Board of Supervisors — 2021-11-09

All right. Can you hear me

all right? Okay, good morning. I will call to order the November 9th 2021 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk please call the roll.

motion?

All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Madam Clerk are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Chair Nelson and members of the board. Yes, I just have a couple quick announcements this morning. Chair Nelson and members of the board, I just have a couple quick announcements this morning as the board is aware an item may be added to the agenda after the agenda has been posted and within 72 hours of the hearing due to an emergency situation As defined by government code section 54956.5 and upon a determination by four-fifths vote of the board, please note the clerk of the board has posted distributed and made available to the public a written statement and associated materials stating the facts upon which it can be determined that they need to take action arose after From Public Works Board of Directors and the Water Agency, it is to consider recommendations regarding a resolution to accept small community drought relief program grant funds.

And this is in the 4th District. Prior to the board taking any action on this item, a motion stating that the need to take action arose after the agenda was posted is required. And additionally, Chair Nelson and members of the board just have a couple other quick announcements. I would like to remind the public that the Board of Supervisors meetings are being interpreted and broadcast live in Spanish. We are broadcasting our meetings in Spanish both for Cox Cable subscribers in South County 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 or SAP under their language settings.

Lastly, I would like to remind the public who are participating in our meeting today of the board's updated methods of public participation. For the Board of Supervisors 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 the agenda. Members of the public can attend meetings in person in both the Santa Barbara Hearing Room Chambers as well as the Santa Maria Board Hearing Room Chambers.

Please note on October 5th 2021 an additional county health officer order went into effect requiring indoor mask usage for everyone over two years of age regardless of vaccination status. If you attend the board meeting in person, you will be required to wear a face covering or mask at all times regardless of vaccination status information regarding how to properly wear a mask has been posted throughout both locations As a friendly reminder, masks should cover your nose and mouth. Wear the mask from the bridge of your nose to all the way under your chin. Tighten any loops or ties so the mask is snug. If you do not have a mask that fits properly we can provide you with one.

Individuals that would like to provide verbal public comment virtually may do so via Zoom by registering in advance via the link available on page 2. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the virtual meeting Once the chair has announced the item you want to comment on, please join the meeting with the information provided and the registration email. You'll be placed on mute until it is your turn to speak. The clerk will call you by name and when removed from mute you will hear a notification that your line has been unmuted.

If you're using a touchtone phone, you may need to press star six to unmute yourself. Each person may address the board for up to three minutes and this is at the discretion of the chair. If you have any questions please contact the Clerk of the Board's Office at area code 805-568-2240 And that concludes my announcements.

All right. Thank you, Madam Clerk. We'll go ahead and take the next agenda item at the conclusion of the administrative agenda. CEO,

No reports this morning, Chair.

All right. The next item is Approval of the Administrative Agenda. Do any board members have items they wish to pull? Do we, Madam Clerk are we having that from the public?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, we have a request to speak on administrative item number seven

this morning. And I'd also like to pull administrative item number six. Anything else? All right. Can we get a motion to the approval of the balance of the administrative item or excuse me, the administrative agenda?

All

right just for clarification that's all administrative items except A5 and A6 Sorry, A6 and A7?

Correct Chair Nelson. That is all administrative items except for A6, A7 and the ex-agenda item request.

All right thank you. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Okay let's go ahead and take these in order. Will you read item A6 into the record?

Turn Nelson and members of the board administrative item number six is from the county executive office. It is to consider recommendations regarding a new county wide policy entitled naming County assets

All right so I pull this item. I'm definitely supporting it, I think it's a great policy and I wanted to give kudos to staff for developing it. I think it is thoughtful in the way that goes about naming our county buildings especially with the unanimous support of the board under certain circumstances. I'd like to move it and see it moved forward today. One one item that Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the board.

Typically, we want to wait for up to a year after somebody's passed away to name something to make sure that time has gone by. It's still appropriate. I think the same should be true as we maybe visit rethinking some of our naming in the future. So just wanted to maybe provide that thought and direction to staff to consider that in the future but I like to see us move this item forward.

Chair Nelson, we'd appreciate it if you'd like us to look at an unnaming policy. We could amend this and come back to the board. We'd appreciate it if you could put that in the motion for this approval. And just for the board's awareness, we did submit a memo last night. There was a phrase that dropped off in our board letter and in the policy on number six where it talked about deceased individuals and allows the board to make exceptions with unanimous approval by the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Williams?

Well, I think that often it is a good time to or a good thing to pause before you take actions. However since there is no statutory way for us to limit the discretion of a future board, I think simply saying that it's a good General rule is just as effective as establishing a policy in this regard. So I guess I'd rather not have a policy because I'm not going to say to a constituent, well, I can't do it because we have this policy when I really can and we cannot bind the hands of a future board even if that future board happens to be us

I appreciate that, but also this whole naming policy is something that is subject to any three of us at any given time. So the policy itself already kind of breaks the tie in the hands of future boards. You know, I think what the issue is when these things come up it's good for us to direct our Our constituents and staff towards something. Obviously, we've got a lot of liberty here as board members.

We do live in a time where things are heightened and you see certain monuments and naming change as new information comes up so I think it's important for us to maybe put something in place or at least ask staff to do that moving forward. So that's where I'm coming from on it. Thank you very much.

The unnaming policy, I appreciate that you've raised it. It seems to me that it raises many many issues and I'm not, I don't know, it hasn't really come up for us yet. I'm just wondering if we're borrowing trouble, if we really need that at this time. It's, I'm willing to consider it. I just wonder how much time it would take staff and how many speculative things they would have to run through scenarios in their mind and whether it's really worth it. Again, I think it's a good thing to raise it but do we really need it now? I'm not sure.

Supervisor Williams.

Yeah I think that Supervisor Hartman points out something that I will be more explicit is it, I think this is just going to be interpreted as us taking a stand in the culture wars. That is not necessary at this time and I understand Why you want to do it, I actually agree that sometimes even with good intentions people go too far. I would say for instance the renaming at San Francisco schools is a primary example of going too far where you might actually lose the history of why Oppression and why matters, right? Just by getting rid of the murals or getting rid of other things.

But I guess I'm not interested in taking a foray into the culture wars without something at stake.

Yeah, my purpose was actually to avoid the culture wars. And so that was exactly my purpose but I'm fine moving on from it. I do support this naming policy if it opens up another can that we don't want to. If I'm fine with that, I am willing to accept the wisdom of my colleagues in that and just approve this item. So can I get a motion or to reserve sorry having

you. I'll make that motion and I appreciate what you, what you were trying to do because to avoid controversy the time to talk about it is when there really wasn't isn't one in front of us, but this thing so heightened that I don't think you can talk about it without I will go ahead and move the item as it is.

Chair Nelson and members of the board, administrative item number seven is from the County Executive Office. It is to consider recommendations regarding an amendment to chapter 50 of the county code licensing of commercial cannabis operations. And this is a second reading. Chair Nelson, members of the board we have two requests to speak on this item here in Santa Maria.

All right.

And we will begin with David Cross to be followed by Joe Goldberg. David?

Good morning. I'm Dave Frost, and I'm assisting Lillie's Green Garden with their land use process. Lillie's Green Garden is a cannabis operation located between San Marino and Guadalupe in Ag-2 zoning far from residential zones and far from public highways. It's a discretionary project that requires planning commission approval. The project was submitted in 2018 for the first two years they were continually advised by They were continuing to advise that the Planning Commission hearing was right around the corner. And meanwhile, other projects probably because they were easier to process and non-discretionary were given priority and approved.

This year with changes and more requirements, the operation is working to comply to continue through the process but what has happened is a project was essentially denied because it was not processed to the Planning Commission before the cap was put in place The applicant never had their date, even though the application was submitted before caps and other regulations were in place. And before many other cannabis applications were submitted.

So that's not fair to the applicant who had a reasonable expectation of a PC decision. Every time that they've had a state inspection and audits, they have passed with flying colors. Keep in mind also The county has set aside funds to assist small businesses to stay open during COVID and to keep their people employed. There's an already going operation with 150 employees who rely on their income with their families.

Now if something doesn't change, they're in the queue to be shut down. We don't want that to happen. Lilly's plans are continuing through the process they started nearly three years ago. So what we're asking today is that you consider December 2022 as a sunset date rather than the proposed June date. Willis has licenses that will be valid through December, and the extra time allows them to continue the process and find a way to stay in business. This will also keep their workforce employed.

I don't know about the other projects that do not yet have the entitlement or whether they've given up going through the land use process But this operation has not and never has given up on going through that process. So your consideration for that would be appreciated, thank you.

Mr. Cross.

We'll now go to our second speaker Joe Goldberg who is our final speaker on this item, Joe?

Good morning. Morning.

Have you ever thought about why there's virtually no flower growers left in Santa Barbara County? That they've all transitioned to cannabis, myself being one of them. And the pure word in a single word is economics. The flower business no longer sustain these farms and if you ask The many growers who are generational grower. I'm a third generation flower grower who has transitioned and it's all because we love what we do, agriculture is in our blood and we saw the opportunity with the cannabis to transition to keep these farms going. And it's not only for me, it's for my children, my grandchildren, for the 150 families that depend on us, who we employ sometimes up to 200 And yet, this hasn't come without its challenges.

And the big challenge has been this permit process and we are good players. We abide by the rules. We've done everything we're supposed to do, everything we've asked to do and yet we're on the outside looking in all of a sudden and it's certainly not fair to us. And speaking of economics, I will let you know that our company alone over the past 18 months has paid more than a million dollars in taxes to this county. And we have jumped through all the hoops and we want to continue our business. We want to continue employing our people.

I mean, I'm not ready to quit my children aren't ready to quit. Our employees aren't ready to quit. We transitioned out of the flower business because we were essentially forced to I mean, I never dreamed growing up and planting roses and carnations and daisies that I would be a cannabis grower. Never dreamed of it. And I'm sure if you ask any other flower grower they're going to tell you the same thing.

But here we are. And it's our livelihood. This is how we support our families and our employees' families. And again, as Mr. Cross stated, I ask you to move this date forward to give us the opportunity to work with the planning department and get this permit process completed. Thank you.

Thank you.

That was our final speaker on this item.

All right.

Okay. All right. So we need a motion on this item or any discussion on this item? Supervisor Levin you.

Thank you so and understand the plight of this particular case it's a, it's very difficult piece of property. It's been very complex and I don't think there was any Uh, fault of the growers just a long process they were going through. It's for a number of reasons there's many different reasons why this project took a long time but I do have. A meeting with planning development to kind of go over the timeline and those types of things and invited. The grower in, and they're going to be sitting down with Pete with P and D this week.

Um, you know, as far as the date goes, I'm just curious if well. You know, first off I want to thank the board for moving the date to June of 2022 that think that's very important. And this is you know this this is kind of this was a new request. Even if this I guess his question for Council if this if we go ahead and continue with It's just an action of the board. If we got closer to June and there is somebody that is in that process, that date can always be looked at at that time.

Supervisor Lavagnino yes, that's correct. We make an amendment today but your board has discretion to make further amendments in the future.

Well I think honestly that's the position I'm in. I want to hear what planning development has to say. I mean, I don't wanna sit here. I guess I could go through the exercise of making a motion and then... I was the one that wanted to move the date and I appreciate the fact that it got moved. Unfortunately, I don't know who those other six are in this situation. So before I did something like that, I'd wanna talk to P&D to find out what's happening with the other five. So I wanna see what happens in that meeting And I think we can go from there like council's telling us, you know that date is discretionary on this board at any time. So my advice to the applicant would be to continue with the process.

You know I will continue to assist as I can setting up meetings with planning development. And we'll try to work as diligently as we can I think there's going to be some answers this week by dealing with this sitting down and trying to hammer out the timeline so that would be my I would

like to make a motion to approve the cap. I would like to make

a motion to approve the cap. 120 days for non conforming is that. Because we talked so much about the inland last time I just wanted to make sure that was clear. So there's a question that Council.

Supervisor Williams, let me just take a minute to look at the language.

And then I'll just make a comment about the cap. You know, I was interviewed by someone yesterday that is characterizing the cap as a mess. They were obviously coming from an industry perspective and I wanted to address this has been I think very necessary in order to make sure the public knows that we are trying to balance things. Now, that's the advantage of the cap is public confidence. The disadvantage of the cap is that a cap inherently is a scythe that cuts down the righteous as much as the wicked.

It does not sort of differentiate Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the Board of Supervisors.

All right, my understanding is we have Ms. Heaton in the Santa Barbara hearing room to respond to the earlier question?

Thank you Supervisor Williams to the chair. The June 30 date 2022 actually would apply to both areas, the inland area as well as Carpinteria and we've been told that planning believes that the Carpinteria cap will be reached sometime in the first quarter of 2022 and so the timing was such that it made we applied the June 30 date across the board

So if we reach a cap in April, then we would have a termination of non-conforming June 1st. That's kind of counterintuitive to me. We're giving inland six months and we're giving carpentry two and a half or three months?

Supervisor Williams and I mean we're giving Carpinteria the same amount of time. If, I mean we're telling them now that legal non-conforming operators would have to cease June 30 2022. I mean I understand if they're not if they're in the cap versus not being in the cap yes that's the difference but I guess this is a communication to all legal non-confirming operators that June 30 is the deadline.

It was my is my impression that it's much more clear in the inland who is in the cap and who is not.

That's correct,

then it is in the carpentry because we were weren't not as close to reaching that cap so at least for my part I think notice is when we actually let people know whether they're in or You might be and you might not be, but June 1st is the date. So I guess, I think that if we've been advised that 120 days was adequate notice then it could be June 30th or June 1st but no less than 120 days after the cap has been reached.

All

right. I think that's a policy call and without re-hearing this item, I think maybe the route to go is actually approve the item today. And then if there's a supervisor who wants to request in the future to come back to relook at these dates, I think that might be the appropriate time to have a more robust discussion with staff so...

Well, I guess I could vote for this if it was staff direction to return to us with a policy of at least 120 days. That's literally everything that we've been read and advised

I think, you know what Supervisor Labanino had brought up with this grower that came in today. There are some more items we need to talk about as a board. Right now we're giving people at this point eight months to start to prepare and think about it but there's movement on the board to relook at this before that point. Supervisor Hart?

Yeah, I think this deserves a full context conversation and discussion and this is not

So I'll make a motion that we approve the item today with, with the future input from staff on looking at the date on inland and reviewing. I want to approve it today but you know with just the discretion that I guess it is the discretion that we can move it later but we need to let folks know at this point And I think the 120 days from what I've understood from council is that's pretty much a legal requirement for us, isn't it? Or.

Mr Chair and members of the board we do recommend an amortization period this June 30th date is actually longer than that so giving plenty of notice

but I understand where you're at Dawson and I get that so I just think if we approve today and we it is discretionary I think we're going to need staff input as we move forward with this to better massage it and figure out exactly where we're at.

All right, so there's a motion from Supervisor Lavagnino. Is there a second?

Second.

All right is there any further discussion? Supervisor Williams? All right all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously Before we finish the administrative agenda, I believe we actually have a public speaker that wanted to speak on all administrative items. Mr. Waco are you there?

Yes, Sharon Nelson members of the board we did receive a request from public member Briggs Waco on all agenda items and if he could clarify for the record what exactly they would like to speak on. And Briggs Waco I have unmuted you on our end if you can unmute and please proceed.

All right,

it appears that we've been unable to get a hold of him. I know staff had been working prior to us calling him and if he has something else to speak on maybe he can speak in general public comment moving forward so we'll call on him again at that time. At this time we go ahead and read uh you have the resolution to present. I don't think you read item A-16 into the record?

Chair Nelson and members of the Board, Administrative Item Number 16 is sponsored by Supervisor Lavagnino. It is to adopt a resolution in memory of Mrs. Agatha Shorter-Lewis and to impart our condolences to her family and friends. And joining us today via Zoom we have a few members of her family, Danielle Chambers, a niece, Geraldine Tinson also her niece, great niece Kira Tinson Sergeant Daniel Rios from the Santa Maria Police Department, Lois Trask, Wilma Harrison and Lynette Harris. And I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Whereas Agatha Shorter-Lewis, after a lifetime dedicated to serving the people of Santa Barbara County passed away on October 5th 2021 and whereas Agatha was a graduate of UCSB earning a bachelor's degree in sociology which prepared her for the career which she truly loved. And whereas Mrs. Shorter-Lewis initially began her career as a volunteer in the Santa Barbara County Probation Department in 1973, but after scoring number one on her placement test was hired as a DPO2 in 1975 becoming the first black female deputy probation officer in the county. And whereas Agatha spent 27 years with the department before retiring in 2001, her most memorable times were spent working a juvenile caseload where she used her fair but firm personality to ensure local kids made it to school and stayed out of trouble.

And whereas Agatha was heavily involved in the community, holding numerous leadership positions within the Santa Maria Lompoc chapter of the NAACP. She was also a Sunday school teacher and was named as a representative of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church to state and national delegations. And whereas Agatha was married in 1993 to the Reverend Henry Littleton Lewis Jr. at a wedding that people still talk about today due to the 25 bridesmaids and over 1,000 guests in attendance with many of them being judges attorneys and probation officers.

Whereas Agatha enjoyed her retirement years celebrating many of her birthdays cruising on the high seas with our husband And whereas Mrs. Agatha Schroeder-Lewis led a life that should be an inspiration to all of us, a true public servant who overcame bias and discrimination in her own life and yet remained focused on creating a better world for her family and her community.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County does hereby acknowledge the passing of one of our own, Mrs. Agatha Schroeder-Lewis, and do impart our condolences to her family and friends passed and adopted today.

Supervisor Levenham?

Well, it was an honor for me to sponsor this resolution and it wouldn't have happened without another one of our own, Lawanda Lyons Pruitt. And when you say it's an honor, it was really an honor to read about her life and just the struggles that she overcame and the bias that she overcame and still being able to hold a... She's just a true light in the community. So I appreciate you bringing this to me and I was just grateful that we're able to honor her today.

Thank you, Supervisor Lavanina, Chair Nelson, supervisors. Danielle will be speaking on behalf of the family we're just here to support her. We have other members and executive committee members. Thank you for recognizing Mrs. Shawnda Lewis. She is sorely missed. And she really was larger than life and just went about doing things. And one thing that she did, if you knew her, everyone knew that she would sell you a ticket to something.

So that's going to be hard, hard to replace and just that bit bubbly smell also. So once you met her, you would never forget it. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Yes, yes, yes.

Is it okay to speak now?

Yes, we're just taking a quick picture. But yes,

please.

Okay. Welcome.

Thank you. Thank you Supervisor Levin. You know, to the members of the board again my name is Danielle Chambers. I'm Agatha's niece she did not have any children and my uncle passed away about eight years ago so she died a widow And I thank you all for adopting this resolution in her honor. You know, last Tuesday a proclamation from the Honorable Mayor Alice Patino of Santa Maria was presented on behalf of my aunt to the family and then on October 21st flag was flown over our nation's capital in our honor and at the request of Salud Carver Hall He also proudly read about or told the members of Congress about the work of my aunt, who I also called Aunt Aggie.

In addition to being who she was, a larger than life personality, she was a proud Santa Maria resident, a proud UCSB graduate. In addition to being the first African American deputy probation officer Officer for Santa Barbara County, and the second president of the NAACP Santa Maria-Lompoc branch which also includes being the first woman president for the same chapter.

My aunt believed in community and having real relationships with community members, small business owners, and community leaders which includes people like all of you Joyce Dudley I think she's present today All of those that are in the chamber currently being of support to me. And then also the late great Joseph Santino. In 74 when Aggie was just a probation officer training, she established the first black festival in the city of Santa Barbara and it was held at Santa Barbara Junior High School.

The aim of the festival was to bridge the greater Santa Barbara community with the black community An article in the Santa Barbara News Press, I believe that's the paper featured the event and gave a story of prominent position like it was front page top full. And it's important for me to note that today because this is the first of many such articles in her 48 years of being a resident of the County of Santa Barbara which started in Goleta ended in Santa Maria.

All those articles just document her commitment to this community, which includes the celebration and building awareness of the cultural capital of African Americans that live within the five districts of Santa Barbara County. At her homegoing celebration on Saturday, October 30th I asked everyone in attendance to think about how we get to fulfill or betray our legacy each day.

And I'm not talking about the legacy we inherit from relatives or by genetics. I'm talking about the legacy of being by virtue of community member My aunt's legacy is fully established and documented from Congress to local government. But I'm asking this board to think about which part of my aunt's legacy that you inherit by virtue of being an elected official of this community, representing all of your constituents.

Think about it and accept it Because I am challenging you to think about how you will sustain her work, the relationships. I don't want her legacy to die off along with her physical presence on this earth. She faced a lot of discrimination because someone's legacy before hers died off. And to help the 6900 plus African Americans that still reside in this county.

You have to really think about how your position helps sustain better communities for all, including those issues that are hard to face sometimes or hard to deal with. And so with that I thank you and I'm very I'm humbled to receive this recognition from my aunt, but I want you guys to know there's many Agatha Shorter Lewis is still residing in the area. And it's important that those relationships are sustained to make it a greater and better Santa Barbara community for everyone. Thank you.

Thank you once again.

Yes, and thank you Miss Chambers for your words on behalf of my colleagues so we accept your challenge. Thank you. Alright, so at this time we will now go to the X agenda item And before we have this item, I just wanted to read something here. Rolling Hills is a small community of approximately 20 homes southeast of Orkut. Since its inception they have owned and operated a rural mutual water company.

Earlier this year they had issues with their well and ultimately had a well failure leaving the community without a water source. In June public health issued a boil water order and sheriff and fire were put on notice of the water issues in the community as it is a high fire zone. Residents have been forced to fend for themselves and living only on a few gallons of a day of water. They've individually been filling personal tanks to meet their individual needs.

Since then, my office county staff along with the neighbors and ultimately Golden State Water, the municipal water source for Orchid had been working to find a solution for this emergency. Golden State Water staff helped the Mutual Water Company apply for a Department of Water Resource grant to create a temporary intertie to the Golden State water system. Unfortunately, neighborhood lacks the resources to execute the grant over the weekend. Public Works and County Council worked to find a way for the water agency to step in and receive the grant on behalf of Rolling Hills.

As time is of the essence and this is an emergency as well as a public health with, as there's a public health order in place. I ask that this be put on today's agenda as an ex-agenda item, and I would appreciate the support my colleagues to approve the addition to today's agenda and join me in approval of this grant. So with that Madam Clerk will you read or would you read the appropriate language?

Chair Nelson and members of the board. Yes, as previously noted earlier we did receive an ex-agenda request this was from Public Works Board of Directors in the Water Agency it is to consider recommendations regarding a resolution to accept small community drought relief program grant funds and this is in the fourth district and I would just like to note for the record I have An item that needed to be added on to the agenda after the agenda had been posted and within 72 hours of the hearing due to an emergency situation as defined by government code section, and that should read 54954.2B1 and upon a determination by a forfeits vote of the board.

So prior to the board taking action on this item, if we can please get a motion stating that this was an emergency situation and to add this item to the record.

Can I get a motion? Supervisor Hartman?

I move that this was an emergency situation and that we add this to our agenda today.

Second. A second from Supervisor Williams. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Okay, at this time would you go ahead and read the item now into the record so we can discuss and make a motion.

Chair Nelson and members of the board. Next agenda item number one is from Public Works Board of Directors Water Agency. It is to consider recommendations regarding a resolution to accept small community drought relief program grant funds and this is in the fourth district.

All right thank you. Right is there any discussion on this item or public comment?

Chair Nelson and members of the board, we did not receive any requests to speak on this ex-agenda item request.

All right. So seeing none, can I get a motion on this item? Supervisor Harmon?

I just had a question on the substance is now the right time. So you said temporary intertie. So did the well fail because of the equipment or because you need to drill a deeper well to get to the groundwater and what is the long term solution?

Ms. Rubicaba? Hi, Supervisor Hartman through the Chair. I'm Walter Rubicaba and I have Matt Young here from the Water Agency and Scott McAuliffe is also available. To answer your question there was two failures. There was a production and a screening failure. And we've been asking that question a lot recently so it appears that this screen is failing at the bottom of the well and there's a lack of water as well So this intertie is an interim, short-term remedy.

We're still trying to figure out what the long term solution is.

And just to answer that question from my perspective you know we've been working as a team with various entities one of the options would be potentially making this intertie permanent at some point in the future but that's a more lengthy process involving LAFCO and other issues Thank you, Mr. Chair. All in favor signify by saying aye. Motion passes unanimously. I want to take the opportunity to thank the water agency, Scott McAuliffe and Matt Young, Walter Rubicala to work hard on this. You guys worked over the weekend as well as County Council. I appreciate that. And Don White from Golden State Water did amazing work working with the state agency to make sure this happened. Hopefully we will be able All right, that's the conclusion of our administrative agenda.

At this time we have public comment and as we go into public comment I want to just remind the public that today we've scheduled the COVID briefing to the end of the day I just want to make sure that everybody was aware moving into public comment.

Joe Nelson and members of the board. Yes, we have five requests to speak on general public comment today. We are going to begin on zoom with Briggs Waco to be followed by Maria Kessner Briggs. And Briggs adjust a friendly reminder. We have unmuted you on our end if you can please press unmute and proceed with your comments.

Turn out some members of the board. I'm going to proceed with Maria Kessner to be followed by Doctor Amy Smith, Maria.

Good morning, Board of Supervisors. I hope you can hear me. Last week, public comment calling out for citizens arrest was falsely labeled as imminent lawless action. The county council present at the board meeting did not call out supervisor Dustin William on this error. California Penal Code 837-PC allows a private person to make a citizen's arrest. Laws in over 40 states specifically protect citizens' arrests, and in other states common law governs this very important practice. A citizen's arrest may be rare but Open Meeting Act violations are widespread problem.

The badly keen Open Meeting Act of 2004 states requirements for open meetings that people of the state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them The people in delegating authority do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so they may retain control over the instruments they have created. This article shall be known and maybe cited as the Bagley-King Open Meeting Act. Under the same act, the opportunity for public to speak at meetings, the state body shall not prohibit public criticism of the policies programs and services of the state body or of the ex-affirmations of the state body. Nothing in this division shall confer any privilege or protection for expression beyond that otherwise provided by law.

And then to continue, a violation or misdemeanor each member of the state body who attends a meeting of that body in violation of any provision of this article and where the member intends to deprive the public of information to which the member knows or has reason to know the public is entitled under this article is guilty of a misdemeanor. As you can see the emotional reactions by current sitting supervisors are inappropriate unprofessional and uninformed We hope you will improve your conduct towards the public and educate yourselves to be better representatives to all of us. Thank you very much.