[Call to Order]
[00:00:03]
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME BACK TO THE AUGUST 23RD MEETING OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
WE DID HAVE A CLOSED SESSION THIS MORNING AND STAFF WAS GIVEN DIRECTION.
WE'LL NOW START WITH THE INVOCATION LED BY FATHER ROBERT BURGESS OF ST PATRICK'S PARISH IN MERCED, AND THEN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE READ BY SUPERVISOR JOSH PEDROZA . LET'S REMEMBER THAT WE ARE IN THE HOLY PRESENCE OF GOD, HEAVENLY FATHER, AND GOD OF US ALL.
AS SUCH, WE ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING AND YOUR GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE US.
MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT COME TO US, REMAIN WITH US, AND ENLIGHTEN OUR HEARTS.
THIS AND EVERY DAY, GIVE US THE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING TO KNOW YOUR WILL, THE COURAGE TO MAKE IT OUR OWN, AND THE STRENGTH TO LIVE IT IN OUR LIVES.
MAY THE DELIBERATIONS OF THIS BOARD AND THE ACTIONS THEY PROMULGATE TODAY BEFORE THE BUILDING UP AND SUSTAINING OF OUR COMMUNITY, MAY ALL WHO APPROACH THIS DAIS COME WITH A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION AND DESIRE FOR THE COMMON GOOD.
BLESS OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
WE ASK YOUR BLESSING UPON OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS THAT KEEP US SAFE.
HEAVENLY FATHER, MAY YOU, MAY YOUR LIGHT HELP US TO SEE OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY CHALLENGE AND HOPE IN EVERY STRUGGLE, AND TO KNOW THAT IN YOU ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
BE WITH US TODAY TO GUIDE THE WORK OF OUR HANDS AND SUSTAIN US ALWAYS IN YOUR LOVE AND PROTECTION.
WE MAKE THIS PRAYER IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD.
AMEN. JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE TO OUR FLAG.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INVOCATION, FATHER.
[PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK]
IT IS NOW TIME FOR A PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON ANY MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION, EXCLUDING ITEMS ON THE BOARD'S AGENDA.TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON AND 20 MINUTES TOTAL.
TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON FOR EACH SECTION OR SUBSECTION.
THANK YOU. I'LL NOW OPEN UP THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK.
HELLO. GOOD MORNING, GENTLEMEN.
GOOD MORNING. CHAIRMAN BOARD MEMBERS.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS REFUGIO LLAMAS.
I'M THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER FOR MERCED COUNTY AND HAVE TWO ITEMS I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU.
THE FIRST OF ALL IS OUR VETERAN SUPERVISOR FOR THE SERVICE OFFICE, MR. CHRIS NEVES.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A COMMUNITY THAT I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
I WAS RETIRED OUT OF THE MARINE CORPS WITH THREE COMBAT DEPLOYMENTS AND ONE HUMANITARIAN AID, AND SO IT LENDS ME TO BE ABLE TO BETTER HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE OUR VETERANS COME FROM AND BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A SYMPATHETIC AND EMPATHETIC EAR WHEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING WITH THEM.
IT'S A JOINT TEAM EFFORT BETWEEN ALL OUR AGENCIES FROM THE COUNTY.
IT LOOKS TO BE A VERY GOOD, VERY EXCITING VETERANS DAY PARADE WHERE WE HAVE SEVERAL PARTICIPANTS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF THE GROUNDWORK HAS BEEN DONE.
SO, AGAIN, THE VETERANS DAY PARADE, NOVEMBER 11TH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN.
[00:05:04]
SORRY, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT CONE AVENUE.ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF, MAYBE TWO MONTHS AGO, WE MET WITH SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA AND PUBLIC WORKS STAFF TO TALK ABOUT THE SPEEDING THAT HAPPENS OVER THERE ON CONE AVENUE.
IT GETS QUITE FAST AND SCARY IF YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN OUT THERE YOURSELF.
THIS IS THE COUNTY PORTION OF CONE, SO OFF OF 59 AND GOING TOWARDS P STREET.
SO RESIDENTS, MANY OF THEM CANNOT MAKE IT AT THIS TIME.
SO WE WANTED TO COME HERE TO ADDRESS IT WITH YOU ALL.
IN MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAFF, THEY HAD SAID THAT THIS AREA CANNOT EXCEED 25 MILES PER HOUR.
IT DOES STATE THERE THAT IT'S 25 MILES AN HOUR LOOKING AT THEIR SPEED GUIDELINES, AND THIS IS ABOUT 0.2 MILES OF A STRETCH , AND THEY HAVE STATED THAT THEY CANNOT PUT SPEED BUMPS THERE BECAUSE FOR VARIOUS REASONS , BUT WE WANTED TO GET DOWN TO KIND OF THE TECHNICALITY OF IT ALL AND MAKE SURE THAT LIKE RESIDENTS THERE ARE GIVEN SOME SPEED REDUCTION OPTIONS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE ESPECIALLY WITH A SCHOOL BACK IN SESSION, MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE CONE AS OPPOSED TO 59 AND CHILDS RIGHT, AND THEY ARE GOING REALLY FAST.
NOBODY IS GOING 25 MILES AN HOUR.
IT'S REALLY 35 TO 40 IF NOT HIGHER.
ALSO, YOU KNOW THAT UPS IS RIGHT THERE IN THE MORNINGS.
ABOUT SEVEN OR EIGHT TRUCKS ARE SPEEDING BY AND AT 5:00 THEY'RE SPEEDING BACK, AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AREA ALREADY, BUT THEN NOTHING'S BEEN DONE ABOUT IT, AND I THINK PEOPLE JUST KIND OF DISREGARD IT BECAUSE IT'S IN THE COUNTY.
BUT I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS WANT TO SEE HAPPEN THERE.
DO EITHER GET A SPEED BUMP INSTALLED OR SOME OTHER KIND OF SAFETY MEASURE PUT IN PLACE.
SO THERE ARE THIS IS NOT ONLY ON CONE AVENUE BUT ALSO ON P STREET.
THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS OF SPEEDING THERE AS WELL, AND SO THESE NEIGHBORS ARE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY LIMITS, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO NO MEASURES TAKEN TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS FOR THEM.
SO WANTED TO BRING THEM UP HERE.
THERE WE GO. GOOD MORNING, I'M MARIA CALDERON AND I LIVE IN THE SOUTH OF MERCED P STREET, AND I'M ALSO FAMILIAR WITH THE CONE AVENUE ISSUES.
WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT WHERE A CHILD DIES AND IT'S LIKE, OOPS, YOU KNOW, THAT HAPPENED.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THAT ISSUE, AND I THE REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE SAFE.
THEY SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS CAR IS GOING TOO FAST.
I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. SOMETIMES THE PARENTS CANNOT WALK THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL.
PLEASE. MY GRANDMOTHER TOLD ME WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL THAT IF YOU ASK THINGS NICE AND YOU SAY PLEASE AND YOU SAY THANK YOU, THAT MIGHT TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE.
I'M A GRANDMOTHER AND MY GRANDDAUGHTERS WALK TO SCHOOL, AND I HAVE WORKED WITH LITTLE ONES SINCE 1991.
I LOVE BEING AROUND KIDS, AND I'M SPEAKING FOR EVERY CHILD, NOT JUST MY GRANDKIDS. BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE A GRANDMOTHER, YOU THINK ABOUT NOT JUST, OH, IF THIS IS DOESN'T HELP ME I DON'T CARE.
NO, THIS IS ABOUT OUR CHILDREN.
[00:10:03]
GOOD MORNING.MY NAME IS ANA MARIA, FABIANO MOLINE.
I'M A RESIDENT OF SOUTH MERCED SPECIFICALLY 777 P STREET . I'M HERE WITH ALL MY HEART ASKING AND WE FILLED OUT PAPERWORK ASKING FOR SOME SPEED REDUCTIONS TO BE PUT THERE ON P STREET.
THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE ABOUT 1200 CARS DRIVING ON THAT STREET.
I KNOW THAT ON THAT PARTICULAR STREET YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE 1200 CARS GO BECAUSE IT'S A DEAD END, BUT I HAVE APPEALED TO HAVE SOMETHING DONE IN THAT AREA . ON THAT STREET, WE DON'T HAVE SIDEWALKS, WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPEED REDUCTION, AND NO ONE KNOWS REALLY HOW FAST TO TRAVEL UP AND DOWN THE STREET . WE ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO BE HEARD.
WHY HAVE WE BEEN FORGOTTEN? WHY HAS SOUTH MERCED BEEN FORGOTTEN AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE IN THAT AREA? I KNOW FOR INSTANCE THERE'S AN AREA ON BEAR CREEK WHERE SPEED BUMPS WERE PLACED WHEN NOBODY EVEN ASKED FOR THOSE SPEEDBOATS TO BE PLACED THERE. IF YOU COULD ACTUALLY TAKE A DRIVE TO SOUTH MERCED AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOUTH MERCED AND NORTH MERCED SAID, YOU WILL SEE THAT A SOUTH MERCED HAS COMPLETELY BEEN FORGOTTEN.
WE'VE COMPLETELY BEEN FORGOTTEN.
WE ALSO PAY TAXES LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
OKAY, TO THE LADIES THAT SPOKE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, I DON'T OFTEN RESPOND, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT P STREET, BUT I KNOW ON CONE AVENUE IF YOU CALL THE SAGE P OFFICE IN ATWATER AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT TIME THE SPEEDING IS HAPPENING, THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND DO OPERATIONS, PUT RADAR THERE AND SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE. I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, AND FOR THE NON AGENDA ITEMS, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
NEXT IS CONSENT AGENDA CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 16.PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEMS THREE THROUGH SIX REQUIRE A 4/5 VOTE.
ARE THERE ANY DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT WISH TO PROVIDE? SURE. COME ON UP.
SUPERVISOR CEO AND LEGAL COUNSEL.
THE FIRST PROCLAMATION IN SEPTEMBER IS FOR THE SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH.
[00:15:03]
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.IMAGINE A COMMUNITY THAT IS DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT SUICIDE.
ALSO, IMAGINE A COMMUNITY THAT IS BUILDING PREVENTATIVE RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
ARE YOU AWARE THAT SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH? AND SOME OF THE AWARENESS AROUND SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH IS THAT 40,000 PEOPLE DIE IN THE US EACH YEAR RELATED TO SUICIDE AND THAT'S OUT OF 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE IN THE WORLD.
ALSO A PARTICULAR AREA OF REALLY FOCUS IS YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 15 TO 24 ARE ALSO IN A VERY HIGH RISK CATEGORY, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT CAN LEAD TO A PERSON HAVING THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE, SUCH AS THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, COVID 19, BEING ISOLATED, LOSING YOUR HEALTH, FEELING DEPRESSED, AND THERE ARE TOO MANY TO NAME HERE TODAY AT THIS BOARD MEETING.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MERCED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES IS DOING, WE PARTNER WITH THE CENTRAL VALLEY HOTLINE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION, AND SO OVER FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022, THAT PARTICULAR HOTLINE RECEIVED OVER 2262 CALLS FROM MERCED COUNTY 11 WERE ACTIVE RESCUES.
18 WERE TALKED DOWNS, AND, OF COURSE, 816 WERE CRISIS CALLS, AND SO BHRS IS DOING EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN DO TO CREATE A SUICIDE SAFER COMMUNITY.
WE OFFER TRAINING SUCH AS ASSIST TRAINING.
WE OFFER SAFE TALKS ABOUT SUICIDE PREVENTION, AND SO THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, WE WILL BE HAVING ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SUICIDE PREVENTION AND RAISING ALERTNESS.
ALSO, A BANNER WILL BE PLACED ACROSS G STREET ANNOUNCING THAT IT'S SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH AS WELL, AND SO I STAND HERE TODAY TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES OF A SUICIDE, SAFER COMMUNITY, AND TO LET EVERYONE KNOW IN MERCED COUNTY.
SO THERE'S A NEW SUICIDE PREVENTION PHONE NUMBER? YES. TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THAT.
MOST DEFINITELY THERE IS A NEW NUMBER, WHICH IS NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT, AND I HAVE A FEW CARDS IN MY BAG IF YOU WANT SOME COPIES OF IT, AND THAT'S THE NEW SUICIDE AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS LINE, AND THAT LINE, THE NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT NUMBER IS THE NUMBER SO THAT IT'S READILY AVAILABLE.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING. YOU'RE WELCOME.
I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE. OH, DO YOU HAVE MORE? WELL, JUST ON THE SECOND PROCLAMATION THAT WE HAVE GOING.
RECOVERY MONTH IS A NATIONAL OBSERVANCE HELD EVERY SEPTEMBER TO EDUCATE AMERICANS IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE, TREATMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT ENABLE THOSE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TO LIVE HEALTHY AND REWARDING LIVES.
THIS REMINDS THOSE IN RECOVERY THAT WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT THEM.
THEY ARE NOT ALONE IN THE JOURNEY THAT WE'RE HERE WITH THEM.
EVERYONE'S JOURNEY IS DIFFERENT, BUT WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER.
RECOVERY MONTH 2022 ALSO CELEBRATES MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF THE ANNUAL RECOVERY MONTH ACTIVITIES.
THESE ACTIVITIES SPREAD THE POSITIVE MESSAGE.
THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? NOPE. NO QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH US.
ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS WISH TO SHARE ON THEIR ITEMS? SEEING NONE, I'LL COME BACK TO THE DAIS.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
[00:20:06]
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY APPROVE A CPI INCREASE FOR ONE OF THE BENEFITS AREAS.BUT I YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN CALLS AROUND THE COUNTY ABOUT NOT JUST IN MY DISTRICT AT DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AS WELL, AND I'LL GET TOGETHER WITH ONE OF YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, WHO'VE BEEN CALLING ME ABOUT IN ONE OF THE OTHER DISTRICTS, JUST THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO BE CHARGING, YOU KNOW, ZONES OF BENEFIT AND THE INCREASES, THE CPI INCREASE EVERY YEAR, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITIZENS WANT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE INCREASES AND THOSE FEES THAT THEY PAY EVERY YEAR, THAT THEY GET USED ON THEIR LANDSCAPING, LIGHTING AND, YOU KNOW, STREETS AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M GOING TO ADDRESS THAT, AND SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FEES ARE BEING USED AND THE COMMUNITIES ARE GETTING TAKEN CARE OF.
I JUST MADE A NOTE. THANK YOU.
YOU WANT TO TALK AGAIN? NO, THAT WAS IT.
YOU DOUBLE DUMPED, OKAY, AND, JOSH, YOU'RE GOOD FOR NOW.
I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT. [INAUDIBLE] OH, OKAY, ONCE WE'RE DONE.
OKAY, ALL RIGHT, SEEING NO OTHER COMMENTS BY THE BOARD.
I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL.
THANK YOU. SO SUPERVISOR PEDROZO HAS A CERTIFICATE TO PRESENT.
SO I KNOW THAT I SAW SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS HERE.
I SAW SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS HERE.
THERE THERE, AND I WANTED TO PRESENT A CERTIFICATE FOR A FRIEND OF MINE, AND SO I APOLOGIZE IF THIS GETS A LITTLE EMOTIONAL.
I KNEW PAUL SINCE THE THIRD GRADE AND TO SAY ANYTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT PAUL.
HE WAS JUST A GENTLE GIANT, AND I REMEMBER LOOKING AT HIM ONE TIME IN THIRD GRADE WHEN I SAW HIM.
HE'S READING A BOOK AND I'LL NEVER FORGET HOW HE WAS READING THE BOOK, AND I'M LIKE, WHY ARE YOU HOLDING THE BOOK THAT WAY, MAN? AND HE GOES, BECAUSE IT WAS THE EASIEST WAY TO DO IT, AND I SAID, OKAY, WHATEVER, YOU'RE WEIRD, BUT, BUT HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO FAMILY, NOT JUST IN THE FIRE INDUSTRY, TO HIS COMMUNITY, TO HIS PERSONAL FAMILY AND HIS FAITH, AND THERE'S NOT ONE PERSON THAT HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT OR COULD GO UP AND TALK TO HIM THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO TRY AND HELP HIM.
I'D GIVE HIM A RIDE WHEN WE HAD TO SPLIT CAMPUSES BETWEEN GOLDEN VALLEY AND EAST CAMPUS, AND WE GOT IN MY TRUCK AND HE GOES, HEY, YOU NEED TO PUT YOUR SEATBELT ON, AND I SAID, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IS OVER, SO WE'RE GOOD.
SO HE WAS RIGHT, BUT HE WAS DOING IT BECAUSE HE WAS PROTECTING ME, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
SO WHAT I WANT TO DO IS I WANT TO BRING THE FAMILY UP.
PLEASE. WE HAVE MIKE MCMILLAN, KIRK MCMILLAN AND KYLE MCMILLAN.
BY THE WAY, MY DAD'S KNOWN THIS GUY FOREVER ALSO.
ANNUALLY, THERE'S A CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTER'S MEMORIAL CEREMONY AT THE CAPITOL PARK IN SACRAMENTO.
IN ADDITION, AFTER SUBMISSION OF AN APPLICATION TO THE CALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION, FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS NAMES ARE ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL WALL LOCATED IN THE CAPITOL PARK. AMONG THE NAMES ADDED THIS YEAR IS FALLEN FIREFIGHTER PAUL VINCENT ROTONDARO.
[00:25:04]
WHERE HE SERVED OUR COMMUNITY UNTIL HIS PASSING AND WHICH HE WON FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR AT ONE POINT.YES. WITH US TODAY TO ACCEPT THIS.
AS I ALREADY MENTIONED, IT'S HIS FAMILY, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO AGAIN OFFER THIS CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION HONORING THE SERVICE AND DEDICATION THAT PAUL EXEMPLIFIED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN RECOGNITION OF HIS NAME BEING ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL WALL IN SACRAMENTO'S HISTORICAL CAPITAL PARK.
TO ADDITIONALLY SHARE ABOUT THE GOODNESS OF PAUL THE HE WAS ACTUALLY STATIONED IN AUGUSTINE AT THE TIME OF HIS PASSING AND SO THE COMMUNITY OF GUSTINE ASKED THAT PART OF HIGHWAY 140 BE NAMED IN HIS HONOR, AND ASSEMBLYMAN GRAY CARRIED LEGISLATION THAT'S DONE JUST THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, NOT NOT JUST HERE MERCED COUNTY BUT STATEWIDE, HE'S BEEN RECOGNIZED.
NEXT IS BOARD ACTION PUBLIC WORKS ITEM 17 THROUGH 19.
[BOARD ACTION]
SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.YEAH. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON NUMBER 19.
I HAD SPOKEN WITH DIRECTOR HERTFELDER EARLIER ABOUT THIS BEFORE THE MEETING, BUT WHEN YOU READ IT AND IT GOES, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A CONTRACT THAT GOES FROM 500000 TO $1.9 MILLION.
IT KIND OF PUTS SOME RED FLAGS.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DANA HERTFELDER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
INITIALLY, WE CONTRACTED WITH QUINCY FOR 500,000.
THAT SCOPE OF WORK WAS PRIMARILY TO LOOK AT A NUMBER OF OPTIONS OF WHAT WE COULD DO WITH SEGMENT FOUR CAMPUS PARKWAY BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE 30TH OF 2023.
WE HAVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING DONE BY JUNE 30TH OF 2023.
CURRENTLY, CALTRANS SAYS WE HAVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING DONE BY APRIL 1ST OF 2023.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET THAT WORKED OUT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, AFTER LOOKING AT SOME OPTIONS THAT QUINCY CAME UP WITH, WE FELT THE BEST WAS TO COMPLETE THE DESIGN WORK AND ALSO COMPLETE THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION WE WOULD NEED TO ACROSS THE PROPERTY THAT RUNS BETWEEN WHERE THE CAMPUS PARKWAY ENDS NOW AT YOSEMITE TO WHERE THE VST WILL BEGIN.
SO QUINCY ENGINEERING IS ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1.9 MILLION ON TOP OF THE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO COMPLETE THIS WORK.
ONE, DESIGN COSTS FOR SEGMENTS ONE, TWO AND THREE, WHERE APPROXIMATELY 7.5 MILLION AND THAT WORK WAS PRIMARILY DONE BETWEEN 2002 AND 2012.
THE ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COST FOR THIS PORTION OF SEGMENT FOUR IS AROUND 25 MILLION.
SO IT'S THE COST IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 10% TOTAL, BUT REALLY, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE'RE ASKING QUINCY CONSULTING TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO GET THIS WORK DONE BETWEEN NOW AND APRIL 1ST OF 2023.
THIS WORK WOULD NORMALLY TAKE PROBABLY A TWO YEAR PROCESS TO COMPLETE.
SO WE'RE ASKING THEM REALLY TO MAKE A COMMITMENT ON THE RESOURCES AND TIME TO GET THIS WORK DONE SO THAT WE CAN UTILIZE THESE FUNDS BEFORE THEY EXPIRE. THANK YOU.
[00:30:09]
SURE THAT WE'RE BEING TRANSPARENT, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE EXPLANATION.
SO BEFORE WE COMPLETE THE VOTE, I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THESE THREE ITEMS. OKAY, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
ANYBODY WANT TO CHANGE THEIR VOTE AFTER THAT? ALL RIGHT, PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE.
NEXT IS HEALTH ITEMS 20 AND 21.
OKAY, I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 20 AND 21.
SEEING NONE. I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO AND I WILL CALL FOR THE VOTE.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
NEXT IS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES ITEMS 22 THROUGH 25.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. CAN I PULL ITEM 24 FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION.
OKAY, ALL RIGHT, SO WE'LL PULL ITEM 24 AND THEN IF I COULD JUST MAKE COMMENTS ON ON ALL NOT ALL OF THEM ON THREE OF THE ITEMS. SO IF THAT'S OKAY, YES, THANK YOU.
SO I DID REACH OUT YESTERDAY TO SHARON AND I APPRECIATED THAT HER EXPLANATION.
I THOUGHT SHE DID A REALLY GREAT JOB OF EXPLAINING IT.
I GET WE JUST IN THE PREVIOUS ITEM APPROVED AN ITEM THAT HAD AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF JULY 1ST, AND I DO UNDERSTAND I WANT FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS ARE STATE GRANTS.
I DON'T LIKE THAT, BUT I CAN LIVE WITH IT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT'S THE PROCESS.
WHERE MY CHALLENGE IS, IS THAT AND THIS IS MORE OF IS CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
THIS ISN'T I KNOW THAT THE FOLKS OVER AT BHRS ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE WORK THAT THEY DO, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH THESE BAIS, I KIND OF HAVE A SIMPLE RULE.
I HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO ON EVERY STAFF, ON EVERY BAIS THERE'S A DEPARTMENT CONTACT THAT I CAN DIAL THEIR EXTENSION NUMBER AND GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED THAT I HAVE. BUT ULTIMATELY, WE'RE TASKED WITH DOING THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS IN PUBLIC, AND SO IF I'M JOE Q PUBLIC AND I PULL UP THIS AGENDA, REALLY THAT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON THAT STAFF REPORT IS WHAT GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT HOW WE'RE SPENDING THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
MOST EVERY ONE OF THESE ITEMS, NOT ALL BUT MOST HAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM THAT WE'RE SPENDING, AND AS IF I WAS JOE Q PUBLIC AND I PULLED THIS ITEM AND I'M SEEING, WELL, WHY ARE YOU APPROVING A CONTRACT THAT'S BACK TO JANUARY 3RD? THERE IS THERE IS NO EXPLANATION IN THE STAFF REPORT, AND I DO KNOW THAT IN PREVIOUS INSTANCES THERE WILL BE A LITTLE NOTE THERE DUE TO NEGOTIATIONS THAT ITEMS IT TOOK US LONGER TO BE ABLE TO GET IT DONE.
SOME AGENCIES I'M GOING TO CALL MORE MORE CORPORATE, THEY'RE A LOT BIGGER.
[00:35:05]
CHALLENGING. THEY DON'T HAVE A WHOLE TEAM OF PEOPLE THAT WORK ON THOSE THINGS.SO I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES NEGOTIATING THINGS OUT TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN NORMAL, BUT I MYSELF HAVE REALLY CHALLENGES WITH ITEMS 22, 23, 24.
IF YOU LOOK AT ITEMS 22 AND 23, THOSE WERE APPROVING APRIL 1ST RETROACTIVITY.
I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO VOTE YES ON THAT ONE.
WE'RE APPROVING A CONTRACT THAT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO JANUARY.
I JUST CAN'T DO THAT, AND I HOPE AND I HOPE THAT THIS KIND OF IS MORE OF A MOMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, I'M ULTIMATELY I TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY THE DUTIES THAT WERE THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME BY MY 58,000 BOSSES IN DISTRICT FIVE.
SO I WILL LEAVE IT TO MY COLLEAGUES TO MAKE MOTIONS, BUT I WILL SUPPORT 22, 23 TODAY, AND THEN SINCE WE'RE ON, I KNOW WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT ITEM 26 HERE IN A MINUTE.
THAT ONE'S ALSO AN ITEM THAT GOES BACK TO JUNE 1ST.
AGAIN, I REALLY THINK THAT WE NEED TO WE NEED TO HAVE EXPLANATION IN THESE STAFF REPORTS THAT SAYS IF IT'S A REASON OUT OF OUR CONTROL AND IT'S A STATE GRANT AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE STATE DID, THAT NEEDS TO BE IN THERE AND THAT IN THAT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IN MY OPINION.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YOU'RE WELCOME.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I'LL OPEN UP THIS TIME FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 24.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 24.
I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA.
I'LL MOVE TO ITEMS 22, 23, AND 25.
I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THESE ITEMS. SEEING NONE, NOT CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL.
A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
NEXT IS HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY ITEMS 26 THROUGH 28.
I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THESE ITEMS. SEEING NONE THEN I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
NEXT IS COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ITEMS 29 THROUGH 32.
I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL.
SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ON ITEM 31.
I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT STAFF IS DOING HERE AND THAT THESE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT COME FROM THE STATE, BUT I WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS IS ANOTHER UNFUNDED STATE MANDATE THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH.
SO AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO NOTICE ALL FOUR OF THE WELL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER THAT STRETCHES ACROSS MULTIPLE DISTRICTS, THE OTHER THREE, WE CALL IT THE [INAUDIBLE] AND SAN LUIS RESERVOIR.
WE'RE REQUIRED NOW TO PUT UP SIGNS AND WE GOT SOME REALLY NICE SIGNS THAT WE LOOKED AT.
[00:40:05]
IF YOU LOOK AT THE STAFF REPORT THERE, IT GOES AND TELLS HOW MANY OF IF YOU CATCH A FISH OUT OF THERE, HOW MANY OF THEM YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO EAT IN A WEEK? AND IN SOME CASES, THEY SAY IN YOUR AGE, AND IF YOU'RE MALE OR YOU'RE FEMALE, YOU SHOULD EAT ZERO OR YOU CAN HAVE SOME SEVEN SERVINGS, SOME ONE SERVING.IT JUST IT'S REALLY WE'RE REQUIRED NOW TO PUT THESE OUT.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE STATE HAS DEEMED THAT THERE'S A POTENTIAL HAZARD THERE, WHICH I GET, BUT THEN IT FALLS BACK ON US AS A COUNTY TO PUT UP THESE SIGNS AND MAINTAIN THESE SIGNS.
LUCKILY, OUR STAFF WAS ABLE TO FIND A GRANT THAT'S GOING TO HELP PAY FOR THOSE SIGNS, BUT THEN THERE'S THE ONGOING COST OF MAINTAINING THESE SIGNS, AND THEN THERE'S THE HOPE THAT ONE DAY THAT THOSE FISH WON'T BE ON THAT LIST ANYMORE, AND THEN WE COULD TAKE THE SIGNS DOWN, BUT MY GUESS IS WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY FIND MORE DIFFERENT LITTLE FISH THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PUT ON THOSE SIGNS. SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER UNFUNDED MANDATE THAT THE TAXPAYERS IN MERCED COUNTY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE TO PAY, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT WE'RE ABLE TO FIND THIS 20,000 TO GET US STARTED, BUT AGAIN, THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF THESE SIGNS WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ON THE LOCAL TAXPAYERS.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YOU'RE WELCOME.
MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY WITH COMMON SENSE APPLIED.
ITEMS 33 AND 34 ARE FROM THE AUDITOR SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOOK AT WHEN I LOOK AT THESE REPORTS IS TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY FINDINGS.
AND THERE WAS NO FINDINGS LAST YEAR AND THERE'S NO FINDINGS THIS YEAR, AND SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR SUCCESS AND THE JOB THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE AUDITOR COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE TO MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE THERE'S BEEN QUITE THE INFLUX OF STATE AND FEDERAL MONIES THAT HAVE COME INTO THE COUNTY, ALL THAT STUFF HAS TO BE TRACKED, AND WE GO THROUGH THESE AUDIT REPORTS AND I KNOW IT'S KIND OF THEIR WORLD, BUT THEY DO A GREAT JOB OF IT AND WE GET TO APPROVE THESE THINGS AND WE'RE APPROVING ONE TODAY WITH NO FINDINGS.
I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL.
PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
ITEM 35 IS FROM CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES.
I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 35.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
OKAY, NEXT IS LIBRARY, ITEM 36.
I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
SEE NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
ITEM 37 IS FROM THE TREASURER.
I'LL OPEN IT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
NEXT IS WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ITEM 38.
I'LL OPEN IT FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ITEM.
[00:45:05]
SEEING NONE I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
ALL RIGHT, PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
NEXT IS EXECUTIVE OFFICE ITEM 39.
PLEASE NOTE THAT A MODIFICATION IS NEEDED TO BE MADE TO RECOMMENDED ACTION.
THE CURRENT RECOMMENDED ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE READS.
APPOINT SALVADOR SANDOVAL, MD MPH AS THE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER EFFECTIVE AUGUST 29, 2022.
THIS ACTION ITEM IS REVISED TO APPOINT SALVADOR SANDOVAL, MD MPH AS THE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2022. MR. MENDES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I WANTED TO, UM, INTRODUCE THIS ITEM, PRESENT THIS ITEM A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION.
SO THE ITEM BEFORE YOU THIS MORNING IS OUR RECOMMENDATION TO APPOINT DR.
SALVADOR SANDOVAL TO THE POSITION OF MERCED COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER PERMANENTLY.
A DECISION WAS MADE BY MY OFFICE IN COORDINATION WITH OUR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, TO OPEN A RECRUITMENT TO FILL THE POSITION PERMANENTLY RATHER THAN RELY ON A CONTRACT GOING FORWARD. THE RECRUITMENT PERIOD TO FILL THIS HARD TO FILL POSITION, WHICH INCLUDED A MONTH EXTENSION, WAS FOR MAY 17, 2022 UNTIL JULY 30TH, 2022 DUE TO THE RECRUITMENT EXTENSION.
WE DID ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH DR.
[INAUDIBLE] TO PROVIDE INTERIM COVERAGE TO ALLOW US TO COMPLETE THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND UNTIL A PERMANENT COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER WAS APPOINTED.
WE HAVE COMPLETED THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS.
IF APPROVED BY THE BOARD, HIS STARTING SALARY WILL BE AT THE TOP OF THE BAND.
STEP FIVE FOR THE POSITION OF $275,246 ANNUALLY, WHICH WE BELIEVE IS APPROPRIATE GIVEN HIS EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS. AT THIS POINT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE.
YOU'RE WELCOME, SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK DR.
I KNOW HE'S LAUDED STATEWIDE, AS BEING A PROFESSIONAL AND WITHIN OUR STAFF AS WELL.
SANDOVAL, AND HOPEFULLY OUR BOARD, YOU KNOW, PASSES THIS, AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE HIGH REGARDS FOR YOU, AND I KNOW I DIDN'T SEE THE END DATE BECAUSE IT'S PERMANENT. SO OBVIOUSLY IT'S UP TO THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG YOU STAY ON HERE, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT YOU'LL BE HERE FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO RETIRE.
SO THANK YOU AND WELCOME BACK, HOPEFULLY.
THERE WE GO. SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
I'M SORRY. I CAN'T SUPPORT THIS DECISION.
I YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS REALLY DISCONCERTING TO ME WAS WHEN WE WENT WITHOUT A HEALTH OFFICER, BECAUSE WE AS A COUNTY, DECIDED NOT TO RENEW THE CONTRACT FOR CERTAIN REASONS WHEN WE COULDN'T FIND SOMEBODY TO FULFILL IT WHEN CALLED TO SERVE, THE PERSON THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW WAS WAS RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL TO OUR STAFF, AND I JUST FIND THAT INCREDIBLY DISHEARTENING.
YOU KNOW, I RECEIVED MULTIPLE CALLS FROM DIFFERENT SUPERINTENDENTS AND EDUCATION LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY SAYING, HEY, ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET OUR KIDS VACCINATED? ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM TO SCHOOL? BECAUSE I SAW WHAT IT TAKES AS A AS A PARENT WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.
I KNOW WHAT IT TAKES AND THE TOLL THAT IT TOOK ON MY CHILDREN NOT BEING IN SCHOOL, AND THE BIGGEST FEAR FOR ME WAS, OH, MY GOSH, THERE'S A LOT OF KIDS THAT ARE GOING TO GO CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH THIS IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS THIS CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT , AND SO WHEN CALLED, IT WENT UNANSWERED.
WHEN ASKED TO STEP UP, IT WENT UNANSWERED.
[00:50:01]
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A PERSON UP HERE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK FOR ANYBODY THAT SERVES AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OR REPRESENTS THE COUNTY FOR OUR OWN EGOS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.WHAT WE DO IS WE SERVE BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
WE MAY NOT ALWAYS AGREE WITH EACH OTHER, BUT WE SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND WE TRY TO GIVE THE BEST SERVICES, BUT WHEN THE CALL COMES, WE ANSWER THE CALL. THIS WENT AGAIN, WENT UNANSWERED, AND JUST IT REALLY CONCERNS ME ABOUT THAT.
I KNOW, MERCED BACK OF MY HAND IN LIVINGSTON AS WELL, BUT I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT IT TO WHERE I FEEL COMFORTABLE SPEAKING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE REPRESENTING THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THEY THEIR HEART IS IN THE RIGHT AREA AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISION.
YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT THE TRUE CHARACTER OF A PERSON IS DOING WHAT'S BEST WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING AND NO ONE WAS LOOKING, AND AGAIN, THE CALL WAS UNANSWERED, AND THAT'S REALLY, REALLY CONCERNING.
I KNOW THAT THEY SAID THAT HE WAS THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON, BUT CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MANY PEOPLE APPLIED? IS THAT A FAIR QUESTION OR NO? SUPERVISOR PEDROZO, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE HAD THE RECRUITMENT OPEN FOR THAT PERIOD.
WE DID RECEIVE TWO APPLICATIONS.
ONLY ONE OF THOSE WAS FROM A QUALIFIED CANDIDATE, AND THAT WAS DR.
WE HAD SOMEBODY STEP UP WHO I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF.
SHE'S DONE AN AMAZING JOB AND HELPED OUT A LOT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
THAT'S ACTION, AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALK WE SIT UP HERE ALL THE TIME.
WE SAY, GET STUFF DONE, GET STUFF DONE, GET STUFF DONE, BUT WHEN CALLED AND IF IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT YOURSELF INSTEAD OF SERVICE OR YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR INTENTIONS IN FRONT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THAT TELLS ME SOMETHING, AND THAT'S IT'S SAD.
I'M NOT GOING TO VOTE YES ON THIS.
I WILL SUPPORT THE ROLE OF THE BOARD, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH DR.
SANDOVAL IF THAT'S THE CHOICE THAT THE BOARD MAKES, BUT I JUST WANT TO VOICE MY CONCERN.
I RESPECT SUPERVISORS PEDROZO'S COMMENTS, BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO THE PUBLIC'S INFO, DR. SANDOVAL HAS BEEN APPOINTED PREVIOUSLY FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, HE'S BEEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
THE BOARD DECIDED NOT TO OFFER DR.
THE CONTRACT EXPIRED AND THIS WENT OUT TO BID TO THE PUBLIC BEFORE THE SCHOOL STARTED THIS.
YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL YEAR WAS ABOUT TO START.
YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ONE I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO BACK AND FORTH WITH THIS, BUT HE WASN'T OFFERED A CONTRACT, AND THEN WE HAD ISSUES FINDING--NOBODY WAS APPLYING FROM THE PUBLIC.
NO HEALTH OFFICER WAS APPLYING TO THE COUNTY, AND HE MADE A DECISION TO APPLY.
IT WAS THE ONLY APPLICATION THAT THE COUNTY RECEIVED.
[INAUDIBLE] FOR SUPPORTING THE COUNTING AND COMING IN, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY EVERY HEALTH OFFICER IS VERY BUSY WITH THEIR OWN PRIVATE PRACTICE OR WHEREVER ELSE, AND DR.
SANDOVAL WAS NICE ENOUGH TO COME IN AND TAKE THIS CONTRACT.
THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
[00:55:04]
FOR EVERYBODY ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE OF A CONTRACT NOT BEING EXTENDED.LISTEN, I'M JUST GOING TO TELL YOU, AS A PERSON THAT WORKED ALONGSIDE DR.
IF ANYTHING, I'VE HEARD COMMENTS OF, HE'S THE FIRST ONE TO WORK IN, THE LAST ONE TO LEAVE AND QUITE HONESTLY, ANY WAY YOU CUT IT, THIS IS THIS IS THE CHOICE THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US.
SO I COMMEND YOU FOR THAT, AND I COULD UNDERSTAND MAYBE SOME FRUSTRATIONS THAT HAPPENED IN THAT THERE WAS A CONTRACT EXPIRED AND THEN AFTER WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO SOMETHING, WE WENT BACK AND SAID, HEY, WOULD YOU HELP US OUT IN THE INTERIM? I COULD UNDERSTAND WE'RE ALL HUMAN BEINGS, AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME FEELINGS GOT HURT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK THAT MOVING FORWARD, MY VOTE WILL BE AND I WILL BE GLAD TO MAKE THE MOTION HERE IN A SECOND, IS THAT WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER WHERE IT BECAME REALLY I WILL TELL YOU AND HE'S IN THE ROOM TODAY IS I WENT AND SPOKE AT A ROTARY EVENT AND SAW DR.
[INAUDIBLE] IN THERE, AND THE FIRST THING AFTER HE SAID HELLO TO ME WAS, IS, HEY, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT A PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER? BECAUSE I'M FORTUNATE DR.
[INAUDIBLE] GAVE MY KIDS ALL OF THEIR VACCINES WHEN THEY WENT IN FOR THEIR CHECKUPS, ALL THEIR ALL THEIR APPOINTMENTS THAT THEY ALL THE VACCINES THAT THEY NEEDED TO HAVE BEFORE THEY COULD EVER START SCHOOL, AND THEN THE FOLLOW UP ONES, I MY KIDS HAD A PEDIATRICIAN THAT THEY WENT TO AND WE GOT THOSE TAKEN CARE OF.
THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT RELY ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE VACCINES, AND FOR SCHOOLS, THAT'S A HUGE CHALLENGE, AND WE WE DID SOMEWHAT PUT OURSELVES IN THE POSITION OF OF SCHOOL STARTING AND NOT HAVING SOMEBODY TO BE THERE.
SO I'M WILLING TO SAY THAT, LISTEN, I'M NOT GOING TO CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.
I'M NOT GOING TO THE MAN HAS A STRONG WORK ETHIC, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, AND I BELIEVE THAT HE GETS STUFF DONE AND UNDERSTANDING THAT HE IS HE IS AN APPOINTMENT OF THIS BOARD AND KIND OF RESPECT THAT WHOLE LANE OF YOU'RE THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER.
WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU.
OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH, THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER JUST RETIRED.
IT'S NOT AN EASY POSITION TO FILL RIGHT NOW, AND SO I'M IN FAVOR OF PUTTING DR.
[INAUDIBLE] FOR FILLING IN IN THAT TEMPORARY POSITION IN THERE, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WE WERE GETTING THE PHONE CALLS FROM FROM SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS, THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
HEY, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER? BECAUSE WE HAVE KIDS THAT NEED TO GET VACCINATED SO THAT THEY CAN START SCHOOL.
SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AND IT TOOK KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL.
THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE STILL FACING OF KIDS THAT DIDN'T GET TO GO THROUGH SCHOOL AND I DON'T WANT TO BE THE REASON THAT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND SO FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, I WILL BE SUPPORTING THIS APPOINTMENT TO THE PERMANENT PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER POSITION.
YEAH, NO, AND I'M NOT QUESTIONING I KNOW HE'S DONE AMAZING WORK AS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, SPILLED MILK, WATER UNDER A BRIDGE AND THAT TYPE OF STUFF.
I GET IT. I'M NOT QUESTIONING THAT AT ALL.
I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE KNEW.
SO THERE IS BLAME TO GO AROUND ON BOTH SIDES, BUT THERE'S TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY.
BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO A RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS TO BE PUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND SO WHEN AGAIN CALLED TO SERVE, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE WERE IN A POSITION WHERE WE WERE AT AND THAT SOMEBODY I MEAN, THE FINGERS ARE GOING TO COME BACK TO US.
THAT'S THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION, AND SO IT'S OKAY, WELL, HE WAS CALLED TO SERVE.
HE DIDN'T, AND WE THERE'S BLAME ON OUR SIDE AND I WILL ACCEPT THAT.
HOWEVER, I STILL THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T THINK THAT HE'S A QUALIFIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
[01:00:09]
INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT.IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS EXPERT MEDICAL EXPERTISE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
OKAY, MR. MENDEZ? YES, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, IN ALL FAIRNESS TO DR.
[INAUDIBLE]. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS CLEAR, BUT UNDERSTAND THE POINT THAT'S MADE, BUT AGAIN, HE WAS PARTICIPATING IN OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS, SO HE OPTED TO JUST WAIT UNTIL WE COMPLETED THAT AND COMPETE FOR THE POSITION THAT WAY.
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AGAIN WITH YOU.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE PROGRAMS THAT WE PARTNERSHIP WITH.
TERRIBLY IMPORTANT COUNTY WIDE FOR US TO HAVE A PERMANENT PERSON THERE THAT'S FULLY QUALIFIED TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR CHILDREN TO MAKE SURE THOSE IMMUNIZATIONS ARE HAPPENING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I'VE SAID TO MY STAFF OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE WE NEED TO GIVE EACH OTHER A LITTLE GRACE, AND I'M HOPING THAT THE BOARD TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A PRETTY TOUGH TWO YEARS, TWO AND A HALF YEARS AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A STATE AND AS A NATION, AND SO AS WE DEAL WITH OUR CHALLENGES THAT WE THAT WE HAVE TODAY AND AS WE GO FORWARD, I HOPE THAT THIS BOARD CAN PUT BEHIND WHATEVER HAPPENED.
AND I'M NOT PRIVY TO WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I HOPE YOU CAN PUT IT BEHIND YOU.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL BE VERY HAPPY THAT THERE'S A PERMANENT SOLUTION.
WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT DR.
SANDOVAL DID DURING THE PANDEMIC.
YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT.
MY NAME IS DR. REBECCA NANYONJO; I'M THE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR FOR MERCED COUNTY, AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE BOARD AND TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY, DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID AND DISCUSSED, SOME OF WHICH, IN ALL HONESTY, I FEEL WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER NOT IN THIS FORUM, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A PERSON IN THE ROOM AND THAT WORDS HURT, YOU KNOW, AND HOW THEY'RE STATED ALSO DOES HURT, BUT THAT ASIDE, I DID WANT TO TAKE ON BEHALF OF THE DEPARTMENT AND ON BEHALF OF THE MANY CONSTITUENTS AND RESIDENTS WHO HAVE CALLED TO REACH OUT AND OFFER SUPPORT.
SANDOVAL FOR WHAT HE'S DONE, BUT AGAIN, ECHOING WHAT DR.
TIETJEN SAID, THE GRACE BY WHICH HE'S DONE IT, THIS HAS BEEN VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
WE HAVE BEEN IN CHALLENGING TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
ON THE HEELS OF COVID SEEMINGLY BEING RESOLVED, WE'RE NOW ENTERING AN ERA OF NEWLY EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RECURRING ONES SUCH AS MONKEYPOX, AND THE ABSENCE OF A HEALTH OFFICER FULL TIME HAS REALLY HAD AN IMPACT AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE AN IMPACT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, SOCIOECONOMICALLY AND OTHERWISE, THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND SO FOR THOSE TWO AND A HALF YEARS THAT WE ARE WORKING UNDER THE GUN AND REALLY SPENDING TIME TOGETHER, IT WAS ME WHO ASKED DR.
SANDOVAL IN THE WAKE OF KNOWING DR.
BIRD WAS GOING TO BE EXITING TO COME IN BECAUSE HE COULD SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY.
HIS TAPESTRY IS MERCED COUNTY AND HE REPRESENTS THE BEST OF US AND HE REPRESENTS THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGES, AND ON EACH OF THOSE AS THE DEPARTMENT HEAD, AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN ALL OF THIS, SO BEEN PRIVY TO THOSE CONVERSATIONS, BEEN PRIVY TO THOSE THOSE DISCUSSIONS, I CAN ATTEST FROM NOT ONLY JUST A PROFESSIONAL, BUT A PERSONAL AND A
[01:05:07]
LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE.WHAT I'VE HEARD BACK FROM AS COMMENTARY FROM THE STATE, WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM COMMENTARY WITH RESPECT TO OUR NEIGHBORING HEALTH OFFICERS THROUGHOUT OUR CONSORTIUM AND EVEN NATIONALLY, DR. SANDOVAL HAS REALLY PUT MERCED COUNTY ON THE MAP IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY, AND I HOPE AS WE CONTINUE FORWARD AND USHER THROUGH THIS JOURNEY THAT'S REMEMBERED, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH AND HEALTH, NOT NECESSARILY BEING AS HIGH A PRIORITY AS IT MAY BE IN SOME OTHER COMMUNITIES.
I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, DOCTOR SANDOVAL, FOR THOSE TWO AND A HALF YEARS OF DEDICATION, THAT WILLFUL RESOLUTION, THAT ABILITY TO GO OUT THERE WHEN DESPITE WHOEVER HEALTH OFFICER MAY HAVE BEEN, WHETHER IT WAS IN THE FIELD, WHETHER IT WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS FRACTURED, WHETHER IT WAS A BROKEN SPIRIT, WHERE I WENT TO GRAD SCHOOL, THE MOTTO FOR WHERE I GRADUATED FROM, IT SAID IT'S NOT TO LEAVE MAN BROKEN, BUT TO MAKE MAN WHOLE, AND DR.
SANDOVAL DID THAT IN THE TWO AND A HALF YEARS THAT HE WAS HERE, DESPITE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERYONE ELSE, WHETHER IT WAS A SECTORS OF EDUCATION OR OTHERWISE, HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB, AND I SAY THIS ON BEHALF OF STAFF.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? YES.
I DON'T KNOW A LOT OF FANCY WORDS TO SAY WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY, BUT WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU GUYS IS THAT DR.
SANDOVAL, HE'S AN AWESOME DOCTOR.
I'M SPEAKING FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE COUNTY.
FOR PARENTS, FOR CHILDREN, FOR ALL OF US AND MAYBE WE LOST A DEAR ONE BECAUSE OF THAT.
SO WHAT I'M HERE TO SAY IS THAT I HOPE YOU CONSIDER THAT DR.
SANDOVAL, AGAIN, HE'S BEEN ON THIS COMMUNITY FOR ALWAYS.
SANDOVAL SINCE MY CHILDREN WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.
DR. SANDOVAL, HE'S ALWAYS BEEN INVOLVED.
DR. SANDOVAL SPEAKS SPANISH AND YOU KNOW HOW AWESOME IT IS TO GO TO A DOCTOR THAT SPEAKS YOUR OWN LANGUAGE BECAUSE IN THAT TRANSLATION SOMETHING IS MISSED AND DR.
SO I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT.
THANK YOU, DR. SANDOVAL FOR ALL THE--MA'AM--HOPEFULLY WE HAVE MANY MORE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? SEEING NONE. I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES 4 TO 1.
[SCHEDULED ITEMS]
FIRST IS A PUBLIC HEARING BY COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE APPROVING EXTENSION APPLICATION NUMBER EXT22-005 TO EXTEND THE INITIAL TERM OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT NUMBER DA19-001 FROM TWO YEARS TO THREE YEARS.THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED BETWEEN SOUTH STATE HIGHWAY 33 AND SOUTH HILLDALE AVENUE, INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 458 ACRES NORTH OF THE CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT AND BISECTED BY THE DELTA MENDOTA CANAL IN THE SANTA NELLA AREA.
WELL, HELLO, DIRECTOR HENDRICKSON, MR. CHAIRMAN, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. GOOD MORNING.
I GOT AN EASY ONE FOR YOU, SO WE'RE GOING TO HOPEFULLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE FUN WITH THIS ONE.
[01:10:07]
19-001, WHICH WOULD TAKE IT THROUGH AUGUST 29TH, 2023.THIS AGAIN COMES AT THE REQUEST OF THE APPLICANT AND JUST BY WAY OF BRIEF BACKGROUND.
THIS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WAS ACTUALLY APPROVED BY THIS BOARD IN 2020 AND ESSENTIALLY ESTABLISHED SOME METRICS AND PARAMETERS BY WHICH THE PROJECT WOULD PROCEED, AS WAS MENTIONED DURING THE DESCRIPTION.
AGAIN, BY WAY OF BRIEF BACKGROUND, THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED BETWEEN SOUTH HIGHWAY 33 AND SOUTH HILLSDALE ROAD, INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 458 ACRES NORTH OF THE CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT AND BISECTED BY THE DELTA MENDOTA AND THE SANTA NELLA AREA.
THIS SITE IS DESIGNATED LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AND IS ZONED R-1-5000 FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE OVER THE COURSE ABOUT THREE PHASES.
IT WOULD BE ABOUT 4500 UNITS, ROUGHLY.
STAFF DOES FEEL THAT THE APPLICANT HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARDS THEIR MILESTONES AND THAT YOUR APPROVAL OF AN ADDITIONAL 12 MONTHS WILL AFFORD THEM WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCESSFULLY UNDERTAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT ARE NEEDED RELATED TO THEIR SECURING A WATER SUPPLY AGREEMENT WITH THE SANTA ANA COUNTY WATER DISTRICT.
SO AGAIN, SO AS TO FURTHER ADVANCE THEIR PROJECT.
I DO UNDERSTAND THAT, MR. PALMER, THEIR PROJECT REPRESENTATIVE, IS HERE.
SHOULD THE BOARD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? BUT AT THIS POINT, STAFF RECOMMENDS TWO QUICK STEPS, ONE OF WHICH IS FOR YOU TO OPEN YOUR PUBLIC HEARING, TO CLOSE THAT PUBLIC HEARING, AND THERE ARE TWO ACTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY, ONE OF WHICH IS TO MAKE A MOTION TO FIND THE PROJECT EXEMPT FROM FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PURSUANT TO SECTION 15182 RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS, PURSUANT TO A SPECIFIC PLAN BASED ON THE FINDINGS AS LISTED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT, AND THEN SECONDLY, TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE ORDINANCE APPROVING AN EXTENSION 22-005 TO EXTEND THE INITIAL TERM OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FROM TWO YEARS TO THREE YEARS.
AGAIN, STAFF WOULD BE PLEASED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND AGAIN, THE APPLICANT IS PRESENT SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THEM AS WELL? SO AT THIS POINT, MR. CHAIRMAN, I WOULD ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU. I SEE NO REQUEST FOR QUESTIONS.
WELL, I THINK THIS PROJECT CAME TWO YEARS AGO FOR AN EXTENSION OF TWO YEARS, AND NOW IT'S ANOTHER EXTRA YEAR OF AN EXTENSION, AND I DIDN'T I SAY I MADE SOME COMMENTS TWO YEARS AGO REGARDING THIS PROJECT.
I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE IN THREE PHASES, BUILT OVER THREE PHASES.
IT WOULD TAKE 20, 30 YEARS TO BUILD OUT.
BACK THEN I THOUGHT IT WAS AROUND 300 ACRES NOW, AND SO I READ THAT IT WAS 458 ACRES, WHICH IS A HUGE PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE, SANTA NELLA TREMENDOUSLY, AND THE WEST SIDE AS WELL.
WE MIGHT HAVE TO DO ANOTHER DISTRICT OVER THERE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A BIGGER PARK IN THAT AREA.
THOSE WERE MY STATEMENTS LAST TWO YEARS AGO, AND I STILL THINK THAT THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT IS TO BE REEVALUATED, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CONTRIBUTING TO THE HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THAT REGION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DA HAS ENOUGH SIDEWALKS AND THE ROADS ARE ADDRESSED.
I KNOW THEY'RE PROBABLY OLD ENOUGH.
IT'S 21 YEARS PROBABLY CRACKED AND PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE] SEALED OR THAT.
SO AS WELL AS THE LIGHTING AND THE LANDSCAPING THAT WILL GO ON HERE, BUT THE REALITY IS THE PARK AREA WHERE, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO 500 ACRES, THAT'S A LOT OF HOMES.
I THINK THAT TOO MANY PEOPLE IN ONE AREA AND YOU KNOW, FOR THE HEALTH WE JUST WENT.
I KNOW THAT THE FIRST PHASE CALLS FOR A SMALL PARK.
I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT'S THREE OR FIVE YEARS, THREE OR FIVE ACRES, I'M SORRY, WHICH IS VERY SMALL.
I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, SANTA NELLA IS GOING TO GET ANOTHER SMALL THREE ACRE PARK, BUT THAT'S ACROSS THE STREET THERE, AND THIS DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE IN MY DISTRICT IN THE FUTURE.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M MAKING THESE STATEMENTS.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COUNTY IS CHARGING UPDATED PLANNING FEES.
[01:15:04]
SINCE THIS HAS BEEN A 20 PLUS YEAR PROJECT, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY IN 21 YEARS INCREASED TRAFFIC FLOW AND IT NEEDS TO BE REEVALUATED.CURRENTLY WE'RE SEEKING, WITH SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA [INAUDIBLE] SYSTEM RIGHT THERE ON, UH, I THINK IT'S HENRY MILLER WHERE THERE'S A MOBILE HOME PARK AND THERE'S MANY CONCERNS THERE OF, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I THINK EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN THROUGH THERE, IT'S JUST IN THE MORNINGS AND THEN THE EVENINGS, IT'S JUST THE TRAFFIC FLOW COMING BACK FROM THE BAY AREA.
IT JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, LONG AND DANGEROUS THERE FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS.
I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE FINDINGS.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YEAH, YOU KNOW, GET IT OUT THERE.
LET'S JUST BE REAL. THAT THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IS FINDING WATER.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, DIRECTOR HENDRICKSON, IS JUST WHEN WE GET TO THE POINT AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE POINT AND I MAYBE SHOULD HAVE ASKED THIS QUESTION EARLY ON, BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE LIGHTING AND LANDSCAPE DISTRICTS, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE, I FACED THIS WHEN I WAS ON ON THE CITY COUNCIL IS, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE REASON YOU PUT THESE LIGHTING AND LANDSCAPE DISTRICTS AHEAD OF THE DEVELOPMENT IS, IS THERE'S ONE OWNER IN WITH THE 218 PROCESS, IT'S ONE PERSON AND THEY GET TO MAKE THE DECISIONS JUST THAT WE'RE ALL BEING MINDFUL THAT WE'RE CHARGING ENOUGH AND THOSE LIGHTING AND LANDSCAPE DISTRICTS TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE SERVICE THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO CALL FOR AND MAKING AND MAKING SURE THAT WHEN THOSE ARE SET UP, THAT THE ESCALATORS, THE CPI INCREASES CAN HAPPEN, AND I'M SPEAKING THIS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE CITY OF LOS BANOS, WHERE WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED THEM, THEY PUT VERY MINIMAL ESCALATORS ON THEM AND THEY PROVIDED ALL THIS BEAUTIFUL KIND OF COMMON SPACE ISLANDS IN MIDDLE OF ROADWAYS, A LOT OF LANDSCAPING, NICE PARKS, AND THOSE THOSE LEVELS WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF. WE'LL NEVER RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR THE COST OF SERVICE, AND I JUST THINK THAT'S PART OF IT.
IT SHOULD BE IF YOU'RE MOVING IN THAT AREA, YOU PAY FOR THAT SERVICE THAT YOU MOVED INTO.
SO JUST BEING MINDFUL OF THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FEE NEEDS TO BE CHARGED AND ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY COVER THE COST OF SERVICE AND KEEP UP WITH JUST INFLATION AND CPI INCREASES.
YOU KNOW YOU GO OVER PACHECO PASS AND WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMUTERS A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WORK IN THE BAY AREA THAT LIVE LIVE IN MY DISTRICT, AND THE STATE IS GOING TO I MEAN, I JUST WAS FOLLOWING SOME ARTICLES NOW WHERE THE STATE IS LITERALLY TRYING TO TAKE MORE AND MORE LOCAL CONTROL AWAY, AND THERE'S A HOUSING SHORTAGE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LET BUILDING HAPPEN, AND SO WE JUST NEED TO BE MINDFUL THAT WE'RE NOT BURDENING OUR SYSTEM WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENT, THAT THE NEW DEVELOPMENT IS TAKING CARE OF ITSELF.
IT'S COMING WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO IT'S SELLING.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANY CITIES ARE GOING TO INCORPORATE THESE DAYS.
I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY SOME CITIES THAT LIKE TO INCORPORATE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO PUSH THE DEVELOPMENT IN THESE KIND OF COMMUNITIES SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST HAPPEN OUT IN THE RURAL AREA. SO I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT, THIS EXTENSION TODAY.
I SEE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
I'LL OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ACCEPT PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
IT IS NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON.
GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JOHN PALMER.
I SERVE AS THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE PARKWAY DEVELOPMENT.
FIRST OFF, I WANT TO THANK MERCED COUNTY STAFF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MARK HENDRICKSON, TIFFANY HO AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL'S OFFICE FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AMENDMENT.
I CAN SAY NOBODY'S MORE FRUSTRATED BEING HERE AFTER TWO YEARS THAN MYSELF AND THE OWNERSHIP.
[01:20:06]
WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE DONE.WE THOUGHT WE'D BE BUILDING THIS PROJECT BY NOW.
THE DISTRICT IS STRAPPED IN RESOURCES.
WE'RE DEALING WITH IT. WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN.
I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS THAT I HEARD TODAY.
WE ARE GOING TO DELIVER PARKS IN ITS FIRST PHASE.
WE NEED TO GET THE PROJECT STARTED.
I'M HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE HEARD MR. SILVEIRA'S QUESTIONS ON MAKING SURE THAT WE FUND LONG TERM MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION.
SO DEFINITELY EVERYTHING THAT WE HEAR FROM YOU GUYS IS, IS THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH YOUR STAFF TO MAKE SURE WE IMPLEMENT A PROJECT THAT IS SOMETHING YOU GUYS CAN STAND BEHIND AS WELL AS WE CAN.
SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? OH, SORRY, SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO DETERMINE THAT NO FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 15182 AND ADOPT THE ORDINANCE APPROVING THE APPLICATION EXT.
20-2005 FROM TWO YEARS TO THREE YEARS AND AMENDING THE PURSUANT SECTION AGREEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 1.4.2.4. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SO I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
SAME SIGN. MOTION CARRIES 4 TO 1 WITH SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA ABSTAIN OR VOTING NO.
NEXT IS ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING FROM COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE APPROVING ZONE CHANGE NUMBER ZC21-004 AND APPROVAL OF SITE PLAN AND DESIGN REVIEW NUMBER SPR21-010 AND ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION NUMBER 8A22-046.
THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF WEST KING STREET, 235 FEET SOUTH WEST OF NORTH STEPHENS STREET IN THE DELHI AREA, IDENTIFIED AS ASSESSOR'S PARCEL NUMBER APN 009-152-027.
ALL RIGHT, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AGAIN, GOOD MORNING.
MARK HENDRICKSON, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE ARE WORKING ON SECURING FIVE VOTES WITH THIS ONE.
JUST BY WAY OF BRIEF BACKGROUND IS DESCRIBED JUST A SECOND AGO.
THE SITE IS DESIGNATED MIXED USE AND ZONED C TWO GENERAL COMMERCIAL.
THIS PROJECT WOULD ULTIMATELY EFFECTUATE DELHI COMMUNITY PLAN GOALS AND POLICIES TO REZONE ALL LANDS DESIGNATED MIXED USE TO MIXED USE ZONING WHICH WILL ALLOW MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL BY RIGHT, WITH THE CAVEAT THAT NEW CONSTRUCTION MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF SITE PLAN AND DESIGN REVIEW.
THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS DOES TODAY.
SECTIONS 21159.25 OF THE PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE.
WE DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL THIS MORNING FROM THE DELHI COUNTY WATER DISTRICT STATING THAT THE PROJECT'S CONDITIONAL [INAUDIBLE] HAS EXPIRED, WHICH WILL JUST SIMPLY REQUIRE THE PROJECT APPLICANT TO SECURE SUCH CAPACITY PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION BEGINNING.
SO AT THIS POINT, STAFF DOES RECOMMEND TWO ACTIONS.
AGAIN, YOUR OPENING AND CLOSING YOUR PUBLIC HEARINGS AND THEN RELATED TO THE PROJECT ITSELF.
ONE TO MAKE A MOTION TO FIND THE PROJECT EXEMPT FROM FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PURSUANT TO AGAINST SECTION 15183 AND SECTION 21159.25, THE PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE, AND THEN SECONDLY, TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE ORDINANCE AS INCLUDED IN YOUR BOARD ITEM APPROVING ZONE CHANGE
[01:25:04]
ZC-21-004 AND TO APPROVE THE SITE PLAN AND DESIGN REVIEW NUMBER SPR-21-010 AND ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION 22-046. AGAIN, BASED ON THE FINDINGS LISTED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT, BOTH MS. TIFFANY HO AND MYSELF ARE PLEASED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THE APPLICANT IS ALSO PRESENT OR WAS SHORTLY AGO.WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
I'LL JUST MAKE A COMMENT. I WAS AT THE MAC MEETING WHEN THE OWNER WELL THE DEVELOPER PRESENTED IT AND I DON'T THINK THERE WAS REALLY ONE NEGATIVE COMMENT. THERE WAS SOME QUESTIONS, OF COURSE, BUT THOSE WERE ALL ANSWERED, AND SO THE COMMUNITY, AT LEAST THROUGH THE MAC, WAS WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT , AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR MUCH NEEDED HOUSING IN THAT COMMUNITY.
ALL RIGHT, I'LL OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME.
IT IS NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON.
I WASN'T AT THE MAC BOARD MEETING.
YOU GUYS PROBABLY TALKED ABOUT IT AT THE MAC BOARD MEETING AS FAR AS THE WE'RE IN NEED OF I'M LOSING ALL MY WORDS HOUSING THAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
ARE THESE GOING TO MEET ANY OF THOSE NEEDS IN THE DELHI COMMUNITY AS FAR AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE WITH THE NEED FOR HOUSING IT'S SO EASY FOR PEOPLE TO PUT ALMOST ANY KIND OF PRICE ON IT. NOW, WHAT I HAD HEARD THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE ONE BEDROOM, TWO BEDROOM AND THREE BEDROOM HOMES, PROPERTIES OR APARTMENTS, AND WHAT TYPE OF RESTRICTIONS ARE GOING TO BE ON AS FAR AS HOW THOSE ARE GOING TO BE RENTED OUT? ARE THEY GOING TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OR ARE THEY GOING TO--I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL PROJECTS AROUND NOT ONLY AROUND THE DELHI AREA, BUT OTHER AREAS THAT ARE BUILT SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING INTOWN AND IT DISCONNECTS THE COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES FROM BEING ABLE TO GET INTO BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING SUBSIDIZED, AND SO THAT A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES OR THOSE HOMES ARE BEING SAVED.
FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT INTO COMMUNITIES, IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT THE DELHI COMMUNITY ITSELF AND IS IT GOING TO BE AFFORDABLE? WHAT'S GOING TO KEEP THAT AFFORDABLE? AND IS IT GOING TO BE PROPERLY MANAGED? THERE WAS SEVERAL APARTMENTS THAT CAME INTO DELHI AT DIFFERENT TIMES THAT THE COMMUNITY IS A SMALL COMMUNITY LIKE DELHI, WE KIND OF SET IN OUR WAYS AND WHEN THOSE LIKE MAGNOLIA GARDEN APARTMENTS, THOSE CAME IN, THOSE JUST GOT A LOT OF PUSHBACK AND THEY'VE ENDED UP BEING SUCH A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE THEY'RE GOOD MANAGEMENT ONES OVER BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
IS ARE THESE GOING TO HAVE THOSE KIND OF MANAGEMENT NECESSITIES THAT ARE NEEDED TO KEEP IT? BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF LOCAL IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S RIGHT THERE, AND WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON IT? HOW IS IT GOING TO AFFECT OUR WATER AS FAR AS THEIR THE IMPACT, IS DELHI COUNTY WATER DISTRICT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THAT? BUT, YOU KNOW, AND IT IS IN AN AREA WHERE SOME OF THE ROADWAYS ARE UNDERDEVELOPED.
ARE SOME OF THE ROADWAYS GOING TO HAVE TO BE BROUGHT UP TO BE BETTER DEVELOPED FOR THAT AREA? SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF MY THOUGHTS ON IT.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY, SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ANYBODY INTERESTED IN MAKING A MOTION? OH, I AM SO SORRY, SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA.
GO AHEAD. NO WORRIES, MR. CHAIR. CHAIR, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION DETERMINED THAT NO FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 15183 AND SECTION...I HAD IT A SECOND AGO. I'M SORRY.
I GOT THAT ONE, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE SECTION ABOUT THE.
[01:30:01]
YEAH, THOSE TWO SECTIONS THAT WERE NUMBER THREE IN THE STAFF REPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS AND ALSO MAKE A MOTION AS PART OF MY MOTION ADOPT ORDINANCE APPROVING THE ZONE CHANGE NUMBER ZC 20 1004 AND APPROVE THE SITE PLAN DESIGN REVIEWS THAT ARE LISTED IN OUR STAFF REPORT AS ITEM NUMBER FOUR. THANK YOU.IS THERE A SECOND? THERE'S BEEN MOVE BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA.
I WILL SAY THESE ARE MARKET RATE APARTMENTS.
THEY'RE NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE CAN'T GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILT.
IT'S ACTUALLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MARKET RATE APARTMENTS.
SO BUT ANY HOUSING IS GOOD HOUSING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
ALL RIGHT, I'LL START TO MY RIGHT.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE A NOTE THAT WE, UH.
I ATTENDED UH THE GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTER'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY.
UM, I THINK IT WAS LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE I CAME.
I DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THE DATE, BUT I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS AND THANK THEM FOR ALL THEIR, UH, UH, EFFORTS IN PROVIDING BETTER COMMUNITY HEALTH FOR OUR COUNTY, BUT THEIR COUNTY AND STANISLAUS COUNTY, I KNOW THEY'VE EXPANDED, UH, SUBSTANTIALLY AND UH, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE, UH, THEY HAVE, I GUESS IT USED TO BE THEIR MAIN HEADQUARTERS IN [INAUDIBLE] SAID I THINK IT'S CHANGED TO MODESTO NOW.
SO, UM, AND ALSO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE CARLOS VIEIRA FOUNDATION, UH, CARLOS VIEIRA AND UH, ALSO WELL, WELL, YOU KNOW, THE SWEET POTATO, THEY RUN A, A GOOD, UH, SWEET POTATO, UH, COMPANY IN LEWISTON IS PROBABLY THE, THE BIGGEST, UH, SWEET POTATO IN, UH, IN ON THE WEST SIDE OF, UH, THE UNITED STATES, AND UH, THEY DO A LOT OF GREAT, UH, UH, FUNDRAISERS FOR UH, UH, MANY HEALTH ISSUES IN, IN OUR COUNTY , AND SO I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR, UH, FOR FUND RAISING AND UH, CONTRIBUTING TO, TO ALL OUR, UH, MERCED COUNTY EFFORTS TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTH.
ALSO TO, UH, I WAS LIKE, I THINK I STATED BEFORE I WAS IN, UH, IN A MEETING WITH THE CITY OF MERCED CITY MANAGER AND SOME STAFF REGARDING, UH, WHAT THE CITIZENS WERE REQUESTING A, UH, SPEED BUMPS ON CONE AVENUE IN SOUTH MERCED, AND SO HOPEFULLY ALSO CONTACT THE CHP, MAKE SURE THAT THE THIS THEY FOLLOW UP ON THE SPEED LIMITS THERE ON CONE AVENUE.
GIRARD AVENUE SIGNAL SESSION WAS ALSO ADDRESSED THAT THEY ARE MEETING AND YOU KNOW OF COURSE CALTRANS IS PUSHING THE ROUNDABOUTS THROUGHOUT EVEN HIGHWAY 140 AND PLANADA, UH, THEY HAD A MEETING LAST WEEK AND REGARDING SIGNALIZATION BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE TO THE PUSH IN THE ROUNDABOUT, IT MAKES MORE SENSE IN PLANADA BECAUSE IT'S A WIDER AREA, BUT FOR SOUTH MERCED, I THINK THERE'S TOO MUCH TRAFFIC THERE, A LOT OF FAST TRAFFIC. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT MAKES SENSE IN SOUTH MERCED, BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH MORE MEETINGS AND ALSO THE SIDEWALKS ON P STREET AND S STREET WERE ADDRESSED AS THOSE TWO, UH, LADIES ADDRESS.
THEY LIVE THERE. THEY HAVE MANY ISSUES THAT HAVE ADDRESSED IN THE PAST WITH, UH, THE DRAINAGE, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING HIGHER GROUND, AND, YOU KNOW, IN THIS AREA OF MERCED . THERE'S MANY, UH, DRAINAGE ISSUES, AND SO THE LIGHTING AS WELL.
SO, UH, I, I HAVE A MEETING WITH, UH, DANA WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND ERIC SITS, UH, REGARDING, UH, ALL THESE ITEMS, AND SO THEY, I KNOW THEY, THEY, THEY HAD, UM, RAISED A LOT OF SIGNATURES, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT A LOT OF SIGNATURES FOR THE CONE AVENUE AND ALL THESE IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL.
UM, ALSO, UH, LAST, UH, YOU KNOW, AS THE BOARD KNOWS, I BROUGHT UP WITH CALTRANS, THEY SHOW MARTIN LUTHER KING FROM THE SOUTH SIDE LIMITS TO, UH, HIGHWAY 99, REGARDING THE PAVEMENT.
THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB DURING THE SOUTH, 59 OR 59, BUT THEY FORGET ABOUT THE, THE CITY PORTION, WHICH IS PRETTY WIDE THERE ON MARTIN LUTHER KING, AND UH, IT'S, UH, THE ROAD IS GETTING VERY BAD THERE.
[01:35:03]
, AND I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW.THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR PEDROZO.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO, ONE OF THE LADIES THAT GOT UP AND SPOKE SAID SHE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF FANCY WORDS, AND I'M NOT BEING A SMART ALECK OR ANYTHING, BUT WHEN SHE SAID AWESOME, IF AWESOME IS NOT A FANCY WORD, THEN I NEED TO REUP MY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY BECAUSE I USE THAT WORD ALL THE TIME, SO I'M TOTALLY FINE WITH THAT.
I HAD THE TRIPLE AA MEETING YESTERDAY AND SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE WORKED ON THAT WE PASSED TODAY IS REALLY GOING TO BENEFIT SOME OF OUR SENIORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WITH TECHNOLOGY AND STUFF, AND I WILL HAVE TO SAY THAT THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE WEST SIDE, WE HAD A NEW EMPLOYEE THERE FROM WHO REPRESENTS THE HIGH CAP AND HE'S DOING WITH THAT.
HE TOLD HIM THAT THE FIRST WORDS AND FIRST THOUGHT THAT HE WAKES UP IN THE MORNING SHOULD BE THE LOS BANOS AND THAT THE WEST SIDE IS THE ONLY SIDE THAT HAS A HEART, AND I SAID, DON'T EVEN GIVE ME THAT.
SO ANYWAY, BUT IT WAS IT'S A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, BUT IT'S REALLY IT'S UPSETTING WHEN YOU GO TO THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND YOU JUST DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN IT BECAUSE IT MAKES WE REALLY NEED AS MUCH DISCUSSION AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO ON THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT, AND SO I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE COMMITTEES, AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THERE.
I WAS ABLE TO ALSO ATTEND THE MERCED HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM RIBBON CUTTING ON AUGUST 12TH, AND THEN THEIR FIRST GAME WAS ON THE 19TH AND IT WAS REALLY AGAIN AWESOME TO SEE HOW PACKED THE STADIUM WAS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER. UNFORTUNATELY, IT DID NOT WORK OUT FOR MERCED HIGH SCHOOL, BUT IT WAS JUST REALLY COOL TO SEE HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE THERE, AND THE I MEAN, THE COMMUNITY WAS THERE.
IT ALSO COINCIDED WITH THE 1990 THROUGH 95 MERCED HIGH REUNION, OF WHICH OUR ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE WAS A MEMBER OF THAT ERA.
I KNOW HE LOOKS LIKE HE GRADUATED IN 88, BUT HE SWEARS HE DIDN'T.
SO BUT IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE AND HAVING THE THAT FACILITY IN THE HEART OF MERCED, I THINK IS REALLY GOOD FOR OUR YOUTH AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.
YOU'RE WELCOME. DIRECTOR MCDANIEL.
OH, THANK YOU. WAS THAT A PROMOTION DIRECTOR? WHAT I CALL IT WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD? THANK YOU. EMPOWERMENT.
I ATTENDED THE RCRC BI MONTHLY MEETING.
BI MONTHLY, I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
EVERY OTHER MONTH MEETING, AND WE GOT TO MEET THE NEW CEO, PATTY POPPY, PG&E, AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, HER APPROACH AND WHAT SHE'S WHAT SHE IS DOING AT PG&E CURRENTLY AND WHAT YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO RECOGNIZE THIS COMPANY.
SHE'S A MIDWESTERN GIRL, COMES FROM MINNESOTA, SHE'S A PURDUE, GOT HER MASTERS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, BUT HER APPROACH AND SHE COULD EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THAT PG&E HAS BEEN DOING WRONG OVER THE PAST DECADES AND GETTING BACK TO BEING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PROVIDING POWER INSTEAD OF ALL THESE OTHER INITIATIVES THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT DURING THIS WHOLE TIME AND KNOWING THAT THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE, AND ACTUALLY THAT SOME OF THESE IRRIGATION DISTRICTS AND OTHER FOLKS DO OWN THE RIGHTS TO THESE DAMS AND WATER RIGHTS, AND SHE'S READY TO GIVE IT BACK AND GIVE IT BACK TO THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE, AND HER APPROACH AND HER MEASUREMENTS ON SUCCESS HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED PG&E.
SHE SHE DEFINITELY GOT ALL OF US ON BOARD.
[01:40:03]
SHE WAS A PRESIDENT OF A WELL SHE WAS CEO OF A POWER COMPANY IN THE MIDWEST.VERY HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME I SHARED AT THEIR CITY COUNCIL MEETING LAST NIGHT THAT WE WERE VERY PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME AND ALREADY HAVING A SCHEDULED MEETING GOING FORWARD TO COMPLETE THIS, AND SO ON BEHALF OF BOTH THE CITY OF ATWATER AND MYSELF AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AREA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INITIATING.
WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS AND WE FINALLY SAT DOWN AND DID IT AND IT'S VERY THANKFUL.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I HAVE A FEW THINGS JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON ON THE NEW CEO AT PG&E, I'M PART OF I CALL IT I THINK IT'S CALLED LIKE THEIR KIND OF THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION. PG&E REACHED OUT TO ME, ANNABELLE BROOKS, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR PG&E.
SHE ASKED ME TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO TALK TO LOCAL ELECTEDS AND, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN THEY DO BETTER? AND AS PART OF THAT, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE HELMS POWER PLANT.
IT'S UP ABOVE SHAVER LAKE, AND I WOULD TELL YOU, IT WAS PRETTY AMAZING, AND I'M VERY FORTUNATE BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE GET TO GET A TOUR OF THAT, AND BASICALLY SO YOU HAVE LAKE YOU BASICALLY HAVE TWO LAKES UP THERE, ONE HIGHER LAKE, ONE LOWER LAKE.
I FORGET THE UPPER LAKE, BUT [INAUDIBLE] IS THE OTHER LAKE, AND THEY USE GRAVITY TO RUN WATER THROUGH THEM THROUGH THROUGH A PIPELINE THAT WAS BUILT STARTED IN THE LATE SEVENTIES AND IT OPENED IN 84.
JUST TO PUT IT PERSPECTIVE, IF ALL THREE GENERATORS ARE RUNNING THERE, THEY PRODUCE ENOUGH POWER AT THAT FACILITY TO POWER 900,000 HOMES , AND THIS IS JUST KIND OF CALIFORNIA IN ITS INFINITE WISDOM.
THERE, YOU IF IT'S RENEWABLE ENERGY, BUT THEY'RE NOT CONSIDERED GREEN ENERGY EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE USING WATER TO MAKE THIS BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE TOO MANY MEGAWATTS.
I MEAN, THE TUNNELS, THE ACCESS TUNNEL, I MEAN, IT'S HUGE.
IT'S I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE DIAMETER OF IT, BUT IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO DRIVE TRUCKS DOWN IN THERE WAS ALL DONE NOT WITH BORING MACHINES BUT OLD SCHOOL DRILL HOLES, STICK DYNAMITE IN THERE, BLOW IT OUT, CLEAN THAT SECTION OUT AND DO THE NEXT SECTION.
JUST A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT IT.
THAT JUST SEEPS IN THROUGH THE ROCKS, AND YOU SEE THESE HUGE, MASSIVE MACHINES AT THE TOP OF THIS GENERATOR WEIGHS 1,000,000 POUNDS AND THEY HAVE CRANES DOWN THERE, TWO CRANES, TEN.
AND SO YOU HAVE THESE THREE JUST MASSIVE PIECES OF MACHINERY.
I THINK THEY SAID IT'S LIKE ONE OF THE IT'S IN THE TOP 15, UH, ENGINEERING MARVELS OF THE WORLD.
RIGHT, AND IT'S REALLY, IT'S A FEW HOURS DRIVE FROM HERE, BUT WHEN YOU SEE ALL THIS DONE AND THIS IS ENOUGH, THEY CAN PRODUCE ENOUGH POWER TO, TO SUPPLY 900,000 HOMES, AND THERE'S 11 PIPES THAT ARE ABOUT THREE INCHES IN DIAMETER THAT ARE OIL FILLED WITH PROBABLY A PIECE OF WIRE IN THEM.
THAT'S MAYBE I'M GOING TO CALL IT AN INCH AND A HALF IN DIAMETER.
THESE 11 PIPES COME OUT, THEY GO TO THE TOP OF THIS 1000 FEET AND THEN CONNECT TO THE GRID AND IT GOES DOWN INTO MADEIRA, AND THAT'S WHERE IT ACTUALLY CONNECTS INTO THE GRID, BUT ALL THIS MASSIVENESS LEAVES ON THESE 11 PIPES.
I WANT TO SAY IT'S EACH ONE OF THOSE GENERATORS IS 412 MEGAWATTS IS WHAT THEY CAN PRODUCE.
I'M VERY FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF IT, AND IT'S KIND OF, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WITH ALL THE SOLAR ON BOARD, THEY ACTUALLY DON'T REALLY PRODUCE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE SYSTEM OF WHERE THEY LET THE WATER RUN DOWN, SPIN THE GENERATORS, CREATE POWER, THEN THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUMP THE WATER BACK UP.
SO YOU BUT THEY ACTUALLY CREATE THEIR POWER DURING THE DAY A LITTLE BIT, BUT AT NIGHT, BECAUSE WITH ALL THE SOLAR POWER THAT'S ONLINE DURING THE DAY, THEY DON'T NEED TO CREATE AS MUCH POWER EXCEPT FOR WE'RE IN EXTREME CONDITIONS LIKE WE HAVE BEEN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY GENERATING POWER AT NIGHT.
THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE SITTER AND THEY'RE KIND OF THE REGULATOR.
AWESOME EXPERIENCE, SOMETHING REALLY COOL, AND SO I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT.
SORRY TO BE YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF WALKED INTO THE HOT SEAT TODAY, BUT I THINK THAT THE THINGS THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD EARLIER ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING TO DO A BETTER JOB OF DOING THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS IN PUBLIC.
[01:45:10]
CHARGE OF ROADS AND ROADS.WE ALL KNOW, YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT HIGH LEVEL, IMPORTANT POLICY MAKING DECISIONS UP HERE, BUT WHEN I WALK OUT THE DOOR, I'M NO BETTER THAN THE LAST POTHOLE, THAT POTHOLE THAT WE FILL. I'M THE CHIEF POTHOLE FILLER IN IN DISTRICT FIVE, NOT NOT LITERALLY, BUT I GET ALL THE PHONE CALLS.
HE'S VERY ATTENTIVE TO DETAIL.
I CAN ALREADY TELL YOU IN TALKING TO SOME OF THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, HE'S ALREADY MADE HIS WAY OUT.
SO I'M GUESSING HE'S PROBABLY DONE IT ON THE MERCED SIDE, BUT ALREADY BEEN OUT TO THE LOS BANOS YARD MEETING THE ACTUAL PEOPLE DOING THE WORK, GETTING TO KNOW HIM ON A FIRST NAME BASIS. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO GOOD THINGS TO COME FROM THAT AND ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT WE JUST PUT AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION OF ARPA MONEY INTO MORE ROAD PROJECTS.
SO THAT'S A GOOD THING, AND PART OF THE REASON ON MY COMMENTS EARLIER THAT I WANTED IS WHEN YOU APPROVE A CONTRACT BACK TO JANUARY, THAT'S ACROSS A DIFFERENT FISCAL YEAR.
SO SO IT REALLY SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IF IT GOES FROM JANUARY TO LIKE LET'S CALL IT DECEMBER, WE'RE REALLY LIKE HOW DO WE BUDGET FOR THAT? AND SO I KNOW THAT'S SOME OF THAT IS IT'S THE STATE CHALLENGED, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO PUSH BACK ON THE STATE AND MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND LIKE HOW DO WE HOW DO WE MAXIMIZE THOSE DOLLARS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE MUCH NEEDED SERVICES THAT THEY'RE GOING TO WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE APPROVING SOMETHING THAT GOES BACK ACROSS FISCAL YEARS? FOR US, I THINK THAT HAS TO BE A CHALLENGE NOT ONLY FOR US BUT BUDGET STAFF, EVERYBODY.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I KIND OF BRING THOSE ISSUES UP.
I GOT THAT. THE OTHER THING IS AND SO I DID ATTEND THE CSAC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MY I'VE CHANGED MY MIND A LITTLE BIT ON IS I TALKED TO A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF BRANDON.
I'M GOING TO [INAUDIBLE] HE'S AN INTERN WITH CSAC, AND HE SENT ME A STUDY ON EMPLOYMENT AND TALENT RETENTION, A REALLY IN-DEPTH STUDY ON IT.
I SHARED THAT WITH STAFF IS AS WE LOOK MOVING FORWARD, AGAIN, BOOMERS, BABY BOOMERS ARE LEAVING THE WORKFORCE AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN MILLENNIALS AND GEN ZS WANT TO COME INTO THE WORKFORCE, AND AS AN ORGANIZATION THAT EMPLOYS OVER 2500 PEOPLE, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE COMPETITIVE TO KEEP PEOPLE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAYBE START TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT WAYS OF HOW WE DO BUSINESS AND KIND OF THE OLD NORM OF MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 8 TO 5, I DON'T SUSPECT IS GOING TO BE WORK IN ALL SCENARIOS MOVING FORWARD.
SO AGAIN, SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH STAFF.
I TRIED TO AS I SIT ON AS AN ALTERNATE MEMBER ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR CSAC AND I GO TO THESE MEETINGS, I ALWAYS TRY TO BRING SOMETHING THAT I LEARNED THERE BACK HOME TO HELP BETTER OUR ORGANIZATION.
AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, I CAN'T GO WITHOUT RECOGNIZING OUR ASSISTANT CEO, DAVID MIRRIONE.
THIS WILL BE HIS LAST MEETING.
HE'S LEAVING US AT THE END OF THE WEEK.
AS YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE COUNTY, PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT I MET WAS DAVID WHEN HE WAS AT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CAME OVER TO THE CEO'S OFFICE, AND OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF, THREE YEARS, HOWEVER LONG IT'S BEEN THAT HE'S BEEN THERE, I'VE SEEN I SAW HIS ENTHUSIASM WHEN HE WAS AT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME, AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON, BUT IT'S REALLY KIND OF A I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT'S A SAD DAY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE BECAUSE WITH THAT, DAVID TAKES A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE AND IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO REPLACE THAT.
WATCHING HIM WORK THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND THE STUFF THAT HE CAN DO IN HIS SLEEP.
JUST I COULD JUST KEEP GOING ON AND ON.
SO I KNOW THAT THE FOLKS IN HOLLISTER ARE THEY'RE LUCKY TO GET YOU SIR AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE WITH US HERE AT MERCED COUNTY, AND IF THINGS DON'T WORK OUT, DON'T HESITATE TO CALL BACK.
WE YOU KNOW, I'M I'M PRETTY SURE WE CAN FIND SOMETHING FOR YOU, SIR, SO THANK YOU, THEN.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MR. CHAIR. ALL RIGHT, MR. HANSON. YEAH, I THINK I'D JUST LIKE TO ECHO SCOTT'S COMMENTS ON DAVE MIRRIONE.
I THINK HE'S GOING TO BE MISSED BY MY OFFICE.
HE'S BEEN REALLY EASY TO WORK WITH, BUT I WISH HIM LUCK IN HIS NEW CAREER AT HOLLISTER.
[01:50:03]
YOU. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. DAVID, I'M SORRY.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING PERSONALLY AND FOR HELPING THE WHOLE BOARD.
EVERYTHING YOU DID WAS WONDERFUL.
LIKE SCOTT SAID, DURING THE PANDEMIC, YOU WERE VERY HELPFUL AND WELL ALL THE TIME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.
THANK YOU. ME TOO, I APOLOGIZE FOR FORGETTING BECAUSE IT'S JUST LIKE KIND OF A MAINSTAY.
SO BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE SINCE I'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER.
I'VE REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR YOUR HELP AND YOUR GUIDANCE AND ADVISE ON STUFF.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW POSITION.
MR. CHAIR, DO YOU, CAN I INDULGE MYSELF? I OFFER NO APOLOGY, NO APOLOGIES HERE.
NO. I REALLY HATE TO SEE YOU GO.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING THAT YOU TOUCH, DAVID, YOU DO A GREAT JOB.
WE REALLY HATE TO LOSE YOU HERE FOR SURE, BUT FAMILY FIRST AND I THINK EVERYBODY UP HERE AT THE DAIS AGREES WITH THAT, AND WE TOTALLY UNDERSTAND IT'S QUALITY OF LIFE.
YOU GET TO BE AT HOME A LITTLE MORE WITH YOUR KIDS.
DON'T CALL US AND COMPLAIN, THOUGH, BUT YES, OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN.
WAIT, DAVID'S LEAVING? WHY I WAS THE LAST PERSON TO FIND OUT.
NOW, IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, DAVID, AS ALREADY MENTIONED BY THE BOARD AND COUNTY COUNCIL CLASS ACT.
OBVIOUSLY STRONG PROFESSIONAL.
I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE VERY BEST.
I LEARNED A LOT FROM YOU, SIR.
I HOPE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF SHARE SOME THINGS WITH YOU.
WE'VE HAD AN AMAZING TEAM, YOU KNOW, FROM FROM DAY ONE.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE TO MAKE MY TRANSITION TO MERCED COUNTY.
HOLLISTER IS LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS YOUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
I KNOW YOU WILL DO GREAT WORK THERE AS WELL.
IT'LL BE NICE TO KIND OF CHEER FROM YOU, CHEER FOR YOU FROM AFAR.
BECKY AND HER TEAM THERE AT PUBLIC HEALTH.
I WAS ABLE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICES FINALLY.
REALLY, REALLY WARM RECEPTION.
APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH OUR STAFF.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS TO INTERACT WITH A SMALL PORTION OF OUR WORKFORCE.
GOING BACK TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND REALLY SITTING DOWN WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAM, HAVE IT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST INTERACT WITH THEM AND IT WAS REALLY REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND HOPEFULLY GOING FORWARD HELPS IN KIND OF MY ROLE HERE AS AS THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
BUT CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEIR OFFICES OPENING THEMSELVES UP TO ME, AND I THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY THE LAST TWO COUNTY DEPARTMENTS I'VE DONE SUCCESSFULLY MY ENTIRE TOUR OF MOST OF THE OFFICES, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME OF OUR CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, SOME OF OUR FIRE STATIONS, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING PATIENT WITH ME.
THIS IS A PLAN THAT I THINK MR. BROWN AND I KIND OF SET OUT FOR ME BACK IN JANUARY, AND IT TOOK A WHILE FOR ME TO GET OUT , BUT CERTAINLY, HOPEFULLY IT'S NOT THE ONLY TIME THAT OUR STAFF SEES ME, AND THAT'S KIND OF PART OF MY STYLE, RIGHT? I MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE NOT ONLY TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF LEADING.
SO THANK YOU FOR PUBLIC TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR TODAY.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YOU'RE WELCOME.
SO AS ONE OF THE TWO BOARD MEMBERS WHO DIDN'T FORGET TO THANK DAVID MIRRIONE.
HEY, DAVID, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU.
MY COLLEAGUES REALLY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF WORK YOU PUT OUT, THE PASSION YOU BRING, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, RIGHT? WHENEVER YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, THAT'S WHEN THE SHORTFALLS SHOW UP, AND ONE OF THE ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THINGS YOU DID WAS COME ALONGSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS THAT HAD
[01:55:10]
SHORTFALLS AND HELP THEM TO WORK THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WITHOUT POINTING OUT TO OTHERS THAT THEIR CROWNS WERE CROOKED.YOU KNOW, THERE'S A THERE'S A SAYING THERE, BUT ANYWAY, SO THAT JUST SPOKE TO THE CHARACTER OF YOU, AND SO I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR NEW ENDEAVOR, AND OF COURSE, THE FOLKS IN HOLLISTER ARE THEY'RE IN FOR A GREAT SURPRISE.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T THINK YOU'VE MET EVERYBODY IN HOLLISTER, AND WHEN THEY SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE VERY APPRECIATIVE. SO CONGRATULATIONS.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE STAFF THAT ACTUALLY WAITED AND STAYED TILL THE END OF THE MEETING.
I APPRECIATE THAT. IT'S NOT LOST ON ME.
THANK YOU. WHERE WAS I? SO THE CEO AND I AND SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL MET WITH THE NEW CEO OF FOSTER FARMS AND ALSO WITH THEIR HR DIRECTOR, AND I'LL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, THE MOST WELL, ONE IS IS YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WALK AWAY FROM A MEETING WITH TONY SMITH FEELING LIKE, YOU KNOW, HE'S HE'S HERE TO DO BUSINESS, BUT THAT HE CARES ABOUT HIS COMMUNITY, HE CARES ABOUT THE SURROUNDINGS, AND SO I JUST LOOK FORWARD TO KIND OF A CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP WITH FOSTER FARMS. OF COURSE, THE FOSTERS FAMILY WERE WONDERFUL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL, BUT THE EXCITEMENT THAT DONNIE BRINGS TO THE TABLE WILL BE A BIG CHANGE IN ENERGY, AND ONE OF THEIR KIND OF THEIR FIRST FIRST THINGS THEY DID WAS IMPOSE A $4.35 AN HOUR RAISE ON THEIR PLANT WORKERS.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT YOU KNOW, I JUST I THINK WHEN A NEW COMPANY TAKES OVER, EMPLOYEES ARE NERVOUS AND, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY GOING TO KEEP THEIR JOB OR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? AND SO THE FOLKS THAT WORK FOR FOSTER FARMS, I'VE HAD MANY OF THEM SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, WOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN RECOGNIZES THEM AND DOES THAT, THEY WERE PRETTY IMPRESSED.
THE OTHER THING THAT THEY DID WAS THAT THEY KNEW THEY WANTED TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAD A LOT OF TEMP WORKERS, AND SO THEY WENT TO THEIR CURRENT EMPLOYEES AND OFFERED THEM TO INVITE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO APPLY FOR JOBS THE A WEEK AHEAD OF MAKING IT PUBLIC, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD AND PRETTY SMART ON THEIR PART TO GET FOLKS WORKING FOR THEM THAT ARE INVESTED, AND SO THAT WAS PRETTY AMAZING.
I WANT TO SHARE THAT I ATTENDED OR I WAS A ZOOM MEETING, BUT THE VALLEY WATER COALITION MEETING, IT'S A GROUP THAT'S BASICALLY BASED IN STANISLAUS COUNTY.
THEY'RE TASKED WITH HELPING TO KIND OF MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION AS FAR AS THE PUBLIC DRINKING SOURCE, AND SO ANYWAYS, THEIR PLAN IS IS TO HAVE A GREATER PRESENCE IN MERCED COUNTY, AND SO PERRY CLAWSON AND HIS TEAM HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD, I THINK, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND SO I WELCOME THEM INTO THE DELHI AND WINTON COMMUNITIES.
IT WAS BASICALLY A TEAM PUT TOGETHER THIS CLOCKTOWER.
I EXPECTED IT TO BE A TEN OR 12 FOOT TOWER.
I DON'T KNOW. IT'S GOT TO BE PROBABLY 30, 35 FEET TALL, JUST A PHENOMENAL CLOCK TOWER, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKED ON IT, BUT IT WAS KIND OF THE BRAINCHILD OF BRAD KESSLER, AND I'VE KNOWN BRAD SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE KID AND HE'S JUST GROWN UP TO A FINE CITIZEN AND I'M SURE DONATED A LOT OF HIS TIME AND ENERGY TO GETTING THAT DONE. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CITY OF ATWATER FOR THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY AND THEN CONGRATULATIONS TO BRAD KESSLER FOR BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL TOWER THAT THE DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION DONATED TO THE CITY.
I ALSO WOULD WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE PAID FOR CALL FIREFIGHTERS IN DELHI, THEY ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER ORGANIZATIONS HELD A I DON'T KNOW IT'S KIND OF A BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, BUT ALSO A NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT IN DELHI, AND IT REALLY KIND OF KICKED OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR. IT'S KIND OF COOL TO SEE A LOT OF KIDS RUN AROUND GETTING FREE STUFF, BUT ALSO LEARNING AS THEY GO.
[02:00:04]
IN HER BOOTS WOULD HAVE WEIGHED ABOUT 40 POUNDS.I'M ASSUMING A KINDERGARTNER, OR FIRST GRADER WINS IT AND SHE'S A LITTLE KID, AND SO SHE COMES UP AND SHE'S ALL GRINS AND SMILES, YOU KNOW, AND I'M SITTING THERE THINKING, WELL, YOU KNOW, I GUESS, WELL, HER PROBABLY FOURTH GRADE BROTHER JUST WALKS RIGHT IN AND OFFERS TO HELP HER WHEEL IT HOME.
I'M SURE HE WAS RIDING IT, NOT HER, BUT HOPEFULLY SHE GOT SOMETHING IN THE TRADE.
SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE, AND WITH THAT, WE'LL ADJOURN THE MEETING.
YEP. WE'RE GOING TO RECESS TO 1:30 FOR THE TRUTH ACT HEARING.
GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS AFTERNOON SESSION IS TO HOLD A TRANSPARENT REVIEW OF UNJUST TRANSFERS AND HOLDS ACT FORUM PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 7283.1 D.
WE DO HAVE INTERPRETATION SERVICES AVAILABLE IN BOTH SPANISH, AND IF YOU NEED THESE SERVICES, PLEASE LET US KNOW AS SOON AS YOU COME TO THE PODIUM.
FOLLOWING A PRESENTATION TODAY BY THE UNDERSHERIFF, PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE TAKEN.
YOU MAY NOT YIELD THE REMAINDER OF YOUR TIME TO ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE TODAY, AND I WILL NOW TURN THE MIC OVER TO MANAGEMENT ANALYST LINDSAY JOHNSON, WHO PROVIDE A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF THE ACT. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN PAREIRA, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CEO MENDEZ, COUNSEL HANSON, LINDSAY JOHNSON MANAGEMENT ANALYST, COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
GOOD AFTERNOON TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE AND WATCHING ONLINE.
AS THE CHAIRMAN MENTIONED TODAY, WE WILL WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE TRUTH ACT.
IN SEPTEMBER OF 2016, GOVERNOR BROWN SIGNED INTO LAW ASSEMBLY BILL 2792, KNOWN AS THE TRANSPARENT REVIEW OF UNJUST TRANSFERS AND HOLDS ACT, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE TRUTH ACT.
AS ADOPTED AB 2792 REQUIRES THAT IN ADVANCE OF ANY INTERVIEW BETWEEN ICE IN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT CUSTODY REGARDING CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS, THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITY SHALL PROVIDE THE INDIVIDUAL WITH A WRITTEN CONSENT FORM THAT EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW, AND THE INTERVIEW IS VOLUNTARY, AND THAT HE OR SHE MAY DECLINED TO BE INTERVIEWED OR MAY CHOOSE TO BE INTERVIEWED ONLY WITH HIS OR HER ATTORNEY PRESENT.
AB 2792 ALSO STATED THAT UPON RECEIVING ANY ICE HOLD NOTIFICATION OR TRANSFER REQUEST, THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SHALL PROVIDE A COPY OF THE REQUEST TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND INFORM HIM OR HER WHETHER THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY INTENDS TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUEST.
IN ADDITION, ALL RECORDS RELATING TO ICE ACCESS PROVIDED BY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATION WITH ICE, SHALL BE PUBLIC RECORDS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS ACT, INCLUDING EXEMPTIONS PROVIDED BY THAT ACT AND AS PERMITTED UNDER THE ACT.
PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION MAY BE REDACTED PRIOR TO PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.
BEGINNING JANUARY 1ST OF 2018, THE LOCAL GOVERNING BODY OF ANY COUNTY IN WHICH A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY HAS PROVIDED ICE ACCESS TO AN INDIVIDUAL DURING THE LAST YEAR SHALL HOLD AT LEAST ONE COMMUNITY FORUM DURING THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
AS A PART OF THIS FORUM, LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MAY PROVIDE THE GOVERNING BODY WITH DATA IT MAINTAINS REGARDING THE NUMBER AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS TO WHOM THE AGENCY HAS PROVIDED ICE ACCESS.
AS A REMINDER PER STATE LAW, THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S FORUM IS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION RELATED TO ANY ACCESS HERE IN MERCED COUNTY AND ALLOW MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON THAT INFORMATION.
IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE A BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC, THE BOARD OR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AFTER REVIEWING INFORMATION FOR THE 2021 YEAR, THERE WAS NO ACCESS FROM THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT TO INDIVIDUALS UNDER THEIR SUPERVISION, AND THE SHERIFF IS HERE TO PROVIDE DATA AND INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR PROCESSES RELATED TO THE TRUTH ACT.
[02:05:03]
WE'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO UNDERSHERIFF GIBSON FOR A PRESENTATION.AFTERNOON CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CO MENDEZ AND COUNSEL HANSON.
HE ASKED THAT I SHARE THE DATA WITH YOU AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY IN COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY.
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES NOT SUPPLY ANY EQUIPMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES, AND THE MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES NOT CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING CITIZEN IMMIGRATION STATUS, WHETHER ON PATROL OR IN THE CORRECTIONS ENVIRONMENT.
WE'LL GO OVER THE IMMIGRATION FORMS AND THE SHERIFF'S PROCEDURES, DETAINER REQUESTS SENT TO US BY ICE, INCARCERATED PERSON AND ATTORNEY NOTIFICATIONS, INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM, NOTIFICATIONS COUNSELORS AND 2020-21 IMMIGRATION STATISTICS.
ONCE AN INCARCERATED PERSON IS BOOKED INTO THE JAIL, THEY ARE LIVE, SCANNED, FINGERPRINTED, AND THE FINGERPRINTS ARE SENT TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE FBI FOR ANALYSIS.
STATES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR THE PUBLIC ON THE SHERIFF'S WEBSITE.
ONCE A DETAINER REQUEST IS RECEIVED BY THE JAIL, THE SUPERVISOR COMPLETES AN INCARCERATED PERSON ATTORNEY NOTIFICATION FORM THAT IS SIGNED BY THE SUPERVISOR AND THE INCARCERATED PERSON. THE FORM IS FAXED TO THE MERCED COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND SCANNED INTO THE INCARCERATED PERSON'S ELECTRONIC FILE.
THE INCARCERATED PERSON RETAINS A COPY AS WELL.
IN THE EVENT THAT ICE AGENTS WISH TO INTERVIEW SOMEONE IN CUSTODY, THEY INCARCERATE A PERSON IS GIVEN A CONSENT FORM TO SIGN WITH HIS CHOICE REGARDING THE ENCOUNTER, AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT CHOICES.
AGREES TO AN INTERVIEW WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY.
AGREES TO AN INTERVIEW WITH WITH AN ATTORNEY OR DOES NOT AGREE TO THE INTERVIEW.
THE CORRECTIONS BUREAU HAS CONTACT NUMBERS FOR ALL THE FOREIGN CONSULATES AS REQUIRED BY LAW IN THE EVENT OF A FOREIGN NATIONAL IS ARRESTED AND THEIR CONSULATE REQUIRES MANDATORY NOTIFICATION, THE SHIFT SUPERVISOR MAKES PROPER NOTIFICATIONS IMMEDIATELY.
SPANISH, CHINESE, HINDI, HMONG, KOREAN, PUNJABI AND VIETNAMESE.
STATISTICS FOR 2021, THE JAIL RECEIVED 45 JAIL DETAINER REQUESTS FROM ICE AFTER LIFE SCAN.
OUT OF THOSE 45, TWO PERSONS WERE KNOWN TO BE ARRESTED BY ICE AFTER RELEASE.
ICE REQUESTED NO INTERVIEWS WITHIN THE JAIL.
ZERO TIMES ICE WAS NOTIFIED PRIOR TO INCARCERATED PERSONS RELEASE AND ZERO TIMES THE NUMBER OF NUMBER OF TIMES THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROVIDED ICE INFORMATION REGARDING PROBATION OR PAROLE CHECK IN TIMES.
KEEP IN MIND THAT 45 NUMBER AT THE TOP WHEN WE GO TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES OUT OF THE 45, 41 HAD HISPANIC OR LATINO DESCENT AND FOUR WERE ASIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER DESCENT.
THE AGE BREAKDOWN 15 WERE FROM BETWEEN 18 AND 30.
ONE FROM 51 TO 60 AND ONE FROM 61 TO 70.
[02:10:02]
AGAIN, THAT 45 NUMBER OUT OF DETAINERS, ONE WAS FOR MANSLAUGHTER, SEVEN FOR VIOLENT FELONIES, TWO FOR SEX CRIMES, TWO FOR ASSAULT AND BATTERY, SEVEN FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TWO RELATED TO WEAPONS CRIMES.NONE OF THEM WERE A PRIMARY CRIME OF GANG ACTIVITY.
THERE COULD HAVE BEEN GANG ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE OTHER MAJOR CRIME.
NARCOTICS, FIVE, PROPERTY CRIMES, ZERO.
ALCOHOL RELATED 11 AND OTHER NONVIOLENT CRIMES, EIGHT.
COUPLE OF MYTHS VERSUS THE REALITIES.
ICE DOES NOT HAVE OFFICE SPACE IN THE MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
ICE AGENTS HAVE NOT CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS AT THE MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S FACILITIES IN 2021.
ICE AGENTS DO NOT HAVE FULL ACCESS TO MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
THEY WOULD REQUIRE A SHERIFF'S ESCORT TO WALK AROUND THE FACILITY.
THIS IS SIMILAR TO ANY OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
INCARCERATED PERSONS THAT RECEIVE AN IMMIGRATION DETAINER FROM ICE ARE DETERMINED BY FINGERPRINTS MERCED SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES NOT COLLECT IMMIGRATION STATUS ON ON ANY INDIVIDUAL OTHER THAN TRACKING ICE DETAINERS IN THE CURRENT JAIL BOOKING.
MERCED SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES NOT TRANSFER INCARCERATED PERSONS TO ICE WITHOUT A FEDERAL WARRANT, AND INCARCERATED PERSONS RELEASED FROM SHERIFF'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES ARE NOT DELAYED OR STOPPED DUE TO ICE DETAINERS.
THANK YOU. I'M HERE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. I SEE NO QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES.
THANK YOU. AT THAT AT THIS TIME, I WILL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
IT IS NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? GOOD AFTERNOON.
I FIRST LIKED TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE TIME THAT THIS TRUTH FORUM WAS PLACED ON YOUR WEBSITE.
I SPOTTED IT TODAY, AND TODAY WAS WHEN YOU'RE HAVING IT.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S ENOUGH NOTICE FOR THE PUBLIC TO SHOW UP.
THE OTHER IS THAT HAVE THERE BEEN ANY NOTICES SENT TO ANY LOCAL PAPERS THAT THIS IS HAPPENING? WAS THERE ANYTHING SENT OUT IN SOCIAL MEDIA THAT THIS IS HAPPENING? YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY SORRY THAT I MAY BE THE ONLY ONE THAT TESTIFIES HERE, WHICH I'M VERY UPSET ABOUT, BECAUSE I REALLY THINK THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS ALWAYS HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN THIS PARTICULAR SUBJECT.
DO WE HAVE THAT LANGUAGE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, TO ANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ARRESTED FOR THIS? THE OTHER IS, YOU KNOW, I JUST ACTUALLY ALSO PARTICIPATING IN THE VISION ACT, WHICH IS BEING HANDLED RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AT THE AT THE STATE LEVEL, WHICH ACTUALLY DISCUSSES AN ASPECT OF THE TRUTH ACT , AND THAT IS THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE ALREADY HAVING COMPLETED THEIR SENTENCE AT THE PRISON LEVEL THAT THEY ARE HANDED OVER TO ICE AT THIS TIME.
THAT SEEMS TO BE A DOUBLE PUNISHMENT BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY BEEN THE SENTENCE FULFILLED.
ANY OTHER PERSON THAT WOULD BE LET GO AND THEY WOULD BE REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILY.
IN THE CASE OF UNDOCUMENTED, IT IS NOT SO, AND THAT SEEMS TO BE A DOUBLE PUNISHMENT.
SO THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, HOPES THAT THE GOVERNOR WILL SIGN THIS VISION ACT AND THAT WILL NOT RELEASE PEOPLE THAT HAVE COMPLETED THEIR SENTENCES TO BE ABLE TO REUNITE WITH THEIR FAMILIES JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PERSON.
I'VE BEEN IN THIS COUNTY MANY, MANY YEARS.
[02:15:01]
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS COMMUNITY.18 TO 40 ARE THE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY STILL KEEP COMING TO THIS COUNTRY TO WORK.
SO IT'S RELATED TO THE LOCAL AREA, AND I HOPE THAT THERE'S MORE COMPASSION.
I DO SEE AN IMPROVEMENT FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT I ALSO READ THAT THERE'S SOME SURVEILLANCE ISSUES THAT ARE REALLY HARD TO DETECT THAT ARE STILL GOING ON WITH THE SHERIFFS ACROSS CALIFORNIA.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? OK, SEEING NONE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
THIS CONCLUDES THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING AND TRUTH ACT COMMUNITY FORUM FOR AUGUST 23RD, 2022.
OUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022.
[POSSIBLE DIRECTION FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.