Board of Supervisors — 2023-05-02

Good morning. I'll call the May 2nd, 2023 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to order. Madam Clerk please call the roll.

Chair? Yes. I didn't get a chance to review the last three in time so if we could continue those to next meeting but I'd be happy to make a motion to approve the first. The

fourth and the

sixth. Fourth and sixth and then continue the budget workshops to next week's May 9th meeting.

Okay. Can I get a motion on the fourth and the sixth?

So moved.

Second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? And a motion to continue the minutes for the 18th, 19th and 21st. So moved.

Second.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? The minutes are continued. CEO's report.

No report this morning Chair Williams.

And announcements from the clerk.

Chair Williams and members of the board, I do have a couple announcements this morning. We posted an addendum on Friday April 28th amending today's closed session agenda. The closed session agenda was amended to remove a closed session agenda item under conference with labor negotiators subdivision A of government code section 54957.6 employee organization Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Association agency designated representatives county CEO Mona Miyasato and HR director Maria Elena de Guevara This addendum was posted online and made available to the board and the public.

In addition, we received a request from the department to continue administrative item number four to the May 16th Board of Supervisors meeting. Administrative item number four is from the Behavioral Wellness Department. It is to consider recommendations regarding the Behavior Wellness Idea Engineering Inc. agreement for fiscal years 2022 through 2024. And again, the department is requesting a continuance of this item to the Agenda this continuation request has been posted online and made available to the board and the public.

And lastly, for the Board of Supervisors methods of public participation and to provide public comment on general public comment or an item on the boards agenda please see page 2 of the agenda. Individuals that would like to provide verbal public comment may do so via Zoom by registering in advance via the link available on page 2. If you have any questions, please contact the clerk of the board's office at area code 805-568-2240 again That's 8 0 5 5 6 8 2 2 4 0 and that concludes my announcements for today

Would any board members like to pull any items from the administrative agenda I Seeing none, there is a member of the public who wishes to pull A-17. So let's read A- 17. First let's take the motion on the balance of the consent agenda so that staffers can get back to work.

Yes and Chair Williams members of the board just for clarification we do have requests from the public on A- 17 and A- 33.

But A-33 is a resolution so we will take it during the

resolutions. I'll move The balance of the agenda except for a 17 and that includes the continuance of a 4.

Thank you is there a second

2nd

all those in favor please say aye aye opposed now a 17.

Chair Williams and members of the board. Administrative item number 17 is from the Public Works Department, it is to consider recommendations regarding an agreement with Araghman Corporation for compost hauling and marketing. This is in the third district and we do have one request to speak from the public and we are going to zoom with Andy Caldwell.

Chair Williams, members of the board, Andy Caldwell representing CoLab. We have a couple of questions on this one. First of all I've never seen the word commission used for a facility we don't know if that means breaking a bottle of champagne across it cutting a ribbon what does it mean that the facility that should have been in operation a couple years now has never been commissioned?

Number two, what is wrong with the product that you can't distribute the product within the county to whoever your marketing plan says is going to be your customer? Now this is something we asked when you were building this. I have no idea whether an anaerobic digester works. That's beyond my pay grade but I do know something about compost And we've always questioned where's the market in the South County, which is fully developed and doesn't have a bunch of open ag fields. Where is the market for this much compost? So what's wrong with the product and why isn't it going to your regular product, your regular market?

The final question is a big one, especially for those of you that are all in for going all electric. Your business plan supposedly says you would use CNG powered trucks not diesel but you're gonna be using diesel we wanna know why? But more importantly why aren't you going all electric? This is an opportunity, you have a new trucking project here. The county we haven't seen you buy too many heavy duty electric vehicles and of course Gavin Newsom wants all trucks in the state long haul trucks in the State of California to go electric.

What are you waiting for? So again what does it mean to be commissioned? What's wrong with the product that you can't just disperse it According to your regular marketing plan and why aren't you going with electric vehicles to haul this stuff down to Ventura County? Thank you.

And that concludes public comment on this item.

Mr. Nelson?

Yes, thank you Chair Williams. I think the first two questions were probably questions that staff might be able to answer and I'm not sure if the third one is more of a policy question that I think the board will have to wrestle with in the future but I think the first two might help inform the public. I know the board has been briefed in an individual session at Public Works about some of the issues that are going on in Tahegas but it might help the public with that public comment to hear what commissioning is and what's going on with the compost there at Tahegas, Phil.

Chair Williams, members Yes, commissioning typically means that you've passed several acceptance tests. To date he's been operating under what's called limited operations because he's actually constructed the facilities. He's passed two acceptance tests one is pending and we're working with them for the other six. The market originally and still is intended to go to local avocado growers.

Agriment happens to be the operator of the compost facility Material that can't be marketed at this time is planned to go to their facility in Ventura for additional blending to make it marketable. Those products could come back to Santa Barbara County. That facility is equidistant approximately from the other facilities that are in our county and certainly could be reevaluated, but to date we haven't had the interest.

Thank you Mr. Wilder, I think that's helpful for the questions. I'm good with moving forward with this contract and I'll make the motion to approve item A-17.

I'll second.

And I do think it's a point well taken on the trucks while the availability of electrics for this heavy duty is pretty sparse at this time it's something to look forward into in the future In the meantime, when we have opportunities to use the CNG trucks which some fleets have already converted to that we should avail ourselves. But I'll be supporting the motion.

There's a motion and a second on A17. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Great. Now we'll go to the first resolution On a 33. Chair

Williams and members of the board administrative item number 33 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams it is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the week of April 15th 2023 through April 22nd 2023 as Santa Barbara Dark Sky Week in Santa Barbara County and joining us in person today we have Barbara Greenleaf, and if you can please come to the podium. And I'll go ahead and read Whereas the aesthetic beauty and wonder of a natural night sky is a shared heritage of all humankind. And whereas, the experience of standing beneath a starry night sky inspires wonder, encourages interest in science and nature, and attracts visitors to the region. And whereas light pollution has scientifically established consequences which are detrimental to the economy, ecosystem, and human health of our community.

And whereas Santa Barbara is home to diverse species of nocturnal wildlife and these species rely on undisturbed night environments to hunt, mate and thrive. And whereas 80% of the world's population including many people in Santa Barbara County live under a dome of light pollution Excessive artificial lighting at night that disrupts natural darkness and may never experience the visual wonder and ecological health benefits of living under a dark sky. And whereas, a stated objective of the City of Santa Barbara Outdoor Lighting and Streetlight Design Guidelines is to acknowledge the objectives of the International Dark Sky Association and strive to preserve and restore view of the night sky. And whereas the International Dark Sky Association is the globally recognized authority on the light pollution and has created international dark sky week to raise awareness of light pollution and provide free education, resources and solutions to the public.

To encourage. The protection of and enjoyment of dark skies and responsible outdoor lighting. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors hereby declares April 15th through the 22nd 2023 as Dark Sky Week in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Thank you so much on behalf on behalf of Dean Axelrod and the Dark Sky Association.

Thank you. A34 I know we have one request to speak for a 33.

Chad Williams and members of the board that is correct, we have one request to speak on administrative item number 33 and we're going to zoom with Kathleen Rosenthal Kathleen.

Good morning can you hear me. Yes, we can. Please proceed. Okay. Thank you. Good morning Chair Williams and members of the board. I just wanted to pop in here and thank you for this resolution. I wanted to let you know that up here in the Santa Ynez Valley our local environmental group We Watch has been working for dark skies for over 30 years and they have recently helped the city of Buellton develop their own dark sky ordinance And we look forward to the county implementing the same and also other jurisdictions throughout the county. But I just wanted to mention their work and let you know that we are wholeheartedly behind this resolution, and we appreciate your recognition. Thank you very much.

Thank you. A34

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 34 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the week of April 24th 2023 through April 30th 2023 as Daniel Ellsberg Week in Santa Barbara County and joining us here in person today we have Elizabeth Robinson and if you can please come to the podium I'll go ahead and read the resolution Whereas Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers whistleblower has been an inspiring activist for peace since the early 1970's. And whereas Daniel Ellsberg became a whistleblower by giving the 7000 page Pentagon Papers to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, The New York Times, The Washington Post and 17 other newspapers.

Subsequent trial on 12 felony counts posing a possible sentence of 115 years was dismissed in 1973 on grounds of governmental misconduct against him, leading to the convictions of several White House aides and figuring in the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon. And whereas since the end of the Vietnam War, Ellsberg has been a lecturer, scholar, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful US interventions and the urgent need for principled whistleblowing And whereas Ellsberg recently wrote a public letter disclosing that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, with the prognosis that he has only three to six months to live. And whereas Daniel Ellsberg has supported, encouraged and inspired whistleblowers, journalists and activists all over the world.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors declares April 24th through 30th 2023 as Daniel Ellsberg Week in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Thank you very much. There have been many times when this wouldn't have gone through here, but I really appreciate all of you and the support and have to remember that whistleblowers sometimes are working in our service. So thank you very much.

A35.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 35 is sponsored by Supervisor Capps. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2023 as Mental Health Month in Santa Barbara County and joining us here in person today we have Tony Navarro, Rod Pearson and Ruth Ackerman. And I'll have you join us at the podium while I read the resolution into the record.

Whereas May of 2023 is recognized as Mental Health Month in Santa Barbara County to enhance public awareness of mental health and dispel the stigma surrounding it. And whereas, mental health challenges are one of the most common health conditions in California affecting 1 out of 6 adults and impacting both the person experiencing mental health challenges and those persons who care and love for the person facing the challenge.

One out of every 24 Californians with a serious mental illness have difficulty functioning in everyday life and if left untreated, have life expectancies 25 years shorter than the general population. And whereas everyday millions of people face stigma related to mental health and may feel isolated and alone going years before receiving any help. Whereas recovery can and does happen and all Californian should know that support and help is available regardless of any individual situation And whereas creating a community where everyone feels comfortable reaching out for the support they deserve is crucial to ending the stigma around mental health. And whereas access to support and ending the stigma is of paramount importance, and now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors wishes to enhance public awareness in mental health and recognizes May as Mental Health Month in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Thank you so much. Good morning, Chair Williams, supervisors and county staff. Rod Pearson is the chair of our Behavioral Wellness Commission and I'm really honored to have him here with me today. He's passing the mic to me. I just wanted to say thank you so much for this resolution and we're very excited to really be making such a big event of May Mental Health Month. I think we've had many board discussions, the state and the federal government are also really recognizing the importance of mental health awareness so we can increase access early detection and early treatment for folks who are struggling with mental health issues. And I just want us today say thank you so much to the county family for supporting the national campaign to light up green and Santa Barbara County is lit up green.

Our county buildings around the county from south to north, many of our CBO partners and other city jurisdictions have lit this county up green for the month of May and as you travel around the county in the night time you will see some really wonderful Beautiful buildings highlighted in the green, including our courthouses in both South and North. The Santa Maria, the Lompoc Admin Building, the Family Service Agency, Santa Maria Valley Youth and Family Center, Communify, all the Be Well Buildings, Family Service Agency, the Office of Emergency Management, Veterans Building, the DA's office, the Food Bank, Zona Seca, Pacific Pride, Pathpoint, The Santa Ynez Tribal Clinic, Carpinteria Health Center and City Hall and Community Library, CARP Connect, Girls Inc., CALM, the Mental Wellness Center and Telecare.

And today we have some of our CBOs with us here and we also have Be Well staff so if you could all stand up and I want to honor all of them because while And of course first five, I forgot first five and I want to honor Wendy. You're going to be partnering this month as well and community services department is here as well. And I just want to say we don't do this alone. I get to stand before you and accept this proclamation for all of the system of care Here in this county, we are so thankful for our partners today. We have Good Sam and Mental Wellness Center here with us.

They really have helped us to create a system of care to take care of the county residents. I have lawn signs for each of you in Spanish and English on either side. So any supervisors who want to take home a lawn sign please let me know.

Well, I've got a lot of lawn sign stakes all the time because I never see it. So that'll be great. I will use it.

So again, thank you. Just really proud to be part of a county that really walks the talk of commitment and care to behavioral health. Thank you.

Supervisor Capps.

Just a quick note, thank you Director Navarro and to your entire team I believe the first week of this Mental Health Month is dedicated to children's mental health and I just wanted to give a special acknowledgement to what our children have gone through during the pandemic and to all the caretakers so many student leaders now have mental health groups on campuses they get it they're getting it increasingly just the importance of destigmatizing this issue and I just wanted to acknowledge children mental health this week especially

And I also want to recognize Santa Barbara CC and UCSB. Perfect.

Excellent, thank you. Excellent points Supervisor Kaps. The first step to addressing it is realizing the kids are not our right and they've gone through a lot and there's a lot of work to make sure that they're coming forward and getting the help they need. We have one request to speak A35

Yes, Chair Williams and members of the board. We do have one request to speak on this item and we are going to be here in person for E-Planet Thunderstriker. E-Planet?

Thank you, Board. It's not a good day because I haven't had too much coffee so... So the children, I guess we're just gonna start with that. So I just recently learned that they deal with like first person shooter drills and that's totally different than the 80s I was going to comment, like one out of six people now are dealing with mental illness and it's like well is society getting more psychotic? Are we just breeding that way or is there some other thing going on. And I feel like there's some other thing going on instead. I mentioned before it's an art form not a science and what doesn't make sense is all these not confident stand trials. Where were these people in the 80s or even in the 50s when people didn't lock their doors at night What government should be doing, what's going on in Hollywood and stuff.

That's part of the breakdown and just with all these proclamations it's like well you know with all the money a lot of money and it's like doubled in like 10 years and it's just like we're going down this path where we don't fix the problem. We don't address any truths going on in our society, in our government People are going to have breakdowns, you're going to be dealing with some irrational things all around them and just medicating them. I mean that just doesn't make sense so I guess I want to say that for that in particular hopefully there can be more analysis going on and less corruption.

And that concludes public comment on this item.

Let's go to Administrative Item 36.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 36 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2023 as Wildfire Community Preparedness Month in Santa Barbara County. And joining us in person today we have Fire Marshal Rob Hazard. I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas may has been declared wildfire community preparedness month in Santa Barbara County And whereas the threat of wildfire is becoming increasingly prevalent and dangerous, posing greater risks to people and property than ever before. And whereas Santa Barbara County has a well-documented history of wild fire risk which has increased in both probability and severity by long term drought and climate change.

And whereas residents in areas with the potential for wildfires Can take proactive measures to reduce the risk of injury and property loss by maintaining defensible space around their homes and proactive action by a single individual or entire neighborhood. Contributes to a safer, more resilient and fire adapted community. And whereas the Santa Barbara County Fire Department works closely with operational area partners to respond to and reduce the risk of wildland fires Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims May 2023 as Wildfire Community Preparedness Month and encourages everyone to participate in fire prevention and preparedness activities at home work school and all locations, marking the beginning of a yearlong effort to improve wildfire awareness and safety passed and adopted today.

Thank you, Chair Williams, members of the board. I'm excited to be here to accept this resolution. I want to thank you for your constant unwavering support and really dedicated leadership to public safety all across our county And both the unincorporated and our incorporated cities. This county really is a model across the state for our fire service integration, public safety integration and the mitigation and preparedness efforts that are provided to our residents.

As we all see, we've had this incredible season of rain and this awesome green carpet of grass and wildflowers. Everyone's going up into the mountains and seeing this huge bloom that's happening but we also are pretty aware that all of this vegetation will dry out and become flammable and hazardous. And so really wildfire preparedness is about taking steps collectively both as communities and individuals government and private sector nonprofit to Take those and engage in those actions that create more resilience to wildfire, more resistant to embers in our structures.

Engaging in efforts like defensible space around our homes, our buildings, our businesses Creating that environment that allows us to coexist with wildfire. As we know, wildfire is ever-present in our county. There's probably nobody in this room that hasn't had some kind of exposure to wildfire and we also know that wildfire is part of the natural environment. It helps to regenerate our forests and flora and fauna are adapted to it.

It's really incumbent upon us to prepare for wildfire as an inevitable occurrence and take those actions that will really create an environment where wildfire is an accepted part of our life. And doesn't become the emergency that it currently is one of the best ways to do that, is to educate ourselves to educate our communities or property owners are residents about those steps they can take.

A awesome group in town that can help with that is our local Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, I wanna encourage everybody to go to their website and learn more about wildfire preparedness. They've engaged in many programs recently through grants from the federal government, state of California and through local donations to assist communities with efforts like engaging in the Firewise USA program engaging in community chipping programs, and relatively innovative efforts such as prescribed grazing across the Santa Barbara County South Coast using livestock in areas that used to be ranch lands but now are overgrown with vegetation.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council has a great website sbfiresafecouncil.org I encourage everyone to go there and learn about wildfire preparedness thank you

Thank you Rob. Supervisor Harper?

Yes, thank you Chair Williams. Chief Hazard and I serve on the board of the Fire Safe Council. For me this was really important. I've been evacuated three times from where I live and it creates tremendous anxiety when it's hot dry and windy And so how do you deal with anxiety? Well, you educate yourself. Figure out what you can do and start doing it. And so I joined the FireSafe Council Board and I can't tell you how great their website is.

It has a lot of scientific lectures to understand more about A whole range of issues. It also has some really great information that's coming soon about house hardening and what you can do to make your house more resistant to fire, so I really do encourage you to go to the Fire Safe Council website. I think it's a tremendous resource for our community and you can even become a member I also want to mention, I always track what starts wildfires in my area and welding has started a major fire. Target shooting has a tractor tire repair but above all people have trailers that they're towing and they think it looks fine and then they load them up and it's off balance in that chain when they start driving drags along and throws sparks on the road and starts a series of fires that can get out of control.

So we have to be very careful when fire season comes, and this year is going to be a whopper because we do have so much vegetation. So visit the Fire Safe Council website and take... We need shared responsibility for fire. We can't expect government fire department to do it alone. We all have to do our part.

Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Hartman and thank you to the board again for your support and leadership it's to be commended the support you provide to our fire agencies and to the public in general we really appreciate it.

Thank You Chief Hazard let's go to administer of item 37

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 37 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution recognizing sleep and heavenly peace Santa Barbara County North Chapter and joining us in person today we have Matt Grant and Colleen Grant and while they're coming to the podium I'll go ahead and read the resolution Whereas in late 2021, Colleen Grant first heard about the non-profit organization Sleep and Heavenly Peace on the radio which build beds for children in need and has the simple mission that no child sleeps on the floor in our town.

And whereas Sleep and Heavenly Peace believes that all children deserve a safe clean and comfortable place to lay their heads and this basic need serves children's physical emotional and mental well being And whereas upon hearing this call to action, Colleen reflected back to when we taught preschool and of the many students who slept on mattresses on the floor or in shared beds at home. And whereas Colleen then proposed establishing a local sleep and heavenly peace chapter to her husband Matt. And he immediately jumped on board and together they recruited informed a core team of volunteers, including Diane and Mark Smith Tracy and John genetic and Melanie and Guillermo Oglen. And whereas sleep in heavenly peace Santa Barbara County. North Chapter was officially established in January 2022 and has organized hundreds of volunteers who came together for monthly bed building workshops and donate beds along with new and unused mattresses, including sheets, pillows, and blankets.

And whereas they have built 777 beds and donated 484 to local children, but nearly 300 children are waitlisted to receive already-built beds because they do not yet have the bedding, sheets, and pillows to go along with the constructed beds. And Sleep in Heavenly Peace needs donations to help meet that need. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes Sleep in Heavenly Peace Santa Barbara County North Chapter led by co-founders Colleen and Matt Grant for their passion vision and leadership in serving the basic needs of children in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Chairman Williams and members of the board, we are so honored to be here today. Supervisor Artman, I'm normally covered in sawdust when I see you but today I cleaned up a little bit. For those that don't know there's an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 children in North County alone that don't have a bed of their own. The need is real and it's huge and we are trying to make a small dent in that.

Our obvious mission is to provide beds to children that don't have them The secondary, probably equally important mission is to bring the community that's often fragmented together. And we have policy makers, we have leaders of the community, we have bed recipients working side by side for a common goal and we love that. If the public would like more information on us, they can go to our website shpbeds.org and we are in the north Santa Barbara County. You'll find my chapter there. We'll also be at Cold Coast Brewing Company this Sunday from 5 to 7. It's a family-friendly event. Bring your family and meet our staff and talk to us.

The need is real. It is everywhere. Our next public bed build is going to be What is the date? June 3rd at First United Methodist Church in Lompoc and we'd love to have whoever would like to come out. No experience necessary, we'll put you to work no matter where you're at so thank you so much.

And one question for Colleen what's it like when you go and deliver one of these beds?

It depends. Sometimes it's very emotional, sometimes it's a lot of fun. Having been a single mom for awhile and having had a child who had a mattress on the floor I relate very much with the mothers who want their children to have a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Sorry. It isn't just about getting the kids to bed or about bringing the communities together, it really is about the families as well.

Thank you, and Chair Williams could I add a little bit? So Colleen works on this full time and she persuaded her husband Matt to join her. And all their discretionary time is taken doing this. And they've assembled the team who's as dedicated as they are. They have a goal of 50 beds per month and they get different organizations to sponsor And I did it one Saturday. And you arrive and all the stations are set up with different kinds of equipment, whether it be electric saws or drills or sanders. And you can choose what station and you can move to different stations throughout the morning.

And the thing about it is, it's so much fun because people are engaged with each other and it doesn't matter if you're red, blue, purple or green. Everybody's there caring about the kids and the kind of enthusiasm that Matt and Colleen bring to this project So, I really encourage people to get involved and these are throughout North County. They work in Santa Maria as well as Lompoc although I'm happy to claim that they are based in the city of Lompoc that I have the privilege of representing And if you can't make it, then we need the bedding and you can contribute and get involved.

It builds beds, it helps support families, and it builds community. So thank you so much.

Can I just add? Sorry. Since the writing of this, we had delivered 484 beds when this was written. As of today, we have delivered 572.

It's great sure Chair

Williams Supervisor Nelson

yeah, just as Matt's walking off You know Matt and I have been friends for over a decade And I'm just I want to thank supervisor Hartman for bringing this forward I've been able to watch their success on social media and the community if there's not a better program for us to be supporting this county than The work that the grants are doing. I don't know what is you know in it and They absolutely correct it brings people together. My mom's been out there, my brother-in-law, my nephew they're all been out there on these some of these builds and it really does build self confidence and purpose for the community as well as serving our most vulnerable I mean it is really unacceptable and it's a lot of families in Santa Maria Lompoc that we know that are having full families in one bedroom And that's often one of the reasons why our rents are so high as well because of the multi-family situation, single family homes.

And this doesn't solve all those problems but this is one of those things that can make an immediate impact right away. So I would look forward to working with Supervisor Hartman to using some of our county resources to further bring up your nonprofit so that people in the South County and throughout our county can know what you guys are up to open up new tractors in other areas as well as continue bringing the funding you need to deliver your mission.

I want to thank you. I was in that situation growing up myself, and at least in Isla Vista but probably in other places you get a lot more insects in your bed if they're not on the mattress, if you don't have a bed. And so there's real health reasons and in some places moisture mold reasons to really do your work. So we really thank you for that. Administrative item 38.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 38 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams it is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Aram Alvarez and Eva Camarena of the Community Services Department as the May 2023 Employees of the Month for Santa Barbara County and if we can have Aram Alvarez and Eva to the podium I'll go ahead and read the resolution Whereas Community Services Department employees, Eram Alvarez IT Systems Administrator and Eva Camarena Executive Assistant are hereby commended for the exceptional quality of service they provide as well as their essential role in supporting CSD operations and morale.

And whereas Eram Alvarez and Eva Camarena exemplify the county's values of accountability Customer focus, equity and inclusion, innovation, trust and ethics. And are deeply respected and appreciated by their colleagues for the care and commitment they demonstrate for their work. And whereas during the COVID pandemic, Irem Alvarez seamlessly supported the department's transition to remote work enabling the CSD to not only maintain but increase service levels and continue to feel connected during a very isolating time. Iram ensured that both staff and facilities were immediately outfitted with laptops, webcams and virtual communication software. He also provided and still provides comprehensive IT installation, training and support. Frequently driving to different sites from Cuyama to Carpinteria to support departmental meetings and events.

And whereas Eva Camarena serves as executive assistant to the CSD director who would testify that her work is essential to the success of the department. Eva has been integral to managing the board letter process and supports the Park Commission, Women's Commission Library Ad Hoc Commission and Human Services Commission. Eva also provides bilingual translation and interpretation services to support diverse communications from parks, sustainability, HCD and arts, and also leads on social media outreach whenever there is a challenge or need. Eva is always willing to help and does so with a smile. And whereas the Community Services Department is proud to be represented by these two employees, who in addition to the fantastic work they do at the county are also loving parents and valued community members.

And now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes Irem Alvarez and Eva Camarena as Employees of the Month for May 2023 passed and adopted today.

Thank you Chair Williams, members of the board. For me it's an honor to work with these two great employees there, the epitome of team. I think they are kind of the glue for the efficiency of the department. Without Irem and without Eva, Eva crosses boundaries to help all of the divisions. People don't even have to ask her twice. She'll volunteer and as you can see from the resolution she goes above and beyond her job I think I'm his biggest customer. I call him a lot and he's always able to fix my computer whether it's remote, he's willing to drive down from North County down here so it really is an honor and pleasure. I think you know a lot of county employees are like this but these are exemplary employees and as you can see everyone from CSD all the divisions are here to support them.

I want to thank them for all the great work they do so thank you for recognizing them

Creating more efficiency every day. Now is the time for general public comment, how many requests to speak do we have?

Chair Williams and members of the board we have nine requests to speak on general public comment.

We will just We have a bunch of items, so we will see if you guys can keep to two minutes each.

We will begin in Santa Barbara with E-Planet's Thunderstriker to be followed by Eli Rizlenjani. E-Planet? Is

it two minutes today? Correct, it's two minutes. Okay. Yeah, unfortunately I have so many different items to cover and I'm going to get that I want to put out some treason allegations because with everything I'm dealing with by nickel-and-dime with things that we are certain that you guys have Jurisdiction over its people or be like why? So I have a claim I supposed to talking somebody in risk management I guess maybe in a couple days who was not involved in part of this and Besides all the other things that I've had to discuss with you.

And I have to put out there, I can't use internet so I can't talk about this that way and just there's just so much corruption around me and in this town that one of the things I'm dealing with is when Trump ran he fired the FBI director like a month or two after I filed a civil lawsuit against Lord and other people in the music industry I don't know when the first time he ran was and I just know that this is kind of like maybe icing on the cake. I mean, as far as that related to the Russians but he's had face-to-face contact with them multiple times.