Board of Supervisors — 2025-05-20

Good morning everyone. I'm happy to call to order this meeting of the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors on May 20th, 2025. Madam Clerk please call the roll.

I would like to note for the record that Supervisor Lavinino and Supervisor Nelson are absent for today's hearing.

Ready begin. Well the sun is shining today but it is definitely a very dark time in our county. It's with profound sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that many of you already know about the three young lives that were lost, Dos Pueblos students who also worked on behalf of our county. Jake Curtis, Michael Oshner and Alexander Wood I was at Dos Pueblos last night as a mom. It's an unspeakable nightmare that has occurred and affecting so many families, the Dos Pueblos community, our county. And I just want to remember that these are young folks who decided to spend their time with us as a county protecting others. And it was in Supervisor Hartman's district this accident, and I wanted to ask her to speak as well before we take a moment of silence.

We are heartbroken by the devastating crash that claimed the lives of Jake, Michael and Alexander. Three bright young people from Dos Pueblos High School while also leaving two others seriously injured. They were caravaning home from junior lifeguard training at Jalama Beach And we're valued members of our county parks team. These young men were not only part of the Dos Pueblos community, but also part of our Santa Barbara County family.

Words cannot capture how deeply saddened we are. This tragedy has shaken our entire community and our hearts go out to the families, friends and coworkers who are grieving this unimaginable loss. The whole county mourns with you.

So now we'll take a brief moment of silence. Thank you and thank you for joining us today.

Move approval.

Second.

All those in favor, please say

aye. Aye.

Motion carries. Now Madam CEO would you please provide us with your report?

There's no report this morning Chair.

Okay. Madam Clerk any announcements about today's meeting?

Chair Kaps and members of the board I do have a few announcements this morning. We received a request from the department to continue departmental item number one. Departmental item number one is from the planning development department, it is regarding the emergency shelters zoning ordinance amendments. The department is requesting a continuance to the June 24th 2025 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Lastly, for our Board of Supervisors methods of public participation and to provide public comment or general public comment on an item on today's agenda please see page 2 of the agenda. Individuals that would like to provide verbal 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 thanks and we will vote on D1 when we get to it for streamlining our minutes. So the next, we go to our administrative agenda and I'd just like to ask if any board members have any items to pull? Okay well I know that A9 was pulled by the public so that'll be the one that we'll put on later. Okay so now entertain a motion to approve the remainder of the administrative agenda other than A9.

I move to approve

Second. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next is our resolutions, Madam Clerk. Administrative item number one.

Chair Caps and members of the board, administrative item number one is sponsored by Supervisor Caps and Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution in opposition of federal cuts to the Head Start program. Joining us here in person we have James Kiriakou, Board Chair of CommUnify. If you'll please join us at the podium and all those who would like to join you I will read the resolution into the record Whereas the Head Start Program launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society Initiative is a comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition and family support program designed to break the cycle of poverty by preparing low-income children for success in school and life.

And whereas Communified has delivered Head Start services to over 55,000 children and families in Santa Barbara County since 1967. And currently operates 20 campuses countywide providing high quality early education to nearly 600 children each year. And whereas children who participate in Head Start are also more likely to graduate high school and attend college, and less likely to face poor health outcomes, enter foster care or become justice involved later in life. And whereas Head Start also supports parents through programs that enhance educational and employment outcomes, reduce stress, improve family stability and elevate voices through Strong Parents Council and annual representation on CommUnify's Board of Directors.

And whereas Head Start in Santa Barbara County provides over 160,000 nutritious meals annually as well as free medical dental vision and behavioral wellness screenings ensuring our most vulnerable children enter school ready to learn and thrive. And whereas unilateral federal funding reductions to Head Start will have devastating impacts on working families particularly those experiencing poverty homelessness or housing insecurity and would jeopardize the foundational early learning supports that are essential to an equitable and thriving community. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that the County of Santa Barbara affirms the essential role of Head Start in breaking cycles of poverty and promoting health development and preparing children and families for long-term success and urges the federal government to restore and expand funding for Head Start programs passed and adopted today.

Thank you. On behalf of Communify, I just want to thank Chair Caps and Supervisor Hartman for sponsoring this resolution and it's my pleasure to introduce our CEO Pat Keelan who is going to speak today.

Chair Kaps, Board of Supervisors, Distinguished Board of Supervisors. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for this timely resolution. It's timely not only because we are at risk of losing our Head Start funding at the federal level But also because May we are celebrating Head Start, 60 years of Head Start services county wide as well as nationwide.

I would like to provide the board with a brief update on our federal funding in the last few weeks we have seen a number of stories come out that indicated that Head Start funding was in fact safe What we know is that in late April, Congress passed what is called the Blueprint Budget that outlined the requirement of $1.5 trillion in cuts to the federal budget.

Included in that, we believe was the Head Start program. A few weeks ago the Trump administration published its skinny budget which did not identify Head Start for federal cuts however we know that the skinny budget fell far short of cutting the needed programs and services to meet the $1.5 trillion that Congress has identified for budget cuts, so with that in mind we're very grateful today for bringing visibility to the Head Start program here locally Because we know that until the last vote is cast in Congress, likely later this month, that Head Start is still on the chopping block. So thank you for this time this morning, this recognition on behalf of the 55,000 plus children and families that we have served since 1967. We are very grateful I'd like now to introduce Jennifer McDonald, who is our Director of Children's Services.

And on the line today is also Kim Eckhart who is our Assistant Director of Children's Services but also has an incredible compelling success story as a Head Start parent herself. So now I'd like to turn things over to Jennifer.

Hi, good morning. Thank you for the recognition and the support of Head Start in Santa Barbara County. What makes Head Start unique to early care and education is its four pillars. We provide family service component which supports the entire family providing leadership opportunities to parents in our policy council which is one branch of our governance in the program Parent meetings at a center-based level and parent education. We support families in achieving goals that they set for their child and themselves, and we also assist in referring them to outside community resources so that they're stable and able to meet the needs of their families.

One of the other pillars of Head Start is health services. We provide over 572 health screenings and dental screenings every year to our children at the centers. We ensure that they have a medical home, and they're up-to-date on their physicals and immunizations. And we support the families in navigating these systems. The other component of Head Start is education, early care and education research-based curriculum implemented to fidelity and trained educated teaching staff. All of our teachers have associate degrees and bachelor's degree and hold California child development permits.

Head Start is committed to the professional development in the education of children, staff, and families. The last component of the four pillars of Head Start is the locally designed options. So we use our community-based needs assessment and the data of our county to really gear our services to the children in the families that lie within Quiama, Guadalupe, Orchid, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Buelton, Carpinteria, Goleta and Santa Barbara. Did I miss anybody?

And just thank you for your recognition and your support of the Head Start program. And I'd like to introduce Kim Eichert, she's our assistant director. She started in our program as a parent so thank you for being here Kim.

You're welcome. Thank you guys and good morning. I want to share a little story about why Head Start is important to me and how it impacts my life. As a young teen, my family started to experience a lot of dysfunction. I dropped out of school in eighth grade. I became a teen parent. I got pregnant at 15, had my son at 16. I was able to go back to school, graduated at 19 where I was due to have my second child and had a third child soon after.

Shortly after that, I moved to the Quiama Valley In Quiama Valley, we had the Head Start teachers come out and do recruitment. And one day the teachers knocked on my door, talked to me about Head Start. I filled out application and soon my son got enrolled in the center. As he was enrolled, he was very... He was such an active child that I volunteered quite often to support just with his needs.

During that time, the staff really encouraged me to go to school. They said you help us a lot, you volunteer a lot. They encouraged me to be part of the policy council where I did join. I was a policy council member for three years. I enrolled in college and early childhood education and completed my associate degree. Soon after completing my degree I applied to work at the Head Start program.

I became a teacher soon after becoming a teacher, I was promoted to be a supervisor. I worked as a supervisor for about 14 years and was promoted to program manager and now I'm currently assistant director. I truly believe without the encouragement and the support that I had at that time I would not have moved in the direction I moved to. And I am greatly thankful to the program and to staff and to encouragement, and how they supported me as a parent to further my education and the opportunities they gave me to participate in the policy council that gave me confidence to then also support my community out in Quiama and be part of A recreation board and the Resource Center Board where I still continue to support my community.

Thank you.

Supervisor Hartman.

When I was a high schooler, my first volunteer activity was with Head Start. And it was really part of the great society and the belief that we could lift families out of poverty. It's interesting since then we've learned a lot about the developing brain and I think of our first five in those first five years and how critical they are Thank you very much. I have a three-year-old grandson and an hour, I'm exhausted. So I don't know how to do it anymore with the whole classroom but it is a very demanding job. And so this with 20 different preschools Head Start programs throughout our county, it's a really vital service. And so we have to do everything we can to ensure that it continues.

Yeah, thank you. I couldn't agree more it's such a stellar program from so many angles from the data, from the success stories that Kip shared, from the strong bipartisan support it's had for decades in our federal government. So thank you for giving us an update and we're rooting for a Head Start when I'm out and about in the community people ask what's happening with Head Start? And I tell them it's 600 families it's a lifeline but as we've just Supervisor Leopold.

I just want to say as being on board with Communify and working with everybody, I'm very impressed about all the work. And people do also ask me about Head Start and I just say you have to call James Kiriakou he will answer your questions so thank you James and thank you to everybody for all that you do.

Okay, thanks for being with us. We'll move on to Administrative

Item Number Two, Madam Clerk. Chair Kaps and members of the Board, Administrative Item Number Two is sponsored by Supervisor Lee. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2025 as Search and Rescue Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here we have Don Van Doge and Sheriff Bill Brown. And if any of the members of the SBC SAR team would like to join you as well please feel free. I will now read the resolution into the record.

Whereas Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue Team, SBCSAR is a highly trained all-volunteer organization operating under the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office with over 60 years of life saving service in wilderness, urban and disaster settings. And whereas SBCSAR responds 24 seven to emergencies including lost hikers, injured climbers, missing persons, natural disasters and community wide crises such as the 2018 Montecito debris flow Often in partnership with local, state and federal agencies. And whereas team members undergo continuous training in rope rescue wilderness survival tracking navigation BLS certified medical aid UAV operations and disaster response maintaining accreditation with the Mountain Rescue Association and supporting initiatives like Project Lifesaver to protect vulnerable populations And whereas the team's mission is supported by two non-profit organizations, the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue Inc.

provides operational funding compliance and oversight while the Santa Barbara Search and Rescue Foundation raises funds to sustain long term growth training and equipment needs And whereas the dedication of SBC SARS volunteers on call 365 days a year have saved countless lives while their public outreach efforts promote outdoor safety and prevent avoidable rescues through the community.

Now therefore be it resolved that this, that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors hereby proclaims May 2025 as Search and Rescue Month and commends the Santa Barbara County Search and rescue team for their service, sacrifice and steadfast commitment to public safety passed and adopted today.

Good morning Chair Kaps and members of the board. Thank you so much for recognizing our world-class search and rescue team here and having, recognizing May as Search and Rescue Month. You've heard me many times before talk about what a great job these men and women do And I'm very proud to share with you some details of some of the remarkable work that they continue to do over the years.

Let's take a quick look at some key statistics that this team has put together in the last five years. Let's start with the heart of Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue, our 50 dedicated volunteers. From 2019 to 2024 they contributed an incredible 66,812 hours of service. That number alone shows the deep commitment that they have to keeping our community safe.

When emergencies arise Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue steps up Between 2019 and 2024, they handled 636 calls for service assisting 569 individuals. And just think about that for a moment. These are people who no matter what time it is during the work week, the evenings or the weekends when they get a call, they drop whatever it is that they're doing and go and help someone else who is in distress.

Their commitment to doing that is one of the most valuable things, and it's been said that one of the most important things that human beings can give to one another is their time. Because it's the only thing we all have in equally uncertain proportions. And men and women on this team exemplify that commitment and that gift. From lost hikers to car accidents, they devoted 20,115 hours to incident responses with each call averaging just under four hours.

This effort equates to eight full-time deputies annually saving our county nearly $950,000 each year in salaries and benefits. Their preparedness is unmatched. From 2019 to 2024, the team invested 39,060 hours in training to hone their skills and 7,637 hours in administrative work and first responder preparation. These hours ensure that they're always ready to respond effectively no matter what the situation.

Santa Barbara County's search and rescue versatility is evident in the range of calls that they've managed over those years. They tackled hiking and backpacking incidents, motorcycle crashes, hang glider emergencies, mountain biking accidents, body recoveries and more. Their ability to handle diverse challenges makes them invaluable to our county. Santa Barbara County's Search and Rescue's dedication has strengthened our community's safety and resilience, and as we celebrate May as Search and Rescue Month let's honor these volunteers for their life-saving work. We thank you for your support of this great team. And I want to introduce someone who's been instrumental in ensuring that our search and rescue team has the financial support that it needs to continue their important mission, and that is the Santa Barbara Search and Rescue Foundation President John Van Dong.

Thank you very much for giving us his time in this proclamation this month. It means a lot to us. We started this foundation last year at the bequest of a good friend of mine, Joe Plowman who is also a member of the search and rescue team. And at the time that he called me and said look we need to raise a lot more money for search-and-rescue I said Joe I'm buried right now I don't know what I can do and he said I'll do all the work if you'll help us put this together and a man of his word he has done the lion's share of the work so Joe thank you very much Unfortunately, my family got involved with this search and rescue through a very tragic event 35 years ago this month when my brother was mountain biking on the San Ysidro Trail and went off the side.

And we called Search and Rescue. Unbeknownst to us, this group of people, to Bill's words, dropped everything they were doing that day to come out to search for my younger brother. Unfortunately it went from a rescue to a recovery operation but the passion that my family has had for Search and Rescue throughout the years has been there and been ever present.

This foundation now gives us the ability to go forth and raise money I'm a finance guy, and so on top of Bill's words that he had of over 636 callouts over the last five years equating to the equivalent of eight full-time deputies at a cost to this county would be over $945,000 annually. Over the last five years, that would equate to $4,725,000. So while I'm not asking you to make that contribution, I am asking you to keep that in mind because these men and women do this out of the goodness of their heart so that others may live. So on behalf of the Search and Rescue Foundation thank you so much for this proclamation on behalf of this and thank you And as the last word, we've had enough applause but I do really want to out of my heart and soul thank the men and women in the search-and-rescue especially those who are present here today.

Thank you.

Supervisor Lee? I

just want to make a brief comment say we are incredibly grateful So honored to have the best of the best here in our county serving us. Thank you for what you do and thank you.

Supervisor Hartman?

I just wanted to add that I'm often in the back country, and I hope I never have to need your services but it makes me feel a lot better knowing that you're there in case. And I'm sure that everybody feels that way so thank you again.

And I'll just add my praise as well, Mr. Vondon to the fact that you took a family tragedy and have turned some of that grief into such support for so many others and I just want to acknowledge that you all put your life in danger by doing this, by saving others and that's an incredible characteristic of courage. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.

Okay we will move on to administrative item number three

Chair Kapsen, members of the board. Administrative item number three is sponsored by Supervisor Lee. It is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Karina Ju. If you will join us at the podium I'll now read the resolution into the record.

Whereas, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a time to recognize the significant contributions of our past and present AAPI community members and bring awareness to the difficulties that this community has endured and continues to endure. And whereas May was selected as heritage month in 1978 to commemorate two historical milestones in AAPI history. The arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7th, 1843 and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10th, 1869. An achievement made possible largely through the labor of Chinese immigrants and whereas the first American Asian to settle in Santa Barbara was Filipino Antonio Miranda Rodriguez A founding pobladores of Los Angeles who arrived in Santa Barbara in 1783 and was buried in the Presidio Chapel after whom many Filipino residents and the creation of the Filipino Community Association at 425 State And whereas Santa Barbara was once home to a thriving Chinatown centered on Canyon Perdido Street beginning in the 1860s.

And these early residents contribute to the region through abalone fishing, ship building, farming and small businesses. In the early 20th century, the Japanese residents settled in a Nihomachi in the Canyon Perdido Street area including a grocery boarding house and churches and established successful farming businesses throughout the county And whereas, Santa Barbara County residents were among the Japanese-American, Filipino-American and Chinese American World War II veterans who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011, 2017 and 2020 respectively. In recognition of their service in spite of the abridgment of denial of the rights of citizenship.

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 encourages all residents to honor and celebrate the vibrant legacy of the AAPI community passed and adopted today.

Good morning Chair Kaps and members of the board. My name is Karina Jew. I'm an organizer with the Santa Barbara AAPI Solidarity Network, and I want to thank you for this annual recognition of our community. I am always appreciative of the opportunity we have in May to share some of our heritage and especially the history of the AAPI community in Santa Barbara County.

In 2024, our group was fortunate to receive one of the racial equity fund grants which allowed us to hold a wonderful celebration of the Lunar New Year on the grounds of the Presidio. where we had simulated fireworks, lion dancing and projected images of the people of the original and new Chinatowns for approximately 500 people over two days. And it was a wonderful celebration, and I'm really appreciative to this board for that opportunity.

And also, I really appreciate that you have continued to support the Racial Equity Fund. So thank you for that. And so one of the things I learned as a result of this project was that starting in the 1850s, the Chinese came here in part to join the abalone harvesting industry and that for 40 years they built ships to support The industry, the Chinese junks, the kind you would see in Hong Kong were built over on Cannon Perdido Street which blew my mind.

You know the imagination of that image and so when we began this endeavor of this project it was because of the recognition of the hundred year anniversary of the 1925 earthquake And there was a feeling that the story of the Chinese in the post-earthquake era and the dissolution of their community shouldn't be forgotten. So in my newspaper research, I learned that Santa Barbara City Council actually in 1926 condemned and burned down an old adobe that some very elderly Chinese had been living in.

And mere days after another mysterious blaze in Chinatown. And in that era of the Chinese Exclusion Act, these burnings of Chinatowns in California and North America were really sadly they were not uncommon. Although official government participation was a little more rare. And yet people like Elmer Whitaker helped the Chinese rebuild a new Chinatown a block away and in that same area came to be Santa Barbara's Nihonmachi, or Japan Town.

And beyond that Nihonomachi the Japanese also had farms throughout Santa Barbara County but with Executive Order 9066 which ordered the incarceration of the Japanese during World War II This community would lose their homes, their businesses and their farms. And those that tried to return after the war couldn't come back because oftentimes well they could come back but people wouldn't hire them and so they often would found started communities in other areas.

And so I'm bringing this up because I happened to see a film a couple of years ago and it was called Alternative Facts, The Lies of Executive Order 9066. It streams on PBS if you want to check it out but it's a really good film. But it discusses the false reports of espionage that were used to justify the incarceration And when I watched it on my computer and they flashed the original documents that were used at the Supreme Court on the screen, I saw the words Santa Maria Valley. And I was really curious about that and I was watching on my computer so I froze it and I looked and I downloaded the documents from the U.S. archives because I was just curious and I'm that kind of person.

And, I read that Santa Barbara County and its residents and farmers were and their proximity to infrastructure like the lighthouse and railroads, that was part of the justification used by the government in defending the executive order at the Supreme Court. You know, Santa Barbara was sort of well we can't say that everybody in California or on the West Coast is disloyal but for example, Santa Barbara looks like this. How could it possibly look like this if there's not something going on?

However, there were government lawyers from the Department of Justice that in researching their briefs for the Supreme Court they learned that these U.S. intelligence reports didn't support the espionage narrative at all. And because they had ethical duty, they put in a footnote to those briefs to the Supreme Court stating that these weren't supported by U.S. intelligence.

So when the Solicitor General of that administration found out about this footnote, he literally stopped the presses at the Supreme Court and had that footnote removed. And they reprinted it without it. And so it wasn't until 40 years later that this deception was uncovered. And so I want to share this story in this moment because Santa Barbara County happened to have this role. And also because the exact same laws, which had been dormant but they were the laws that facilitated this tragedy, they have been revived and Because government officials in that story, both did their duty and subverted their duty.

And so I wanted to share that here with our government officials and our government workers to just reinforce the role that you play in protecting our democracy and how so critical it is. Anyway, thank you. And I want to introduce Danielle Cosino, Zoe Pham and Joshua Barreto of the UCSB Filipino Cultural Night.

Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. Good morning members of the board, my name is Zoe Phan I use she her pronouns and I am this year's executive coordinator for PCN. I'm here with Danielle Cosino my marketing coordinator and we are proud representatives of UC Santa Barbara's Filipino Cultural Night also known as PCN First, we would like to thank SBAAPI Solidarity Network for inviting us to speak and to thank the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for recognizing May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

AAPI Heritage Month is a time to honor the stories, struggles and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in this country and in our local communities. Around this time of year university campuses across the nation host cultural nights which are community-led events that showcase the rich histories identities and traditions of AAPi cultures While inviting people of all backgrounds to learn, connect and celebrate with us.

At UCSB we celebrate this month with events like Vietnamese Cultural Night, Nikkei Student Union Cultural Night and of course our very own Filipino Cultural Night. These events are original student-run productions that blend storytelling, traditional and modern dance, theater and music to not only entertain but to preserve our histories affirm identity and build cross cultural understanding.

In today's political climate where diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are increasingly under threat across the country cultural nights remain more important than ever. They are more than just performances these events serve as acts of remembrance resistance celebration and cultural pride they provide spaces for education and solidarity not just within the AAPI community but among other communities Cultural nights are powerful reminders that our cultures are vibrant, our histories matter and our existence is undeniable.

They allow for our stories to be seen heard and valued especially in spaces where AAPI voices are often overlooked or underrepresented With that in mind, we would like to invite everyone here to join us this Saturday, May 24th at 5 p.m., at UCSB's Campbell Hall for the 34th Annual Filipino Cultural Night. Whether or not you're part of the Filipino community, we welcome you to experience a tradition, creativity and heart that makes PCN a very powerful celebration. We hope to see you there. Maraming salamat po. Thank you very much.

Supervisor Lee.

I just want to say thank you for your great comments. Just a question about the event, are you going to have the child there? Thank you

Yes, thank you so much. Okay that ends our wonderful resolutions this morning. Oh we have one more excuse me about that one more my

apologies Madam Clerk Chair Kaps and members of the board administrative item number four sponsored by Supervisor Lee and Supervisor Hartman it is to adopt a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2025 as Older Americans Month in Santa Barbara County. Joining us here in person we have Margaret Weiss, Children and Adult Network Director who will be introducing the 2025 Senior of the Year honorees and via Zoom Dorothy Schlitz Central Coast Commission for senior citizens if you'll please join us at the podium I'll read the resolution into the record Whereas the County of Santa Barbara is home to a vibrant and growing population of older adults who continue to enrich and strengthen our communities through their experience, wisdom, leadership, and service.

And whereas we honor the lifelong contributions of older adults and recognize their continued role in shaping a more just inclusive and resilient community. And whereas Santa Barbara County is committed to creating an age-friendly region by advancing priorities aligned with California Master Plan for Aging including the expansion of housing options, caregiving supports, transportation access and equitable health outcomes. And whereas local partners such as the Santa Barbara County Adult and Aging Network and community-based organization across the region are helping to implement these priorities and ensure that older residents can age with dignity independence and connection And whereas investing in the physical, mental and emotional well-being of older adults through home and community based services, access to lifelong learning and inclusive civic engagement benefits residents of all ages and strengthens the social fabric of our county.

Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara dishereby proclaim May 2025 as Older Americans Month and encourages all residents to join in honoring the legacy strength and continued contribution of older adults in our community. Staff would also like to invite all community members to join in on the 40th annual Older Americans Month celebration hosted by the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens recognizing outstanding individuals and organizations on Tuesday, May 27 2025 at 1pm via Zoom. Passed and adopted today.

I believe we have honorees here in Santa Barbara as well as in Santa Maria so just wanted to note

that. All right well Supervisor Hartman, Supervisor Lee and all board members thank you so much for recognizing Older Americans Month You do so much to raise up the vibrancy of our older adult community and what we know from the community is that their wish is to be able to age in place. And I think that's probably true for all of us, and we also know that aging in place requires a certain amount of support and resources to be able to enjoy optimal health and happiness and safety.

I really feel that with this resolution you demonstrate that bold leadership that we need for healthy aging across the lifespan and appreciate all your efforts in that regard. And to the individuals who are recognized with this proclamation, They are the best examples of aging with vibrancy that we could ask for and I will read a little bit about each individual and acknowledge them for their great services to the community.

We have for Senior Citizen of the Year, Joan Kayette and I believe Joan is at the other location. Joan is one of the site hosts in Lompoc and she received multiple nominations for this award and her nominations indicated she always has a smile And is very helpful and accommodating to all the people who come in for a meal. That just sounds wonderful and like what we all want to see for people who come for that service, so thank you to Joan.

We also have Doreen Ross, who is the Santa Barbara County-wide Red Cross Emergency Point Person This means Doreen is there, fire, flood, mudslide. You will find Doreen and her husband Wayne at a shelter coordinating logistics and organizing all of the personal needs for the event. That is not enough for Doreen. She has also noted for being the North County leader of Sleep in Heavenly Peace which builds beds and donates beds for children who don't have them And in addition, Doreen is the president of the Lompoc Valley Community Kitchen providing hot meals six days a week.

So really terrific service to the community. Thank you, Doreen. This resolution also recognizes senior worker of the year and we have two individuals, Carmen Escalante who is the site host at the Oasis in Orkut. And if one senior center is not enough Carmen is also at the Guadalupe Senior Center as a volunteer. She's noted for always smiling, always willing to go the extra mile and she is another individual nominated by not just one but multiple individuals.

Thank you, Carmen. Here in Santa Barbara I think we have Rosanna Redford. Rosanna are you in the audience? Okay, maybe she didn't make it in this morning. Hopefully you're listening to us on another venue. Rosanna is the site host at Presidio Springs in Santa Barbara. Another individual who got multiple nominations. Rosanna is noted for having a good heart fun to work with caring polite helpful and a good cook.

Great qualities to have The next category is caregiver of the year, and caregiving is one of the concerns that we in the Master Plan for Aging and Adult and Aging Network are very focused on. It is a tremendously stressful line of work whether you are a family caregiver or professional caregiver it's a very hard job. Our caregiver of the year is Estella Usher.

Estella is, as the nomination puts it, simply amazing. And as I look through the description of her work, this truly is amazing. She commutes from Los Angeles to Santa Maria and provides care in three homes with 12 elders in each facility in Los Angeles, as well as three homes with 12 elders in each facility in Santa Maria. So she is putting in the lion's share of caregiving.

And in addition to her regularly scheduled work, she is on call 24-7 to help individuals even on a vacation. She's been known to take calls to help troubleshoot and give advice and suggestions to other caregivers. It's unending work and that expertise and support is surely very appreciated. Our last category is Senior Program of the Year. And do we have anyone in the room from the Terrace Foundation?

Oh, excellent! Thank you so much for being here and for the work that you do. This nomination is noted for John Jeffries. Is that you sir? Wonderful. As founder of the Terrace Foundation, and the Terrace Foundation's motto is we don't just feed people, we teach people to feed themselves. Their mission is to empower and educate communities to take control of their food supply by providing nutritional equity and sustainability through eco-friendly agricultural solutions.

They use a model called Harvest to Plate. One of their goals is ending food insecurity And their nutrient-rich produce is donated through strategic partnerships to those in need and available to the entire community. If that were not enough for the community, they also engage children in education about nutrition and gardening so they're really a full service nutrition program.

Our last awardee in the category of senior program of the year is one that really gives me a smile and maybe will to some of you as well. And this is Senior Dance Instructor Yolanda Gonzalez. Yolanda teaches dance classes to seniors in three cities twice a week. She is a busy, busy lady and part of teaching dance in Yolanda's world is not just the dance steps themselves but teaching confidence.

Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting. She's been working on a number of initiatives, facilitating better balance which we all know leads to fall prevention and that's beneficial to the whole community safer. Adults the older adults and she's encouraging in her work for people to remain active and facilitating All of her seniors and then takes it beyond the classroom with a group of 12 seniors who now travel to senior facilities, care facilities, hospitals to perform and entertain and encourage others.

Really an impressive group of older adults and I thank you for the opportunity to learn a little bit about them, and to acknowledge them. And for the resolution for this year's Older Americans Month.

Thank you so much.

Supervisor Hartman.

And just briefly, I think it's terrific to have models of active seniors and how they still are contributing and engaged with life. I think that's really the key to successful aging. And just wanted to thank Margaret Weiss who is leading the charge on our Master Plan for Aging so that we can pull a lot of these programs together and have a more integrated, supportive web so seniors can thrive in our community. So thank you Margaret.

My pleasure. And I just will chime in, I'm not surprised at all. All the honorees do amazing work often unseen work but Pilgrim Terrace is one of my special places that I love to go have been many many years with my mom. The food is incredible the fact that they grow it there. It is so important to focus on the nutrition that we all need But especially those who are aging. And it's delicious, so I encourage anyone to check it out. So thank you. Congratulations.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay now we're actually done with resolutions, so we will move to the one item that was pulled by the public. Madam Clerk?

Chair Caps and members of the board. Administrative item number nine is from the Public Works Department it is to consider recommendations regarding amendment number two to the memorandum of understanding between Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and the county of Santa Barbara for the Sheffield Drive to Ortega Hill pedestrian and bicycle connection this item is located within the first district

So we'll go to the person who pulled

this, is that correct? Yes. Chair Caps and members of the board, we have Scott Wenz. Okay.

Chair, members of the board, Scott Wenz representing Cars are Basic. We can't find a program that's more unnecessary in the County of Santa Barbara than this program. Let's go back 30 some years when I first started doing transportation issues. I didn't know a step from an FTIP, I didn't know a level of service or anything else. Now we go to Naomi Schwartz and the bicycle path that she created on the front end of Ortega Ridge. So why are you putting a bike path on the backside of Ortega Ridge when you already have one that costs $4.5 million on the front of it?

That's number one. Number two, let's go to see what happened in Summerland. Summerland was not happy with the Salud Carbajal bull bouts and other programs that were put in there. They fought it. The majority of the businesses and people that were there fought it and it was rammed down their throats. This is another such issue. The County of Santa Barbara if you take a look at all of the issues that you have in backlog is bankrupt.