Board of Supervisors — 2023-08-22

Good morning. I'd like to call to order the

August 22nd meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to order. Madam Clerk please call the roll.

The next item of business is the approval of

the minutes from the July 18th. Regular meeting and the July 19th special meeting. So moved. There a second?

Second.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Minutes are approved, CEO's report.

Good morning Chair Williams and board members I have a couple of one announcement or and we want following that update on our emergency response for this past weekend but first of all I just want to congratulate and thank you our thanks our Public Health Department we have our director her mommy in the audience this morning they held very successful back-to-school health fair events hosted in Santa Maria Lompoc and Santa Barbara earlier this month In partnership with more than 100 community organizations, more than 1600 people were able to receive free health education and screenings. 500 children were provided free backpacks containing school supplies and more than 90 attendees received a healthcare service varying from sports physicals to skin cancer screenings and vaccinations so congratulations and thank you to our Public Health Department and Director Hamami, appreciate it.

The next is an update on our emergency response. As you know, there was a fire and earthquake in a flood over the last three days. And so this morning we will receive an update on emergency response activities for the past several days from the plant fire also And also Sunday's tropical storm. So with us is Kelly Hubbard, our director of the Office of Emergency Management. Walter Rubalcava, Deputy Director of Water Resources for Public Works. Garrett Huff, our County Fire Division Chief and online we have Undersheriff Craig Bonner if there are any questions.

Good morning. We can add a tornado start if you saw Scott Fires PIO Twitter last night, no touchdown. So we'll start with the plant fire and I'm going to turn it over to Garrett but really quickly if you are a resident who was impacted by the plant fire we know that there was the Buckhorn took in residents and assisted residents and so there was no shelter operations but I did want to make sure residents knew that the American Red Cross was available for support if they need support And I wanted to give that phone number. So if any residents from the plant fire need support, 833-583-3111. Did I get that? 3 1 1 1. Okay so those are for the residents. I'm going to turn it over to Garrett for an update on the fire.

Morning Chair Williams, members of the board my name is Garret Huff. I am a division chief with County Fire and I have been the deputy operations chief on the incident So as you know, the plant fire started on Saturday about 1.30 in the afternoon and it grew very quickly to 5,464 acres in a matter of a few hours so that just goes to show how strong the winds were out there that day.

We had a very quickly went into unified response with our Unified Command with the Forest Service we had agencies other agencies help us like Cal Fire Forest Service Orange County LA County Ventura County quickly came At its height, we had about 678 firefighters and today we have about 300 this morning. Fire sitting at about 75% contained. We're just trying to close the loop on two areas in the forest that still have some open line.

Obviously, we were helped by the rain and the weather over the last couple days. It did downpour at moments but it was interesting how it would downpour in one area and not right next door. So then, with the rain that actually presents other issues with mud and other mitigations that we have to take place. But our PIO Scott Safechuck he held a few public meetings that were very well attended and the community was very happy. We talked about home hardening defensible space and the importance of evacuations Also, I want to thank the people of Koyama for opening the high school for us. The rec center and the library because of the rain we had to get our crews under roofs to get them out of the weather and the community, the outpouring from the community was great.

All evacuations and road closures have been lifted. There's just the area where they're doing the investigation of the cause that still kind of flagged off It's still the cause is still undetermined But we have we have quite a few people out there trying to figure that out That's the end of my report unless you have any other questions I

just want to on behalf of the people of Kiyama thank you for your work and also thank the Buckhorn for providing accommodations free of charge. It's a good place to get a cappuccino too but I really appreciate the team effort out there to protect the

community from safety. Thank you. Definitely was a team effort, thank you.

Good morning chair Williams members of the board I'm Walter with public works and I'll start off with an update on the plant fire as well since we just spoke about that for public works it was relatively minor squalor street is being used for staging for the fire that was really the only road that was impacted. I do want to mention that one of our maintenance workers, Steve Lumberg who works out in Quiama.

He proactively went out and helped residents with livestock and cattle trying to get them out of the way practically did that and he just embodies community service and I just wanted to mention that. The hurricane again is relatively less than expected which was good but some of the rain amounts In the western watershed, it was a very little to none generally point two five to ninety on the south or point nine inches on the South Coast.

And the St. Ed's watershed was about half an inch, again pretty small and then Quiama Fire Station was about .82 which helped with the fire situation. And then maxes were about one inch on the eastern edge of the county. And then peak intensities were fairly light about 0.15 inch per hour was the max. And then on the earthquake again pretty minor for public works we did have Rincon Hill Road Bridge and in Carpinteria we have seismic gates on that bridge very similar to what you'd see at a railroad crossing. And those are activated when there's a seismic event.

Those were lowered so when that happens we go out and thoroughly inspect it and that happened yesterday it's been reopened the roads reopened and the bridges be open as of yesterday afternoon. And then just for the El Nino prep kind of looking forward. And I know Kelly is going to give more report on Guadalupe but Public Works will continue to support OEM and Supervisor Lavanino on our efforts out there to try to get equipment into that river and try to get something cleared out there Transportation of the 170 damaged sites, 50 have been reopened and we continue to chip away at those.

Flood control 15 basins have been cleared including three in the North County and five completed dredging operations. Again every year Public Works continues to plan as if El Nino is coming so that's we will continue to do what we normally do I just want to mention there is an executive order that you guys are all familiar with and 1023. We're trying to it really helps us on the environmental permitting side, so we're looking for every opportunity to take advantage of that executive order and get work done.

And then just lastly, we continue to encourage residents to visit our water resources flood control website. It has good information there guides for private property owners on how to protect against rains and also how to help with the creeks especially for those areas that are privately owned so thank you

Okay, a little bit more clear up on the rains here. We know that the tropical storm did not hit our county as hard as it may have. It could've and so one thing I just want to emphasize with our community is that we were lucky in this storm if you look at what's occurring down in San Bernardino Riverside I think we really were lucky in the sense that the storm stayed south of us. And east of us, and so I want to reemphasize the community to prepare. We have El Nino this coming year. The county's taking preparations will be doing a report to the board later On before we get as we get closer to the storm seasons. We'll give you an update more on Guadalupe at that time on Santa Maria River, but I want to encourage our residents. I know we kind of lucked out doesn't mean next time when we give these warnings not prepare and make sure you're taking those proactive precautions also if any residents were impacted by the February March storms so we know January we had a FEMA declaration for individual assistance for our residents For the February-March we just recently were added for what is called a SBA, Small Business Administration Rural Agency Disaster Declaration.

And so even though it says rural our entire county qualifies so all of our residents qualify this is for if you had damages or business interruptions or losses from February-March storms okay and so residents who may have had those includes low interest loans to assist with repairs replacement and other economic impacts It does also include business assistance. So if you had loss of revenue, loss of business concepts there's potential low interest loans there as well that information there's a lot of details in there is to what the dates that qualify are what the deadlines are there's different deadlines based on which loans you're applying to all of that information is up on ReadySBC so I just want to encourage residents that if you were impacted by the February-March that that's an opportunity for some fiscal assistance And then I'll close out with the earthquake so we did have the 5.0 and are close to oh, hi.

A couple nights ago and many people in our community got the emergency alerts on their phones if you were me, and you had 2 phones next to me, I was slightly napping in the afternoon. I'll admit after all that chaos and it woke me up startled me. But I just want to let everyone know that those, those did not come from the county. That was not from OEM emergency office emergency management or dispatch. Those are from a couple different places if you could you can have an app called my shake on your phone. If you have an Android it is built into your phone.

And then USGS now has a system within California, where you automatically get notified if a certain level of an earthquake is predicted. So these are supposed to be early warning notifications. The idea is that it's telling you prior to the earthquake getting to you and so, you know, you might go oh wait I didn't feel an earthquake because it's still coming And so I want to encourage residents to be aware of that application. That's now on most phones, all phones really as you have a really old phone it might not be activated and it's just kind of similar to a wireless emergency alert pops up on your screen. And then I know people say, oh, it disappeared if you. Swiped it there's some instructions that office of emergency management we're working to get that on our website so that people have questions they can see that information.

But just everyone's aware that's what that is. 4.5 or greater is the My Shake app or the Android, I'm not sure why but USGS is 5.0 or greater and it's not clear how they determine how far it goes. It's supposed to be if you have the potential to feel it so there's a little bit of science there that I don't understand but that I don't have all the background on but just so you know if you receive those that's what those are and As Walter indicated, we just had the one concern with the bridge and now that's wide open again. So if there's any questions that's all I had.

I know

it was a lot. Any questions from the board? Thank you so much Kelly. 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 announcements this morning. Administrative item number 16 is from the County Executive Office and it is to consider the appointment of Nancy Anderson Chief Assistant County Executive Officer to represent the county of Santa Barbara as alternate to the Board of Supervisors. Directors of Public Risk Innovation Solutions and Management, also known as PRISM. And instead this should state appoint Nancy Anderson Chief Assistant County Executive Officer to represent the county of Santa Barbara as alternate to the Board of Directors of Public Risk Innovation Solutions and Management. And this quick announcement could just be added to the balance of today's agenda.

Additionally 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 today's 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 805 568 And lastly, since I know we have quite a few members of the public interested in a few of our departmental items today. I wanted to just announce for departmental item number two regarding the Pacific pipeline appeal. We are anticipating that item to begin around 1030 this morning.

So again if you are interested in the Pacific Pipeline Appeal, departmental item number two that item is anticipated to begin around 10 30. And for members of the public wishing to speak on departmental item number four for the annual Truth Act Forum we are anticipating that item to be in the afternoon and beginning around 2 30 p.m today so again for the annual truth act forum departmental item number four that'll be this afternoon around 230 and that concludes my

announcements Would any board members like to pull any items

from the administrative agenda beyond what I have is a forty six. And I have a eleven from the public and for clarification you don't have a speaker on a 16 do you.

Chair Williams and members of the board that is correct they do not have a speaker on a 16.

Any other items need to be pulled?

Chair Williams and members of the board those are the items that I have in my notes as well A11 and A46.

Good morning. Frank Thompson, representing Sanctuary Centers at Santa Barbara. I submitted the request to speak just in anticipation. I don't really need to say anything else except thank you very much for your

support. Thank you Mr. Thompson. Can I get a motion on A11? Move staff recommendation. So

first by Hartman, second by Lavagnino. All those in favor please say

aye. Opposed? It's unanimous. A 46. Thank you, Chair Williams.

I pulled. Excuse me my apologies, Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 46 is from the Social Services Department. It is to consider recommendations regarding a Santa Barbara County system improvement plan for 2022 through 2027.

If I may just give

context for why I pulled this. I just wanted to give support and shine a light on the amazing work of how our county takes care of our most vulnerable children, and this report was quite expansive 100 plus pages with tons of stakeholders who do a self-assessment every year as required by state law on our foster care system rates of returning kids into permanent housing. And so I don't need to belabor this, but I just wanted to give a bit of airtime to this important work that happens often behind the scenes and thank you for just maybe giving one or two highlights in the work.

Thank you so much Supervisor

Capps. The system improvement plan is the culmination of our five-year process looking at how children are doing as they're engaging in child welfare and probation services, and it represents a tremendous amount of work from our staff, from all the feedback from our stakeholders, our resource families, our families who are participating in It really is helps inform us moving forward as far as where do we need to focus on doing better because it is really all about safety permanency and well-being for our kids.

So that's something that we're constantly striving to be better in even though I'm very proud that we do well, I think quickly but there's always room for improvement especially for most vulnerable kids. That's what we're focusing on is looking at those strategies to try and move the needle and do better improving outcomes. Thank you.

And I also just want to thank you for long, hard work. You know this has been an area of board concern and emphasis and obviously your leadership and your whole department's leadership has helped make a difference in these lives of some of our most vulnerable so thank you so much.

Thank you Supervisor Williams we appreciate the support.

Okay can I get a motion on A46?

I'm happy to move approval of 846. Second.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries all right got a very special resolution to be presented administrative item number 55

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 55 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution honoring the city of Lompoc on its 135th anniversary of incorporation and joining us in person today we have Mayor Janelle Osborne. And if Janelle would like to go to the podium anyone that may be accompanying her I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record Whereas the city of Lompoc is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills in Santa Barbara County, California and has a rich history that dates back thousands of years to when it was first inhabited by the native Chumash who have continuously resided in the area for at least 10,000 years.

And whereas the origin of Lompoc's name derives from the Chumash with various translations that reference lakes, lagoons, estuaries and where the land meets the sea And whereas in 1874, the Lompoc Land Company was formed paving the way to incorporation of the city of Lompoc on August 13th, 1888 as a California General Law City. Whereas throughout its history, Lompok has flourished with innovation from various industries including agriculture, flower and flower seed production, mining of diatomaceous earth, space technology, tourism, viticulture and the arts. And whereas Lompoc has been a major contributor to space technology with the establishment of neighboring Vandenberg Air Force Base, now Vandenberg Space Force Base in 1958 and is now a premier global launch facility.

And whereas the city of Lompoc, a full service business friendly city has continuously evolved with the times and currently enjoys the status of being a wine and arts and culture destination attractive to residents and visitors alike. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County does hereby honor the City of Lompoc for its significant contributions to the county, our nation and the world for the past 135 years passed and adopted today.

Just a quick thank you for the recognition. I am very proud to represent a resilient pioneering community with a long history with the Chumash, and I'm very happy to still honor it through having it named Lompoc. We have proven that through the ups and downs we are a resilient community. And in fact, the 135th birthday celebration really was about the fact that we are finally seeing the light and is not a train. So, we thank you for the recognition. We're looking forward to continuing to improve our community for all and the partnership that the county has with us. Thank you

And just because we have some real substantive items later on, it's a good time to just let everybody know that the only time that our rules provide for clapping is during resolutions. So just let's remember that later and now we have very special resolution A56.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 56 is sponsored by Supervisor Capps and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming August 26th 2023 as Women's Equality Day in Santa Barbara County. And I will now turn it over to Supervisor Capps and Supervisor Hartman.

Thank you. It starts whereas Women's Equality Day is observed annually on August 26 to commemorate the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote and.

Whereas Women's Equality Day serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the empowerment of all women regardless of their race ethnicity socioeconomic status sexual orientation or other identities and

Whereas gender inequality persists in various forms including unequal pay limited access to education and health care underrepresentation in leadership roles and systemic discrimination hindering the progress of societies worldwide. And

whereas recognizing that achieving gender equality is not only a matter of human rights but also crucial for sustainable development social justice and global prosperity and

Whereas governments, organizations and individuals have a collective responsibility to work towards eliminating all forms of gender based discrimination and violence. And to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. And

whereas empowering women and girls involves promoting access to quality education, ensuring economic opportunities, enhancing reproductive health and rights, and eradicating harmful practices and stereotypes.

Now therefore, be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors will commemorate Women's Equality Day on August 26th as a national day celebrating the importance of the women's suffrage movement and the work to secure and expand equal rights today in Santa Barbara County.

Passed and adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County State of California this 22nd day of August 2023 by the unanimous vote of all members present

Do we have any folks from Zoom?

Yes, I'm Vicki Allen. I have some of my colleagues here on Zoom and the president of the Santa Maria League, I believe Virginia Sousa is there in person. So I'm a member of the board and leadership team of the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara. Thank you to the Board of Supervisors for this resolution, recognizing that the fight which began over a century ago is not yet won.

The League of Women Voters of both South and North County are honored to have this recognition on the occasion of Women's Equality Day. To observe the day, the League of Women Voters of the United States issued this statement. On August 26th we're demanding our rights be restored and protected. We call on Congress to pass voting rights legislation, add the ERA to the Constitution, restore reproductive rights.

For the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, this Saturday the National League is joining hundreds of partner organizations for a march to continue building a future of equality and justice. On social media for August 26th, the league is using the hashtag WID23 for Women's Inequality Day

2023. So again, I thank you to the board. Thank you.

And I'm Joni Jones and it's a privilege to speak to the board. Thank you for recognizing the important work of the league and that the league continues to do in our local areas and in our state and in our nation. And just we really appreciate the recognition.

Thanks. Thank you, Jenny.

I would like to.

My own my name is Sandy Grasso Boyd and I'm also a member of the Santa Barbara League of Women Voters and I also want to say thank you for this recognition we really appreciate your support as women and men to see that we have our equal rights Recognized and also unequal rights on that are not recognized as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Sandy

I guess I better pop into this is Diane black and I'm on the with the board of the League of women voters and also on the leadership team. I don't know if you can see my T shirt. But I think it says women's rights are human rights and we really appreciate the resolution today. Thank you.

Thank you, Diane. We will go to a 57.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 57 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of August 2023 as Breastfeeding Month in Santa Barbara County and joining us in person today we have Meg Baird and Teresa Solis. And I will go ahead and read the resolution feeding month in August 2023 focus is on breastfeeding and employment work. The goal is to educate on the impact of paid leave and workplace support on breastfeeding, and engage our communities to play their role in empowering families and sustain breastfeeding friendly environments in the post pandemic worth life.

And whereas decades of research indicate that mother's milk is healthiest for children and breastfeeding benefits both mothers and babies. The optimal nutrition in breast milk contributes to reduction in the incidence and severity of diseases such as type two diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, obesity, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome. And whereas breastfeeding plays an important role in managing the double burden of malnutrition in addition to providing food security and reducing inequalities.

And whereas breast milk contains 3 million germ killing cells per teaspoon. Recent studies demonstrated COVID-19 antibodies in the breast milk of vaccinated or recently infected lactating mothers, which can potentially pass along protection to the breastfed infant. And whereas Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Nutrition Services, Women's Infants and Children, WIC has some of the highest breastfeeding rates in California and the United States along with a multitude of lactation education staff and seven international board certified lactation consultants IVCLCs.

And whereas nutrition services WIC pioneered a two-way breastfeeding texting program that is nationally and internationally recognized The innovation and comprehensive services provided in Santa Barbara County is looked to as a model for other California WIC agencies to follow. And whereas Nutrition Services' WIC works diligently to meet the breastfeeding goals of our low-income population, including the ability to assist in increasing and sustaining milk supply in light of formula shortages And now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors does observe the month of August 2023 as Breastfeeding Month passed and adopted today.

Thank you Chair Williams and members of the board. Good morning, I'm Meg Beard. I'm the Breastfeeding Coordinator for Public Health Department Nutrition Services and WIC Program. And some of our staff today is Teresa. She's a Lactation Consultant in South County. Chantal with Baby Kai, Regional Breastfeeding Liaison. And Andrea with her daughter Arianna, almost Lactation Consultant up here in Santa Maria area. So thank you for your time and support. Our Nutrition Services WIC program is internationally recognized for our breastfeeding services Like I said, we have some of the highest rates in California and the United States. We have a first-of-its kind two way texting program.

Lots of our staff have two to five day lactation courses. We have 669 electric breast pumps that we loan out to participants for free. Last year we issued 1,271 electric breast pumps so quite a bit helps families. We help working families and families that go to school every day. Which is our theme for this month. Also county, for the County of Santa Barbara there's 15 lactation locations throughout our county and for employees to express breast milk along with our breastfeeding friendly workplace and lactation accommodation policy.

This helps employees feel supported when they return to work and they also come back sooner when they know that they're supported for breastfeeding at work. And this helps with a workplace retention and engagement And thanks again for your support, and thanks again for recent increases in bilingual pay. And I have a proposal in for trilingual pay so we'll see where it goes. Thank you, have a great day!

Thank you, I just really wanted to thank you for your work. It's so important when so many of our babies are born and not having all the advantages of life in poverty with potential health inequities to help get those babies started off with All the advantages that we could provide for them. And of course, it's also wonderful to highlight something that not many people know which is that the county provides breastfeeding education and services to our clients. So thank you so much.

Go to A58.

Chair Williams and members of the Board, Administrative Item number 58 sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming August 2023 as Child Support Awareness Month in Santa Barbara County and joining us in person today we have Metta Richardson and I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas August is Child Support Awareness Month, an annual time to raise awareness about a critical income support program That helps millions of children and families recognized in California and nationwide. And whereas, in partnership with 46 county and regional child support offices, Santa Barbara County Department of Child Support Services understands that every co-parent has different wants and needs for their children but all have the same shared goal to see these children thrive.

And whereas the services accessible through California's child support program have adapted and modernized in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic Technological advances like virtual court hearings and simplified online enrollment have made it easier for parents to access the service they need. And whereas, Santa Barbara County Child Support Services is dedicated to assisting parents with services that are designed to be neutral helpful and fair and served nearly 11,000 child support cases in 2022 collecting and distributing $29 million in support to families and children And whereas in August, Santa Barbara County Child Support Services is hosting an informational virtual workshop about Virtual Court. Offering training on child support services to the Good Samaritan Shelter and Horencia Indignia sponsoring a license release campaign for eligible child support customers distributing school supplies at the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department's back-to-school health fairs And in a tri-county collaboration promoting the child support program at the Consulate of Mexico and Oxnard.

And whereas Child Support Awareness Month underscores the critical importance of providing families with the vital support they need, and remembering that while every family has different wants and needs we all have the same shared goal protecting and uplifting the generations of our future. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims August 2023 as Child Support Awareness Month in Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Good morning Chair Williams and members of the board. I am Meadow Richardson, Assistant Director of the Department of Child Support Services and I'm here today with Lucy Reyes our child support services project manager. We are excited to be before you during Child Support Awareness Month. Child Support Awareness Month is a statewide and national initiative to help inform families about child support and the services that are available to them To reflect every parent's goal of seeing their children thrive, this year's theme is Different Wants, Different Needs, One Shared Goal.

Santa Barbara County Child Support Services is dedicated to assisting parents with services available to dads, moms and legal guardians designed to be neutral, helpful and fair. At this time, Lucy will provide more information about our August Child Support Awareness Month activities as well as recent departmental initiatives designed to increase access to services.

Thank you. To commemorate Child Support Awareness Month, we are offering bilingual informational sessions about what to expect and how to prepare for a virtual child support court hearing. The sessions are offered weekly and at 6 p.m. throughout the month of August. And further information is available on our website or by contacting our department. In addition, we have scheduled presentations about child support services to Good Samaritan Shelter and Erencia Indígena.

We are also participating with San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties in a presentation to staff in a month-long display at the Regional Mexican Consulate in Oxnard to promote child support services. In support of the Public Health Department's Back to School health fairs, we distributed school supplies and backpacks to children throughout the county. Children are our future and we want to help students prepare for a successful school year.

Lastly customer access to services is key and we are thrilled to share two of our recent initiatives with you Customers can check in via a self-service kiosk in our north and south county offices, and connect with staff virtually. In addition, meet now with the caseworker is a unique feature available on our website that instantly allows customers to Zoom with child support staff.

No matter where you live in the county, you can conveniently have your child support questions answered. Thank you all for helping us celebrate Child Support Awareness Month.

Thank you for your presentation. I'll just add, please don't make these wonderful staff chase after you. Pay your child support. It is not about your ex. It's about the kids. Thank you. Let's go to A59.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 59 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution honoring Esther Jacobson-Bates upon her retirement from the Elroy Museum in Santa Barbara County and joining us on Zoom and receiving this resolution is Esther Jacobson-Bates. And I will go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Whereas Esther Jacobson-Bates served as Executive Director of the Elver Oye Museum of History and Art in Solvang, California beginning in 2003. And whereas during her time as Executive Director, Esther guided the museum through a period of significant growth and expanded public engagement. And whereas Esther was instrumental in the transfer of ownership of the museum from the City of Solvang after being gifted by the Brandt Erickson family to a nonprofit organization known as Solvange Heritage Associates. And whereas Esther worked tirelessly through grant writing, outreach to donors, planning of events to fundraise for the museum and building a community of supporters of the Elroy to bring the museum to improved fiscal well-being and long term sustainability.

Whereas Esther led the effort to renovate and update all interior and exterior spaces at the museum and brought new life to the museum's art gallery having curated many exhibitions Ranging from local artists and national and international artists, and renowned historical artists including Rembrandt. And whereas Esther built cultural bridges working with the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C., bringing ambassadors, musicians, performers, athletes, educators, and members of Denmark's royal family to Solvang. And whereas Esther displayed total commitment to the museum making herself available for the museum activities and support at all times And treating all visitors to the museum as she would guests in her own home. And whereas Esther guided the museum during the COVID-19 pandemic, projecting a calm positivity that kept museum staff and volunteers engaged, exhibiting a nimble responsiveness to ever changing conditions and collaborating with other local museums to find solutions to challenges which allowed the museum to continue to thrive.

And whereas Esther worked with Santa Ana's Valley native and Dittmer to co-author The Spirit of Solvang, a comprehensive book documenting the history and evolution of the Danish town. And whereas Esther retired from the Elveroy Museum on June 30th 2023. And whereas the County of Santa Barbara recognizes and appreciates Esther's nearly 20 years of dedicated service to the Elveroy Museum The city of Solvang and Danish American culture and history in the San Ines Valley. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors honors Esther Jacobson Bates for her exceptional career and recent retirement from the Elverway Museum passed and adopted today.

Supervisor Harp.

Thank you. In Japan they designate exceptional people who contribute to their community as national treasures, and in the San Ynez Valley Esther would be one of our valley treasures. She has really built up the Elvorhoy Museum in a way that connects people to their Danish heritage and helps define who they are, and it makes all of us want to be a bit of a Viking even if we don't have that in our blood.

She's been, as the resolution noted, really an honorary ambassador. When Danes come to this country they want to come to Solvang and she often also goes there representing our interest to their government. One of the things that's been extremely exceptional is the international quality art that she brings to the small Elverhoy Museum And in addition she's created a community of artists and giving them a place to display their art, people who live in the valley.

So it's been an extraordinary career we're eager to see what she does next and you can see from that picture with her grandchildren and her husband Mark who has thousands and thousands of events that she's hosted and attended been right there by her side

Go to A60.

Esther may want to say something. Oh yes,

Esther?

Chair Williams, Supervisor Hartman and board members it really has been an honor and I am very proud to receive this recognition thank you for all those kind words Leading Elverhoye over the past 20 years, I carry with me so many great memories both professional and personal of my time spent at this community gem. And if you haven't already been there, I hope you will make it a point of visiting.

There have been so many wonderful things as I reflect on my time there And the accomplishments achieved and the obstacles overcome. And of course, it's about the people. It's all of those hardworking volunteers and others and their contributions made me look good as well. And I think there's a saying that really applies here that good people make good places.