[I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER] [00:00:03] COME TO ORDER. AT 1007. LET'S STAND FOR THE PLEDGE, PLEASE. 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. OKAY. OKAY. WE'LL HAVE THE ROLL CALL OF COMMISSIONERS. I'M GOING TO ORDER HERE. COMMISSIONER PEDROZO HERE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER REED PRESENT. AND CHAIR BERTAO HERE. OKAY, WE HAVE A QUORUM FOR TODAY'S BUSINESS. AND SINCE WE HAVE THREE COUNTY REPS. ALTERNATIVE COMMISSIONER PEDROZO IS A NON-VOTING MEMBER, BUT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR CONSENT CALENDAR NEED THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 11TH MEETING. [IV. CONSENT CALENDAR] MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA. SECONDED FROM COMMISSIONER REED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 11TH MEETING. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS. THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY, IF ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON ANYTHING THAT COULD INTEREST THE THE COMMISSION, THAT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA TODAY. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND SAY ANYTHING. SEEING. NO ONE WILL CONSIDER THAT DONE AND WILL GO TO NUMBER SIX PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ITS ANNEXATION. [VI.A Annexation No. 2025-3 to the Franklin County Water District (FCWD) - LAFCO File No. 0708- and the associated Amendment to the FCWD Sphere of Influence- LAFCO File No. 1050 F: Involving annexation of the new 18.5-acre Franklin/Beachwood County Park site, located on the north side of Lobo Avenue and the east side of Ranchero Lane, and an adjacent one-acre homesite located at 2724 Lobo Avenue, into the Franklin County Water District’s boundary. The same territory is proposed to be added into the District’s sphere of influence (SOI) boundary, consistent with State requirements for annexations. The actions requested are to make a determination that the applications are exempt from environmental review in accordance with CEQA Guidelines section 15301 “Existing Facilities” and approve, modify or deny the applications. [NOTE: Due to special circumstances, these applications are being continued to the May 21, 2026 Commission Meeting.] NUMBER 2025-3. FRANKLIN COUNTY WATER DISTRICT FILE NUMBER 708. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE CONTINUED TO MAY 21ST. SO WE NEED A ACTION DOING THAT. PLEASE. I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. I'LL SECOND. OKAY. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA THAT WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE THIS ITEM TO THE MAY 21ST MEETING. ANY DISCUSSION ON IT? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. OKAY. NEXT IS ITEM B UNDER PUBLIC HEARINGS. THIS IS TO CONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION [VI. B. Consider adoption of the “Resource Conservation District Municipal Service Review (MSR) Update” and related Sphere of Influence Determinations for the five special districts included in the MSR document. The MSR document presents a summary of the services and operational issues of the five Resource Conservation Districts headquartered in Merced County and includes recommendations for consolidations of inactive districts with more active districts. The actions requested are to make an environmental determination that the Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence determinations are exempt from CEQA review under Section 15306, “Information Collection” of the CEQA Guidelines, and adopt the Municipal Service Review, and related Sphere of Influence Determinations.] DISTRICT MS SR UPDATE AND RELATED SPHERE OF INFLUENCE DETERMINATIONS. THERE'S FIVE SPECIAL DISTRICTS INCLUDED IN THIS DOCUMENT. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DISCUSSION TODAY TO SEE OUR DIRECTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ON THIS. SO I'M GOING TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AT TEN MINUTES AND AFTER TEN TO DISCUSS THAT. MR. NICHOLSON, I'M GOING TO DO A POWERPOINT. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET MARLA. OKAY, JUST WAIT A COUPLE SECONDS HERE AND WE'LL GET WITH IT. DO YOU KNOW IF SHE CAN HEAR US? I DON'T THINK SHE CAN. OKAY. YOU HAVE ONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. TRYING TO GET OUR LAFCO ATTORNEY SHE PROMOTES. WE'RE TRYING TO GET HER SO SHE CAN HEAR US BEFORE WE GET GET STARTED. [00:05:40] WELL, MAYBE I SHOULD GO AHEAD AND DO THIS ITEM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY LEGAL ISSUE. THAT'S JUST THE BUDGET. OKAY. AND THEN I'LL TRY SEEING. YOU COULD TRY WHEN WE GO TO DISCUSSION, THEN WE COULD COME BACK. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. READY, MR. NICHOLSON? YEAH. OKAY. THE FLOOR IS YOURS. SO THE MICROPHONE'S ON. GREAT. YEAH. SO WE'RE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PROPOSED RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW UPDATE. IT'S BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE WE DID THE ORIGINAL ONE, WHICH WAS 2009. AND SO JUST A LITTLE SUMMARY ON LAFCO RULES UNDER THE ACT IN SECTION 56430 LAFCO WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEWS OF ALL CITIES AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS. AND THE LAW SAYS EVERY FIVE YEARS AS NECESSARY. SO OUR LAFCO AND OTHER LAFCO GET GET TO THEM WHEN THEY'RE NEEDED. SOME SOME MORE URBAN DISTRICTS ARE NEEDED MORE FREQUENTLY. AND SOME OF THESE RURAL DISTRICTS ARE AS CRITICAL. SO THIS IS OUR FIRST UPDATE FROM THE ORIGINAL MSR. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO DO A MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW OR MSR BEFORE WE UPDATE A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. SO IN THIS CASE THE RCDS ARE ARE STABLE AT THIS POINT, ALTHOUGH THERE'S PROPOSALS FOR CHANGES IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE OF SEVERAL DISTRICTS THAT AREN'T REALLY FUNCTIONING RIGHT NOW. AND JUST A QUICK SUMMARY, THE PURPOSE OF THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW IS THE STATE LAWS TO PROMOTE MORE EFFICIENT AND HIGHER QUALITY SERVICES AND IDENTIFY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND ALSO CHANGES OF ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS TYPICALLY A ANNEXATION OR IN THE RCDS CASE, CONSOLIDATION IS THE TOPIC THAT WE'VE BEEN PURSUING MORE. SO THE REQUIREMENTS IN AN MSR ARE TO LOOK AT THE GROWTH AND POPULATION PROJECTIONS, THE LOCATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ANY DISADVANTAGED UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITIES, WHICH ARE CONCENTRATIONS OF LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS. THE PRESENT AND PLANNED CAPACITY OF FACILITIES AND ADEQUACY OF PUBLIC SERVICES, INCLUDING INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OR DEFICIENCIES. WHICH IS KIND OF UNIQUE FOR RCDS AS I'LL GET INTO THE FINANCIAL OF THE AGENCY TO PROVIDE ITS SERVICES STATUS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED FACILITIES. AND AGAIN, I HIGHLIGHTED HERE, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE CONSOLIDATIONS, WHICH IS THE MERGING TOGETHER OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE TO HELP MAKE THEM MORE FUNCTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY OF SERVICE NEEDS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND ANY, ANY OTHER MATTER THAT WE AS INDIVIDUAL LAFCO MIGHT ADOPT AS LOCAL POLICY. AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY. ALL OUR POLICIES SUPPORT THE STATE MANDATES. WE DON'T. WE DIDN'T ADD ANY CRITERIA. SO JUST A QUICK SUMMARY. WE HAVE FIVE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS HEADQUARTERED IN MERCED COUNTY IN OUR 2009 MSR BECAUSE IT WASN'T FUNCTIONING. WE HAD A MISTAKE ON THE GUSTINE ROMERO RCD NORTH OF THE CITY OF GUSTINE, WHICH OVERLAPS INTO STANISLAUS COUNTY. AND AT THE TIME WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH LAND WAS IN STANISLAUS COUNTY, AND SINCE WE HAD NO INFORMATION ON THEM, WE THOUGHT THEY WERE IN. THEY WERE STANISLAUS LAFCO RESPONSIBILITY, SO WE DIDN'T INCLUDE THEM. BUT THIS. THIS TIME WE HAVE. BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF ITS. IN STATE COUNTY. WE ALSO HAVE TWO SEEDS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTIES THAT OVERLAP INTO OUR COUNTY ON THE WEST SIDE. AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE ARE NEIGHBORING LAFCO. AND WHEN I GET TO THE MAP, I'LL SHOW YOU THOSE. THE PURPOSE OF OUR SEEDS IS TO HAS DEVELOPED PROGRAMS PROMOTING CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING SOIL, VEGETATION, WETLANDS AND WATER. IT COULD BE. IT COULD BE MORE, BUT THOSE ARE THE MAIN ONES. AND THEN OUR SEEDS ARE GOVERNED BY BOARDS OF DIRECTORS. AND RIGHT NOW, OUT OF THE FIVE SEEDS, TWO OF THEM DON'T HAVE ANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS. [00:10:03] EXCUSE ME. ONLY TWO OF THE FIVE. SO THREE OF THEM DON'T HAVE ANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS. SO SO HERE'S THE MAP OF THE SEEDS WHICH IS IN YOUR PACKET. SO ON THE EAST SIDE WE HAVE EAST MERCED. AND IN THE CENTER OF THE COUNTY WE HAVE GRASSLANDS AND THE SAN LUIS RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT IN YELLOW. AND THEN TO THE NORTHWEST WE HAVE THE GUSTINE ROMERO, WHICH YOU CAN SEE IT OVERLAPS A LITTLE BIT ACROSS THE COUNTY LINE INTO STANISLAUS COUNTY AND THEN THE LARGE LOS BANOS RCD WEST OF THE CITY AND INCLUDING THE CITY OF LOS BANOS. SO I DID WANT TO MAKE A FEW POINTS ON THIS IMAGE. AND YOU HAVE IT ON YOUR SCREENS TOO, THAT IF YOU LOOK AT MERCED ON THE EAST SIDE, IT'S ALMOST THE WHOLE EAST SIDE OF THE COUNTY, BUT THE STRIP ALONG HIGHWAY 99, PRIMARILY INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MERCED, ATWATER AND LIVINGSTON, ARE NOT WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARIES. IF YOU LOOK AT THE WEST SIDE, DOS PALOS IS NOT IN OUR AREA ON THE SOUTH, LIKE KIND OF THE CENTRAL AREA, BUT SOUTH OF SAN LUIS AND EAST OF GRASSLANDS, AND THEY'RE NOT IN. BUT LOS BANOS IS IN THE CITY IS IN THE LOS BANOS CITY, AND GUSTINE IS IN THE GUSTINE ROMERO OUR CITY. SO SO THAT'S KIND OF A UNIQUE SITUATION ON THE EAST OF MERCED COUNTY AND THE EASTERN SIDE. RCD HAS BEEN BEEN TALKING ABOUT LOOKING INTO ANNEXING LARGER AREAS TO, TO BE MORE CONSISTENT WITH THE ENTIRE EAST SIDE OF THE COUNTY. ALSO, WHILE THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS, THE ACTIVITIES. A LOT OF THEM ARE FOCUSED ON THE VALLEY FLOOR AND AGRICULTURAL AREAS, WETLAND AREAS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE GRASSLANDS, YOU CAN SEE ON THIS MAP THEY BOTH ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COUNTY WHERE YOU HAVE THE MOUNTAINS ON THE WEST AND THE THE FOOTHILLS ON THE EAST. THE CITIES EXTEND INTO THOSE AREAS. SO IT'S IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT HABITAT TYPES AND GROUND TYPES AND LANDSCAPES, AND THERE ARE CDS PRETTY MUCH COVER ALL, ALL OF THOSE DIVERGENT TERRITORIES. SO IN TERMS OF PROGRAMS, THERE MAY BE THERE MAY BE ISSUES THAT GO UP IN THE FOOTHILLS THAT ARE NOT STANDARD ACTIVITIES. AS NORMAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY, YOU'RE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE AG LAND MORE AND MAYBE THE WETLANDS AND THE URBAN COMMUNITIES, BUT THEY GO WAY UP INTO THE HILLS. SO, THIS IS A HIGHLIGHT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES AND SERVICES. AND I REALLY JUST FOCUS ON THE ONES THAT ARE ACTIVE AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND THEN I'LL GET INTO DISTRICT BY DISTRICT, BUT JUST SUMMARY SUMMARIZING PROGRAMS. EASTER MERCED. RCD, WHICH IS THE MOST ACTIVE THEY'VE OBTAINED GRANTS THAT THEY CONTINUOUSLY OBTAIN GRANTS TO DO PROGRAMS. AND I'M JUST SUMMARIZING SOME FROM THE ESSER INCLUDE VERNAL POOL SURVEYS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF VERNAL POOLS IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY FOR FARMERS WHERE THEY CAN WORK INDIVIDUALLY WITH INDIVIDUAL FARMERS. THEY HAVE PROGRAMS FOR THAT HABITAT RESTORATION ALONG THE MERCED RIVER. THEY MENTIONED THEY HAVE A WATER TRUCK THAT THEY CAN, THEY USE ON RESTORATION EFFORTS AND THEY CAN LEND IT OUT TO OTHER RCDS OR OTHER BODIES, AGENCIES THAT NEED IT. THE GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION PLANNING THEY HAVE A MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND POLLINATOR, WHICH I BELIEVE ARE BEES, HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS THROUGH A CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AG GRANT. THEY DO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH A DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES GRANT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MIT, THE COUNTY, AND UC MERCED. SO THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF ACTIVITIES GOING, AND THEY THEY GO AFTER MORE GRANTS AND THEY'RE BASICALLY GETTING BUSIER OVER TIME. THEY ALSO SHARE OFFICE SPACE WITH THE NATIONAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION SERVICE OFFICE IN HERE IN MERCED. AND THEY WORK COOPERATIVELY TOGETHER. AND TODAY WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH ENTITIES WITH US IN OUR AUDIENCE. THE GRASSLANDS RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT, WHICH IS ALSO SOMEWHAT ACTIVE, IS CLOSELY TIED TO THE GRASSLANDS WATER DISTRICT. AND THEY, THEY THEY'RE BASICALLY A SISTER AGENCY AND I RECENTLY JUST GOT MINUTES FROM THE DISTRICT AND THEIR MINUTES INCLUDE THE WATER DISTRICT, THE RCD, AND THEIR SIGMA RELATIONSHIP. SO THEY THEY BLEND ALL THEIR THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE GRASSLANDS TOGETHER, INCLUDING GRANTS AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND OTHER OTHER EFFORTS. SO THE RCD IS, HAS A FULL BOARD. BUT I COULD TELL FROM IT THAT THEY'RE NOT REALLY DRIVING THE ACTIVITY [00:15:01] OF THE GRASSLANDS. THE WATER DISTRICT'S REALLY DRIVING MOST OF IT. AND THEN OF COURSE, SIGMA WORK FOR THE GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY PLANS IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE DICTATING MORE THE WATER DISTRICT FUNCTIONS. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THAT AGAIN THAT THE RCD IS LISTED, BUT IT'S, I THINK A LOT OF IT'S THE WATER DISTRICT IS A JOINT FLOOD WATER PROJECT, WHICH IS UNDERWAY WITH THE CITY OF LOS BANOS. AND WE DID THAT LOS BANOS MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW RECENTLY AND FOUND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THEY HAD WAS FLOODING, ESPECIALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREAS. AND SO THE CITY IS WORKING ON A NEW STORMWATER RESERVOIR JUST UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND THEY'LL COLLECT THE STORMWATER AND ACTUALLY HAVE A PIPELINE GOING TO GRASSLANDS TO GIVE GRASSLANDS THAT THAT WATER IN WET PERIODS. AND THAT ACTUALLY, I HAVE AN APPLICATION IN FROM LOS BANOS TO ANNEX THAT STORMWATER POND AREA ON THE EAST SIDE NEAR THEIR SEWER FARM. SO THAT'LL, THAT'LL BE COMING TO LAFCO SHORTLY. THE SAN LUIS RCD HAS LARGELY BEEN OUT IN ACTIVE THEIR, THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY BOARD MEMBERS. BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE HISTORICALLY LINKED AND OPERATED BY THE SAN LUIS CANAL COMPANY. SO THEY, THEY'RE SOMEONE TO TALK TO. KEN. AND MICHAEL HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT TO DO TO GET THEM GOING AGAIN AND GET MAYBE CONSOLIDATIONS THAT MAY HELP THE WEST SIDE ESPECIALLY, WHICH HAS GOT THE LEAST ACTIVE RCDS BESIDES GRASSLANDS. THERE'S ALSO A. AGAIN, THIS IS MORE OF THE CANAL COMPANY PROJECT, BUT THERE'S A NORTH GRASSLANDS INTERTIE PROJECT WITH THE GRASSLANDS TO. TO MOVE WATER FROM THE SAN LUIS CANAL COMPANY. WHEN THEY HAVE EXCESS WATER TO THE GRASSLANDS FOR WETLAND USE. AND AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT HIGHLIGHTED AS AN RCD PROJECT, BUT I REFERENCED IT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT NOW IT'S THERE. THEY'RE ALSO TIED TOGETHER. AND THEN THE LOS BANOS AND THE GUSTINE ROMERO RCDS HAVE BEEN INACTIVE FOR MANY YEARS. THEY LOS BANOS USED TO HAVE A LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM WHERE THEY WOULD DO SUPPORT SPEECH COMPETITIONS AND THAT. AND SO THAT WASN'T REALLY RESOURCE CONSERVATION, BUT IT WAS EDUCATION. AND PART OF THE GOALS OF RCDS ARE EDUCATION. AND GRASSLANDS DOES THAT TOO WITH THEIR GRASSLANDS ECOLOGICAL AREA, BUT OTHERWISE. GUSTINE ROMERO I DON'T HAVE ANY RECORD OF WHAT THEY'VE EVER DONE. I'M SURE THEY DID SOMETHING IN THE BEGINNING. SO AND THEN IN TERMS OF DEMAND AND CAPACITY FOR SERVICE. EASTER MERCED. RTD REPORTS THAT EXISTING LEVELS OF FUNDING ARE INCREASING THROUGH GRANT APPLICATIONS THAT THEY'RE OBTAINING. AND IT'S BEEN FUNDING CONTRACT STAFF. ADDITIONAL STAFF BEING ADDED. AND THEY HAVE A FULL TIME GENERAL MANAGER, WHICH IS THE ONLY RCD THAT HAS THAT. AND ZACHARY WELLS IS IN THE AUDIENCE HERE. THE GRASSLANDS RCD IS HAS LIMITED FUNDING. AND IT WORKS IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AGAIN WITH THE GRASSLANDS WATER DISTRICT. AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, SAN LUIS LOS BANOS AND GUSTINE ROMERO HAVE NOT BEEN ACTIVE AND THERE'S NO BOARD MEMBERS OR STAFF. SO ISSUES TO IMPROVE THE OPERATION OF OUR CDS HAS, IS THE TALK HAS BEEN ABOUT CONSOLIDATION EITHER AMONG THE WEST SIDE RCDS WITH EXCLUDING GRASSLANDS, WHICH HAS A UNIQUE FOCUS ON THEIR WETLAND HABITATS AND THE DUCK CLUBS. AND IT'S NOT REALLY AGRICULTURE RELATED. SO THERE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT SINCE THE OTHER TWO INACTIVE ONES, GUSTINE ROMERO AND LOS BANOS WERE ON THE WEST SIDE TO MAYBE CONSOLIDATE THAT TOGETHER AND THEN LEAVE EASTER SET ALONE ON THE EAST SIDE, OR IF THEY CAN'T REALLY GET BACK TOGETHER AND EAST MERCED IS ACTING TOGETHER, MAYBE THEY CAN COORDINATE INTO ONE LARGER COUNTYWIDE RCD EXCEPT FOR GRASSLANDS AND USE, USE THE SYNERGY OF MULTIPLE BODIES AND EFFORTS TO BECOME, TO HAVE A MORE ACTIVE RCD. SO I'LL GO AHEAD. YEAH. AND I JUST MENTIONED GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF THERE, BUT YEAH, SO RCD AND KEN MICHAEL AND ZACH WELLS HAVE MET TO TALK ABOUT CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS ARE GOING, GOING JOINTLY OR SEPARATELY ACROSS THE WEST SIDE OF THE COUNTY. YEAH. SO SO THE LAST BULLET HERE IS THAT LAFCO IS DECIDING WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH. WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR THAT. THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW SUMMARIZES THESE ISSUES AND POINTS OUT OPTIONS, BUT THESE WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE RCD. SOME CELLS BASED ON THE MSR UNLESS THE LAFCO INITIATED SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY WHICH WOULD BE HARD TO INITIATE WITHOUT WILLING, REALLY WILLING PARTICIPANTS TO SERVE ON OUR RCD BOARD IS BETTER FOR THE CITY TO TRY TO [00:20:07] FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO AND GET TOGETHER. FIND WILLING LANDOWNERS WITHIN THE LOS BANOS AREA WITHIN THE GUSTINE ROMERO AREA, AND TRY TO CREATE A NEW CONSOLIDATED BODY AND DO IT THAT WAY. SO WE WILL BASICALLY APPROVE THIS WITH, WITH IDENTIFYING WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE. AND THEN THE RCDS HAVE BEEN ENGAGED AND ACTUALLY IT'S LED TO A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS, WHICH IS GREAT. IT'S ONE OF THE FUNCTIONS OF LAFCO. DOING MSRS IS TO GET INFORMATION AND TRY TO ENCOURAGE MORE EFFICIENCY IN OPERATIONS. IN THIS CASE, IT DOES. IT'S LED TO A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AND HOPEFULLY THERE'S THERE'S ENERGY MOVING FORWARD AND SOME SOME POSITIVE ACTION WILL COME OUT TO TO CONSOLIDATE OR TO FORM A NEW RCD. IT WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK TO LAFCO. YOU'RE THE BODY THAT HAS TO DO IT. BUT WE WOULD, WE WOULD WAIT TO REACT TO WHAT THE RCDS COME UP WITH. SORRY. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF OUTLINE OF EACH RCD. SO EASTER MERCED WAS FORMED IN 1997. THEY HAVE IN 2023, THEIR BUDGET WAS $321,000, WHICH IS A PRETTY HEFTY NUMBER. THEY THEIR FUNDING COMES FROM GRANTS AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAXES. I THINK IT WAS LIKE $17,000. AND THEN THEIR SERVICE AREA IS 522 000 ACRES. SO IT'S VERY LARGE. AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF A BLOW UP OF THE AREA, NOTING AGAIN, IT'S PRETTY MUCH EAST TO THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER, BUT NOT COMPLETELY. IT EXTENDS TOWARDS THE GRASSLANDS ON THE WEST, ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER. AND THEN THE BAND ALONG HIGHWAY 99 IS IS WHITE. AND THAT DOES NOT HAVE IT'S NOT SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT. GOING ON TO THE GRASSLANDS. IT WAS FORMED IN 1972. THEIR EXPENDITURES FOR, FOR AN ACTIVE DISTRICT IS PRETTY LOW 3750. MOST OF THE MONEY COMES FROM THE GRASSLAND WATER DISTRICT. THEY JUST GIVE GIVE MONEY TO IT. AND THEN THEY HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT THAT GAINS THE INTEREST THAT BELONGS TO THE RCD. AND THEIR SERVICE AREA IS 7000 ACRES. AND AGAIN, THE CENTER OF THE COUNTY WEST OF THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER. GRASSLANDS IS ALSO INVOLVED IN A BIG EFFORT TO CREATE A CONSERVANCY. AND THERE'S LEGISLATION UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW. SB 1108 SENATOR CABALLERO TO CREATE I PUT THIS MAP UP A, A CONSERVANCY SIMILAR TO SOME OTHER CONSERVANCIES LIKE THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS OR CONSERVANCY. IT'S JUST KIND OF A, A BRANCH NOT OF THE STATE, BUT IT'S STATE AUTHORITY. SO IT'S DIFFERENT THAN A SPECIAL DISTRICT. AND THIS BASICALLY IS A GRASSLANDS IS ON THE WEST THAT SAYS SAN LUIS UNIT. AND GOING DOWN TO THE BOTTOM IS PRETTY MUCH GRASSLANDS. AND ON THE EAST IT JUMPS ACROSS THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER AND EXTENDS INTO THE EAST MERCED RCD BOUNDARY. SO IF I GO BACK, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT MAP AND I GO BACK, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AREA WEST OF MERCED. IN, IN THE CENTER PART OF THE COUNTY, BUT EAST OF THE RIVER WOULD BE PART OF THAT CONSERVANCY. AND AGAIN, ITS FOCUS IS GRASSLANDS AND GRANTS THAT SUPPORT DUCK CLUB AND FORAGING HABITAT. SO ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OR IDENTIFICATIONS HERE IS THAT GRASSLANDS AND EAST MERCED NEED TO COORDINATE. IF THEY DO THIS AND IT GETS APPROVED BY THE STATE, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO DO PROJECTS IN A IN AN AREA, EVEN THOUGH THEIR LEAD ON THAT ARE ON THAT CONSERVANCY BOARD WOULD BE THE GRASSLANDS GENERAL MANAGER OR AN APPOINTEE, NOT AN RCD PERSON. THEIR ACTIVITIES COULD AFFECT RCD WORK SO THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO COORDINATE WITH, WITH EASTER MERCED AS WELL. AND THEN ON TO THE GUSTINE ROMERO HAS BEEN INACTIVE. IT WAS FORMED IN 1955, THEIR REVENUE, WHICH IS THAT MUST BE SOME ACCOUNT THAT THEY HAVE THAT SHOWS UP ON THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE WEBSITE IS $155. THEIR FUNDING, WHO KNOWS WHERE IT IS? NOBODY TO TALK TO. AND THE SERVICE AREA IS 85 OR 86,000 ACRES EXTENDING INTO MERCED AND STANISLAUS COUNTY. AND THEN WE HAVE THE GUSTINE. YEAH, THERE'S A MAP OF IT. SO THE SMALL, SMALL PORTION OF IT IS IN SOUTHWEST COUNTY AND INCLUDING A BIG AREA UP IN THE FOOTHILLS. THEN ON TO LOS BANOS RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT, FORMED IN 1944, REVENUE OF ONLY $243, AGAIN, WHICH IS PROBABLY A BANK ACCOUNT THAT HAS INTEREST INCOME AND THEIR THEIR LARGE BOUNDARY OF 340,000 ACRES, AND AGAIN EXTENDS ALL THE WAY UP TO THE COUNTY LINE WITH SAN BENITO COUNTY AND FRESNO COUNTY IN THE SOUTH, AND SANTA CLARA COUNTY IN THE NORTH. AND. AND IT TOUCHES THE GUSTINE ROMERO BOUNDARY ON THE NORTH, [00:25:02] TOO. AND THEN THE SAN LUIS RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT FORMED IN 1954. IT'S AN OLD ONE REVENUE OF ONLY $12 IN 2022, AND FUNDING ALL COMES FROM THE SAN LUIS CANAL COMPANY, AND THEY HAVE A BOUNDARY OF 62,000 ACRES. AGAIN, INTERESTED IN CONSOLIDATION. AND THAT'S THE BOUNDARY AGAIN, EASTER LOS BANOS WEST OF THE RIVER EXCEPT FOR A SMALL, SMALL AREA. SO THE DETERMINATIONS FOR THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER IS THAT THE MSR DOCUMENT IS EXEMPT FROM SEQUA ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW UNDER SECTION 15306 INFORMATION CONNECTION OR COLLECTION. AND THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO PHYSICAL CHANGE, THERE'S NO ACTION LEADING OUT OF THIS TO DO ANY BOUNDARY CHANGES. JUST, JUST BASICALLY A STUDY. AND THEN STAFF RECOMMENDS YOU MAKE THE FOUR DETERMINATIONS ON PAGES THREE AND FOUR OF THE MSR REPORT. BASICALLY THE, THE DETERMINATIONS OF THE, THE DOCUMENT, THE DETERMINATIONS BY EACH INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT ARE IN THE MSR DOCUMENT. THERE ARE SIX DETERMINATIONS THAT ARE DETAILED. I DID, YOU KNOW, TO INVOLVE TO GET INTO HERE, BUT I BASICALLY GLOSSED OVER THE MAIN MEAT OF THE MSR FOR YOU. AND SO WE MAKE THOSE DETERMINATIONS AND THAT MOTION FOR THAT, AND THEN ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE RCD, MSR AND ASSOCIATED SPHERE OF INFLUENCE DETERMINATIONS. SO THAT COMPLETES STAFF'S PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, MR. NICHOLSON. WE'RE IN THE PUBLIC HEARING ALREADY BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE PRELIMINARIES, WHAT I'M GOING TO OPEN IT TO THE PUBLIC NOW. ANYBODY OUT IN THE PUBLIC WISH TO COMMENT ON THIS AGENDA ITEM OF THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT? MSRS. SEEING NO ONE COME FORWARD, WE'RE GOING TO RETURN IT TO THE COMMISSION FOR DISCUSSION. AND I'VE GOT SOME IDEAS, AND I'M GOING TO LET COMMISSIONERS EXPRESS WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY BEFORE I MAKE MINE. VERY GOOD. COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MR. NICHOLSON, TELL ME IF THIS ISN'T AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION, BUT THIS IS A QUESTION FOR FOR ZACK IS I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A COUNTY WIDE RC D WHAT WOULD THE WHAT'S THE CURRENT MAKEUP OF THE EAST MERCED RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT BOARD AND WHAT WOULD THAT MAKE UP BE IF YOU WERE TO GET AGREEANCE WITH THE OTHER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTY, WHAT WOULD THAT POTENTIAL MAKEUP OF A BOARD LOOK LIKE? IS THAT OKAY? QUESTION. COMMISSIONER. STAFF. WAIT A MINUTE. HOLD ON. WHERE ARE THEY? OKAY. IS THAT OKAY? IT'S ON RIGHT NOW. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. THERE'S A BUTTON. THERE'S A BUTTON RIGHT TO YOUR RIGHT ON THE FRONT THERE. THAT'LL LIFT THAT UP A LITTLE BIT FOR YOU. OOH. THAT'S FANCY. ALL RIGHT. HI, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS ZACH WELLS. I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE EAST MERCED RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT. SO CURRENTLY OUR BOARD MAKEUP. WE HAVE FOUR ACTIVE SEATS OUT OF THE SEVEN TOTAL OPEN SEATS. CURRENTLY, OUR BOARD DOES MAKE US VERY CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION HEAVY. WE DO HAVE A DAIRYMAN AND A ALMOND GROWER ON THE BOARD. AND IF WE GO OUT AND IF WE WERE TO EXPAND OVER TO INTO THE WEST PART OF THE COUNTY AND BE A COUNTY WIDE RCD, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY HAD SOME PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH SOME LANDOWNERS WHO ARE INTERESTED, AS WELL AS A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION, WHO IS LOCATED IN LOS BANOS. PERFECT. OKAY. YEAH, JUST THAT WAS A QUESTION I HAD BECAUSE I'VE HEARD A FEW KIND OF JUST PERIPHERAL CONVERSATIONS DISCUSSING THAT POTENTIAL ISSUE. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS FOR NOW. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO THE PRESENTATION AND I WONDER, I WONDER SOMETIMES PROBABLY THESE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS WERE INITIALLY SET UP TO HELP FARMING IN THE, IN THE AREAS TO HELP GET WATER TO CERTAIN THINGS TO PAY FOR PROJECTS. THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER IT LIKE YEARS AGO. AND WE ALREADY HAVE THE IN OUR C S WHEN PEOPLE WANT HELP AND, AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO GET TO GET MONEY FROM AND, AND, AND, AND FUNDING FOR PROJECTS. [00:30:03] NOW, IF THESE. NOT. IF THESE. THE. THE PURPOSE OF THESE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OVER AND ABOVE. BEYOND WHAT THE SERVICES IN OUR C. S WILL OFFER, WHAT. WHAT BENEFIT IS IT GOING TO DO TO THE LANDOWNERS IN THE DISTRICTS THAT CAN UTILIZE IT OTHER THAN YOU KNOW, BEFORE THEY HAD EQUIPMENT TO THAT EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT TODAY, BUT THESE DISTRICTS USED TO HAVE SOME PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT, THAT THE MEMBERS WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE DISTRICT COULD RENT AT A, AT A REASONABLE RATE TO DO A LOT OF PREPARATIONS AND WORK ON THEM. I REMEMBER SAN LUIS USED TO HAVE SOME EQUIPMENT THAT THEY HAD THAT BELONGED TO THE CONSERVATION SOIL CONSERVATION TO THEM, AND THEY PROBABLY WOULD PAY A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF FEE TO USE IT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT THINGS ARE A LOT DIFFERENT TODAY. THESE, THESE COMPANIES, THESE THESE DISTRICTS DON'T WANT TO OPERATE ON USED EQUIPMENT, SURPLUS EQUIPMENT THAT THEY GET FROM THE US GOVERNMENT AND SO FORTH. THEY WANT TO BUY NEW. AND THEN LET THE LET THE SHAREHOLDERS OR THE MEMBERS PAY FOR IT. YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO TRYING TO GET AT IS IF WE APPROVE THIS MSR, WHAT'S THE FUTURE GOING TO BE? THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TALKS YOU MERCED. EASTER MERCED HAS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THEY HAVE, WHAT IS IT, 120 ZERO ZERO $0 BUDGET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I MEAN, MOST OF THEIR MONEY, IF MOST OF THE MONEY RECEIVED THAT YOU'RE GLEANING FOR YOUR SERVICES, IS IT BEING SPENT ON STAFF AND OR HOW IS IT HOW IS IT BEING USED OUT IN THE DISTRICT FOR REALLY PURPOSES THAT ARE BENEFICIAL, LIKE FLOOD CONTROL, LIKE THAT FLOOD THAT THEY HAD YEARS AGO AND THAT KIND OF STUFF IS, IS ANYTHING HELPING SITUATIONS LIKE THAT? ABSOLUTELY. AND SO CURRENTLY WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A WE JUST LAUNCHED LAST YEAR A RENTAL EQUIPMENT PROGRAM, AND WE HAVE A NO TILL SEED DRILL THAT WE HAVE HOUSED AT MERCED COLLEGE THAT GETS AS A PART OF THEIR EDUCATION CURRICULUM, AS WELL AS IT IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR RENTING OUT TO OUR LANDOWNERS. WE ALSO HAVE AN 1100 GALLON WATER NURSE AND TANK THAT WE CAN TAKE AROUND ONTO OUR SITES. SO WHILE A LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDS ARE TOWARDS PERSONNEL AND SALARY, A GOOD PORTION OF OUR FUNDS ALSO GO TOWARDS IN GROUND IMPLEMENTATION AND PROJECTS. AND SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE 13 ACTIVE GRANTS WITH TWO THAT ARE ABOUT TO BE SIGNED AT OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING. AND WE HAVE THE MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDS FOR THIS PAST CURRENT YEAR OR FISCAL YEAR AND OUR UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. LOOK, LIKE I WOULD SAY ABOUT 70% OF THEM ARE STATE FUNDS, WITH THE 30% COMING IN FROM PRIVATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS. BUT WE DO ACTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF WE GET COMPOST AND SOIL AMENDMENTS INTO THE GROUND, OR FUNDS TO LANDOWNERS TO HELP THEM IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN THE FIELD. DO YOU DO YOU HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO LANDOWNERS, LIKE FOR PIPELINE AND DRIP SYSTEMS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, OR IS THAT BEYOND YOUR SCOPE? I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S BEYOND OUR SCOPE, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE ACCOUNTS THAT MAKE THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS DOABLE WITHIN OUR BUDGET, BUT WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS AT THE NRCS OFFICE THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THEY OFFER TO GET THEM THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. ZACH, ARE THERE FUNDS OUT THERE THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO THESE SEEDS? LIKE, I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK. I'M TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS HERE. BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A CONSERVANCY AREA THAT I KNOW THAT GRASSLANDS IS WORKING ON. THERE'S CURRENT LEGISLATION, I THINK, FROM SENATOR CABALLERO THAT'S PUSHING FOR THAT. I KNOW ONE OF THE BIG PUSHES TO DO THAT IS, IS THERE'S FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, POTENTIALLY EVEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT. I'M NOT MAYBE NOT AWARE OF THOSE THAT ARE ONLY ACCESSIBLE BY CONSERVATION DISTRICTS. IS, IS THAT SIMILAR WITH RCDS THAT THERE'S FUNDS OUT THERE THAT NO OTHER ENTITY COULD GO AFTER? THEY COULD ONLY COULD BE AN RCD THAT COULD GO AFTER THAT, TO MY UNDERSTANDING, NO. OKAY. OKAY. THERE'S AND WE WORK TO TRY TO FIND AS MUCH FUNDING WE CAN BRING INTO THE COUNTY AS POSSIBLE. GOTCHA. YEAH. SO I MEAN, OVERALL, I THINK THIS IS JUST MORE JUST COMMENT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THESE RCDS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE AS, AS THE COUNTY AND THE CITIES HAVE SPLIT THE LAFCO BUDGET, RIGHT? AND EVERY YEAR WE, WE CONTRACT WITH ESP TO AND WE KIND OF PICK WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE WE'RE GOING TO GO TO. THAT WERE BY LAW, WE'RE REQUIRED TO EVERY FIVE YEARS WITHIN REASON TO TO UPDATE THESE MSRS. [00:35:02] AND I GUESS IT'S A LITTLE FRUSTRATING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE UPDATING YOU KNOW, WE'RE RCDS THAT ON PAPER THEY EXIST, BUT THEY DON'T EXIST OTHERWISE. I MEAN SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TO ME, IF EASTER SAID HAS A MODEL AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT OUR PLACE TO SAY THAT HERE, ALL WE'RE APPROVING IS, IS THIS MSR UPDATE, WHICH I THINK I'M IN FAVOR OF AT THIS POINT, BUT ON A GO FORWARD BASIS, IF YOU GUYS HAVE A MODEL THAT'S WORKING AND THERE'S CONVERSATIONS GOING ON ON HOW DO YOU GUYS COMBINE THAT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE COST OF HAVING AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR? WELL, IF YOU HAVE ONE FOR EASTER MERCED, YOU HAVE ONE FOR SAN LUIS, AND YOU HAVE ONE FOR LOS BANOS AND YOU HAVE ONE. I MEAN, YOU, YOU GUYS HAVE NO MONEY TO ACTUALLY DO THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU'RE TASKED WITH DOING. RIGHT? SO YOU KNOW, DUPLICATION OF SERVICES IN GOVERNMENT ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING WE DO IS OUR HUMAN RESOURCES. AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'LL BE HERE. HOPEFULLY I'LL BE HERE WHEN THIS COMES BACK UP AROUND. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A, A SINGULAR. AND I GET IT, GRASSLANDS IS KIND OF THEIR OWN DIFFERENT, FOR LACK OF BETTER WORDS, ANIMAL IF YOU WILL. BUT AND THEN HOPEFULLY THAT WILL ENCOURAGE MORE OF THE ACTUAL WORK THAT YOU'RE TASKED WITH DOING, BEING DONE. BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WITH THE FUNDS BEING SO LIMITED, IT'S, I CAN TELL YOU ON THE WEST SIDE, NOTHING'S GETTING DONE BECAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN OPERATE. SO ANYWAY, IT'S JUST KIND OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT. I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION FROM THE COMMISSION? YOU KNOW, ONE MORE COMMENT ON THE WEST SIDE OVER THERE, SAN LUIS, FOR EXAMPLE. THERE'S THAT SERVICE AREA. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE 60 000 ACRES COME FROM, BECAUSE SAN LUIS CANAL COMPANY SERVICE AREA IS 42,000. SOME ACRES. SO WHERE ARE THE EXTRA 20,000 IS? I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT RIGHT THERE ON THAT CROSS THE RIVER. CAN YOU CAN YOU BACK IT UP TO THE PREVIOUS MAP? NOPE. YOU CAN GO. NOPE. DOWN DOWN THE OTHER WAY. THAT ONE. THAT YELLOW ONE. BUT SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, HERE'S THE RIVER. OH YEAH. THAT'S THAT OTHER STUFF THAT WHAT DO THEY USED TO. DO YOU REMEMBER THE TURNER ISLAND WATER DISTRICT WAS REFORMED AND INCLUDES THAT WHICH IS NOT PART OF THE SAN LUIS CANAL COMPANY. YEAH. RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT THAT THAT'S WHAT THAT IS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO, MR. CHAIR, IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS IT IS SAID HERE THAT WE WILL I WILL MAKE A MOTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15306 INFORMATION COLLECTION. THE COMMISSION FINDS THAT THE MSR AND SPHERE OF INFLUENCE DETERMINATIONS ARE CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT FROM SEQUA AND THAT ANY FUTURE LAFCO ACTIONS INVOLVING INDEPENDENT SPECIAL DISTRICT COVERED IN THIS SERVICE REVIEW WILL INVOLVE A SEPARATE ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION AND ACTION, AND TWO THAT STAFF RECOMMENDS THE COMMISSION ADOPT THE FOLLOWING RECORD AND DETERMINE THAT. WELL, IT'S IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. BILL, I'M GOING TO SAVE MYSELF A LITTLE TIME HERE. PERFECT. AND THEN WE MAKE THE FOUR DETERMINATIONS FOUND ON PAGES THREE AND FOUR OF THE MSR REPORT. AND FINALLY ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT, MSR AND ASSOCIATE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE DETERMINATIONS FOR A SECOND. I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION. OKAY. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL THAT WE ACCEPT THE MSR DOCUMENTS AS STATED BY COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. THE EMISSARIES HAVE BEEN. UPDATES HAVE BEEN APPROVED. IF THERE'S ANY CHANGES OR CONSOLIDATIONS, OF COURSE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS OUR I THINK THE BUDGET FOR DOESN'T SAY HERE. SEE YES, IT IS APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET. [VI. C. Adoption of the Proposed LAFCO Budget for the 2026-27 Fiscal Year] IT'S IN OUR PACKET BACK HERE IN THE BACK. THIS IS THE PRELIMINARY PRELIMINARY BUDGET REVIEW TODAY. AND SO IN THE MR. NICHOLSON YOUR HAVE YOUR REPORT ON THAT PLEASE. OKAY, JUST HAVE A LITTLE POWERPOINT FOR THE BUDGET TO SO EXCUSE ME, GET TO MY REPORT. YEAH. SO TODAY WE'LL BE DOING THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET. AND CONSIDERING THAT AND IF YOU ADOPT IT, THEN WE SEND IT OUT TO ALL THE CITIES AND THE INDEPENDENT SPECIAL DISTRICTS AND THE COUNTY TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING. AND THEN WE COME BACK FOR FINAL BUDGET IN OUR MAY 21ST MEETING. [00:40:01] THE INTERESTING THING FOR LAFCO FOR FUNDING IS, IS IN THE COUNTIES THAT HAVE SPECIAL DISTRICTS ON THE COMMISSION. SO THEY USUALLY HAVE SEVEN COMMISSIONERS OF THE SPECIAL DISTRICTS ACTUALLY HAVE TO PAY FOR PART OF THE LAFCO OPERATIONS. AND IN THE LAFCO LIKE OURS THAT DON'T HAVE SPECIAL DISTRICTS, THE BURDEN FALLS ON THE COUNTY AND THE CITIES TO PAY BASICALLY 5050 FOR LAFCO OPERATIONS. SO THAT'S JUST A UNIQUE, UNIQUE FEATURE. WE HAVE THE BILL. CAN YOU. YES. AND THAT YOU EXPAND. YEAH. LET ME GET TO THE RIGHT PRESENTATION HERE. SLIDE SHOW. HERE WE GO. ONE MORE THING TO BILL. GET THAT. MAKE THE MICROPHONE CLOSER TO YOU, BECAUSE IT'S OKAY. YEAH. LET ME PULL THAT OVER. THANKS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M GOING TO GO RIGHT INTO THE PROPOSED BUDGET WHICH NEEDS TO BE ADOPTED BY MAY 1ST. SO WE'RE MEETING THAT. AND I MENTIONED THE CITIES AND THE COUNTY FUND. LAFCO. SO THE CURRENT BUDGET YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW IS AT $223,913. AFTER THREE QUARTERS OF THE YEAR, WE'VE ONLY SPENT 61,427. AND THEN THE COUNTY AUDITOR'S ENCUMBERED 96,000. AND THAT'S MAINLY TO COVER COSTS THAT THAT LIKE CONTRACTS FOR, FOR MYSELF AND FOR EPS FOR MSRS THAT IF YOU KNOW, NEED TO HAVE THAT MONEY AVAILABLE. BUT WE TYPICALLY SPEND 25% OR SO KIND OF YEAR AFTER YEAR OF WHAT WE, WE BUDGET. AND IT'S MORE OF A SAFETY MEASURE. BUT THE THE POINT FOR THE BENEFIT OF OF YOU REPRESENTING JURISDICTIONS LIKE THE COUNTY AND CITIES IS YOU DON'T THE COUNTY LAFCO DOES NOT BUILD THE COUNTY AND THE CITIES FOR OUR FULL BUDGET. WE ONLY BUILD THE ACTUAL COSTS THAT WE EXPERIENCE. SO THE PROPOSED BUDGET THIS YEAR IS 223,465. WHICH THAT INCLUDES AN ESTIMATED COST OF 35,000 FOR A MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW UPDATE. THE NEXT ONE KIND OF ON THE LIST WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS CEMETERY DISTRICTS. THE ONLY OTHER WELL, THERE'S OTHER OPTIONS THAT THE COMMISSION CAN DECIDE WHICH ARE SEEDS TO DO. OR EXCUSE ME, WHAT WHAT DISTRICTS TO DO OR IF YOU WANT TO DO A CITY. CITY MAYORS HAVE BEEN MORE IN THE RANGE OF $50,000.55 000 LOS BANOS IS ABOUT 55,000. SO WE WOULD ALLOCATE MORE MONEY TO THAT IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CHOSE TO DO. AND AGAIN, THAT DECISION WE CAN TALK ABOUT TODAY, BUT THE FINAL BUDGET, WE CAN DECIDE HOW MUCH MONEY TO PUT FOR MSRS. THIS ACTUALLY IS A SLIGHT DECREASE OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET OVER THE CURRENT YEAR OF $448 AT LEAST BUDGETED. AGAIN, OUR EXPENDITURES ARE USUALLY LESS. AND THIS THIS IS JUST THE EXPENDITURES BY BY ACCOUNT. SO WE HAVE OUR MEMBERSHIP TO CALE LAFCO, WHICH WENT UP BY ABOUT $200. AND WE HAVE TO. WE JUST HAVE TO PAY WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY I'M SORRY, I GOT TO TURN THIS OFF. WE HAVE TO PAY WHAT THEY BILL US, BUT IT'S STILL A MINOR INCREASE. THEN WE HAVE OUR REGULAR OFFICE EXPENSES, WHICH HAVE BEEN BILLED AT $400 PLUS OVER $300 REMAINING, THEN PROFESSIONAL SPECIAL SERVICES ARE COST FROM MY MY PAY AND FOR OUR CONSULTANT EPS DOING MSR WORK SETS, ECONOMIC AND PLANNING SYSTEMS. AND SO AGAIN, WE SPENT ABOUT 50,000 THROUGH THE FIRST THAT'S ACTUALLY HALF. YEAH. HALF YEAR FOR THAT, THAT ITEM. SO WE HAVE 9000 REMAINING AND EPS AT THIS POINT IS PRETTY MUCH JUST DONE. THEY HAVE TO CLEAN UP THIS LAST MSR A LITTLE BIT, BUT OTHERWISE WE WON'T GET MUCH MORE BILLING FROM THEM. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR CONTRACT WITH DATA PROCESSING FOR HELPING SUPPORT THESE MEETINGS AND SUPPORTING GIS ACTIVITIES. AND NOTHING'S BEEN BENT YET. THEY HAVEN'T KILLED US YET FOR THIS YEAR. THEN WE HAVE OUR LEGAL SERVICES, WHICH IS MARLA SUBRMANIAN AND AGAIN, DEPENDING ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE BILLING HAS BEEN VERY LOW. WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF APPLICATIONS, WHICH IS THE MAIN ACTIVITY THAT THAT WE GET SUPPORT FOR. THEN WE HAVE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, WHICH IS INCLUDES OUR CLERK, DANIELLE, AND THE SUPPORT FROM THE BUDGETING STAFF AND OTHER COUNTY STAFF THAT SUPPORTS OUR FUNCTION. AND AGAIN, THE BILLING IS VERY LOW FOR THAT, THAT OF, YOU KNOW, ALMOST $20,000. [00:45:01] WE ONLY SPENT 3500 AFTER THREE QUARTERS. AND THEN FOR LEGAL SERVICES OUTSIDE, IT'S MOLATE SUBRMANIAN WITH B, B AND K. AND AGAIN THE SMALL AMOUNT EXPENDED ABOUT 20%. AGAIN BASED ON THE APPLICATION ACTIVITY WE'VE HAD BEING LOWER PUBLICATION OF LEGAL NOTICES, YOU KNOW, JUST ONLY A LITTLE OVER TWO WE'VE GOT FOR THIS HEARING, WE'VE ADDED SOME COSTS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE WELL BELOW THE $700 AND THEN THE COST ALLOCATION PLAN IS BUILT BY THE COUNTY FOR OTHER OVERHEAD THAT WE USE FOR COMPUTERS AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER OTHER SERVICE PHONES AND ALL THAT. AND THAT'S JUST KIND OF A SET BILLING THAT WILL PROBABLY GET ALL USED UP. AND THEN IN TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL AGAIN, WE HAD A SMALLER TURNOUT. ATTENDANCE AT THE STATE CONFERENCE WITH MYSELF AND COMMISSIONER PEDROZO ATTENDING. AND WE HAVE A STAFF WORKSHOP COMING UP, SO THAT'LL GO UP A BIT, BUT WE'RE WELL BELOW WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR THAT. SO YOU CAN SEE WE'RE AFTER THREE QUARTERS. WE'VE ONLY SPENT 61,000 OUT OF OUR 231,000 BUDGET. SO ASSUMING THAT THE UPCOMING BUDGET ABOUT 11 APPLICATIONS AND TWO MSRS ARE PROJECTED, ONE MSR WE WOULD BE PAYING FOR AND THE OTHER WOULD BE INITIATED BY A CITY OR SPECIAL DISTRICT THAT NEEDED TO CHANGE A BOUNDARY IN A BIG WAY. NOT NOT JUST A SMALL ANNEXATION, BUT CHANGE THEIR SPHERE TYPICALLY IS KICKING IN AT MSR. IT'S A SMALL AGAIN, REPRESENTS A SMALL DECREASE OVER THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR BUDGET OF $448. SO IT'S BASICALLY FLAT. AND THEN AND AGAIN I MENTIONED THERE AGAIN, IF WE DO THE CEMETERY DISTRICT MSR, THAT'LL BE 35,000 ABOUT. AND IF WE DO A CITY OR LARGER JURISDICTION, IT WOULD BE MORE LIKE 50,000. YEAH. BILL, REALLY QUICKLY ON THE 35000 WOULD TURN INTO 5000 OR THE 50,000 WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THE 35000. SO IF WE INITIATE IT, THEN IT WOULD REPLACE IT BECAUSE WE TYPICALLY ONLY DO ONE THAT WE INITIATE. AND SO MANY TIMES THE CITY WILL PAY LIKE LOS BANOS. THEY, THEY DID A GENERAL PLAN UPDATE AND THEY ASKED US TO UPDATE THE SPHERE. AND TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO DO AN MSR. SO IN THOSE CASES, WE MAKE THE CITY PAY. WHICHEVER CITY IT IS, THEY PAY. SO IT'S WHEN WE IF WE INITIATE SOMETHING FOR A CITY, THEN. THEN WE WOULD BE PAYING. AND WE WOULD DO THAT INSTEAD OF OF THE CEMETERY DISTRICTS, LET'S SAY. SO OKAY, SO THEN IF WE DID A CITY, IF WE INITIATED A CITY VERSUS THE CEMETERY, THE BILL WOULD BE 5000. NOT IT WOULDN'T BE, IT WOULDN'T BE 85,000. OKAY. WE WOULD SWITCH IT. SO IT'S A $15,000 INCREASE. OKAY. VERY GOOD, VERY GOOD. OKAY. THERE WOULD BE NO THERE WOULD BE NO REASON FOR US TO TO INITIATE A CITY MSR THOUGH, UNLESS WE SAW SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE DOING THAT THEY OVERLOOKED OR DIDN'T WANT TO, DIDN'T, DIDN'T WANT TO DO. CORRECT. CORRECT. YEAH. WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, THEN THE STATE LAW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO UPDATE, LOOK AT THE SPHERES EVERY FIVE YEARS THAT THE LEGISLATION IS OVER THE SPHERES OF INFLUENCE, NOT THE MSRS, BUT TO UPDATE THE SPHERE YOU NEED TO DO AN MSR. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO ALL THE ISSUES OF REVIEWING WHAT A CITY IS DOING AND THE PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES, THEN YOU DO THE MSR AND THEN YOU, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT CHANGE THE SPHERE, BUT THE SPHERE HAS CERTAIN DETERMINATIONS. SOME OF THEM OVERLAP WITH THE MSR DETERMINATIONS, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY DIFFERENT. A LOT OF IT'S DIFFERENT INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO, TO PUBLISH. SO IF A CITY IS STRUGGLING OR SOMETHING, WE SHOULD BE DOING AN MSR. MAYBE THE CITY NEEDS TO NOT BE A CITY ANYMORE. MAYBE THEY NEED TO BE A DISTRICT OR MAYBE TWO CITIES NEXT TO EACH OTHER COULD COULD CONSOLIDATE TOGETHER IN A MORE URBAN AREA THAN OURS ARE, ARE SO SEPARATE. BUT IN MANY JURISDICTIONS, THE CITIES ARE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. SO ONE MIGHT MIGHT MERGE WITH ANOTHER. SO SO YEAH, WE, WE CAN'T SHIRK OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK AT CITIES PERIODICALLY. AND WE, WE HAVE TYPICALLY WAITED FOR THE CITIES BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY AVATARS TO DO AND WE'RE LIMITED STAFF. WE TYPICALLY DON'T GO OUT AND JUST DO A CITY LIKE ARE ALWAYS WORKING ON A STUDIO MSR. WE KIND OF WAIT FOR THEM TO COME TO US, BUT LEGALLY WE. WE SHOULDN'T. WHEN A CITY JUST NEVER COMES WITH ANYTHING AND THERE'S ISSUES, THEN WE SHOULD BE WE SHOULD BE LOOKING INTO IT. SO GOOD. VERY GOOD QUESTION. THAT'S GREAT. THAT ANSWERED, I HAD A THAT WAS WHAT WOULD WHAT WOULD BE A SITUATION WHERE WE WOULD INITIATE A CITYWIDE. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THAT QUESTION. YEAH. GOOD. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND THEN AGAIN, WHEN WE, WE ONLY BILL THE CITY AND THE COUNTY FOR OUR COSTS ON THE ACTUAL COST. SO LAST YEAR WE ONLY BILLED 108,000 RATHER THAN THE BUDGETED AMOUNT OF 189,000. [00:50:03] SO IT DIDN'T COST THE CITIES AND COUNTIES AS MUCH. SO THE REQUESTED ACTION IS TO OPEN THE SCHEDULE PUBLIC HEARING AND TAKE ANY TESTIMONY AND CLOSE THE HEARING AND HAVE ANY DISCUSSIONS OVER THE, THE BUDGET OR ANY ISSUES YOU HAVE CONCERNS WITH. AND THEN FOLLOWING THE HEARING MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE PROPOSED BUDGET WITH OR WITHOUT MODIFICATION, AND DIRECT EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO FORWARD THE BUDGET TO THE COUNTY, THE SIX CITIES AND ALL THE INDEPENDENT SPECIAL DISTRICTS IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE CORTEZ HERTZBERG ACT. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, MR. NICHOLSON. AND OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2627 BUDGET. ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE CARE TO COMMENT ON THE LAFCO BUDGET? SEEING HEARING NO ONE. I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC RESPONSE PORTION AND RETURN IT TO THE COMMISSION. I DO HAVE COMMISSIONER. SILVEIRA. YEAH. AND SO NOW PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. BILL I, I, I, IF YOU CAN GO BACK ONE SLIDE FOR ME, I JUST, I WOULD LIKE US TO BUILD IN THAT 5000 INSTEAD OF THE 35. IS THAT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD RECOMMEND NOW AS PART OF THE OF PROPOSED BUDGET? DEFINITELY. YEAH. I HAVE A FEELING THERE MIGHT BE POTENTIAL THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO DO THAT, AND I WOULD RATHER US BE PREPARED FOR IT. IT'S NOT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY. IT'S $15,000 MORE WHEN SPLIT OUT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE SIX CITIES. WE'RE NOT TALKING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY AND HAVE THAT HAVE THE ABILITY IF WE DECIDE TO DO IT, WORST CASE SCENARIO, WE DON'T DO IT NEXT YEAR. EVERYBODY GETS BUILT A LITTLE BIT LESS MONEY. WE DON'T SPEND THE MONEY. SO THAT WOULD MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE MY MOTION WOULD BE TO ADOPT THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2627 BUDGET WITH THE ONE MODIFICATION DISC DISCUSSED AND DIRECT THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO FORWARD THE BUDGET TO THE COUNTY, THE SIX CITIES, AND ALL THE INDEPENDENT SPECIAL DISTRICTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CORTESIA KNOX HERTZBERG ACT, I SECOND THAT. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SILVEIRA, SECONDED FROM COMMISSIONER REED, THAT WE ADOPT A PRELIMINARY BUDGET WITH THE INCLUSION THAT WE HAVE $50,000, BUT IN THE BUDGET FOR A CITY MSR IF NEEDED. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? YOU KNOW, THE ONLY THING I WOULD THINK ABOUT THAT WOULD YOU MADE IN YOUR MOTION THERE. HE'S GOING TO SEND THE THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO THE SPECIAL DISTRICTS. THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED. SO WHY DO THEY GET THE BUDGET? THE STATE LAW REQUIRES YOU TO SEND IT TO THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE. YEAH. IT'S LIKE THEY WRITE THE LAW AND THEY THEY'RE ON DIFFERENT CHAPTERS. AND SO THEY HAVE, HEY, THE LAFCO INCLUDES EVERYBODY. SO LET'S SEND THE BUDGET TO EVERYBODY. EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SPECIAL AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS CAN BE ON IF THEY WANT TO. IT'S NOT UP TO THE COMMISSION TO DECIDE. THEY HAVE TO WANT TO COME ON. AND IF THEY WANT TO COME ON, WE YOU KNOW, WE JUST ADD THEM. THERE'S NO THERE'S NO OPTION. SO I DON'T WANT TO PAY. WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY VOLUNTEER TO BE ON. SO. NO. AND WE'VE TRIED, WE'VE DONE OUTREACH BEFORE WITH THE CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION, AND THEY WERE TRYING TO GET LAFCO. THEY TRIED TO GET SPECIAL DISTRICTS JOINED. LAFCO. AND THE PROBLEM IS THE BIGGER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE THE MOST MONEY ARE JUST LIKE THE CITIES. THE BIGGER THE CITY, THE MORE YOU PAY OUT OF THE CITY'S SHARE. SO SPECIAL DISTRICTS ARE THE SAME. SO YOU GET THE MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICTS AND THE KIDS THAT PAY A LOT OF MONEY AND THEY RARELY USE LAFCO. MAYBE A SMALLER URBAN DISTRICT LIKE A DELPHI OR A WINTON OR PLANADA MIGHT PERIODICALLY. BUT THE DISTRICTS DON'T USE THOSE, SO THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO PAY. THAT'S THE PROBLEM. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION THAT WE ADOPT A PRELIMINARY BUDGET AS AS PRESENTED. SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED SAY NO. MOTIONS CARRIED. I MEAN NOT NOT AS PRESENTED, BUT AS AMENDED WITH A 5000. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT IS [VII. EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS] EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND COMMISSIONER COMMENTS. THE SUMMARY OF THE CALE. LAFCO COMMISSIONERS MEETINGS AND RESTRUCTURING. WHAT'S NEW WITH THAT BILL? YEAH. THE I PUT IN YOUR PACKET A LITTLE HANDOUT FROM THE CALE. LAFCO EXECUTIVE OFFICER WITH A SUMMARY OF THEIR LAST MEETING. AND LET ME JUST HOLD THAT UP FOR YOU. GET MY PACKET STRAIGHTENED. THEY HAD A VERY GOOD BOARD MEETING WITH YEAH, IT'S JUST THIS HANDOUT HERE, STRONG FOUNDATION AND CLEAR DIRECTION. [00:55:07] AND SO BASICALLY WITH ALL THE DISRUPTION IN THE CALE LAFCO ORGANIZATION AND DISSENSION AND RESTRUCTURING OR MAYBE BREAKING IT INTO MULTIPLE AGENCIES ACROSS THE STATE. WE'VE GOTTEN GOTTEN THROUGH THAT AND COME PULLED TOGETHER TO BE MORE UNIFIED AGAIN AND TO BE INTERNALLY LISTENING AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MEMBERSHIP. AND SO THIS, THIS IS A SUMMARY OF THEIR BOARD MEETING FROM FEBRUARY 26TH, WHICH SHOWS THE, THE PRIORITIES ARE TO KEEP EDUCATION GOING WHICH WE DO THROUGH CONFERENCES AND THEY DO A LOT OF THESE LAFCO 101 AND OTHER TRAINING SESSIONS AND ACTUALLY HAVE FLIERS FOR AN UPCOMING TRAINING NEXT WEEK THAT'S GOING TO BE ONLINE. SO IF YOU COULD EACH PASS THESE DOWN, OKAY. I THINK OUR MEETING THAT WE HAD BY ZOOM LAST MONTH WENT WELL TO, YOU KNOW, YES, THERE WAS QUITE A FEW, QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE OF THAT. AND THAT WE GOT A PRETTY GOOD RESPONSE OUT OF THAT. YEAH. YEAH. THAT WAS ACTUALLY A BIG RESTRUCTURING, WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL. WHICH IS ALSO SUMMARIZED HERE. AND THAT WAS TO, TO CHANGE THE MEMBERSHIP ON THE CALE LAFCO BOARD TO INCLUDE FOLKS LIKE ME, THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, BECAUSE WE'RE, MOST OF US ARE THE FULL TIME PEOPLE WORKING ON IT WHEREVER ALL THE COMMISSIONERS LAFCO TO SUICIDE. A VERY SMALL PART OF WHAT YOU DO AS A PROFESSIONAL, WHETHER YOU'RE ON A CITY COUNCIL OR ON A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OR DISTRICT. SO THEY ALSO ARE GETTING RID OF WHEN WE DO THE ELECTIONS AT THE CALE LAFCO CONFERENCE, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU RUN AS A SUPERVISOR, YOU RUN AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER OR A CITY SPECIAL DISTRICT, AND YOU'RE ONLY COMPETING AGAINST THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE CATEGORIES. THEY'VE OPENED IT UP THAT THAT IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY ON YOUR LAFCO THAT WANTS TO RUN, WE DON'T THEY WON'T WORRY ABOUT WHETHER YOU'RE A PUBLIC MEMBER OR COUNTY MEMBER. YOU CAN RUN IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE THE MOST QUALIFIED. AND THEN THE THE VOTING MEMBERS GET TO VOTE ON THE, ON THE BEST CANDIDATES AND NOT WORRY ABOUT BY CATEGORIES. SO, SO THAT WAS A BIG, A BIG SHIFT. WHERE DID THAT KIND OF PUSHBACK COME FROM? WAS IT, WAS IT FEELING LIKE THEY, I GUESS WHY IS WHY DID THEY CHANGE THAT STRUCTURE? IT WASN'T WELL RECEIVED. YEAH. I THINK THERE'S SOME CATEGORIES, LIKE SOME SPECIAL DISTRICTS WHERE THE, THERE WAS HARDLY ANY CANDIDATES. AND SO YOU HAVE A COMPETITION OF TWO AND THEN MAYBE FOR, FOR A, A COUNTY MEMBER, YOU COULD HAVE EIGHT PEOPLE RUNNING. AND THE PROBLEM IS IT'S DONE BY REGIONS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S FOUR REGIONS FOR CALE. LAFCO. SO IT MADE IT REAL DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF THE REGIONS TO ACTUALLY HAVE A BOARD MEMBER IN THE CATEGORY THAT ON THE BOARD, YOU'D HAVE AN EMPTY SEAT OR THEY'RE NOT GOOD REPRESENTATION FROM THE FROM THAT, THAT REGION. SO AND PART OF THAT THEN WAS THE REGIONS. THERE'S MANY. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT SOME OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. LAFCO HAS DROPPED OUT IS BECAUSE THERE'S 58 LAFCOS AND THERE'S ONLY, SAY, 5 OR 6 REALLY LARGE COUNTIES. THEY DIDN'T FEEL WELL REPRESENTED ON CALE LAFCO. SO THEY WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CREATING A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAFCO TYPE GROUP AND NOT NOT BE PART OF THE STATEWIDE GROUP. SO OUT OF THE FOUR REGIONS, THEY'RE GOING TO TURN THAT INTO 7 OR 8 AND, AND ALLOW THEY ALLOW THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO HAVE MORE VOICE BASICALLY. BUT IN A, IN A BIGGER POOL. AND SO THEY AS BOB WAS TALKING ABOUT WE, WE WERE ON A CONFERENCE CALL OVER THAT RESTRUCTURING AND THERE WAS STILL DISSENSION ABOUT WHERE THOSE BOUNDARIES WOULD BE. SO THEY AGREED TO CHANGE THE VOTING CATEGORY. SO YOU VOTE FOR ANYONE WILLING TO RUN VERSUS BY CATEGORY BASICALLY SAYS THAT IF A REGION HAS AN OPENING ON THE CALE OF CALE LAFCO BOARD FOR A SPECIFIC REGION. YOU CAN ANY ANY ONE THAT BELONGS TO THAT AS PART OF LAFCO CAN RUN FOR A POSITION AND DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A BOARD MEMBER OR A PUBLIC MEMBER OR SPECIAL DISTRICT. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE X AMOUNT OF SEATS TO FILL AND ANYBODY CAN RUN FOR THOSE POSITIONS. YES. YEAH. SO THEY'RE GOING TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF RIGHT NOW THERE'S FOUR REPS BECAUSE YOU FOR EACH REGION. SO THERE'S FOUR REGION AND FOUR REPS PUBLIC, CITY, COUNTY AND SPECIAL DISTRICT. SO BY GETTING RID OF THE CATEGORIES, THEY'RE GOING TO GO TO TWO REPS PER REGION. BUT GO TO SAY SEVEN REGIONS OR MAYBE EIGHT. THERE'S STILL THAT WAS THE BIG CONTROVERSY OVER DRAWING THE MAP. FOR WHAT REASONS? LIKE WHEREAS WE LOOKED AT THAT BEFORE WITH CHAIR BERTAO OF OUR REGION IS THE CENTRAL VALLEY, BUT THEN IT GOES UP INTO THE, THE, THE MOUNTAINS. BUT NOW TO GIVE THE MOUNTAINS THEIR OWN REPRESENTATION, THEY WANT TO LINK THE SIERRAS TOGETHER AND LET THE VALLEY BE ITS OWN. [01:00:04] AND SO WE WOULD WE WOULD PRETTY MUCH STAY WHERE WE'RE AT. NO BIG CHANGE. BUT WHEN YOU GET BY THE COAST THEN IT'S GOING TO CHANGE DRASTICALLY. SO THERE WAS NOT AGREEMENT ON THE, THE MAPS THEY'D DRAWN. THEY HAD A LOT OF INPUT FROM PARTICIPANTS FROM ALL THE REGIONS, BUT THEY COULDN'T REACH A CONSENSUS. SO THAT'S, THAT'S LINGERING ON. SO THE YOUTH CURRENTLY STILL USE THE FOUR REGIONS, BUT AND THEY HAVEN'T CHANGED THE NUMBER OF REPS YET, BUT THEY WILL SAY THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE A BOARD WITH FOUR PEOPLE FROM SEVEN REGIONS POWER. IT'S GOING TO GIVE MORE VOTING POWER AND REPRESENTATION TO THE PEOPLE THAT PULLED OUT BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A VOICE, AND THEY'LL HAVE A VOICE NOW. AND YEAH, AND IT GIVES THEM MORE POWER, BUT IT WON'T GIVE THEM LIKE MAJORITY. THEY WON'T HAVE THEY WON'T BE RUNNING THE SHOW, BUT THEY'LL HAVE A BETTER VOICE BECAUSE THEY WERE, THEY WERE HAVING A SMALL VOICE. YEAH, YEAH. SO AS A RESULT OF THAT LA LAFCO HAS JOINED UP AGAIN. THEY'VE, THEY'VE RESIGNED TO CALE LAFCO LOS ANGELES, WHICH WAS A BIG ONE. SO, SO LIKE, I KNOW, LIKE AT KSAC. LIKE ON OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES LIKE LA COUNTY ALWAYS HAS A SEAT. SO. SO WHOEVER THE LA COUNTY REP IS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SEAT ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. THE OTHER ONES, THEY GOT TO BE VOTED IN BY THE REST OF THEIR CAUCUS OF THE URBAN. BUT BECAUSE LA IS SO BIG, 10 MILLION PEOPLE REPRESENT A FOURTH OF THE STATE'S POPULATION. THEY THEY GET LIKE THEY DON'T. THEY'RE GUARANTEED TO HAVE A SEAT ON THERE. SO I THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT COULD WORK TO MAYBE SATISFY SOME OF THOSE LARGER GROUPS, KNOWING THAT THEY, THEY WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SEAT ON THERE. YEAH. BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT GETS THE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ELSE IS LIKE ANYBODY BUT LA. WELL, BY CHANGING THE REGIONS, BY HAVING THEM IN A SPECIFIC REGION, THEY WILL HAVE A SEAT THEN. YEAH. AND IT MAY NOT BE LA COUNTY BY ITSELF, BUT THEY MIGHT BE LIKE, YEAH, IT MIGHT BE ORANGE COUNTY OR THEY MIGHT DO RIVERSIDE IN LA OR SOMETHING. YEAH. RIGHT. SO ANYWAY, SO IT'S GOING A GOOD, A GOOD POSITIVE DIRECTION. VERY ENCOURAGING AFTER YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME TRYING TIMES AND FRUSTRATION. YEAH. HUGE FALLOUT. SO THINGS ARE THEIR SHIP HAS BEEN RIGHTED, SO TO SPEAK. ANYTHING ELSE? HOW ABOUT UPCOMING UPCOMING APPLICATIONS? ANYTHING COMING UP THAT YEAH, JUST ANOTHER THE FRANKLIN BEACHWOOD ITEMS WILL COME BACK THAT IT'S AT THE PARK SITE TO AMEND THE SPHERE AND ACTS TO THE DISTRICT. SO VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. THAT'LL BE ON OUR NEXT AGENDA. THERE'S WHAT WAS THE HOLD UP ON THAT ONE? I GOT SICK AND I COULDN'T DO THE REPORT AND THERE'S NOBODY ELSE TO DO IT, SO BUT THEY WERE FINE WITH IT. IT WAS, IT WASN'T FOR LIKE, IF IT WAS A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, I'D FEEL MORE PRESSURE, BUT I, MY BRAIN WASN'T FUNCTIONING SO I COULDN'T WRITE IT. THEN I AM GOING TO THE, THE STAFF WORKSHOPS COMING UP NEXT MONTH IN PISMO BEACH. AND I'LL GIVE YOU A REPORT OF, OF HOW THAT GOES. THAT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO SEE HOW THE MEMBERSHIP IS FEELING BACK ON THE STAFF LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT WAS PART OF IT TOO. BESIDES COMMISSIONERS HAVING PROBLEMS, THE STAFF WAS UPSET AT TIMES. SO WE'LL SEE HOW HOW THAT GOES AND I'LL I'LL REPORT ON THAT. SO SO THERE WAS SOMETHING, IT WAS WHAT WAS IT MUTED ONLINE? OKAY. WAS SHE ABLE TO HEAR US FINALLY SHE CAN HEAR US. YAY. ALL RIGHT. HEY, MARLA. OKAY, GOOD. GLAD YOU FINALLY WERE ABLE TO HEAR US. ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO. NOPE. JUST WE'LL BE WE'LL BE MEETING NEXT MONTH. OH. I'M SORRY, I DID WANT TO SAY IN MAY WE ROTATE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. SO OUR NEXT AGENDA THAT'LL BE ON THAT'LL BE ON THE AGENDA AGAIN. AND IN MAY IS ALSO THE LAST MEETING WHEN. AND IN JUNE, WE ROTATE COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE ON A CYCLE, WHICH ARE THE CITIES. AND SO COMMISSIONER REED HERE YOU'LL HAVE YOU'LL YOU'LL BE HERE FOR. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ATTEND, BUT YOU'RE ABLE TO COME NEXT. NEXT. IN MAY THE 21ST. AND THEN AFTER THAT, IN JUNE, WE DO A ROTATION AND IT'LL GO TO THE CITY OF LIVINGSTON TO BE AN ALTERNATE MEMBER. AND THEN COMMISSIONER AMABILE FROM LOS BANOS WILL REPLACE KATY AS THE REGULAR MEMBER. AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL, WHY DON'T WE DO ALL THIS AT, AT ONE MEETING INSTEAD OF DOING IT AT TWO? WHY DON'T WE DO THE CHAIRMANSHIP AND THE OFFICERS AT THE SAME TIME WITH THESE OTHER NEW PEOPLE? COME ON. IS THERE A REASON? I THINK IT'S IN OUR BYLAWS. YEAH, IT'S IN OUR BYLAWS. YEAH. YEAH. WHAT ABOUT THE ROTATION? YEAH. AND THEN THE ROTATION. THAT'S HOW THE ROTATION WORKS. BUT FOR THE LIKE HE SAYS IN MAY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ELECT NEW CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN. WHY DON'T WE DO THAT AT AT O IN THE TIME AT THE JUNE MEETING. SO YOU SEE IF NEW PEOPLE ARE HERE. I MEAN, IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE. BUT I MEAN, BUT IF YOU GET A. YEAH, BUT IF YOU GET A NEW PERSON IN. DO YOU WANT THEM TO BE RUNNING CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR? BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW. BECAUSE LAFCO IS A BIZARRE ANIMAL. THEY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. OKAY. WE ELECT THEM THEN, BUT THEY OFFICIALLY TAKE OVER IN JULY. YEAH, [01:05:05] RIGHT. SO YOU STILL WILL BE IN THE GYM? NO, WE DON'T ELECT THEM. THEY JUST COME HOWEVER THEY ROTATE. THEY COME FROM THE CITY SELECTION COMMITTEE. SELECT THE TWO REPRESENT AND THE. AND THE BOARD ALSO CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR ELECT THEIR NEW ONES. AND THEY START IN JULY. DON'T THEY START IN THE NEW FISCAL YEAR? THEY START IN THE IN THE END OF THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR. YEAH, THEY WOULD GO. IF WE HAD A MEETING IN JUNE, THEY WOULD. BECAUSE IN MAY WE APPOINT THEM. AND THEN I GUESS THEY TAKE OVER IN THE MAY MEETING. THEN YOU SWITCH SEATS AND THEN. YEAH. SO YOU DON'T YOU WOULDN'T WANT A ROOKIE TO COME IN AND RUN ONE LAP BECAUSE WE'RE TOO CONFUSING. OKAY. YEAH. ANY COMMISSIONER REPORT. ANY COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS COMMISSIONER. REED. NO. MCDANIEL. NO. SCOTTY. I HAVE NONE. OKAY. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 12 MINUTES AFTER 11. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.