Board of Supervisors — 2025-07-01

All right, good morning everybody. It is actually July 1st and it's my honor to call to order this meeting of our Board of Supervisors meeting in Santa Barbara County. Madam Clerk please call

Nelson seconds.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Motion passes.

Morning Madam Chair no report this week.

Okay, no report this week thank you Mr. Horton. Madame Clerk any announcements about today's agenda?

I do have a few announcements this morning. Grant funding to the Department of Social Services from SunCal Health for the Farmworker Resource Center. The addendum modifies the item's subject by replacing the term cash donation with grant funding, removes the forfeit vote required and updates recommendation A to read as follows A, approve and authorize the social services director or designee to execute the grant to receive 60,000 grant funding from SenCal Health for the Farmworker Resource Center.

Additionally, Administrative Item Number 37 is from the Sheriff Coroner's Office regarding a resolution authorizing the sheriff or his designee to enter into an agreement with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for day reporting centers. The addendum adds Administrative Item Number 37 to the agenda. The changes included in the addendum have been posted and made available online to both the Board and the public. Since there are no requests to speak on either of these items, they may be added to the balance of the administrative agenda.

Additionally, we received a withdrawal request from the department on departmental item number five. Departmental item number five is from the planning and development department. It is a hearing to consider recommendations regarding an appeal of the County Planning Commission approval of the G&K Farm and K&G Flower Cannabis Processing Structure Design Review Project case numbers 25 APL 8 and 19 BAR 225 and this is in the first district again we received a request from the department to withdraw this item from today's agenda. And that additionally 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 numbers 8 0 5 5 6 8 2 2 4 0 and that concludes my announcements this morning

Okay, thank you so much. And do we take a vote at D5 about that withdrawal? Is that correct?

Chair Kapsin, members of the board, we had one request to speak from the public on this item but on the actual appeal and not the withdrawal itself. So we can take that matter up now or we can wait until later in the afternoon.

Let's just do it now. I will entertain a motion to accept the withdrawal.

So moved. Second.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Okay great now Madam Clerk

I'd like to pull A16 please.

Okay we're that's what already been pulled so that's great and I have already pulled A6

I don't need that anymore. You don't,

okay. A-25?

Yes please, parole call.

Okay great. Supervisor Hartman, A-32 and A-36. Any additionals? Okay so it looks like we just have A-16, A 25 and A 32 from the board is that correct?

Chair Capson members of the board that is correct and we have no requests to speak from the public on the administrative agenda

I'll move the balance of the agenda except for 16, 25 and 32. Second.

Excellent all those in favor please say aye. Aye. Motion passes now we get to move to resolutions to be presented Madam Clerk please read administrative item number one into the record

Chair Caps and members of the board, administrative item number one is sponsored by Supervisor Hartman. It is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring Detective Richard Miller upon his retirement from the Sheriff's Office after over 30 years of faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County. And joining us in person today we have Detective Richard Miller if you can please make your way to the podium And I will go ahead and read the resolution.

Whereas Richard Miller will be retiring from county service on Friday, July 4th 2025 having faithfully served the sheriff's office for over 30 years during which he served as a sheriff's corrections officer, deputy sheriff, senior deputy and detective And whereas Richard Miller started his career with Santa Barbara County on November 18th, 1992 as a reserve deputy. On April 24th, 1995 he became a corrections officer and promoted to deputy sheriff on December 18th, 1998.

During his 30 years of service, he has worked in various capacities which included field training officer, mobile field force, rural crime deputy, coroner detective, bomb squad technician and most recently high tech crimes detective. And whereas Richard Miller throughout his career provided the employees of the Sheriff's Office positive leadership and professionalism, allowing him to rise steadily through the organization attaining the rank of detective. And whereas Richard Miller provided the citizens of Santa Barbara County extraordinary professionalism and sensitive law enforcement services while dedicating his life to the pursuit of justice.

And whereas Richard Miller's knowledge, skills and experience contributed greatly to the overall professionalism and the goals of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office as well as the objectives of the county. Now therefore it is hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors commends Richard Miller for his faithful and distinguished service to the citizens of Santa Barbara County, congratulates him upon his retirement and wishes him and his wife Stephanie continued good health in many years of happiness past and adopted today.

Chair Caps and supervisors I really want to thank you for taking the time today. Give Rick this resolution recognizing many, many years of service. I do want to point out that he actually began serving before that. He served as a member of our armed forces for 10 years and attained the rank of a Staff Sergeant within the Air Force. It's there while at Vandenberg Air Force Base that he began serving our community in addition to that. He was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff which is where I first Met him.

Believe it or not, 30 years ago there were folks that actually volunteered their time to put on this uniform and go out into the community to serve our citizens in the community. And Rick was one of those individuals and I met him. I followed him into the reserves and then I met him again in 1995 when he came in and became a corrections officer within our jail And then I got to work with him again as he became a deputy sheriff and went out in the community. He has truly distinguished himself in many different roles, to include patrol field training officer, detective of both coroners and high-tech crimes.

And he's just absolutely distinguished himself within all of those roles. And he's actually one of those individuals who would put on a big green suit and walk toward explosives instead of away from them. And it's been a pleasure working with you, Rick. And this is a well-deserved retirement. Our community is better. Our organization is better. Our county is better because of all of your service.

And thank you for everything you've done.

I just wanna thank the board for the resolution. Thank my family for coming and supporting me in this, and throughout all these endeavors that I've been through. It takes a unique branch of people to support somebody on the bomb squad so I have to give them all credit. Thanks to all my department members who are here supporting me for this. And again thank you for this opportunity it is very much appreciated. And I am very thankful for the time I was able to dedicate to supporting the community and being somebody that people could look to and help them out whenever they needed it.

So I have one last parting thought. One of my favorite slogan t-shirts says something to the effect of, I'm a bomb squad technician if you see me running follow me. Rick you're not running but I do intend to follow you thank you

I have not seen that shirt before, but we'll be on the lookout. Okay Madam Clerk next administrative item please.

Chair Kaps and members of the board, Administrative Item number two is sponsored by Supervisor Lee it is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring Patricia J Moore upon her retirement from the Alpha Resource Center and joining us in person today we have Patricia J Moore and I will go ahead and read the resolution Whereas with over 30 years of serving the County of Santa Barbara children and families through her work at Alpha Resource Center, Patricia J. Moore retired on June 30th 2025. And whereas the contribution she has made to the County of Santa Barbara are countless but include the development of Help Me Grow Santa Barbara County, the development of the CA Part C Early Start Program and serving as the representative on the CA Intricacy Coordinating Council on early intervention.

And whereas Patricia continues to be a strong advocate and champion of children with developmental challenges, through her work as one of the two California Center for Disease Control CDC Ambassadors for the ACT Early Learn and Signs Initiative which aims to help parents, caregivers monitor their children's development and recognize important milestones. And whereas as a mother of a special needs adult child, Patricia has used empathy, compassion and provided fierce advocacy for families navigating a complex system of care in the education system. And is recognized for her contributions to the well-being of children and families at Santa Barbara County while helping to improve the health and opportunities for thousands of children. Now, therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors does acknowledge and congratulate Patricia J.

Moore upon her retirement from Alpha Resource Center and Help Me Grow Santa Barbara County passed and adopted today.

Good morning. I want to say it took a lot to get Patty here, she wanted to just quietly sneak away from over 30 years worth of work in this county and state and we're so happy for her to have a little break but I only gave her a few weeks to settle in before I hire about her back as some kind of consultant But I also wanted to share that we do have a certificate of recognition from Assemblymember Greg Hart and Senator Monique Lamone's office, recognizing her for her outstanding leadership and over 30 years of advocacy to improve early identification of developmental delays. support families and establish help me grow in Santa Barbara County.

And congratulations upon her retirement in honor of her lasting contributions to the children and families. So thank you, Patty. Thank you.

Little did I know 39 years ago when we brought home a baby with Down syndrome that it would launch a new journey for our entire family and a career that I had no plans on ever. It's been an amazing 35 years working with families, working with families but learning from families And so much has been, anything that I might have been able to do in the last few years has been with thanks to the colleagues and the partners here that share that vision like you for all children and families here in Santa Barbara County. So I'm very honored and I hope I can learn how to get this retirement thing down.

Thank you so much. Madam Clerk, please read the next administrative item.

Chair Caps and members of the board, administrative item number three is sponsored by Supervisor Caps. It is to adopt a resolution of accommodation honoring first five Santa Barbara County Children and Families Commission as the July 2025 employees of the month for Santa Barbara County. And joining us to receive this resolution today is Sarah Gonzalez, Liliana Martinez, Brianna Dunn, Kaitlyn Kenner, Alexis Brenner along with Wendy Sims-Moten and Michelle Robertson.

And I will go ahead and read the resolution. Whereas the first five SBC staff act as community and content experts in planning for implementation of and measurement of the current conditions of children, families and early care professionals by providing information technical assistance capacity building opportunities and data for decision making for those that can influence and enact change.

And whereas the first five SBC staff have exhibited dedication innovation Efficiency and determination in securing strong infrastructures of support for a wide range of sectors that increase the equitable access to prevention and intervention efforts, allowing children to grow and thrive from birth through kindergarten. And whereas interdependence and commitment to each other are crucial elements that allow the strength of this small but mighty team to continue to exceed expectations and provide quality level of support for others, and to see all the work through a successful completion as public servants.

And whereas the senior leadership of First 5 SBC would like to acknowledge, appreciate and thank Sarah Gonzales, Liliana Martinez, Brianna Dunn, Kaitlyn Kenner and Alexis Brenner for their commitment and work for the children families in early childhood workforce of Santa Barbara County. Now therefore be it hereby ordered and resolved that this Board of Supervisors does hereby recognize the first five Santa Barbara County Children and Families Commission staff as the employees of the month for July 2025 passed and adopted today.

Barbara County Board of Supervisors Meeting, Page It says, as each goose flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the birds following by flying in a V formation. The whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. The lesson is people who share common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

And this is absolutely what happens. This team is so small but there's a lot of heavy lifting there that you wouldn't think It's five, six, seven people can do and I just want to appreciate that they work together as a team. And all the things that you see in the front is because they've worked so well in the back and we're always norming and stomping from time to time but working together as team. So very much proud of them and continue to be the leader for each of them.

Good morning Chair Kaps and members of the board. My name is Brianna Dunn, I'm the Communications and Policy Manager for First 5. On behalf of Sarah, Liliana, Caitlin, Lexi, and myself thank you so much for this incredible honor we are truly humbled to be recognized as employees of the month At First 5 Santa Barbara County, we are deeply committed to supporting children prenatal through five, their families and the professionals who serve them.

To know that our work is seen and appreciated means more than we can say. And being recognized as a team makes it that much more special, as it reflects the values we hold dear—collaboration, commitment and trust. Each of us brings something unique to this work. Some of us are big picture thinkers, others keep projects on track and some have an eye for every little detail.

It's through that mix of strengths and collective effort that we're able to build and nurture systems that help young children and family thrive. Whether we're working behind the scenes or out in the community, we lean on one another, push each other to grow and lift each other up. This recognition truly belongs to all of us, including our community partners who walk alongside us every step of the way.

We also want to thank our leadership and everyone who continues to create a workplace culture where we feel empowered, supported and inspired to give our best. It's not just about the work it's also about the heart we put into it and the people who we get to do it with. Thank you again for this meaningful recognition. We look forward to continuing this work together and in the county because every child and family deserves the opportunity to thrive. Thank you

I actually need to give you all each one of these. And while Supervisor Nelson's doing that, I just want to add. I love that you all got this honor of Employees of the Month as a group because what a team you are, what a small but mighty team and when I was looking at you all, I just think about the number of children that you serve, the number of organizations that you lift up and really the prevention that goes into the work And that old phrase, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and the multiplier effect of this small team. So I think it's really poignant that instead of just one employee of the month we have a group, a team because of that collective effort. So congratulations to all of you. I'm glad you each have a resolution.

And I really, I think we feel such gratitude for the work that you do every day. Thank you. Okay. Well that is it for the resolutions for today so now we will move to the items pulled by the board.

Chair Kaps and members of the Board, Administrative Item number 16 is from the County Executive Office. It is to consider recommendations regarding a support position for battery energy storage systems BESS legislation Assembly Bill AB 1285 and Senate Bill SB 283

I pulled that yeah, thank you madam chair. And just curious if anybody wants to talk about it from the I mean I tried to read the both bills and it always gives me a little pause to support these because I know they could be amended later but if what I was reading is correct and want to get some feedback if it just seemed like And I know I've got a lot of people in my district that are really concerned about these. So, I just want to make sure before I support that but that is the gist of the bill.

Sure well I can speak unless we want to speak to the substance just process wise we were tracking the five and then it got reduced to the two from the process in the legislature but Director Armis do you want to speak to the substance?

Thank you Chair Kaps and Supervisors, Jesus Armas from the Community Services Department. The Board has discussed as has the Legislative Program Committee a variety of bills that have been introduced to deal with this very important and sensitive topic It's our understanding that the objective here is to try to create some consistency and some clarity on these regulations because there are efforts across the state to approach this in different ways.

Given that safety is a major consideration, there is an objective here of trying to have the fire marshal play a critical role in developing some regulations. What is noteworthy is some of the other legislative initiatives have not been able to pass their respective clearances and consequently these are the ones that have survived. We think they merit support, we think they help offer clarity and will help facilitate appropriate measures across not only our county but throughout the state.

Thank you and I appreciate the Legislative Committee working on this and getting this thing narrowed down as we continue to move forward so appreciate it I'll move A16.

I'll second. I

just have a quick question about it as well, and while you're up there Mr. Amos on Senate Bill 823, Laird's bill, there is a requirement for meeting and conferring with the local fire department and I want to make sure that's progress right so right now there's no need to meet with the local fire? Is that my understanding?

Well, I think anytime you're entertaining modifications to the fire code which and related building standard codes this becomes critical. And so we are Deputy Fire Marshal Fred Tam has been very active in paying attention to this issue.

Well, I guess I just want to make sure that this bill actually increases the oversight, the local oversight. That's what I'm after is more local control on these projects.

It's my understanding that by the development of the standards there'll be an opportunity for us, the locals too And I guess the other question was there's this meet and confer with the fire, not a requirement for approval from fire.

And I just try to understand that nuance there because I think my preference would be actually approval from my fire marshal. So trying to understand if this is a step forward or step backwards there.

That's a good question, if you don't mind we'll take a closer look at that and get back to you.

Okay, I am trying to read between the lines that this is a step forward. So I'll go ahead and also move to support today but with some concern reservation as these things change my overall goal with this is to make sure that we have local control especially as new projects forward especially as we as a county build projects you know I know we were talking about battery storage out there at the At the jail.

And you know, I've gotten some feedback from our local agricultural community concern not only because of the safety of the workers out there but also because the GL sits on top of a very important aquifer and in case of some type emergency they want to make sure that the protections are in place to make sure that doesn't impact our groundwater system which is crucial to the Santa Maria Valley as well as the agriculture community as a whole. So just want to add that to the conversation as you guys are wrestling with that but I'll go ahead and also support this motion when time comes.

Supervisor

Herman. I just wanted to add that there was just an announcement this morning about solid-state batteries that last twice as long and are far less fire prone so the technology is changing every day and improving

great okay we have a motion in a second I will then call all those in favor I think you just wanted a roll call vote on that? Yes, please. Madam Clerk roll call vote on A25 please.

Chair Kaps and members of the board administrative item number 25 is from the Public Works Department it is to consider recommendations regarding the adoption second reading of our proposed fee ordinance for Public Works Transportation Division development review and plan check review services And if we could just get a motion and a second to approve that item.

Move approval.

Motion passes 4-1

Okay thank you then next and our final one is A32

I believe that's Supervisor Hartman that pulled that. Yes, Chair Kaps and members of the Board. Administrative item number 32 is from the Social Services Department it is to consider recommendations regarding a $60,000 cash donation to the Department of Social Services from SenCal Health for the Farmworker Resource Center and there is a four-fifths vote required on this item

And in the board letter it says that this was an unanticipated and generous grant. So Director Nielsen, would you like to talk about what it'll be used for?

Supervisor Hartman through the chair I'll have our executive director of the Workforce Development Board speak to that because he will do a much more, Louise come up here, he'll do a much more eloquent job

Good morning Supervisor Harmon and through the chair. So this is the second year that we've received this donation from CENTCOL, and it primarily helps us really pay for our staffing costs as it relates to us continuing the work that we've been doing since last year with a farm worker resource center so primarily covers salaries benefits of our staff But also it supports us paying for the rental of venues whenever we have events. And also, we've been able to provide hot meals during those events especially when we have our events with the Mexican Consulate a lot of times our farm workers are there four or five hours per day and a lot of times they bring their children with them so With this donation we've been able to pay for the rental, for our staff's time and also for those hot meals.

Since a lot of our state and federal funds that we also get support this work does not allow for that kind of expenditures.

Terrific! And the farmworker resource Center is really important to all of us because it does reach out to farm workers who otherwise may not have good connections to the various services that they're entitled to. So this program is fabulous. Thank you for your leadership. It's turned out, I think as good or better than we ever hoped so thank you. Wonderful.

OK. Sue Rosaleno. I'll take a motion then to accept this donation.

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Motion carries and with that concludes our administrative agenda and we will move on when you're ready Madam Clerk to general public comment for those who wish to speak on items that are not part of our agenda today

Chair Caps and members of the board, we have no request to speak on general public comment today.

All right moving right along then. We'll move to our departmental agenda item. Item D1.

Chair Caps and members of the board departmental item number one is from the Agricultural Commissioner and Weights & Measures Department it is a hearing to consider recommendations regarding the annual Santa Barbara County crop and livestock report for 2024

Mr. Chang. Good morning.

Good morning Chair Caps, members of the board. CEO Assistant Horton County Council Van Meulen County Staff Members of the public Jose Chang Agricultural Commissioner for Santa Barbara County with me today I have Assistant Agricultural Commissioner Laurie Martin and Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Matthew Mayton who are going to be helping me present the 2024 crop and livestock report Before we do that, I just want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation to the agricultural community for their continued cooperation and for providing the essential data that make this report possible.

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our department staff with special thanks to Matthew Mayton Mel Graham and our Crop and Livestock Report team for their commitment to compiling, analyzing and reviewing this important information. I will now turn it over to Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Matthew Maiden.

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for today. This report was developed in accordance with California Food and Agriculture code 2 to 7, 2, 2 to 7, 9. The first publication of this report was in 1916. And since 1916, our office has produced an annual crop report. The total agricultural This growth was influenced by several factors including harvested acreage, higher per acre yields and unit pricing and advances in development of newer varieties that show more resistance to pests and vegetable crops.

It is important to note that the values presented in this report reflect gross values of agricultural commodities And does not consider costs associated with labor, planting irrigation distribution among other production activities. Thank you. Good morning, everyone strawberries remain the top commodity in Santa Barbara County in terms of gross production value since 2002 strawberries have consistently held the number one spot serving as the cornerstone of the county's agricultural economy.

New she products out steady at the number 2 spot in 2024. Broccoli moved up to the number 3 rising from 4th place last Blackberry saw the most significant jump moving from 9th place in 2023 to 5th in 2024. Livestock continues to rank among our top 10 commodities maintaining its position at the number 10 spot. In 2024, vegetable farmers experienced a better growing season than the year before. However it still costs more to grow crops and other ongoing challenges meant that vegetable prices went up.

Cooler weather and improved plant varieties helped reduce damage from many pests. This category saw a 2.1% increase in total production value. Santa Barbara County's fruit and nut crops led by strawberries saw growth in both the amount of land harvested and overall value. This category made up 53% of the county's total agricultural production value, largely thanks to strawberries remaining the top crop.

Even though farmers dealt with rising production costs and lower market prices in this category, the total value of the strawberry crop still increased. This is due to planting more acres and getting better yields per acre. Avocados and blackberries also had higher total values in 2024. In 2024, wine grape production in Santa Barbara County decreased by 28% due to lower yields.

There was still strong demand for grapes grown in Santa Barbara County and the quality of the grapes that were harvested was high. Prices for local grapes were strong compared to other wine producing regions. However because fewer grapes were harvested, the total value of the crop still declined. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc were the three most harvested varieties with the highest gross value.

Santa Barbara County's flower and nursery industry remains strong thanks to a steady market demand and consistent production. We are a region known for a diverse and well-established horticultural industry, ranging from specialty orchid and rose growers to large scale wholesale nurseries. In 2024 we saw an increase in production for both cut flowers and nursery products along with a slight rise in overall production value.

In field and seed crops, the rainy season led to more robust pasture and rangeland recovery after so many years of drought. More accurate rangeland values contributed to a large increase in total overall value for field and seed crops. We saw a similar positive impact in the livestock industry as the rainy season allowed ranchers to retain more pasture supporting herd health and productivity. Combined with higher sales and increased demand for beef, this resulted in a rise in livestock production values.

In contrast, apiary production saw a decline due to fewer bee registrations and a decrease in overall colony values. I will now turn the rest of the presentation over to Assistant Commissioner Lottie Martin.

Thank you, Matt. Many of the agricultural commodities grown in Santa Barbara County are exported internationally to 34 countries with Canada and Mexico being our top trade partners. In 2024 we shipped over 51,000 tons or 102 million pounds of food abroad. Please note that the export data in this report only includes commodities that require a phytosanitary certificate and does not account for unrestricted exports.

Our producers continue to meet the need for organic commodities with an increase in organic farms compared to last year. In 2024 we had 205 registered organic farms. Strawberries remain our top organic commodity accounting for approximately 30% of the total strawberry acreage in Santa Barbara County grown for organic markets Santa Barbara County hosts several farmers markets, including a new market in Los Alamos started July 12th. Over 100 certified producers sell at these markets as well as in neighboring counties The Agricultural Commissioner's Office is dedicated to enhancing and safeguarding agriculture and natural resources in Santa Barbara County. Our pest exclusion program supports this mission by conducting inspections at mail carriers, nursery retailers and throughout the community to prevent introduction of invasive pests.

In 2024, we identified 182 invasive pests and issued 133 notices of rejection resulting in the exclusion or destruction of plant soil and fruit materials to protect local agriculture and natural resources from potential harm. Here is a video relating to pest exclusion with one of our staff.

A lot of plants just came in right now and as part of the Agriculture Commissioner's Office, this is what we do. We inspect plants that come in from other states or countries and before they go into the market, we inspect them here for pests that could be detrimental to the agriculture industry but more importantly to you, the homeowners. Beautiful ferns right?

I am looking for weeds. We definitely don't want weeds coming in, right? Why? Can you imagine working with all these beautiful plants and then you go plant them into your beautiful garden, right?

This is the second year that we have included a Spanish version of the 2024 Crop and Livestock Report. Our crop and livestock report highlights some of our collaboration and partnerships. To receive free pest identification assistance in Santa Barbara County, our department collaborates with the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. The public can submit a photo or sample of the pest including details about its location and any plant damage via email or dropping it by any of our department offices.

The UC Cooperative Extension bridges university research with practical solutions to support Santa Barbara County's agriculture and communities in addressing challenges such as extreme weather and increasing pest pressures. Through hands-on programs, workshops, and expert guidance they provide direct assistance on topics ranging from pest management to crop adaptation.

It is our staff's recommendation that the Board of Supervisors take the following actions. To receive and file the Santa Barbara County Crop and Livestock Report for the year 2024, and to find the proposed action does not constitute a project within the meeting of CEQA. Thank you again and we are pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you so much for this report. Any questions for the board? Supervisor Hartman.

Well overall it looks positive but for wine grapes a 28% decline is that something that is just weather related or could you expound a bit on why that's the case and what we can expect going forward?

Yeah Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Board of Supervisors. reduced yield in some of the vineyards and we saw a 27% decrease in harvest yield last year. And so that led to the decline of 28% in gross value. Of course, you know there is a lot demand right now for wine consumption and that is something else that we are aware of but this is also happening statewide it was not unique to Santa Barbara County in a statewide, in fact we learned that the wine grape industry in California hadn't seen this decline you know in 20 years. And so moving forward you know it appears from my perspective and my experience that this is going through a correction period and it's just gonna take some time before it gets better but I have seen some of these cycles And so I think, you know, it's just going through a cycle right now.

But I think at some point we're going to get out of these and hopefully many of the fields that are being taken out of production they will go back to wine grapes.

And what's interesting is blackberries have gone up and fruits and nuts, which are my favorite foods. So that's exciting to see I just wanted to say the art and the layout in the Spanish version. I think this is an extremely well done report and really represents your department in our county extremely well so thank you.

Thank you Supervisor Harbin.

Supervisor Nelson

Yes, thank you Chair Kaps. Well congratulations to you and the entire county to hit $2 billion is truly historic moment in Santa Barbara County agriculture and something to really celebrate. I mean this doesn't happen everywhere. I really appreciate all the hard work that the Ag Commissioner's office does to protect our agricultural industry. We know that with state budgets, you know contracting there's challenges there and I've mentioned during the budget hearings and i'll just take this opportunity mention again that we need to make sure that we keep this department whole especially in the ways of pest detection and prevention it is crucial to the future of our economy in Santa Barbara County that we protect Really on the foundation of what Santa Barbara County is all about.

A couple of highlights that I wanted to point out obviously strawberries, you know huge winners there for us and they continue to be. You know even head lettuce if you actually bring your leaf and your head together it were actually lettuces are number two crop and I think that a lot of people don't fully understand What a big deal we are, what we do in Santa Barbara County and why we're so different than other places. Places like Salinas, they end up having rain during most of the winter and they have to shut down. Santa Barbara County is really a year-round agricultural community because of our moderate climate.

And that also impacts not only our production but also impacts our workforce. You know where you have a lot of areas that deal with a lot of migrant labor, a lot of our labor is here year-round in part because of what our weather and so it presents some interesting challenges but also some interesting opportunities that I'm really proud of I really want to encourage my colleagues and I want to encourage department heads and people in the community to participate in our Farm Day program that happens in September.

It's really an opportunity to kind of fully understand the depth and breadth of what we do in our county up in, it's usually been the Santa Maria Valley, I think we're going to extend into Santa Ynez as well this year and into the South Coast but really fully getting your arms around it you know You know, for example you know I have learned even though I should have known because it's a family member. We're the largest provider of cauliflower in the whole entire country from one of our farms here in San Barbara County and you just don't think about that but it's true. On any given day over half of the lettuce in the entire United States is coming out of Santa Maria Valley And you just don't think about that, you know. I mean some days it's some other places sometimes it's Yuma, Arizona but we are a big deal and it's in part because of this board's commitment to agriculture as well as our Ag Commissioner's office and most importantly it's our farmers and our landowners and our workers that make this possible.