[CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:03] ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME BACK TO THE MARCH 26TH, 2024 MEETING OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. THIS MORNING, WE HAD A CLOSED SESSION MEETING AS BOTH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND ACTING AS THE IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PUBLIC AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD. AND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS MEETING, WE WILL CONTINUE INTO CLOSED SESSION. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO WE WILL NOW START WITH THE INVOCATION LED BY PRINCIPAL JUDY BLACKBURN WITH SOME STUDENTS FROM OUR LADY OF MERCY SCHOOL. COME ON UP. WE COME TO YOU TODAY ASKING FOR GUIDANCE, WISDOM AND SUPPORT FOR THE SUPERVISORS AS THEY BEGIN THEIR MEETING. HELP THEM TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION. ALLOW THEM TO GROW CLOSER AS A GROUP AND NURTURE THE BONDS OF COMMUNITY. FILL THEM WITH YOUR GRACE, LORD GOD, AS THEY MAKE DECISIONS THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE COMMUNITY OF MERCED. DIRECT THEIR THOUGHTS, REMIND THEM THAT ALL THAT THEY DO HERE TODAY, ALL THAT THEY ACCOMPLISH, IS FOR THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH, FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF YOU AND FOR THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY. WE ASK THESE THINGS IN YOUR NAME. AMEN. AMEN. SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, PLEASE LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE. READY? SALUTE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. [PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK] IT IS NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON ANY MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION, EXCLUDING ITEMS ON THE BOARD'S AGENDA. TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON AND 30 MINUTES TOTAL. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT. AGAIN, THIS IS FOR NON AGENDIZED ITEMS ONLY. GOOD MORNING. OOPS, AM I THERE? GOOD MORNING. CHAIRMAN. EXCUSE ME, VICE CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBERS. I AM KAREN ADAMS, MERCED, COUNTY TREASURER, TAX COLLECTOR. IN THE YEAR 1900, ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, COUNTY TREASURER BAM BAUER, ON HIS WAY HOME AFTER A MILITARY DRILL MEETING, WAS KIDNAPED BY TWO ARMED MEN AND TAKEN TO THE COURTHOUSE, WHERE HE WAS PISTOL WHIPPED UNTIL HE UNWILLINGLY OPENED THE VAULT. THE ROBBER TOOK $1,600 IN CASH, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO REACH THE INNER VAULT THAT HELD 80,000 IN GOLD AND BANKNOTES. THEY LEFT AFTER LOCKING THE TREASURER IN THE AIRTIGHT VAULT, WHERE HE ALMOST SUFFOCATED TO DEATH BEFORE BEING RESCUED AT 7 A.M. BY THE COUNTY AUDITOR. THE SUSPICIONS REMAINED. IT REMAINED UNFOUNDED IN THE CASE WENT UNRESOLVED ALMOST 12 YEARS TO THE DATE ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 1912. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A BAG OF GOLD WORTH 10,000 WAS EVEN MORE MYSTERIOUS. OF THE 19 BAGS OF GOLD IN THE TREASURER'S VAULT, TWO BAGS HAD BEEN REMOVED TO PAY THE COUNTY EXPENSES, BUT ONLY 16 BAGS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR DURING THE SEPTEMBER MONTHLY COUNT. THE SUSPICIONS REMAINED UNFOUNDED AND THE CASE WENT UNRESOLVED. IN 1981, TAX COLLECTOR CLERK EUNICE HOWERTON PLEADED GUILTY TO EMBEZZLING AN ESTIMATED $1.7 MILLION IN UNSECURED TAX PAYMENTS FROM THE LATE 1970S TO 1980. EUNICE HOWERTON WAS CONVICTED, BUT RESTITUTION WAS NOT PART OF THE JUDGMENT. IN 1996, I WAS THEN WORKING DOWNSTAIRS AS AN AUDITOR IN THE AUDITOR CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, AND IT WAS DETECTED THAT TAX CLERK ANITA IBARRA, HAD EMBEZZLED MORE THAN 50,000 IN TAX REFUNDS. ANITA BARROW WAS CONVICTED, BUT AGAIN, NO RESTITUTION WAS MADE. AFTER THE LAST EMBEZZLEMENT, I WAS HIRED AS THE FIRST ASSISTANT TREASURER TAX COLLECTOR, AND IN 2002, I BECAME YOUR ELECTED TREASURER TAX COLLECTOR. WE HAVE FOCUSED ON PROTECTING THE COUNTY'S MOST SUSCEPTIBLE ASSETS, CONSISTING OF OVER $2 BILLION IN CASH AND INVESTMENTS. REGRETFULLY, THE TAX OFFICE HAS NOW LESS STAFF THAN IT DID 27 YEARS AGO. FORTUNATELY, WE NO LONGER HOLD GOLD BANKNOTES OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF CASH IN THE VAULT TO PREVENT FUTURE COLLUSION, FRAUD AND EMBEZZLEMENT. WE ARE CONSTANTLY FOCUSED ON THE INTERNAL CONTROLS AND SEGREGATION OF DUTIES. MOST URGENTLY, WE HAVE ADDED OUR FOCUS ON DETECTING AND PREVENTING THE NUMEROUS CYBER CRIMINAL ELECTRONIC TRANSACTION SCHEMES THAT ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING. IT IS WORRISOME AND DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN OUR HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROTECTION OVER COUNTY ASSETS. [00:05:01] WITH THE CONTINUING EROSION OF MY TEAM, I RESPECTFULLY SEEK YOUR COMMENTS AND WELCOME AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH EACH OF YOU NEXT WEEK TO PROVIDE MORE DETAIL ON MY ORGANIZATION'S REQUEST. THANK YOU. I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR HISTORIAN, SARAH LIM FOR PROVIDING THE HISTORY DETAILS OF MY DEPARTMENT. HAVE A GREAT DAY. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN PEDROSA AND THE BOARD, KRISTEN SANTOS HERE REPRESENTING THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN DUARTE. YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, CONGRESSMAN JOHN DUARTE JOINED CHRIS WHITE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER EXCHANGE CONTRACTORS WATER AUTHORITY. JARED MARTIN, GM OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION DISTRICT. JOSH PINERO, THE CITY MANAGER OF LOS BANOS LAWN MARTIN, THE GM OF SAN LUIS WATER DISTRICT AND A PLETHORA OF OTHER WEST SIDE WATER STAKEHOLDERS AND TOP OF THE LOS BANOS RESERVOIR DAM TO PRESENT THE EXCHANGE CONTRACTORS WITH A CHECK FOR $5 MILLION. CONGRESSMAN DUARTE WAS PROUD TO ADVOCATE FOR $5 MILLION IN COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING FOR THE LOS BANOS CREEK RECHARGE AND RECOVERY PROJECT. THIS FUNDING INCLUDES CONSTRUCTION OF APPROXIMATELY 200 ACRES OF RECHARGE AND STORAGE PONDS, AND SEVEN RECOVERY WELLS ALONG LOS BANOS CREEK BETWEEN THE CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT AND THE KID OUTSIDE. CANAL SUBSIDENCE IN THE EL NIDO AND RED TOP AREA HAS REDUCED FLOOD FLOW CAPACITIES OF THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER FLOOD CONTROL SYSTEM, WHILE INCREASING FLOOD RISK FOR VALLEY FARMERS AND FAMILIES. IN ADDITION, THE LOS BANOS CREEK AREA SUFFERS FROM MULTIPLE HAZARDS THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF DAMAGE TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, THIS PROJECT WILL RECEIVE FLOOD FLOWS FROM BOTH THE SAN JOAQUIN AND KINGS RIVERS, TOGETHER WITH SURFACE WATER FROM LOS BANOS CREEK, THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER EXCHANGE CONTRACTORS, WATER AUTHORITY MEMBER AGENCIES, THE SAN LUIS WATER DISTRICT, CCID MAIN AND OUTSIDE CANALS, AND THROUGH EXCHANGE FROM OTHER CONTRACTORS. FLOOD WATER WILL BE STORED FOR LATER USE AND WATER WELLS WILL BE PIPED TO THE DMC AND CCID OUTSIDE CANALS TO AID DROUGHT IMPACTED WATER SUPPLIES. AS A FAMILY FARMER HIMSELF, CONGRESSMAN DUARTE IS EXTREMELY FAMILIAR WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER RESILIENCE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. CRITICAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS LIKE THE LOS BANOS CREEK RECHARGE AND RECOVERY PROJECT ARE INSTRUMENTAL TO ADDRESSING THE WATER NEEDS OF MERCED COUNTY FARMERS AND COMMUNITIES. OUR OFFICE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK AGAIN THE LOS BANOS VETERANS FOR PROVIDING CONGRESSMAN DUARTE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE HOSTED A WEST SIDE TOWN HALL MEETING LAST NIGHT IN LOS BANOS. WE HAD ALMOST 80 PEOPLE SHOW UP, INCLUDING MAYOR PAUL YANEZ, COUNTY CEO RAUL MENDEZ, MERCED COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER ED SKELETON. IN ADDITION TO THE CITY MANAGERS AND A NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM BOTH THE CITIES OF LOS BANOS AND DOS PALOS, THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE OF MERCED COUNTY FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS SPIRITED BUT CIVIL EXPRESSION OF AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, AND CONGRESSMAN DUARTE WAS EXTREMELY HONORED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SO MANY WEST SIDE MERCED COUNTY RESIDENTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, AND I'D LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY EASTER. GOOD MORNING. TWO WEEKS AGO, A BOMB THREAT WAS MADE AT A PRESCHOOL IN ATWATER. THIS IS A PRESCHOOL THAT MY NIECE ATTENDS. IT WAS ACTUALLY MADE AS SHE WALKED OUT THE DOOR. FOUR OFFICERS CAME IMMEDIATELY. THEY CLEARED THE BUILDING AS WELL AS PATROLLED THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. THE NEXT DAY, FOUR FAMILIES KEPT THEIR CHILDREN HOME OUT OF CONCERN THAT THIS MAY BE AN ONGOING THREAT. THIS WAS WITHIN ONE MILE OF THE POLICE STATION. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE HAPPENED IN ONE OF OUR COUNTRY SCHOOLS? I THINK OF WASHINGTON PLANADA STEVENSON BALIKA, WHERE MY OWN DAUGHTER ATTENDS SCHOOL. WOULD THERE EVEN BE A DEPUTY WITHIN A TEN MILE RADIUS THAT COULD RESPOND TO THAT CALL? ARE YOU OKAY WITH HIM OR HER BEING ALONE, GOING TO THAT CALL? WHO WOULD BE THERE TO ASSIST THEM? I HAVE ASKED YOU TO STOP THE BLEEDING. I HAVE DONE IT RESPECTFULLY, PRIVATELY. I HAVE DONE IT BEFORE YOU. I HAVE COME BEFORE YOU AS A CONCERNED CITIZEN. AND YET THOSE CONCERNS STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED WITH A CLEAR PATH TO CHANGE. EACH DAY THE SITUATION BECOMES MORE DIRE. I WON'T EVEN BEGIN TO DISCUSS THE ONLINE REPORTING PORTAL. I KNOW FIRSTHAND THE INEFFECTIVENESS. THERE'S NO ONE TO EVEN ANSWER THOSE CALLS. THE SHERIFF IS TRYING TO RING THE BELL OF ALARM TO BRING AWARENESS TO THE NEED TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH WAGES. IN ORDER TO HIRE DEPUTIES, WE NEED EXPERIENCED DEPUTIES. EXCUSE ME. WE NEED EXPERIENCED DEPUTIES TO BE IN OUR COUNTY, NOT 22 YEAR OLD KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO TRAIN FOR A YEAR AND THEN LEAVE JUST TO GO TO STANISLAUS AND GET PAID MORE MONEY IN STANISLAUS. THE LIEUTENANT IN STANISLAUS GETS PAID MORE MONEY THAN OUR UNDERSHERIFF DOES HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTY. [00:10:05] WE NEED A BENEFITS PACKAGE THAT WILL WILL MAKE THESE DEPUTIES. LIEUTENANTS WANT TO STAY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, WITHIN OUR COUNTY. THESE ARE PEOPLE FROM OUR OWN COMMUNITY THAT ARE LEAVING. I'M ONCE AGAIN ASKING YOU AS A BOARD TO HOLD THE CEO'S OFFICE TO A HIGHER STANDARD AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. I KNOW THIS IS A LONG TERM THING. THERE'S LONG TERM. THERE'S SHORT TERM, BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WE CANNOT, AS THE CITIZENS THAT OF MERCED COUNTY, CONTINUE TO WONDER WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE THERE TO HELP US. THANK YOU. HELLO, GENTLEMEN. HELLO, LADIES. I JUST WANT TO COME AGAIN ON THE SPIRIT OF MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION, WHICH WAS PART OF OUR INVOCATION THIS MORNING. MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION IS NEEDED TO REALLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY. I'M. I'M ALL ADVOCATING FOR MORE DISCUSSION. I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THE TOWN HALLS. I THINK THIS IS I'M SINCERELY SAYING THIS IS A GREAT STEP FORWARD. YOU'RE GETTING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME TOWN HALLS WHERE YOU CAN HEAR FROM SOME CITIZENS. AND I, I WANT MORE. I WANT TO SEE MORE DISCUSSION LIKE THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE ALL OF YOU THERE. AT THE AT A MEETING WHERE ALL OF YOU CAN HEAR TOGETHER ISSUES THAT ARE FACING WELL, THAT THAT WE AS CITIZENS ARE FEARING AND THE ISSUES THAT THAT BECKY TALKED ABOUT, THIS BOMB THREAT, BECKY TALKED ABOUT THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN AND THE FEARS THAT ARE IN ALL OF OUR, IN ALL OF OUR MINDS, AND TO COME JUST FOR THREE MINUTES AND TRY TO SHARE A COUPLE LITTLE QUICK THINGS OFF THE CUFF, IT'S NOT ADEQUATE. WE NEED A BIGGER DISCUSSION. WE NEED MORE DISCUSSION. AND SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE A MEETING WITH ALL OF YOU. I'D LIKE TO HAVE A MEETING WHERE I CAN TALK TO ALL OF YOU. I THINK ALL THE CITIZENS WOULD LIKE A MEETING WHERE WE CAN TALK TO ALL OF YOU AT ONCE, BECAUSE IT'S WHEN ALL OF YOU ARE TOGETHER THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DECISION, THAT INDIVIDUAL TOWN HALL MEETINGS WITH JUST ONE OF YOU CAN ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. I GET THAT, BUT WHEN I CAN GET ALL OF YOU TOGETHER AND WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION AND WE CAN LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HEAR FROM PEOPLE, HAVE IDEAS, HAVE ANSWERS TO SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS AND A COLLECTIVE GROUP. SO I WOULD LIKE TO HOST A TOWN HALL MEETING WITH ALL OF YOU. I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO COME AND I'M INVITING YOU ALL TO COME. I WOULD LIKE TO PICK A PLACE AND PICK A TIME THAT'S CONVENIENT FOR YOU. I'D LIKE TO REACH OUT TO YOU, MAYBE AN EMAIL OR TEXT OR PHONE CALL AND INVITE YOU. I'D LIKE TO INVITE THE SHERIFF THERE. I'D LIKE TO INVITE THE CEO THERE. I'D LIKE TO INVITE THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY THERE. I'D LIKE TO INVITE AS MANY PEOPLE THAT CAN ADDRESS THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE WITH MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION, AND PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND PUT THIS PLAN, PUT A PLAN TOGETHER, A LONG TERM PLAN, A LONG TERM STRATEGY. AND MAYBE ONE TOWN HALL MEETING IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. BUT AGAIN, IT'S THE SPIRIT OF ONGOING, MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION TO FIGURE OUT A WAY. AND SO THE CITIZENS CAN HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU. YOU KNOW, I LOOKED ON THE AGENDA, AND THERE'S STILL NOTHING ON THERE IN THIS AGENDA THAT ADDRESSES THIS ISSUE WITH THE SHERIFFS. WE'VE GOT HARDLY ANY DEPUTIES OUT ON THE STREETS RIGHT NOW. I WANT TO I WANT TO HEAR I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT. WHAT'S THE PLAN? WHAT'S YOU KNOW, IT GOES INTO CLOSED DOOR SESSION. YOU TALK, MAYBE YOU DIRECT TO THE CEO WHAT TO DO. BUT THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU ON WHAT THE PLAN IS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. WHERE WE'RE ASKING YOU, I THINK MY WIFE IS IS PETITIONING AND ASKING, HEY, GUYS, I GOT TO HEAR FROM YOU. THERE'S BLEEDING. I THINK YOU SENSE IT. I KNOW YOU DO. I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF YOU. YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S AN ISSUE. HE GETS PEOPLE DISCUSSION AND I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. THANKS. YEAH. GOOD. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. OH. YEAH. GOOD MORNING. EVERYBODY ON THE DAIS. I AM JESSE ORNELAS, MERCED, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT ONE. BUT I AM NOT HERE IN THAT CAPACITY TODAY. I I'M HERE ONCE AGAIN TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE MOVING FORWARD PROGRAM AND THAT'S IN YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. I'M THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR THERE OF PROGRAMING. [00:15:02] AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LAUNCHED A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS RECENTLY YOU KNOW, AND ONE OF THE TASKS THAT WE'VE HAD IS TO FORM AN ADULT COALITION THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH THIS JOURNEY OF RESEARCH. AND WE'VE EMBARKED ON THIS FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW, AND SOMETHING HAS HAS COME TO, TO OUR ATTENTION. SO THROUGH, THROUGH OUR BUDGET RESEARCH FOR OUR CAMPAIGNS WE FOUND SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE UNUSUAL IN THE IN YOUR THE COUNTY BUDGET. WE SAW THAT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 22-23. IT'S ACTUALLY ON PAGE 416 OF THE COUNTY BUDGET THAT COUNTY EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN OVERPAYING IN THEIR BENEFITS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE COUNTY HAS HAS KEPT A STEADY BALANCE OF UP TO $29 MILLION IN OVERPAYMENTS. YOU KNOW, WHICH IS CONCERNING TO MYSELF. AND SO THIS IMPACTS COUNTY EMPLOYEES FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS TO THE COUNTY SHERIFFS TO THE ONES THAT ARE WORKING ON OUR ROADS AND EVERYTHING. SO I'M ASKING YOU, ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ASKING YOU ALL TO TO LOOK INTO THIS. RIGHT. WE KNOW ALREADY THAT THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING AROUND THEIR PAY AROUND THEIR BENEFITS RIGHT. AND SO I THINK THEY SHOULD ALSO BE CONCERNED, ABOUT THIS TOO. THE COUNTY OF MERCED IS THE THIRD LARGEST EMPLOYER IN MERCED COUNTY. RIGHT. AND SO THIS IMPACTS A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND SO WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE WORKING THIS WEEK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE INFORMING THE SURVEY QUESTIONS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PUT OUT AROUND THE CAMPAIGNS, WHICH I SHARED WITH YOU ALL TWO WEEKS AGO. WHEN THE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE FORMED THESE QUESTIONS, I'LL BE SHARING THEM ALL WITH WITH YOU. WE'RE GOING TO BE SHARING INFORMATION WITH ALL OF YOU WHERE WE'RE AT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS OF THIS RESEARCH, SO THAT YOU SEE US COMING SO WE DON'T BLINDSIDE ANYBODY AND THAT OUR DATA IS TRANSPARENT. LASTLY, AS AS A CITIZEN OF MERCED COUNTY, I'M ADVOCATING, AGAIN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OVERSIGHT. GOOD MORNING, MISTER CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE SUPERVISOR, COUNTY COUNCIL, CEO MENDEZ, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS MARI PAIN, AND I AM THE NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION FOR THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND NORTHERN NEVADA CHAPTER. OUR REGIONAL OFFICE PROVIDES SUPPORT IN FRESNO, MADERA, AND MERCED COUNTY COMMUNITIES. OUR ORGANIZATION OFFERS MANY RESOURCES, TOOLS, AND PROGRAMS TO RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA AT NO COST. FOR SOME DATA REPORT IN THE 2021 CALIFORNIA ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIA DATA REPORT FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, MERCED COUNTY CONFIRMED OVER 3400 RESIDENTS OVER THE AGE OF 65 WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN 2019. THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER 4500 BY NEXT YEAR. BY 2040, IT IS FEARED THAT THOSE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND TO OVER 7800. SO HOW CAN OUR ORGANIZATION HELP WITH MERCED COUNTY? OUR GOAL IS TO COLLABORATE WITH MERCED COUNTY AND FUTURE NEEDS BY PROVIDING EDUCATION TO STAFF, CLIENTS, COMING EVENTS, AND CONNECTING WITH YOUR BUSINESSES AS WELL. WE OFFER A 24 OVER SEVEN HELPLINE 365 DAYS A YEAR, EDUCATION AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN PERSON. EARLY STAGES FOR ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA, ONLINE TOOLS, SAFETY MEASURES AND SUPPORT GROUPS. IN CLOSING, I WANT TO INVITE MERCED COUNTY AND THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO JOIN US IN OUR ANNUAL WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH AT APPLEGATE PARK IN MERCED TO HONOR THOSE THAT ARE STILL BATTLING WITH THIS DISEASE OR HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED ON AS WE CONTINUE THIS MISSION TO HELP THOUSANDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. OUR STAFF IS HAPPY TO HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UPCOMING WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S, AND IF THERE'S ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT ALZ.ORG/NORCAL, OR THEY CAN CONTACT OUR REGIONAL OFFICE AT (559) 753-8200. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS MORNING AND I LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOU FOLKS IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. I'M TALL. GOOD MORNING, VICE CHAIR AND SUPERVISORS. NATHAN BRAY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS HERE. [00:20:02] I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE KIP BROOKS TO THE BOARD. KIP IS THE COUNTY'S NEWEST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ROAD DIVISION. WITH KIP'S HIRE, MY LEADERSHIP TEAM IS FULL. AND PUBLIC WORKS WITH THE PREVIOUS HIRE OF LINDSEY JOHNSON EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND LET ME TELL YOU, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT. KIP HAS EXPERIENCE IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT DELIVERY AND WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF ROAD NETWORK SYSTEMS. KIP HAS WORKED IN LARGE AGENCIES, INCLUDING DISTRICT OF COLUMBUS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE CITY OF NORTH LAS VEGAS, AND MOST RECENTLY MARIN COUNTY AS THE ROADS SUPERINTENDENT. KIP WILL OVERSEE ALL OF THE ROAD DIVISION FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ROAD MAINTENANCE, STRIPING AND SIGNAGE, PROJECT DELIVERY, CALTRANS INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS, ENCROACHMENT PERMITS AND ISSUANCE INSPECTION. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. IT'S A VERY LARGE TASK. VERY LARGE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. BUT I FEEL KIP'S UP TO THE JOB, SO I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE KIP. GOOD MORNING. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. WELL SAID. IN PRIVATE. THANK YOU, WELCOME. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS RYAN BARRETT. I'M FROM DOS PALOS. AS YOU KNOW, OUR COUNTY HAS TWO FAIRS COMING UP IN MAY AND JUNE, WE GOT THE LOS BANOS FAIR, AND WE GOT OUR COUNTY FAIR. OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW IS STRUGGLING AND NOT HAVING ENOUGH PERSONNEL TO SERVICE THE COUNTY BY ITSELF. AND THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE SECURITY TO THESE TWO EVENTS. WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE NO LONGER WILL HAVE RESPONSE FOR NONVIOLENT CALLS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE ALL THIS? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE OFFICERS THAT ARE WORKING OVERTIME AT THE FAIRS, PUTTING THEM INTO DOUBLE TIME, WEARING THEM OUT. THEN THEY GET INTO POLICE IN THE PATROL CAR, SOMETHING HAPPENS. THEY ACCIDENTALLY RUB UP AGAINST SOMEONE RESPONDING TO A CALL. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE MONETARY OPPORTUNITY MAY BE A FACTOR IN THE DEPARTMENT'S CHOOSING TO PROVIDE FAIR SECURITY OVER SERVING THE TAXPAYERS AS A WHOLE. THE MAY DAY FAIR IS A COUNTY AND CITY. PROPERTY SECURITY IS NEEDED IN THE CARNIVAL AREA, WHICH IS CITY PROPERTY AND JURISDICTION OF LOS BANOS POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE FAIR IS I MEAN, THE FAIR IS COUNTY FINANCED. PAYING THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT OVERTIME IS EXPENSIVE AND COMES OUT OF THE COUNTY BUDGET. MERCED COUNTY FAIR IS STATE OWNED PROPERTY AND OPERATED BY THEM. IT IS THE JURISDICTION OF THE HIGHWAY PATROL, NOT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. I JUST WANT TO BRING THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS SHERILYN RAWLS AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN. I HAVE SPOKEN THREE TIMES BEFORE, AND TODAY I WANT TO SPEAK OF DOG BITES. SOMETIME BEFORE LAST YEAR, MAYBE FIVE YEARS BEFORE LAST YEAR, I SUFFERED A DOG BITE WHERE I WAS RENTING SOME PROPERTY FOR MY ANIMALS. THE CALL WAS MADE TO ANIMAL CONTROL. I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL TO HAVE THE HOSPITAL DO ALL THAT THEY HAD TO DO. 12 HOURS WAITING TO ANIMAL CONTROL AND NOTHING HAPPENED. NOBODY CAME TO GET THE DOG. NOBODY CAME TO TALK TO THE VAGRANTS THAT HAD THE DOG ON MY PROPERTY. NOTHING. SO TIME WENT BY, AND TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME DOG BIT ME AGAIN. NOW YOU'RE WONDERING WHY ARE YOU GOING AROUND THAT DOG? THE DOG WAS WHERE MY ANIMALS ARE, AND I HAD TO FEED MY ANIMALS. THE PEOPLE AT THE HOSPITAL SAID. YOU MEAN THE SAME DOG? I SAID, DIDN'T YOU REPORT THE FIRST ONE? YES, WE REPORTED THE FIRST ONE. SO I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL A SECOND TIME, WENT THROUGH ALL THE STEPS, WENT THROUGH ALL THE PROCEDURES AND STILL NOTHING. NO ANIMAL CONTROL PERSON CALLED ME. AND THIS WAS BEFORE LAST YEAR. OKAY, SO I'M TALKING TO MY NEIGHBORS ABOUT THIS FORMER CIA PERSON. AND IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE CIA PERSON WENT WITH TWO SHERIFF DEPUTIES IN TOW. [00:25:07] NOW, I WASN'T TOLD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, BUT I SAW IT UNFOLDING WHEN I DROVE OUT TO FEED, I SAW IT UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF MY EYES, AND I ELECTED TO NOT GO THERE. ALL DAY THIS WENT ON THE CIA AND ANIMAL CONTROL AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE DOG WAS STILL THERE BITING MY ANIMALS. NOW I WAS BITTEN TWICE. I COULD HAVE BEEN BITTEN WAY MORE TIMES. EXCEPT I SCURRIED UP THE FENCE, DOVE BACK INTO MY VEHICLE. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN WAY MORE. AND THE COUNTY DIDN'T CARE THEN OR NOW. THANK YOU. OKAY. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED FOR NON AGENDIZED ITEMS. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. [CONSENT CALENDAR] ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14. PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEMS ONE AND TEN REQUIRE A 4/5 VOTE, AND THAT THE BACKUP DOCUMENTATION FOR ITEM TWO WAS UPDATED AFTER THE AGENDA POSTED. A COPY IS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW UPON REQUEST, AND IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB VERSION OF THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14. OKAY, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14 IS NOW CLOSED AND I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. CAST YOUR VOTES. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. WE HAVE FOUR YESES WITH ONE ABSENT. AT THIS TIME, I WILL INVITE ASSISTANT PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR YADIRA VASQUEZ TO THE FRONT TO RECEIVE THE PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. SO WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR YOU, NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK. PUBLIC HEALTH WHEREAS PUBLIC HEALTH HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS BY ENSURING THAT THE COMMUNITY'S HEALTH BECOMES A PRIORITY, BY FORTIFYING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ADDRESS HEALTH DISPARITIES AND IMPROVING HEALTH ACCESS, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. AND WHEREAS, NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK FROM APRIL 1ST THROUGH THE SEVENTH, 2024 PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO LEARN ABOUT GAINS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ADVANCES IN PUBLIC HEALTH OVER THE PAST 100 YEARS, THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOGETHER AND PREVENT THE SPREAD OF DISEASE PROMOTE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO QUALIFY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL. AND ADDITIONAL ADVANCEMENTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH INCLUDE IMPROVEMENTS IN PRENATAL CARE RESULTING IN HEALTHIER MOTHERS AND BABIES. THE MERCED COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH RECOGNIZES EMPLOYEES AS PUBLIC HEALTH CHAMPIONS FOR THEIR WORK TO BENEFIT THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MERCED COUNTY RESIDENTS, AND THE 2024 PUBLIC HEALTH CHAMPION IS RAUL MEDINA. THROUGHOUT HIS 29 YEAR TENURE WITH THE DEPARTMENT, RAUL HAS EXEMPLIFIED OUR MISSION OF PROMOTING, PROTECTING AND PRESERVING HEALTHY LIVING AND A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, WE, THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, DO HEREBY RECOGNIZE THE WEEK OF APRIL 1ST. THE SEVENTH, 2024, IS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2024 PUBLIC HEALTH CHAMPION FOR HIS DEDICATION. THANK YOU. SO RAUL MEDINA HAS BEEN IN PUBLIC HEALTH FOR 29 YEARS. HE CURRENTLY WORKS AS A COMMUNICABLE DISEASE INVESTIGATOR, WHERE HE IS PART OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM THAT GATHER, ANALYZES AND MONITORS DATA REGARDING DISEASES FOR MERCED COUNTY AND HAS ASSISTED WITH MANY DISEASE OUTBREAKS. RAUL WAS ALSO PART OF THE MERCED COUNTY TEAM THAT RESPONDED TO THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC, AND PARTICIPATED AS A VOLUNTEER AT THE COUNTY SHELTER DURING THE STORMS AND FLOODS OF 2023. [00:30:01] THROUGHOUT HIS 29 YEAR TENURE WITH THE DEPARTMENT, RAUL HAS EXEMPLIFIED OUR MISSION OF PROMOTING, PROTECTING AND PRESERVING HEALTHY LIVING AND A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, AND HIS DEDICATION TO THE SERVICE HE PROVIDES MERCED COUNTY RESIDENTS RENDERS HIM DESERVING OF THIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT. RAUL, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, FOR ALWAYS BEING ABLE TO COUNT ON YOU AND FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR COMMUNITY. CONGRATULATIONS. VERY MUCH. IF I MAY JUST TAKE 15 SECONDS OF YOUR TIME, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL OF YOU GUYS HERE. BUT I DO HAVE TO SAY ONE THING. I WAS DEEPLY HONORED AND HUMBLED TO SEE ALL MY TEAM HERE AND BY YOU GUYS SHOWING UP, TAKING YOUR TIME AWAY FROM WORK. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I DON'T KNOW SO. NOW I REALLY KNOW HOW YOU GUYS FEEL ABOUT ME, BUT YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU. SO I DECIDED TO WRITE SOMETHING THIS MORNING TO LET YOU KNOW. I'M DEEPLY HONORED IN RECEIVING THIS AWARD.. TRULY HUMBLING TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC HEALTH. HOWEVER, NONE OF THIS COULD BE REALLY POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE INCREDIBLE TEAM STANDING RIGHT THERE RIGHT NEXT TO ME. YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK SUPPORT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ME GETTING THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT OR THIS ACHIEVEMENT. I'M IMMENSELY GRATEFUL TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT, COLLABORATION, AND HARD WORK. AND ACTUALLY, GUYS, THIS BELONGS TO ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO THE BOARD ACTION BEGINNING WITH PUBLIC WORKS. [BOARD ACTION] ITEMS 15 THROUGH 17, PLEASE NOTE ITEM 15 REQUIRES A 4/5 VOTE. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ITEMS 15 TO 17 IS NOW OPEN. IS THERE ANYBODY WISHING TO COMMENT? OKAY, I'M GOING TO BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. OH, WE'RE NOT IN. WE'RE IN DISCUSSION MODE, BUT GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ITEM 15. THIS IS THE NEXT STEP FORWARD IN THE CLEAN PARK GRANT FOR THE O'BANION PARK IN DOS PALOS. I DO WANT TO THANK, I KNOW PATTY DACETTI IS NO LONGER WITH THE COUNTY ANYMORE, BUT SHE WAS AN INSTRUMENTAL PART IN HELPING TO APPLY FOR THIS GRANT. AND ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR STATE LOBBYIST PAUL YODER, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT HE HAD SOME WORK THAT HE DID ON THIS. AND I WANT TO THANK OUR FRIENDS AT CALTRANS, EVERY ONE OF THEM THAT WOULD LISTEN TO ME AS WE ADVOCATED FOR THIS ITEM. AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS ALL STARTED WITH A PROP 68 GRANT THAT WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING, BUT WE'VE KIND OF BEEN ABLE NOW TO PIECE TOGETHER MULTIPLE GRANTS TO ACHIEVE THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF, OF WELL, WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH THE RESTORATION OR REMODEL OF THE DEL HILL HALL. AND THIS IS THE NEXT PIECE IN THAT IN RENOVATING THE O'BANION PARK AND DOS PALOS. SO I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE MOTION ON THIS ITEM. WE HAVE A MOTION. OH. OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTES. RECORD THE VOTE. FOUR YESES WITH SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA ABSENT. OKAY, NOW WE MOVE ON TO PUBLIC HEALTH. ITEMS 18 AND 19. [00:35:07] ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR HEALTH ITEMS 18 AND 19. SEEING NONE, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR HEALTH ITEMS 18 AND 19 IS NOW CLOSED. AND I'LL BRING IT BACK TO BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY PAREIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. OKAY. OH, SORRY. OKAY. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES FOUR YESES AND SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA ABSENT. NEXT WE HAVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES. OH. GO AHEAD. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER 20. YEAH, I LOOKED OVER THERE. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BHRS IS NOW CLOSED. I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WITH FOUR YESES AND ONE ABSENT. NEXT WE HAVE HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY AT THIS TIME. OH, SORRY. JUST TRYING TO. ITEM 21. AT THIS TIME I'LL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR HSA ITEM 21. OKAY. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR HSA, ITEM 21 IS NOW CLOSED. I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY PAREIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WITH ONE ABSENT. NEXT WE HAVE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ITEMS 22 AND 23. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR SAID ITEMS 22 AND 23. GOOD MORNING. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION IN REGARDS TO ITEM 23. THE QUESTION IS WHY DOES THE BOARD REFUSE TO UTILIZE THE SERVICES OF A LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER IN SALES TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING INVOLVING REAL ESTATE? AND WHY ARE THE DOCUMENTS EXPLAINING THE EVALUATION OF ONLY 250,000 NOT INCLUDED IN THE PACKET, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THE HOMES IN OUR COUNTY COST WELL OVER 250,000. YET HERE IN THE COUNTY, YET HERE THE COUNTY IS SELLING ALMOST TWO ACRES OF MASSIVE COMMERCIAL BUILDING WITH A MASSIVE COMMERCIAL BUILDING ON IT. BY UTILIZING A REAL ESTATE BROKER, THE COUNTY WOULD ENSURE THAT THE PROPERTIES BEING SOLD ARE BEING ADVERTISED ON THE OPEN MARKET, THUS HAVING THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNTY TO RECEIVE THE MOST MONEY FOR ITS PROPERTIES. YOU CAN HAVE. THANK YOU. YOU CAN'T SEE MAXINE. LOVE YOU TOO. CAN I ASK STEVE MAXEY TO COME UP AND ADDRESS THAT, PLEASE? MORNING, MISTER CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, STEVE MAXEY, COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR FOR THE COUNTY. SO THE COUNTY IS BOUND BY A CERTAIN SET OF RULES THAT SURPLUS LAND THAT THE COUNTY OWNS, THE SURPLUS LAND ACT AND IN THIS CASE, THERE'S ACTUALLY SPECIAL LEGISLATION THAT SPEAKS TO THE DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND AT CASTLE AND JUST HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS. IT IS AN OPEN AND AND NOTICED PROCESS WHERE THE AVAILABILITY OF THESE PARCELS OR PROPERTY IS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. AND AS IT'S HERE IN FRONT OF THE BOARD, THIS IS A TRANSPARENT PROCESS. JUST A SIDE NOTE FOR THE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL LAND. THIS LAND IS ACTUALLY ZONED FOR INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. WOULDN'T BE SOMETHING THAT THE COUNTY WOULD BE CONSIDERING AS SOMETHING SUITABLE FOR HOUSING, GIVEN THE EXISTING FACILITIES THAT ARE THERE. AND THAT THAT ACTUALLY GOES FOR A LOT OF THE LAND TO CASTLE AS WELL. [00:40:02] SO ANY ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I'M HAPPY TO SPEAK TO. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THE PRICE WAS DETERMINED? PRICE WAS DETERMINED VIA AN APPRAISAL THAT LOOKED AT SIMILAR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN THE AREA, LOOKED AT THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY AS IT SITS TODAY AS WELL. THANK YOU. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS, AND WE WILL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WITH FOUR YESES AND ONE ABSENT. OKAY. NEXT, WE HAVE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. ITEM 24. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR DISTRICT DISTRICT ATTORNEY ITEM 24. GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY. ANY OTHER. BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD. BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS FOR CONSIDERATION. ANY QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION? OH MOTION BY PAREIRA, SECONDED BY SILVEIRA. CALL FOR THE VOTE. DARON. MOTION CARRIES WITH FOUR YESES. OH! CALL OF THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE, PLEASE. FOUR YESES AND ONE ABSENT. OKAY. I HAD TO CONSULT WITH THE ATTORNEY FIRST. OKAY, NEXT, WE HAVE FIRE.. ITEMS 25 THROUGH 27. AT THIS TIME, I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR FIRE ITEMS 25 THROUGH 27. THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR FIRE ITEMS 25 THROUGH 27 IS NOW CLOSED. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR A MOTION? WE HAVE A MOTION BY MCDANIEL. SECOND BY PAREIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. FOUR YESES WITH ONE ABSENT. NEXT WE HAVE LIBRARY. ITEM 28. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR LIBRARY ITEM NUMBER 28. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR LIBRARY, ITEM 28 IS NOW CLOSED, AND WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. OH. I'M ON. THANK YOU. JUST. THANK YOU. JUST A QUESTION FOR THE ATTORNEY. IS IT IN LAW SOMEWHERE THAT THAT THE LIBRARIAN HAS TO REQUEST THESE CLOSURES FOR THE BOARD HAS TO GIVE PERMISSION, I THINK IT'S KIND OF A REALLY I MEAN, YOU'RE CLOSING IT FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A PUBLIC SERVICE COUNTER. SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO. AND I JUST FIND IT. IT'S KIND OF A, I THINK MAYBE A LITTLE BIT A WASTE OF RESOURCES AND HAVING TO AGENDIZE AN ITEM TO ASK TO CLOSE THE LIBRARY FOR A COUPLE DAYS TO, TO PUT IN A NEW COUNTER. THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. YES, GENERALLY I THINK THIS ITEM MIGHT BE ON THERE TO PUT THE PUBLIC ON NOTICE THAT THE LIBRARY IS GOING TO BE CLOSED FOR THOSE DAYS. BUT THERE'S ALSO IN THE COUNTY CODE, AND I BELIEVE THE LAW STATES THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ESTABLISHES THE HOURS OF OPERATION FOR ALL COUNTY OFFICES. SO THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY THEY PUT IT ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. IS THERE MOTION? SECOND. MOTION BY MCDANIEL, SECOND BY PAREIRA. PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WITH THREE YESES, ONE NO AND ONE ABSENT. OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE SHERIFF. ITEM 29. PLEASE NOTE THIS ITEM REQUIRES A 4/5 VOTE. [00:45:04] AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO THE PODIUM UNDERSHERIFF COREY GIBSON TO PROVIDE COMMENTS REGARDING THIS ITEM. GOOD MORNING, BOARD. UNDERSHERIFF COREY GIBSON. I JUST WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS THE BOARD, ON OUR CURRENT AVIATION ASSETS AND WHAT THE CURRENT ASK IS FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. CURRENTLY, WE HAVE A 1968 CESSNA FIXED WING AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS PURCHASED WITH ASSET FORFEITURE MONEY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. WE ALSO HAVE A 1973 BELL HUEY HELICOPTER THAT'S ON LOAN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE 1033 PROGRAM. AND ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE A 2005 ROBINSON R44 HELICOPTER PURCHASED WITH ASSET FORFEITURE MONEY. UNFORTUNATELY, IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, WE HAD A CATASTROPHIC ISSUE WITH THE ROBINSON HELICOPTER WHICH REQUIRED IT TO HAVE A HARD LANDING OFF FIELD. ESSENTIALLY IT CRASHED. THAT AIRCRAFT IS STILL BEING EVALUATED FOR ITS VALUE AND REPAIRS AND SEE WHAT NEXT STEPS ARE. AND IN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING WHAT THE NEXT STEPS WERE, WE STARTED LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL AIRCRAFT THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE, POTENTIALLY OUTFITTED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO USE. AND SO WE WERE AWARE OF SOME AIRCRAFT THAT WERE BEING PURCHASED DOWN SOUTH AND KNEW THEY HAD SOME ADDITIONAL AIRCRAFT MAYBE AVAILABLE. AND THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE LEARNED WE PROBABLY WEREN'T GOING TO BE A VIABLE CANDIDATE FOR THOSE AIRCRAFT. BUT WE DID LEARN THAT STANISLAUS HAD RECENTLY ALSO PURCHASED A NEWER HELICOPTER, AND MAYBE THEIR AIRCRAFT MIGHT BE UP FOR PURCHASE. AND SO WE REACHED OUT TO THEIR AGENT OR THEIR DEPARTMENT DIRECTLY, SHERIFF TO SHERIFF, AND HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ACQUIRING THAT AIRCRAFT. AND THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS, THE IT WAS DETERMINED WE'D SEND THAT AIRCRAFT OFF TO HAVE IT EVALUATED AND APPRAISED AND SEE IF IT MET OUR NEEDS THROUGH THAT, THROUGH APPRAISAL, IT CAME WITH A DETERMINED VALUE. AND ONCE THAT WAS DETERMINED, IT WAS TAKEN BACK TO STANISLAUS COUNTY. DURING THAT RETURN, THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE HELICOPTER AND THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT WERE DETERMINED. AND SO WE NEEDED TO MAKE THOSE NECESSARY REPAIRS. AND SO ONCE WE DETERMINE WHAT THE VALUE OF THE HELICOPTER WAS AND WHAT THE SELLING PRICE WOULD LIKELY BE, WE LOOKED AT ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES FOR WHERE THAT MONEY WOULD COME FROM. SO WE REACHED OUT TO THE LOCAL TASK FORCE THROUGH THEIR ASSET FORFEITURE AND REQUESTED SOME MONEY FROM THEM, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT OUR OWN ASSET FORFEITURE ACCOUNTS AND OUR RURAL CRIME MONIES TO PAY FOR THE COST. THE ENTIRE AVIATION UNIT IS NOT FUNDED THROUGH GENERAL FUND. IT IS COMPLETELY FUNDED THROUGH TRUST MONIES AND ASSET FORFEITURE THROUGH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. ALL ALL OPERATION COSTS ARE ENDURED BY THOSE ACCOUNTS. I ALSO BROUGHT THE CHIEF PILOT WITH US THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT AIRCRAFT THAT'S WELL ABOVE ABOVE MY ABILITIES. HE'S HERE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I KNOW THIS IS A NEEDED ASSET, AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO BACK YOU GUYS UP. BUT MY CONCERN IS THIS WAS A DONATION FROM GALLO WINERY TO STANISLAUS COUNTY. AND THE FACT THAT IT'S IN GOVERNMENT CODE THAT ONE AGENCY, A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, CANNOT PROFIT OFF OF SOMETHING. I'M JUST AND I'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SUPERVISORS IN STANISLAUS COUNTY THAT I DIDN'T LIKE IT THAT THEY'RE THEY GOT A DONATION AND NOW THEY'RE TRYING TO PASS IT OFF WITH A COST. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE HAD FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH THAT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF OUR CEO HAS HAD FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH STANISLAUS COUNTY ON THE COST. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL NEONICS, RADIOS, FLEER, NIGHT SUN, ALL THAT EQUIPMENT WAS ADDED TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE EVALUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DIDN'T EVEN INCLUDE THAT EQUIPMENT. OKAY. IT WAS GOING TO BE BE SOLD WITH THE ITEM. THEY HAD STARTED REMOVING THOSE ITEMS IN PREPARATION TO PUT IT OUT WITH A BROKER. IT'S ALSO A REALLY GOOD DEAL FOR THE COUNTY BECAUSE COUNTY TO COUNTY WE DON'T PAY SALES TAX. RIGHT. AND SO THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT TO US. I DON'T THINK WE WOULD FIND AN AIRCRAFT OF THIS QUALITY OR VALUE ON THE OPEN MARKET WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL COSTS. PERFECT ANSWER. THANK YOU SIR. MR. CHAIR, I WANT TO THANK CAPTAIN SULLIVAN BECAUSE I DID EMAIL HIM SOME QUESTIONS AND I APPRECIATE THE TIMELY RESPONSE BACK. BUT JUST SO THE PUBLIC CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE I WAS COMING FROM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I DID EMAIL HIM WAS, HOW MUCH WILL WE BE GETTING FROM INSURANCE ON THE CURRENT HELICOPTER THAT'S DAMAGED? AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER QUITE YET. AND HOW CONFIDENT ARE WE THAT ARE THEY GOING TO TOTAL THE HELICOPTER, OR IS IT GOING TO BE THEY'RE GOING TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU TO FIX IT. DO WE KNOW THAT YET? WE DO NOT KNOW THAT YET. ONCE WE KNOW HOW MUCH THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE US AND LOOKING AT THE VALUE OF THAT HELICOPTER, IS IT WORTH IT TO FIX IT, TO SELL IT? OR IS IT WE JUST SELL IT FOR PARTS LIKE THOSE THINGS ARE STILL TO BE DETERMINED. [00:50:02] BUT THE GOAL RIGHT NOW IS TO REPLACE THE ROBINSON WITH THE THE BELL FROM STANISLAUS COUNTY. PERFECT. AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION I WAS JUST HOW CONFIDENT ARE WE IN THE $150,000 FOR THE REPAIRS? AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE WE ACTUALLY THINK WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE REPAIRS DONE CHEAPER. AND THAT THOSE COST ESTIMATES CAME FROM STANISLAUS COUNTY, CORRECT? CAME FROM STANISLAUS COUNTY'S VENDOR. VENDOR. HELICOPTERS CURRENTLY AT THEIR HELICOPTER MECHANIC VENDOR. AND THAT WAS THEIR COST. AND THEN THE I YOU MENTIONED THE FLARE UNIT. SO IT'S IT'S GOING TO COME WITH THAT ALREADY. PERFECT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT LIKE OPERATIONALLY I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED. I, YOU KNOW, I GO BACK TO THE FLOODS IN EARLY 2023 AND YOU KNOW, DID THE ROBINSON ACTUALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, GO FILL LEVEES OR ANYTHING. NO. BUT THE ABILITY I KNOW THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SHERIFF ALLOWED US TO GO UP AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE DESTRUCTION FROM THE AIR AND GET A REALLY KIND OF A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF IT WAS INSTRUMENTAL AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR OES FOLKS, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY DOING THE GOOD WORK, PUBLIC WORKS FOLKS WERE ABLE TO GET UP AND SEE FIRSTHAND. YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER THE BREAK THERE ON BEAR CREEK. I MEAN, IT TOOK YOU 20 MINUTES WALKING IN THE MUD JUST TO GET BACK TO SEE WHERE THE WHERE THE BREAK WAS, WHERE WAS HAVING THE HELICOPTER. IT DEFINITELY MADE IT A LOT EASIER FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT. SO I AM IN SUPPORT OF IT. I GUESS MY BIGGEST CONCERNS WERE SOME SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINES OF SUPERVISOR MCDANIELS IS JUST KNOWING THAT THEY GOT THAT HELICOPTER DONATED TO THEM. I THINK YOU'VE ANSWERED THOSE QUESTIONS PRETTY WELL. AND THEN JUST, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO WATCH THE COSTS THAT AT THE 150,000, IF WE HAVE IF WE CAN ACTUALLY DO IT, LOOKS LIKE WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE MORE LIKE AROUND 97,000 FOR THE REPAIRS THAT ARE NEEDED TO IT. I THINK IT'S STILL WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH A VALUABLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AT A, AT A PRETTY REASONABLE PRICE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR FOR YOUR COMMENT AND EXPLAINING THAT TO THE PUBLIC. WELL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR SHERIFF ITEM NUMBER 29. OKAY. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR SHERIFF ITEM NUMBER 29 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. THERE WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL, SECOND BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. CAN WE CALL FOR THE VOTE? PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES FOUR YESES AND ONE ABSENT. NEXT WE HAVE AUDITOR. ITEM 30. THIS TIME. THIS TIME I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR AUDITOR ITEM NUMBER 30. THAT'S FINE. I'LL WAIT TILL AFTER. OKAY. YEAH, RIGHT. I JUST WANT TO THANK THE AUDITOR COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE AND JANIE. THIS IS A QUITE LARGE REPORT TO READ THROUGH, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I'VE READ THROUGH MOST OF IT. I DIDN'T GET THROUGH QUITE ALL OF IT. SOME OF IT IS A LITTLE BIT ABOVE MY PAY GRADE. I HAD TO CALL JANIE FOR SOME CLARIFICATION ON A FEW THINGS, BUT DO APPRECIATE THE NEW FORMAT, AND I THINK IT MAKES IT AN EASIER READ. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON THIS. OKAY. I'LL NOW GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT, WE HAVE HUMAN RESOURCES. ITEM 31. AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR AIR ITEM NUMBER 31. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR HR ITEM 31 IS NOW CLOSED, AND WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. [00:55:05] WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. SECOND BY PAREIRA. CAN WE CALL FOR THE VOTE? PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT WE HAVE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE OR ITEMS 32 AND 33. OKAY. WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THESE TWO ITEMS SEPARATELY. AND FIRST WE WILL TAKE ITEM 32 AT THIS TIME. SO WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THIS AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION. THIS ITEM NUMBER 32, CAN WE GET A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. THE MOTION CARRIES. THIS IS ITEM NUMBER 33. I WILL. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO THE PODIUM ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER MARK HENDRICKSON, WHO WILL BE STARTING OFF A PRESENTATION REGARDING THIS ITEM. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AGAIN, MARK HENDRICKSON, ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY IS THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT PHASE ONE FUNDING STRATEGY, WHICH WILL LIKELY BE THE FIRST OF SEVERAL FUTURE PHASES. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MINUTES. I'M GOING TO BRIEFLY WALK THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION FOR YOU, WHICH PROVIDES A BRIEF BACKGROUND. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE WORK OF YOUR TEAM TO IDENTIFY THE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS TO END, LESSEN, OR REDUCE THE CHALLENGES STEMMING FROM OPIOIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT DETAILS OUR INITIAL SPENDING PROPOSAL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, AND IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE SOME BASIC STATISTICS HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, THE OPIOID CRISIS IS NOW WELL REPORTED THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY, WHICH IMPACTS INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES. ACROSS ALL SOCIOECONOMIC LINES, NEARLY 150 PEOPLE DIE EACH DAY, ACCORDING TO THE CDC, BECAUSE OF SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS LIKE FENTANYL. WITH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ALONE IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, IT REPRESENTS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO THE COMMUNITIES, WHETHER LARGE OR SMALL. AND CERTAINLY MERCED COUNTY IS NOT IMMUNE. IN JULY OF 2021, NATIONAL SETTLEMENTS OF APPROXIMATELY $26 BILLION WERE SECURED, HOLDING OPIOID MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DANGERS THEY WERE BRINGING THAT OFTEN LED TO OVER PRESCRIPTIONS, ADDICTIONS, OVERDOSES AND DEATH. OF THIS, 26,000,000,000, 2.05 BILLION WAS SET ASIDE FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND MERCED COUNTY HAS RECEIVED TO DATE ABOUT $1.7 MILLION, WHICH MUST BE USED ON ACTIVITIES AGAIN TO END, LESSEN OR REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF THE OPIOID CRISIS IN OUR AREA. AND WHILE WE ANTICIPATE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL FUTURE RESOURCES THROUGH THE YEAR 2038, THEY ARE EXPECTED TO BE REDUCED AND WILL DIMINISH OVER TIME. IN OTHER WORDS, FUTURE ALLOCATIONS WILL VARY AND THEY WILL LIKELY BE EPISODIC. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT 50% OF THESE FUNDS MUST BE USED ON THE HIGH IMPACT ABATEMENT ACTIVITIES, AS ILLUSTRATED IN THIS CHART. NOW WE'LL GO THROUGH JUST A HANDFUL OF THESE JUST VERY QUICKLY. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS ACTIVITIES MUST BE PROVISIONED OF MATCHING FUNDS OR OPERATING COSTS FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER FACILITIES. TWO AN ACTIVITY MAY CREATE A NEW OR EXPANDED SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE. THREE, ACTIVITIES MAY ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. FOUR THEY MAY DIVERT PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE DISORDER ISSUES FROM THE JUSTICE SYSTEM INTO TREATMENT, INCLUDING BY PROVIDING TRAINING AND RESOURCES TO FIRST AND EARLY RESPONDERS AND IMPLEMENTING BEST PRACTICES FOR OUTREACH, DIVERSION, DEFLECTION, EMPLOYABILITY, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AND HARM REDUCTION. NEXT, THEY MAY PROVIDE FOR INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT DRUG ADDICTION IN VULNERABLE YOUTH. AND THEN LASTLY, IT DOES ALLOW FOR THE PURCHASE OF NALOXONE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND EFFORTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO REVERSE OPIOID OVERDOSE REVERSALS. AGAIN, 50% OF YOUR PROPOSED ACTIVITIES NEED TO HAVE A NEXUS TO THESE POINTS ON THIS SLIDE. [01:00:07] NOW, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, IN FACT, ABOUT THE PAST YEAR, THE COUNTY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY OUR STRATEGIC GOALS AND IMPLEMENTING TACTICS TO TACKLE THIS ISSUE IN MERCED COUNTY. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND OUR SHERIFF AND THE RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS, THE HRS TEAM, THE HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT, COUNTY COUNSEL'S OFFICE, AND THE CEO'S TEAM AS WELL. TOGETHER, THIS TEAM BUILT A CONSENSUS STRATEGY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY THAT AIMS TO ONE, REDUCE DEATHS, TWO, TO REDUCE OVERDOSES. THREE, TO REDUCE ARREST, FOUR TO REDUCE E.R. VISITS, FIVE TO REDUCE AMBULATORY IMPACTS AND TO ACHIEVE EACH OF THESE GOALS, OUR TACTICAL APPROACH FOCUSES ON EDUCATION, PREVENTION, SURVEILLANCE AND BRIDGING SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS. NOW, THIS SLIDE DEPICTS THE INITIAL ROUND OF PROPOSED EXPENDITURES, WHICH IS ALSO DETAILED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT. AND AGAIN, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THEY'VE LARGELY FOCUSED ON EDUCATION THROUGH EARLY INTERVENTION, THROUGH DRUG TESTING, THROUGH TARGETED OUTREACH FOR THE PROPER DISPOSAL OF OPIOID PILLS, AND THROUGH DIRECT SUPPORT OF OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS. THESE PROPOSED EXPENDITURES AGAIN TOTAL $840,000, AND STAFF DOES ANTICIPATE SEVERAL FUTURE FUNDING REQUESTS TO EXHAUST THESE RESOURCES THAT MERCED COUNTY HAS RECEIVED OR WILL RECEIVE PROSPECTIVELY AGAIN. TO DATE, THE COUNTY HAS RECEIVED 1.7 MILLION. NOW DETAILED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT IS THE NEXUS OF EACH OF THESE PROPOSED EXPENDITURES TO THE HIGH IMPACT ABATEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT YOU SAW ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE. AT THIS TIME, I ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE TO TO BRING UP THREE KEY MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM TO PROVIDE SOME SOME BRIEF COMMENTS FROM THEIR PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES. EACH OF THEM HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS ITEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY. FIRST UP WILL BE OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, NICOLE SILVEIRA, WHO HAS BEEN A STEADFAST LEADER IN THIS EFFORT, FOLLOWED BY LIEUTENANT RAE FRAMSTAD, WHO IS A RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THIS FIELD, AND HIS DIRECTOR, KUMIKO VANG, WHOSE ORGANIZATION ASSISTS PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH SUBSTANCE AND DRUG ADDICTION ISSUES. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT, THOUGH, TO ACKNOWLEDGE CAPTAIN GREG SULLIVAN OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AS WELL FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS ITEM. SO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO BRING UP THE THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR A FEW BRIEF COMMENTS. MADAME DA. THANK YOU, MR. HENDRICKSON. GOOD MORNING, BOARD MEMBERS, CEO, COUNTY COUNCIL. I'M HAPPY TO BE BACK BEFORE YOU AGAIN TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR APPROACH TO THE USE OF THE OPIOID FUNDS IN OUR PHASE ONE PLAN. SO THE DA'S OFFICE IS PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON PREVENTION OF OVERDOSE, OVERDOSE DEATHS THROUGH EDUCATION OF OUR YOUTH AND PUBLIC AT LARGE, MAINLY RELATED TO FENTANYL. LAST YEAR I WAS HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TALKING ABOUT OUR FENTANYL CAMPAIGN THAT WE STARTED IN THE FALL. SO WE AT THAT TIME, WE USED OTHER FUNDS OUTSIDE OF OPIOID SETTLEMENTS TO START A ONE PILL WILL KILL CAMPAIGN. WE'VE HAD BILLBOARDS ACROSS THE COUNTY AND HAVE STARTED PARTNERING WITH A COMPANY CALLED ARRIVE ALIVE, WHICH USED EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES TO HAVE ASSEMBLIES IN SCHOOLS. STARTING IN APRIL, WE WILL BE HITTING ALMOST ALL HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS MERCED COUNTY. A COUPLE HAVE DEFERRED TO NEXT YEAR. WHILE IT'S STILL TOO EARLY IN THIS PART OF OUR CAMPAIGN TO HAVE ANY LARGE SCALE DATA AS TO THE IMPACT, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL PERSONAL ANECDOTES FROM PARENTS THAT HAVE COME UP TO ME SAYING THAT THEY'VE EITHER HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR KIDS AS A RESULT OF SEEING THESE BILLBOARDS, OR THAT THEIR KIDS HAVE COME HOME AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL, THAT THEY HAVE LEARNED THROUGH OUTREACH FROM OUR OFFICE OR THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. SO I DO THINK THAT IT IS HAVING AN IMPACT AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. WITH THIS NEXT PHASE OF FUNDING IN OUR EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN, I REMEMBER LAST TIME I WAS HERE, SUPERVISOR PEDROZO ASKED, WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET INTO OUR JUNIOR HIGHS? AND SO THAT IS A MAIN FOCUS OF THIS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN. THERE ARE 25 PUBLIC JUNIOR HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS ACROSS MERCED COUNTY. AND SO WITH THIS FUNDING, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PUT ASSEMBLIES IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING TO THE ATTORNEY WHO KIND OF OVERSEES ALL THESE SETTLEMENTS FOR THE STATE, AND HE DESCRIBED IT TO ME AS, THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING IS TO MAKE OPIOIDS LIKE TOBACCO IS, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS AGO, SMOKING WAS MUCH MORE RAMPANT. AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY DID IT, BUT IT WAS ON THE DECLINE. AND THAT WAS THROUGH THE SATURATION OF EDUCATION INTO OUR YOUTH SO THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I THINK THAT THAT'S WHY THIS IS THE BEST USE OF THIS FUNDING IS TO REALLY GET OUR KIDS ON BOARD SO THEY CAN CHANGE THE MESSAGING FOR THE FUTURE, AND WE WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, 15 YEARS FROM NOW. [01:05:01] THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, STAFF BOARD. THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SIDE OF THE WALL, WHAT WE SEE OUT IN THE FIELD, AND JUST KIND OF TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FENTANYL AND JUST SOME OF THE RESPONSES THAT WE HAVE HERE AT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE A MAJORITY OF MY 20 YEARS HERE AT THE COUNTY TO WORK ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE TEAMS, INCLUDING TEACHING IN THE SCHOOLS, REACHING OUT TO YOUTH GROUPS, CHURCHES. AND IT'S MY PASSION TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M ABLE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, ESPECIALLY OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOMS, TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR YOUTH. TODAY, I STAND HERE BEFORE YOU, NOT ONLY AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT THE VOICE OF COUNTLESS LIVES LOST TO THE DECEPTIVE GRIP OF FENTANYL. EACH PASSING DAY, OUR COMMUNITY MOURNS THE LOSS OF CHERISHED MEMBERS, PARENTS, SIBLINGS AND CHILDREN FALLING VICTIM TO THE DEADLY ALLURE OF THIS POWERFUL SYNTHETIC OPIOID. THE SYNTHETIC OPIOID HAS EMERGED AS A GRAVE THREAT NOT ONLY TO PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT ALSO TO THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. FENTANYL, WITH ITS UNPARALLELED POTENCY, PRESENTS UNIQUE CHALLENGES ON THE INVESTIGATIVE SIDE AND ALSO TO FIRST RESPONDERS, BOTH IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ALSO THE MEDICAL FIELD. FIRST, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LETHALITY OF FENTANYL. FENTANYL IS EXTREMELY POTENT. IT'S 50 TO 100 TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN MORPHINE, WHICH MEANS JUST THE SLIGHT RISK IS A FATAL DOSE. SOMETHING THAT I CAN RELATE THIS TO. EVERYBODY KNOWS A SUGAR PACKET WE USE IN OUR COFFEE EVERY MORNING. THIS REPRESENTS ONE GRAM WHEN WE'RE TALKING METHAMPHETAMINE OR DRUGS LIKE COCAINE, A USABLE AMOUNT IS A 10TH OF A GRAM. SO IF YOU WERE TO DUMP THIS OUT AND MAKE TEN LINES, ONE OF THOSE LINES IS A USABLE AMOUNT. WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FENTANYL, A FATAL AMOUNT IS TWO MILLIGRAMS. SO THERE IN ONE FIT AND ONE GRAM PACKAGE IS ENOUGH TO KILL 500 PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT SO TOUGH TO GO AFTER THE DEALERS, THE SMUGGLING INTO OUR JAIL FACILITIES, AND THE OVERDOSE RATES THAT WE SEE, THE ILLICIT TRACKING AND ILLICIT, YOU KNOW, SMUGGLING OF FENTANYL IS VERY DIFFICULT, INTENSIFIES EXISTING OPIOID CRISIS. IT'S VERY COMPACT, LIKE YOU YOU'VE SEEN AND IT MAKES IT MUCH DIFFICULT THAN OTHER DRUGS TO COMBAT. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL DRUGS, FENTANYL IS EASILY SYNTHESIZED USING PRECURSORS THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE. THIS MAKES INTERDICTING ITS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS DAUNTING TASKS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. ITS SYNTHETIC NATURE ALLOWS TRAFFICKERS TO ADAPT QUICKLY TO LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, MAKING A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING CHALLENGE FOR INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS. THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF FENTANYL USE IS FELT THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITIES. FAMILIES ARE TORN APART, LIVES ARE LOST, AND RESOURCES ARE STRAINED AS WELL. AS WE GRAPPLE WITH THE FALLOUT OF ADDICTION AND OVERDOSE DEATHS. THIS PLACES ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON OUR MINIMUM PATROL STAFFING. IT'S CALLED NOT ONLY TO ENFORCE LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT ALSO TO SERVE AS FIRST RESPONDERS IN THESE EMERGENCIES. SPIKES IN YOUTH IS PROBABLY THE MOST UNPRECEDENTED. ALARMINGLY, WE ARE WITNESSING SPIKES OF FENTANYL RELATED DEATHS AMONG YOUNG CITIZENS. THIS DEMOGRAPHIC, OFTEN TARGETED BY DRUG TRAFFICKERS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND ONLINE AVENUES. YOU KNOW, A MAJORITY OF OUR INVESTIGATIONS THAT WE RESPOND TO WHEN WE STARTED LEARNING ABOUT FENTANYL AND THE POWER OF FENTANYL IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS, YOU KNOW, A MISTAKEN IDENTITY, MAYBE ONE OF THE PILLS, THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TAKING. DEA TALKS ABOUT SEVEN OUT OF TEN ILLICIT PILLS THAT WE FIND ON THE STREETS NOW CONTAIN A LETHAL DOSE OF FENTANYL. SO THE KIDS THAT USE ALPRAZOLAM, OR THEY TRY TO, YOU KNOW, XANAX OR OTHER OFF PILLS, THINKING THAT THEY'RE GETTING A DIFFERENT SUBSTANCE TO USE WITH MARIJUANA OR ALCOHOL. SOME OF THEM ARE FALLING TO FENTANYL AND BEING KILLED. HOWEVER, WE ALSO HAVE KIDS THAT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE BUYING AND WITH, YOU KNOW, ONLINE LIKE SNAPCHAT, FACEBOOK, A MAJORITY OF OUR DEALERS OPERATE IN THESE OFFLINE OR THESE QUIET COMMUNITIES WHERE PARENTS GO TO, YOU KNOW, SLEEP AT NIGHT THINKING THEIR KIDS SAFE. THEY'RE SITTING AT THE FRONT ROOM TABLE DOING THEIR HOMEWORK. PARENTS GO TO BED. THE KID ORDERS UP ON BANKS HIS PAYMENT ON CASH APP OR ONE OF OUR ONLINE APPS THE KIDS ARE FAMILIAR WITH. THEY WALK OUT TO THEIR MAILBOX, THEY GET THE PILLS, THEY WALK INSIDE, AND THE PARENTS FIND THEM DEAD THE NEXT DAY. MAJORITY OF OUR KIDS THAT ARE DYING FROM FENTANYL ARE DYING OVERNIGHT. THEY HAVE THE NALOXONE. THEY HAVE THE NARCAN SITTING ON THEIR DESK, BUT THEY'RE UNABLE TO GIVE IT TO THEMSELVES ONCE THE OVERDOSE OCCURS AND THE PARENTS THINK THEIR KIDS ARE SAFE IN THEIR HOUSE. GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE'RE GOING TO THE PARKS. GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE'RE OUT HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, DRIVE AROUND AND LOOK FOR THESE DEALERS BECAUSE THEY'RE ONLINE AND MANY OF THE DEALERS ARE KIDS THEMSELVES. JUST BECAUSE THE PROFIT IS JUST SO GREAT AND IT'S SO EASILY GET A HOLD OF. ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES REQUIRE A MULTIFACETED APPROACH ENCOMPASSING PREVENTION, ENFORCEMENT, AND TREATMENT, AND DEMANDS ADEQUATE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO EQUIP OUR [01:10:04] PATROLS INVESTIGATION TEAMS WITH TOOLS TO COMBAT THIS EPIDEMIC EFFECTIVELY. AS STAFFING ALLOWS THE MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK TO INTERCEPTING STREET LEVEL DEALERS AND WORKING THESE INVESTIGATIONS, RATHER THAN RESPONDING TO CORONERS DEATHS AFTER SOMEONE HAS ALREADY DIED. YOU KNOW, IN OUR NUMBERS, WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IN 2022, WE HAD 39 DEATHS. SPEAKING WITH THE CORONER'S OFFICE THIS MORNING. WAITING FOR TOXICOLOGY REPORTS TO COME BACK IN 2023. WE'RE AT ABOUT 40 DEATHS. AND THIS WEEKEND WE HAD TWO DEATHS THAT WERE SUSPECTED FROM FENTANYL OVERDOSES. SO JUST WITH THE CHANGE IN CHEMICALS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GET FROM CHINA, THE PRECURSORS, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT FENTANYL IS BEING MADE, IT'S VERY CHALLENGING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WELL, IT'S THE BLUE PILLS. IT'S THE M-30 PILLS. WELL, NOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE USING PILL MILLS AND THEY'RE CREATING THEIR OWN PILLS HERE LOCALLY OR THEY'RE ABLE TO BUY LARGE AMOUNTS OF THE DRUG. AND IN CLOSING, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO SOCIETY, FOR SURE, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR YOUTHS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE KIDS. YOU KNOW, I TEACH AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS QUITE OFTEN, AND A LOT OF THEM I SHOW VIDEOS, I SHOW THEM CONSEQUENCES OF POOR DECISIONS. AND I ALWAYS TELL THEM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE BORN, YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR MOM OR YOUR DAD, BUT WHEN YOU DIE, YOU LOOK LIKE THE DECISIONS THAT YOU'VE MADE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S TOO MANY KIDS THAT MAKE THE WRONG DECISION. AND IF WE CAN DO SOMETHING AS A COMMUNITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A BOARD TO HELP THEM MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AND HELP THEM TAKE THE RIGHT PATH, I THINK IN THE LONG TERM, WE'RE DOING OUR COUNTY A HUGE A HUGE SUCCESS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD MORNING, VICE CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, SIA MENDEZ AND COUNTY COUNSEL HANSON. I'M KIMIKO VANG, DIRECTOR OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES. THE IMPACT OF THE OPIOID OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC HAS BEEN DEVASTATING, AS YOU'VE JUST HEARD. BHRS IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ON THESE STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES TO START ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY. MOST ADULTS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDERS STARTED USING OPIOIDS BEFORE THE AGE OF 25, WITH A THIRD OF THEM BEFORE THE AGE OF 18. LACK OF AND LIMITED RESOURCES ARE BARRIERS TO OUR YOUTH RECEIVING THE HELP THAT THEY NEED, AND THAT'S WHY BHRS IS PROUD TO BE PARTNERING WITH THE DA'S OFFICE AND HAVE STAFF PARTICIPATE IN THE ONE PILL CAN KILL CAMPAIGN AT SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE BASED YOUTH PREVENTION SERVICES AND SERVE AS ACCESS POINTS TO TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SERVICES. STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY LINK INDIVIDUALS YOUTH TO SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES. THIS ALSO WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN THE COORDINATION OF LOCAL MULTI-SYSTEM NETWORKS, INCLUDING THE DA'S AND THE SCHOOLS. THIS WILL ALSO BE PARTNERING WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE BY PROVIDING MEDICALLY ASSISTED TREATMENT IN THE JAILS TO ALLOW INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS TO ACHIEVE SOBRIETY FROM OPIOIDS AND CONTINUE THEIR TREATMENT AS THEY REENTER INTO THE COMMUNITY. THIS ALSO WOULD SUPPORT OUR CLAIM EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE ACCESS TO KEY SERVICES TO SUCCESSFULLY REINTEGRATE REINTEGRATE INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES. LASTLY, TO PREVENT DRUG MISUSE AND TO PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT, BRYCE WILL BE ENGAGED IN A MAILING CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON HOW TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF MEDICATION, INCLUDING OPIOIDS, THROUGH THE USE OF A DRUG DEACTIVATION AND DISPOSAL POUCH CALLED DETERRA. THIS DRUG DISPOSAL SYSTEM WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AND CAN BE USED AT HOME TO SAFELY DESTROY UNUSED OR EXPIRED MEDICATIONS. AGAIN WOULD LIKE TO AGAIN THANK OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, LIEUTENANT FRAMSTAD AND KUMIKO FOR PROVIDING THEIR, THEIR THEIR PERSPECTIVE AND AGAIN, FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AS WE'VE DEVELOPED AGAIN, THIS ITEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY. NOW, AS THE LIEUTENANT WELL MENTIONED AND THIS WAS FROM THE MOST RECENT DASHBOARD, BUT AS HE MENTIONED TODAY, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY MORE UPDATED STATISTICS. BUT THIS PUTS IT INTO PERSPECTIVE AS AS HE SAID A MOMENT AGO, 39 DEATHS, 92 ER ROOM VISITS AND 27 ASSOCIATED HOSPITALIZATIONS. AGAIN, GOING BACK TO A POINT I MADE EARLIER, MERCED COUNTY IS NOT IMMUNE TO THIS ISSUE. NOW, AS I BEGIN TO WRAP UP HERE, I BELIEVE THERE ARE SEVERAL KEY POINTS TO TO KEEP IN PERSPECTIVE. ONE THESE ARE AGAIN FINITE RESOURCES THAT WILL DIMINISH OVER TIME. [01:15:02] TWO, THIS PROPOSED PLAN IS ALIGNED WITH DEFINED STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS. THIS INITIAL PHASE NUMBER THREE, FOCUSES ON EDUCATION, PREVENTION, SURVEILLANCE AND BRIDGING ACTIVITIES, BRIDGING SERVICES, EXCUSE ME. FOUR, THERE IS A CLEAR NEXUS TO THE REQUIRED HIGH IMPACT ABATEMENT ACTIVITY AREAS THAT I SHOWED YOU THAT CHART EARLIER. AND AGAIN THIS REPRESENTS A FIRST STEP WITH ADDITIONAL TACTICS FORTHCOMING. NOW FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TODAY, STAFF DOES HAVE TWO ACTIONS, THE FIRST OF WHICH IS THAT STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THIS INITIAL STRATEGY, WHICH DOES TOTAL $840,000, AND THEN DIRECT STAFF TO RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH ASSOCIATED BUDGET TRANSFERS AS IMPLEMENTATION OCCURS, AND THEN TWO TO DIRECT STAFF TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ANNUAL INFORMATIONAL UPDATES AND RETURN WITH FUTURE STRATEGIES, AS I'VE MENTIONED ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS TODAY. SO AT THAT POINT, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AGAIN, THIS CONCLUDES STAFF PRESENTATIONS. AND BOTH MYSELF AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAVE SPOKEN TODAY, WILL BE PLEASED TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. OH, THERE WE GO. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU, MARK, FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S INVOLVED IN THIS. TO THE DA'S POINT ABOUT THE SMOKING, I THINK I WAS ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN THAT CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL AND JUMPED IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY DAD'S CAR WHEN HE WAS PUTTING A CIGARETTE, AND EVERY DAY I WAS TELLING HIM HOW HE WAS GOING TO DIE BY SMOKING CIGARETTES. AND IN FACT, I THINK THE FACT THAT I BUGGED HIM SO MUCH IS WHAT MADE HIM END UP QUITTING SMOKING AT A YOUNGER AGE. BUT I REMEMBER THAT MY PARENTS DIDN'T LIKE THEY HEARD IT FROM ME ALL THE TIME, AND SO DID MY GRANDPARENTS, BUT IT WAS VERY EFFECTIVE. I ALSO LIKE THE EDUCATION PORTION OF THIS THE DOTERRA PACKETS THAT WILL BE MAILED OUT. I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BAD OF AN OPIUM PROBLEM THERE WAS SITTING IN EVERYBODY'S MEDICINE CABINET AT HOME UNTIL WHEN MY MOTHER PASSED AND I HAD TO GO THROUGH HER STUFF. AND HOW? JUST REMEMBERING BEING AT THE CONFERENCE FOR THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AND MEETING WITH DOTERRA AND GETTING THESE PACKETS AND NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT THEY WERE ALL ABOUT. AND ACTUALLY, WHEN I WENT THROUGH MY MOM'S MEDICINE CABINET AND THINKING, YOU ALWAYS KEEP THAT PAIN PILL IN THE BACK THINKING, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT NEED IT, I'LL HAVE A BAD HEADACHE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MY MOM HAD QUITE A COLLECTION AND I WAS JUST THINKING, MAN, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ACCESSIBLE TO GRANDKIDS OR ANYBODY ELSE. AND HOW THIS DOTERRA PACKET, YOU ACTUALLY OPEN IT UP, PUT THE PILLS IN THE PACKET, ADD A LITTLE WATER, SEAL IT UP, SHAKE IT UP AND THROW IT AWAY. AND I THINK THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO IMPACT SO MANY HOUSES WITH THIS, WITH AN EDUCATION ABOUT HOW TO DO IT, I JUST THIS PLAN IS REALLY GOOD. I DEFINITELY LIKE THE DA GETTING OUT THERE AND TELLING THESE KIDS TO GET ON THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS, BUT IT'S THIS IS DEFINITELY REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT AND THOROUGHNESS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT COMING TOGETHER TO PUT THIS UP. THANKS. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, I'M GOING TO HAVE A QUESTION FOR LIEUTENANT FRAMSTAD IN A MINUTE. BUT SO ON THE ON THE PROPOSED PHASE ONE ACTIVITIES ONE OF THE ITEMS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WE LET THE PUBLIC KNOW, BECAUSE IF YOU READ THIS, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, BUT THE $10,000 FOR DRUG TESTING FOR NITAZENE OVERDOSES. CURRENTLY, IF THERE'S AN OVERDOSE, WE DON'T TEST FOR NITAZENE. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. OKAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO TEST FOR NIACIN IN OVERDOSES TO SEE OKAY. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN FOR THE FOR THE LIEUTENANT, I WAS WONDERING, WHAT HAVE WE INVOLVED THE SROS IN THE TRAININGS SO THAT WHEN THEY'RE ON CAMPUS, THEY'RE ABLE TO PROACTIVELY OUTREACH TO THE TO THE STUDENTS? OH, YEAH. OUR SROS ARE TRAINED, I TRAINED THEM. I'VE DONE A LOT OF THE PRESENTATIONS ACTUALLY. WELL, THEY'VE WATCHED ME DO SEVERAL. AND THEN WE'VE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO EACH ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY EVEN THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE NOT HAVE SROS. BUT YEAH, WE HAVE SAT DOWN WITH STAFF. WE'VE CONDUCTED TRAININGS WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, NOT ONLY FOR HEALTH CLASS. I REMEMBER I TAUGHT HEALTH CLASS AT HILMAR ONE YEAR FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT STUDENTS. THIS YEAR. I'VE ALREADY BEEN IN A FEW OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS, BUT THEY'RE DEFINITELY UP TO SPEED. AND THEN SOMETHING ALSO WE'RE LOOKING AT NITAZENE JUST THAT I FAILED TO MENTION IS WITH THE NEW CHANGE IN FENTANYL AND HOW IT'S BEING PRODUCED, WE HAVE DIFFERENT DRUGS THAT ARE THERE. AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST DANGERS THAT WE'RE FACING NOW IS THE DIFFERENT PRECURSORS AND CUTS THAT ARE BEING USED. WE HAVE A DRUG CALLED XYLAZINE. XYLAZINE IS WHAT'S USED TO BY VETERINARIAN CLINICS FOR ANIMALS AND TO HELP PUT DOWN ANIMALS. [01:20:05] XYLAZINE IS A DRUG THEY ALSO KNOW IS TRANK THAT THEY THEY'RE HAVING AN EPIDEMIC IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON WITH XYLAZINE IS A DEPRESSANT. AND THE REASON THIS IS IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE NALOXONE OR WE GO OUT AND WE THINK, HEY, EVERYBODY'S GOING TO GET SAVED WITH NARCAN. NARCAN WORKS ON AN OPIATE. IT DOESN'T WORK ON A DEPRESSANT. SO NOW WE HAVE DRUGS THAT ARE MADE WITH THE XYLAZINE, WHICH IS A DEPRESSANT THAT IS ALSO ENCOMPASSING AN OPIOID. SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS. AND THEN WITH THE NITAZINES THAT WE'RE SEEING NOW, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT CYTOSINES THAT ARE BEING USED. NITAZENE BACK IN THE 60S WAS OUTLAWED. IT WAS AN OPIOID THAT WAS CREATED. IT'S MUCH STRONGER SET ASIDE THAN JUST FENTANYL. BUT NOW WITH THE NEW PRODUCTION OF FENTANYL, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE NITAZENES AND XYLAZINE BOTH IN THE IN THE FENTANYL PRODUCTION. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT WITH THE TESTING IS ALSO SO WE CAN KIND OF MAP THIS OUT LIKE WHAT ARE THE TRENDS. BECAUSE EVERYTHING CHANGES. JUST LIKE AMPHETAMINES. WE SAW EVERYTHING GO FROM EPHEDRINE TO P2P AND BACK AND FORTH BECAUSE IT HELPS WITH INVESTIGATIONS. IT HELPS THE MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND THEN IT HELPS WITH EMS RESPONSE. BECAUSE IF WE'RE RESPONDING TO A HOUSE WHERE SOMEONE'S OVERDOSED AND WE THINK IT'S AN OPIOID, AND THE BASIS IS THAT IT'S XYLAZINE, NARCAN IS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING. SO BUT YEAH, WE MAKE SURE THE SCHOOLS ARE WELL VERSED AND OUR TEACHERS AS WELL. THAT'S THE FIRST THING WE DO, USUALLY RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL. AND THEN WE'RE OPEN FOR THE DA OR WHOEVER WANTS TO LISTEN ABOUT DRUGS. I'M AVAILABLE TO TALK THEM. SO JUST LET ME KNOW. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPANSION OF YOUR INFORMATION. SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. LIEUTENANT FRAMSTAD SAID. THANK YOU. I DON'T MEAN THIS TONGUE IN CHEEK, BUT, LIKE, IT MAKES ME REST EASIER KNOWING THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU THAT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AND HAS AS MUCH KNOWLEDGE ON THIS STUFF. I LEARNED THAT I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT. THE NITAZENE AND THE STUFF THAT THEY'RE USING FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM VETS NOW OUT THERE. SO IT'S JUST IT SHOWS YOU HOW CRAZY THE WORLD IS CHANGING. AND WHEN YOU TALK TO EARLIER ABOUT HOW KIDS ARE GETTING STUFF MAILED TO THEIR HOMES, IT REALLY IS SCARY. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. ON THIS APPROACH, WE'RE TRYING TO GET GOOD DATA RIGHT SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT IS BEING EFFECTIVE. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD LIKE ACTUALLY TAKING THIS OPIOID SETTLEMENT MONEY, STARTING WITH A PLAN. I APPRECIATE THE PART THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF REFLECTING TO SEE WHAT, BECAUSE THIS MONEY IS GOING TO RUN OUT AT SOME POINT AND IT'S NOT A GUARANTEED. IT'S KIND OF CRAZY HOW THEY COME UP WITH THE FORMULA TO ACTUALLY WORK, HOW WE RECEIVE THIS MONEY. BUT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE UPDATES TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT AREAS THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON AND HOW MUCH HELP IT'S REALLY GIVEN US. SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE PRESENTATION. OKAY. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. I'M NOT SURE WHO THIS GOES TO. I THINK IT MIGHT PROBABLY HENDRICKSON ABOUT THE MAILING. HOW ARE WE DECIDING THE AMOUNT OF MAIL THAT'S GOING TO GO OUT? WHO'S TARGETING IT? AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A USE THAT WE COULD DO FOR THIS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECT OF IT, BECAUSE WE'RE LEARNING STUFF OVER HERE ALL THE TIME. LIKE SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SAID, WHO? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT PEOPLE WOULD GO TO VETS AND USE IT FOR DRUGS? BUT BUT I'M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT THAT. MR. CHAIRMAN, JUST VERY BRIEFLY, WHAT THIS WILL WITH THIS $180,000 THAT'S DEPICTED ON THIS SLIDE THAT WILL GET TO ABOUT 35,000 HOUSEHOLDS THROUGHOUT MERCED COUNTY. SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT ONE GENERAL AREA, BUT THAT WILL BE IT WILL ENABLE US TO TO EFFECTUATE THE DISPOSAL OF ABOUT 1.4 MILLION PILLS. THAT'S THAT'S THE ESTIMATE FROM, FROM THAT PARTICULAR VENDOR. THE OBJECTIVE, OF COURSE, IS TO DO IT SAFELY. BUT TO TO YOUR POINT, MR. MCDANIEL MADE A MOMENT AGO, A BIG PART OF THAT AS WELL IS NOT JUST THE DEACTIVATION OF THE OF THE NARCOTIC ITSELF, BUT ALSO RATHER TO ACTUALLY TO ACTUALLY EDUCATE AND LEVERAGE THAT MAILING SO AS TO HELP, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THE RISKS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH. SO AS A PART OF THAT, WE'RE GOING TO OBVIOUSLY WORK THROUGH OUR HTS ORGANIZATION TO IDENTIFY THE BEST WAY TO TARGET THOSE 35,000 HOMES AND MOST LIKELY OBVIOUSLY SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY. MERCED. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. AT THIS TIME, I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER 33. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ITEM 33 IS NOW CLOSED. IS THERE A MOTION? WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. CAN WE CALL FOR THE VOTE? OH. GO AHEAD. [01:25:01] OH, SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. YEAH. THANK YOU. DO WE. I KNOW YOU WANTED SOME DIRECTION FROM US UP HERE AS WELL. SO CAN BOTH OF THESE BE DONE IN THE SINGLE MOTION? BUT HOW SOON ARE WE LOOKING AT COMING BACK AND REPORTING BACK TO US AND AND DOING THAT? YEAH. MISTER SUPERVISOR, THROUGH THE CHAIR. I DO THINK WE ANTICIPATE AT LEAST ANNUAL UPDATES TO YOU, BUT INTERVENING WITH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR FUNDING. ONE THING I DO, AND I THINK SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. I THINK ONE THING THAT WE NEED TO DO AS A PART OF THIS IS, IS MEASURE, YOU KNOW, OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THAT, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY REGULARLY, BUT AT LEAST ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, THAT'S THAT'S ONE OF OUR INTENTIONS. I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN I'LL DEFER TO COUNSEL. BUT I DO THINK YOU CAN ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THIS VIA A SINGLE MOTION PERSONALLY. BUT BUT AGAIN, OBVIOUSLY THE OBJECTIVE TODAY IS TO, YOU KNOW, ARE WE ON THE RIGHT TRACK? IF THE ANSWER IS YES PER THE ITEM. THEN AS WE IMPLEMENT EACH OF THOSE TACTICS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON THAT SLIDE, EACH OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, WHETHER IT BE THE DA OR WHETHER IT BE BURGES OR THE SHERIFF, THEY'LL COME BACK WITH ASSOCIATED BUDGET TRANSFERS, WORKING THROUGH THE CEO'S OFFICE. AND SO THIS AMOUNT THAT WE'RE GETTING, THIS ISN'T THE ONLY AMOUNT. IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO COME ANNUALLY THROUGH A FORMULA. IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE FOR AS LONG AS THAT SETTLEMENT MONEY IS AVAILABLE. IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE THROUGH ABOUT THE YEAR 2038. AND THOSE AMOUNTS ARE GOING TO VARY. TO DATE, WE'VE RECEIVED 1.7 MILLION. THIS INITIAL PHASE IS 840,000. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN UPDATE, I THINK BEFORE THE ANNUAL. QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S KIND OF WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE. STAFF WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO THAT. PERFECT. THANK YOU. SO THAT MODIFIES THE ACTION. IS THAT OKAY WITH THE. YES. YES OKAY. SO GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. CAN WE GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT MOTION AGAIN? OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION BY SILVEIRA, SECOND BY PEREIRA. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. CAN I CHANGE IT? PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WITH FOUR YESES AND ONE ABSENT. THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW WE HAVE BOARD ACTION, OR NEXT, WE HAVE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ITEMS 34 AND 35. PLEASE NOTE, ITEM 34 REQUIRES A 4/5 VOTE. I'M SORRY. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. YES. MR. CHAIR, CAN I ASK TO HAVE THESE SEPARATED IN TWO SEPARATE VOTES? YES. THANKS. ITEM 34. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER 34. OKAY. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR 34 IS CLOSED. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? CALL FOR THE VOTE OR PLEASE, A MOTION. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. CAN'T RECORD THE VOTE. AND THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ITEM NUMBER 35. IS THERE A QUESTIONS? OH. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AS THE COAUTHOR OF THE POLICY THAT HAS BEEN PUT FORTH FOR THIS ITEM. THE INTENTION OF THE POLICY, THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW THE INTENTION OF THE POLICY. AND SO JUST TO SAY I HAVE THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR ITALO-AMERICAN LODGE, BUT THE PART I HAVE WITH THE THESE KIND OF FUNDING, IT IS TO HELP ENHANCE COUNTY THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING. AND THIS DOESN'T FALL WITHIN IN THAT POLICY, BECAUSE WITH THIS, WE'RE CUTTING A $10,000 CHECK OF TAXPAYER MONEY TO A NONPROFIT. AND I JUST I CAN'T SUPPORT THAT. [01:30:01] AND I JUST, I FELT LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT GOT HERE THROUGH THE POLICY BECAUSE WE WERE VERY DILIGENT AND TO NO DISRESPECT TO THE ITALO-AMERICAN LODGE. BUT IN THE PAST, WE'VE WE'VE CUT IN THESE CHECKS AND THEY'VE NEVER BEEN SPENT OR THEY NEVER DID GO TOWARDS THE CAUSE OF THE PUBLIC BETTERMENT. AND SO WITH THAT AS THE COAUTHOR OF THE POLICY, I JUST DON'T SEE HOW THIS FITS WITHIN OUR, OUR GUIDELINES AND SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. SORRY THAT ONE WAS ON ME. IT'S BEEN JOSH ALL DAY, BUT THAT WAS.. YOU KNOW, I HAVE A QUESTION BECAUSE I TOO, LIKE, SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL KIND OF COME ACROSS THE THE, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT OF OUR POLICY. HOWEVER, OUR POLICY DOES OFFER A BIT OF A LOOPHOLE IN PUBLIC BENEFIT. AND AND SO IF I COULD ASK THE SPOKESPERSON FROM THE ITALO-AMERICAN LODGE TO COME UP AND DISCUSS OR SHARE WITH US WHAT WHAT THE PUBLIC BENEFIT. RIGHT. WHAT YOU KNOW, NOW, IF YOU HAVE A MEETING AND I DON'T THINK I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING OR THE NOT ME. I'M SORRY. THE TAXPAYERS OF MERCED COUNTY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING YOU AN HVAC SYSTEM FOR YOUR MEETINGS. BUT WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT AREN'T YOURS THAT WOULD MAYBE CHANGE? MY THINKING, LIKE WHAT YOU DONATE, WHO YOU LET MEET THERE FOR FREE? COME ON UP. IF YOU'RE THE ONE. IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT STUFF WITH US, PLEASE. MY NAME IS RINO MARTINELLI, AND. I'M A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN LODGE, A LODGE THAT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR 90 YEARS. IT'S A NONPROFIT FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION THAT HOSTS MANY DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY. THE AMERICAN LODGE BUILDING WAS BUILT IN A TIME WHEN THE ITALIANS WERE NOT LOOKED VERY FONDLY IN MERCED COUNTY AND IN THE STATE AND THE NATION. IT'S BUILT IN A HISTORICAL SOCIETY AREA CALLED SPAGHETTI ACRES, WHICH I HAVE A LITTLE PROBLEM CALLING IT THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT WAS KNOWN FOR FOR MANY YEARS. AND A LITTLE SIDE NOTE, A LOT OF THAT LAND FROM 16TH STREET ALL THE WAY TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS ON THIS SIDE OF APPLEGATE PARK WAS OWNED BY A VERY PROMINENT ITALIAN, GENE MONDO, WHO DONATED, AT THE REQUEST OF THE COUNTY AND THE CITY. THE LAND WHERE FREMONT SCHOOL IS BEING IS BUILT TODAY. HE ALSO DONATED THE LAND. WELL, I MADE SOME MONEY ON IT, OBVIOUSLY FOR WESTGATE, AND HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE COUNTY. HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CITY AND HE WOULD NOT GIVE HIM A AN OKAY TO GO AHEAD WITH IT. SO DIFFERENT TIMES HE MET WITH THE CITY. I DON'T KNOW IF HE MET WITH THE COUNTY. I ASSUMING HE DID. HE TOLD HIM, HE SAID I NEED THE OKAY TO GO BY THURSDAY OR I'M SELLING THE LAND TO A PIG FARMER. HE HAD THE OKAY BY WEDNESDAY. THIS WAS MONDAY WHEN HE WAS TALKING TO HIM. SO AS THE ITALIAN CULTURE GREW, THEY KNEW THAT IN ORDER TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY, THEY NEEDED TO DO NOT ONLY THINGS TO HELP THEMSELVES, BUT HELP THE COMMUNITY IN ITSELF. AND THAT'S WHY THE ITALIAN AMERICAN LODGE ALSO DONATES AND HOSTS MANY EVENTS THROUGH COUNTY THAT SUPPORT THE COUNTY. ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS WE OWN IS THE OLD TIMERS ASSOCIATION THAT COME IN AND, AND WE HOST OUR HONOR, OUR SENIORS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. WE DONATE TO MANY CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS WRI, MERCED HISTORICAL SOCIETY, KIWANIS, ROTARY, RELAY FOR LIFE, AND NUMEROUS OTHERS. SO AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY, WE FEEL THAT WE NEED TO GIVE BACK AND WE GIVE BACK AS MUCH AS WE CAN. THAT ALLOWS US WITHIN OUR BYLAWS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE AND SUPPORT ANY ORGANIZATION THAT COMES IN. IF AN ORGANIZATION COMES IN AND WANTS TO RENT OUR FACILITY WITHIN MERCED COUNTY AND THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT, THEN WE ALLOW THEM TO RENT THE FACILITY AND USE IT FOR WHAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR DEAL AND EVERYTHING. SO THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, HOPEFULLY I CAN TRY TO ANSWER THEM THE BEST I CAN. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. RENO, THANK YOU THROUGH THE CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE AND EXPLAINING THAT. I THINK ONE THING THAT COULD SWEETEN MY DEAL IN THIS IS IF WE BECAME A DESIGNATED COOLING AREA DURING THE SUMMERTIME, WHENEVER WE'RE LOOKING [01:35:08] FOR PLACES FOR FOR FOLKS FOR WHO DON'T CAN'T AFFORD AC OR THEIR AC IS BROKE. IF THERE WAS IF WE CAN MAKE THIS A DESIGNATED COOLING CENTER BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND WHAT EVERYBODY'S SAYING, THIS WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING IS GREAT WORK AND I APPRECIATE IT. I APPRECIATE YOU, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME THE POLICY, THE WAY WE WROTE IT, IT DOESN'T FIT IN. BUT IF THIS BECOMES A COOLING CENTER, I HAVE NO PROBLEM. I HAVE NO PROBLEM GOING BACK AND TALKING TO OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND I'M SURE WE'LL MAKE THEM AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE. AND I'M SURE THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED THAT DEAL. ALSO, YOU HAD SAID ABOUT PREVIOUS PEOPLE TAKING THE MONEY AND NOT USING IT FOR THAT, I WILL GUARANTEE YOU I ON THE ON THE SOULS OF MY GRANDCHILDREN THAT THEY MONEY WILL BE USED TO HELP WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. WE HAVE FIVE UNITS UP ON THE ON THE DEAL. ONE HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE 1970. ANOTHER ONE IS ABOUT READY TO GO OUT, SO WE WOULD CERTAINLY USE IT FOR THOSE TWO AIR CONDITIONING UNITS, HVACS. SO I COULD. SO MONEY WOULD BE WELL SPENT. I COULD SUPPORT THIS WITH WITH THE OPPORTUNITY OF THIS BEING A COOLING CENTER, I'M SURE THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. THANKS, RENO. THANK YOU FOR COMING UP HERE. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS ASKED OF ME EARLIER, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THIS A PUBLIC BENEFIT? AND I CAN SEE THAT THE CONCERN THAT MY COLLEAGUE MR. MCDANIEL IS SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, 100% OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO RENT THIS BUILDING AT COST OR SOMETIMES FOR FREE TO SOME, TO SOME ORGANIZATIONS. I THINK THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POLICY THAT WE CREATED, 3.0, THE GOAL OF DISTRICT PROJECT FUND SHOULD BE TO IMPROVE DOESN'T DO THIS FOR THE COUNTY FACILITIES, BUT THAT PROVIDE A PUBLIC BENEFIT AND OR QUALITY OF LIFE IN MERCED COUNTY. SO IT'S PROVIDING A PUBLIC BENEFIT, AS IN ADDING TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MERCED COUNTY. THE OTHER ONE, I THINK IT'S 3.6, ESTABLISHES A SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND THIS IS A HALL THAT CAN BE RENTED. AS I SAID, THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S DONE A LOT. THEY RAISE MONEY FOR THE MERCED COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WILD EYE, KIWANIS, ROTARY, ICF, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. I THINK IT'S PART OF THE HISTORY OF MERCED COUNTY. AND I THINK THAT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT UTILIZE THIS FROM MERCED COUNTY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WHEN WE WERE IN LOS BANOS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT QUITE A BIT. WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF LIFE? WHAT CAN WE DO TO BENEFIT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OR TO ENHANCE IT? NOW, IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WOULD LIKE TO DO, BUT TAKING IT BACK AND WE CAN REASSESS IT AFTER THEY'VE DECIDED IF THEY'RE GOING TO ACCEPT YOUR REQUEST OR PROPOSAL, THEN I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO. AND I'D BE WILLING TO, YOU KNOW, TABLE THIS FOR UNTIL THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND WE CAN BRING IT BACK. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON THAT AS WELL. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HEALTH CARE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THERE GOING TO BE RAISES? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND NEGOTIATING WITH OUR DSA. AND I KNOW WE'RE SAYING THIS IS ONLY $10,000, BUT THIS IS $10,000. AND THAT'S WHY I TIE THAT IF IT AS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT, IF IT BECOMES A COOLING CENTER 100%, I CAN BACK THAT. BUT WITH ALL THE DISCUSSIONS WE'RE HAVING GOING ON NOW, IT'S JUST HARD TO JUST TO CLARIFY THIS, TO BE GIVEN TO A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION THAT'S A NONPROFIT. RESPECTFULLY SUPERVISOR, THESE ARE DIFFERENT MONIES. AND THAT'S GENERAL FUND MONEY. SO WE CAN.. GO AHEAD. I WAS JUST SAYING, I DON'T NEED TO WAIT. I'M READY TO MAKE A MOTION AND AND FOR ME, LOOK IT, I VOTED NO ON DISTRICT PROJECTS BEFORE, AND THAT WAS ONLY BECAUSE WHEN I GOT HERE, WE DIDN'T HAVE THEM, AND WE I FOUGHT TO TO BRING THAT BACK BECAUSE I THINK THAT EACH SUPERVISOR THERE'S SOME FOLKS THAT DISAGREE WITH OUR SPECIAL PROJECTS FUNDS, SPECIAL DISTRICT PROJECT FUNDS, THEY'VE DONE GREAT THINGS FOR MY COMMUNITY. AND I DON'T WANT TO DEPRIVE A COLLEAGUE OF MINE THAT OPPORTUNITY. [01:40:03] I THINK THAT IT FITS WITHIN THE POLICY. IT OBVIOUSLY MADE IT TO HERE. SO I'M GOOD WITH MAKING A MOTION TODAY. AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THEY SAID THEY WILL TAKE IT BACK TO THEIR BOARD. AND RENO SAID HE'S GOING TO MAKE THEM AN OFFER THAT THEY CAN'T REFUSE. I'M CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HOLD UP THEIR END OF THE BARGAIN AND AS FAR AS SPENDING THE MONEY, I SEE THE BID TO DO THE PROJECT. YOU ALREADY HAVE THE BID. THIS IS GOING TO HELP TOWARD IT AND I THINK THE THINGS THAT HE BROUGHT UP CONVINCED ME THAT IT IS IT DOESN'T, YES, IT'S NOT A COUNTY FACILITY, BUT IT DOES BRING A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO I'M GOOD WITH MAKING A MOTION TODAY, SO LONG AS THE SUPERVISOR PEDROZO IS WILLING TO DO THAT, OR IF HE WANTS TO HOLD OFF ON IT, I'M OKAY WITH THAT AS WELL. THE BUDGET TRANSFER. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO MOTION TO TABLE THIS TILL THEY TAKE IT BACK TO THEIR TO THEIR BOARD AND BRING IT BACK TO US, BECAUSE I WOULD HATE FOR MY VOTE TODAY, KILL THIS AT THIS TIME, BECAUSE THIS IS A BUDGET TRANSFER AND IT WOULD BE A 4/5 VOTE. AND WE DON'T HAVE EVERYBODY HERE. AND I DON'T WANT TO KILL IT. I WANT IT TO CONTINUE WITH THE DISCUSSION AND BE ABLE TO GO TOWARDS THEIR BOARD AND BRING IT BACK. SO THAT'S MY MOTION. CEO MENDEZ AND THEN SORRY. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. JUST GOOD DELIBERATIONS ON THE PART OF THE BOARD ON THIS POLICY. OBVIOUSLY, A POLICY IS MEANT TO BE CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF THE COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION THAT OCCURS AMONGST THE BOARD, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT DOESN'T GET TESTED UNTIL YOU HAVE THESE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS. ONE ADDITIONAL POINT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE BOARD'S ACTION IS TODAY, IS THAT OUR OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED WITH OBVIOUSLY, THE ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD BE PROVIDED THESE FUNDS PENDING BOARD'S APPROVAL. SO THERE ARE SOME PROTECTIONS IN THERE FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE STANDPOINT. I KNOW IN SITTING ON THE COMMITTEE THAT LOOKED AT THIS ABOUT A YEAR AGO OR A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL AND PAREIRA, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO TIGHTEN UP. SO OUR OFFICE WILL DESIGNATE SOMEBODY TO WORK WITH THE BOARD MEMBER AND OBVIOUSLY THE ORGANIZATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FUNDS ARE USED IN THE PURPOSES INTENDED AND BROUGHT FORTH. OBVIOUSLY THIS MORNING. SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THAT THAT'S 3.7 IN YOUR POLICY THAT SPEAKS TO OUR INVOLVEMENT IN MAKING SURE THAT IT'S DONE PROPERLY BY THE STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THIS BOARD. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. HIT THE BUTTON AGAIN, SCOTT. I'M ON, THANK YOU. SO JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION ON ITEM 35. I DON'T SEE A 4/5 VOTE REQUIRED. WELL, THAT'S WHY I'M TRYING TO GET CLARIFICATION. DOES ANYBODY WANT TO ADD ON 34. IT SAYS 4/5 REQUIRED ON 35, IT DOESN'T. WE'LL HAVE OUR DEPUTY CEO, VANESSA ANDERSON, ADDRESS THIS QUESTION. LOOKING AT THE ATTACHED BUDGET JOURNAL. I'M SORRY, SUPERVISORS, I DO NOT HAVE THE BUDGET TRANSFER IN FRONT OF ME, BUT MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT'S A SIMPLE MAJORITY. IF THAT BOX IS SELECTED, THAT WOULD MEAN IT IS NOT A 4/5 VOTE. YEAH. LOOKING AT THE JOURNAL VANESSA, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A TRANSFER WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, EXECUTIVE APPROVAL IS ALL THAT'S REQUIRED FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. AND I BELIEVE THE BUDGET TRANSFER GOES AS A PACKAGE WITH ITEMS. WE LIKE TO KEEP THE TRANSACTIONS PACKAGED WITH THE REQUEST TO KEEP IT CONSISTENT. SO IN THIS CASE, I THINK IT IS A SIMPLE MAJORITY. TYLER. WE HAVE TO BRING IT BACK. SO SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. YEAH. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, FOR THE WAY IT'S BEEN PRESENTED WITH THE CONFIDENCE I HAVE WITH COUNTY COUNCIL AND OUR CEO, I WILL SUPPORT THIS. OKAY, YOU CAN DO IT. I WILL GO AHEAD. AND I GUESS WE HAVE ALREADY HAD CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. AND BRING IT BACK. ASK FOR A MOTION. CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I THINK THAT OUR CEO PUT IT VERY YOU KNOW, STRAIGHTFORWARD IN THAT HAVING THESE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS IS KIND OF WHAT GUIDES US, AND I THINK IT'S [01:45:05] VERY PRODUCTIVE SO THAT WE LOOK AT THESE AS THEY COME UP, WE CAN REALLY KIND OF FOCUS ON IT AND IT'S IT'S NOT A ONE, IT'S NOT A GIFT OR ANYTHING BECAUSE I'M VERY, YOU KNOW COGNIZANT OF THAT. BUT I ALSO DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT DO NEED HELP. AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A GOOD STEP AND JUST LOOKING AT OUR PARTNERSHIPS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE BOARD APPOINTMENTS. ITEM 36. THIS TIME I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR BOARD APPOINTMENTS. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BOARD APPOINTMENTS, ITEM 36 IS NOW CLOSED. CAN I GET A MOTION? MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. OKAY. IT PASSES WITH ONE ABSENCE. LAST IS BOARD REPORTS. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START WITH SILVERA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. NOT A LOT TO REPORT OUT. SINCE THE LAST MEETING, I DO WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT ON APRIL THE 3RD, I'LL BE COUNTY WILL BE HOSTING MY DISTRICT FIVE TOWN HALL AT THE LOS BANOS FAIRGROUNDS GERMINO BUILDING. THE ADDRESS IS 403 F STREET, BUT THE ACTUAL ENTRANCE TO THE GERMINO BUILDING IS ON A SIDE STREET THERE, BUT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIND IT. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL OF MY BOSSES FROM DISTRICT FIVE TO COME OUT, AND WE WILL HAVE A PLETHORA OF COUNTY OFFICIALS THERE TO BE, I'LL DO MY BEST TO TRY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT THE ONES THAT I'M NOT ABLE TO ANSWER, WE WILL HAVE COUNTY STAFF THERE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT NEXT WEEK. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. WELL I WANT TO JUST MY COMMENT, MY REPORT, IS THAT WHAT WE DID TODAY WOULD BE MORE OF AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE THAN AN OPEN DOOR TO THAT TYPE OF THING FOR THE RULE. OTHERWISE, THEN I WOULD SUGGEST WE WE BRING IT BACK AND REWRITE, YOU KNOW, THE AMERICAN LODGE. TO ME, YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF A NO VOTE LAST WEEK, ACTUALLY. AND THEN I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THEY DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE'S MORE EVENTS THAT GET FREE RENTAL FROM FROM THE LOW THAN RENO MENTIONED. I WAS HOPING HE WOULD KIND OF GO INTO THAT BOLSTER MY THOUGHT. BUT ANYWAYS, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. I'D LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY AND WONDERFUL EASTER. YOU KNOW, I, I'M OLD SCHOOL, AND I BELIEVE IN THE REASON FOR THE SEASONS. AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T CELEBRATE HOLIDAY BREAK. I CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS BREAK, AND I CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AND EASTER FOR MYSELF. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT I DO HAVE A TOWN HALL COMING UP ON APRIL 4TH. IT'LL BE AT THE WINTON COMMUNITY HALL AT THE CORNER OF WALNUT AND CENTER STREET. I AM ACTUALLY FLYING OUT SATURDAY TO. I HAVE A DAUGHTER LIVE IN COLORADO THAT'S MOVING BACK TO CALIFORNIA. AND AND SO I'M HOPING WE DON'T BREAK DOWN ON MY WAY HOME, BECAUSE I'D KIND OF HATE TO MISS MY OWN TOWN HALL, BUT YOU KNOW I THINK WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME. AND THEN I, I JUST WANT TO YOU KNOW, I GUESS, REITERATE OR SHARE. YOU KNOW, A CHANNEL 30 IS HERE. I HOPE THAT THAT THIS OPIOID AND FENTANYL CRISIS. I HOPE. I HOPE IT MAKES THE NEWS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WELL, I HAVEN'T, BUT BUT OUR COUNTY STAFF HAS ALREADY DONE MITIGATION EFFORTS REGARDING FENTANYL AND YOU KNOW, AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND OFFICE OF ED AND THE SHERIFF DOING THE ONE PILL CAN KILL YOU KNOW, CAMPAIGN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ALREADY I HAVE IT HANGING ON THE DOOR. I JUST, I JUST THINK THAT WAS A THAT'S JUST A AN OUTSTANDING WAY TO TO SHARE THE MESSAGE. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THE 39 DEATHS IN MERCED COUNTY WOULD HAVE BEEN A HIGHER NUMBER HAD YOU KNOW, THE SHERIFF, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND COUNTY STAFF NOT STARTED THIS EFFORT IN THE PAST VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WAITING TO THE DAY TO SUNSHINE THIS. SO ANYWAYS, I JUST WANT TO WANT TO THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, WE ALL WE ALL YOU KNOW GET IMPACTED BY, BY DEATH. AND I THINK THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN IT'S PREVENTABLE, IT MAKES IT REALLY, REALLY TOUGH. [01:50:02] AND, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THE AGE OF THESE PEOPLE, I'M ASSUMING A LOT OF THEM ARE YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT THERE'S PROBABLY SOME OLDER PEOPLE IN THERE AS WELL. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL WE'LL TAKE THE TREND ON ITS WAY DOWN QUICKLY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I WANT TO THANK NATHAN BRAY. HE WAS AT THE CTC COMMISSION LAST WEEK ON THURSDAY, AND I THINK IT KIND OF WENT A LITTLE LATE. AND IT WAS A LONG, LONG TESTIMONIES GOING ON. BUT I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR BEING THERE ALONG WITH STACEY. STACEY. THANK YOU. ANYWAY THE TWO OF THEM WERE THERE TO TESTIFY IF WE NEEDED TO, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE DIDN'T NEED TO. SO THAT WAS. THAT'S A PLUS. THE CTC DID APPROVE OUR $16 MILLION TO GO TO THE ATWATER MERCED EXPRESSWAY. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING, I THINK, SINCE THE DAY THAT I SAT ON THIS DAIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, AFTER I RAISED MY HAND AND SWORE TO BE YOUR BE YOUR SUPERVISOR THE VERY FIRST ELECTION. AND SO THAT'S WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THE FUNDING PLAN IN PLACE. NOW THE FUNDING IS IN PLACE AND HOPEFULLY THE EPA WILL WILL WORK WITH US. AND AND SO WE CAN GET THIS GOING AND IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH PROJECTS WILL COME TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THE INLAND PORT IS COMPLETED, THE AIM WILL BE COMPLETED. AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THOSE TRUCKS OFF THE ROADS. OR AT LEAST OUR TRUCK DRIVERS WILL BE MAKING SHORTER TRIPS INSTEAD OF INTO THE PORT. THEY'LL BE COMING INTO CASTLE TO BRING THEIR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. ALSO, I WANT TO SAY THAT MY I DID ATTEND THE CRC MEETING LAST WEDNESDAY, AS WELL AS VALLEY VOICE. AND I'D LIKE TO THINK SO. TYING IN WITH THE CTC, WE DID MEET WITH THE CTC THE DAY BEFORE YOU GUYS DID, AND WE WERE PUSHING IT VERY AS A VALLEY. WE, WE ACTUALLY THE VALLEY WHICH IS ALL THE COUNTIES EXPRESSED OUR INTEREST IN THAT PROJECT GETTING THROUGH, ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER ONES. THE OTHER ONES A LITTLE MORE CONTROVERSIAL, BUT OUR SLID RIGHT IN BECAUSE OF THE CONTROVERSY. BEING CREATED IN OTHER COUNTIES, WHICH IS APPRECIATIVE. AND I HAD JUST GOTTEN BACK YESTERDAY, MARK HENDRICKSON AND MYSELF ACTUALLY ATTENDED NOP, WHICH IS THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION PROBLEM. WE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS. I KNOW THE TUCKER STAYED ABOUT THIS IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM, AND WE NEVER LIKE TO IDENTIFY OUR PROBLEMS HERE IN A COUNTY AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM. WE LIKE TO BE THE LEADERS. WE WANT TO BE THE PILOT PROGRAMS. BUT WORKING WITH MERCED HIGH SCHOOL AND ALAN PETERSON AND I, WE'D ACTUALLY HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS BEFORE COVID. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S KIDS WHO GO TO COLLEGE OR GO INTO HIGH SCHOOL. THEY WANT TO BE LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY WANT TO GO INTO THIS INDUSTRY. THAT IS THEIR WHOLE FOCUS. BUT THERE'S THIS GAP YEAR BEFORE THEY BECOME SO IT'S FROM THE TIME THAT THEY GRADUATE, TIME THAT THEY CAN GET IN THERE. AND WHAT I LIKE IS I DO SIT ON THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD HERE IN MERCED COUNTY AND WE'VE GOT THEIR SUPPORT. WE ARE REALLY GOING TO LOOK AT THIS. WE WANT TO BE A TRAINING CENTER. WE WANT TO KEEP THOSE KIDS INTERESTED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND THROUGH COLLEGE, BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN I WENT TO MERCED COLLEGE WE HAD A ROBUST PROGRAM AT MERCED COLLEGE WHERE THE KIDS, MY BUDDIES, WERE ACTUALLY THEIR CRIMINOLOGY CLASSES. THEY WERE OUT WRITING TICKETS. THEY WERE OUT AT THE FOOTBALL GAMES IN UNIFORM, AND THIS WAS PART OF THEIR JOB. AND I LISTED OFF SIX GUYS RIGHT AWAY THAT WENT THROUGH THAT PROGRAM WHO ARE NOW RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT FOLKS. SO IT'S SOMETHING ALAN AND I TALKED ABOUT WAY BACK WHEN WE'RE WE REOPEN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND I APPRECIATE I WASN'T ABLE TO BE THERE BECAUSE I WAS AT VALLEY VOICE IN SACRAMENTO, BUT OUR CEO WAS THERE FOR THAT DISCUSSION, ALONG WITH ERIC SERRATO, WHO'S THE HEAD OF OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD. AND THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS AND A LOT OF NEGOTIATIONS WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT. BUT I GOT TO TELL YOU, I THINK EVEN THE KITCHEN SINK HAS BEEN PUT ON THE TABLE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. IN FACT, WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE THIS MEETING AND GO BACK INTO CLOSED SESSION FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT WE'RE DOING. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL HANSON, CEO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. JUST A COUPLE COUPLE COMMENTS. THIS MORNING STILL MORNING. I DID WANT TO JUST ECHO THE COMMENTS MADE BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA ON ENHANCING EFFORTS HERE IN MERCED COUNTY TO TACKLE OR MITIGATE THE OPIOID ISSUE THAT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE FACING, THAT EVERYBODY'S FACING ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF OUR COUNTY LEADERSHIP, OUR TEAM COMING TOGETHER AND PUTTING TOGETHER, I BELIEVE, A GOOD PLAN FOR THE BOARD TO CONSIDER. I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT THERE. DIFFICULT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A FINITE AMOUNT OF FUNDING OR RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS THAT ARE IMPACTFUL. [01:55:01] AND I THINK THE TEAM THAT SHARED INFORMATION TODAY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS. I KNOW IT'S BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS IN THE MAKING AND NICE TO SEE IT COME FOR FOR CONSIDERATION, AND WE'LL CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION GOING FORWARD. JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE, JUST LIKE IN PLANADA. AND I THINK I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION ON BEHALF OF SUPERVISOR ESPINOZA, APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE PLANADA FLOOD RELIEF PROGRAM ARE GOING WELL. WE HAVE, AS OF YESTERDAY, I THINK, 530 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, WHICH IS A GOOD NUMBER, YOU KNOW, ENDING TO WEEK TWO GOING INTO WEEK THREE. NOW, OF THE PERIOD FOR THAT OBVIOUSLY $20 MILLION THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO MERCED COUNTY FOR THE COMMUNITY OF PLANADA TO HELP WITH FLOOD RECOVERY RELIEF EFFORTS. SO, AGAIN, JUST APPRECIATE THE STAFF. IT'S DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE FINITE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS OR MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE IMPACTFUL. BUT I'M CONFIDENT THAT WITH THIS BOARD, THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS BOARD AND OUR COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE ANYTHING THAT THE FUTURE MAY BRING. EVEN THOUGH I BELIEVE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT LAY AHEAD, THAT LIE AHEAD ARE FISCAL IN NATURE. BUT I BELIEVE WE'LL WORK THROUGH THOSE AS BEST AS WE CAN. AGAIN, STAYING FOCUSED ON ON THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. SO AGAIN, MR. CHAIR, JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT LAST WEEK, I THINK WE ALL ATTENDED THE CALIFORNIA WOMEN FOR IN AGRICULTURE LUNCH. IT'S AN ANNUAL EVENT THEY DO TO HIGHLIGHT NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY OR NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL AWARENESS DAY. IT'S ALWAYS A FUN TIME. THE YESTERDAY I ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE SHERIFF'S SWEARING IN. WE SWORE IN TWO NEW CUSTODIAL DEPUTIES AND ONE NEW DEPUTY, WHICH IS IS A GOOD START. ALSO, MY TOWN HALL MEETING IS ON THURSDAY AT THE MCOE'S MONDO BUILDING DOWNTOWN FROM 6 TO 8. AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING TO. MITIGATE THIS OPIOID CRISIS AND ALL THE OTHER. I KIND OF CHUCKLED THAT THE VET DRUG THING BECAUSE WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT THAT STUFF? BUT YOU KNOW, AS A PARENT OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, THIS SCARES ME MORE THAN ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I MEAN, JUST THAT SMALL LITTLE SUGAR PACKET, LIKE HE WAS SAYING, IT'S IT'S IT'S TOO BAD THAT WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT STUFF. AT THIS TIME. ALSO, I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN FOR JOE FRONTELLA. HE WAS RECENTLY SWORN IN AS A JUVENILE JUSTICE COMMISSIONER HERE FOR HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, IS A FORMER PROBATION MANAGER FOR MERCED COUNTY. AND HE WAS CHIEF OF PROBATION. HE WAS THE CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER FOR SAN BENITO COUNTY. UNFORTUNATELY, HE WAS TRAGICALLY KILLED IN A BICYCLING ACCIDENT ABOUT A MONTH AGO. AND WHEREAS I DIDN'T WORK WITH HIM VERY CLOSELY, I KNOW PEOPLE THAT DID. AND IT WAS A VERY TRAGIC AND DEVASTATING LOSS BECAUSE I JUST HEARD THAT HE WAS A VERY GOOD MAN WHO HAD A LOT OF GOOD INTENTIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO JUVENILE JUSTICE AND AND GETTING KIDS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. AND I READ SOMEWHERE SOMEBODY DESCRIBED HIM AS, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ALWAYS A MAN THAT WOULD COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR A SOLUTION OR A SOLUTION TO ANY PROBLEM. SO FOR THAT, I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN FOR HIM. AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO CLOSED SESSION. [CLOSED SESSION] OH HAPPY EASTER. WE STAFF WAS GIVEN DIRECTION OUT OF CLOSED SESSION. THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.