Board of Supervisors — 2023-05-09

Good morning. I'll call the order of the May 9th, 2023 meeting of Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

call.

Supervisor Nelson, supervisor Labanino, supervisor Hartman,

I

supervise their caps, chair Williams motion passes unanimously.

The next item of business is the CEO's report.

Good morning, Chair Williams and board members. I do have a quick report and that's just to inform the public of our Hope Village groundbreaking. The official groundbreaking of Hope Village will take place just outside these chambers in Santa Maria at noon today. Hope Village is an interim supportive housing community with a goal of getting individuals off the street in the Santa Maria Valley. It will provide beds for transitional age youth, recuperative care, and homeless individuals and couples. The county is in partnership with Dignity Moves, Good Samaritan Shelter Fighting back Santa Maria Valley and Marion Regional Medical Center on the project. So look forward to this afternoon and the groundbreaking for Hope Village.

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

Chair Williams and members of the board, I do have a few quick announcements this morning. We posted an addendum on Friday May 5th amending today's closed session agenda. The closed session agenda was amended to add a closed session item under conference with labor negotiators subdivision A of government code section 54957.6 employee organizations Santa Barbara County Sheriff Association agency designated representatives CEO Mona Miyasato and HR director Maria Elena de Guevara This amendment was posted online and made available to the Board and the public.

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. 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. If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Board's Office at 805-568-2240. That concludes my announcements for today.

Would any board members like to pull any items from the administrative agenda? I'd

like to pull A4 for roll call vote. That's right,

and I do have A18 pulled from the public but that's a resolution so we'll take that up in any case. Can I get a motion for the balance of the A agenda?

I'll make a motion for approval of administrative agenda with exception of A4.

There is a motion and a second. Roll call please.

Motion passes unanimously.

Then let's take up A4.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number four is from the Human Resources Department. It is to consider recommendations regarding an amendment to the ordinance setting compensation and benefits for members of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors

There's a motion by a second.

I'll second,

seconded by Caps. Roll call please.

Motion passes four to one

Now is the time for general public comment Oh, I'm sorry. No, there are resolutions we'll take up administrative item number 18.

Chair Williams and members of the board, Administrative Item 18 is sponsored by Supervisor Nelson and Supervisor Labanino. It's to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring K-9 Domas upon his retirement from the Agriculture Weights & Measures Department after over seven years of faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have K- 9 Domas and Christine Tyler.

If you'll please make your way to the podium I will read the resolution into the record. Whereas Agriculture Detector K-9 Domus with Agriculture Weights and Measures Department will retire after seven and a half years of dedicated service to the County of Santa Barbara, effective May 3rd, 2023. And whereas K- 9 Domus was partnered with Christine Tyler, Santa Barbara County's agriculture biologist on August 11th 2015 and graduated from canine training at the National Detector Dog Training Center in Newman Georgia in September 2015.

And whereas Canine Domus has alerted on over 50,000 agriculture packages of which 6,000 were found unmarked with an accuracy rate of over 94%. Canine Domus has intercepted 550 pests of concern over his career capable of causing serious harm to agriculture and or natural environment. And whereas Canine Domus has participated in numerous outreach presentations including the Santa Barbara County Fair The Santa Barbara County Humane Society, Santa Barbara Animal Services, Allan Hancock Community College. And whereas K-9 Domas' only reward for his hard work is an endless supply of dog treats, tennis balls, squeaky toys and belly rubs.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered to resolve that this Board of Supervisors do hereby extend to K- 9 Domas agricultural detector dog our sincere and grateful appreciation to his dedication and service to the county of Santa Barbara into the state of California passed and adopted today.

That's good, he made a speech.

Chair, if I may, Jose Chang with the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commission's office. Members of the board, CEO Miyasato, county council, county staff members of the public we are very grateful that you are honoring today the work Dumis and Chris Taylor have done over the years not only to protect Santa Barbara agriculture but also the natural environment prone unwanted pests and diseases, but that of the state as well.

Although we are saying goodbye to Dumas today, the program will continue in Santa Barbara County. Dumas has been very grateful just you know a pat on the back, a scratch on the head and lots of treat toys I'm told that he's going to spend his days in retirement enjoying an endless supply of dog treats, tennis balls, squeaky toys and belly rubs. And Chair if you would allow us one minute? He would like to demo one last time how he performed his work over the years.

Thank you.

I thought there was gonna be an ACP infected branch or something in there.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you so much Dumas. Let's go to item number 19. Oh, public comment. We do have public comment on item 18.

Chair Williams and members of the board we have Kevin Morrow which would like to make a public comment for this item.

Good morning Mr. Chair I'm Kevin Merrill today representing the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau as well as the State Farm Bureau and want to reiterate our support for the Ag Commissioners and staff and of course Dumas and the new Dumas is coming I don't know her name Vetri I think Bertie, Bertie's on her way. Anyway it's really important with the worldwide economy we get all these pests coming in here and without their help we could lose agriculture here not only in Santa Barbara County but the state so we thank you for your support for funding it and again like to look forward to working with the Ag Commissioner his staff they do a great job at keeping agriculture number one here in the county so thank you all very much thank you guys

We'll go to item number 19.

Chair Williams and members of the Board, Administrative Item 19 is sponsored by Supervisor Katz. It is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Patricia Martinez upon her retirement from the Probation Department after over 21 years of faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Martina, excuse me, Patricia Martinez.

If you will join us at the podium I will now read the resolution into the record. Whereas Patricia Martinez moved to Santa Barbara County in 1980, she graduated from Margetti High School and later graduated from Allan Hancock College with an associate's degree in human services. She was subsequently hired by the county of Santa Barbara Probation Department as Extra Help Juvenile Instructions Officer JIO. In 2000, and was assigned to the probation counseling and education center. And whereas Patricia was hired as a full-time deputy probation officer DPO in 2001 assigned to adult intensive supervision unit. And in 2007 she was promoted to senior DPO overseeing a juvenile placement caseload. She traveled throughout the state of California assuring youth receive the care and support they deserved.

In her tenure as a senior DPO, she had worked closely with numerous adult and juvenile clients. She oversaw these clients in their home environment and in the office to assist them with reaching their goals. She represented the probation department in Santa Barbara Superior Court and worked with numerous collaborative agencies. And whereas Patricia assisted in keeping the community and their residents safe during the fire in 2009. In 2013, 2015 to receive officer of the year award and juvenile court services as DPO and as respectively.

While assigned the Juvenile Justice Center, she had a unique opportunity to escort a youth to the hospital for the delivery of her baby. She received a letter of accommodation for going above and beyond in providing emotional and physical support to the youth. And whereas Patricia is looking forward to spending time with her husband, her children, and traveling while making new unforgettable memories with her family.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes Patricia Martinez for over 21 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County and the Probation Department, and extends to her best wishes for a fulfilling enjoyable and rewarding retirement passed and adopted today.

Thank you Supervisor Capps and members of the board. I'm Sam Leach, I'm the Deputy Chief Probation Officer over the Facilities Division and we really appreciate your time in acknowledging Patricia and her efforts. It's really hard to compete with belly rubs and squeaky toys But I will tell you that this is a really hard profession that we're in, and that Patricia has put in over 20 years doing something that not everybody can do.

And being acknowledged twice as Officer of the Year speaks to everything you need to know about her. So we appreciate your humility and grit and perseverance And just the amount that you cared about all of the clients in our community that you've served for all these years. Thank you so much and I invite you to please stay.

Like you said, over 20 years I did not know what I was getting into when I stepped into this position. I stepped in to help the youth. I was really drawn to helping their life circumstances that led me to over 21 different positions with the probation department between the field services Investigations, court services. Now I just retired from the Santa Maria PRC post release resource center where we're receiving our clients from prison and trying to get them into counseling and so that going back in there and that was Probably one of my most fulfilling positions, along with where I started with the probation school back in 2000. That was a great position too. So probation is changing the way we've done our job in the past and it's very therapeutic and I'm happy to see where it's going.

I am looking forward to my retirement. It is time for the new ones to come and take my place but it has been rewarding, very rewarding Thank you for your service.

Phil Williams and members of the board, administrative item 20 is sponsored by Supervisor Lavinino. It is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Paul Zellis upon his retirement from the district attorney's office after over 30 years of faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have District Attorney John Sabernock, Chief Investigator Tina Perkins, and Paul Zellis.

If you will make your way to the podium, I'll read the resolution into the record. Whereas Paul Salas retired from county service on March 31st, 2023 having faithfully served the citizens of Santa Barbara County for 30 years and whereas Paul began his career in 1993 with the Santa Barbara County Marshal's Office and became a Sheriff's Deputy in 1996 when the Marshal's Office consolidated with the Sheriff's Office. Paul remained with the Sheriff's Office until he was hired by the District Attorney's office in 2016 as an investigator And whereas Paul has worked in the courts and civil units as a deputy marshal. As a sheriff's deputy, he was assigned to patrol and later promoted to detective where he spent 15 years investigating thousands of crimes against people and property crimes including homicide Attempted homicide, robbery, kidnapping, child molestation, assault, domestic violence, burglary, narcotic and drug violations.

As a district attorney investigator Paul was assigned to the general felony and misdemeanor caseloads in Santa Maria working with various deputy district attorneys to assist with everything from homicide cases to misdemeanor DUIs And whereas, throughout his career Paul provided the employees of the District Attorney's Office with positive leadership and served as a positive representative of the District Attorney's Office and the law enforcement profession as a whole.

Paul was a recipient of the H Thomas Gary Award in 2000 for conflict resolution as well as the Santa Maria Elks Award for outstanding service in 1994 and in 2021. Paul was also awarded Investigator of the Year by the District Attorney's Office in 2017 and 2022. And whereas, Paul served the citizens of Santa Barbara County with extraordinary professionalism and sensitive law enforcement service while dedicating his life to the pursuit of justice. And Paul's knowledge, skills, and experience contributed greatly to the overall professionalism and the goals of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office and the county. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors commends District Attorney Investigator Paul Zelas for his faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County, and congratulates him upon his retirement.

And wishes him and his family many years of good health and happiness passed and adopted today.

Chair Williams, members of the board. I just want to say a few words. Everything that was read speaks to the quality of investigators that we have and the small police force that is associated with the district attorney's office. The skill, the knowledge, the dedication to public service is absolutely unmatched. But even more than that, what Paul brings to his job, his career, his devotion to being a police officer is a humanity. You saw the humanity when he dealt with victims. You saw his humanity when he dealt with suspects.

And you really saw his humanity with the way that he treated everybody in the office. Paul does everything to remove the stereotypes of police officers That think that they are uncaring or have an agenda other than public safety. Paul cares deeply about the community, he cares deeply about his career and the people around him so from that perspective and from every perspective it'll be sad to see him go but he has earned the right to live his life on his terms at this point even without belly rubs Thank you, Paul.

Thank you. Good morning, I feel a tremendous pride in being able to help countless citizens of this community and helping keep Santa Barbara County safe. I am grateful for the career that I've been able to have and thankful for your recognition.

Go to item 21.

Chair Williams and members of the board, Administrative Item 21 is sponsored by Supervisor Labanino. It is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Dolly Motley upon her retirement from the Department of Child Services after over 33 years of faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. Receiving this recognition here in person as Dolly Motley and a few members of her fan club. So if you'll make your way to the podium I will now read the resolution into the record.

Whereas Dolly Motley's passion and pride in serving the community has been evident in her 33 years of service with the county, as she progressed from clerk typist two to a child support officer two with the Department of Child Support Services. And whereas Dolly's meticulous work in locating parents establishing enforcing and collecting child support orders, completing complex financial case audits and modifying child support orders provided invaluable and immeasurable benefit To the child support program and children and families in Santa Barbara County. And whereas Dolly utilized her extensive expertise and knowledge of child support program when she assisted with special projects for the department, including creating forms in a new computer system and working on cases for juvenile placement with the probation department.

And whereas Molly's process improvement and organization skills, as well as her attention to detail will be greatly missed by her co-workers. Whereas Dolly concluded her 33 years of public service with the Santa Barbara County upon her recent retirement and looks forward to spending time with her family including her daughters Christy and Shayla as well as traveling the world renovating her home and attending countless Garthbrook concerts.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors commends Dolly Motley for her commitment in distinguished public service to the families in our county, congratulates her upon her retirement and wishes her many years of continued good health happiness and time with her beloved family passed and adopted today.

Chair Williams and members of the board, I am Meadow Richardson, Assistant Director of the Department of Child Support Services. And I'm proud to be here today with Jennifer Diaz, child support supervisor, to recognize Dolly Motley upon her retirement from the county and from the department. When I began with the Department of Child Support Services, I quickly learned that the role of a child support officer encompasses so much more than the name implies.

A child support officer is a researcher, a process improver, a listener, a kind ear, an organizational expert and negotiator. A mediator, an investigator, a collaborator, a skip tracer, a court witness, a financial and legal analyst, an interpreter, a prolific note taker, a diplomat in independent thinker. I could go on and on. I would like to thank Dolly for performing all of these roles in an exemplary manner. In a recent customer service survey, Dolly received five star ratings in every category on behalf of the Department of Child Support Services. I would like to thank Dolly for her 33 years of service to the department and wish her best wishes upon her retirement. Jennifer Diaz child support supervisor would like to say a few words as well.

Thank you Metta and Chair Williams and members of the board. I cannot be prouder today to be here to honor Dolly Motley. When I started with the department 18 years ago, I immediately noticed Dolly as she stood out from other child support officers. I looked at her many times for guidance as she was meticulous in the tasks that she completed. She takes much pride in the work she did and it showed that she was dedicated to the families of Santa Barbara County.

As a young caseworker, I learned the art of negotiations from her with our participants. At the time she was managing the juvenile placement reimbursement caseload and dealing with family members already in a difficult situation. Believe it or not, not everybody wants to cooperate with our department. And so she was always able to negotiate with them and get them in a place that where they can pay back the support that is owed and I learned so much from her during that time.

While she works on various projects, she always had an eagle eye and attention to detail to notice things that other people may have missed. She always wanted to make sure the best processes were in place and she was a subject matter expert for the department and it inspired me to be more like her. She always pushed me to do better as a supervisor. She also reminded me that our caseloads were all unique at just the individual, but to look at the individual, just not the big picture. She's always reminding people that just like apples and oranges are fruits so is our caseloads, that they're all unique and we can't look at them as the same.

Sitting so close to Dolly I became not only a coworker but a friend. I will miss taking our breaks walking through the mall hitting our many pokey stops and watching our friendship grow. I'm overjoyed that Dolly can now start a new chapter in her life and spend valuable time with her family. Congratulations, Dolly on your retirement.

And now you want me to talk? I just want to thank everybody. It's been my honor to help get money to the children where it's needed and work for the county. Thank you. And I will have belly rubs because I have a 25 pound cat. Item 22.

Chair Williams and members of the Board, Administrative Item 22 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the week of May 7th 2023 through May 13th 2023 as National Correctional Officers Week in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here we have Chief Vincent Wasilewski and custody personnel. If you'll please make your way to the podium I will now read the resolution into the record Whereas the week of May 7th through May 13th represents a period where correctional officers across the United States are recognized for their dedication and heroism to their local communities.

Whereas, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office custody branch consisting of South County Main Jail operations Northern Branch Jail Operations, Research Bureaus, Health Services Bureau, Transportation Bureau, Inmate Program Bureau and Special Operations Resource Team are highly regarded professionals working in conjunction with other local criminal justice and public safety entities. And whereas, 50 years ago the Sheriff's Office and this board recognized the need to create a sheriff's correction officer rank structure that would best serve the duties of the correction officer specifically trained in unique needs of detention facilities responsible for housing security and transportation of all inmates incarcerated in Santa Barbara County who are awaiting trial.

serving their sentence in their county jails or awaiting their transfer to state prison. And whereas this year marks the fourth National Correctional Officers Week during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, correction officers reporting for duty and a 24 7 facility facing the demands of an ever increasing overcrowded jail system and the additional needs brought on by a nationwide public health safety All while maintaining order, security and preserving the care, custody and dignity of those individuals charged with their care.

And whereas the citizens of Santa Barbara County can rest assured that these men and women are dedicated to their service and perform their duties professionally and ethically while displaying integrity courage and fairness thus ensuring the safety of the community, their fellow officers and incarcerated individuals Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes the week of May 7th through the 13th, 2023 as National Correctional Officers Week. And takes this opportunity to thank the men and women of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office who have chosen the field of corrections as their service to our community past and adopted today.

Chair Williams and esteemed board members, on behalf of Sheriff Brown and our entire sheriff's office team we genuinely thank you for this resolution. Bringing attention to and recognizing the contributions of our corrections professionals in keeping our local communities safe and secure and helping to make Santa Barbara County a great place to live and work In 1984, President Ronald Reagan established the first week of May as National Corrections Officer Week.

An opportunity for all of us to recognize those who serve as corrections officers or in our case custody deputies men and women who day in and day out exemplify professionalism integrity and strength And who do so within a difficult and sometimes dangerous work environment. It goes without saying, but our custody deputies walk the toughest beat in our county each and every day.

They do so generally behind the scenes unseen by community members and oftentimes underappreciated. For the vital role they serve in keeping our community safe by maintaining the security of our jails. All the while ensuring that persons in our custody are provided with humane constitutional care, that they are afforded opportunities for self-improvement and are connected with services and support that can assist them in breaking the cycle of incarceration.

Sheriff Brown and I are incredibly proud of our custody team, individually and collectively. Our custody deputies are truly an integral component of our community's overall public safety team, and we thank your board for recognizing their contributions through this resolution. Unfortunately, we have a very small representation here with us because those jails just can't shut down to bring everybody here. We would if we could.

But again, we really thank you for taking this opportunity and will make sure that we distribute this and make sure that each one of our custodial deputies recognize or see the recognition that they're being provided. So thank you very much.

Just because I know it's been a tough couple years for a lot of deputies, I wanted to say that it is an honor when it is my turn to carry this resolution. And it's very personal honor when I was in my sophomore year and in high school My dad left town and I moved in with a father of a friend who was a custody deputy for the county, and I had previous to that some very You know, negative stereotypes about law enforcement officers as a young man.

And it changed a lot of my life and trajectory. You know, he had the night shift a lot. There's a lot of tough calls as a custody deputy in Santa Barbara and everywhere. So not everything was happy all the time because it's tough work. But he created a real stable home environment that I had never seen before, which I think is it is not coincidence. It's not a coincidental in his choice of career.

There was always food in the refrigerator, which I had never encountered before in my life, which as a teenager is kind of deal And I think what is most powerful is after retirement, he came back to be a voluntary minister to some of your clients. So it says something when even when it's a tough environment When you get to go away and you're no longer paid, but then you come back and do it for free. So I just for Mike Stevenson and for all of you, I just really respect the job that that you do.

Item number 23.

Chair Williams and members of the Board, Administrative Item 23 is sponsored by Supervisor Labanino. It's to adopt a resolution proclaiming the week of May 7th 2023 through May 13th 2023 as Compost Awareness Week in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here we have Bob Engel. If you will now join us at the podium I will read the resolution into the record Whereas compost improves soil structure, reduces runoff and enables amended soils to use less water. And whereas using sustainable soil enriching compost helps prevent erosion of topsoil without depleting valuable wildlife habitats. And whereas returning compost organic resources to the soil is a method of decreasing dependence on chemical fertilizer and nonpoint pollution And whereas community sustainability is enhanced by composting green waste, biosolids and other organic materials.

Whereas organic materials suitable for composting represent up to 70% of materials that could be landfilled each year. And whereas the County of Santa Barbara has initiated Green Waste Collection Programs with their franchise haulers to aid in efforts of environmental sustainability. The Angles and Grays Regional Composting Facility in Santa Maria has been successfully composting organic material for sustainable agricultural practices since 1993. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims the week of May 7th through May 13, 2023 as Compost Awareness Week in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Chair Williams and fellow supervisors, thank you very much for recognizing International Compost Awareness Week. Brought along Dustin Bumgarten our Chief Operations Manager and we're celebrating on behalf of the USCC United States Composting Council this is it's truly international and has picked up speed I think i've been doing this on and off for 20 years in front of you we're celebrating our 30th year of composting here we started 93 So I feel I should retire.

We are having a great event on Saturday, we're on Better Avia Road 745 West Better Avia Road. We're having an open house. We have potting soil station for children and parents alike to build their own potting soil with compost and soils. And we have vegetable transplants to put in the pots And we have vegetable transplants they can take home with them and do their own home garden. So a variety of them, courtesy of Plantel.

We're going to have heavy equipment out there. We're going to have photo ops that you can take pictures with your head in a piece of broccoli. You can do all kinds of things so anyway thank you for recognizing International Compost Awareness Week. We need to make people aware That compost is a product. You need to buy compost, you need to improve your soil, make the Central Coast healthy.

Dustin said how are you going to work the belly rub into your speech? Well my party message is the toys. If you can keep the toys out of your green waste cart we'd really appreciate it because we get a lot of Fido's balls I don't think we get Dolmans Mr. Chair.

Well, it would be remiss of me if I also didn't think Bob. Bob is a long time has served for many years on the Santa Maria Cemetery District as well. We want to thank you for your service and talking about putting two things together. I'm not sure cemetery district and composting probably should be handled by the same person, but you know we'll deal with that

later.

Thank you Bob. Now is the time for members of the public to speak on items that are not on the agenda. Madam Clerk, is there any requests to speak on general public comment?

Chair Williams and members of the board we have three requests to speak. We will begin in Santa Barbara with Marcella Ortiz.

Ms. Ortiz

Good morning. I just want to congratulate everybody sitting through here and seeing all the accolades that go out to everybody, it's really nice. I wish my job did the same thing but it really is important to have those employees that are dedicated to their profession. So I'm here on the housing issue. Everything I'm going to say is probably the same things that we've taught you've heard over and over again I'm a full-time employee.

I am a full time student and I am a mother, very busy. And one of my papers that I am doing this semester for school is on affordable housing and I am just distraught To the way that not just here. This is a nation, national worldwide problem and how what are we going to do to go forward? I appreciate that you guys voted to do this day in Isla Vista but we need to know that there's gonna be more work towards that so that when it does come time when this gentleman is able to get all the paperwork in order and he has the right That's not enough homes for these people to go to.

Is there going to move forward? Are we going to be able to see that these people will have to be given the right to go back into these apartments? Are we gonna be able to see that they're gonna get, you know, a guarantee for a lease. The things that we ask that go along with you being able to put a stay on their eviction And I just want to touch a little bit. I don't live in Santa Barbara, I was here in support of those people. I live in Solving and we were bought out by a very big real estate company a year ago and we're not, I will preference, we are not having the threat of eviction put over us.

But the treatment that we're getting from the, not the owner himself because we have no access to him. But the treatment that we're getting from the company that runs his properties is important and I've lived in my apartment for 20 years, and I am just now meeting all my neighbors. We are organizing so that we can be aware of the laws. We don't understand how come it's so difficult to be able to figure out what is correct and what's not correct.

The building that I live in is 40 years old. The gentleman says that we no longer are under the Tenant Protection Act and that he can do anything he wants to the rent. Solving is a very beautiful boutique city now, it's growing into something really nice from the dead little place it was. But the short term rentals have taken so many apartments away from and living places away from the workers that we have issues there. We have these people coming in buying up their properties, raising the rents.

And just going forward, I know that all of you are working on this. I know you're aware of all the situations and just want to know that there's things in the background being done. It's not gonna help me, it's probably not gonna help the people in Isla Vista, it's probably not gonna help people five years down because it takes a long time to get things done.

But we have to start moving forward and finding a way to do something with housing so that the people that are the workers have somewhere to live in their communities. And just one more example is I have, my daughter works at a store in Solving. She's the only one that lives in Solving, everyone else commutes from Lompoc. Their car breaks down, they can't get to work. They're not being able to find jobs for some reason in Lompoc, they come to Solving because there's those little entry jobs there.

So anyways, just another reminder that we need help and I know that you guys are working on it and it's not an easy solution and I just thank you for listening to us. And I just want to show you this is...I went from a one-page lease This is my lease for a two bedroom apartment in a 40 year old apartment complex. It's hard to read.

Thank you.

We will now go to Sam Sipesi in Santa Barbara.

Hi again, I am also here again to talk about the housing issue. So once again we as a county need more ways to keep people in their homes if a landlord decides there's a reason to renovate Especially when it's only deemed necessary after things like a $92 million sale for core spaces, our new owners. By remodel they mean roof repairs and window replacements for four separate buildings at least according to their COO Chris Richards. They could easily accommodate residents.

If landlords want to renovate their buildings, they should give us temporary housing and a right to be invited back into our homes at the same rent with a one-year lease. There's a reason California voters fought so hard for rent caps. Additionally we need a renovation moratorium until the vacancy levels rise in the county as previously stated. As for anyone else that received one of the many CBC in the Sweeps core spaces harassment letters from Lacey Taylor, you should report her to the bar also.

You don't just get to lie to poor people to suit your narrative, Lacey. Thank you for hearing our voices though and acting to support Santa Barbara County Renter Supervisors and we're really happy that you're willing to work with us. Thank you.

We will now move to Zoom with Leigh Hiller

Good morning, Tara Williams and members of the board. I want to begin by wishing Supervisor Capps a happy birthday. Okay, yep. Take a moment to celebrate that and of course to celebrate Compost Week as a composter and I wanted to say something about another housing issue. I don't usually come to you in general public comment but I'm hoping to draw some attention to this for the community more generally just as humans are struggling terrifically with an absence of housing so our animals and in particular dogs the pandemic and its aftermath have created this really complex situation nationwide where our shelters are filling up with animals that were acquired early in the pandemic whose owners can no longer keep them. This has been exacerbated by housing challenges and cost of living increases, and so Animal Services is doing everything in its power under our creative and energetic new director to get dogs back out into homes as quickly as possible.

There have been pop-up open houses and fee waivers, and all kinds of creative efforts to get animals into foster care which takes the load off. What we don't want to do is go back to being a county that kills for lack of space. We don't want to have to euthanize healthy, otherwise adoptable animals because their kennels are too full. So I invite the community to get involved, to foster, to come to the shelter and even take a dog out for a day. It gives the dog a break. It makes them more adoptable. It draws attention to them in the community and it helps kennel staff.

And anything you can do if you can't foster, get involved in social media outreach to make the community aware. We can work together as a community to reduce the likelihood of unnecessary euthanasias but it's going to take an all hands on deck approach. Thank you so much.

William members of the board that was our final request to speak

and we will go to departmental item number one public health

Chair Williams and members of the board, departmental item number one is from the Public Health Department. It is a hearing to consider recommendations regarding an extra help service retirement waiver for public for the Public Health Department.

Thank you Mr. Chair, good morning Supervisors. Public Health Microbiologist is a very unique and also very rare specialty and we currently have two vacancies that we are struggling to fill. We are pushing aggressively but also we're competing with the state and other counties and these have to be certified as well in the State of California so with Mr. Crisostomo's retirement in March, we are down to one public health microbiologist who is now doing both the administrative operational as well as the lab work as a supervisor. So we would appreciate if we can bring back Mr. Christos Domo as extra help until we find a better solution either by filling those two positions or looking at alternative ways of keeping our lab operation.