Board of Supervisors — 2021-04-06

Test one two, test one two.

Jackman can you hear me?

Test one two, test one two.

Testing, testing 1-2-3. Can you hear me in North County? Testing, testing 1- 2- 3 North County.

Test, test. Hello Jacqueline we are

good. Jason can you hear me?

Yes I can hear you.

Fabulous sounds like we are now connected.

Thank you.

I will call the order. The April 6, 2021 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Move approval.

Second. Any further discussion? Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Motion passes unanimously.

Madam Clerk are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, we received a request to trail administrative item number 28 to after departmental item number 4. Supervisor Williams... Administrative Item Number 28 sponsored by Supervisor Williams and Supervisor Hart. It is to consider recommendations regarding a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis Our estimate on this item is around 2 p.m So the members of the public who are have joined our meeting this morning to provide public comment on administrative item number 28 Our best guest estimate for this item is around 2 p m In addition, I would also like to remind members of the public that the Board of Supervisors meetings are now being interpreted and broadcast live in Spanish we are broadcasting our meetings in Spanish both for Cox cable subscribers in South County and as well as Comcast cable subscribers in North County.

Members of the public can now view our meetings in Spanish by turning on the secondary audio programming, also known as SAP under their language settings. Lastly I would also like to remind the public who are participating in our meeting today of the board's alternate methods of public participation For alternative methods of public participation and to provide public comment on general public comment or an item on the board's agenda, please see page two of our agenda.

Individuals that would like to provide verbal public comment you may do so via Zoom by registering in advance via the link available on page 2. After registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting. Once the chair has announced the item you want to comment on, please join the meeting with information provided and the registration confirmation email.

The clerk will call you by name or the last 4 digits of your phone number when removed from mute. You will hear a notification that your line has been unmuted if you are using a touch tone phone, you may need to press star 6 to unmute yourself again if you're using a touch tone phone. You may need to press star 6 to unmute yourself. Each person may address the board for up to 3 minutes and this is at the discretion of the chair.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the Clerk of the Board's Office at area code 805-568-2240 again that's 805 568 2240 and that concludes my announcements today

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

No

report this morning, Chair.

Thank you. Next item is Approval of the Administrative Agenda. Do any Board members request to pull any items on the administrative agenda today?

Mr. Chair, this is Supervisor Hart.

Yes, please proceed.

Yeah, Item 40 and 46 and 47 please. Got it.

And we also will be presenting items 44 and 45 today. Any other items that I have missed? Madam Clerk, do we have any items that are being pulled by the public?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, yes. I have requests from the public on administrative item number 18, 28, 39, and 40.

Okay so I've got items 18, 28, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46 and 47 that will all be pulled. Can I get a motion to approve the balance of the agenda besides those eight

items? I'll move what few are left.

And I'll second.

Thank you. Madam Clerk, can we go ahead and call the roll?

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you. Okay let's go ahead and take these up in numerical order number 18.

Chair Nelson and members of the board, administrative item number 18 is from planning and development. It is to consider recommendations regarding the acknowledgement a vintage ranch irrevocable offer to dedicate real property. And we have two requests to speak from the public on this item. And we will first go to Jacob Grossman to be followed by Quincy Daniels.

Mr Grossman when you're ready.

Good morning, thank you for your time today. Maybe I think we might be a little confused.

in our field and help us find ways to expand this support in the months ahead. Thank you.

Yeah, I just want to thank Tondra for all the incredible work that she does leading the Santa Barbara County Child Care Planning Council. And I think it's very appropriate that we're recognizing the work of early childhood professionals in Santa Barbara County. This is actually the 50th anniversary of the Week of the Young Child as sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children And it's particularly appropriate this year because there has been so much challenge for professionals, early childhood care professionals in being resilient, adapting to the needs of the pandemic, providing that supportive childcare and the nurturing environment for young children. In a very confusing, difficult, scary time for everybody.

And these essential workers have persisted and prevailed despite really difficult circumstances and we just want to take this opportunity to recognize them, to honor them, and to also recognize that we have a role to play to help facilitate more affordable and accessible child care for all the working families in Santa Barbara County Probably need to work on our regulations to make that easier, particularly now as we're getting into the hopefully the stage of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. That's going to require even more childcare services available for people to get folks back to work and get our economy going. So I just want to thank all the folks at First 5, the Child Care Planning Council and all the for profit and nonprofit child care providers in Santa Barbara County for the tremendous work they do for our young children.

Thank you, Supervisor Hart. Can I get a motion to approve this item?

So moved.

Second. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Motion passes unanimously

And before we go to the resolutions that are to be read into the record here today, let's go ahead and if Madam Clerk if we could even though we've already approved it read into the record A41.

Chair Nelson and members of the board administrative item number 41 is sponsored by Supervisor Hart and Supervisor Nelson. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming April 10th 2021 as Dolores Huertote in Santa Barbara County and we do have one request to speak on this item from the public as well.

All right, we'll go ahead and go to the public comment before I come back to Supervisor Hartman. And I'm sure Supervisor Hartman and myself have a few words as well.

Great, thank you. And we will go to Lisa Valencia-Sharrett. Lisa, can you hear us?

Let's go ahead and go to Supervisor Hartman and then maybe see if we can get Lisa back.

Sure, thank you Mr. Chair. Recognizing Dolores Huerta Day in Santa Barbara County is especially significant because she was one of our nation's most influential civil rights leaders whose contributions have not been widely recognized that her story is less known than it should be is especially ironic because she dedicated her life to bringing the stories of farm workers to light making their plight more visible She was the spark plug pioneering new methods of grassroots organizing, lobbying and engaging the public. And decades ago she put forward the understanding that farmworkers are essential workers.

Dolores Huerta was at the center of the great social movements of her era labor, social justice, feminism and environmental justice. She understood intersectionality decades before the term was coined. Early on, she called attention to the excessive force used against people of color and herself was badly beaten during a peaceful protest and spent months recovering.

Early on she called attention to predatory lending practices and the lack of access to credit in the Latin community. I heard her speak recently at the AAUW of the Lompoc Valley describing legislative victories that she's still authoring with our own Senator Lamone on credit and predatory lending practices. She'll be 91 years old this Saturday, a mother of 11. She acknowledged that she often wasn't there for her children but she explains that she gave them something very precious how to live a meaningful life She showed that to everyone she touched. To be richly inspired, I urge people to watch the PBS documentary about her extraordinary life titled simply Dolores.

She was the one who coined the rallying cry Si Se Puede instilling in our followers this sense of possibility about the future that still rings out today.

Thank you Supervisor Hartman

And Chair Nelson, members of the board. We do have Lisa Valencia share with us now.

Okay we'll go ahead and go to Lisa and then come back to the board.

And Lisa?

Great

okay

there she is

I am here chair Nelson and members of the board thank you so much for this opportunity To help honor Dolores Huerta and our first Dolores Huerta Day in our county. As some of you know, I'm now honored to be running the Housing for the Harvest program which supports farm workers who have COVID and need support to isolate and quarantine safely so this is all I think part of Dolores Huerta's legacy for her hard work as As a woman in the field with both physical strength and leadership, and humbleness. And just really working to bring people together for the equity that we talked so much about this labor as we know is so hard and feeds all of us. So I'm really proud of our county for doing this, and for Supervisors Hart and Nelson for sponsoring it.

And just want everyone to know that her work continues on every day. I'm really proud to work with an organization called Lider Es Campesinas, other women who follow in her tradition, women farm worker leaders and other organizations as well as in our ag community and all the growers who do work hard to give this good treatment to their workers and really value them so we're just here, we keep her work going and happy I'm going to turn it back over to supervisor Hartman who will do some outreach on her day on April 10th. Thank you all so much for doing this.

Thank you, Lisa. Supervisor Hart?

Yes, thank you Mr. Chair. I want to thank supervisor Hartman for her comments and also Ms. Valencia Her message I think can be distilled down to the essential dignity of work and the value that everyone brings to their jobs, but especially folks who are working in the fields to support us, to provide us the food and fiber that we need to sustain ourselves. She recognized very early on the economic disparities that are weighed down upon farm workers and the unfairness and the injustices in the working conditions that they must suffer with And has dedicated her life to improving the plight of farm workers, and also uplifting and raising the voices of the disadvantaged in our community. And she is really a hero and a pioneer and someone who 91 years old continues just as much today to do the work that impassioned And motivated her as a young woman.

So we're very fortunate as Californians to have her amongst us and leading us still, and I think it's really appropriate that we recognize the contribution that she's made to the lives of so many people in Santa Barbara County by proclaiming this day in her honor.

Thank you Supervisor Hart. When Supervisor Hart came to me and asked me to co-sponsor this resolution with him I'm a little embarrassed to say that I didn't know much about Dilara Suerta. So, you know, that's one of the good things about these resolutions is it creates an opportunity for us all to slow down and take a look back and see, you know, and learn. And so I took that opportunity myself to read up on Ms. Suerta.

And one thing that just really stuck with me in hearing her story, it's a uniquely American story You know, we're somebody that can come from very humble beginnings. Can fight against much opposition against violence to keep pushing for goals that she set forth that were goals that are for basic human decency and I was once I learned more about her, even though there's some things I might not disagree on maybe method versus you know. But I think in the end the goals that we're all striving for we can agree on to make sure that we have better working and living conditions and fairness within our institutions.

For all peoples and further something I've been advocating for through most of you know, or at least the last few months is for vaccines for farm workers. It seems like the Dolores Huerta Foundation is making that a large focus of their work and I'm pleased to join alongside that cause and it's an honor to be a chair and to be co-sponsor on this as we approve Supervisor Williams.

Well, it's I think it's on our honor that we as the host county to the Dolores Huerta Foundation should bring this forward. I've heard Dolores speak many times and the first one I was in college and She gets more inspirational and more determined with every year. Instead of fading from my viewpoint watching her over the past 30 years, she has only gotten stronger and more determined.

To me to see someone who is advocating and has worked her whole life for working people, for people to get decent wages, decent benefits, health conditions and voting rights. That was all to me Our foundational for who we should be as a society. One that values work, that values hard work and and and values fairness in our economic system.

Thank you, Mr. Williams with that can I get a motion?

Mr Chair, I just want to say that. No problem. I think I've made it clear that I'm not a huge fan of resolutions, but this is one that these are the types that I think are beneficial for us. As you said, it's time to reflect on a life well lived and still being lived and just an amazing individual who gosh, most people at least that I know are always thinking about when is it time to retire? Here's a person that has, I guess doesn't know the meaning of the word stop or it's over. A lot of times, I think she would be able to claim victory and relax and move on in life. And she just understands that that cause is never done. So I really appreciate members of the board that brought this to us and a very well-deserved honor.

Thank you Supervisor Lavinio. So can we get that motion? Oh, I apologize. We actually have approved this item already so with that we'll go ahead and move along to item number 44.

Chair Nelson and members of the Board, Administrative Item number 44 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of April 2021 as National Poetry Month in Santa Barbara County and receiving this resolution today via Zoom we have Alex Espinoza-Kulik with Corazon del Pueblo who will be introducing Sierra Mayoral student at Carpinteria High School to read her poem, Emily Dickinson at the Poetry Slam. But before we go to that I'm going to go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Whereas The Academy of American Poets has designated April as National Poetry Month to highlight the extraordinary achievements an ongoing legacy of American poets and increase the accessibility of self-expression in our communities. And whereas The Poetry Out Loud national And whereas Pueblo, the Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley facilitated this year's Poetry Out Loud countywide competition creating a supportive virtual space for students and judges from all geographies and backgrounds to engage with and celebrate literacy performance and the spoken word.

And whereas county semifinalists included Sidney Carlson of Santa Maria High School, Luca D'Agruma of Laguna Blanca High School, Camila Fonabarov of Dos Pueblos High School, Mia Maripoa of Pioneer Valley High School. Sierra Mayoral of Carpinteria High School, Kelly Morales Lopez of Pioneer Valley High School and Maya Samarasena of Dos Pueblos High School. And whereas Sierra Mayoral will represent Santa Barbara County at the California State Competition this month joining students from every county in the state in celebration of excellence and public speaking and communication.

Now therefore let it hereby ordered and resolved that April be proclaimed as National Poetry Month in Santa Barbara County And residents are encouraged to participate in the free public poetry programs offered by numerous community organizations. And be it further resolved and hereby ordered that this Board of Supervisors congratulates Corazon de Pueblo, the Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley, and all participating students for exceptional efforts and accomplishments in the advancement of poetry passed and adopted today.

Thank you, thank you Madam Clerk.

Good morning. Thank you for having us. My name is Alex Espinoza-Kulik, I'm the Executive Director for Corazon del Pueblo, the Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley. Our mission is to promote creative expression in the performing visual literary arts preserving the heritage heritages that make our multicultural futures powerful. We're so honored to have worked with students from throughout the county and the Poetry Out Loud program This year, and I'm excited to introduce to you all Sierra Mayerol from Carpinteria High School. Hi

everyone! Thank you so much for having me. Today I will be reading Emily Dickinson at the Poetry Slam by Dan Vera. I will tell you why she rarely ventured from her house. It happened like this... One day she took the train to Boston, made her way to the darkened room, put her name down in cursive script and waited her turn. When they read her name aloud she made her way to the stage straight into the papers in her hands pages and envelopes the backs of grocery bills.

She closed her eyes for a minute took a breath and began From her mouth, perfect words exploded intact formulas of light and darkness. She dared to rhyme with words like cochineal and described the skies like diadem. Obscurely worded incantations filled the room with an alchemy that made the very molecules quake The solitary words she handled in her upstairs room with keen precision came rumbling out to make the electric lights flicker.

40 members of the audience were treated for hypertension, 20 year old dark haired beauties found their heads had turned a Moses white. Her second poem erased the memory of every cell phone in the nightclub. And by the fourth line of the sixth verse, the grandmother in the upstairs apartment had been cured of her rheumatism. The papers reported the power outages.

The area hospitals taxed their emergency generators and sirens were heard to wail through the night quietly She made her way to the exit, walked to the terminal and rode back to Amherst. She never left her room again and never read such syllables aloud. Thank you.

Thank you. Supervisor Williams?

Well, that inspired me so much that I got a bust at a poem. I wasn't planning on it but an obscure poem by a not-obscure author T.S. Eliot my favorite dead white male he wrote Choruses from the Rock and I won't read the whole thing because it's really really long but I just want to give you a snippet because I was inspired by your poem and your reading The endless cycle of idea and action, endless invention, endless experiment brings knowledge of motion but not of stillness.

Knowledge of speech but not of silence. Knowledge of words and ignorance of the word which he capitalizes. All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance. All our ignorance brings us nearer to death, but nearness to death now nearer to God. Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

And now we live dispersed on ribbon roads where no man knows or cares who his neighbor unless his neighbor makes too much of a disturbance. When the stranger returns and asks, what is the meaning of this city? Why do you live huddled so close together? What will we answer? We live close together to make money from each other or because this is a community

Thank you, Supervisor Williams. With that mic drop we can go ahead and get a motion for approval of this resolution.

I would move approval. I also just wanted to mention that I was at the Better Avia building where Corazon has an art display there, so I guess many in the public can't see it because buildings are still closed but it's pretty extraordinary. So I move that we adopt this.

Thank you Supervisor Hartman. Can I get a second?

Second.

All right with that Madam Clerk can you please call the roll?

motion passes unanimously.

Okay Madam Clerk we now have item A5 to adopt resolution acknowledging the extraordinary life of Father John Stevens Hedges

Yes, Chair Nelson and members of the Board. Administrative Item number 45 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution acknowledging the extraordinary life of Father John Stephen Hedges and receiving this resolution via Zoom with us today is Melissa Hedges as well as Sheriff Bill Brown. And I will go ahead and read the resolution.

Whereas Father John Stephen Hedges was a community organizer, spiritual leader and social justice advocate. And whereas Father John was known for his ministry to the houseless of Isla Vista members of his church victims of tragedy and first responders. And whereas Father John came to Isla Vista in 1968 to attend UC Santa Barbara And he met and married his devoted wife Melissa, and they had children Benjamin and Sarah.

And whereas father john was known for his compassion tenacity and dedication to serving others. He became a longtime assistant priest at St. At the nicest Orthodox Church and elected and founding member of the Isla Vista Community Services District, and served as a volunteer chaplain for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. Whereas Father john was called up to comfort and guide countless county residents during times of great local disaster and tragedies. From the aftermath of the Goleta Postal shooting, the mass shooting in Isla Vista, the 1-9 debris flow and the Conception dive boat fire.

And whereas Father John also comforted and guided countless Americans in other states struck by disaster including the wakes of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy And whereas Father John did not just respond to unanticipated disasters, he was also called upon to serve the most vulnerable among us and was an advocate for the poor, the destitute, and the houseless. And whereas Father John influenced countless others who do good works and to walk the path of virtue and integrity.

And whereas Father John selflessly dedicated his life to three noble endeavors helping those impacted by tough circumstances, misfortune, bad choices or calamity Supporting, nurturing and fortifying those who called to respond to their needs and serving God by doing those first too. And whereas Father John was a shepherd who tended his many flocks with devotion, energy, compassion and kindness and he will be missed.

Therefore let it be resolved that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recognize the extraordinary life of Father John Stephen Hedges after his untimely passing in February 2021 passed and adopted today.

Thank you Madam Clerk I understand we have Ms. Hedges with us today?

Yeah, hi. I'm Melissa Hedges, Father John's wife and I wanted to thank you for inviting me in remembrance of Father John and his work. First of all, I want to say how unique it is to have priest chaplains so involved in a community. Santa Barbara has a huge heart for its people and understands the needs Father John always knew he was carrying the mercy of God into situations.

He always, he was able to be present and touch people with God's grace and love. Father John had a deep love for all those he served and those who served with many times to use the words of St. Herman of Alaska you can't Quote, you can't serve those which you do not love unquote. Father John knew the importance of bringing God's presence into each circumstance never to preach but to come alongside those in need.

He promoted the need for chaplaincy and all these circumstances. The Hedges family is grateful to Santa Barbara County. I'm sorry.

We are grateful, I'm sorry.

Take

your time. For allowing Father John to serve our community as a volunteer chaplain and we thank you.

Thank you, Miss Hedges. I think Supervisor Williams and we also have Sheriff Brown.

Whichever order you wish

alright Sheriff Brown would you mind following up and then will be back to the board again? Thank you miss hedges.

Not at all thank you Chair Nelson and thank you members of the This resolution to honor a man who made an impact, not only in an organization but in the community for an extraordinary amount of time. In an extraordinary way he was truly an icon in Isla Vista, but his compassion is faith And his energy and his kindness extended well beyond the boundaries of Isla Vista or Santa Barbara County, as you've heard.

He dedicated himself to helping those who were struck by misfortune and calamity. He is remembered within our organization, the Sheriff's Office, who he proudly served for 20 years as a chaplain, Connected us in a way. While we were busy engaged in managing a disaster, he was busy and making sure that we were okay and that we were in a position to help others.

And then he also directly helped others, victims and families. And whether it was through a sage thought of prayer, a touch on the shoulder or sometimes just to look at a nod, he was a presence that helped us get through some of the most difficult times that we've ever been faced with as a sheriff's office and as a community. And it was just a distinct pleasure Father John to share a friendship with him and camaraderie that is second to none in terms of people. He was truly someone who lifted you up when you were in his presence, and we are grateful for him.