Board of Supervisors — 2020-09-15

you Thank you.

I will call to order the September 15, 2020 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Would the clerk please call the roll?

Mr. Lavinino?

Here.

Mr. Williams?

Here.

Ms. Hartman? Here! Mr. Adam?

Here

Chair Hart?

At this time, Dr. Alice Gleghorn is with us to unfortunately share news about the passing of three members of the county family, all Department of Behavioral Wellness employees, longtime employees who recently passed and Dr. Gleghorn is here to talk about their lives and contribution to the county. Dr. Gleghorn?

Thank you, Chair Hart. During the recent two week period, the psychiatric health facility lost three beloved staff members Mark Lawler, Teresita Bolasay and Ingrid Seifert. Each of them brought a uniqueness to the Puff family and will be greatly missed but always remembered. Mark was a licensed psychiatric technician, a team supervisor and our Puff safety officer He lived and breathed safety wherever he went, and was a strong advocate and example of preparation in all that he did.

He loved to share his knowledge from woodworking to chickens and goats, to safety planning and preparing for disaster. He took the time to acknowledge others always finding the positive and embracing individuals for their humanity. He was a believer in the power of determination Stubborn in his true right but always exuding kindness, integrity, compassion and generosity.

A real family man he was loyal both to his personal family and to the Pop family. Teresita or Terry as she was known was a psychiatric nurse senior that worked our night shift Hello, it's Terry. Always took the time to greet others with the biggest smile. She was kind, gracious, giving and genuine with a balance of a feisty side when standing up for others.

She was known for celebrating others, uniting those around her just by her presence. A kind-hearted spirit always bringing laughter She was positive and supportive even in the midst of adversity, and dedicated to helping others as shown by her willingness to always pick up extra shifts to help out the unit. Terry was a strong advocate for her peers showing never ending support to the team.

Ingrid was our firecracker and was also a psychiatric nurse senior. She was strong and fierce in her conviction for all things Ingrid and then some Supported her team as her family, genuine considerate maternal. At the start of every shift, Ingrid would declare to the team today will be the best day ever and she would do everything she could to make that happen. She was a believer in the power of determination. She was eager to share her healthy food as well as her secret love of Panda Express and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She showed her strong worth ethic in accomplishing the work of several people all at the same time. Her ability to multitask was legendary, and she was an amazing patient advocate with an extreme attention to detail. Ingrid would never ask someone to do something that she would not do herself. She was a true leader. Thank you.

Thank you Dr. Gleghorn. We'll now take a moment of silence to remember Mr. Lawler, Ms. Bolesay and Ms. Seibert and the contributions that they made to the county and recognize and appreciate their lives and give our support to their family, their friends and their co-workers on their untimely passing.

Second.

Motion's been made and seconded. Madam Clerk, could you please call the roll?

Mr. Lavinino?

Minutes. Aye.

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

Aye.

Chair Hart?

Aye.

Motion passes unanimously.

CEO Miyasato, is there a CEO report today?

Yes there is. Good morning chair Hart and board members I have some quick announcements One is just a short update on the steps in the Independent Redistricting Commission to give people awareness and a quick update. As you know, we're in the process of forming an independent redistricting commission. Nearly 200 residents had applied to serve as commissioners and our elections official Joe Holland selected the 45 most qualified according to the criteria outlined in the ordinance. Those 45 applicants are posted on our website And the webpage that has all the information about the process is countyofsb.org forward slash redistricting.

The commissioners will be five randomly selected commissioners will be drawn in late I'm sorry will be drawn at the October 20th board meeting by the district attorney one from each Supervisorial district and then those five randomly selected commissioners will meet in late October or early November to select finalists for the remaining of the remaining applicants To be appointed which will occur during a public hearing prior to December 31st. So Again, more information is at countyofsb.org forward slash redistricting.

Second announcement is just to make people aware that we are in the final weeks of the census 2020 as you know due to the pandemic the deadline to respond to the census was extended to September 30th which means we are down to the final two weeks An undercount equates to a potential loss of millions of dollars each year for the next 10 years needed to fund critical services to the county.

It is currently estimated that about 25-30% of households in the county remain uncounted, so it's very important for people to please if there is a numerator who is at your home or leaves information Please take it seriously. The census is only nine easy questions and does not ask citizenship or immigration status by law answers are confidential and cannot be shared and to respond go online to my 2020 census dot gov or you can call it in and also just thank you to the board for your leadership in the past 18 months to ensure a complete count. Also want to thank Joni Maiden who is our director of child support services who stepped in as co-chair of the Santa Barbara County Complete Count Committee along with Pedro Paz of the Santa Barbara Foundation.

And they've led hundreds of volunteers from nonprofit, public sector and others in making this effort. Lastly just a reminder about voting there are 49 days until the November 3rd election and voter information is posted on sbcvote.com Due to the pandemic, all registered voters in the state of California will automatically receive a ballot in the mail around the beginning of October. County Elections is placing 35 secure ballot drop boxes across the county that will be available 24 hours per day beginning October 5th until 8 p.m. on Election Day. A list of all the drop box locations in the counties will be included with the voter's ballot and also listed on the website. In addition, County Elections is planning approximately 35 locations for in-person voting for those who would like additional services including language assistance or a placement ballot.

Those locations will be open four days from October 31st through Election Day. Facial coverings will be required and voters should expect a socially distanced waiting line. These locations will also be on the county's website, the County Voter Information Guide For assistance the public can also call 805-568-2200. And that concludes my report, Chair.

Thank you CEO Miyasato for that report. Madam Clerk are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Chair Hart and members of the board, I just have one quick announcement this morning. And that is to remind members of the public who are participating in today's meeting as you'll see scrolling above your screen at the moment there are alternative methods of public participation if you would like to make a comment on today's agenda please call 568-2240 and state your name your phone number and which item you would like to speak on and the clerk will call you at the appropriate time Again, please make every effort to be available and mute all streaming devices once it is your turn to speak. And that number is area code 805-568-2240. Thank you.

Thank you. The next item is approval of the administrative agenda. Are there board members' requests to pull any items on the administrative agenda? I think we have Item Number 1 and Item Number 5. And then I know we have public comment on Item 11 and 12. Are there any others that board members would like to take off the administrative agenda? All right, well then let's begin with item A1.

Could you read that into the record, Madam Clerk?

Chair Hart and members of the Board, Administrative Item Number 1 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. This is an honorary resolution to adopt a Resolution of Accommodation honoring Dean Pellius upon his retirement from the Santa Anaz Valley People Helping People Human Services Organization After 25 years of distinguished and consequential service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. And we do have Dean on the line

as well. Glad Dean is here with us personally. Supervisor Hartman, do you want to introduce him?

I just wanted to explain that we will be giving him a certificate during this time of COVID. We haven't been celebrating and reading all of it but I do have some remarks from Francesca Escobar, the current president of the Board of People Helping People. The Board of Directors of People Helping People is extraordinarily grateful for the quarter century that Dean has dedicated to building a highly regarded and respected organization that has made a profound difference in the lives of so many.

Dean's experience, contribution, entrepreneurial spirit, sense of humor and compassion for and desire to help those less fortunate will be missed by all people helping people and those we work with and serve.

Thank you Supervisor Hartman. Mr. Pellius, thank you for your amazing service to our community. You've been an incredible community leader and we appreciate all the contributions you've made and I'm personally curious as to what kind of good trouble you plan to get into

now?

Good morning Chair Hart and Supervisors. I appreciate greatly. Sorry, I'm a little choked up. It's

quite all

right take your time. Recognition appreciate it very much but I do want to say that sometimes those of us who toil in the Santa Ynez Valley Do so we think at least unrecognized, so I greatly appreciate accepting this not only on behalf of myself but also on behalf of the organization Singing This Valley People Helping People. It's many employees that I've worked with, many directors who have supported the organization so well over the years and volunteers in the community.

I appreciate the honor that you've bestowed on me. I know you're busy today and I'll end my comments there, thank you.

Thank you very much Mr. Peleus and again thank you for your long and many passionate contributions to the community not just in the San Ynez Valley but all of Santa Barbara County

And Chair Hart, may I just add a little bit? Can't let this go by. Absolutely. Dean is bigger than life and he'll do all within his power to serve people in need. He'll sway, he'll plead, he'll sweet talk, he'l remind people And he's been so creative in the San Ynez Valley and finding new ways to raise money from the community to serve those who need assistance. He developed a polo match, an art and wine event, a thrift store, and many, many significant programs for children and families and seniors. He's grown people helping people service organization in the Santa Ynez Valley and now working into Lompoc and Los Alamos as well.

So it's an extremely grateful community that I have the honor of speaking on behalf of today, and just he's got people helping people really staged for the next period of success and so we're all very grateful thank you Dean.

Thank you again and congratulations

Chair Hart, members of the Board, Administrative Item Number 5 is from Behavioral Wellness. It is to consider recommendations regarding a Mental Health Student Services Act Grant Award and there is a four-fifths vote required on this item.

Thank you. Supervisor Hartman, you wanted to highlight this wonderful success story?

Well I believe Dr. Gleghorn is here and I would just like, I just wanted to pull it out of our administrative agenda so it doesn't get lost this is very significant and important.

Dr. Gleghorn?

Yes thank you.

Dr. Kleikerman, I'm sorry we just lost your sound. Can you hear me?

Yeah let's come back to that item so

Chair Hart and members of the board, administrative item number 11 is from the County Executive Office. It is to consider recommendations regarding additional staff positions related to COVID-19 and cannabis. And we have one request to speak on this item from the public.

Ms. O'Neill?

And we will go to Renee O'Neill.

Good morning. Good morning supervisors. This is Renee O'Neill I wanted to first thank Michael Gozoni for patiently answering my questions and his outstanding service to our county Mike, I know you must be overburdened in dealing with all this legal issues. I can't even imagine. I also want to say, I think it's important to emphasize the concerns that I have brought to the county's attention for years.

And that is that the county in regard to cannabis has created a huge problem but has failed to hire adequate planning and development staff or enforcement teams to oversee monitor and enforce the loose regulations that were developed During the budget hearings over the years and including this last quarterly report, I again requested that our county hire more staff for planning and development and another sheriff's team. None of those positions were filled at that time But yet this morning I'm seeing and not that this isn't needed by the way.

I agree but now we're seeing that their counties hiring to more full time positions for county council and I understand that that's required. But I think it would benefit the county in the long run if they hired staff and enforcement to take care of the problems that we have And not create more problems by ignoring developing regulations for hemp. So that's what I have to say about that. I also forgot to say at the beginning, I also want to thank Supervisor Lavinino, Jacqueline and Angelica for being patient answering questions, at least some of my questions in regard to hemp The closed item session this morning which I'll be speaking to during public comment and the three hundred thousand in tax revenue that was generated from the growers in the EDRN.

Thank you for your time and I will be talking to you again. Bye.

Thank you Ms O'Neill. This brings us to Item A 12 Let's read this item into the record. And I believe Ms. O'Neill also wants to speak on that item.

Chair Hart and members of the board, Administrative Item Number 12 is from the County Executive Office. It is to consider recommendations regarding an agreement for cannabis retail storefront application review services from Hinder Leader, DeLamas & Associates, HDL. And there is a four-fifths vote required on this item. And we have one request to speak, and that's Renee O'Neill.

Again, Renee O'Neill. I just wanted to comment that I'm hoping that the company that was hired Hinder Leader is a objective company. I don't recall seeing any public input on who is going to be hired to oversee the cannabis retail storefront applications I want to be sure that this company is neutral, that they aren't either pro-cannabis or anti-cannabis. And that is really important to all of us that are concerned with this new process of opening a retail storefront.

I also want to thank the board and planning and development for denying one of the projects in Old Orchid. I appreciate that very much. I'm beginning to see some light at the end of this dark, treacherous tunnel and hoping that we are seeing more responsible cannabis regulations that are being dealt with now. I would like to see the board take a different direction Not put the cart before the horse, but put the horse before the cart where it belongs so that we aren't digging ourselves out of litigious or however you pronounce that word

litigious.

Lots of lawsuits that follow when we create problems and so again I just want to say I do support cannabis. Responsible cannabis legislation and responsible hemp legislation. Bye.

Thank you, Ms. O'Neill. We now have Dr. Gleghorn back on the line for item A-5 to talk about the new grant funds for mental health services for the county.

Thank you Chair Hart. Can you hear me this time?

We can, thank you.

Yes?

Yes.

Thank you. Yes, we're very excited about this partnership with the County Office of Education. This is a Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission grant to the county to partner with all of the school districts to target vulnerable students. It's a $4 million grant We're going to be placing navigators, mental health navigators into different school districts and schools to help identify early youth who could benefit from extra assistance.

In this time we're working, we will be working virtually. And I think it's also an appropriate time to get this grant while we're all adjusting to a changed school environment this fall. So we're very excited to begin this partnership and this item before you is essentially the Notice of Grant Award and the permission of the board to begin the work so thank you very much.

Thank you for that additional information. Dr. Greg Horn, Supervisor Williams. Well I just want

to appreciate Dr. Greg Horn and the department employees that worked on this. I think one of my greatest worries in this time is for our school children and continue to I hope look for opportunities to help them through what is a Uh, difficult time from a mental health perspective. I don't know that our professionals have ever seen something like this. Um, and uh, so all the amount of encouragement for your staff and for medical providers that are working on this issue.

Thank you Supervisor Williams. Any other comments on the administrative agenda? Are there any other public requests to speak on items?

Chair Hart, members of the board we have no further requests to speak on our administrative agenda.

Is there a motion to approve the administrative item? Move

approval.

Motion's been made. Is there a second? Second. And seconded. Any discussion? Madam Clerk could you please call the roll?

Mr. Lavinino?

Aye.

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

Aye

Chair Hart? Aye Motion passes unanimously

I

just like to thank Miss O'Neill for her comments. But really, any particular day we have four to six attorneys working on cannabis issues and really most of the praise goes to them. Thank you.

Thank you for that clarification too. Now's the time for members of the public to speak on items that are not on the agenda today. Madam Clerk, are there any requests to speak on items not on today's agenda?

Chair Hart and members of the board, we have two requests to speak on general public comment today. We are going to begin with Renee O'Neill to be followed by Judy Polson.

Good morning supervisors. This is Renee O'Neill. My public comment I thought was going to go first, so I wanted to again thank Supervisor Labanino for responding to my email regarding hemp. I also want to thank Jacqueline and Angelica again for answering my questions. I am concerned that there appears to be a lack of transparency regarding hemp. We have requested that the board agendize this for a long time, but thus far have seen nothing.

Even the closed session meeting this morning says nothing about hemp, but it does have a Purdue Pharma nationwide oxycontin case. Is there a reason the board is ignoring hemp? The board needs to make a decision on whether to postpone the process for regulating hemp Or at the very least, based on cannabis regulations and problems adopt regulations that restrict the number of acres that are going to be allowed.

And to create even greater buffers I would say one to three mile buffers for hemp away from problematic areas including sensitive receptors especially schools and existing traditional ag As well as cannabis farms. Cannabis growers aren't going to want hemp farms next to their fields, it's a conflict because of cross-pollination and everything else and I just don't understand if the board fails to do anything we are going to have even greater problems that are going to open the county up to more lawsuits And then you'll have to hire even more legal counsel. So this is just frustrating for people like me, and I don't think a lot of people are aware of what's really going on here.

It's high time that the board put the horse before the cart this time and develop suitable regulations For hemp that will avoid further litigation. Again I would like the board to hire more staff, more enforcement to handle the problems that were created by putting the cart before the horse with cannabis. I can't emphasize this enough why are we even thinking of creating more problems Anyway, are there any questions or comments?

Thank you Ms. O'Neill. Far from ignoring this issue the Board of Supervisors has had multiple presentations from staff about the regulation of hemp. We've had the Agricultural Commissioner here in front of the board talking about the state and federal regulations and how they've changed. County Council has also spoken directly To the board about the regulatory framework that exists and doesn't exist for hemp. Hemp is a right to farm crop by federal law, and the regulatory authority of the county is very limited in this regard. Mr. Guzzone would you like to add any more specificity?

Chair Hart and Supervisors, I think the chair has described the evolving framework for this. The State of California is working on its own state plan that it will be submitting to the United States Department of Agriculture and within the past day or so, the United States Department of Agriculture actually extended its rulemaking comment period for another month On its own interim final rules for hemp addressing 12 categories, which are significant to how the county would be regulating. So this is an area that's evolving at the national level as well as the state level.

Thank you, Mr. Kazani. Supervisor Williams?

Just to add to that our legislative committee of which I am a member has in opposed legislation based on its interference with our ability to properly regulate hemp. This is an issue that we have been tracking, I think it's an issue that we largely agree on the at least 90% of the goals that the speaker has. I and our law enforcement personnel continue worries that hemp can be used as a way to cloak a black market marijuana grow and the you know we I would say that my prediction is that this board will use any tool that has at its disposal to properly regulate. At this point of course We see hemp operations that have made an arrangement with a higher education institution.

Those are, to my knowledge, the only operations that are permitted in the county thus far and they're ones that we have difficulty being able to regulate. It's essentially a loophole as I understand it. In theory, research though it's questionable the scale of the growth that is done for research. But I continue to have worries about hemp in Ventura County obviously they have the similar odor issues that we have but without any of the revenue because they are permitting hemp and not marijuana. But if you go down 101 through the Oxnard Plain It'll smell kind of familiar to you. So it's an issue and I appreciate Renee and her neighbors bringing it up as an issue, we are not ignoring it.

Thank you Supervisor Williams. We now have Ms. Paulson on public comment.

Chair Hart and members of the board, I would like to note for the record unfortunately we have been trying to reach Ms. Paulson all morning and we cannot so we are concluding general public comment with Renee O'Neill.

Okay, thank you very much for that comment then.

Chair Hart and members of the board departmental item number one is from the county executive office It is a hearing to consider recommendations regarding a coronavirus disease 2018 COVID-19 update

Dr. DeRionne Pollard so welcome

good morning

Today's briefing topics I will be sharing with your board our local COVID-19 data as well as share with you our tier assignment from the blueprint for a safer economy, as well as updating you on the school waivers. To begin, local numbers. We as of yesterday have 8,718 total cases with 162 active cases. Over the past two weeks we have seen the total number of cases increase by 7%.

Current hospitalized, we have 30 and cumulative death count is 106 which means the death rate is 1.2%. This is a graph that describes the seven day rolling sum of new cases by area. New COVID cases are based on episode date with a seven day lag. The daily number of new cases may be changed on a daily basis as new lab reports are received into our CalReady system.

Episode date is the earliest date of several Of several dates, onset of symptoms or specimen collection date and corresponds to the earliest state that the case can be known to have had the infection. So over the past week we have seen downward trends in seven areas South County unincorporated Montecito cart Santa Barbara South County unincorporated north of Goleta Lompoc Santa Maria North County Unincorporated.

Over the past two weeks, we have seen hospitalizations decrease by 30%. Med surge rates decreased by 12% and ICU rates decreased by 56%. Blueprint for a safer economy. So as you may recall, several weeks ago California moved to a tiered system to categorize counties based on the community disease transmission. So widespread disease transmission is tiered one or the purple tier. Substantial disease transmission is tier two Or the red. Moderate is tier 3, the orange and minimal is tier 4.

And the two measures include new cases per 100,000 population per day and it is a number that is based on a 7-day average with a 7 day lag. The other measure is testing percent positivity. And again, the numbers calculated based on a seven day average seven day lag we are current. We will be assigned The purple tier once again for this week. With our COVID-19 positive cases per day, per 100,000 at 9.1.

The adjusted case rate for tier assignment is again also 9. 1 and our positivity rate is 4.8 and this is data based on August 30th to September 5th. The adjusted case rate is a number that the state uses to move a county upward. If the counties testing numbers don't meet the state median, and in this case ours was almost exactly on point so it's 9.1. This is a new graph the department would like to share with your board. It is a depiction of cumulative case count, this is the unadjusted case rate it gives you a historical perspective of where we've been so the large purple band is again The widespread infection, the red is tier two at substantial.

The orange is moderate and the yellow is minimal And what is noteworthy is that we see after Memorial Day, we began this pandemic really at the yellow or the best tier to be in. And then as we progress through March, April all the way to May, we were in tier, the moderate tier or the brown tier And it is after Memorial Day and the reopening of many sectors that we saw an increase in our cases. And then with the apex being around 7-11, however if you recall earlier in July that was when we had the state health officer order to limit gatherings to we had The closure of certain sectors and really in early part of July was where increased restrictions were put into place. And correspondingly, we also saw a decrease in our cases.

Testing positivity percent again, this is a cumulative historical perspective of where we've been and where we are now. So as the pandemic gained traction, we saw testing positivity almost hitting 16% in the The latter part of March, and then really getting low towards May. And then we're increasing now on a downward trend for the past month. What can be opened in the purple tier?

Grocery stores, pharmacies, wholesale clubs, food banks, hair salons, barbershops. Retail stores at 25%. Campgrounds, RV parks, outdoor recreation, community centers, day camps, drive-in movie theaters. What can only be open outdoors is gyms, fitness centers, restaurant cafes, places of worship protests, museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums, personal care services and youth sports leagues for conditioning and skill building.

And as we

Thank you very much, Dr. Duranasu. Are there any questions for Dr. Duranasu? I have a question. Yes, Supervisor Lavenino.

I'm just curious if where and I know I think it's the state that makes the rules about skilled nursing facilities. And this came to me only because I'm kind of experiencing this myself. So people in skilled nursing facilities aren't allowed to receive any visitors at this point, and I'm just kind of curious what stage is it? The red stage or is there a stage associated when people can start receiving visitors?

We've got a lot of elderly people that are Basically, living their last moments separated from their families without anybody coming in to see them. And I don't really think that's conducive to good health or mental health and I'm just curious if there is any news about skilled nursing facilities?

As supervisor through the chair, I don't have that information but I'm more than happy to look for that information and communicate that to your office.

Any other questions or comments? Just think that the two charts, the new two charts, two new charts that you have created that show the historical trends of the cases and test positivity rate are really helpful. It does give a great graphic representation of the course of the virus in the community over time and the trend that we can see on the unadjusted case rate It shows a dramatic decline since 7-11 and then plateauing in the last couple of weeks tells the story of our challenge right now very well graphically. Supervisor Hartman?

Chair Hart, I agree with those charts. Thank you that really does give us a perspective on the results of our efforts. I also have heard from some people in the school districts and just wanted to pass their thanks and appreciation to all your staff for helping to get the waivers in place. Thank you.

At this time we'll go to Supervisor Williams.

Just wanted to ask you because I know we are hoping now that there is more capacity at our testing sites, that more people even asymptomatic folks will come and get tested. Can you go over what the testing sites are and just the basic information so that anybody watching this knows next step is to make a phone call or an email and get tested?

Correct. So currently we have three state-sponsored tests, OptumServe test sites in Santa Maria, Buellton and Goleta. In addition to that we have for essential workers three county sponsored sites in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Barbara. In addition to that community members can also seek Testing at their own provider offices. And there's been there's been some commentaries about the messaging and so I just want to pause and say that early on in the pandemic, there was a shortage of testing supplies and processing supplies. So we County Public Health followed CDC and CDPH guidelines in prioritizing tier one Which is the symptomatic hospitalized and essential workers.

I think that message has fluctuated because of again, this supply chain issues now that the state has increased their supply and our county I'm 7 to 10 days, and my team just ran our numbers for August. And we were seeing turnaround times of two to three days and some more within one day. So we are encouraging everyone who is needing to get tested to seek testing at either the OptumServe sites or the county sponsored site. The information is available on our website.

And I think the other piece is that we are encouraging people to get tested primarily because one, the availability and two because of the quick turnaround time on the results. And three you may be asymptomatic and you may have been exposed but not be aware. And so now that the opportunity is available, we are encouraging people to get tested.

And I would just remark that really if you look across the globe, the places that have been able to keep transmission rates low a lot of, you know, one characteristic they share in common is really robust testing. And so some obviously, you know, A test doesn't prove that you're safe, it's surveillance in some fashion if you are testing and asymptomatic. We'll catch more folks who are asymptomatic if asymptomatic people go and get tested.

My sense also is it's a use it or lose it thing with the state, right? If our state, if we don't utilize the testing sites that the state has provided then the state may shrink the number of sites or end it entirely which is a potential real problem for us so

Yes, the expectation. Please go out

and get tested

right? The expectation is that we will occupy 85% at the state sponsored OptumServe sites and I know that there are other counties who would gladly like to have a an OptumServe site in their county so we are zealously guarding those three sites and making sure that they are and they will be continued to be available to our communities

Thank you for that. Please go to publichealthsbc.org to find out about how to get tested and please take advantage of that opportunity. Ms. Anderson?

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the board. We'll be bringing up our slides in just a moment.

Great, if I may. I have a answer back from my team for Supervisor Levignino. Currently no visitors at skilled nursing facility however we anticipate changing this week to request a new order allowing two outside visitors.

Thank you for getting that extra information

Good morning again, Mr. Chairman and members of the board would like to give you a brief update on the rise business activity that's occurred since the last time we updated your board on September 1st. So state changes, starting with August 28th we had the new tier framework that was announced on September 8th. It was the first weekly tier assessment that was announced and Santa Barbara remained at Tier 1 purple. On September 10th we had updated guidance for card rooms and racetracks that was specifically addressing outdoor operations.

Public health orders... Public health order changes was on September 14th. The public health officer issued Health Order Officer Order 14.1 that addressed homeless shelters and H-2A housing. So Santa Barbara County is at the Tier 1 purple widespread on the state's category list. Sector changes that took effect on August 31st were hair salons and barber shops open indoors with modifications, all retail and shopping malls were Also allowed to open indoors with modifications at max 25%.

Assessment for tier changes occur every Tuesday. The first, as indicated, was September 8th and we are held at Tier 1 Purple. The other was as of today and the Public Health Director indicated that we are again Tier 1 Purple. As of yesterday that information wasn't available. Just a reminder that you have to be in the new tier for three weeks before industry sector changes occur. So we would have to be, if we were moving to red, red for three weeks before industry sectors could change to those modifications.

The state modification list is available on the state's website. They refreshed their current COVID-19 website, now under the blueprint for a safer economy. You are able to enter a county that you're interested in seeing or an activity within the county that allows you to see where we are currently at and this is what it looks like for Santa Barbara. We are currently purple widespread.

In addition, which is a good outlook for businesses who may be interested. The state also provides this tier structure identification of the modifications by category. So it tells you if you move to red what that means to you, if you move to orange or yellow so it's a good reference source for industry sectors that may be looking for this information for the outgoing weeks All of this information is cross-posted on our RecoverySBC.org website, along with our Rise Guide that is updated accordingly.

So far we've had 4,109 businesses submit submittals to reopen in the County of Santa Barbara. We tend to keep our three top at dine-in restaurants, retail and office workspaces. Just a reminder to the public also that we do have a Small Business and Community Partnership Enhancement Program or SBCPEP through our Public Works and Planning and Development departments in order to expand your business outside. We've had 20 businesses take advantage of the public right-of-ways In the private property parking lot areas, so we encourage anyone in the unincorporated Areas to take advantage of that if it's necessary for your business Just a note too that many of the cities have offered this within their jurisdictions as well Rise Ambassador Program tends to still be a strong benefit to our community and we are assisting cities as well in this process.