Board of Supervisors — 2023-11-07

All right, good morning. I'd like to call to order the November 7th 2023 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk can we get a roll call please?

approval? Second.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor?

Aye.

Anybody opposed? Okay. Next item in business is the CEO's report.

Good morning board members. I just have a quick announcement from Public Health. They wanted to let the public know that the Santa Barbara County Animal Services has expanded its operating hours across all three shelters located in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and Lompoc. The new longer hours are here Are from 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening Tuesday through Sunday. This initiative is designed to provide greater accessibility to the community, ensuring that pet lovers have more time to visit adopt and participate in a variety of services offered by the shelter and for more information you can go to our website thank you.

Awesome thank you Mona. Madam Clerk are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Vice Chair Lavinino and members of the board I do have a couple quick announcements this morning First we received a continuance request from the department on administrative item number nine. Administrative item number nine is from the Community Services Department, it is to consider recommendations regarding an agreement to provide affordable housing and rental restrictive covenant for Ocean Meadows Residential Development 19 DVP-2 The Community Services Department is requesting a continuance of the administrative item number nine to the November 28th Board of Supervisors meeting. This continuance request can be added to the balance of the administrative agenda, and lastly for the Board of Supervisors methods of public participation and to provide public comment On general public comment or an item on the 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 Board's Office at area code 805-568-2240 again that number is area code 805 568 2240 and that concludes my announcements for today

Thank you very much. Would any board members like to pull any items from the administrative agenda?

I'd

pull A21. And I'm pulling A58 and what about the public?

Vice Chair Lavagnino and members of the board we have three requests to speak from the public on items A11 and A57. Okay, very

good Don't we do the balance at this point? Yeah. Can I get a motion? I'm rusty at this, I've got two months before I'm the chair again man it's like getting pulled out of

the... Move the balance of the agenda.

All right with the...

Including the continuation of the A9 until next meeting

and except for A11, A21, A57 and A58.

Correct second on that? Second. Nelson all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Okay, we'll take up the administrative items pulled in numerical order and I will now close public comment on those items

Vice Chair Lavinino and members of the board, administrative item number 11 is from the Community Services Department. It is to consider recommendations regarding a racial equity grant program contract with the Fund for Santa Barbara and we have two requests to speak on this item and we are going to begin on Zoom with Rachel Johnson and then we are going to come back to Santa Maria with Liam Gallo.

My apologies, it looks like Rachel is not on Zoom. Rachel if you can hear the meeting this is your time to provide your comments on administrative item number 11 for the racial equity grant program item please log in now and we will now go to Santa Maria with Liam Gallo.

Good morning, Board of Supervisors. I am here to express my appreciation for you all for acknowledging the need to address racial inequities and the growing disparities along the lines of race and class in Santa Barbara County. I also want to affirm your continued trust in the Fund for Santa Barbara and its grant making process. As a volunteer with them for almost three years now and as an original committee member for the first race equity fund in the county, I have seen effective process with them, competent people, and compassionate grant making.

In their processes, they have a desire to uplift grassroots organizations. People that don't have the capacity to fully read every single instruction on a grant making process five times over or have done it for 20 years. People that are new to process or doing it for the first time, they are on the phone with them speaking in Spanish and Mixteco and English. Doing the best that they can to make their process accessible so your trust in them is I think well placed.

Also, the general concept of funding this issue is urgent and I urge you to not only make it happen in perpetuity but also to increase funding. More money for race equity. But yes, thank you. Thank you Liam.

And I see Rachel has joined the meeting. Oh, Rachel was off the meeting. Rachel was there. We can come back to Rachel. Perhaps we can trail.

OK, let's just trail a 11. And then of course what's our next?

Vice Chair Lavagnino and members of the board administrative item number 21 is from the District Attorney's Office. It is to consider recommendations regarding the Bureau of Justice Assistance BJE Smart Prosecution in innovative prosecution solutions program cooperative agreement and this there is a four fist vote required on this item.

Supervisor Nielsen.

Yes, thank you Vice Chair Lavinino. I pulled this item in part because I wanted to highlight that the District Attorney's Office was able to go out and find some additional funds to solve one of the problems that we're having on making sure that we have the data we need to make good decisions so actually ask DA Sabranosh to be here and maybe speak about the grant that they received and the work that they're doing in the department on this

Acting Chair Flavanino and members of the board. Thank you, Supervisor Nelson for highlighting this. I think it goes to the good work that my office has done. I stood before this board when we were discussing a digital evidence management system and told you it is not a shiny new toy. That the digital tsunami caused by body worn cameras was coming. It is now upon us.

Without a digital evidence management system, we will cease to be able to function at least effectively without the significant application of personnel both on the law enforcement side and the district attorney's office side. My office receives every bit of digital information that is produced In criminal investigations in the county and we are one of the smallest agencies involved in this system.

Recognizing the importance of it, my staff was able to find a grant. Which means when we are able to secure a system, we will be able to engage in the first two years of at least our incident of the software without incurring county costs. So I thought that was a huge victory and I will say in the interim because the digital tsunami is here, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department The Lompoc Police Department, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Maria Police Department all have body cams.

They are all different systems so in between securing this contract And implementing the system, we still have a need to function. We still have a need to bring in the evidence. We still have a constitutional duty to transmit that evidence in a timely fashion to the public defender and other defense attorneys. So in the nine months to a year, or however long it's going to take to implement this. We will have to come up with systems to work with our law enforcement partners to get it in. So I'm just prepping the board for the fact that we still will incur costs because we are going to have to come up with temporary solutions. To get this unbelievable amount of data into my office to the defense in an efficient way for us and for our law enforcement partners.

But this grant itself alleviates, will alleviate a county burden. And I just wanted to acknowledge my staff for going out and doing what is best for the citizens of Santa Barbara County and for the budget so thank you.

Thank You DA Stabenow it's a good reminder that with innovation there's also costs that are involved and that's something we need to be aware of as we try to Enhance the due process as well as evidence and making sure that we're protecting not only our law enforcement, but the public and those that are accused of crimes. So it's really important that were engaged in this and I really appreciate the work that your office is doing and all the other criminal justice partners to make sure that we're bringing this along in a cost effective manner. And I really want to thank your staff for being innovative and going out and finding this grant that otherwise We would have had a fun with general fund dollars so that we can make sure those funds are spent elsewhere and especially within public safety.

Thank you supervisor.

Thank you

I can make a motion to or we'll guess we

do

it

together next item is

and vice-chair Lavinino members of the board I did just want to note for the record we had no requests to speak from the public on 821 cool seeing that Rachel has not rejoined our meeting we are going to administrative item number 58, perhaps we can take 57 with the resolution. Administrative item number 58 is from the fire department. It is to consider recommendations regarding an emergency medical services EMS ambulance transportation implementation plan and funding and salary resolution amendment. And there is a forfeits vote required on this item.

We're going to have to wait for DOS then on that. OK. There he is just in time A58, I pulled for a separate vote. It was just read into the record and...

And Chair Williams, members of the board, just for Chair Williams since he was just joining us, A58 is from the Fire Department it is to consider recommendations regarding an Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Transportation Implementation Plan and Funding and Salary Resolution Amendment and we have no requests from the public on this item

Then can I get a motion on A58? So moved

Second

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Me, no. 4-1 Okay then we now have all the items not to be present not all non resolution items

and Chair Williams members of the board we had a member of the public who was trying to join us via zoom but never returned if we can get a motion on administrative item number 11

Is there a motion on item 11?

I will move with support on item 11. Is there a second?

There's a second, I'd like to make comment on that item before we move it forward. Okay. And if we could include in our motion A21, I guess probably too right because we need to move that one forward as

well. Oh there was no motion on the

DA grant?

Yeah. Let's first move A21 since there's no more discussion is there a motion? So moved. Second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye.

I'll second.

And then your comment on the racial equity grant.

Sure, it got pulled by the public. I wasn't going to pull it but I want to I'll restate my support for this at this time. This was something that I wrestled with initially when I came on the board with our support. The fund for Santa Barbara, I was concerned about some of the political activity and advocacy activity that they were doing. I have met with their executive director And been assured that these funds would be walled off from activities that would not be appropriate for government funds. I also have appreciated the funds have gone towards education opportunities more often than not for the public on race and equity, and not on necessarily advocacy or political activity which I was concerned about. I will continue to monitor this process and I reserve the right to not vote in the future for some of these grant funds that they, for certain organizations that may receive them to do activities that I might object to but at this point I have not reached that limit with my comfort level so I am going to continue to support this.

So I know Supervisor Caps made a motion on this one

Thank you. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Thank you. Administrative item number 51.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 51 is sponsored by Chair Williams. It is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Lilla M Smith of the Human Resources Department as the November 2023 Employee of the Month in Santa Barbara County. And Lilla if you can join us at the podium with our HR director Maria Elena de Cuevara and your beautiful family And I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record.

Whereas Lilla M Smith exemplifies the county's organizational values of accountability, customer focus, equity and inclusion, innovation trust and ethics. And whereas Lilla M Smith models the transformative behaviors of collaborative problem solving alignment with the county's vision risk taking data driven decision making and strategic thinking. And whereas Lilla exemplifies the attributes of a collaborative team player who seeks to gain input from all stakeholders to develop creative solutions to complex problems.

And whereas Lilla consistently assists her colleagues and departments in accomplishing their goals and program objectives, she demonstrates this attribute in her role as the office professional committee and workday functional lead. And whereas Lila consistently pursues opportunities to innovate and create efficiencies to streamline workflow. She developed a more efficient process for county employees to register for classes using Smartsheet, and she also collaborated with her colleagues to develop the tracking process for the Employee Development Reimbursement Program. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes Lila M Smith as the employee of the month for November 2023 passed and adopted today.

Good morning, everyone. It's my honor today to introduce our November Employee of the Month, Lilla Smith, the county's Learning Management Administrator. Lilla has been a dedicated member of our team for over six years. She always arrives each day with a positive attitude and a willingness to take on any task. Lila has truly gone above and beyond these past few months as she's spearheading the workday learning work stream while maintaining her regular duties. And ensuring the county's workforce is informed of and registered to attend all compliance coursework, as well as the numerous course offerings through the employee university.

Lila has not backed away from any challenge. During COVID, she became a valuable member of the Emergency Operations Center team. She bellied up to the incident and mastered her emergency operations role with the same commitment and drive that she demonstrates regularly. Lila feared Speaking to large groups, so she did what any reasonable person would do with such a fear.

She raised her hand when asked to facilitate a large county wide labor management committee. She also accepted being the facilitator for the becoming a supervisor and management boot camp courses. Lila also accepted the new role of developing the county's next generation of learning management. With the same curiosity and interest that she brings to whatever task is before her, Lila is a brave heart.

Lila is currently enrolled in a master's degree program while working full time. She has just a few months to go yet, but she has excelled as a student and the county has already benefited from her continued growth and development. More than just a stellar employee and student, Lila is a thoughtful colleague and friend. She is always the first to celebrate successes and lend a hand when needed. Her optimistic spirit lifts our entire department and we are so fortunate to have to work alongside her each day.

Please join me in congratulating Lila on this well-deserved recognition and I'm happy that her family is here to celebrate the achievement with her. It's important that they know how much their mommy, their wife and daughter is appreciated and honored today. Let's give Lila another hand.

Thank you so much, I just wanted to say it is a pleasure working in training with our employees. One of my favorite parts of my job is watching our employees grow and develop. So this is truly an honor. I want to thank the Human Resources Department, they're always so supportive of everything that we do. And especially my organizational and talent development team, Joelle Martins de Santana, Susie Troutner, Oren Rowe, and of course Dr. June Mighty. A huge thank you to my family who support me in everything, thank you.

We are going to take one item out of order. Administrative Item number 55, the resolution for Mr. Galvan.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 55 is sponsored by Supervisor Nelson and Supervisor Lavinino. It is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring Willie Galvan for dedicating his life to serving his country and advocating relentlessly for the youth and veterans of his community. And joining us in person today we have his family Helen Galvan and Adrian Galvan.

And Willie. I'll go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas in the late 1960s, Willie Galvan, a US Army veteran relocated to California from Victoria, Texas where early in his adult life he helped Mexican-Americans purchase homes in previously restricted areas, helped launch Hispanic owned businesses and assisted individuals Accessing their GI Bill privileges, breaking down barriers and enabling access to resources that had long been denied. And whereas in 1973 he began his lifelong journey of education by enrolling at UC Santa Barbara earning his BA in political science along with a certificate in criminal justice. Furthermore, he secured a vocational teaching credential from UC Berkeley. While at UCSB, Willie met and married Helen Rivas.

Together they have raised three boys, three girls, over 30 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. And whereas Willie's commitment to our youth was highlighted after the 1979 Pepper Tree shooting When he helped create recreational opportunities for Evans Park youth by installing handball courts and other programs. Including establishing the Pride Gym, People's Responsible Involvement Development System on Russell Street. One of Willie's boxers Andrew Maynard won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

And whereas Willie's passion for justice and fairness drove him to establish numerous chapters of the American GI Forum. Whose mission it is to combat discrimination against veterans of Mexican-American descent. Through Willie's advocacy, the American GI Forum has awarded over half a million dollars in scholarships to over 500 local students. And whereas the AGIF Education Foundation which Willie oversees has significantly expanded now operating five programs totaling over $1 million with six more set to begin in the coming year. This expansion has created job opportunities for 37 individuals and facilitated access to affordable Internet services. Through the AGIF Family Assistance Program, approximately 700 veterans and their families have received emergency funds for clothing, food, transportation, medical needs, and lodging.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors wishes to commend Willie Galvan for dedicating his life to serving his country in advocating relentlessly For the youth and veterans of his community passed and adopted today.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Steve, Steve, you've done a wonderful job for the county to hear that need to appreciate it very much. We that work in the community only work and do the best we can. And I hope you continue to work. Oh, I'm sorry my voice is gone and my legs but thank you very much.

We will go to administrative item number 52

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 52 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution recognizing the remarkable life-saving emergency response by Juan Romero, Jason White, Jackson James and others at the Hollister Ranch in Santa Barbara County. And joining us in person today, we have Juan Romero, Jason White, Jackson James, Patrick Kuhundig, Juan Bueno, Luis Garibay, Raph Karoga and Michael Morando. And if you can please join us at the podium and anyone else I may have missed.

And I will go ahead and read the resolution into the record. Whereas on September 6, 2023 a young man sustained a life-threatening injury while working in a remote setting at Hollister Ranch on the Gaviota Coast. And whereas the young man was electrocuted while in water resulting in cardiac arrest and whereas Juan Romero head of Hollister Ranch maintenance immediately turned off the electric Electrical circuit breaker, thus preventing a potentially multi-casualty event while also creating a safe zone to aid the victim. And whereas Jason White an on site biologist initiated CPR while Juan Romero retrieved and applied an AED regaining a pulse in spontaneous respirations for the victim. And whereas others there present from the Hollister Ranch Owners Association, Granite Construction and the San Ines Band of Chumash Indians also attended to the victim.

Including Jackson James, head of Hollister Ranch Security who administered CPR and supplemented oxygen before the patient was safely transported to Cottage Hospital. And whereas in the succeeding days, a young man recovered and discharged home neurologically intact. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proudly recognizes and applauds the remarkable emergency response and life-saving efforts carried out by Juan Romero, Jason White, Jackson James, Patrick Kahundig, Juan Bueno, Luis Garibay, Rauf Karoga, and Michael Morando. Passed and adopted today.

Wait, don't go yet.

Supervisor Hartman?

Well I just think this is an incredible example of people coming together and under tremendous stress not losing your heads but being able to work together and think and it's miraculous. And I'd just like to know how you did it. How did one person take charge or did everybody know what to do or how did this unfold?

It was just one of those situations where you don't think and act. And I think having a team there with a spectrum of skill sets really gave this gentleman an opportunity to add life again. It all happened so quickly, but everyone acted very quickly initiating CPR probably within the first 30 seconds of electrocution. Different workers stripping the live wires off of the victim's body.

Juan retrieving a defibrillator that was a half mile away, all which were critical steps in saving this person's life and really a team effort as well as like a reflective camaraderie around everyone's involvement. And yeah, thank you for the honor.

Had you worked together as a team before or the circumstance just created the opportunity and you all jumped in?

It's a mishmash of people working on a construction project. So contractor crews, biologists, Sandy and I's band of Chumash Indian representatives, Hollister branch representatives and we had been working on this project for maybe a few weeks before the incident so all kind of new faces to each other but a team nonetheless

Well and the big lesson is if there's electricity in the water get that turned off before you jump in. That would have been my mistake.

Yeah we have one I think for that.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

A 53.

Chair Williams and members of the board, administrative item number 53 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming November 12th 2023 through November 18th 2023 as Nurse Practitioner Week in Santa Barbara County. And joining us in person today we have Suzette Chafee and Nancy Werner. And if you can please make your way to the podium.

And I'll go ahead and read the resolution. Whereas nurse practitioners, NPs are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, APRNs who have advanced clinical education and training building on their initial registered nurse preparation. There are more than 355,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States and approximately 37,000 nurse practitioners in California providing primary acute and specialty care to patients of all ages and walks of life.

And whereas nurse practitioners diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses, provide reproductive care, prescribe medications and treatments through a patient-centered approach. And whereas more than 20,000 nurse practitioners are eligible for full practice authority through modernized state laws and improved policies for patient access. And whereas 30 states in the District of Columbia have implemented full practice authority granting patients direct access to high quality patient care. And whereas nurse practitioners strive to be partners in the healthcare of their patients helping encourage healthy behaviors, disease prevention and providing valuable counseling to guide patients.

Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims November 12th through 18th, 2023 as Nurse Practitioner Week in Santa Barbara County and is proud to recognize the countless contributions the nurse practitioners have made over the past 60 years and will continue to make to the health and well-being of residents of our county. Passed and adopted today.

Hi. Chair Williams, Board of Supervisors. I'm feeling quite humbled to be standing here in front of you in the presence of so many who have been honored today with significant contributions and in light of current events all of the issues that you as a board of supervisors and that we all as individuals are dealing with the complexity of life in this day and age I really am grateful to you and to all of you who support nurse practitioners in the contribution that we make with all of our other health care providers in the complexity that our healthcare system is today. I am grateful for my colleagues who provide the care, the education and the support for patients in a patient-centered manner I encourage all of you to seek health care as best you can find it.

It is so complex, and we really want us all to be as healthy as possible. That's my preaching for the moment. But thank you, thank you for taking a moment to recognize us. We work hard to support our patients and contribute to our community. Thank you very much.

And the need for preventative care is one of the most important imperatives for all of us, both as individuals, employers and as human beings. And preventative care would not be possible in this day and age without an army of nurse practitioners out there. And I especially appreciate you Having Nancy with you, Nancy for those that don't know is my nurse practitioner. She's recently retired and Nancy Warner has done a great job for the people of Carpinteria for many, many years.

Let's go to administrative item 54.

Chair Williams and members of the board administrative item number 54 is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming November 18th, 2023 as take a hike day in Santa Barbara County and joining us today we have Otis Califf and members of the county riding and hiking trails advisory committee. And if you can please join us at the podium.

Is anyone here?

Otis is taking a hike.

Yeah, off with his mules. So read it into the record and I'll give it to him later.

Great! Whereas Santa Barbara County has an abundance of natural resources and freely accessible parks and open spaces that play a central role in our community's quality of life health and economic well-being And whereas hiking is a popular and inexpensive way for people of all ages and abilities to access nature, and the enjoyment of trails, parks, and open spaces. And whereas hiking provides numerous physical and mental health benefits including reducing stress, improving cardiovascular health, and strengthening muscles and bones. Whereas hiking can help to promote interest in environmental stewardship.

Conservation and volunteering to make public lands and hiking trails more accessible and enjoyable for all users. And whereas group hikes sponsored by community organizations make it easy for people to get together, socialize, and build relationships with others who share their love of the outdoors. And whereas the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors initiated the Recreation Master Plan process to provide a roadmap for making strategic and equitable investments to meet the parks and recreation needs of residents, and generate economic social and environmental benefits for the entire community.

And whereas Take a Hike Day is a celebration of the benefits of hiking and an opportunity to encourage people to get outside, have fun, and enjoy the trails. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors declares November 18th 2023 as Take a Hike Day passed and adopted today.

Minister of Item number 56.

Chair Williams and members of the board Administrative item number 56 is sponsored by Supervisor Lavagnino. It is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring R.W. Scott Construction Co and Vince Lopez Jr. & Sons General Engineering for a job well done, and thanking them for their hard work and dedication to the community. And joining us in person today we have Steve Scott, Mike Scott, and Vince Lopez Jr., and anyone else you'd like to join you at the podium?

And I'd like to get our public works team up there. Walter, quit shaking your head and Wendy, please come on up for the pictures too.

And I'll go ahead and read the resolution Whereas the historic winter storms of January-March 2023 resulted in extremely high flows in the Santa Maria River, causing the river to change course and jump its banks in several locations and creating unprecedented flooding in the Guadalupe area west of Highway 1. And whereas it was necessary in September 2023 to immediately restore the alignment of the Santa Maria River to its original location. Ahead of the upcoming El Nino rainy season, in order to protect the community of Guadalupe and the citizens and infrastructure of Santa Barbara County. After receiving only limited state and federal support to address this issue. And whereas local contractors R.W. Scott Construction Company and V. Lopez & Sons General Engineering both well respected family owned businesses based in the Santa Maria Valley responded to the county's emergency request for assistance When larger contractors did not.

Postponing previously scheduled work at great inconvenience to undertake the monumental task of clearing out over a million cubic yards of accumulated sediment and debris, and reshaping over four miles of riverbed before the November 1st 2023 deadline. And whereas, R.W. Scott and V. Lopez & Sons procured resources from across the state of California and performed work on a 24-hour day seven day week basis to ensure the county's success to save the city of Guadalupe.

And whereas, R W Scott Construction Company and V Lopez & Sons worked cooperatively under extremely challenging conditions with County Fire, County Public Works, the City of Guadeloupe, Caltrans, environmental regulators, elected officials, the general public, and each other. And whereas R.W. Scott and V. Lopez & Sons successfully completed this time-constraint project with no accidents ahead of schedule and under budget, now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors commends R. W. Scott Construction Company and V Lopez Jr. & Sons General Engineering for a job extremely well done and thanks them for their hard work and dedication to the community passed and adopted today.

Scott, can you lead off Vince? Let's have Scott just kind of set the table.

Thank you Mr. Chair and board members for recognizing two outstanding local contractors Vince Lopez and RWS Scott today they did as you heard in the resolution they dropped all kinds of other work to come and help us we had a huge challenge we had about six weeks to move a million cubic yards or earth and they were on it and they just did a phenomenal job They work great together out there.

They work great with my team and if I could, I could take a moment and just kind of introduce my team that worked with them out there. So proud of the Flood Control District on the field side Josh Signorelli was kind of the choreographer of all the equipment working with the contractors him and Casey Harris Seth Shank and Heather Moyne, they were in charge of environmental compliance and working on our permit conditions. They're going to be out there for quite a while because we have to do our mitigation program now. We have to monitor it and establish the willows over the next 18 or 24 months so this is going to be an ongoing project.

Scotty Brickin, he's our surveyor. He surveyed the four and a half miles of river in like one weekend right so we could get this thing going shortly after your board acted so we could get this project up and running. And what I call central command Matt Griffin, he oversaw the procurement, the design, and all the construction work. Hansel Corsa, he actually did the design oversaw the finances as we went forward.

Andrew Raff, he was our environmental and permitting leadership during this whole process I want to thank Philippine Engineering as well, Jerry Missamore and Kelly Wheeler. They were involved in construction oversight working with our team and certainly Chief Hartwig and the brush crew they were phenomenal. They're in there a couple days after the board acted and started helping us clear vegetation so we get into the work. So you know keep in mind all these people have normal daytime jobs including the contractors. We're getting a county ready for El Nino this winter They just all stepped up and said, let's get this done. And getting the rest of the county ready for El Nino. So just an outstanding effort, huge team effort.

We owe every single one of them a debt that we can't repay. They just did it as public servants. Thank you so much.

First we'd like to thank the board for approving the project and We appreciate flood control thinking of us and giving us a call and given us the opportunity. Thank you

There's really no need to thank us, we've helped out with the emergency work for decades here It's always fun. It's always interesting but I do appreciate the acknowledgement Thank you very much

Yeah, just real quick I just wanted to again appreciate you guys. When I heard this somebody had mentioned that this is going to be a heavy lift and I've been around DC and Sacramento enough to know that if somebody says it's a heavy lift it means it's probably not going to get done. So the fact that you guys actually did something that's pretty much an engineering marvel as fast as you did it, as quickly as you did it.

And on budget, under budget, on time, no accidents. With as much as equipment that was out there that's amazing and I want to thank Wendy especially for getting us hooked up with the Army Corps and all the work that Congressman Carbajal did on this project as well we really appreciate it. As well as our state partners. Even though they were a little short on the funding and we had to pick up the slack, by slack I mean all of it.

We still appreciate the effort that they put in so again thank you very much. The people of Guadalupe can sleep a lot better at night knowing you guys did your job. Thank you especially Scott also McGaulpin way to put it all together.

And Supervisor Lavanina, if I could just take one second. So as the County Executive Officer, the most heated argument I've ever had with Scott McGulpin was over this project and Supervisor Lavanina was in the call with us and he'd never seen me or Scott as angry at each other but part of it was I just didn't believe we can get it done and he proved me wrong so I want to thank Scott in particular as well as Walter but thanks Scott for his leadership his vision and he said sometimes you have to take risks do the right thing so thank you Scott

Mr. Nelson. Yes, thank you Chair Williams and I we have to you know Supervisor Lavinia like a good leader that he is is thanking everybody else but really without his leadership His Chief of Staff Cory Bantuan really taking this head-on You know governmental processes are very complicated and very difficult to accomplish But it really if you have that political will and that push in the end that effort you can make things like this happen There's many people in the community Guadalupe many farmers out there said there's no way that we can do that county government can't step up Can't do anything for the farmers or for the community Guadalupe and under Supervisor Lavigno's leadership They really picked up that ball and got over the end line.