turbine structures. He cited CBAR board members’ statements from the December 13 hearing, where they admitted they did not review the turbines and could not make the required findings. Adam argued that staff improperly directed CBAR to use language from Visual Resource Policy 2 ("except where technical requirements dictate otherwise") to override the plain language of the LUDC findings. He contended that policies do not carry the force of law and cannot rewrite codified ordinances. He noted that the LUDC contains a conflicts clause stating the more restrictive provision controls. Adam stated that the Planning Commission adopted findings using the same "technical requirements" language, which he argued is not present in the LUDC. He requested that the Board apply the law as written or amend the ordinance if discretion is desired.
- Applicant Presentation: Julie Jones, representing Strauss Wind (BayWa), supported the staff recommendation to deny the appeal and grant preliminary design review approval. Jones clarified that the county’s general plan prevails over ordinances in cases of conflict, citing California Supreme Court precedent. Jones argued that the interpretation of design review standards raised by the appellant would preclude the approval of any wind energy project, which is inconsistent with county policies favoring such development. Leroy Scully, a project participant, addressed concerns regarding neighbor impact, noting that Mr. Bedford’s property is on the opposite side of the hill and that the project has been in development for approximately 20 years. Scully stated the project would enhance agricultural and livestock viability.
- Public Comment:
- One member of the public spoke in support of the project.
- Andy Caldwell, representing CoLab, argued that the Board should have a broader discussion on the economic impact of social distancing and the potential duration of the crisis. He questioned the use of Hardy Diagnostics testing in Santa Maria and requested statistics on patients sent home without testing. He presented modeling estimates suggesting up to 90,000 infections, 4,000 hospitalizations, and 400 deaths in the county if current trends continue. He discussed the concept of herd immunity versus isolation. Caldwell argued that the Board is acting unethically by approving the wind turbines despite ordinances prohibiting them, citing double standards regarding visibility, environmental impact (birds/bats), and the need to change ordinances to allow such projects.
- Tom Becker spoke regarding property tax deferments, stating that the county has not made efforts to defer payments for those affected by the crisis, despite IRS deferments. He criticized the county for not promoting low-density housing, arguing that densification contributes to higher infection rates, citing New York City as an example. He expressed frustration with the lack of visible information regarding tax deferments on the county website and alleged that the county is not assisting residents in finding this information.
- Leroy Scolari reminded the public of the three ways to participate in Board meetings: submitting letters to the record, requesting letters be read into the record, or calling in to speak.
- Rebuttal: The appellant reiterated their arguments regarding the lack of specific findings for the turbines. The applicant and staff reiterated that the findings were made for the project as a whole, acknowledging technical constraints, and that the General Plan encourages wind energy development.
- Board Deliberation: Board members discussed the interpretation of design review standards in the context of industrial and energy projects. It was noted that strict adherence to design compatibility without acknowledging technical constraints would preclude many industrial projects. The Board agreed that the General Plan provides the framework for interpreting these policies. A board member expressed concern regarding the use of nominal numbers versus percentages in staff reports, specifically criticizing a graph on page two for lacking data and page four for lacking apples-to-apples comparisons. A board member announced a recusal from the item, stating that their brother represents the Bedfords.
- Motion: A motion was made to deny the appeal, make the required findings, certify the supplemental EIR, and grant preliminary design review approval for the Straus Wind Energy Project, including the staff-recommended revision to Finding 2.0.
- Second: The motion was seconded.
- Decision: The motion passed.
Agenda Item: Remote Participation Procedures (Office of County Counsel)
- Discussion: Staff explained that under Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N2920 and Brown Act requirements, meetings allowing telephonic or electronic participation meet public participation requirements without needing a physical location. This context was provided for the use of Zoom and telephone appearances in the current hearing. Staff also noted that the Planning and Development Department filed a memo dated March 31, 2020, discussing revised findings, which is available online and in the hearing room.
- Motion: No motion or vote outcome is recorded for this specific item in the provided text.
Agenda Item: Public Health Communication (Spanish-Language Outreach)
- Discussion: A board member inquired about communication efforts during a crisis. A staff member/CEO responded that the county had immediately contacted Mary Ann Regional Medical Center and the City of Santa Maria for support. The staff member noted that the county had established a fully translated Spanish website over one month prior and was producing videos. The staff member stated that while a broader Spanish-speaking campaign is desired, the immediate priority is reinforcing early public health messages (hand washing, social distancing) across the entire population. The staff member confirmed they would contact the board member that afternoon to coordinate messaging.
- Motion: No motion or vote outcome is recorded for this specific item in the provided text.
Agenda Item: Administrative Item (Budget Revision Requests)
- Discussion: Staff presented budget revision requests.
- Motion: A motion was made to approve the budget revision requests.
- Second: The motion was seconded.
- Decision: The motion passed.