Board of Supervisors — 2023-10-17

Good morning I will call to order the October 17th 2023 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk please call the roll.

Chair, I move to approve the minutes.

Is there a second? Second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? The CEO's report.

There's no report this morning Chair Williams.

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

Chair Williams and members of the board, I do have one announcement this morning 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 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 boards office at area code 805-568-2240 again that's 805 5 6 8 2 2 4 0 and that concludes my announcements for today.

Thank you I have a 18 a 22 and a 29 pulled from the administrative agenda are there any further items that the public or board members wish to pull?

Chair Williams and members of the board I have no further requests from the public

then can I get a motion on a balance the balance of the administrative agenda

so moved

There's a motion and a second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Then we'll go to A18.

Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 18 is from the Human Resources Department it is to consider recommendations regarding a revision to the new hire and promotional incentives policy.

Ms. Capps

Thank you, Chair Williams. I just wanted to pull this item because I know how hiring has been such a challenge, especially during the pandemic and ensuing months afterwards. And I just wanted to get more of a status update about this item, because I think what you all did as a board to provide these incentives is extremely important. And I just hope that these incentives are being utilized. So I was hoping to ask our CEO or HR department to elaborate on vacancy rates and how departments are utilizing these incentives. Thanks.

Supervisors, I'm going to have to refer that to HR. So are they on Zoom yet? So Ms Torres just jumped on so Yvonne.

Yes, I am here now I missed the question actually.

No problem, I'll happy to restate. So I just was again affirming my support for this type of creative solutions to hiring challenges during the pandemic and currently and I just wanted to understand how is it being impacted? Which departments are utilizing these which ones aren't necessarily using these incentives where we still having persistent vacancy rates within departments thank you

right OK so Supervisor Caps or the chair. So departments have been using based on the needs, based on the vacancy rates, based on the length of time that we have to keep these positions open and based on. The retention of the actual in the positions so recently most recently the departments that have been using them for this year are mostly social services behavior wellness We have some general services position it varies based on what's going on in the market at the time so Currently we are seeing a few custody deputy sheriff's laterals that they're using the bonuses Currently General Services is also giving some IT has given a few but it's mainly It's it's not all the departments. It's about 20% of the departments are using them.

Thank you and do we still have a fairly high vacancy rate in planning and development? We

do.

And is that a department that's using them, these hiring incentives?

That is not a department that has used them this year.

Okay taking note of that thank you very much.

And I have a request even though we just well first let's have a motion on this. Motion on A18. Is there any public comment?

Chair Williams, it does raise the bigger question. It would be nice to know which departments are using and which not particularly where we've got a gap. A lot of vacancies and yet no utilization. Which departments are those? And why are they not using that? Are there other things we can do?

I think it's an important piece of information for us to have as a board so perhaps we could make a request just from HR to let us know that in some kind of summary form say how many employees have utilized it in each department.

And compare it to the vacancy rate, thank you.

Did you hear that request?

Yes we can. We can get that to you. Thank you so much.

Right. Thank you. Let's get a motion on. We have a motion and a second on this no public comment.

Motion Laura second. Sure absolutely

great. All those in favor please say aye. Aye.

Chair Williams, members of the board we did not have any requests to speak on that item thank you.

Great I do have a request we just voted on it but a comment on A14 Mr. Nelson?

Chair Williams, members of the board. Administrative item number 14 is from the district attorney's office. It is to consider recommendations regarding the acceptance of Board of State and Community Corrections B.S.C.C award for an organized retail theft vertical prosecution program O.R.T.V.P.P., and there was a four-fifths vote required on this item.

All right thank you I apologize for not pulling it earlier although I would still support Approval of this. This one just caught my eye it is a for a grant from the district attorney's office for theft prosecutions there were some various grants throughout the state that were applied for and It caught my eye that Santa Barbara County was the only County to apply for a small allocation most of the other grants for about two million dollars, and there were larger allocations Some counties larger than us some county smaller than us So I reached out to the district attorney's office. I just wanted to understand why we didn't apply for the bigger amount and I got some answers, and I understand that Assistant DA Kelly Duncan may be available on maybe zoom to speak to that.

Yes, Supervisor Nelson through the chair. I'm Kelly Duncan, assistant District Attorney and with respect to your question on Organized Retail Theft Prosecution Grant. We did evaluate the number of cases that we have in the county when applying for this grant, while retail theft is has increased significantly from I want to say about 70% from 2019 to 2022. We did not have the type Sort of like flash mob thefts that you're seeing in some of the larger jurisdictions We don't have that sort of problem in Santa Barbara County. So we wanted to have a competitive grant Application and and we thought that this smaller Grant award would be appropriate for our county With respect to the vertical prosecution. We were also aware at the time that the sheriff's office was applying for the Separate prevention grant.

I'm aware now that they were not awarded that grant, but we do think that with the $800,000 grant we will be able to make significant impacts on the problem in Santa Barbara County.

Thank you, Miss Duncan. I don't want to seem ungrateful by any means and I think this is a good news story that number one that our county was awarded this grant but also number two that we don't have the same level of thefts in other counties that have been experienced so we didn't need to apply for the larger grant. My concerns when I talked to the district attorney yesterday was that we may not be moving forward from some various municipalities with bringing forward theft cases to the DA's office because of some of the issues with the backlog in cases. And so, I was hoping that this also by highlighting this might alert them that there is going to be some additional funds available at the District Attorney's Office.

So that they can move forward with bringing these prosecutions ahead and invest the investigative time in there. Many law enforcement officers are frustrated because they often will arrest somebody or deal with an issue, but then it goes nowhere. It's good to know that some of these funds have been made available so that our DA's office can address that. Retail theft is one of the biggest issues that I hear about when I talk to my constituencies and businesses. It is a huge concern. And with some of the changing laws that have taken place in the state of California limit the penalties potentially that we've seen some increases in some areas not so much in Santa Barbara County but it's something that I have an assurance when my conversation with days Avernoche that if this crown is available and that we do see upon prosecution of some of these cases that it does lead to additional cases that they will be applying for those grants in the future

supervisor Hartman

Yes, thank you Supervisor Nelson for raising this to our attention I we may not have the Same issues with retail theft But we certainly do with rural that and if there are any grants in that area. I hope we will pursue them aggressively

Supervisor Lavanya Thank you And I was gonna mention that as well that just in a recent conversation with one of the officers at Santa Maria PD that they have now because Much of the rural theft that we have going on. That they've actually, for the first time in a long time put together a property crimes unit and they're gonna start investigating and prosecuting these cases so good news for all of our farmers and folks out there

Again we don't need a motion because we already voted on this but it is I have confidence in the district attorney to make this into a success and hopefully our success will engender more grants that we can obtain. Okay let's go to A22. which has been pulled by the public.

Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 22 is from the Public Health Department it is to consider recommendations regarding Lawrence J Bynes MD professional corporation agreement termination fiscal year 2023 through 2024 board contract number two three one two six and we do have one request to speak on this item from the public and that is here in Santa Maria we are going to Lawrence Bynes, Lawrence?

Thank you. Good morning. Three out of five of your health care centers currently have no clinic administrator, a record high in the 31 years I've been working for you. There's currently no medical director in the public health department. Your last medical director lasted just six months in the current PhD environment. In the Department of Women's Health at the main clinic, two of the most experienced RNs and two of our best medical assistants have recently resigned.

Citing such things as a toxic work environment, an unsupportive clinic administrator, and hostile supervising nurses is the reason they left. Losses of our most talented employees in what Chairman Williams referred to as a limited labor environment indeed hit hard and should be primary focus of our leadership team. In his last 10 months as director of the Public Health Department, Dr. Hamami has visited my clinic once.

It was a five-minute meet and greet during his first week on the job. He's never reached out to me since. As the lead Women's Health Services physician I would have enjoyed sharing my vision for the future of the women's health program with him. He must have had his reasons for sidestepping me and ultimately taking advantage of a department imposed suspension to then put my contract up for termination.

It's been eight weeks since Deputy Director Gamble removed me from my duties in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, it would appear that the HR team has not made a good faith effort to resolve the situation. As of last Friday, Mr. Ventura of HR said that he has taken statements from me and from two nurses who apparently complained about me and from nobody else. He's not willing to come to any conclusion, to either clear my name or recommend any type of discipline.

He said he's not sure what follow up if any is required to complete with me since I'm a contractor and not an employee. In the meantime, Dr. Hamani revealed the nature of the complaint against me in multiple emails to multiple members of the medical community, a violation of policy that I don't take lightly and neither should you. Perhaps you noticed that he mentioned the investigation at least four times in his remarks to you last week. This tactic must have made you wonder what sort of dastardly deed I committed as do I.

I realize that my contract is an at-will contract and that it may be terminated at any time with 30 days notice without cause. I'm not here to contest that and expect that you'll vote to terminate. I am here to put the work of your public health director and his team on your radar. I am here to put you on alert that the largest revenue generating specialty in healthcare services is at risk.

I'm here to make you aware of how poorly two of your departments have treated me after 31 years of proud service. I'm here to make you aware of the potential for deteriorating quality of OB patient care at your Del Remedio Clinic because of the actions of the leadership team. You have some of the finest, most caring capable people in the healthcare field working in the trenches at your clinics It's been my honor to work with them all these years and I hope you will honor them by providing them with effective leaders in the future.

And I thank you, and I particularly thank you Mr. Nelson for giving me the opportunity to speak today and thank all of you.

Thank you, Doctor. Mr. Nelson?

Yes, thank you Chair Williams. I pulled this item and asked for it to be continued last week because some of the information that Dr. Bynes had provided me was new information and I really take our public comments seriously and when I am presented with information that I don't know how to litigate in front of everybody, a continuation I thought was appropriate so that I could meet with Public Health staff get some additional information Better understand the issue. I acknowledge that I didn't know who Dr. Bynes was prior to last Tuesday, and I appreciate his comment as well as some of the emails that we received this week.

I know there was talk that we might be micromanaging this but you know this item did come before us it does need our approval to be terminated Since last Tuesday, I met with Director Amani. I met with other staff and I asked questions about how this might impact women's health care in the Santa Maria Valley. My understanding of this contract doesn't apply to that. I am satisfied that the department has done the work necessary to move forward and so again, I appreciate my colleagues indulging me and waiting another week so I felt comfortable but I would support staff's recommendations at this time.

Any other questions from the board? Supervisor Caput.

Just a comment, I will respect staff's recommendation here but I just want to acknowledge the many members of the medical field who did write it to us with in support of the doctor so I just wanted to acknowledge that and his length of service to this community and the support that's out there amongst the medical community thank you

I would echo that just to thanks to all those who work in the field of women's health for the county. It is important work and if a contract came back for less money in a future time, I would be open to it. Okay can I get a motion on A22? So

moved.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? 829.

Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 29 is from Supervisor Capps it is to approve the appointment of Joanne Meade Young to the Commission for Women term ending December 31st 2025 and this is in the second district

Thank you. Just a quick note of gratitude to our Women's Commission, of which I served years ago and I just wanted to thank in particular here Joanne Mead Young for stepping up she's a longtime educator former principal of Ellwood Elementary and I know she'll be a fantastic addition to an already fantastic commission so I just wanted to say thank you.

Supervisor Nelson?

I will make a note that we're also appointing on this agenda a third member of the fourth district women's commission so for the first time in a long time we have a full contingency. JoJo Murdoch is an amazing young woman who has lived experience and adds value to the women's commission. It's important to have women that look like the fourth district on the women's commission. It is a very diverse county.

Having additional input and different perspectives you know leads to better decision-making just like it does here on this board. So I'm looking forward to having Jojo join my already terrific team representing the 4th District.

Can I get a motion?

Yes, I'm happy to move to approve this item.

Second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay, now we have resolutions for presentation beginning with A32.

Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 32 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams it is to adopt a resolution proclaiming October 2nd 2023 as World Habitat Day 2023 in Santa Barbara County and joining us in person today we have John Silva and joining us via zoom we have Susan Renahan and Jessica de la Arbra And I will go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that has built and repaired homes all over the world, and whereas Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County or Habitat Santa Barbara is a local affiliate organization founded in 2000, and whereas Habitat Santa Barbara delivers their mission to build homes communities and hopes In partnership with individuals and families in need of a place to call home throughout South Santa Barbara County. And whereas Habitat Santa Barbara believes that a safe and decent home is a human right, and whereas Habitat Santa Barbara produces, preserves, and protects local housing by building new homes, repairing existing homes, and advocating for affordable housing at the local state and national levels.

And whereas Habitat Santa Barbara has built four different new construction housing builds including 22 homes, housing 84 people 50% of whom are children and has repaired more than 200 homes for low-income individuals and families including seniors those living with a disability and veterans. And whereas Habitat Santa Barbara believes that homeownership is a path to stability and self-sufficiency for low income families and having a stable and predictable housing payment creates opportunities for children and families for educational growth and improve mental and physical health. And whereas Habitat Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County have partnered since inception to work together to achieve home repair outcomes for county individuals and families, and whereas World Habitat Day was observed worldwide on October 2nd 2023 kicking off World Habitat Month now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors celebrates World Habitat Month and commends Habitat Santa Barbara for their work to ensure that every family individual and child in Southern Santa Barbara County as a safe and decent home in which to live.

Further, the Board of Supervisors congratulates them on their plans to build their fifth affordable housing development, Dakota Street Affordable Homes, and looks forward to celebrating with them when six families can achieve the life-changing power of homeownership. Lastly, the Board of Supervisors thanks them working to end substandard housing conditions and looks forward to continued partnership. Pass it adopted today.

Thank you very much. My name is John Silva, Director of Project Management and Housing for Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County. I just want to say thank you for this honor. We want to thank you for the positive impact we're going to take on Southern County. Habitat is mainly known for building homes globally worldwide but kind of the unsung hero is home repairs and that's what this program is gonna go to This is going to allow so many homeowners to keep their homes safe, secure and livable. From roof repairs to handle the heavy storms and furnace replacements in the winter to keep the heat going.

To shower renovations and ramp installations for our elderly so they can age in place properly This money is going to help so many different homes in that area and the number of people that we are desperately trying to go and help is ever-growing and never ending. So, we cannot thank you enough for this honor to be able to partner with you and work on getting these homes addressed. So thank you again.

Not sure if the CEO is also online but she wants to say a few words.

Good morning. Thank you again so much for this opportunity, John thank you for your remarks and your leadership in the housing programs. My name is Jessica Wachanda-Larvera I serve as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Southern San Barbara County what a special occasion for us today. I also wanted to thank you uh for the item later in the agenda approval of our In response to a community where housing costs are growing and the availability of affordable housing is shrinking, we support the three Ps. Producing affordable housing with new construction projects, preserving existing housing Through home repairs and whole home rehabs, we protect affordable housing by advocating for fair and just policies. We wanted to thank you again as we acknowledge that there's more than 2500 homes in need of low income owner occupied home repairs in South County.

And thank you for your partnership as we work to build six new condos and an additional rehabbed home. Thank you very much.

Supervisor Hart?

Thank you. You are a premier organization nationally and internationally, we're so glad you're here. My question goes to with home repair, are you doing anything related to renewable installing solar and getting grants for heat pumps or things like that? Could you talk about that?

Yeah, so 3C REN is a company that's been started. A company that we're working with and their partnership is they go and they actually work with contractors to get special deals they can come across and then install those in homes that are already pre-existing so we can change out the energy inefficient heaters in those homes or the heat pumps AC units stuff like that swamp coolers We are pushing for everything to be solar panel powered.

The kind of problem we have though is in a lot of homes, budgets are our biggest problem so when we'll go in there and see if that shower is unacceptable for that person who's in the wheelchair, we spend a lot of our money to help that and then we forego some of these other programs when it's coming to those usable energy. So it's usually in the new homes that we build which is Takes a little bit of time to get those going. That's where we more focus on the solar-generated projects.

Thank you, and I assume you're looking at all the kinds of incentives that are available just because if you can reduce energy costs then it's easier for people to pay their rent or pay for their housing payments over time so anyway thank you for your great work. Thank you very much

And in addition to the home repair program, I just want to thank Habitat for having the boldness to brave the city of Santa Barbara's approval process and putting forth that new project across the street from the Santa Barbara Junior High, which will be badly needed by my constituents in the first district. So thank you so much. Thank you all. We'll go to administrative item 33.

Chair Williams and members of the board, Administrative Item number 33 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution recognizing the Great California Shakeout with intent to participate on October 19th, 2023. And joining us in person today we have Stacy Silva. Oh, and we also have Kelly Hubbard and Jackie Ruiz! Thank you for being here today and I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas an earthquake is a sudden jolt of ground shaking that occurs when the Earth's tectonic plates shift or slip naturally due to volcanic or magnetic activity, or because of some other sudden change. People living visiting or working in the County of Santa Barbara must be aware of the ongoing and deadly hazards associated with earthquakes.

And whereas the County of Santa Barbara promotes earthquake preparedness Through County Department participation in the Great California Shakeout, as well as year-round efforts to plan for earthquake related disasters. To facilitate the continuity of government and coordinate public assistance following a major earthquake event. And whereas earthquakes will occur with minimal advance warning, the public must be prepared to act and avoid earthquake caused injuries. If you believe an earthquake is imminent or in progress, you should drop or lock cover and hold on. Safely, calmly and quickly protect yourself under a sturdy object and hold that object over you until shaking completely stops.

And whereas public can improve their personal preparedness by making emergency kits and registering for emergency alerts at www.readysbc.org And whereas by supporting the great California ShakeOut, Santa Barbara County can utilize the information available at www.shakeout.org forward slash california to educate its residents regarding actions to protect life and property including mitigating structural and non-structural hazards.

And whereas the county of Santa Barbara encourages homeowners to make their homes more resistant to earthquake damage by applying for a grant from the California Earthquake Authority's 2023 earthquake brace and bolt at www.earthquakebracebolt.com, and whereas all Santa Barbara County residents and guests are encouraged to practice how to safely drop or lock cover and hold on during this year's great California shakeout exercise at 1019 AM on October 19, 2023 Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors do hereby proclaim the day of October 19th, 2023 as Earthquake Preparedness Day and approve participating in the Great California Shakeout passed and adopted today.

Chair Williams, Supervisor Hartman and Board. Thank you so very much for recognizing and highlighting the importance of the Great California Shakeout for us here in Santa Barbara County. I also want to thank Jacqueline because she reads those resolutions so well and it's a lot! But just a quick reminder that we, although we may not experience earthquakes all the time, we do live in earthquake country. And if you go to the USGS earthquake tracking website, you will see that earthquakes are occurring around us continuously throughout the year.

So really want to highlight personal preparedness, including taking the time to practice. So not only making sure that your family and your pets are prepared for emergencies but taking the time to actually practice and that's what October 19th allows us to do. Making sure that you download tools such as the My Shake app that will help you stay apprised to changing conditions with earthquakes.

And if you need more information about how your business, your family can participate in ShakeOut visiting shakeout.org and then finally making sure that you have registered for ReadySBCAlerts For the county, if you're not registered we cannot reach you and that's how we will be able to communicate vital information following an earthquake event to our community. So that is very important but thank you again for highlighting the Great California Shakeout and we look forward to participating!

And I think you covered it in the resolution, but we were just walking back up. Tell us again and the public what's the safest places to go to and be in an earthquake?

Sure, the safest place is going to be under a sturdy desk. It used to be they would tell you to stand in the doorway that is no longer the case so getting down and underneath if you are in a wheelchair or Walker making sure that you lock And then duck and cover is the safest place for you to be.

And what if you don't have a sturdy desk and a lot of windows?

Yes, so getting away from the windows in your home. Going to an interior area making sure the biggest thing is to make sure that you ducking cover so no matter where you are and get away from glass. So anything that's falling take time now to harden your home. So securing those items that could fall off your TVs and other things and then making sure that you cover your head And that's why they say to cover because you're also protecting your insides and getting under a chair or any other sturdy object within your space will benefit.

Thank you.

A34 Chair Williams and members of the board. Administrative item number 34 is sponsored by Supervisor Katz and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution recognizing the Women's Legacy in Leadership Conference in Santa Barbara County, and joining us via Zoom we have Susan Rose. And I will go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas women in Santa Barbara County have demonstrated remarkable progress and achievements in the realm of political and civic leadership And whereas the first ever Women's Legacy and Leadership Conference is being organized by current and former women elected leaders dedicated to empowering women and fostering positive change in our community.

And whereas, the upcoming Women's Legacy and Leadership Conference promises to be a groundbreaking and impactful community event that will celebrate the enduring legacies and accomplishments of elected appointed and government administrative women leaders in Santa Barbara County. And whereas this conference will feature distinguished guest keynote speakers, expert panelists engaging breakout sessions and valuable networking opportunities all designed to inspire and empower women leaders throughout Santa Barbara County. And to reflect on the specific policy achievements initiated by women leaders in Santa Barbara County.

And whereas the success of this conference will contribute to the continued advancement of women in leadership roles, furthering strengthening our community and promoting gender equity in political and civic spheres. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proudly supports the first ever Women's Legacy and Leadership Conference on Saturday November 4th 2023 and encourages people from around the county to participate in this event passed and adopted today.

Supervisor Susan Rose.

Thank you all, can you hear me? This is a new experience for me. Yes

we can hear you loud and clear.

Good morning so I want to thank the Board of Supervisors for supporting us and our two co-chairs who are sitting there and will share the day with us. I want to mention two things to everybody who's watching. The first is that we would ask those who are going to attend to register. We want to know how many are coming or gonna serve lunch on that day have a capacity.

The way you register is by going on the website and that would be, the address is legacyandleaderships.com and the word and is spelled out so it's legacyandleaderships.com please register as soon as you can. And the other thing I would encourage everybody who's coming or considering coming is to bring in a young guest with you so you will be the mentor for that young guest for the day This is an opportunity for all women in our community to meet those individuals who are playing, as you are today, playing a very strong role in developing programs and policies in our county. As well I know.

Finally just to comment it's a day of celebration. We would invite all five of you to come and share that day with us and it'll be in the Planning Commission room, newly redone Planning Commission room. So thank you for supporting us and we look forward to November 4th Everybody engaged with us as we celebrate women in their leadership roles.

Thank you, Supervisor. Ms Hartman?

Yes well I just wanted to acknowledge that former supervisor Susan Rose has probably done more in her post-supervisorial career to cultivate women leaders both with courses at Antioch and many informal forums and so this will be an opportunity in one nutshell to get the benefit of all that she's learned and taught over the years. And so thank you very much Supervisor Rose

Thank you Supervisor Hartman. I always appreciate a comment like that, I do.

Supervisor Caps?

Thank you all just add that I don't know of anyone who's more passionate about women being elected women in leadership positions than Susan Rose and it continues day in and day out and I wanted to thank her and thank the other ladies who are part of this effort which are Santa Barbara City College trustee Anna Everett As well as Liz Martinez, as well as Suzanne Peck. And to echo what Supervisor Rose said we're really hoping to get emerging leaders to this conference that's a primary goal so please help us spread the word and everyone is welcome. Thank you.

Let's go to administrative item 35.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 35 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of October 2023 as Arts and Humanities Month and recognizing Joseph Woodard and the Montecito Bank and Trusts. And joining us in person today we have members from the Arts Commission as well as Joseph Woodard. I will go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Whereas the month of October has been recognized as National Arts and Humanities Month by the White House and Congress for 30 years. And whereas the Board of Supervisors formed the County Arts Commission in 1977 to support, foster, and encourage participation in and access to arts and culture for all county residents. And whereas through programs such as Percent For Art, the county has furthered its commitment to cultivating dynamic and culturally relevant public spaces and opportunities for all.

And whereas through their leadership and arts award program, the Arts Commission honors civic partners who further promote creative expression through visionary thinking and exemplary dedication to advancing community well-being through the arts. The Arts Commission commends Montecito Bank & Trust and Joseph Woodard for their tremendous commitment to uplifting our diverse creative communities and local artists. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims October as National Arts and Humanities Month, and encourages all community members to explore Santa Barbara County's vibrant arts and culture venues passed and adopted today.

Oh gosh, I'm George Lee's president of Montecito Bank and Trust. And boy, I wish Mike Tobes was here today because you know our founder Mike Tobes really set a tone at our bank that supporting the arts is so critically important And Mike's dream was that we would have a branch here in Santa Maria. So it's even more special that, you know, we get recognized here as the largest locally owned privately held community bank in the Central Coast that I get to receive this award on behalf of our board of directors and executive management team. I know Janica Rufus would have loved to have been here if she could have. But this is really, really special Having an office here in Santa Maria is the sort of pinnacle of Mike's dream.