[00:00:02] GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS [CALL TO ORDER] MEETING. WELCOME TO THE NOVEMBER 2ND, 2021 MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. WE WILL NOW START WITH THE INVOCATION LED BY PASTOR RICH MILLER FROM THE VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH IN ATWATER. IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE. USUALLY WE LIKE TO SAY THE PRAYER BEFORE WE COME OUT, BUT WE WERE IN CLOSED SESSION FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. SO THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. LET'S PRAY. [INVOCATION] FATHER, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US HERE ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, A MONTH OF THANKSGIVING. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR OUR NATION. WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR US TO HAVE WHAT WE DO TODAY. FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE IN OUR MILITARY TO KEEP US FREE AND TO ALLOW US TO ONCE AGAIN LIVE THE LIVES THAT WE LIVE. FATHER WE THANK YOU FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND OUR POLICE OFFICERS WHO PATROL THE STREETS AND FATHER TRY TO KEEP LAW AND ORDER IN OUR COMMUNITY. FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THESE SERVANTS THAT ARE BEFORE US. WE PRAY FOR YOU TO ANOINT THEM WITH WISDOM FROM ON HIGH. WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THE STAFF AND THEIR EFFORTS TO HELP OUR OUR COUNTY. LORD, WE JUST PRAY THAT YOU WOULD LEAD GUIDE AND DIRECT EVERYTHING IN THIS MEETING SO THAT IT MIGHT BE FOR THE EDIFICATION OF OUR COUNTY AND FOR OUR VARIOUS CITIES AND FATHERS SO THAT YOU MIGHT BE HONORED AND GLORIFIED HERE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. IN JESUS NAME, WE ASK IT. AMEN. AND PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. READY BEGIN. OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, PASTOR MILLER. IT'S NICE HAVING YOU OVER HERE FROM ATWATER, A LITTLE NOTE NOTICE WE DO PUT GOD BEFORE COUNTRY IN THE WAY WE DO THIS, WE START OUT WITH THE INVOCATION AND THEN WE GO INTO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. WE DID HAVE CLOSED SESSION THIS MORNING. STAFF WAS GIVEN DIRECTION AND AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH THE PUBLIC [PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK] COMMENT. IT'S NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON ANY MATTER OF THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION, INCLUDING ITEMS ON THE BOARD'S AGENDA, EXCEPT FOR THOSE ITEMS SPECIFICALLY SCHEDULED AS PUBLIC HEARINGS TESTIMONY LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND WE DO HAVE VOICEMAILS. EIGHT GENERAL PUBLIC FOUR VOICEMAILS THAT NEED SPANISH TRANSLATION. I WILL GO AHEAD AND LOOK HERE AND OK. GOOD MORNING. [INAUDIBLE] GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS ARACELI GARCIA GONZALEZ. I'M A POLICY ADVOCATE WITH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF MERCED COUNTY. I'M HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM 17, THE CONTRACT FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 21-009. THE PROPOSED DAIRY EXPANSION. I AM HERE TO SHARE CONCERNS REGARDING THE NUMBER OF DAIRY EXPANSION REQUESTS IN THE COUNTY AND THEIR CUMULATIVE IMPACT ON OUR REGION. IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE COUNTY HAS SEEN VARIOUS DAIRY EXPANSION PROJECTS COME THROUGH. I'VE PERSONALLY SEEN ABOUT SIX SINCE I STARTED WORKING FOR LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SIX MONTHS AGO. EACH EXPANSION, RANGING FROM FIFTEEN HUNDRED TO FOUR THOUSAND COWS, MEANING WE COULD SEE AN UPWARD OF TWELVE THOUSAND COWS ADDED TO OUR COUNTY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT THIS COUNTY WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBERS AT THE RATE THAT WE'RE SEEING CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS COME THROUGH. THE NUMBER OF COWS FOR EACH APPLICATION MAY NOT SEEM ALARMING TO YOU ALL. HOWEVER, THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF ALL OF THESE EXPANSIONS ON THE COUNTY IS ALARMING AND CREATE SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO OUR COMMUNITIES. THE 2021 INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT PRESENTS A SOBERING WARNING ABOUT THE FUTURE HABITABILITY OF THE PLANET FOR HUMANS AND MANY OTHER SPECIES IF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PERSIST ANY LONGER. METHANE EMISSIONS, WHICH COME FROM MANURE, HAVE A FASTER, MORE INTENSE GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL THAN CO2 EMISSIONS, AND THAT MEANS THAT ONE TON OF METHANE EMISSIONS HAVE THE GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL EQUIVALENT OF BETWEEN TWENTY EIGHT TO THIRTY TWO TONS OF CO2 EMISSION. IN OTHER WORDS, METHANE EMISSIONS CAUSE EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT AND QUICK IMPACTS [00:05:02] TO THE PLANET AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY. BY ALLOWING FOR THIS CONTINUED TREND OF DAIRY EXPANSIONS INTO THE COUNTY, YOU ARE PUTTING RESIDENTS IN DIRECT HARM'S WAY. ADDITIONALLY, THIS LARGE AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL HERD EXPANSIONS HAS SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO NOT ONLY GROUNDWATER QUALITY DUE TO INCREASED LEVELS OF NITRATE CONTAMINATION, BUT ALSO TO RESIDENTS ACCESS TO SAFE AND RELIABLE DRINKING WATER. THE MAJORITY OF THESE DAIRIES ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE MERCED SUB BASIN AND AN INCREASE IN HERD SIZE OF THIS MAGNITUDE. AGAIN, WE'RE THINKING CUMULATIVE HERE BRINGS SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO HOW MUCH WATER IS BEING PUMPED BY THESE DAIRIES. I HAVE HEARD THIS COUNTY SAY THAT DAIRY EXPANSION STIMULATE THE ECONOMY AND BRING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO OUR REGION. BUT THAT IS SPECULATIVE AND ASSUMES THAT DAIRY EXPANSIONS EQUATE TO MORE JOBS WITH COMPETITIVE SALARIES THAT RESIDENTS ACTUALLY WANT WHEN THERE IS NO QUALITATIVE NOR QUANTITATIVE DATA TO SUPPORT THAT ASSUMPTION. INSTEAD, THE COUNTY SEEMS TO BE PRIORITIZING LARGE DAIRY EXPANSIONS OVER THE HEALTH OF THOSE IMPACTED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN MCDANIEL, SUPERVISOR CEO BROWN AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AMY TAYLOR, YOUR COUNTY LIBRARIAN. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE THE LIBRARY STRATEGY TEAM WHO DEVELOPED THE 2021-2024 LIBRARY STRATEGIC PLAN FOR YOUR APPROVAL TODAY ON ITEM 22. THE TEAM SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS ARE HERE WITH ME TODAY JOAN BOWERS, OLGA CASTANEDA, PATRICK [INAUDIBLE], KRYSTAL VEGA, [INAUDIBLE] PENA AND [INAUDIBLE] LEE. THIS TEAM WORKED COUNTLESS HOURS LEARNING ABOUT PROCESS HOSTING VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND ANALYZING INFORMATION AND DEVELOPING A FORWARD THINKING ROADMAP TO GUIDE OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. LIBRARIES ARE COMMUNITY HUBS OFFERING FREE ACCESS TO BOOKS, MAGAZINES, ONLINE DATABASES, INTERNET, WI-FI, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SOCIAL GATHERING SPACES. THE STRATEGY PLAN IS DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES BY ESTABLISHING THE LIBRARY AS A VISIBLE AND VALUABLE COMMUNITY PARTNER. I COMMEND THE FINAL PRODUCT FOR YOUR APPROVAL TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU AND THANKS, TEAM. YES, PLEASE COME FORWARD. DARLENE, YOU'RE NEXT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS RHONDA SHARPE. I WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF STANISLAUS COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT AND I LOVED MY JOB. I WAS THERE FOR ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AND RECEIVED EXEMPLARY REVIEWS. I FAILED TO COMPLY WITH THE MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICY. AND ON OCTOBER 8TH, I WAS ESCORTED OUT OF THE COURTHOUSE. I AM NOT AGAINST VACCINATIONS. I AM SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES THAT THE CHOICE SHOULD BE OURS. IN AUGUST, STANISLAUS WAS ONE OF TWO COURTS IN THE STATE THAT IMPLEMENTED A MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICY. THIS POLICY WAS CREATED AHEAD OF ANY ORDER BY THE GOVERNOR OR PRESIDENT OR BEFORE THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH ABOUT A POSSIBLE MANDATE FOR LARGE COMPANIES. A FEW JUDGES WITHIN OUR COURT CAME TOGETHER AND DECIDED WHAT WAS BEST FOR ME. THE POLICY WAS CREATED FOR EMPLOYEES AND VENDORS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE EXEMPT FROM THE POLICY. THOSE WHO ENTER THE COURTHOUSE, SUCH AS ATTORNEYS, ARE EXEMPT. DEPUTIES, PARTIES, INMATES, THE PUBLIC AND THE JUDGES ARE EXEMPT. THE POLICY PROVIDE PROOF OF VACCINATION IN EXCHANGE FOR FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR REQUEST AN EXEMPTION AND BE TESTED ONCE A WEEK. MY INTERPRETATION I WAS GIVEN TWO CHOICES IN ORDER TO KEEP MY JOB. TO BE FORCED TO BE VACCINATED WITH THE VACCINE THAT WE ARE STILL LEARNING ABOUT OR LIE AND REQUESTING AN EXEMPTION. MY REASON WAS NOT BASED UPON A MEDICAL CONDITION OR RELIGIOUS BELIEF. MY REASON WAS BASED UPON THE FACT THAT I BELIEVE THE CHOICE SHOULD BE OURS AND NOT THE GOVERNMENTS. I TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID IN AUGUST I TOLD THE COURT THAT DOESN'T MATTER, SAID THE COURT. YOU STILL HAVE TO GET THE VACCINATION. I OFFERED TO TAKE THE TEST. NOT GOOD ENOUGH, SAID THE COURT. I FAILED TO COMPLY AND I WAS ESCORTED OUT OF THE COURTHOUSE. I WAS SENT HOME TO THINK ABOUT MY SINS. LAST WEEK, I WAS TERMINATED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT FIVE OF US WERE TERMINATED, AFTER I WAS SENT HOME TO THINK ABOUT MY [00:10:01] SINS I CONSIDERED IN A WAY I NEVER HAD BEFORE. WHAT WAS NEXT? NOT IN REGARDS TO THE COURT OR MY CAREER, BUT IN REGARDS TO WHAT WAS NEXT IF WE CONTINUE TO REMAIN SILENT AND NOT STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN. WHAT NEXT, FOR THOSE WHO WORK AT THE COURT WHO WERE NOT VACCINATED, WHAT NEXT? SEGREGATE THOSE WHO HAVEN'T FROM THOSE WHO HAVE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS HAS ALREADY STARTED. TEST TWICE A WEEK INSTEAD OF ONCE A WEEK. THAT CHANGE HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE. THE EXEMPTION WILL NO LONGER BE GOOD ENOUGH AND VACCINATION WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WORK AT THE COURT WHO HAVE AN EXEMPTION. WHAT NEXT? WE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GO TO INDOOR FACILITIES THAT IS ALREADY HAPPENING IN L.A. COUNTY. WE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE OUR HOUSE. THE EXEMPTION WILL NO LONGER BE GOOD ENOUGH AND VACCINATION WILL BE REQUIRED. THE POLICE WILL COME TO OUR HOUSE AND ARREST US. WHAT NEXT? WILL WE RECEIVE A [INAUDIBLE] SHOWING THAT WE REFUSE TO COMPLY? FOR THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED, WHAT NEXT? THE SHOT WE TOOK WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH AND WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE A DIFFERENT ONE. WILL WE HAVE TO TAKE BOOSTERS. HOW MANY? WHAT NEXT? WILL WE RECEIVE A [INAUDIBLE] SHOWING WE HAVE COMPLIED FOR ALL? WILL OUR CHILDREN BE FORCED TO BE VACCINATED? WHAT WILL BE NEXT FOR ALL AFTER THE FEAR OF COVID SUBSIDES? THANK YOU. YOUR THREE MINUTES IS UP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. EARLY. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CEO JIM BROWN, COUNTY COUNCIL FORREST HANSEN, DARLENE INGERSOLL MERCED COUNTY REGISTRAR VOTERS, I'M HERE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ON ITEM NUMBER 30, WHICH IS INFORMATION ONLY. IT PRESENTS A CERTIFIED ELECTION RESULTS AND STATEMENT OF VOTE FOR THE SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RECALL ELECTION. THIS ELECTION I CERTIFIED ON OCTOBER 8TH SOME STATISTICS THE TURNOUT FOR THIS ELECTION WAS FORTY SEVEN POINT SEVEN PERCENT. THE ALL TIME HIGH NOW FOR THIS ELECTION OF REGISTERED VOTERS WAS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT, UP FROM ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED THIRTEEN FROM THE NOVEMBER 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'D LIKE TO PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK BLANCA TORRES, ASSISTANT REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, AND [INAUDIBLE] MACHADO, SUPERVISING ELECTION SPECIALIST, FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AND HARD WORK. IN ADDITION TO THE FULL TIME STAFF, INCLUDING MYSELF, THERE'S NINE OF US IN THE REGISTERED VOTERS OFFICE. THE FOLLOWING ALSO WORKED TO PREPARE AND PROVIDE ELECTION SERVICES ELECTION EXCUSE ME, EXTRA HELP EMPLOYEES, COUNTY EMPLOYEE POLL WORKERS, POLL WORKERS AND ROVERS. IN TOTAL, ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE ALL THEIR HARD WORK, ESPECIALLY WORKING SO WELL TOGETHER AS A TEAM, IS INVALUABLE AND APPRECIATED. I HUMBLY AND SINCERELY THANK EVERYONE. WE RECEIVED GREAT SUPPORT ON A VERY SHORTENED TIME FRAME FOR 13 VOTING ASSISTANCE CENTER LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT MERCED COUNTY, AND I THANK ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE CITIES OF THEIR CITY HALLS FOR DROP BOXES, MERCED ELECTIONS RECEIVED TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM NUMEROUS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS WHO ALLOWED THEIR EMPLOYEES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COUNTY EMPLOYEE POLL WORKER PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY, WE'D LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE. COUNTY COUNCIL INFORMATION SYSTEMS JANITORIAL DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. PURCHASING ASSESSOR CLERK RECORDER'S OFFICE, HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES AND U.S. CO-OP EXTENSION. THE TEAM WORK BY THE DEPARTMENTS COUNTYWIDE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ELECTION SERVICES AND ALSO WE APPRECIATE THE SHERIFF DEPUTIES AND THE SECURITY DETAIL AT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. AGAIN, THANK YOU. FINALLY, THE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT ENABLING US AGAIN TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, TRANSPARENT AND ACCURATE ELECTION SERVICES WAS RECEIVED FROM OUR ELECTION EQUIPMENT VENDORS, ELECTION SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE [INAUDIBLE]. WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE THESE VENDORS AND THEIR COLLEAGUES AS A PART OF OUR TEAM. I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOME NEW PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE STARTED THIS ELECTION AND THAT IS WITH RANCHO SAN MIGUEL AND LIBERTY MARKET. THEY WERE GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO HOST DROP BOXES FOR THIS RECALL ELECTION AND ALL OF THE SITES THAT WE HAD ON A VERY SHORT TIME FRAME. AND I APPRECIATE AND THANK EVERYBODY FOR A SUCCESSFUL ELECTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, SIR. THERE'S A BUTTON TO THE RIGHT, SO YOU CAN RAISE THE PODIUM. [00:15:12] WE'RE KIND OF PROUD OF THAT. AS IT GOES GOOD MORNING SUPERVISORS, MY NAME IS JAMES HUNT. I LIVE AT 3250 NORTH ARBOLEDA. I'VE BEEN ABLE TO MEET WITH ALL YOU GUYS AND IT'S BEEN GREAT. I APPRECIATE IT. I DON'T APPRECIATE NOT KNOWING THAT THERE'S A MEETING THAT OUR PROJECT'S INVOLVED IN, YOU KNOW, BLACK RASCAL CREEK, AND THAT'S A PICTURE OF A BRIDGE THAT'S ON MY PROPERTY. AND I WASN'T AWARE THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE ANYTHING, ANY MEETINGS COMING UP THAT WOULD BE INVOLVING OUR PARTICULAR PROJECT. SO I'D LIKE TO TRY TO BE KEPT IN THE LOOP. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS. NOW, IF THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO KEEP MYSELF IN THE LOOP OR IF YOU GUYS CAN KEEP ME IN THE LOOP, LET ME KNOW. EITHER WAY, PLEASE. THANKS. SURE. THANK YOU. OK, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO VOICEMAILS. [SPANISH] MY NAME. EXCUSE ME, MY NAME IS JOSE [INAUDIBLE]. I'M FROM THE COMMUNITY OF SANTA NELLA. A REMINDER REMEMBER WE NEED A PARK. CHILDREN NEED A PLACE TO PLAY AND THEY NEED TO PLAY WITH EACH OTHER. WE ARE FORGOTTEN, BUT WE PAY OUR TAXES. PLEASE REMEMBER WE ARE REQUESTING A PARK. HELLO, MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE], I LIVE IN SANTA NELLA AND I WOULD LIKE A PARK. [INAUDIBLE] AND I LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE POSITION THAT WAS MADE AT THE LAST MEETING ABOUT THE PARK BUILDING. AND THANK YOU. [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] MY NAME IS ERICA MARTINEZ. I'M FROM SANTA NELLA. I HAVE THREE CHILDREN AND WE NEED A PARK. I HAVE CALLED BEFORE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD. WE HAVE NOT GIVEN A SOLUTION YET. CHILDREN NEED TO TO BE SAFE. THEY NEED A PARK SO THEY CAN PLAY AND THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PLAY IN THE STREETS. THANK YOU. MY COMMENT IS NOT AN AGENDA ITEM COMMENT. THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT. MY NAME IS RACHEL [INAUDIBLE]. I LIVE IN SANTA NELLA AND HAVE FOUR CHILDREN. OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES A PARK AND A COMMUNITY CENTER WHERE OUR CHILDREN CAN PLAY AND OUR FAMILIES CAN COME TOGETHER. WE HAVE WAITED YEARS FOR SANTA NELLA FAMILIES TO HAVE A SAFE COMMUNITY SPACE A PARK IS PART OF A HEALTHY, UNITED COMMUNITY. I'VE BEEN HERE IN SANTA NELLA FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS AND WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR A PARK. FUNDS HAVE BEEN MISAPPROPRIATED WE PAY OUR TAXES. OUR CHILDREN DESERVE A PARK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION, AND WE HOPE TO HEAR UPDATES SOON ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT. [00:20:22] [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] MY NAME IS GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS GABRIELLE GABRIELA SALCEDO AND I'M FROM SANTA NELLA AND WE'RE ASKING FOR A PARK AND A COMMUNITY CENTER. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR CHILDREN TO PLAY IN THE STREETS BECAUSE THERE IS NO PARK. ALSO, IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN HAVE CLASSES LIKE ART, FOLKLORE, GYMNASTICS, SO THEY CAN GET RID OF THEIR ENERGY. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING TO OBTAIN THIS. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS ANDREW MORALES. I AM 10 YEARS OLD. I LIVE IN SANTA NELLA WITH MY PARENTS THAT I LOVE. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A PARK TO PLAY AND HAVE FUN. NEXT, PARENTS WON'T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO TAKE THEIR KIDS FAR TO [INAUDIBLE] OR LOS BANOS. HAVING A PARK WOULD BE NICE BECAUSE I PLAY IN THE STREET, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. LAST, I LOVE TO PLAY SPORTS AND MY DREAM IS TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER IF THERE IS A PARK I WILL BE ABLE TO PRACTICE TO MAKE MY DREAM COME TRUE. THANK YOU. [SPANISH] [00:25:15] MY NAME IS MARIA SALAZAR, DISTRICT FIVE. I LIVE IN SANTA NELLA AND I AM ASKING FOR YOU TO WORK TO GET A PARK. WE HAVE WAITED SEVERAL YEARS NOW AND IT IS NOT FAIR FOR OUR CHILDREN AND WE HAVE NOT HEARD THE SUMMER OF 2020. SUPERVISOR SCOTT SILVEIRA MET AT THE MOBILE HOMES WITH THE RESIDENTS WHERE THEY ASKED FOR A PARK AND COMMUNITY CENTER. MR. SILVEIRA SAID HE WAS GOING TO GET BACK TO US, BUT WE ARE STILL WAITING. SOME RESIDENTS SAW A VIRTUAL PRESENTATION VIA ZOOM APRIL 7TH, 2021. DISTRICT FIVE NEEDED SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SAID THAT HE NEEDED SOME WEEKS TO INVESTIGATE. THEN, A COMMITTEE FORMED BY THE RESIDENTS OF SANTA NELLA PLUS LAWYER ALLISON SENT AN EMAIL TO SCOTT SILVEIRA ON 5/21/21, ASKING NEWS ABOUT THE PARK. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. SANTA NELLA IS A CITY FOR TRAVELERS. THEY COME AND THEY BUY THINGS AND THEY LEAVE, AND THAT IS IT. DO YOU THINK THE SAME OF US? BUT YOU DO NOT CONTRIBUTE? CONSIDER FOR RESIDENTS IN SANTA NELLA IT SEEMS YOU DO NOT CONSIDER US. WE ASK FOR A PARK AND A COMMUNITY CENTER. THIS CONCLUDES THE VOICEMAILS RECEIVED. THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION. [PRESENTATION: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES – 2022 CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN (CVFPP) UPDATE] NEXT, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 2022 CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN UPDATE. GOOD MORNING, MARY. CAN YOU HEAR US? YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME OK? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU, WE'RE READY. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MARY JIMENEZ. IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING THROUGH THE SCREEN. PLEASED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING WITH MY COLLEAGUES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES AND THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION BOARD TO MEET WITH YOU ON DEVELOPMENT OF OUR 2022 UPDATE TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN. SO ALONG WITH ME TODAY IS OUR DWR'S DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT, MR. KRIS TJERNELL. I ALSO HAVE WITH ME CENTRAL FIRE FLOOD PROTECTION BOARD MEMBER JOSEPH COUNTRYMAN AND THE FLOOD BOARD'S POLICY ADVISOR, DARREN SUEN. SO WITH THAT, WE DO HAVE A SHORT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. AND WE DO HAVE SOME CONSULTANT SUPPORT FROM EDELMAN ON THE LINE TO HELP US TAKE NOTES AND MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW UP ON ANY OF THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED. AND SO WITH THAT, IF I COULD HELP HAVE HELP SHARING SCREEN, I'D LIKE TO OFFER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR KRIS TJERNELL TO MAKE SOME REMARKS. THANK YOU. GREAT, THANKS, MARY. CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? YES. OK, WONDERFUL. GOOD MORNING, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. PLEASURE TO BE HERE THIS MORNING AGAIN, KRISTOPHER TJERNELL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AT THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO DIVING INTO THE WORKING DRAFT OF THE 2022 CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN UPDATE. I'LL MAKE MY OPENING REMARKS SHORT AND SWEET HERE. JUST REALLY WANTED TO CONVEY A HUGE THANKS AND JUST VOICE OF GRATITUDE FOR YOUR COUNTY'S INVOLVEMENT IN OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS INVOLVEMENT IN PARTICULAR IN THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN REGIONAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROCESS THAT'S SUPPORTED BY DWR, BUT VERY MUCH LOCAL AGENCY LED. IT'S THESE SORT OF LOCAL AGENCY LED EFFORTS THAT WE ARE INVOLVED WITH, THAT WE TRY TO HELP FACILITATE WHEREVER WE CAN THAT REALLY DO ENSURE THAT THE STATE'S PLAN OF HOW DO WE HOW DO WE REDUCE FLOOD RISKS HAVING PROTECT COMMUNITIES? HOW DO WE RESTORE FLOOD SYSTEM RELATED HABITATS ALL ALONG THE CENTRAL VALLEY? HOW DOES THAT MAKE SURE? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT BEST REFLECTS NOT ONLY THE INTERESTS OF THE STATE, BUT REALLY ALSO REFLECTS THE BEST INTERESTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNITIES, THOSE WHOM WE ARE ALL TRYING TO WORK TOGETHER TO HELP PROTECT. SO JUST REALLY QUICKLY, JUST WANT TO GIVE A QUICK SHOUT OUT AND A BIG THANKS NOT ONLY TO YOUR COUNTY AND IN THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN REGION OR SAN JOAQUIN REGIONAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT [00:30:05] PLAN, FOLKS. THAT INCLUDES LEADERSHIP FROM THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT AGENCY AND OTHERS, INCLUDING THE LOWER SAN JOAQUIN LEVEE DISTRICT AND THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER EXCHANGE CONTRACTORS WATER AUTHORITY, THE COUNTY OF MADERA, AND MERCED'S [INAUDIBLE] GROUP WORKING TOGETHER. WE'VE HAD SOME, SOME SUCCESSES SO FAR. LOOKING FORWARD TO MANY MORE SPANNING THE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION, YOU KNOW, LEVEE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, BRINGING 200 YEAR PROTECTION TO MERCED ECOSYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND REALLY JUST SEEING WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER MORE AND MORE. SO THAT'S REALLY, TO ME, THE BIG THEME OF THE 2022 UPDATE OF THE CVFPP AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION TODAY. I'LL PASS IT BACK. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU BOARD MEMBER, COUNTRYMEN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE SOME OPENING REMARKS? SURE JUST WE KNOW THAT MERCED COUNTY HAS VERY UNIQUE FLOOD PROBLEMS AND WE HOPE THAT THIS FLOOD UPDATE ADDRESSES THOSE AND WE ARE ANXIOUS TO WORK WITH YOU TO PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OF FLOOD PROTECTION FOR YOUR RESIDENTS. SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEE WHAT YOUR COMMENTS ARE. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'LL BEGIN OUR OVERVIEW OF OUR WORKING DRAFT OF THE 2022 FLOOD PLAN. SO TO START WITH THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN IS THE STATE'S PROGRAMMATIC PLAN FOR FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT IN THE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. IT IS A DESCRIPTIVE TYPE DOCUMENT. IT PRIORITIZES THE STATE'S INVESTMENT IN FLOOD MANAGEMENT OVER THE NEXT THREE DECADES, SO IT IS A LONG RANGE PLAN LOOKING FORWARD IN THE CONTEXT OF IMPROVING FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT. IT ALSO PROMOTES MULTI BENEFIT PROJECTS IN INTEGRATING AND IMPROVING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, ASSOCIATED FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECTS. SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR TJERNELL INDICATED, REGIONAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT PLANNING CONTINUES TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING OUR FLOOD PLAN TOGETHER WITH OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS. LOWER SAN JOAQUIN AND LEVEE DISTRICTS LEADERSHIP OF THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN[INAUDIBLE] HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY INSTRUMENTAL IN BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND THE ACTIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE TOGETHER. THE REGION HAS PROVIDED INPUT SPECIFICALLY ON THE 2022 DATE AND THE WORKING DRAFT THAT WE HAVE, ACCORDING TO THREE. THESE THREE THEMES OF OUR UPDATE SHOWN ON THE SLIDE AND THAT IS PROMOTING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE FLOOD SYSTEM AND BUILDING A MORE CLIMATE RESILIENT FLOOD SYSTEM OVER TIME TRACKING PERFORMANCE, IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES. AND BY THAT WE MEAN WHERE ARE WE INVESTING AND WHAT BENEFITS AND OUTCOMES ARE WE ARE WE SEEING FROM THOSE STATE INVESTMENTS IN THE FLOOD SYSTEM. AND THEN STRENGTHENING INTEGRATION AND ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN AND OUR FLOOD MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FROM THE STATE WITH OTHER REGIONAL AND STATE WATER MANAGEMENT EFFORTS BECAUSE WE KNOW A WATER MANAGEMENT IS COMPLEX AND HAS A HAS AN IMPORTANT OVERLAY BETWEEN FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND OTHER WATER MANAGEMENT SECTORS. SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO THE 2022 UPDATE TO OUR FLOOD PLAN IS NOT A NEW PLAN. WE ARE BUILDING UPON THE 2012 AND 2017 FLOOD PLANS INFORMED BY A WEALTH OF NEW INFORMATION. WE ARE ASSESSING PROGRESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF INVESTMENTS MADE IN THE PREVIOUS PLANNING CYCLE. AND BY THAT, I MEAN, THE LAST FIVE YEARS IN PARTICULAR AND ALL OF THIS IS TO HELP THE STATE IDENTIFY UPDATED INVESTMENT NEEDS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FLOOD PLAN OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS. THE STATE SYSTEM WIDE INVESTMENT APPROACH THAT IS FOUNDATIONAL TO THE CVFPP IS ADAPTING WITH THIS PLANNING PROCESS AS COMPLEX VARIABLES ARE BETTER UNDERSTOOD, SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE. WHAT WE'RE LEARNING FROM THE PERFORMANCE TRACKING EFFORT AND WHERE WE'RE MAKING INVESTMENTS AND CHANGES IN POLICY AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO THE WORKING DRAFT OF THE 2022 UPDATE INTRODUCES THE THREE THEMES THAT I MENTIONED. IT ALSO REINFORCES THAT THE 2022 UPDATE TO THE FLOOD PLAN THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THOSE PREVIOUS PLANS, TALKS ABOUT REPORTING ON TRACK PERFORMANCE OF PLANNED INVESTMENTS, AS I MENTIONED, AND THAT WE'RE UPDATING THE STATE SYSTEM WITH AN INVESTMENT APPROACH TO PROVIDE A PORTFOLIO OF ACTIONS THAT HAS REASONABLE BALANCE AND ULTIMATELY COST EFFECTIVE FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. IT RECOGNIZES THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A MAJOR DRIVER OF FLOOD RISK THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY, AND THAT FLOOD RISK REMAINS HIGH. NATIVE SPECIES ARE CONTINUING TO DECLINE, AND THOSE TRENDS ARE VERY CONCERNING AND EXACERBATED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND RELATED ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS OF ALL OF US LIVING AND WORKING IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. AND SO REALLY, THAT THE PROBLEM STATEMENT EMPHASIZED IN CHAPTER ONE IS MEANT TO DRIVE THE URGENCY AND NEED FOR THE STATE TO INVEST IN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT. [00:35:01] NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO CHAPTER TWO OF THE WORKING DRAFT FOCUSES ON IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMS, SO WHERE WHERE HAVE WE INVESTED AND WHAT PROGRESS HAVE WE MADE SO FAR IN IMPLEMENTING OUR PLAN? SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WORKING DRAFT OF CHAPTER TWO. WE HAVE A MAP OF COMPLETED PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, SO YOU'LL SEE A SCREENSHOT HERE ON THE MAP. WE ALSO HAVE HIGHLIGHTED DESCRIPTIONS AND SOME PHOTOS WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COLLECT SOME TO HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH REGARDS TO DIFFERENT PROJECTS. THE AREAS OF INTEREST IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN THAT WE TALK ABOUT OUR URBAN AREAS, SMALL COMMUNITIES, RURAL AGRICULTURAL AREAS AND SYSTEM WIDE ACTIONS TO GIVE ALL OF THOSE IMPORTANT ACTIONS A PLACE FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND HIGHLIGHT THE TYPES OF BENEFITS WE EXPECT IN THOSE AREAS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM. SO CHAPTER TWO ALSO DESCRIBES PROGRESS IN TERMS OF POLICY ISSUES, NOT ONLY PHYSICAL PROGRESS ON THE GROUND. SO WE HAD IDENTIFIED AN ARRAY OF POLICY ISSUES THAT WERE CHALLENGING IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR FLOOD PLAN BACK IN 2017, AND WE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS BACK THEN. SO THIS CHAPTER TWO IN 2022 IS REALLY THE LOOK BEHIND. SO WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MAKE IN 2017 WHEN THESE QUALITATIVELY, WHAT ARE WE DOING AND HOW ARE WE DOING IN ADDRESSING THOSE? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND THEN CHAPTER THREE IS WELL CHAPTER TWO IS MORE OF A LOOK BACK AND HOW ARE WE DOING? CHAPTER THREE IS MORE THE LOOK FORWARD. SO WHAT IS OUR UPDATED DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEMWIDE FLOOD RISK? WHAT ARE OUR UPDATED PRIORITIES? PORTFOLIOS OF ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES EXPECTED FROM IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR PLAN? SO A COUPLE OF SPOTLIGHTS OF INTERESTING INFORMATION IN THE WORKING DRAFT OF CHAPTER THREE. IN ADDITION TO THE YOLO BYPASS WORK IN THE SACRAMENTO BASIN, WE HAVE A SPOTLIGHT OF THE SAN JOAQUIN REGIONAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT IS DEVELOPING ALONG WITH THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN RFMP AND MANY OTHERS ENGAGING WITH US IN THESE DISCUSSIONS OF HOW TO MEANINGFULLY COLLABORATE AND ADDRESS DRESSED THE URBAN, EXCUSE ME, THE URGENT NEEDS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN BASIN AND LOOKING AT CROSS-REGIONAL STRATEGIES AS WELL. CHAPTER THREE DEPICTS ALSO UPDATED DESCRIPTIONS OF THOSE AREAS OF INTEREST THAT I MENTIONED. UPDATED PRIORITIES AND ACCOMPANYING MAPS AND VISUALS. CHAPTER THREE, LASTLY, PROVIDES AN UPDATED LOOK AT OK, CONSIDERING THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE IN THIS UPDATED INFORMATION THAT WE'VE COLLECTED SO FAR. WHAT MIGHT BE A SUBSET OF HIGH PRIORITY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS WE CAN MAKE MOVING FORWARD TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING THROUGHOUT THE FLOOD SYSTEM COLLABORATIVELY BETWEEN STATE, FEDERAL, LOCAL PARTNERS. SO WE HAVE A DRAFT OF SOME UPDATED POLICY ISSUE RECOMMENDATIONS AND CHAPTER THREE REALLY MEANT TO TARGET THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PLANNING CYCLE AND WHAT MIGHT BE ACHIEVABLE IF WE CAN FOCUS ON THOSE ITEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO THAT THE UPDATE OF THE POLICY ISSUE IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS 2022 UPDATE. WE ARE RETAINING THE FOUR POLICY ISSUE CATEGORIES YOU'LL SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SLIDE. THOSE WERE IN THE 2017 PLAN, SO WE'RE RETAINING THOSE WITH SOME RELATIVELY MODEST UPDATES FOR 22. THE BIG ADDITIONS, THOUGH, ARE REALLY ON THE RIGHT. WE ARE EXPLORING HOW TO EXPAND UPON POLICY ISSUES RELATED TO EQUITY AND INCLUSION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND FLOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCE THROUGHOUT THE FLOOD SYSTEM. AS THOSE TOPICS HAVE COME UP MANY TIMES WITH OUR ENGAGEMENT OF THE LAST TWO YEARS OF DEVELOPING THIS PLAN UPDATE AND SO REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON AND EXPAND THE CONTENT IN 2022 THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO MOVING FORWARD, OUR LAST CHAPTER IS CHAPTER FOUR. THAT IS WHERE WE HAVE AN UPDATED ESTIMATE OF THE CAPITAL AND ONGOING INVESTMENT NEED IN THE FLOOD SYSTEM. THE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE UPDATED INVESTMENT NEED IT IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL PARTNERS, AND IT IS SEPARATED IN CAPITAL AND ONGOING INVESTMENT CATEGORIES, AND THE CURRENT ESTIMATE IN THE 2022 DRAFT IS 25 TO 30 BILLION OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS. WHILE THAT DOES REPRESENT AN INCREASE FROM THE SEVENTEEN TO TWENTY ONE BILLION ESTIMATED IN 2017 FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. A COMPONENT OF THAT, OF COURSE, IS COST OF LIVING AND JUST ESCALATION COSTS. AS WE ALL KNOW, YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING THE LAST FEW YEARS IN PARTICULAR, BUT ALSO JUST THE GREATER NUMBER IN THE URGENCY OF ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT NEED TO BE IMPLEMENTED, THANKS IN LARGE PART TO OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS FOR IDENTIFYING MANY OF THOSE AND WORKING WITH US TO BRING THEM INTO THE FULL PLAN. SO THE NEED FOR URGENT FISCAL CONDITIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, AND SO THE NEED IS. GROWING AS WELL, AND WE'RE FINDING THAT VERY MUCH IN OUR EARLY WORK IN CHAPTER FOUR. [00:40:06] NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO WHILE WE'RE OUT IN THE PROCESS, WE AS WE SHARED A WORKING DRAFT ON OCTOBER 1ST WITH WITH MANY OF OUR PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY. THE FORMAL COMMENT PERIOD ENDED CLOSE OF BUSINESS YESTERDAY. BUT THOSE ARE JUST WRITTEN COMMENTS. SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO GET ALL THE VERBAL COMMENTS AND ENGAGEMENT THAT WE CAN, ALONG WITH RECEIVING AND AND WORKING THROUGH THOSE WRITTEN COMMENTS BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR. SO HIGH LEVEL ON THE SCHEDULE. WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK FEVERISHLY TOWARDS DEVELOPING REPUBLIC DRAFT OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN UPDATE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR OR THE FLOOD BOARD WILL LEAD THE PUBLIC PROCESS AND MOVE TOWARDS ADOPTION LATER IN THE YEAR. ALL RIGHT, NEXT SLIDE. AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO PAUSE AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US THIS MORNING AND OPEN TO YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS [INAUDIBLE] EXTENT, WE CAN HAVE TIME. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MARY, FOR THAT. THIS IS THE CHAIR OF PRESIDENT OR CHAIR, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, DARON MCDANIEL. IT'S NICE THAT WE'RE SEEING THIS, AND IT'S NICE THAT WE ARE REALIZING THAT THERE IS CLIMATE CHANGE WITH THESE BOMB CYCLONES, ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS. IT JUST HAPPENED HERE THE LAST TIME THAT WE HAD THIS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I HOPE IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS AND I DON'T SEE A WHOLE LOT OF IT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT EVERY TIME WE HAVE THESE WEATHER SYSTEMS HERE, AND IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY OF CAPTURING THE WATER THAT WE DO, WE'D BE HAVING THESE FLOODS EVERY TIME WE'D HAVE A STORM. SO I WAS HOPING IN YOUR NARRATIVE THAT WE WOULD BE TOUCHING MORE ON THE CAPTURING OF THIS WATER. THE GOVERNOR WAS JUST HERE IN MERCED COUNTY. I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST WEEK WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE UC MERCED MEDICAL SCHOOL THAT HE HAS PROPOSED THE MONEY TO AND ONGOING FUNDING. AND HE ACTUALLY, IN HIS COMMENTS HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, HE REALIZED THAT WE ARE GETTING MORE WATER IN SHORTER PERIODS OF TIME AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CAPTURE THAT. I HOPE THAT THIS STUDY IS GOING TO REFLECT THAT, THAT WE KNOW THAT DAMS ARE THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE OUR WATER FLOWS. AND TWO THAT IT'S THE CLEANEST ELECTRICITY THAT'S BEING GENERATED HERE, WHICH WE KNOW WE NEED TO ADD ELECTRICITY TO OUR GRID. SO GOING FORWARD, I WAS HOPING MAYBE WE COULD TOUCH ON THAT OR, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SITES RESERVOIR THAT COULD BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM. IS THIS BOARD RECOGNIZING SOME OF THOSE FACILITIES? I COULD SPEAK TO TO SOME OF THE COMPONENTS IN THE PLAN THAT DO ADDRESS THOSE TYPES OF NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES. SO AMONG THE ACTIONS HIGHLIGHTED ARE FLOOD STRATEGIES FORECAST INFORMED AND FORECAST COORDINATED OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES. SO USING FLOOD WATERS TO RECHARGE GROUNDWATER IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE PLAN AND KIND OF WHAT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO TO PUT THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS INTO ACTION. RE OPERATING THE RESERVOIRS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN LIGHT OF THESE CHANGES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO NOT GOING INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL, THERE ARE A VARIETY OF ACTIONS IN THE PLAN THAT IN LARGE PART DUE TO THE GREAT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN RFMP, WE'VE BROUGHT IN AND AND CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT STRENGTHENING IF WE NEED TO BETWEEN NOW AND THE PUBLIC DRAFT. SO, YOU KNOW, OPEN TO MORE IDEAS ON THAT ALSO. THANK YOU. AND THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. HELLO. I WANT TO RAISE AN ITEM I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, BUT I JUST WANT TO TO CONTINUE THE DIALOG. TEMPERANCE FLAT WAS A PROPOSED STRUCTURE ON THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER. AND MOST OF THE FLOODING THAT WE GET FROM BETWEEN THEY CITY OF MERCED AND THE DELTA IS ALONG THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER, AND I'VE MADE THIS POINT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IN FRONT OF THE STATE WATER BOARD AND ONCE AT DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, AND THAT THE FOLKS THAT LIVE DOWN IN THE HILLS FERRY AREA OF STEVENSON AREA OF OUR COUNTY GET FLOODED ALL THE TIME. AND THEY'RE FOLKS THAT DON'T HAVE MANY OPTIONS, RIGHT? THEY'RE LIVING IN DILAPIDATED MOBILE HOMES AND RVS ALONG THE RIVER. AND AND SO IF IF IF WE WERE TO BUILD THE SITE OR THE TEMPERANCE FLAT FACILITY, THAT WOULD KEEP THAT WOULD SOLVE A LOT OF THE FLOOD CONTROL ISSUES IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, RIGHT? AND SO JUST WANT TO SEE THAT AGAIN. AND IF IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN THAT, THEN THEN AT LEAST LOOK AT RAISING THE SPILLWAY OR HELPING US RAISE THE SPILLWAY ON LAKE MCCLURE EXCHEQUER DAM. YOU KNOW, THE IMMERSIVE IRRIGATION DISTRICT HAS PROPOSED RAISING THAT SPILLWAY 10 FEET, [00:45:04] AND THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAYS IN CAPTURING WATER THAT THAT EVENTUALLY GETS DOWN TO THAT STEVENSON AREA AND CAUSES FLOODING. SO, YOU KNOW, IF IF THE FOLKS IN CALIFORNIA HAVE VOTED TO SPEND MONEY BUILDING MORE RESERVOIRS IN THE PAST AND THAT MONEY HASN'T BEEN SPENT. SO I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT TODAY THAT YOU MIGHT CHAMPION THOSE POTENTIALS FOR REDUCING FLOODING. AND REALLY, WHICH IS THE LEAST OF THESE RIGHT FOLKS THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN A NON FLOOD ZONE. SO ANYWAY, SO THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT. YOU KNOW, BUT BUT ADD ADD THOSE TO YOUR LIST OF OF POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. AND I KNOW THEY'RE EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN PROTECTING PEOPLE THAT THAT GET FLOODED. AND THEN AND THEN ANOTHER SIDE BENEFIT, RIGHT WOULD BE WOULD BE A GREATER CAPACITY OF WATER TO RECHARGE OUR OUR SUB BASINS. AND YOU KNOW, I TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORLD AND THEY'RE AGAINST, YOU KNOW, WATER FOR FARMERS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY THINK, WELL, THEY'RE BIG, WEALTHY PEOPLE. BUT WHEN AND I OWN FARMLAND, WHEN WHEN A FARMERS WATER IS REDUCED, THEIR FARMERS KIDS STILL GO TO COLLEGE, RIGHT? THEY STILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES. THEY'RE STILL GOING TO GO ON VACATIONS. BUT THE FARM WORKERS THAT WORK ON THOSE FARMS, RIGHT. IF YOU SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE ABILITY TO FARM, WHICH IS GOING TO HAPPEN THROUGH SIGMA HERE, GOING FORWARD, YOU'RE PUTTING A LOT OF POOR PEOPLE OUT OF WORK, RIGHT? AND AND SO THEY'RE THE ONES THAT DON'T HAVE OPTIONS, RIGHT? WE SPEND GOVERNMENT MONEY TRYING TO GET KIDS FREE EDUCATION BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS CAN'T AFFORD TO SEND THEM. AND IF WE DON'T HAVE WATER HERE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE KIDS THAT MISS OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITIES, RIGHT, THAT OTHER THAT OTHER KIDS GET. AND, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EQUITY, WELL, LET'S MAKE IT EQUITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SUPERVISOR, FOR THOSE COMMENTS. IF I COULD JUST QUICKLY ADDRESS YOURS AND THE CHAIR'S COMMENTS EARLIER, I THINK WHICH BOTH YOUR COMMENTS HAVE JUST HIGHLIGHTED IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WATER IS IS ONE ELEMENT, RIGHT? WHETHER WE'RE DEALING WITH TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE, WE CAN PUT IT IN THE GROUND. WE CAN RETAIN IT BEHIND DAMS AND THEN WE CAN DEAL WITH IT FROM AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSPECTIVE. AND I THINK WHAT OUR BOARD AND THIS THIS SEGMENT OF DWR, THE FLOOD FLOOD MANAGEMENT DIVISION, I THINK WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN THIS PLAN IS PUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES TOGETHER WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL TALKING AND COORDINATING AND TRYING TO ADDRESS YOUR ISSUES AND THE ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY IN A COMPREHENSIVE MANNER. AND SO WE APPRECIATE THESE COMMENTS AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE SIGNAL PROGRAM AT DSOD. HEAR YOUR COMMENTS AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MY WELCOME. YEAH, THANK YOU. AND I'M GLAD YOU REALIZE THAT BECAUSE WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT GROUNDWATER UNLESS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SURFACE WATER AT THE SAME TIME, AND WE HAVE TO HAVE EVERYBODY AT THE TABLE TALKING ABOUT THAT. OK, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. SO DARREN, MARY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE FOR THAT PRESENTATION AND JOSEPH. JOSEPH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WELL. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU. OK, WE'LL GO AHEAD NOW AND MOVE ON TO OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. [CONSENT CALENDAR] NEXT IS APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA, CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH EIGHT. PLEASE NOTE, ITEMS THREE AND FOUR REQUIRE A FOUR FIFTH VOTE. OK. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION OR ANY DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT ONE THROUGH EIGHT? WHAT'S FUNNY? SORRY. WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. MOVING RIGHT ALONG NEXT IS BOARD ACTION PUBLIC WORKS ITEMS NINE THROUGH ELEVEN. [BOARD ACTION] PLEASE NOTE, ITEM ELEVEN REQUIRES A FOUR FIFTH VOTE. OK. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION HERE AT THE DAIS ON THESE ITEMS? SEEING NONE. I ALREADY HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. LET'S CALL FOR THE VOTE. [00:50:04] LET'S TALLY THE VOTE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS ITEM NUMBER TWELVE FROM HEALTH. SORRY, I'M A LITTLE BEHIND HERE. I ALREADY HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THESE ITEMS, IF NOT WITH A FIRST AND A SECOND, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NUMBER THIRTEEN IS FROM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES. PLEASE NOTE, THIS ITEM REQUIRES A FOUR FIFTH VOTE. THANK YOU. FURTHER DISCUSSION HERE AT THE DAIS? SEEING NONE. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER COMMENTS, CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY ITEMS FOURTEEN THROUGH SIXTEEN ITEMS, FOURTEEN THROUGH SIXTEEN. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING, THEN WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA. WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ITEM SEVENTEEN THROUGH TWENTY ONE. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON THESE ITEMS. I HAVE A. THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I GOT TO. I CAN'T GO WITHOUT POINTING OUT THAT AGAIN. THE CONTRACT THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED IN PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE EXPANSION OF A DAIRY FACILITY OUT IN DISTRICT FIVE. WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE APPROVING HERE TODAY IS A PASS THROUGH CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY AND A ENVIRONMENTAL FIRM. WE CONTRACT WITH THE THE DAIRY CONTRACTS WITH THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY. THE COUNTY CONTRACTS WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL FIRM TO DO THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL WORK FOR THEIR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. AND AGAIN, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN THE WAY THAT WE'RE DOING THIS NOW. YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO BACK 20, 30 YEARS, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THESE THINGS. THEY DIDN'T. THERE'S A LOT MORE RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE, AND IT'S QUITE AN INVESTMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS CONTRACT IS FOR ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT. AND WHAT DO THEY GET OUT OF THAT? THEY DON'T GET AN EXTRA COW TO MILK, THEY DON'T GET ANYTHING. THAT'S JUST THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS NOW IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS DAIRY IS ACTUALLY IN THE DELTA MENDOTA SUB BASE AND NOT THE MERCED SUB BASIN, AS WAS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. AND AND THE OTHER THING THAT I THAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TOO IS IS IF YOU JUST GO BACK AND TAKE A SIMPLE LOOK AT AND I JUST PULLED UP THREE OF THEM REALLY QUICKLY. THE 2020 FARM REPORT FOR MERCED COUNTY, MERCED COUNTY'S NUMBER ONE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT WAS MILK MILK, BRINGING IN GROSS REVENUES OF OVER $1 BILLION, $1 BILLION 50 MILLION. AND IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO 2019, IT WAS $905 MILLION DOLLARS AND IN IN 2018 $991 MILLION DOLLARS OF GROSS REVENUE THAT WAS BROUGHT IN BY THE DAIRY INDUSTRY TO MERCED COUNTY. AND SO YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, WELL, YES, THOSE ARE GROSS DOLLARS. I WAS IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY COMES IN, BUT A LOT OF MONEY GOES OUT AND I'LL HIGHLIGHT IT AGAIN. I MILKED 250 JERSEY COWS, SENT MY MILK TO HILMAR CHEESE AND ON A MONTHLY BASIS WROTE OUT OVER 40 CHECKS EVERY MONTH TO ALL THE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES THAT THAT DAIRIES STIMULATE THE ECONOMY. AND IT IS GOOD, HONEST WORK. YOU COULD ASK THE FOLKS THAT WORK FOR ME, THEY'RE LIKE FAMILY TO ME, IS IT, YOU KNOW, GLORIOUS BAY AREA, YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR GOOGLE MONEY? NO. BUT YOU KNOW, THE ONE THING THAT IT IS IS IS CONSISTENT WORK. IT'S YEAR ROUND. YOU'RE GUARANTEED TO HAVE A JOB. THE COWS DON'T TAKE A DAY OFF, THEY DON'T TAKE HOLIDAYS OFF. AND SO IS IT FOR EVERYBODY? NO. BUT I THINK THAT THE FOLKS, THE FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WORKED ALONGSIDE MY FAMILY WERE VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO HAVE CONSISTENT WORK IN AGRICULTURE. [00:55:03] YOU GO THROUGH SEASONS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE WORKING, YOU KNOW, DURING TOMATO SEASON, THERE'S A TIME OF THE YEAR THAT YOU'RE REALLY BUSY. AND THEN A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS, NOT ALL, BUT THEY GO ON UNEMPLOYMENT THE REST OF THE YEAR. THESE ARE GOOD, HONEST WORKING PEOPLE THAT WORK YEAR ROUND, AND IT REALLY FRUSTRATES ME WHEN I HAVE PEOPLE THAT COME UP HERE AND EVERYBODY IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINION. BUT BUT TO REALLY DOWNGRADE LIKE, YOU KNOW, DOWNPLAY AND SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT DAIRY WHEN I THINK DAIRIES NOW ARE DOING IT BETTER THAN THEY'VE EVER DONE IT BEFORE. AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE OF THE REASON WHY YOU'RE SEEING THESE DAIRY EXPANSIONS IS BECAUSE IT'S SO RIDICULOUSLY HARD TO BE IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA. WHEN YOU DEAL WITH ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS AND ALL THE BUREAUCRATIC NONSENSE, EVERYTHING THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT, THE SMALL DAIRIES ARE GOING OUT. AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE WENT OUT OF THE DAIRY BUSINESS, IT'S NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO OUT OF THE DAIRY BUSINESS. IT JUST DIDN'T BECOME FEASIBLE TO BE IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA, MILKING THAT AMOUNT OF COWS. SO YOU'RE SEEING THESE, YOU'RE NOT SEEING THE SMALLER DAIRIES GOING OUT. ALL YOU'RE SEEING NOW IS IS THE FOLKS THAT ARE COMING FORWARD, DOING THE RIGHT THING, GOING THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. IF THEY FIND IMPACTS, THEY HAVE TO MITIGATE THOSE THAT TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE TECHNOLOGY IS GETTING BETTER. YOU HAVE METHANE DIGESTERS THAT ARE BEING PUT ON ALL THESE DAIRIES WHERE WE'RE APPROVED PROGRAMS THAT ARE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY NOW WHERE THEY'RE PUTTING PIPELINES IN THE GROUND AND THEY'RE SENDING THAT METHANE TO BE TURNED INTO ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ENERGY. SO AGAIN, I AM HAPPY TO MAKE THE MOTION TODAY TO TO APPROVE THE EXPANSION OF OF THIS CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THEM TO START THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL. THEY'RE GETTING BETTER AT WHAT THEY DO AND THEY'RE MORE FRIENDLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT NOW THAN THEY'VE EVER BEEN. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME GO ON MY RANT. MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. I WAS GOING TO SAY A LOT OF WHAT SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA WAS GOING TO SAY, AND I'LL SPARE YOU ALL THAT, BUT I WILL MAKE THIS COMMENT, ARACELI. I SPOKE EARLIER, AND I HOPE YOU'RE LISTENING ONLINE. THERE WAS 2500 COWS LEFT MERCED COUNTY THIS PAST WEEKEND AND THEY WENT TO TEXAS RIGHT. SO WHEN YOU WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS AS AN EXPANSION, IT'S NOT A NET INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF COWS AND MERCED COUNTY, RIGHT? IT REALLY ISN'T. AND AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF NEED TO LOOK AT THE BOTTOM LINE AND OF COW NUMBERS, RIGHT? AND SO TO COME HERE AND SAY, WELL, THIS IS AN EXPANSION, IT'S RUINING THE ENVIRONMENT, THAT'S REALLY NOT THE CASE. AND THEN THE SECOND POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT WHEN WHEN A FACILITY GOES THROUGH THIS REVIEW, RIGHT, THEY COME OUT AND END UP BETTER ENVIRONMENTALLY, RIGHT, THE CAPTURE SYSTEMS THAT THEY USE ARE UPGRADED. RIGHT. SO. SO IT REALLY MAKES IT BETTER. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE OLDER DAIRIES THAT ARE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS AND YOU LOOK AT THEIR FACILITY AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO CAPTURE THE AFFLUENCE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SO. SO EVEN IF WE'RE AT A NET, A NET NUMBER OF COWS, RIGHT? IF 500 COWS GO FROM A NOT SO GOOD ENVIRONMENT TO A BETTER ENVIRONMENT, THEN THAT'S A WIN FOR US. AND SO, YOU KNOW YOU ARACELI CAME AND SPOKE AGAINST THE SILVA CONTRACT NOT LONG AGO AND AND I EXPLAINED THIS TO HER. AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I DIDN'T MAKE MY POINT CLEAR, SO I'M JUST REDOING IT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? I THINK THAT WAS WELL SAID BY THE TWO DAIRYMEN SITTING HERE AT THE DAIS CHAIR DOES RECOGNIZE SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. AND THEN JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE FOLKS FROM VST ARE HERE TODAY. WE'RE APPROVING ALMOST KIND OF IT'S APPLES AND ORANGES BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DAIRY AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BUT IT'S THE SAME PROCESS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND IT IS A CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY AND THEN THE COUNTY CONTRACTS WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL FIRM TO DO THE ACTUAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. SO WE TREAT EVERYBODY EVENLY HERE. WHETHER YOU'RE DOING A DAIRY EXPANSION OR YOU WANT TO DO A SUBDIVISION, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. AND I IT JUST I GUESS IT JUST BOTHERS ME THAT WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT MAYBE ARE A LITTLE BIT MISINFORMED, COME UP HERE LIKE WE REALLY DO TRY TO. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, I THINK, AND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET INTO THE WEEDS, PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE WERE THE VERY FIRST ENVIRONMENTALISTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO MAKE A LIVING OFF OF WHAT THEY DO, AND IT'S IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S NOT THERE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. SO AGAIN, JUST HIGHLIGHTING THAT THAT WE DO THIS WITH EVERYBODY AND I THINK WE HAVE A PRETTY SOLID PROCESS IN PLACE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. I HAVE NO OTHER COMMENTS IN THE QUEUE, SO I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WITH THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. [01:00:01] NEXT IS LIBRARY ITEMS TWENTY TWO THROUGH TWENTY FOUR. THANK YOU. WE HAD A LITTLE PRESENTATION EARLIER, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I HAVE NO COMMENTS IN THE QUEUE, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD. I WILL LOOK FOR A MOTION AND I HAVE ONE BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO, WHOSE WIFE IS A LIBRARIAN IN HER OWN RIGHT. ARE THERE FURTHER COMMENTS? SEEING NONE. I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS DISTRICT ATTORNEY ITEMS TWENTY FIVE AND TWENTY SIX. THANK YOU, CHAIR DOES RECOGNIZE SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. MR. CHAIR, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT ON THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S ITEM JUST THEIR CONTRACT WITH CASA IS THE COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES. IT'S A GROUP THAT I KNOW ALL OF US ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH, JUST A TREMENDOUS GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT GIVE BACK AND REALLY ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN, RIGHT. AND SO JUST A REALLY GREAT GROUP, AND I'M PROUD THAT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IS PARTNERING WITH THEM FOR THEIR SERVICES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE THERE FURTHER COMMENTS? SEEING NONE I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ITEMS TWENTY SEVEN AND TWENTY EIGHT. PLEASE NOTE NUMBER TWENTY EIGHT REQUIRES A FOUR FIFTH VOTE. AND WE WILL BE TAKING. CAN WE TAKE THESE SEPARATELY BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON ITEM 27. THIS IS AN ITEM THAT I BROUGHT TO THE BOARD AND I JUST WANT TO WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT . DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON THIS FIRST OR DO YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATION FIRST? WE CAN DO PRESENTATION. OK, WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME STUFF THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT'S HAPPENING HERE BY THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION. I WILL GO AHEAD, WE'LL OPEN IT UP AND I'LL KIND OF GIVE IT, THE CALIFORNIA CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING THE NEW LEGISLATION AND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED BY THE 2020 U.S. CENSUS. THE CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION REQUIRES THE DISTRICT SHALL BE GEOGRAPHICALLY COMPACT AND CONTIGUOUS, AND THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF ANY CITY, COUNTY, NEIGHBORHOOD OR COMMUNITY OF INTEREST SHALL BE RESPECTED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. THE CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING COMMISSION HAS PUBLISHED VISUALIZATIONS WHICH SHOW HYPOTHETICAL DISTRICT BASED BOUNDARIES TO ALLOW COMMISSIONS TO REVIEW POTENTIAL OPTIONS. I WANTED TO BRING THIS BEFORE THIS BOARD BECAUSE I'M RECOGNIZING SOME COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST, SPECIFICALLY MERCED COUNTY, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THIS, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO DAVID MIRRIONE. THANK YOU, CHAIR. SO I HAVE ON THE SCREEN FROM THE WE DRAW THE LINES WEBSITE, THE VISUALIZATION MAP. AND SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS WALK THROUGH THE TOOL TO SHOW FIRST THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, THEN THE STATE ASSEMBLY AND STATE SENATE. YOU'LL SEE MY CURSOR ON THE SCREEN HERE IN MERCED COUNTY. AND SO I'M GOING TO JUST SHOW YOU HERE. THIS IS OUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. AND SO WHAT THIS IS DOING IS, IS IT'S BRINGING THIS DISTRICT RIGHT HERE. IT'S ACTUALLY TURNING, PROPOSING TWO DISTRICTS THAT COVER THE COUNTY. SO IT'S ACTUALLY SPLITTING THE COUNTY. AND SO THE FIRST ONE HERE, IF YOU COULD SEE UP IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER UP HERE COMING DOWN, SPLITTING RIGHT IN THE EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE LINE OF THE COUNTY OVER AND I'LL SCROLL IN A BIT THAT ACTUALLY COMES IN PICKS UP MADERA COUNTY AND A LITTLE PIECE COMING DOWN INTO FRESNO. SO THAT WOULD PER THEIR VISUALIZATIONS, THAT'S ONE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, WHEREAS RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A TOTAL OF ONE. IF I SLIDE OVER HERE, YOU'LL NOW SEE. AND THIS IS SO LARGE, I NEED TO SHRINK IT A BIT. [01:05:05] COMING AT THE COUNTY LINE HERE, HERE'S GUSTINE, ALL OF THE WEST SIDE. ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH FRESNO COUNTY. AND THAT'S ALL IN THIS AREA HERE. PICKING UP THROUGH KINGS COUNTY AND THEN TRAILING OVER INTO KERN COUNTY, PICKING UP A PORTION OF THE POPULATION OF BAKERSFIELD. SO THAT IS WHAT'S CURRENTLY PUBLISHED AS A VISUALIZATIONS FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS GOING FROM ONE TO TWO. I'LL NOW, BRING UP THE SENATE DISTRICT OR THE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT. THIS, AGAIN, IS GOING TO SHOW A PROPOSED TWO DISTRICTS. AGAIN, SIMILAR SPLITTING ON THE EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE HERE IS CITY OF MERCED I'M DRAWING A CIRCLE HERE, SO TRAILING UP INTO THE EASTERN SIDE OF STANISLAUS COUNTY. BUT YOU'RE SEEING ARNOLD KNIGHTS FERRY, OAKDALE ALL THE WAY UP EUGENE, UP INTO THIS TOP AREA, UP HERE FURTHER NORTH DOWN. AND THEN TRAILING DOWN INTO MADERA. AND AGAIN, PICKING UP A SMALL PORTION OF FRESNO COUNTY. THE SECOND ASSEMBLY, THIS STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT AND THE VISUALIZATION AGAIN STARTING OVER ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE COUNTY. HERE'S GUSTINE FOR REFERENCE. COMING DOWN AGAIN, COMING THROUGH THE FRESNO AREA PARTS OF FRESNO COUNTY. AND PICKING UP PARTS, A MAJORITY OF KINGS COUNTY, NOT ALL OF KINGS COUNTY. FINALLY, OUR STATE SENATE DISTRICT. SO THIS DOES HAVE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES RIGHT NOW. THE DISTRICT DOES COME OVER AND COME ACROSS PACHECO AND INTO SAN BENITO AND VARIOUS COUNTIES WEST OF US HERE. WHAT WE ARE SHOWING IS ALL OF MERCED COUNTY INTO MADERA COUNTY AND INTO PART OF FRESNO COUNTY, AND THAT WOULD BE THE STATE SENATE AS REPRESENTED IN THIS DISTRICT VISUALIZATION, AS IS PUBLISHED TODAY. SO I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ZOOM IN ON ANY OF THESE OR TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER FEEDBACK. THANK YOU, DAVID. AND THE REASON WHY I WANTED TO BRING THIS TO THIS BOARD. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE SEPARATE FROM FROM STANISLAUS COUNTY. OUR WATER ISSUES, OUR EVERYTHING WITH STANISLAUS COUNTY I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE REPRESENTED BY THE SAME PERSON BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE POPULATION BASES, HOW IT SPREADS OUT, IT'S GIVING POWER TO FRESNO, WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME STANCE ON WATER ISSUES AS WE DO OR IT'S GOING DOWN INTO MADERA COUNTY. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT STANISLAUS COUNTY, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, YOU LOOK AT OUR NEEDS, YOU LOOK AT ALMOST VERBATIM OF WHAT WE DO. YOU CAN TAKE IT BASED OFF OUR POPULATION AND YOU DIVIDE IT IN HALF AND OUR NUMBERS ARE VERY SIMILAR. SO WITH THAT, I COULD GET WAY INTO THE WEEDS ON THIS. IF YOU'D LIKE FOR ME, TO, IF NOT, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD. I SEE SUPERVISOR PEDROZO IS IN THE QUEUE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE COMMENTS NOW? YES. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. THANK YOU. NO, I AGREE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE RESOLUTION THAT HOPEFULLY WE ADOPT TODAY SAYS EVERYTHING. AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AND YOU MADE SOME GOOD COMMENTS ABOUT THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTIES, STANISLAUS AND MERCED. AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THE PARTNERSHIPS AND NOT JUST [01:10:05] THE WATER. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IN BOTH MERCED COUNTY AND STANISLAUS COUNTY, NEARLY HALF OF RESIDENTS ARE SERVED BY MEDI-CAL AND SUFFER FROM A LACK OF ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND MEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. AND BOTH COUNTIES ARE SERVED BY GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS, WHICH ARE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS, WHICH OPERATE MORE THAN 40 HEALTH CENTERS. BOTH COUNTIES ARE SERVED BY LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH, MERCED COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES AND STANISLAUS COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES HAVE COLLABORATED. SO THEN ALSO YOU LOOK AT MERCED AND STANISLAUS COUNTY SHARE A LABOR FORCE OF SEVENTEEN THOUSAND WORKERS THAT COMMUTE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTIES DAILY. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY, VERY SIMILAR. AND SO TO SEPARATE THEM, IT REALLY IT PUTS A CONFUSION, I THINK, ON THE TWO DIFFERENT POPULATIONS. AND I THINK THAT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, PASS THIS AND MOVE THIS FORWARD. YEAH, VERY GOOD. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE YOU MENTIONED THE LABOR FORCE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMMUTING PATTERNS, IT'S A THIRD OF THAT ACTUALLY GOES SOUTH INTO MADERA OR FRESNO COUNTIES. SO IT'S IMPERATIVE. I MEAN, AND YOU GUYS ARE TIRED OF ME SAYING AT MCAG, WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE COMMUTING PATTERNS AND EVERYBODY GOING NORTH, I THINK THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE SHOULD BE REPRESENTED, NOT ONLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, BUT AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL. SO I JUST ENCOURAGE YOUR VOTE ON THIS RESOLUTION THAT WE HAVE. I CAN SAY THAT I DID HAVE A LONG CONVERSATION WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD IN STANISLAUS COUNTY, AND THEY ARE TODAY AT THEIR DAIS, TAKING ON A SIMILAR RESOLUTION, SAYING THEY NEEDED TO BE PAIRED WITH MERCED COUNTY. BECAUSE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, WHO THEY'RE BEING DRAPED IN, DO NOT HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AS THEY HAVE. AND SO THEY'RE BRINGING IT TO THEIR BOARD TODAY WITH SOME OF OUR COMMENTS. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, CHAIR. YES, I DO AGREE WITH THIS WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND I KNOW THAT I GUESS THE COMMENT WAS MADE THAT THIS AREA OF THE STATE HADN'T REALLY GIVEN ANY FEEDBACK TO THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION. SO I THINK THAT THIS IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GIVE THEM THAT FEEDBACK THAT, YOU KNOW. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST DRAFT PRESENTATIONS OR WHAT ARE THEY CALLING THEM PRESENTATIONS, VISUALIZATIONS JUST AS KIND OF REALLY TO PUT IT OUT THERE TO GET FOLKS THINKING. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, MAKING US KIND OF RESPOND BACK, BREAKING US UP, YOU KNOW, THAT LINE THAT THEY DRAW ON ALL THOSE DISTRICTS IS RIGHT ALONG THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IT WOULD BE TRAGIC FOR MERCED COUNTY IS THE WAY THAT THE POPULATION GOES SOUTH, AND IT REALLY MAKES IT TOUGH FOR US TO HAVE SOMEONE TO NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT MAKES IT TOUGH FOR US TO GET SOMEONE ELECTED TO ONE OF THOSE SPOTS. AND WHEN I SAY US, I MEAN MERCED COUNTY, BECAUSE IT SPLITS US IN HALF AND THEN PUSHES THE MAJOR [INAUDIBLE] WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT NORTHERN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT SEAT, IT GOES DOWN INTO THE CITY OF FRESNO. THAT'S WHERE THE POPULATION IS. SO, YOU KNOW, LISTEN, WE'RE ALL FROM THE VALLEY AND WE HAVE A LOT OF SIMILAR ISSUES THAT WE SHARE. BUT BUT WE ARE. THE CITY OF FRESNO IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY OF MERCED. OR, YOU KNOW, THE RURAL PARTS OF. GOOD FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES DOWN THERE THAT ARE ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SHARE AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT WITH THEM, I GUESS, IS WHAT I'M SAYING. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PUT IT OUT THERE TO THE CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION AND LETTING THEM KNOW, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HOW WE'RE FEELING, YOU KNOW? AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I'LL ADD TO IT IS JUST ONE MORE AREA THAT WE'RE VERY COMMON WITH STANISLAUS COUNTY IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ACE TRAIN, YOU KNOW, ACE TRAIN. IT DOES. WE'RE KIND OF AT THAT NEXT LEG OF THAT ACE TRAIN AND WE REALLY NEED TO BE PARTNERING WITH OUR NORTHERN SISTER COUNTY FOR THAT TO BE ABLE TO COME DOWN TO MERCED COUNTY. IF WE HAD A MERCED SAID COUNTY SOUTH SEAT, NOT THAT WE DON'T HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE FOLKS, BUT WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE POLICYMAKERS AT THE STATE LEVEL, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD BE LOOKING AT THINGS VERY DIFFERENTLY. SO AGAIN, JUST ONE MORE REASON WHY I THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE WITH STANISLAUS COUNTY. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. YEAH. SUPERVISOR POYTHRESS FROM MADERA COUNTY AND SUPERVISOR MENDEZ ARE ALL VERY GOOD FRIENDS, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO BE WITH THEM IN THE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT, I GUESS. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE COMMENT AS YOU WERE READING KIND OF THE GUIDELINES FOR REDISTRICTING. YOU KNOW, ONE OF ONE OF THE TERMS THAT IS USED IS COMPACT. AND YOU KNOW THE REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE IS SUPPOSED TO BE, YOU KNOW, BIPARTISAN AND NONPOLITICAL. BUT YET IF YOU LOOK AT THE WORK THAT THEY'RE PUTTING OUT, IT REALLY LOOKS UNBIPARTISAN AND VERY POLITICAL. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITY OF FRESNO. [01:15:03] AND SO, YOU KNOW, I ALSO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION. I THINK THAT WE HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FOLKS IN THE CURRENT ASSEMBLY DISTRICT. AND ANYWAYS, I JUST HATE FOR US TO LOSE THAT MOMENTUM. THINGS ARE REALLY GOING WELL FOR MERCED COUNTY. WE'VE GOT A GREAT DIRECTION GOING AND I THINK THIS WOULD BE PART OF A STALL TO ALL THAT PROGRESS. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA. YEAH, I CONCUR WITH MY COLLEAGUES, I THINK, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME WE WOULD BE REPRESENTED BY SOMEBODY IN FRESNO THAT NOT LIKE WE SAID, WE'RE STILL IN THE VALLEY, BUT I THINK THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, FROM LOCAL AROUND HERE IN MERCED. SO MERCED COUNTY, SO I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES. THANKS. THANK YOU. I THINK WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ITEM NUMBER TWENTY SEVEN. I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. WITH THE FIRST AND A SECOND. I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S TALLY THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. AND IF WE COULD, I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT WITH STANISLAUS COUNTY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO THEIR BOARD KNOWS THAT WE PASSED IT. NEXT IS ITEM TWENTY EIGHT. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. THANK YOU. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AT THE COURTHOUSE PARK IN MERCED, THERE'S A VETERANS MEMORIAL WALL THAT HONORS THE VETERANS OR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY FROM MERCED COUNTY. IT WAS DEFACED SOME TIME AGO AND WAS NEVER FIXED UP, AND SO THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT WERE LEFT OVER TO BE UTILIZED FOR THAT. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THIS PROJECT IS OVERDUE FOR A TOUCH UP. IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH VETERANS DAY COMING UP, THAT WE DON'T JUST HONOR VETERANS ON VETERANS DAY, BUT WE LOOK AT EVERYBODY THAT HAS SERVED, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT PEOPLE WHO'VE DEFACED THIS PROPERTY IN THE PAST OR THINK ABOUT DEFACING THIS MONUMENT IN THE FUTURE RECOGNIZE THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS DISRESPECTFUL TO THOSE THAT HAVE PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR US TO BE HERE. AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HONOR THOSE. SO I WOULD JUST HOPE THAT I COULD GET YOUR SUPPORT IN MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN FIX THIS MONUMENT. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION WILL THIS BE DIRECTED THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO DO THIS WORK? I BELIEVE SO. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, CHAIR. I THINK THAT THIS IS A VERY WORTHY CAUSE, AND SO EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIAL PROJECTS, FUNDS TO SPEND AND I DO NORMALLY QUESTION THEM, I STILL THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A DISCUSSION AT THIS DAIS AT SOME POINT ABOUT BRINGING THOSE SPECIAL PROJECT FUNDS BACK BECAUSE IT'S THINGS LIKE THIS AND REALLY WHAT IT ALLOWS IS, YOU KNOW, TO CUT THROUGH THE RED TAPE AND THAT YOU SEE AN IMMEDIATE NEED. AND THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH A BUDGET PROCESS. AND [INAUDIBLE] I REALLY THINK THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR IT. AND SO FOR THAT, SUPERVISOR PEDROZO, I WILL BE SUPPORTING THIS ITEM. I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER CAUSE, ESPECIALLY WITH VETERANS DAY COMING UP. SO ANYWAYS, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION. YEAH, AND IF I COULD COMMENT TOO SUPERVISOR O'BANION AND I PUT TOGETHER A POLICY FOR THESE FUNDS, WHICH DEFINITELY SECURED US TO A POSITION TO WHERE THESE ARE SPENT THE RIGHT WAY. SO I SUPPOSE IT IS GOING THROUGH THE SAME POLICY. CORRECT. VERY GOOD. AND I'D BE OPEN TO FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON THOSE ITEMS AS WELL IF WE FOLLOW THE POLICY. SO I HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WITHOUT FURTHER DISCUSSION WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. TALLY THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS BOARD APPOINTMENTS ITEM NUMBER TWENTY NINE. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THESE APPOINTMENTS. SEEING NONE WE'LL CALL FOR THE VOTE. [01:20:05] LET'S TALLY THE VOTE, MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT IS BOARD INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. [BOARD INFORMATION & POSSIBLE ACTION] [LAUGHTER] IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS. SEEING NONE, I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. TALLY THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LAST IS BOARD REPORTS. [REPORTS/BOARD DIRECTION] THANK YOU. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START. TO MY RIGHT SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA OVER IN DISTRICT ONE. THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL I HAVE IS JUST, YOU KNOW, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO THAT WANTS TO GET VACCINATED. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE GETTING VACCINATED. YOU KNOW BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR I GOT COVID. I SPENT A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL AND I THINK THAT EVERYONE THEY CAN SHOULD GET THEIR VACCINATION. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS VACCINATED EXCEPT MY YOUNGEST, WHO WILL BE TURNING FIVE ON FRIDAY. SO HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK HE'LL BE. HE WANTS TO GET VACCINATED, TOO SO. I JUST ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET VACCINATED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. MOVING TO DISTRICT TWO, SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE WHAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID ABOUT I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GET THE VACCINATION. IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THE VACCINATION, GET THE BOOSTER SHOT, BUT THEN ALSO MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR FLU SHOT. LAST YEAR, THERE WAS A BIG DECREASE IN THE FLU. IT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THE MASKS AND EVERYTHING. SO I HAVE A FEELING THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING AS SAFE AS WE CAN AND WE'RE DOING WHAT'S RIGHT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. ALSO, AS I MENTIONED, VETERAN'S DAY IS COMING UP, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO ME AND I KNOW THE COMMUNITY. IT'S ON THE 11TH, WHICH IS NEXT THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THERE'S A PARADE DOWN MAIN STREET, BUT IT'S PEOPLE WILL BE DRIVING. SO IT'S A REVERSE PARADE, BUT IT STARTS AT ONE O'CLOCK. AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CALL THE MERCED COUNTY VETERANS SERVICES OFFICES AT 385-7588. OPENING CEREMONIES START AT NOON AT BOB HART SQUARE, BUT THEN ALSO THE FIELD OF HONOR KICKS OFF ON THE 7TH. IF YOU'VE SEEN IT BEFORE, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING. IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE TO LOOK AT WHERE FAMILIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE THE FLAG AND HONOR THE VETERAN AND THEIR FAMILY. AND IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE, YOU KNOW, AT NIGHT IT'S ALL LIT UP AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES EARLY IN THE MORNING, THERE'S FOG THAT COVERS IT. IT'S A REALLY IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CHECK THAT OUT WHEN THEY CAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. MOVING ON TO DISTRICT NUMBER FOUR. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THERE IS A SECOND VETERANS DAY PARADE IN MERCED COUNTY THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU. THE CITY OF GUSTINE VFW HALL IS PUTTING ON AN EVENT AS WELL. IT'LL BE, OF COURSE, ON THE 11TH AND IT DOES START AT 11 A.M.. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO GATHER AROUND 10:00, 10:30. SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THAT EVENT, LET ME KNOW. ALSO, [INAUDIBLE] OUT OF GUSTINE IS KIND OF THE LEAD ON THAT. IF YOU KNOW HIM, YOU CAN DEFINITELY CONNECT WITH HIM AND HE'LL GET YOU THE INFORMATION. THE PHONE NUMBER TO CALL IS 988-4095 FOR MORE INFORMATION. AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THE DWR FOR COMING AND MAKING A PRESENTATION TODAY. YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF TIMES THINGS HAPPEN AT THE STATE AND THEY DON'T REALLY CARE WHAT WE THINK. AND SO ESPECIALLY IF IT'S AN OPPOSING VIEW. AND SO FOR THEM TO COME DOWN AND SHARE THE PLAN AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND INVITE US TO ENGAGE. I JUST WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THAT. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. AND LASTLY, YOU KNOW, THE CHOICE TO BE VACCINATED IS YOURS RIGHT AT EACH INDIVIDUAL. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE ITEMS THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THE FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO MANDATE AND AND I TOO BELIEVE IT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE. [01:25:05] AND SO I JUST WANT TO TO SHARE THAT IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET VACCINATED, YOU KNOW, THE VACCINES ARE AN EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION. AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT PLAN TO WAIT UNTIL THEY GET FULLY APPROVED. AND I THINK THE WAY THE MEDIA HAS SPUN THE VACCINE APPROVALS, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT THE PFIZER VACCINE IS TOTALLY APPROVED AND IT'S NOT. IT'S STILL UNDER AN EMERGENCY USE. AND YOU KNOW, I'M CONSERVATIVE IN MY THINKING AND I LIKE TO NOT BE THE FIRST ONE TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. I LIKE TO SEE THE DATA. AND SO ANYWAYS, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT AND THANK YOU FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT WE HAD EARLIER TO THAT EFFECT. I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE WE'RE IN A STATE WHERE PEOPLE GET FIRED BECAUSE OF THEIR CHOICE, ESPECIALLY WHAT DATA THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE HAD COVID AND YOU HAVE THE ANTIBODIES, THAT'S BETTER THAN THE VACCINE. AND THE FACT THAT THAT'S NOT ACKNOWLEDGED IS A BIG RED FLAG TO ME. SO THAT'S IT. MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, CHAIR. A COUPLE OF THINGS I HAVE FOR YOU TODAY. THIS IS A PAST EVENT THAT I ATTENDED, BUT IT WAS A FREE SMOG REPAIR EVENT AND IT WAS DONE IN LOS BANOS OVER THE WEEKEND AND IT WAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT, [INAUDIBLE] IN THE SAN JOAQUIN AND THEN THE VALLEY CAN. AND SO THEY USUALLY DO THESE IN LARGER CITIES. THEY'RE DOING THEM IN STOCKTON AND DOING THEM IN MODESTO. BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY LIKE GOING OUT TO SOME OF THE SMALLER COMMUNITIES NOW. AND SO THEY DID ONE OUT IN LOS BANOS. I WANT TO COMMEND THAT GROUP ON REALLY A WELL-OILED MACHINE AS FAR AS GETTING CARS IN AND OUT, AND AT THE END OF IT, THEY HAVE PEOPLE RIGHT THERE ON SITE THAT CHECK THE SMOG ON YOUR VEHICLE, AND IF YOU CAN'T PASS, YOU CAN GET VOUCHERS THAT WILL GIVE YOU UP TO FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY MORE THAN THAT, LIKE EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS TO GO TOWARD GETTING YOUR CAR FIXED TO GETTING IT SMOG. SO REALLY COOL EVENT. AND THEN THEY TIED IN ALSO WITH THE COUNTY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE COVID VACCINES IF SOMEBODY WANTED IT. THEY HAD THE MERCED COUNTY, THE FOOD BANK HAD SENT OVER FOOD. AND SO JUST KIND OF REALLY TRYING TO TOUCH REALLY THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE OUT THERE, THAT ARE SUFFERING AND ABLE TO KIND OF TOUCH THEM IN MULTIPLE WAYS, NOT ONLY HELP THEM GET THEIR CAR. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, PUTTING LESS POLLUTION OUT THERE AND BUT ALSO GETTING SOME FOOD ALONG THE WAY AND SOME VACCINES. AND THEY WERE HAPPY WITH THE TURNOUT FOR IT BEING IN LOS BANOS. THEY ALSO PARTNERED WITH MERCED COLLEGE JUST TO DO A TIRE PRESSURE CHECK. AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT SHOWS IF YOU KEEP THE PROPER AMOUNT OF PRESSURE IN YOUR TIRES THAT IT HELPS TO SAVE ON FUEL MILEAGE, WEAR AND TEAR AND ALL THOSE GOOD THINGS. SO JUST A REALLY GOOD EVENT. JOSE MARIN IS THE ONE WHO REACHED OUT TO ME. THEY DID IT A LITTLE EVENT HERE SOMETIME BACK WHERE THEY GAVE AWAY A CAR, AND THEY ALSO HAD PEOPLE THAT SIGNED UP FOR VOUCHERS OR WELL. THEY COULD TURN IN THEIR OLD CAR AND GET CREDIT TOWARD A ELECTRIC VEHICLE. SO AGAIN, PARTNERSHIP WITH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT. A REALLY COOL DEAL. ANOTHER THING I JUST THOUGHT OF, AND I KNOW IT'S KIND OF HALF JOKING, BUT IT WOULD BE KIND OF COOL, YOU KNOW, LIKE NOW YOU GOT LIKE ALL THESE EMOJIS OUT THERE, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN GET EMOJIS ON OUR VOTES? SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN IT'S LIKE A REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT A VOTE WE COULD, YOU KNOW, LIKE A REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC YES, WE COULD PUT A LITTLE EMOJI BY IT. I THINK THAT WOULD BE PRETTY COOL. BUT ALL KIDDING ASIDE, THAT THE LAST THING AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TODAY FOR ME IS IT'S MY LOVELY WIFE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY. SO, YEAH, I WANT TO WISH HER A VERY SPECIAL HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND I WON'T SHARE HER AGE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. SHE'S YOUNGER THAN ME. SO THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. COUNTY COUNCIL. NOTHING. CEO BROWN. NOTHING. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE CITY OF ATWATER'S VETERAN'S DAY CELEBRATION THREE O'CLOCK AT VETERANS PARK. THEY HAVE A DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THAT'S GOING TO BE THERE. I'LL JUST LET YOU GUYS TAKE THAT WITH WHAT YOU WILL. BUT SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY COMES OUT. THAT'S A WELL ATTENDED, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE GO TO THAT BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF AIR FORCE VETERANS THAT LIVE THERE IN ATWATER. I LIKE TO THANK THE PASTOR TODAY. I SEE HIM AT THE ATWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND HE'S ALWAYS THERE TO SPEAK. YOU DIDN'T SPEAK TODAY, SO JUST PRAYED FOR US AND I APPRECIATE YOU COMING OVER HERE TO MERCED. ALSO, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE KIND OF SKIPPED OVER IT. AND IF YOU SAW A LITTLE CONFUSION DURING THE THING, I WAS TRYING TO BRING IT UP AND I COULDN'T FIND IT AT THE TIME. BUT IF YOU LOOKED UNDER PUBLIC WORKS NUMBER NINE ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE WORKED ON SINCE THE VERY FIRST DAY BEING IN THIS SUPERVISOR OFFICE. BUT IT SAYS FIND THE CASTLE DORMITORY PROJECT DEMOLITION PROJECT EXEMPT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW UNDER SECTION. ANYWAY, WE MOVE RIGHT ON. [01:30:01] ADOPT PLANS FOR SPECIFICATIONS OF DEMOLITION OF THE CASTLE DORMITORY BUILDINGS AUTHORIZE THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO AWARD A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT TO THE LOWEST BIDDER, PROVIDED SAID BID WAS WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED BUDGET AND EXECUTED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AND RETURN TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WITH THE INFORMATION OF ITEMS DESCRIBING ALL THESE ITEMS TAKEN. THAT'S A BIG DEAL FOR DISTRICT THREE. THOSE DORMS ARE A BLIGHT. THOSE DORMS ARE BEING INHABITED BY FOLKS AND IT'S TIME TO GET THEM DOWN AND BUILD SOME WAREHOUSES IN THAT AREA SO WE CAN BUILD UP CASTLE AIRPORT TO BE THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. SO, DANA, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS. YOU DON'T HAVE ME BUGGING YOU ALL THE TIME ON IT AND MARK AS WELL. SO THANK YOU WITH THAT. WITH THAT, WE'LL CLOSE THE MEETING. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.