Board of Supervisors — 2024-05-07

Good morning, everybody. I'd like to call to order the May 7th 2024 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Better turn this off real quick.

Next item of business is the approval of the minutes from the April 23rd 2024 meeting.

Move approval.

Second.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Minutes passed unanimously.

Good morning, Chair Lavagnino and board members. I'm happy to announce today that the planning department received an award. The American Planning Association's California Chapter for the Central Coast awarded our P&D with a public outreach award for its balancing tool. The map-based application allowed the public to select from potential rezone sites to create a housing plan consistent with the state requirements. It provided an opportunity to see potential rezone sites on a map and select sites until a compliant plan is reached. The board used this tool during last week's rezone hearings to visually select sites on the map and track how many units were added to reach the state's regional housing needs assessment. So congratulations to planning, it was a very innovative tool that they came up with I think is the first in the state.

And that concludes my report.

Awesome. All right Madam Clerk are there any announcements or changes to our agenda today?

Chair Labadino, members of the Board. I have an announcement this morning for the board's methods of public participation and to provide public comment on general public comment or an item on the board's agenda please see page 2 of the agenda. Individuals that would like to provide verbal public comment may do so via Zoom by registering in advance via the link available on page two if you have any questions please contact the clerk of the board's office at 805-568-2240. That concludes my announcements for today

Okay, are we also going to be talking about the withdrawal of item D1 at this point? Is that a change also?

Chair Labadino, members of the board. I do have a note in my script to announce that during the...

As we get closer, okay.

believe

I

pulled the WellPath one, I'm not

sure what the number is. Yes 43, got it. 43,

thanks.

Okay and any members of the public?

Chair Lavinino, members of the board we do have requests to pull administrative items 13 14 15 16 21 and 43 this morning.

Okay excellent now entertain a motion to approve the balance of the administrative item except for items 13 14 15 16 21 and 43.

So moved

Second Moved and seconded all those in favor aye any opposed Okay. So

Chair Lavinino, members of the board. Administrative item number one is sponsored by Supervisor Lavinino. It is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Brie Velia of the Public Works Department as May 2024 Employee of the Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here we have Brie if you will make your way to the podium I'll read the resolution into the record Whereas Brie Bellier exemplifies the county's organizational values of accountability, customer focus, equity and inclusion, innovation, trust and ethics. And whereas Brie models the transformative behaviors of collaborative problem solving alignment with the county's vision risk taking data driven decision making and strategic thinking. And where Asbury has served above and beyond the call of duty, managing her standard workload with grace and sophistication while also serving as a disaster service worker in response to major storm emergencies in 2023 and 2024.

She managed complex and expeditious emergency operations at Goleta Beach throughout the winter and spring of 2024 to ensure that the Public Works Department's response was conducted safely, efficiently and in compliance with high level of regulatory and public oversight. She remained dedicated and available for extended hours and weekends to achieve success with minimal supervision while other disaster workers were deployed elsewhere and often unavailable. And whereas Bree has identified the need within Public Works Department for an accredited pest control advisor and self-started to pursue classes exam and licensure for this role to ensure a seamless transition as previous license holders were nearing retirement and the Public Works Department now has a fully licensed representative serving this role on staff, adding to the department's credentials and accountability.

And whereas Brie has grown into her role as a senior member of the Flood Control District Environmental Team also available to train and mentor new staff members and an SBCC student intern, Brie has taken the initiative to improve the process modernize dual workflows and raise the level of quality of work within her range. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors recognizes Brie Balliet as Employee of the Month for May 2024 pass and adopted today.

Good morning chair members of the board, Chris Nett with Public Works. I just wanted to talk briefly about Bree and then Andrew will probably come up and say a few things but Bree is one of those people that sometimes you think she has a clone because everywhere you go she's there. You could be out in a creek in the middle of nowhere and she's there on a construction site she's there in an emergency in the middle of the night or on a weekend she's In a training classroom where she knows more than the instructor, she's there or just even at the yard. Just everywhere.

And part of that I think is reflection of her attitude of just Always going around with the mentality of identifying something that needs to be done and then stepping up and doing it. And that's really just a feature that we really appreciate in our department, and makes for a great example of what we strive to achieve in public works. Her reaction to this is probably, oh no. But to everybody else that we talked to about it in the department they were like, oh yeah of course so thank you very much Brie and then Andrew Rapp's gonna come up I think and say a few things

Thank you, Chair Loveney and members of the Board for this award for Bree. I'm Andrew Roth, the Environmental Manager for Flood Control. Other flood control staff and managers aren't in training today but are here in spirit also showing their support for you today, Bree. We're lucky to have had Bree on our team for over three years now. Before that, she worked with Project Clean Water and before that with the Ag Commissioner's Office. She has been an asset for the county and the community through different roles and brings a skill set that no one else has to Public Works.

She is proven to be a smart dedicated public servant helping our community through two back-to-back very intense storm seasons She's dedicated extended hours, nights and weekends as you've heard from Chris as well. And she devotes a focus and energy to her craft. We're honored to have you receive this award Brie. Although there are many other county staff nominated, you really have shined for this recognition.

Thank you. Congratulations Brie and we're looking forward to the future.

I appreciate the recognition everyone. I can't do the work that I do without the support of everyone at Public Works and I just really appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the good work that flood control does protecting our community in the environment thank you

all right congratulations that moves us to administrative item number two madam clerk please read into the record

Chair Lavinino, members of the board, administrative item number two sponsored by Supervisor Capps is to adopt a resolution of commendation honoring Hillary Hauser upon her retirement for her remarkable legacy in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here we have Hillary if you'll make your way to the podium I will read the resolution into the record Whereas Hilary Hauser has made a remarkable impact on the Santa Barbara community as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Heal the Ocean. And whereas her leadership, activism and advocacy contributes to the betterment of our ocean, the planet and the future health and resilience of our community. And whereas Hilary began her career as a national programmer The board of Supervisors meeting And whereas Hillary co-founded Heal the Ocean in 1998, which has successfully focused on wastewater infrastructure and eradication of harmful ocean dumping practices whose methods now serve as a model for other coastal communities across the country.

And whereas Hillary's contribution to Heal the Ocean and beyond have been recognized by the United States Congress, the Academy of Underwater Science and Arts, the California State Assembly, and numerous other accolades. And whereas Santa Barbara independent journalist Nick Welch shares among Hillary Hauser's signature skills has been her ability to bring the drum, to bang the drum both loudly and softly as an advocate. And whereas Hillary's commitment to the protection and reverence of the ocean Can be summed up in her own words all about the sea. Some find solace in isolated backcountry ruggedness dryness and gullies cactus and sage some for some the ocean is a great lap that waits with understanding and comfort with surrounding love and familiarity fishes and music and magic Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors acknowledges Hillary's contribution to the Santa Barbara community, our oceans and earth, and expresses our deepest appreciation for her years of dedicated service passed and adopted today.

Chair Laura Capps. Thank you for this. When I read the words of this proclamation and that the words of my book Dancing on Waves is lifted out for this proclamation memorializing the word that I wrote in a book, this is the greatest treasure I will have for my life. Excuse me? I might cry. I am really grateful for this and for the recognition to Heal the Ocean and to my wonderful crew.

I haven't been in this room for a long time, and as I was coming down the sidewalk, I thought wow! The first time I've ever been here it was a demonstration during a Board of Supervisors hearing on a Tuesday And what I had done is written an article in the Santa Barbara news press when there used to be full stories and so forth. But my love for the ocean has been forever, and when I saw the beaches start to close, I called the editorial director and said can I write about the closed beaches? And he said write as much as you want.

And so it came out of the news press a whole I'm going to read the front page editorial, minus the left-hand column and then the whole back page. And it started a riot. This piece people were reading it on the radios and people were crying. They're calling me and saying we'll give you money. We're giving you money. What? The great explorer here was flying across the country. And when they used to have phones in the back of the seats and he called me, said good on you. And if you need a 501 C3 call Charles. And that's Charles Vinnick who is the manager of the Cousteau Society and then the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute.

And I said what's a 501C3? I've never even heard of what that is. What? And then Nan Marv, Jean-Michel's mate said now we've got to do fundraising. Fundraising? Fundrasing what's that for I thought we were just going to run around the streets with signs And, but the demonstration that happened out of the county administration building during a supervisor's meeting. The surfers showed up with toilet seats on their head signs ocean or outhouse and cars honking it was a scene and Naomi Schwartz Remember Naomi? She, 1st District. She looked out the window all the supervisors say what the heck is going on here? Naomi came down and spoke to us we had a microphone and the co-founder of Heal The Ocean who unfortunately cannot be here today Jeff Young And I stood up and said, here we are.

We're going to do something about this. Whatever we thought that was, we didn't quite know. But we did have a fundraiser, and it was in the first couple months. And we had some chairs in the Coral Casino. I don't think we had any dinner, no rubber chicken or anything like that. It was just like Here we are and Jean-Michel spoke. And Jean-Michel, anyway, we raised all this money in an hour and a half with nothing but love in the room.

And it has grown ever since. We started our activities by thinking we had to be the monkey wrench gang and sneak into wastewater plants, sneak into Tahigas, film everything, and say oh look what's happening. And over the years we got smarter and about working with government, working with the cities, working with the county. And if we want to change something go get the money.

And so that donor of Heal The Ocean are just insanely fabulous And so we would get enough money to pay for a study, do it together with the city, do it together with the county and work together and find more money to upgrade wastewater plant. And so it became an organization which I'm grateful for to be known as helpers It's that a fighter, you know, fight for a get a fight for be get me but just to let's work together.

So in in closing. This resolution. I'm going to have forever and I'm going to be looking at it my guiding star as I continue to write about the sea and about all of this And I say hello to Lois Katz, our wonderful representative who's watching, I understand. Laura, thank you so much again for this and all of you.

Thank you Mr. Chair, I just wanted to add what an honor it is to honor Hillary Hauser who as you can tell is a force of nature and a force for nature and her love of the ocean is like the ocean she gives more than the ocean gives us, the ocean gives us more than we could ever protect it and ever give back to it and thank you Hillary for all you've done into all of Heal The Ocean for all you've done and will continue to do, thank you.

Supervisor

Williams. I also want to thank you Hillary, I think the first time that we coordinated is when you came with to Annabeth Jackson's office which I was working in at the time to say we need to hook up, rink on to sewer. That only took us about 15 years but and wasn't finished until I was in the legislature But I want to especially help thank you for Heal the Ocean's work in Summerlin. That has been huge, that has been such an important component of dealing with state lands, the legislature The Governor's Office and the great coordination to get both funding from the state and local efforts to make sure we plug abandoned wells offshore.

And also just your patience, I mean I know that is not the thing you are most known for. But it does take patience to be a regular attendee to LAFCO hearings. I don't know that I know a whole lot of people that are regular attendees to LAFCO hearings and Hillary has been, to continue to spread the gospel of waste water not failing septic systems. Thank you for keeping the faith on that and keeping the faith for the ocean and for your service to the coast.

Supervisor Nielsen.

Yes, thank you Chair Lavagnino I just wanted to take the moment. You know Supervisor Williams mentioned about meeting you with his predecessors or one of his former employers obviously met you the first time when I was working for Supervisor Adam and you were his favorite environmentalist he really appreciated your integrity and honesty and your ability to have a Your solution-oriented strategies. And I just, you know that really made you stand apart from your peers and we've always in the fourth district thought highly of you so thank you for all your service and what you'll continue to do.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much Hillary.

Thank you everybody.

Madam Clerk can you please read item three into the record?

Chair Lavanino and members of the board, Administrative Item 3 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Carla Huizar. Carla if you'll make your way to the podium I'll now read the resolution into the record April is recognized each month as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, focusing attention on the issues that harm women, men and people of all backgrounds. And whereas, as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Denim Day takes place on April 24th as a day of action and awareness to show solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. And enact efforts against victim blaming. And whereas sexual assault is a form of abuse that is exacerbated by misogyny, racism, homophobia and our systems of oppression.

And whereas one in three women and one in six men have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetimes. And whereas rape crisis centers and other community organizations committing to ending sexual violence emerged in California in the 1970's And have been doing critical work to prevent sexual assault and support survivors of sexual assault ever since. And whereas in Santa Barbara County, the North County Rape Crisis Center and Child Protection Center standing together to end sexual assault UCSB campus advocacy resources and education and other community based organization deliver service to hundreds of community members each year and educate thousands more.

And now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors proclaims the month of April 2024 to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Santa Barbara County and calls all government agencies, private organizations, and the people and businesses of Santa Barbara County to help prevent sexual assault and support survivors passed and adopted today.

Hello, good morning Chair and Board Members. Thank you so much on behalf of us, our staff members, our community and survivors for proclaiming April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and for including Denim Day in here as well. As you know, you can imagine working in the sexual assault field is not Very easy, but it's something that we do with pride over at Stessa. We're actually celebrating 50 years this year. We've been doing work in our community since 1974.

We will be celebrating on the 18th of this month our chocolate divine and I would like to also extend an invitation to you all. So I just want to say thank you on behalf of Stessa.

Thank you. I just wanted to highlight the ongoing need. The event coming up on the Saturday, the 18th, I think is crucial for the continued work of the organization especially as various government forms of funding dry up. It's important you know Unfortunately, we still live in a society where people go through a gauntlet to avoid sexual assault in their lives growing up and we still need the vital services to serve survivors. And to make sure that we continue to work to make this society a place that it is not acceptable to tolerate sexual assault.

Thank you. Did you also want to?

Yes, just a few words as well. My name is Cynthia and I'm the youth educator at STESA. I wanted to thank you for recognizing and supporting the work that we do We see sexual assault in our community and we all know it is a global issue. Again, one in three women and one in six men have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. And touching on Denim Day, it stems from a case in Italy where a young woman was raped The judge determined, however, that because her jeans were so tight in the time it must have taken to remove her jeans this situation had to have been consensual.

So we are working hard at STESA to debunk these common myths in the sexual assault theme on a daily basis. The history of Denim Day and along with debunking these myths is continually taught to the youth in our community Stessa works hard every day to spread awareness and to bring prevention education

Very grateful for your support. Our survivors cannot move on with their healing without the support of not just the staff members, but our leadership. If they're living in a world where they feel supported, they'll be able to get onto their healing. So thank you so much.

Thank you. Madam Clerk can you read A4?

Chair Lavinino, members of the Board, Administrative Item No. 4 is sponsored by Supervisor Williams. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2024 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Karen Aju, Teresa Chin, Ken Cochran and Helen Wong. Whereas Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a time to recognize the significant contribution of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who serve as leaders in business, government, law, education, science, athletics, the arts, and many other fields.

And bring awareness to the violence and hatred that this community has had to endure and continues to endure. The Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are a vast and diverse community who can trace their heritage to the Pacific Island regions of Polynesia, Micronesia as well as dozens of countries including China, India, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, and Thailand.

And whereas, in 1978 a joint congressional resolution established Asian Pacific American Heritage Week to celebrate two historical milestones in the Asian Pacific American history. The arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States which occurred on May 7th 1843 and the significant contributions of Chinese workers in the building of the transcontinental railroad that was completed on May 10th 1869 And whereas generations of brave men and women made the dangerous voyage across the Pacific to seek better lives for their families, and in the process have greatly contributed to the economic prosperity and cultural legacy of communities throughout California and the U.S. And whereas the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded in December 2020 to Chinese American World War II veterans in recognition of their service, despite being ineligible for citizenship at the start of the war due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act in 2017.

In 2017, Filipino-American World War II veterans would lose their military benefits due to the Rescension Act of 1946 and in 2011 to Japanese American World War II veterans who served in spite of the reincarnation of their families under Executive Order 9066. And whereas Filipino Manongs, the Filipino word for the oldest son became the farm worker striker's identity led by Larry Itley Good morning, everyone.

D-Lang, Grape Strikes. And whereas Santa Barbara was once home to a thriving and bustling Chinatown on Canyon Perdido Street between State Street and Anacapa Street in what is now downtown Santa Barbara which was home to the Chinese immigrants that began arriving in Santa Barbara in the 1860's. The early Chinese residents of Santa Barbara worked in abalone fishing, farming, laundry enterprises, and domestic services. The Santa Barbara Old Chinatown was devastated and dismantled following the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake in an attempt to create a cohesive Spanish colonial revival look for the city's downtown. And Santa Barbara's Chinese population was deeply affected by this change And whereas Judge Itsushi Wallace Tashima, born in Santa Maria is the first Japanese American and the third Asian American in history to serve on the U.S.

Court of Appeals. And whereas the AAPI community has continuously faced discrimination since the COVID-19 pandemic And communities across the U.S. have experienced an escalation of hate including harassment, threats and violence and increased fear and tension are being experienced by Palestinian, Muslim, Arab and Jewish Americans. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors declares May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Santa Barbara County And calls all residents of our community to help bring awareness to issues affecting the AAPI community and celebrate the many contributions of their community members passed and adopted today.

So Chairman Lavinino and members of the board Thank you for your recognition of May as AAPI Heritage Month. This is the fourth year that the Santa Barbara AAPI Solidarity Network has been involved in this as part of our goal of increasing the visibility of the AAPI community here. In 2021, we came to the podium in the shadow of many attacks against AAPIs, particularly women and our elders.

And in 2023, we came following the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay incidents But the perpetrators in those incidents were our elderly AAPI. And to me it felt like a fable come to life that the lesson was that it is hate and violence that we have to fight because we can all become perpetrators at some point. In our rejection of violence, it is not only from ourselves and from individuals but from our institutions and nations as well.

Heritage Months are a way to remind each other of our shared humanity, our accomplishments, and our resilience. It's an opportunity to learn about ourselves, each other, and our nation's history. And this year, I'm deeply grateful to the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors and the Fund for Santa Barbara for awarding our network a grant from the Racial Equity Fund so we can share some of Santa Barbara's history from the 1925 earthquake era as well as have an opportunity to celebrate the Lunar New Year which was celebrated here even back in the 19th century.

So thank you all very much. And I also just want to note that last year when we highlighted Supervisor Gloria Ochoa's groundbreaking representation of the First District. And so this year, we're highlighting the Fifth District with the birth of Judge Atsushi Wallace Tashima in Santa Maria And he was the first Japanese-American and third Asian American in history to serve on a U.S. Court of Appeals.

So catch these, the other districts next time. I do also want to share that the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society's exhibit on local Asian American families which covers a period from 1870 to 1970 has just gone live on their website And you can just go to sbgen.org and then look for in the community and then society exhibits, and you can also find their local African-American community stories, Jewish American community stories. This is a project that's ongoing that they just started during the pandemic And I will also mention that I recognize that we share this month with Jewish American Heritage Month.

And anyway, I want to just now introduce a couple of members of our network who will share other ways that people can be active with our AAPI community.

Hello, my name is Randall Royce Ramos. I use he, they pronouns and I am this year's UCSB Filipino Culture Night Executive Coordinator. We're very happy with the resolution of proclaiming May as an Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. May also happens to be the month where many universities and Asian American organizations across the nation hold their cultural nights to spread cultural awareness, and heritage.

And this month of May we happen to have three Asian American Culture Nights lined up with Vietnamese Culture Night, Nikkei Student Union, and our own very Filipino culture night. The purpose of Filipino Culture Night is to showcase the culture of the Philippines while giving students the opportunity to network develop new skills and become part of a close-knit community PCN strives to present a collaborative piece of art and culture that is meant to convey and highlight issues and values that are not only prominent within Filipino culture but spread a message that can transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries.

On behalf of all of our Culture Knights at the university level, at University of California Santa Barbara we're very happy again and thank the Board of Supervisors for the resolution. Thank you

Good morning, my name is Therese Chin. Thank you again for continuing to recognize the contributions of the AAPI community and the local people. So 15 years ago under the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation we formulated the Asian American Affinity Group and we are pleased to say that it's been 15 years we are going to be showcasing the Asian American Film Series in July and the Asian American Neighborhood Festival in October So, our community is so welcoming of these events that for 15 years we have people just asking when this is going to happen. And this shows us that this community supports all of the contributions of the shared history and our contributions to everywhere. Additionally I'm also one of the committee members of the Asian American Association of Santa Barbara County where we bring people together and make connections and share our history and our culture, but we invite everyone.

So thank you again so much for this recognition of all of our efforts. Thank you. That's it. Thank you.

Madam Clerk, Item 5.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your work to celebrate Asian American history, the good and bad. Remembrance is so important. I feel like remembrance is important both to know the progress that we made, the healing that can take place. My grandfather was someone who accepted healing, and I think he survived because he accepted healing. He was a POW for four years in a Japanese POW camp. He was an Indonesian, a sailor in the Royal Dutch Navy, a segregated navy.

And you know his like many Families of immigrants, our story. Our Asian American history story is tied up with world history. He was after the allies lost the battle of the Java Sea in 1942 they tried to escape encirclement right? And it was a segregated Navy so the Dutch officers decided they got all the rations And the Indonesian sailors starved. My grandfather was so matter of fact about it, I wrote this down.

He said, I wasn't a white boy. I was a colored boy and so that's the way it was. How much has changed just in three people's lifetimes? I think that's pretty amazing. He also had a good sense of humor. He said, needless to say the food got better when we were put in the POW camp. So I think remembrance is also important because as was alluded to today I'm not sure that discrimination is on the rise, but people acting on it is according to the numbers. There is rising tide of violence that could drag us back into a darker age and remembrance is an important defense from that darker age. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Item

A5 please?

Chair Labanino, members of the Board, Administrative Item No. 5 is sponsored by Supervisor Caps. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2024 as National Bike Month and honoring MOVE Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Heather Deutsch, Executive Director of MOVE Santa Barbara County. If you'll please make your way to the podium I will read the resolution into the record.

Whereas National Bike Month has been celebrated in May for over five decades, and the bicycle is a sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation as well as an enjoyable recreational activity. And whereas community members will partake in various bicycling activities throughout May including educational programs, races, community events, trail maintenance efforts, helmet advocacy, charitable initiatives, and leisurely rides. And whereas Santa Barbara County's scenic beautiful diverse terrain Attract numerous cyclists each year, contributing to the local economy and promoting health and wellness among residents and tourists alike. And whereas supporting the bicycle-friendly community fosters improved public health, community cohesion, and road safety, reduces pollution and traffic congestion, and provides alternative methods of transportation for those who do not have access to a car or do not drive.

And whereas MOVE Santa Barbara teaches nearly 5,000 youth annually how to ride and safety skills contributing to the promotion of bike safety and awareness. And whereas various organizations within Santa Barbara County including MOVE Santa Barbara County are dedicated to promoting bicycle safety and awareness during the month of May and beyond. And whereas the state of California has recognized the importance of bicycling by designating May as Bike Month and endorsing the third week of May as Bike-To-Work Week Now, therefore be it resolved that this Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim May 2024 as National Bike Month in Santa Barbara County and recognizes and celebrates moves.

Santa Barbara County for its work in promoting bicycle safety and awareness, particularly for its efforts in teaching approximately 5000 youth annually how to ride and providing them with essential safety skills to ensure equitable access to safe transportation options for all residents during national bike month and beyond past and adopted today.

So thank you so much. We at MOVE Santa Barbara County are super excited to be recognized for this honor. We are here on behalf of the tens of thousands of people throughout the county who ride their bikes because it's joyous, but also for the tens of thousands who rely on bicycling for their everyday needs. Whether this be getting to work, getting their kids to school you know going to parks and so it's really really important that we honor the interest that people have in this very very important mode of transportation. We also focus on walking biking and public transportation.

And we do this because all together they have tremendous benefits for our county. So for example, they do not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. So transportation is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in Santa Barbara County and it's something that we need to address. It's also tremendously cheaper for our individual residents. Owning a car costs approximately $12,000 a year so we think it's really important that people have the option to be able to safely bicycle to where they need to go It is great for physical and mental health, and especially after the pandemic this is particularly important to address these especially with our youth.

It is cheaper for our county. It's cheaper to build infrastructure for biking and it's cheaper to maintain infrastructure for biking. And it also moves a lot more people in a lot less space. And we know that traffic congestion is a major issue in our county and this is an amazing way to address it, as well as the fact that you can park ten bicycles in one vehicle parking space. So when we talk about housing and our need to bring more housing for residents here We need to think about the way that space is used and how we're going to get people around. So, we are here to support Biking Joy but we're also here to support all of the wonderful benefits that biking brings to the county as well. Thank you.

Chair Lavanino, members of the board. Administrative item number six is sponsored by Supervisor Caps. It is to adopt a resolution honoring dignity moves for the opening of La Posada in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Erin Edelheit. On April 2022, 2024, La Posada opened its doors to over 80 people experiencing homelessness in the South County Santa Barbara. And whereas, La Posada is an innovative shelter in partnership with Dignity Moves, Good Samaritan Shelter, Santa Barbara County and generous philanthropic supporters. And whereas, La Posada means shelter. With this project it also means dignity, help and hope for its residents. Because La Posada means dignity, this program means residents are offered the dignity of what most of us take for granted.

Their own space with four walls a door that locks and a place to store their belongings and on-site support. And whereas La Posada means help because of the compassionate one-on-one wraparound services for residents to utilize. And whereas La Posada means hope for a lifeline it will provide our I just want to say how

How honored I am and how much pride I feel to be a part of this community, because this resolution is really to the magic of Santa Barbara. And I really want to pay tribute to the Board of Supervisors and everyone in the county government, because none of this would have been possible without your leadership and without the hard work of so many people behind the scenes Santa Barbara County, despite a tremendous shortage of land and despite counties and cities throughout California and our country struggling with the crisis of homelessness in two years have built 208 Tiny homes that include wraparound mental health case management, health services to the residents in partnership with philanthropy, with businesses, faith-based communities and volunteers.

And I think that we have shown not only the state, but our country on how it doesn't matter if you're Democrat or Republican. It doesn't matter how you feel, but what happens when a community comes together and works in one direction. And it's magic and it makes me filled with pride that I'm part of this community. And I thank you for this resolution But I really want to thank the Board of Supervisors, because you're showing a model of leadership that I think can be emulated everywhere in California and everywhere in our country. So thank you.

Thank you. I wanted to bring this resolution forward In addition to all of the good things between Good Samaritan and this board's commitment and our county's commitment, the speed by which this is happening. The fact that I feel like it was just yesterday that we were still working with the public to try to explain what this would be and get this vote passed and the funding et cetera but here we are. And I believe I'm correct Aaron that 30 some folks have already moved in which is just... Yeah 13 weeks Yeah so 35 people and I can tell you, I know you my colleagues share the same out and about in the community. So many people are paying attention and honoring the actual tangible progress we're making on perhaps the hardest issue around which is homelessness and they'll say oh yeah I heard about La Posada How's it going and what a great concept.

And so just to give this little mini report with this resolution that tonight, 35 people will be sleeping indoors that were previously sleeping outdoors is a wonderful thing. So thanks everybody.

Yep, Supervisor Nelson and myself are looking for ways to, at Hope Village one of the things we found out is there's no nighttime activities. And so we're trying to build a bigger sense of community. So we're gonna be hosting a karaoke night. Yeah, yeah, so we're trying to think of new ways to try to build community there inside these small little communities. If it works?

Are you singing?

Heck no. We're trying to get people to go, not try to entertain people. Chair that seems right up your alley. It is. Trying to talk Bob into it wasn't easy but we're going to do it now actually he was I think might have been his idea but congratulations on La Posada. That's excellent. All right that takes us to item A7 Madam Clerk.