[00:00:01] ARE WE READY? GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE JULY 14TH, 2026 MEETING OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. [CALL TO ORDER] WE WILL BE MEETING IN CLOSED SESSION AS THE IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PUBLIC AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD. [CLOSED SESSION] YOUR CLOSED SESSION THIS MORNING IS CONFERENCE WITH COUNTY OF MERCED STAFF, NEGOTIATORS AND UNITED DOMESTIC WORKERS AGENCY NEGOTIATOR MARCI BARRERA. THE PUBLIC WILL BE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON ANY MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED IN CLOSED SESSION PRIOR TO THE BOARD ADJOURNING INTO CLOSED SESSION. TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON AND 30 MINUTES TOTAL. FOR THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM FOR OUR REMOTE ATTENDEES, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE ON ZOOM OR PRESS STAR NINE IF YOU'RE CALLING BY PHONE. TO BETTER FACILITATE THE MEETING AND ENSURE FAIRNESS. WE WILL START WITH FIVE SPEAKERS IN PERSON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE REMOTE SPEAKERS UNTIL THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. HMONG AND SPANISH TRANSLATORS ARE ARE AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CLOSED SESSION ITEMS. SEEING NOBODY, I WILL CHECK TO SEE IF THERE'S PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ONLINE PORTION. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS AT THIS TIME. OKAY. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE CLOSED SESSION ITEMS IS NOW CLOSED. WE WILL NOW ADJOURN INTO CLOSED SESSION. GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE JULY 14TH, 2026 MEETING OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. [10:00 A.M. – REGULAR MEETING] THIS MORNING WE HAD CLOSED SESSION. WE THIS MORNING WE HAD A CLOSED SESSION MEETING AS THE IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PUBLIC AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD. STAFF WAS GIVEN DIRECTION ON THE CLOSED SESSION ITEMS. WE WILL NOW START THE INVOCATION. ONE, THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP AND THEN SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA WILL LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. IF YOU WOULD PLEASE BOW YOUR HEADS. OUR DEAR AND GRACIOUS AND HOLY FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE HUMBLY BOW OUR HEADS, LORD, AND FIRST OF ALL, GIVE YOU THANKS FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW DAY, FOR THE GIFT OF LIFE, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE HERE TO SPEAK THIS MORNING AND PRESENT OUR OUR ISSUES TO THE COUNTY FOR. I ASK FOR PRAYERS FOR OUR LEADERS THAT ARE HERE. LORD, GIVE THEM WISDOM. GIVE THEM DIRECTION THAT THEY WOULD MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS FOR OUR COUNTY, FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT RESIDENTS HERE, FOR OUR FUTURE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. AND JUST THANK YOU, LORD, FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL UNITED STATES THAT WE LIVE IN. BLESS US ALL AND HELP US TURN TO YOU AND GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER EVERY DAY THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. 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. 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. FOR THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. FOR OUR REMOTE ATTENDEES, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE ON ZOOM OR PRESS STAR NINE IF YOU ARE CALLING BY PHONE. TO BETTER FACILITATE THE MEETING AND ENSURE FAIRNESS, WE WILL START WITH FIVE SPEAKERS IN PERSON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE REMOTE SPEAKERS UNTIL THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. HMONG AND SPANISH TRANSLATORS ARE AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT AGAIN. THIS IS FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS. IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO REGISTER OR RAISE YOUR HAND AND SPEAK DURING THE REGULAR AGENDA. I WILL CHECK BACK AT THE END OF THE MEETING TO SEE IF ANY REMOTE PARTICIPANTS STILL WISH TO COMMENT. OKAY. GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JULIA DIAZ. I'VE BEEN AN IHSS PROVIDER FOR TWO. HOLD ON, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. I GUESS WE HAVE AN AUDIO ISSUE. I'LL START YOUR TIME OVER. AND JUST A REMINDER, THIS IS FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS. WELL, THE AGENDA ITEM WAS AT 8:30 THIS MORNING. [00:05:05] BUT WE'RE GOING TO LET THE PUBLIC SPEAK FIRST. AND IF THERE'S TIME, WE'LL ALLOW YOU GUYS TO SPEAK SINCE YOU WEREN'T HERE AT 8:30. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. BUT WE GOT TO GET OUR AUDIO ISSUE FINISHED BEFORE WE CAN DO PUBLIC SPEAKING. WITH THE NEW SB-707, IF WE HAVE AN AUDIO ISSUE, WE HAVE TO PAUSE THE MEETING. OKAY. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED TECHNICAL DISRUPTION IMPACTING OUR REMOTE ACCESS CHANNELS IN THE ACCORDANCE WITH THE CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 707. I AM PAUSING THIS MEETING. WE WILL NOW ENTER TO RECESS FOR UP TO ONE HOUR WHILE IT STAFF ATTEMPTS TO RESTORE PUBLIC ACCESS. THE TIME IS CURRENTLY 10:06. WE WILL ATTEMPT TO RESUME THIS MATTER AT 11:06 OR SOONER IF CONNECTIVITY IS RESTORED. PLEASE STAY TUNED. OKAY, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START THIS AGAIN. OUR TELEPHONIC DROP OFF HAS BEEN RESTORED. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START THE MEETING. WE ARE IN PUBLIC COMMENT AND I THINK WE HAD SOME FOLKS. [PUBLIC COMMENT] LET'S GO AHEAD AND START THAT AGAIN. OKAY. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. IS THIS IT'S ON. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR AND SUPERVISORS. COUNTY STAFF. MY NAME IS VANESSA BARBERIS AND I'M HERE. I'M A PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGER FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT, ALSO KNOWN AS WM. I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE THIS MORNING. FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE POINT WHERE WE ARE FULL YEAR SINCE WE IMPLEMENTED SB 1383 SERVICES IN THE COUNTY. AND OVER THAT YEAR, I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE NICE FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR HOW, HOW MUCH RECYCLING AND ORGANICS THAT WE'VE COLLECTED UNDER THE NEW PROGRAM. SO RECYCLING, WE HAVE COLLECTED ALMOST OVER 4000 TONS IN THE YEAR. BUT SURPRISINGLY, THE ORGANIC WASTE IS OVER 12,000 TONS COLLECTED. [00:10:03] SO THAT MATERIAL WILL BE YOU KNOW, DIVERTED FROM THE LANDFILLS AND RECYCLED OR TURNED INTO COMPOST MATERIALS. SO IT'S A POSITIVE PROGRAM, A POSITIVE STEP FOR THE COUNTY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, I WAS HERE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. WE'VE ROLLED OUT A NEW BULK COLLECTION PROGRAM FOR COUNTY RESIDENTS JUST IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS BECAUSE IT STARTED ON JULY 1ST. WE'VE HAD OVER 11 APPOINTMENTS. SO RESIDENTS ARE STARTING TO USE IT, BUT WE WANTED TO CONTINUE TO PROMOTE IT. JUST AS A REMINDER, WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE JULY INVOICE THAT WENT OUT TO RESIDENTS, AND THEY CAN GO ONLINE OR CALL US TO SCHEDULE A BULKY COLLECTION APPOINTMENT. RESIDENTS CAN DO THAT FOR FREE UP TO TWO TIMES PER YEAR. AFTER THIS BOARD MEETING TODAY, I'LL SEND THE COUNTY CLERK SOME PICTURES OF THE NEW TRUCK AND DRIVER THAT'S BEEN OUT THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS COLLECTING SOME OF THOSE. AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS THAT YOU HEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING SUPERVISORS. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MARILYN MANFREDI AND I DELIVERED A LETTER TO YOU ON JUNE 22ND. ACTUALLY IT WAS DELIVERED TO THE CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. AND I'D LIKE TO READ THIS INTO THE RECORD. SO THIS WAS ADDRESSED TO THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, AND THE COUNTY SHERIFF. REGARDING A NOTICE AND REQUEST TO BE HEARD. PETITION FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE IS TO ASK FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE ENTIRE BOARD AND OR PRESENT THE CLAIM CONCERNING THE CERTIFICATION OF ANY ELECTION RESULTS AT THE TIME. AT THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, I AM ALSO REQUESTING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE BOARD, THE REQUESTING THE BOARD, DIRECT THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS TO RESPOND TO THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION BELOW. LET ME TAKE THESE OFF. I INVITE YOUR ATTENTION TO THE CALIFORNIA ELECTION CODE, SECTION 16100 D, WHICH STATES IN PART, ANY ELECTOR OF A COUNTY, CITY OR OF ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF EITHER MAY CONTEST ANY ELECTION HELD THEREIN FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CAUSES. D, THAT ILLEGAL VOTERS VOTES WERE CAST. THE FACTUAL BASIS OF MY REQUEST IS THAT IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A FLOOD OF ILLEGAL ALIENS INTO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ITS COUNTIES, CITIES, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THOSE NON-CITIZENS HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN ALLOWED TO REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES WITH THAT REGISTRATION. THESE NON-CITIZENS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH THE VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTION BALLOTS. IT IS ALSO KNOWN COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS HAVE DISCOVERED THAT SOME ILLEGAL ALIEN OR NON-CITIZENS HAVE, IN FACT, VOTED. PROVIDING THESE NON-CITIZEN VOTER REGISTRATION AND REGISTRATION AND ELECTION BALLOTS GIVES YOU THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND YOU, THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS. THE LEGAL BASIS TO SET ASIDE THE ELECTION AND DENY ITS CERTIFICATION DUE TO THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL VOTERS AS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE 16100. SPECIFICALLY, SUBSECTION D, THESE INCONTROVERTIBLE FACTS GIVE YOU SHERIFF, NOT ONLY THE RIGHT, BUT THE OBLIGATION TO INVESTIGATE VOTER FRAUD. IF THE BOARD OF REGISTRAR CERTIFY THE ELECTIONS, THEY WILL BE COMMITTING A FELONY TO THE BOARD OF REGISTER TO THE BOARD AND THE REGISTRAR. WOULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH THE PERSON WHO SERVED THIS LETTER ON YOU THE PROCESS AND IDENTIFY ALL OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED IN THE COLLECTION AND THE COUNTING OF BALLOTS, INCLUDING THE DISQUALIFICATION OF BALLOTS AND VOTER VERIFICATION AS A VOTER IN THIS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN YOU PLEASE LEAVE IT THERE? I HAVE ONE FOR EACH OF YOU. PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I WILL LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANYBODY ONLINE IN PERSON. [00:15:04] YEAH, THERE'S NOBODY YET, BUT I WANTED TO CHECK TO SEE IF THERE'S ONLINE. MR. CHAIR, CURRENTLY, I HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS IN THE QUEUE. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP. JUST A REMINDER THAT THIS WAS ON THE AGENDA AT 8:30 THIS MORNING, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND BEING THAT YOU GUYS CAME HERE AT 10:00. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP NOW FOR THE REMAINING TIME. AND THERE'S CURRENTLY 24 MINUTES LEFT. OKAY. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JULIA DIAZ. I'VE BEEN AN IHSS PROVIDER FOR TWO YEARS, BUT I'VE BEEN CURRENTLY TAKING CARE OF MY MOTHER FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. SHE'S CURRENTLY 76 YEARS OLD. SHE LIVES WITH DIABETES AND IBS AND IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME THAT CAUSES CRAMPING, PAIN, IN JUST HER EVERYDAY LIFE. YOU KNOW, MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THIS CONDITION. SHE DEPENDS ON ME FOR SUPPORT FOR EVERYDAY TASKS MANAGING HER MEDICATION AND GETTING TO HER DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT SAFELY. THE IHSS PROGRAM HAS ALLOCATED 20 HOURS FOR HER CARE, BUT IN REALITY, HER NEEDS GO BEYOND THOSE 20 HOURS. WHEN HER IBS FLARES UP, WHEN HER BLOOD SUGAR DROPS, WHEN SHE'S IN PAIN AND NEEDS THINGS DONE, I'M THERE FOR HER. IHSS IS MOST IMPORTANTLY IHSS IS THE REASON WHY MY MOTHER CAN REMAIN IN HER HOME. IT GIVES HER STABILITY, COMFORT, AND THE INDEPENDENCE. AND OVER TIME, IHSS HAS DONE SOMETHING FAR MORE GREATER. IT HAS GIVEN HER THE CONFIDENCE TO ASK FOR HELP. SHE NO LONGER FEELS LIKE SHE'S A BURDEN. SHE FEELS SUPPORTED. THAT'S WHY DECISIONS MADE IN ROOMS LIKE THIS MATTER SO MUCH. WHEN IHSS WORKS, FAMILIES STAY TOGETHER. ELDERS CAN REMAIN IN THEIR HOME AND PROVIDERS LIKE MYSELF CAN GIVE CARE TO OUR LOVED ONES THAT THEY ACTUALLY NEED. I'M HERE TODAY TO MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE IMPACT OF THIS PROGRAM HAS DONE ON FAMILIES LIKE MYSELF AND MY MOTHER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING CHAIR. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS KORI CROSON AND I HAVE BEEN AN IHSS PROVIDER FOR OVER 14 YEARS, AND I'M ALSO A PROUD MEMBER OF MY UDW. I CARE FOR TWO PEOPLE, MY BROTHER WHO HAS SCHIZOPHRENIA AND WITH PSYCHOTIC EPISODES, AND ALSO A WOMAN WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND BIPOLAR DISORDER. SUPPORTING THEM ISN'T JUST MY JOB, IT'S MY CALLING. IT'S MY LIFE WORK. EVERY HOUR OF CARE MATTERS. I SEE HOW LITTLE SMALL MOMENTS ADD UP. HELPING WITH A BATH, PREPARING A MEAL, MAKING SURE MEDICATION IS TAKEN ON TIME. THESE AREN'T MINOR TASKS. THEY'RE THE FOUNDATION OF MY CLIENTS SAFETY, DIGNITY, AND INDEPENDENCE. WITHOUT THE CARE I PROVIDE, MY CLIENTS WOULD NOT HAVE THE SAME QUALITY OF LIFE. THEY RELY ON IHSS TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES, STAY CONNECTED TO THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND TO STAY STABLE AND CARE WORKERS LIKE ME RELY ON A SYSTEM THAT RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF THIS WORK. THAT'S WHY I NEED TO SAY CLEARLY. MERCED HAS BEEN WITHOUT A CONTRACT FOR FOUR YEARS WITH THE IHSS PROGRAM. FOUR YEARS WITHOUT A CONTRACT MEANS NO FUNDING FOR PPE AND PPE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE WORK WE DO. WE CANNOT SAFELY CARE FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE WITHOUT THE BASIC PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT OUR JOBS REQUIRE. THE DECISIONS MADE IN THIS ROOM LIKE THIS DIRECTLY AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE SAFE, RELIABLE CARE, NOT JUST FOR MY CLIENTS, BUT FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS OUR COUNTY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WAS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? IF NOT, THE PUBLIC PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS. THANK YOU. I'D ALREADY CHECKED. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED FOR NON-AGENDA ITEMS. AT THIS TIME WE HAVE A PRESENTATION UPDATE ON PATRIOT RAIL. [PRESENTATIONS] I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO CEO MARK HENDRICKSON TO PROVIDE OPENING COMMENTS. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD IT IS MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE BRANDY CHRISTIAN, WHO IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF PATRIOT RAIL. PATRIOT AS THIS BOARD WELL KNOWS, HAS BEEN AN OUTSTANDING PARTNER TO THE COUNTY AND CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE A STRONG COMMITMENT TO THE SUCCESS AT CASTLE AND THE FUTURE OF FREIGHT, TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS IN OUR REGION. [00:20:03] BRANDY IS RECOGNIZED AS A RAIL, PORTS AND GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN LEADER AND HAS SERVED IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT LEADING ROLES TO INCLUDE AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS. THIS MORNING, BRANDY IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE BOARD AND PUBLIC WITH AN UPDATE ON PATRIOT RAIL OPERATIONS, INVESTMENTS, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND THE EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY BELIEVE LIE AHEAD OF CASTLE. AGAIN THEIR CONTINUED INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION ARE HELPING THE COUNTY POSITION ITSELF AS A KEY HUB FOR LOGISTICS, MANUFACTURING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. [INAUDIBLE]. OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO A FEW MEMBERS THAT I HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET YET, AND JUST GIVE AN UPDATE ON OUR PROGRESS AND A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S TO COME AT CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER. FIRST OF ALL REALLY WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE COUNTY STAFF. THEY'VE REALLY BEEN A STRONG PARTNER IN MOVING FORWARD, A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL GRANT TO PUT THIS PROPERTY BACK INTO COMMERCE. WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE TEAMWORK. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD DO IS GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PATRIOT TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT TO THE OVERALL OPPORTUNITY AT CASTLE. DO I PART THIS WAY? THAT WOULD HELP. THANK YOU. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PATRIOT RAIL. WE ARE A NATIONAL SHORT LINE RAIL SERVICES COMPANY. WERE PRIVATELY OWNED. OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE'VE HAD SOME PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE MAP HERE OF THE UNITED STATES. WE NOW HAVE 31 RAILROADS, SHORT LINE RAILROADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN ABOUT 23 STATES, INCLUDING THE MCC RVRR IN MERCED COUNTY. SO THAT IS ONE OF OUR RAILROADS HERE IN CALIFORNIA. WE'VE GOT SUBSTANTIAL OPERATIONS IN SACRAMENTO AS WELL, AS, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR HYDRA TEAM. BUT REALLY, WHAT PATRIOT HAS POSITIONED ITSELF TO DO IS BE A PROVIDER OF MORE THAN JUST MOVING RAIL CARS, BUT REALLY TO BE MORE OF A PARTNER IN TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS WITH PROVIDING MORE END TO END SERVICES SUCH AS TRUCKING, WAREHOUSING, TRANSLOADING, WHICH REALLY HELPS ATTRACT SHIPPERS, NEW SHIPPERS TO THE RAILROADS THAT WE OWN AND OPERATE. AND THROUGHOUT THAT, PLATFORM ACROSS 31 RAILROADS AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE GEOGRAPHY IS VERY DIFFERENT IN THOSE RAILROADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THAT REALLY PROVIDES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A RATHER DIVERSE OPERATION. WE OPERATE INTERMODAL YARDS, INDUSTRIAL PARKS LIKE CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER, AS WELL AS MANUFACTURING PLANTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. AND THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WE HANDLE A NUMBER OF DIVERSE PRODUCTS, EVERYTHING FROM CHEMICALS, LIQUID AND OIL AND GAS, AS WELL AS A RATHER LARGE PORTFOLIO, PARTICULARLY HERE IN CALIFORNIA, OF PAPER PACKAGING, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND LUMBER. I MENTIONED THAT PATRIOT IS A GROWTH COMPANY. THIS JUST GIVES YOU A FEW STATS OF WHAT THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAS LOOKED LIKE FOR PATRIOT. WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT GROWTH HAS BEEN WITH OUR PARTNERS, THE SHIPPERS, AS WELL AS THE INDUSTRIAL PARKS THAT WE OPERATE. WE'VE HAD ABOUT 167% GROWTH. A LOT OF THAT THROUGH EXPANSION OF NOT ONLY NEW RAILROADS, BUT BRINGING NEW CUSTOMERS ONTO THOSE EXISTING RAILROADS. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE COVER NOW OVER ABOUT 1200 MILES OF TRACK THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND ABOUT 138,000 RAIL CAR LOADS A YEAR. AS MARK MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, PATRIOT HAS A STRONG BACKGROUND THROUGH ITS LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS ITS HISTORY IN THE PORTS BUSINESS. SO I THINK WE BRING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IN MERCED AS AN INLAND PORT. AS MARK MENTIONED, I LED THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS FOR TEN YEARS PRIOR TO JOINING PATRIOT TWO YEARS AGO. PRIOR TO THAT, I WAS WITH THE PORT OF SAN DIEGO FOR 15 YEARS, RUNNING THEIR CARGO, MARITIME OPERATIONS AND MARKETING, SO VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE WEST COAST PORT SYSTEM. ALSO, UNIQUELY, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. MY FATHER WAS A FARMER HERE IN ACTUALLY LEMOORE, CALIFORNIA. SO THIS PROJECT, AND I THINK I SHARED THIS AT THE GROUNDBREAKING. FOR ME, MERCED WAS REALLY ONE OF THE KEY OPPORTUNITIES THAT PATRIOT HAD THAT WAS KIND OF NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON A PROJECT LIKE THIS JUST PERSONALLY MEANS A LOT, PARTICULARLY FOR THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY, THAT FRANKLY, I WOULD NOT BE WHERE I AM TODAY IF IT WASN'T FOR THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY THAT ALLOWED ME TO HAVE THE EDUCATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT I HAD. [00:25:07] BUT WE KNOW PORTS BY OUR LEADERSHIP, OUR BACKGROUND, OUR SENIOR TEAM NOT ONLY HAS EXPERIENCE IN PORTS, BUT RUNNING SOME OF THE BIGGEST INTERMODAL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING WORKING WITH NORFOLK SOUTHERN UPNS PRIOR TO JOINING PATRIOT AND UNIQUELY PATRIOT ACTUALLY OWNED NINE PORT TERMINALS PRIOR WE SOLD THOSE OFF ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN IGNEO BOUGHT INTO PATRIOT, A NUMBER OF BULK BREAK BULK FACILITIES. SO STAFF IS VERY INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH HOW PORT OPERATIONS WORK, BUT ALSO WHAT THE SHIPPERS DEMAND WITHIN THE PORT ECOSPHERE AND WHY AN INLAND PORT WOULD WORK OR NOT WORK IN THAT ENVIRONMENT. AS YOU KNOW, HYDRA IS YOUR TENANT OUT AT CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER. PATRIOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE HYDRA A FEW YEARS AGO, AND THAT WAS REALLY STRATEGIC FOR US BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MOVE INTO BEING MORE THAN JUST A PROVIDER OF MOVING RAILCARS, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT TO REALLY BE A PARTNER IN LOGISTICS PATRIOT AND HYDRA SHARE A NUMBER OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTS BIG CUSTOMERS LIKE MORNINGSTAR, GEORGIA-PACIFIC, ETC. AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH MORE END TO END SERVICE MAKES A SITE A RAILROAD MORE VALUABLE TO THAT SHIPPER. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT KIND OF PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO MOVE A MAJOR PROJECT LIKE CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER FORWARD, I WANTED TO SHARE THIS SLIDE THAT JUST KIND OF ILLUSTRATES, YOU KNOW, FROM PATRIOT'S STANDPOINT, WE DON'T TYPICALLY LOOK AT JUST BUYING A RAILROAD, BUT WE LOOK AT PROJECTS WHERE WE CAN REALLY TRANSFORM AN AREA, TRANSFORM THE TRAJECTORY OF A RAILROAD. YOU KNOW, MANY RAILROADS COME WITH A PLANT THAT IS ALREADY THERE. YOU'RE PROVIDING SERVICE TO THEM. BUT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT I'LL HIGHLIGHT IN A MOMENT THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNER, WHETHER IT BE A COUNTY, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, OR A PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL PARK TO ATTRACT SHIPPERS TO GROW THE BUSINESS, PUT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE. AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR OWNERSHIP, THEY BOUGHT PATRIOT IN 2019. WHAT THAT DID WHEN IGNEO BOUGHT PATRIOT, IT BROUGHT CAPITAL TO OUR PORTFOLIO TO BE ABLE TO INVEST BACK INTO THE RAILROADS, INTO PARTNER ON PROJECTS LIKE MERCED. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE, PRETTY SUCCESSFUL IN ACHIEVING FEDERAL RAILROAD GRANTS. THE CHRISTIE GRANTS ABOUT 136 MILLION ACTIVELY IN PROCESS NOW. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE PARTNER WITH COUNTIES, WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS ON THOSE GRANTS AND PROVIDE THE LION'S SHARE OF THE MATCH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. NOW, THESE ARE A FEW PROJECTS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT LIKE CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, BECAUSE THERE'S LESSONS LEARNED THAT WE'VE TAKEN FROM DOING THESE PROJECTS. A COUPLE EXAMPLES IS THE BNSF INTERMODAL YARD IN SALT LAKE CITY. THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE UTAH INLAND PORT AUTHORITY. THEY VERY MUCH HAVE BEEN WANTING TO BUILD THAT INLAND PORT, BUT THEY HAD REALLY KIND OF A CAPTIVE ENVIRONMENT THERE. AND GETTING BNSF INTO THE MARKET WAS PRETTY KEY TO UNLOCKING THEIR POTENTIAL. WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD THAT FACILITY AND BRING BNSF INTO THE MARKET, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY KEY TO THAT, THAT PROJECT. ROCKY MOUNTAIN IS A NEW INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRIAL PARK IN DENVER, WHICH IS A VERY BIG, ROBUST MARKET. WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THAT PRIVATE ENTITY TO BRING IN NEW SHIPPERS. AND DENTON, TEXAS, THIS IS ACTUALLY A GREENFIELD PROJECT WORKING WITH THE CPKC TO LEVERAGE THEIR RAIL NETWORK. WE'RE COMPLETELY DEVELOPING THIS TRANSLOAD PARK FROM SCRATCH. IT'S GOING TO BE 2 TO 3 YEARS. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT PROJECTS LIKE THIS, JUST LIKE THE LAST ONE, MERCED WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT BROWNFIELD OR GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF PERMITTING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE LEARNED AND OUR BOARD HAS KIND OF LEARNED IS THAT IT REALLY TAKES GETTING THROUGH THAT PROCESS. WHEN YOU TALK TO SHIPPERS IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND YOU KNOW VERY WELL FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS IN THE AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS, SHIPPERS ARE DEALING WITH PRETTY COMPLEX SUPPLY CHAINS TODAY, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO COMMIT TO A FACILITY OR TO A PARK WITHOUT HAVING PERMITS IN PLACE, WITHOUT HAVING WAREHOUSES IN PLACE. IT'S A REAL JEOPARDY FOR THEM TO SHIFT. BUT WHEN THEY START TO SEE THE SHOVELS IN THE GROUND AND THE PERMITS, THAT'S WHEN THEY START TO COMMIT EVEN MORE. SO AS I GO THROUGH THE TIMELINE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAD TO BRING MORNING STAR AS AN ANCHOR TO CASTLE COMMERCE, THAT WAS A QUICK EARLY WIN. BUT AS WE CLOSE OUT AND GET THESE PERMITS IN PLACE, I THINK YOU'LL SEE MORE AND MORE MOMENTUM TOWARDS THAT. [00:30:09] SO WHY DOES MERCED WORK. YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED COMING FROM THE CALIFORNIA PORT SYSTEM. YOU KNOW, I THINK COVID AND THE CONGESTION THAT ARE PARTICULARLY AGRICULTURAL EXPORTERS EXPERIENCED A FEW YEARS AGO HAVE REALLY SHIFTED THE DYNAMICS. AND I THINK MORE AND MORE, WE'RE SEEING THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT YOU WOULD CALL AN INLAND PORT OR A REGIONAL HUB. AND THAT'S ALSO BECAUSE OF THIS JUST IN TIME ENVIRONMENT, WE ALL WANT OUR AMAZON PACKAGE TOMORROW. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT A SHIPPER REALLY NEEDS TO HAVE A SUPPLY CHAIN THAT ALLOWS FOR REGIONAL CENTRALIZATION OF GOODS. AND OBVIOUSLY THE VALLEY. YOU'VE GOT THE EXPORTS, YOU'VE GOT THE AGRICULTURAL EXPORT AND THE PORT OF LA, LONG BEACH, THEY'RE ALMOST 90% IMPORTS AND THEY VERY MUCH NEED EXPORTS. RIGHT. SO THERE'S A LOT OF TRUCKS RUNNING GOODS DOWN TO LA LONG BEACH RIGHT NOW. TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT OFF THE ROAD AND DO THAT BY RAIL IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE VALLEY. BUT YOU'RE ALSO SEEING THAT THE PORTS AND THE CLASS ONES, PARTICULARLY BNSF, WHO IS YOUR PARTNER AT CASTLE, THEY ARE MOVING TO CREATING THESE INLAND HUBS TO TAKE THE FREIGHT OFF OF THE PORT. THE WATER SIDE IS VERY PRECIOUS. THEY'RE NOT MAKING MORE OF IT. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE AN EXPANSION OF OAKLAND OR LA OR LONG BEACH. SO THEY NEED TO BUILD THESE TRAINS OFF DOCK. THEY NEED TO BUILD THEM AT PLACES LIKE CASTLE AT BARSTOW. THIS IS A STRATEGY THAT BNSF IS PUTTING IN PLACE, AND I THINK THAT REALLY BODES WELL FOR MERCED BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THAT ANCHOR OF THE AGRICULTURAL EXPORT. BUT ALSO WE SAW THIS DURING THE CONGESTION OF THE PORT CONGESTION IS MANY OF YOUR FARMERS WANT TO GET GOODS LIKE ALMONDS INTO THE MIDWEST. SO BEING ABLE TO DO THAT BY RAIL IS MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. SO I DO BELIEVE THAT IT'S VERY VIABLE. I THINK MORNINGSTAR WAS A REALLY GOOD TEST CASE OF WHY THAT CAN WORK. WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE MOMENTUM TOWARDS THAT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TIMELINE, IF YOU GO BACK, WE KIND OF STARTED THIS JOURNEY IN 2021 WHEN MORNING STAR IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR SOMETHING IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, AND THAT'S WHEN WE REALLY BEGAN LOOKING AT CASTLE COMMERCE CENTER. AND THEN 2022, THE COUNTY, THEY WON THE $49 MILLION GRANT, WHICH JUST REALLY CATAPULTED US TO THAT NEXT LEVEL. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO BEING ABLE TO EXECUTE ON THAT GRANT. AND BY 2023, WE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO TRIPLE THE VOLUME AT CASTLE, WITH MORNINGSTAR BEING AN ANCHOR THERE AT CASTLE. AND AROUND THAT TIME IS WHEN WE DECIDED TO BUY HYDRA OPEN UP 16 ACRES AT CASTLE. TODAY, I'M PLEASED TO SAY WE NOW HAVE SIX CUSTOMERS OUT AT CASTLE. SO THAT'S GREAT MOMENTUM. IN 2025 THIS YEAR, I THINK THROUGH THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE'VE BUILT WITH BNSF, PARTICULARLY WITH THE SALT LAKE PROJECT, BUT ALSO WITH BRINGING SHIPPERS LIKE MORNING STAR TO CASTLE. THEY MOVED SERVICE TO FIVE DAYS A WEEK. AND WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IS IT INCREASES CAPACITY, IT INCREASES RELIABILITY, BUT IT MAKES YOU JUST AS COMPETITIVE AS OTHER REGIONAL OFFERINGS, SUCH AS STOCKTON, SHAFTER, TO HAVE FIVE DAYS A WEEK THAT REALLY TALKS TO A SHIPPER. SO THAT WAS A HUGE WIN FOR MERCED. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT MOMENTUM. AND IN THIS YEAR COUNTY STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO PUSH FORWARD THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND THE PERMITS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER ON THE LESSONS LEARNED ON OTHER PROJECTS, THAT IS REALLY KEY. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP MORE LAND SPACE, OPEN UP THAT RAIL PARK TO BE ABLE TO START TO DESIGN. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN A SHIPPER SEES ACTUAL WAREHOUSES, THEN THEY SAY, OKAY, I CAN MOVE MY GOODS THERE. THIS MAKES SENSE. THEY HAVE FIVE DAY OF SERVICE WEEK. THEY HAVE WAREHOUSES, THEY HAVE A TRANSLOADER, THEY HAVE A COUNTY THAT'S BEHIND THEM. THAT'S WHEN I THINK WE'LL SEE EVEN MORE MOMENTUM. I DO WANT TO THANK COUNTY STAFF FOR INCLUDING PATRIOT, OUR INPUT INTO WHAT THE MARKET POTENTIAL IS, WHAT THE RAIL DESIGN COULD LOOK LIKE. SO IT WORKS FOR SHIPPERS, BUT IT ALSO WORKS FOR NON RAIL USERS AT THE PARK. SO THAT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY. I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I KNOW AND I APPRECIATE THE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AT NIGHT TIME TO GO ACROSS SANTA FE BECAUSE THAT'S A KEY COMMUTE IN THE MORNING AND THE AFTERNOONS. AND FOLKS JUST THINK THAT ENGINE SITTING THERE AND I'M LIKE, WELL, IT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE IT MOVING AT NIGHT TIME, BUT IT'S NICE TO KNOW WE'RE DOING IT FIVE DAYS A WEEK. YOU'RE MOVING PRODUCT. I ALWAYS SEE [00:35:05] WHERE THEY STAGE IT ON A BNSF AND READY TO MOVE THEM IN AT NIGHT. AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE I WAS GETTING THE PHONE CALLS IF PEOPLE WERE HOLDING UP TRAFFIC AS WELL. LOOK AROUND. DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY. I KNOW ONE THING WHEN WE ENTERED INTO THIS AGREEMENT, WE HAD A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WERE ASKING US MORE ABOUT THE COMMODITIES OUT OF THE MIDWEST THAT COME IN FOR OUR DAIRY FARMS. HOW ARE THOSE CONVERSATIONS GOING? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOKING FOR HOW DO WE GET THAT IN? I KNOW THAT WAS A BIG, BIG PROBLEM SO. YOU KNOW, JUST AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE ALMOND OPPORTUNITY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. WE HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST. I THINK PEOPLE ARE WAITING UNTIL WE HAVE THE PERMIT IN PLACE AND THEY KNOW, OKAY, THIS IS A GO FOR SURE. AS I MENTIONED THEY WILL, THEY CONTINUE TO STAY ENGAGED, BUT, THEY WANT TO KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE IN BUSINESS. WE HAVE THE SPACE FOR THEM, WE HAVE THE FACILITY. AND THEN THEY'LL, I THINK, WILL BE MORE CONFIDENT TO EXECUTE ON THE PLAN. RIGHT. NO AND APPRECIATE THIS PARTNERSHIP. IN MY FURTHER LIFE OR MY FORMER LIFE WORKING FOR MY OLD, MY OLD BOSS WHO WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE RAIL COMMITTEE FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. I APPRECIATE OUR WORKING RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE OTHER RAILROADS AREN'T AS EASY TO WORK WITH, AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL DIRECTION THAT THEY CAN USE. AND I APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT WE'RE DOING OUT THERE. ABSOLUTELY. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. WELL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE, BRANDY, AND KIND OF UPDATING OUR COMMUNITY ON THE HAPPENINGS OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, WITH GOVERNMENT, IT ALWAYS MOVES SLOW AND YOU KNOW, COMING FROM PRIVATE SECTOR, I'D LIKE TO SEE IT MOVE FASTER, BUT YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS THERE'S STEADY PROGRESS YOU KNOW, AND THE AR, ONCE THAT'S WRAPPED UP, I GUESS WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPLODE. WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT AT CASTLE? BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR PATRIOT, FOR PICKING CASTLE ORIGINALLY. AND THEN WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP YOU KNOW, COMING ON BOARD AND RECOMMITTING TO THAT PROJECT AT CASTLE. I'M JUST THANKFUL FOR THAT. I YOU KNOW, I SERVE ON A COUPLE OF GSA'S GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY BOARDS AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FALLOW LAND HERE. AND SO ONE, MAKING THE AGRICULTURE THAT WILL BE IN BUSINESS MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WILL BENEFIT THEM. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE JOBS THAT YOU'RE BRINGING AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I BELIEVE WILL BUILD AROUND CASTLE AS THE SITES DEVELOPED YOU KNOW, JUST FOR ME, YOU KNOW, I'M A, YOU KNOW, I'M THIRD, FOURTH GENERATION TO LIVE IN MERCED COUNTY. AND MY GRANDSONS ARE SIXTH. SO REAL IMPORTANT TO ME AND THE FUTURE, RIGHT? AND SO ANYWAYS, JUST WANT TO SHOW MY SHARE MY GRATITUDE FOR YOUR ENDEAVORS HERE IN OUR COUNTY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. AND I KNOW WE ALWAYS SAY THE NARRATIVE, WE'RE GETTING TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD TO GET IT ON THE RAIL, BUT FOLKS ARE LIKE, ARE YOU TAKING AWAY TRUCK DRIVERS JOBS? AND ABSOLUTELY NOT. WE NEED MORE TRUCK DRIVERS. WE'RE JUST ALLOWING THEM TO BE AT HOME WITH THEIR FAMILIES IN THE EVENING. AND SO APPRECIATE THIS, THIS NEXT STEP IN WHAT WE'RE DOING. APPRECIATE IT. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. YOU'RE GETTING OFF EASY. SO. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MARK, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO. CHAIRMAN MAYBE JUST TO MAYBE PUT A BOW ON IT. JUST REALLY, AGAIN, I THINK THE GRATITUDE EXPRESSED TO PATRIOT AND THEIR TEAM. YOU KNOW, ONE THING I WOULD PROBABLY SAY, AND IT WAS, MENTIONED IN BRANDY'S PRESENTATION, BUT THE REALLY, THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP WITH BNSF UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS REALLY TAKEN WHAT WE'RE DOING AT CASTLE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO WORK WITH THE CLASS ONES. BUT UNDER BRANDY'S LEADERSHIP, THAT IS SEEMINGLY TAKING A DIFFERENT TURN FOR THE BETTER. SO WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT PUBLICLY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING THE PRESENTATION. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE PRESENTATION. WELL, LET ME CHECK TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NOBODY ONLINE. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE. VERY GOOD. THEN THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR PRESENTATION IS NOW CLOSED AND WE'LL MOVE ON. WE HAVE A SECOND PRESENTATION AT THIS TIME. WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM PROJECT. [00:40:04] GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN MCDANIEL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CEO HENDRICKSON COUNTY COUNSEL HANSEN. I'M MARK COWART, SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR, WORKING WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE COUNTY'S PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM PROJECT. WITH ME TODAY ARE [INAUDIBLE] SHERIFF GIBSON AND CAPTAIN SULLIVAN FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. DIRECTOR DELANEY AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NISHIHAMA FROM ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT. AND OUR PROJECT MANAGERS FROM MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, REBECCA BURBRINK, IS LEADING THE WORK ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM, AND RASHAD MASSEY IS LEADING THE EMS AMBULANCE RADIO SYSTEM PROJECT. SO WE INTRODUCE THEM THIS MORNING. YOU ARE HERE TO HELP AS PART OF THE TEAM TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OUR TEAM IS HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON WHERE THE PROJECT STANDS, THE WORK THAT REMAINS AND OUR PATH TOWARD BRINGING BOTH SYSTEMS INTO OPERATION. WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE DURING OR FOLLOWING THE PRESENTATION. THE COUNTY'S CURRENT PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM WAS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED IN THE 1980S. TODAY, VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING THAT SYSTEM HAS REACHED OR EXCEEDED ITS EXPECTED SERVICE LIFE. MANY CRITICAL REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NO LONGER COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE, WHICH MEANS THE EXISTING SYSTEM CAN NOW ONLY BE SUPPORTED ON A BEST EFFORT BASIS. WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED, IT WAS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO SERVE THE EAST SIDE OF THE COUNTY. AS THE COUNTY GREW AND OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS EXPANDED. THE LIMITATIONS OF THE SYSTEM BECAME INCREASINGLY APPARENT, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE COUNTY'S SIZE, GEOGRAPHY AND TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS OF THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. THE COUNTY BEGAN FORMALLY EVALUATING THOSE NEEDS IN 2010. AT THAT TIME, BUDGET CONSTRAINTS LED US TO FOCUS ON IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING ADDING A SECOND SITE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE COUNTY AND UPGRADING COMPONENTS OF THE SUPPORTING EQUIPMENT. THOSE IMPROVEMENTS EXTENDED THE USEFUL LIFE OF THE SYSTEM, BUT THEY COULD NOT ADDRESS THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, LIMITED PARTS AVAILABILITY, COVERAGE GAPS AND LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY. THE PROJECT TO IMPLEMENT A NEW SYSTEM UPGRADES CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL PROVIDE RELIABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE COUNTY AND ITS PARTNERING AGENCIES. THE NEW SYSTEM REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH COVERAGE AND RESILIENCY. IT IS DESIGNED AS A 12 SITE SYSTEM. TEN SITES ARE LOCATED ON THE VALLEY FLOOR AND ORGANIZED INTO EAST AND WEST SIMULCAST CELLS. AN ADDITIONAL SITE IS LOCATED AT MOUNT BULLION, MARIPOSA COUNTY, AND THE AT&T TOWER AT CASTLE SERVES AS THE SYSTEM'S MASTER SITE. IN SIMPLE TERMS, THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED SO THAT MULTIPLE TOWER SITES WORK TOGETHER SIMULTANEOUSLY TO PROVIDE MORE CONSISTENT RADIO COVERAGE ACROSS THE COUNTY. WHEN A USER TRANSMITS ON A PORTABLE VEHICLE RADIO, THAT TRANSMISSION MAY BE RECEIVED BY SEVERAL TOWER SITES AT THE SAME TIME. THE SYSTEM EVALUATES THOSE SIGNALS AND USES THE HIGHEST QUALITY TRANSMISSION. FOR SYSTEM USERS THIS PROVIDES A MORE SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE AS THEY TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. USERS NO LONGER HAVE TO MANUALLY SWITCH BETWEEN RADIO SITES AS THEY MOVE FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER. THE NEW SYSTEM ALSO PROVIDES IMPORTANT OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE IMPROVEMENTS. TODAY, ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OFTEN REQUIRES STAFF TO PHYSICALLY TRAVEL TO INDIVIDUAL RADIO SITES, AND CHANGES TO THE RADIO FLEET CAN REQUIRE US TO PHYSICALLY HANDLE PORTABLE AND VEHICLE RADIOS. THE NEW SYSTEM ALLOWS MUCH OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE MONITORED AND SUPPORTED REMOTELY. IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO UPDATE RADIO PROGRAMING OVER WI-FI AND UPDATE SECURITY KEYS OVER THE RADIO SYSTEM ITSELF. THESE CAPABILITIES IMPROVE SYSTEM SUPPORTABILITY, REDUCE OPERATIONAL RISK, AND GIVE THE COUNTY A MUCH STRONGER FOUNDATION FOR MAINTAINING MISSION CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS WELL INTO THE FUTURE. THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A ROADMAP FOR COMPLETING THE REMAINING PROJECT WORK. BETWEEN AUGUST AND OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR OUR FOCUS IS ON COMPLETING THE REMAINING CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION ACTIVITIES. ONCE THAT WORK IS COMPLETE, WE MOVE INTO SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION AND TESTING. COVERAGE TESTING WILL WILL VERIFY ACTUAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE COUNTY'S CONTRACTUAL COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS. FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL TESTING AND COMPLETION OF OPERATIONAL READINESS ACTIVITIES, WE EXPECT THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL NO LATER THAN THE END OF APRIL 2027. THE EMS AMBULANCE RADIO SYSTEM IS SCHEDULED TO BECOME OPERATIONAL LATER THAN THE END OF JULY 2027. WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER THE EMS SYSTEM ON AN ACCELERATED TIMELINE BECAUSE MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT IS BEING INSTALLED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM, AND IT WILL SHARE KEY INFRASTRUCTURE ALREADY BEING CONSTRUCTED AS PART OF THE LARGER PROJECT. [00:45:03] THE REMAINING WORK IS CLEARLY DEFINED COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION, OPTIMIZE THE SYSTEM, VALIDATE COVERAGE, PREPARE OUR USERS, AND THEN TRANSITION INTO FULL OPERATION. THERE HAVE BEEN NINE CHANGE ORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT SINCE THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS APPROVED IN DECEMBER OF 2022. THESE CHANGE ORDERS HAVE PRIMARILY RESULTED FROM EXTERNAL FACTORS ENCOUNTERED DURING IMPLEMENTATION. THESE INCLUDE CHANGES IN THE STATE'S IMPLEMENTATION OF NEXT GENERATION 911 INFRASTRUCTURE MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED BY SITE OWNERS, MANUFACTURER ANNOUNCED EQUIPMENT, LIFE CYCLE AND END OF SUPPORT CHANGES AND AN INTEREST FROM OTHER AGENCIES IN OUR OPERATIONAL AREA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SYSTEM AFTER WE SUCCESSFULLY GO LIVE. THE LARGEST CHANGE ORDER, APPROXIMATELY $2.5 MILLION, ADDS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE COUNTY'S EMS AMBULANCE RADIO SYSTEM. THE EXISTING SYSTEM OPERATES FROM THE SAME LOCATION AS THE CURRENT PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM, AND EXPERIENCES MANY OF THE SAME COVERAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITATIONS. BY INCORPORATING THE EMS REPLACEMENT INTO THIS PROJECT, THE COUNTY CAN LEVERAGE EIGHT OF THE NEW RADIO SITES AND SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS ALLOWS THE NEW EMS SYSTEM TO BECOME OPERATIONAL WITHIN APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM. OUR REMAINING FOCUS IS ON COMPLETING CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION, OPTIMIZING AND TESTING THE SYSTEM, VALIDATING COVERAGE, PREPARING SYSTEM USERS, AND TRANSITIONING TO THE NEW SYSTEM. THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BECOME OPERATIONAL BY THE END OF APRIL 2027, FOLLOWED BY THE EMS AMBULANCE RADIO SYSTEM BY THE END OF JULY 2027. THE PROJECT TEAMS CONTINUE TO MEET EVERY TWO WEEKS TO REVIEW, PROGRESS, IDENTIFY AND RESOLVE ISSUES AND KEEP THE WORK MOVING FORWARD. WE HAVE REACHED A POINT IN THE PROJECT WHERE WE ARE CONFIDENT IN OUR ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE REMAINING WORK AND SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION TO THE NEW SYSTEM WITHIN THE SCHEDULE PROVIDED. STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY TRACK SCOPE, SCHEDULE, BUDGET AND OPERATIONAL READINESS THROUGH FINAL ACCEPTANCE. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE. OUR TEAM IS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOUR BOARD MAY HAVE. NO. THANK YOU, MARK, FOR THAT. IT'S AMAZING HOW IT TAKES A DECADE JUST TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. THANK YOU MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, MARK, FOR THE UPDATE. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN BRIEFED ON THIS PRIOR BUT I HAD TO KIND OF RUN IN A HURRY AND I DIDN'T. SO WHEN YOU SAID THERE'S BEEN NINE CHANGE ORDERS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY NINE CHANGE ORDERS AGAIN? YES, SIR. THE CHANGE ORDERS RESULT OF PRIMARILY DUE TO EQUIPMENT GOING TO ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE MANUFACTURER, THAT EQUIPMENT WAS GOING TO GO TO END OF LIFE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. SO BECAUSE WE HAD NOT INSTALLED THE EQUIPMENT YET, WE WERE ABLE TO TURN THAT EQUIPMENT BACK INTO THE MANUFACTURER AND REPLACE IT WITH EQUIPMENT THAT HAD A LONGER SERVICE LIFE THAN THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE ORIGINALLY INCLUDED IN THE AGREEMENT IN DECEMBER OF 2022. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE STATE'S CHANGE TO THE 911 SYSTEM REQUIRED US TO TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE OUR CURRENT COMPUTER ROOM OUT AT THE EOC THAT WAS GOING TO HOUSE THE EQUIPMENT FOR A CLOUD BASED SYSTEM WAS NOW GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO HOST THE EQUIPMENT ITSELF. WE DID NOT HAVE ROOM AT THE COMPUTER ROOM THERE, SO WE HAD ALSO A CHANGE ORDER THAT IMPACTED REQUIRED US TO BUY A BUILDING THAT WE COULD INSTALL THE EQUIPMENT IN. SO WE ALSO WERE NOTIFIED BY OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES DURING BRIEFINGS IN THE OPERATIONAL AREA ABOUT THE SYSTEM WE WERE IMPLEMENTING THAT EXPRESSED STRONG INTEREST IN ALSO PARTICIPATING IN THE SYSTEM ONCE THE SYSTEM WENT LIVE. AND SO WE ALSO BECAUSE AGAIN, WE HAD NOT INSTALLED ALL THE EQUIPMENT YET THAT WE WERE DOING, WE RESIZED SOME OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL AGENCIES WHEN THEY CAME ON BOARD IN EXCHANGE FOR SHARING THE COST FOR THAT SYSTEM, BUT ALSO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO REPLACE EQUIPMENT, EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT, AGAIN, TO BRING OTHER AGENCIES ON BOARD TO THE SYSTEM. AND FINALLY, SOME OF THE TOWER SITE OWNERS, A COUPLE THE TOWER SITE OWNERS. WE HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO USE SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY HAD ON THOSE SITES. THEY CHOSE NOT TO AT THE TIME. THEY HAD PLANNED ON REPLACING A GENERATOR, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THEY MADE A DECISION NOT TO DO THAT WHEN ONE OF THEIR TENANTS LEFT THE SITE, WHICH REQUIRED THE COUNTY THEN TO BUY A GENERATOR TO PLACE AT THAT SITE. SO THERE WERE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT CAME UP OVER WHILE WE WERE IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEM ITSELF [00:50:04] THAT ALLOWED US TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO BE THINKING OPERATIONALLY, STRATEGICALLY, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT COULD SUPPORT ALL OF OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS GOING FORWARD, AND WHERE WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO SPEND MONEY IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO REPLACE EQUIPMENT WHERE WE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF IT GOING TO END OF SERVICE LIFE. OKAY. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION. IT'S JUST FRUSTRATING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS THIS MANY CHANGE ORDERS IN ORDER TO IT SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THIS STUFF COULD HAVE BEEN MAPPED OUT, IF YOU WILL. I MEAN, IT SEEMS AS IF THIS IS LIKE, OH, WE DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS. AND IT'S KIND OF COMING UP. AND SO THE COST OF $5 MILLION, IT'S I MEAN, IT'S A LOT, RIGHT? BUT I MEAN, WE'RE TOO FAR IN. AND SO IT HAS TO GET DONE. SO I UNDERSTAND ALL THAT. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE SHOULD BE PROACTIVE AS OPPOSED TO REACTIVE WITH SOME OF THIS STUFF. SO I APPRECIATE THE UPDATE. YES, SIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. AND IF YOU REMEMBER, IN THIS LAST DECADE, EVERY TIME YOU BUY A NEW CELL PHONE THE NEXT YEAR, YOUR CELL PHONE WAS BASICALLY OUTDATED. SO I THINK THAT KIND OF FALLS INTO WHAT WE WERE DOING AS WELL WITH SOME OF THAT TECHNOLOGY. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MARK, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. SO QUESTION ONE IS, IS WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO RETURN THAT STUFF BACK TO THE VENDOR THAT WE HADN'T INSTALLED YET. YES, SIR. WHERE DID WE GET FULL PRICE FOR IT? YES, SIR. AND THEN THE COST DIFFERENCE, THE CHANGE ORDER WAS WHAT IT WOULD COST FOR THE NEW STUFF VERSUS PUTTING IT IN THE OLD STUFF. YES, SIR. OKAY. AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION, I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER. AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS THE ANSWER I WANT TO HEAR IS. SO WHEN THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE, THE FINAL PRODUCT. WE THEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO ANY OF OUR LOCAL, ANY OF OUR COUNTY AGENCIES THAT WANT TO JUMP ON THE SYSTEM IS NOT GOING TO REQUIRE US TO DO ANY ADDITIONAL UPGRADES. I IMAGINE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DO SOME INTERNAL STUFF, BUT AS FAR AS THE BUILDING THAT IT'S HOUSED AND ALL THAT WE PREPARED FOR ALL THAT SO THAT IF AFTER WE GET THIS UP AND RUNNING, ALL THE REST OF THE JURISDICTIONS DECIDE, HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE BEST OPTION FOR US IS TO JUMP ON BOARD WITH THIS RADIO SYSTEM THAT THE COUNTY HAS INSTALLED. WE'RE ABLE TO HANDLE ALL OF THAT. CORRECT? YES, SIR. AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION REGARDING THE STATE 911 STUFF, DID THEY GIVE US ANY MONEY FOR THAT. ANY OF THE REQUIRED CHANGES THAT THEY DID WERE WE ABLE TO RECEIVE ANY MONEY FROM THEM FROM FROM THE STATE. FROM THE STATE. YEAH. NO SIR. NO. THEY WHAT THE STATE DID IS THEY HAD PLANS IN OUR SYSTEM FOR. 911 IS A VERY OLD SYSTEM, AND THE STATE HAD ASKED US NOT TO REPLACE THAT SYSTEM. THIS IS THE SYSTEM DISPATCHERS USED TO TAKE 911 CALLS AND THEY ASKED US TO HOLD OFF REPLACING IT. THEY ACTUALLY SAID THEY WEREN'T GOING TO FUND IT UNLESS THEY WANTED US TO PUT A CLOUD BASED SYSTEM, A STATE HOSTED SYSTEM, OR MAYBE VENDOR HOSTED IN THE CLOUD. AND WHEN THAT PROJECT RAN INTO DELAYS, THEY AUTHORIZED COUNTIES AND AGENCIES TO PURCHASE SYSTEMS WITH FUNDING THAT THE STATE PROVIDES ALREADY. SO THE STATE PROVIDED THE FUNDING FOR US TO PURCHASE THESE SYSTEMS. IT JUST REQUIRED US TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS HOW WE WERE GOING TO SUPPORT THAT OPERATIONALLY FROM A FACILITY STANDPOINT, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. BUT THE STATE WAS FUNDING THOSE SYSTEMS. IT JUST REQUIRED US NOW TO HAVE TO ADJUST TO THE SPACE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE IN THE. SO THEY SO THEY DID FUND THAT PORTION. THEY DID. THEY FUND IT. THEY ARE FUNDING THAT PORTION. YES, SIR. OKAY. VERY GOOD. AND IT IS, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS IT'S FRUSTRATING THAT WE STARTED ON THIS IN 2010 IS WHEN YOU DID THE INITIAL STUDY, RIGHT. AND HERE WE ARE 16 YEARS LATER WITH A PRICE TAG OF $30 MILLION. BUT THE REALITY IS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE WEST SIDE OF THE COUNTY, THIS IS GOING TO GIVE US THE ABILITY TO HAVE RELIABLE WEATHER. THEY'RE TALKING FROM THE RADIOS, FROM THEIR CAR OR THEIR HANDHELD RADIOS. I KNOW THAT THIS WAS A CHALLENGE. A WHILE BACK, THERE WAS AN INCIDENT OUT IN DOS PALOS WHERE ONCE THEY WENT TO THEIR HANDHELD RADIOS WE WEREN'T ABLE, DISPATCH WASN'T ABLE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THEM. AND SO I ULTIMATELY, NO ONE WANTS TO SPEND $30 MILLION, BUT I THINK IT'S WELL WORTH IT. AND THAT OUR FOLKS ARE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE BACK TO DISPATCH AND INCOMING UNITS. AND THEN SECONDLY, I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TO EVERYBODY THAT THE EMS PORTION OF IT, IT MAKES SENSE TO ME IF WE'RE GOING TO UPGRADE THE SYSTEM, UPGRADING THE EMS PORTION OF IT, AND I KNOW THAT $2.5 MILLION CAME OUT OF SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT FUNDS. SO THESE ARE FUNDS THAT WHEN THE PROVIDER DOESN'T MAKE CALLS ON TIME, THEY PAY PENALTIES. AND THAT GOES INTO AN ACCOUNT THAT ENHANCES THE OVERALL SYSTEM. AND I KNOW I'M PROUD THAT THAT WAS BROUGHT TO US. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT MADE SENSE TO ME, RIGHT? THAT WE'RE TAKING DOLLARS THAT AT THAT TIME, SIMPSON RIGGS WAS PENALIZED FOR NOT MAKING CALLS ON TIME. AND NOW WE'RE ABLE TO BETTER UPGRADE THE SYSTEM WITH IT SO THAT 2.5 MILLION OF THAT 5 MILLION OVERRUNS WAS PAID FOR OUT OF THE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT FUNDS AND NOT DIDN'T COME [00:55:07] FROM, PER SE, THE GENERAL FUND. SO THANK YOU. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING WHETHER YOU OR THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT COME BACK IN APRIL AND THEN A LITTLE LATER ON IN JULY OF NEXT YEAR AND TELL US HOW GREAT THE SYSTEM IS WORKING, BECAUSE WHAT I WOULD HATE TO HAPPEN IS, IS WE SPENT $30 MILLION ON A SYSTEM AND IT DOESN'T PROVIDE THE ACTUAL COVERAGE THAT WE'RE PROMISED. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S PROBABLY CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS THAT REQUIRE THAT. BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR FOLKS HAVING THE TOOLS NECESSARY TO DO THEIR JOBS. THANK YOU SIR. YES. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PACHECO. THANK YOU CHAIR. YEAH, SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT I ALREADY HAD. BUT YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATION IS KEY. I'M IN MY FORMER LIFE, I HAD TO USE THAT RADIO SYSTEM AND IT'S YOUR LIFELINE TO DISPATCH INTO YOUR INCOMING UNITS. SO I'M EXCITED FOR THIS PROJECT AND LOOKING FORWARD MOVING FORWARD TO ENHANCE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFELY DOING THEIR JOBS. BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EVERYBODY. BUT THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR MOVING THIS FORWARD TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S SAFE. THANK YOU. THANKS, MARK, FOR EVEN COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT AND CONTINUING THIS PROGRAM. SO APPRECIATE THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT WANTS TO ADD WHAT'S THIS GOING TO DO FOR YOU GUYS? GOOD MORNING BOARD COREY GIBSON, UNDERSHERIFF MERCED COUNTY. YEAH, THIS IS DRASTICALLY GOING TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS COUNTYWIDE. WE'RE ALREADY TALKING WITH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS ABOUT JOINING THE SYSTEM. THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE CAPABILITIES WITHIN THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM ARE MUCH GREATER THAN JUST PUSH TO TALK. THERE'S THE ABILITY TO TALK OVER LTE CONNECT UNITS AND COMMUNICATE ACROSS THE COUNTY. WE CAN LOSE LITERALLY HALF THE SYSTEM AND THE SYSTEM IS STILL GOING TO FUNCTION. SO DURING AN EMERGENCY YOU KNOW, A CATASTROPHIC DISASTER, IT'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE NECESSARY COMMUNICATIONS THAT'S REQUIRED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL. OKAY. THANK YOU COREY. I SEE NOBODY IN THE QUEUE. AT THIS TIME. I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING THIS PRESENTATION. I WILL CHECK TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY ONLINE. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY IN THE QUEUE. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS PRESENTATION IS NOW CLOSED. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS 1 THROUGH 12. [CONSENT CALENDAR] PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE REQUIRE A 4/5 VOTE. PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. FOR THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. FOR OUR REMOTE ATTENDEES, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE ON ZOOM OR PRESS STAR NINE IF YOU ARE CALLING BY PHONE. TO BETTER FACILITATE THE MEETING AND ENSURE FAIRNESS, WE WILL START WITH FIVE SPEAKERS IN PERSON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE REMOTE SPEAKERS UNTIL THE TIME IS EXPIRED. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS 1 THROUGH 12. SEEING NONE. I WILL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY IN THE QUEUE. IS THERE NOBODY IN THE QUEUE OR JUST NOBODY WANTING TO SPEAK? NOBODY WISHING TO SPEAK. OKAY. THANK YOU. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS 1 THROUGH 12 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS? IF NOT, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. I'LL CALL FOR THE VOTE. YES YOU DID. LET'S RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NOW WE HAVE PRESENTATIONS FOR THE [Additional Item] PROCLAMATIONS THAT WERE RECOGNIZED DURING THAT MOVE, IF I CAN ASK. THE NATIONAL HEALTH CENTERS WEEK COMING UP, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS TO THE FRONT. IF I COULD ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO JOIN ME UP FRONT. [01:00:04] COME ON UP. AND FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS NOT A CITY COUNCIL MEETING WITH ALL THESE PROCLAMATIONS. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD WELCOME UP FRONT. GOOD TO SEE YOU FOLKS AGAIN. ON BEHALF OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT. WE DO THIS PROCLAMATION EVERY YEAR, AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS STEPPING UP AND WANTING TO RECOGNIZE IT. I ALWAYS SAY EVERY YEAR AND I HAVE WORKED TOGETHER FOR THESE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT HERE BECAUSE WE ARE SHORT ON PROVIDERS HERE IN MERCED COUNTY AND HERE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY AS WELL. SO APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AND ADVOCATING ON BRINGING PROVIDERS HERE INTO THE, INTO THE VALLEY TO FOR OUR FOLKS. BUT ON BEHALF OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WE RECOGNIZE YOU AND APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. AND I WILL TURN IT OVER. ARE YOU SPEAKING TODAY? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS ALEX CEBALLOS. I'M THE GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS MANAGER FOR GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS. I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK AND HONORING THE WORK THAT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS DO. EVERY YEAR, THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST GIVES US A TIME TO REFLECT ON THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TO INCREASE ACCESS TO CARE AND INCREASE THE QUALITY OF CARE IN MERCED COUNTY. JUST THIS YEAR, WE'VE EXPANDED OUR PHARMACY SERVICES IN MERCED AT OUR SANDPIPER AVENUE CLINIC. WE RECENTLY DEMOLISHED AND ARE PLANNING TO REBUILD OUR PLANADA CLINIC. IT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE PLANADA FLOODS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND WE RECENTLY JUST FINISHED RENOVATING OUR LE GRAND CLINIC, WHICH WE ARE ACTUALLY CELEBRATING WITH A GRAND REOPENING CEREMONY ON AUGUST 3RD AT 10 A.M., WHICH EVERYONE HERE IS INVITED. SO I'M HOPING WE COULD SEE YOU GUYS. WE'LL HAVE RAFFLES, MUSIC, FOOD, AND TOURS OF THE CLINIC. AND THANK YOU GUYS. NO THANK YOU. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THEY DO MORE THAN JUST HEALTH CARE. YOUR ADVOCACY IN SACRAMENTO AND WASHINGTON, D.C. IS HUGE FOR THE VALLEY. SO ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH THE CERTIFICATE, AND WE'LL JUMP IN HERE FOR PICTURE. THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO, MAN. YOU'RE WELCOME. SORRY FOR THE TECHNICAL DELAYS. YOU GUYS GOT TO STICK AROUND. IT'S THEIRS. IT SHOULD HAVE WENT WITH THE CERTIFICATE. ALSO. YEAH. THAT'S THE PROBLEM. IS THIS THE NEXT ONE? ALZHEIMER'S. OKAY. AND IF I GET THE MONTH OF JUNE WAS OBSERVED AS ALZHEIMER'S AND BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH. AND ALTHOUGH THE MONTH HAS PASSED, WE'D LIKE TO MAKE A PRESENTATION OF A PROCLAMATION TO ALZHEIMER'S AND BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH. ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION WALK COMMITTEE IF YOU COULD PLEASE COME UP. APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING FOR THIS AWARENESS. AND IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY HERE WHO LOOKS VERY FAMILIAR, MARIO BEING WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR MANY YEARS HAS ACTUALLY STEPPED UP IN THIS ROLE AND HAS REALLY STEPPED UP THE AWARENESS AND ALL THE WORK HE'S DOING HERE THROUGHOUT THE, THE WHOLE VALLEY. BUT ON BEHALF OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WE DID PROCLAIM LAST MONTH BUT IN APPRECIATION OF THAT, WE DID WANT TO GIVE YOU THE PROCLAMATION AND FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE GOING TO DO, WHO IS GOING TO SPEAK ON BEHALF. OH MARK? GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, MEMBERS OF. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, [01:05:01] AND MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. MY NAME IS MARK MATTHEWS, AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING AS A VOLUNTEER WITH THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION AND AS A MEMBER OF THE MERCED COUNTY WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S COMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF OUR ENTIRE COMMITTEE THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ALZHEIMER'S AND BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPACT THIS DISEASE HAS ON FAMILIES THROUGHOUT MERCED COUNTY. YOUR SUPPORT HELPS BRING VISIBILITY TO AN ISSUE THAT TOUCHES SO MANY PEOPLE, OFTEN IN WAYS THAT AREN'T IMMEDIATELY SEEN. ALZHEIMER'S IS MORE THAN MEMORY LOSS. IT CHANGES RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILIES, AND ENTIRE SUPPORT SYSTEMS. BEHIND EVERY DIAGNOSIS IS A CAREGIVER, A SPOUSE, A CHILD, A FRIEND, OR A NEIGHBOR WHO IS NAVIGATING CHALLENGES THAT NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO FACE ALONE. THAT IS WHY AWARENESS MATTERS. IT ENCOURAGES CONVERSATIONS, REDUCES STIGMA, AND REMINDS FAMILIES THAT THERE ARE RESOURCES, SUPPORT AND A COMMUNITY STANDING BESIDE THEM. OUR COMMITTEE, HAS BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO BUILD AN EVEN STRONGER WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, AND WE'D LOVE FOR EVERYONE TO BE A PART OF IT. I INVITE OUR COMMUNITY TO JOIN US ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD AT APPLEGATE PARK. WHETHER YOU REGISTER A TEAM, VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME, MAKE A DONATION, OR SIMPLY WALK OUT OR COME OUT TO WALK IN SUPPORT OF SOMEONE YOU LOVE, EVERY PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES HELPS MOVE US CLOSER TO A WORLD WITHOUT ALZHEIMER'S AND ALL OTHER DEMENTIA. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER'S OR YOU'RE CARING FOR A LOVED ONE, PLEASE KNOW YOU ARE NOT ALONE. THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION PROVIDES EDUCATION, SUPPORT GROUPS, CARE RESOURCES AND A FREE 24 OVER SEVEN HELPLINE STAFFED BY DEMENTIA EXPERTS WHO ARE READY TO HELP WHENEVER IT'S NEEDED. THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR THIS PROCLAMATION AND FOR STANDING WITH THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THIS MISSION. HI, MY NAME IS HORTENCIO SILVA AND I'M A LEGISLATOR OF AMBASSADOR REPRESENTING THIS DISTRICT 13 AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. MY CONNECTION TO ALZHEIMER'S WAS WHEN MY FATHER WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. HE WAS MISDIAGNOSED UNTIL HE PASSED AWAY. IT'S WHEN WE FOUND OUT MY DAD HAD ALZHEIMER'S. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR CAUSE. YOU'RE WEARING PURPLE. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT. HOPEFULLY WE'LL TURN THE WHOLE TOWN INTO PURPLE. MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT THIS WEEK, WHICH I HAVE BEEN WORKING SUCCESSFULLY AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL, WAS CONTACTING OUR CONGRESSMAN, ADAM GRAY. WHAT A JOURNEY. SINCE MARCH 9TH BUT I DID NOT GIVE UP. WHAT I ASKED CONGRESSMAN GRAY, WHICH HE IS SUPPORTING TWO OF OUR BILLS, WAS THAT ONE OF THEM WE CALL IT THE MEMORIAL, THE MEMOGRAM A YEAR, BECAUSE WITHOUT BEING TESTED, WE WON'T KNOW WHETHER WE HAVE ALZHEIMER'S OR NOT. MY DAD PASSED AWAY FROM ALZHEIMER'S. I WEAR HIS PICTURE PROUDLY. MY MOM, I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY, HAS ALZHEIMER'S ALSO. SO MY CHANCES OF GETTING ALZHEIMER'S JUST INCREASE. SO WHAT I ASKED CONGRESSMAN GRAY WAS TO ASK WAS TO SUPPORT THE [INAUDIBLE] ASAP GRANT, WHICH IS TO GIVE MEDICARE ACCESS TO PAY FOR THE TEST. HE SUPPORTED HE'S ONE OF MANY CONGRESSMEN THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES THAT WILL SUPPORT IT. SO WHAT THAT MEANS THAT MEDICARE WILL PAY FOR OUR TESTS, OUR BLOOD TESTS, WHICH COSTS ABOUT $900 FOR THE FIRST TEST. AND BEING THAT HIS DISTRICT IS 91% MEDI-CAL, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THEM. THE OTHER ONE THAT HE IS SUPPORTING ALSO, WHICH I MET WITH HIM YESTERDAY, IS THE ADAP, WHICH REQUIRES MORE TRAINING FOR THE PHYSICIANS TO FIND TO CURE OR TO SEE THAT WE ARE IN NEED OF A DIAGNOSIS. I CAME BACK AND THERE WAS A 32 YEAR OLD GENTLEMAN WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S. SO IT'S NOT AN OLD PEOPLE'S ILLNESS ANYMORE. IT IS RECOGNIZED AS ANYBODY CAN GET IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. NO. AND ONCE AGAIN, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AS WELL AS OUR DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, CEO, HENDRICKSON, AS WELL, FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. TRULY AN HONOR TO BE HERE THIS MORNING, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONNECTING WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS IN YOUR DISTRICTS, AS WELL AS WORKING WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS AREAS. BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE. THIS MEANS TRULY A LOT TO ALL OF US HERE AS WELL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NO. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, ON BEHALF OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH A CERTIFICATE. AND IF YOU COULD, WE'LL PAUSE FOR A PHOTO. [01:10:43] NEXT, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME UP DEPUTY CHIEF DAFFRON, WHO WILL PROVIDE COMMENTS REGARDING ITEM NUMBER SIX, THE PROCLAMATION DECLARING JULY 19TH THROUGH 25TH, 2026 AS PRETRIAL, PROBATION AND PAROLE SUPERVISION WEEK. HOW ARE YOU? THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, COUNTY COUNSEL HANSEN AND CEO HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THIS UPCOMING WEEK AS PRETRIAL, PROBATION AND PAROLE SUPERVISION WEEK. IT'S ONE TIME OUT OF THE YEAR THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK THAT OUR STAFF DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT, SOMETIMES IN THE BACKGROUND. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT PROBATION DOES AS A WHOLE, BUT THIS IS A WEEK FOR US TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS DO AND GREATLY APPRECIATE THE RECOGNITION. IT'S REALLY THE STAFF THAT COME TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT PUT IN THE HARD WORK AND REALLY TRYING TO WORK WITH THE HIGHEST RISK POPULATION IN OUR COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY BALANCE ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT ALSO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE, WHETHER THAT'S AN ADULT OR A JUVENILE OR EVEN AT OUR JUVENILE HALL. SO THIS IS TO THE STAFF MEMBERS THAT ARE OUT THERE WORKING HARD DAY IN AND DAY OUT, 24 HOURS A DAY, ESPECIALLY AT THE JUVENILE HALL. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECOGNITION FROM THIS BOARD. I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. NO, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING AS WELL. ON BEHALF OF THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS PROCLAMATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. CHAIR. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO BOARD ACTION. BOARD ACTION ITEMS PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. [BOARD ACTION] FOR THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. FOR OUR REMOTE ATTENDEES, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE ON ZOOM OR PRESS STAR NINE NINE IF YOU ARE CALLING BY PHONE. TO BETTER FACILITATE THE MEETING AND ENSURE FAIRNESS WE WILL START WITH FIVE SPEAKERS IN PERSON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE REMOTE SPEAKERS UNTIL THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. WELL, WE ARE NOW GOING TO BEGIN WITH PUBLIC WORKS, BUT THAT ITEM HAS BEEN PULLED. ITEM 13 HAS BEEN PULLED. NEXT WE HAVE HEALTH. ITEM 14. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER 14. I'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR. NO. NO REMOTE SPEAKERS. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ITEM NUMBER 14 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS. IS THERE A FURTHER DISCUSSION UP HERE? I SEE NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT WE HAVE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. ITEM 15. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY ITEM NUMBER 15. SEEING NOBODY IN THE ROOM, I'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, NO REMOTE SPEAKERS. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY ITEM 15 IS NOW CLOSED. BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. I HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. [01:15:04] WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT WE HAVE SHERIFF. ITEM 16. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR SHERIFF ITEM NUMBER 16. I'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS. OKAY. NORMA C, YOU HAVE BEEN UNMUTED. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIR, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY LEADERS AND FELLOW RESIDENTS. I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TO ASK TO REJECT THE EXTENSION OF THE FLOCK SAFETY CAMERA CONTRACT EXTENSION IN OUR COMMUNITY. FLOCK SAFETY AND COMPANIES LIKE THIS SUCH AS AXON, MOTOROLA DILIGENT SOLUTIONS, GENETIC VECTOR AND OTHERS ARE BUILDING SOMETHING FAR BIGGER THAN TRAFFIC CAMERAS. THESE AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS SCAN EVERY CAR THAT PASSES, WHETHER OR NOT THE DRIVER IS SUSPECTED OF ANYTHING. THEY LOGGED THE PLATE, THE MAKE MODEL COLOR, EVEN BUMPER STICKERS AND DENTS, AND THEY TIMESTAMP AND GEOLOCATE EVERY SCAN. THAT DATA DOESN'T STAY LOCAL. IT FEEDS INTO A SHARED CLOUD BASED DATABASE THAT OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY CAN SEARCH, OFTEN WITH LITTLE OVERSIGHT AND NO WARRANT. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR CAR TELLS ABOUT YOU. IT TAKES YOU TO YOUR DOCTOR, YOUR CHURCH OR MOSQUE. A PROTEST IN X'S HOUSE, AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RECOGNIZED IN CARPENTER V UNITED STATES THAT THIS KIND OF COMPREHENSIVE LOCATION TRACKING THREATENS THE PRIVACY OF THE FOURTH AMENDMENT WAS WRITTEN TO PROTECT. IN THIS CASE, IT IS OBSERVED THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS SOMETHING THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE A VIRTUAL TIME MACHINE THAT CAN PULL UP ANYONE'S PAST MOVEMENTS AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON. BECAUSE A L P R LOCATION DATA CAN REVEAL DETAILED PRIVATE AND PERSONAL DETAILS ABOUT INDIVIDUALS, IT IS INCREASINGLY USED TO SURVEIL POLITICALLY VULNERABLE GROUPS. THIS ISN'T HYPOTHETICAL AT THE MOMENT, WHEN FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS FACED SERIOUS LEGAL CHALLENGES OVER WARRANTLESS ENTRIES, QUESTIONABLE DETAINERS, AND PROFILING, WE SHOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT CONTINUING TO HAVE A NATIONWIDE TRACKING NETWORK MORE REACH INTO OUR COUNTY AND COMMUNITY. ONE BUILT BY A PRIVATE VENDOR GOVERNED BY CONTRACT TERMS MOST RESIDENTS NEVER SEE. WITH MINIMAL TRANSPARENCY INTO WHO CAN SEARCH INTO THAT NETWORK, WHY AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DATA AFTERWARD. I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO IGNORE PUBLIC SAFETY. I'M ASKING YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT NO AMOUNT OF FINE PRINT DATA, RETENTION LIMITS, AUDIT CLAUSES, ACCESS RESTRICTIONS FIXES THE CORE PROBLEM. ONCE THIS NETWORK OF CAMERAS IS IN PLACE, OUR COMMUNITY'S MOVEMENTS BECOME PERMANENTLY AVAILABLE TO ANY AGENCY WITH A LOGIN, AND THERE'S NO REAL WAY TO UNDO THAT ONCE IT'S BUILT. FLOCK DOES NOT BELONG IN MERCED COUNTY. I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE THE EXTENSION, SO PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS EXTENSION. IN OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE SURVEILLANCE NETWORK AND LET THIS CONTRACT EXPIRE. PLEASE DO NOT RENEW THIS CONTRACT AS WRITTEN. OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES OVERSIGHT BEFORE IT DESERVES MORE CAMERAS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. MARILYN S, YOU HAVE BEEN UNMUTED. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. I AM HERE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST AWARDING THE $300,000 FOR FLOCK CAMERAS, THEREBY EXTENDING THE FLOCK CONTRACT FOR THREE YEARS. FIRST, I SEE NO REASON TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT PAST 2027. HAS THERE BEEN ANY EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE CAMERAS? HAVE THEY REDUCED TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY? IF THERE HAVE BEEN REDUCTIONS, CAN THEY BE TIED TO THE USE OF CAMERAS, OR ARE THERE OTHER LESS INTRUSIVE MEASURES THAT ARE JUST AS OR MORE EFFECTIVE? THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE CONTRACT AND IT SEEMS EXCESSIVE. WE CONSTANTLY HEAR HOW LITTLE MONEY THERE IS FOR SERVICES. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN PLANADA THAT ARE STILL WAITING TO GET THE MOLD OUT OF THEIR HOUSES, AND YET WE HAVE $300,000 FOR SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WILL WORK. AND THAT IS A VERY INTRUSIVE AND POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA LAWS AND OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. WE KNOW THAT MANY CITIES ARE ARE ENDING THEIR CONTRACTS WITH FLOCK FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT REASONS. SOME OF THESE REASONS INCLUDE INEFFECTIVENESS AND ABUSE. POLICE OFFICERS ABUSED ACCESS TO CAMERAS TO SPY ON FORMER PARTNERS OR TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN UNAUTHORIZED INVESTIGATIONS. FLOCK CAMERAS HAVE MADE MISTAKES THAT HAVE LED TO CONFRONTATIONS WITH INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND THERE IS A LONG HISTORY OF BIASED ENFORCEMENT, WITH SURVEILLANCE DATA BEING USED MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR THAN WHITE PEOPLE, EVEN FOR THE SAME INFRACTIONS. FLOCK HAS CONTRACTS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND WITH CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHETHER THEY'RE MAKING USE OF CAMERAS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THESE AGENCIES IN VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA LAW. [01:20:04] I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF USE WE ARE MAKING OF FLOCK DATA HERE IN MERCED COUNTY BEFORE WE APPROVE A LONG TERM CONTRACT WITH FLOCK. FLOCK HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY DISHONEST WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THE DATA IT COLLECTS AND HOW IT CAN BE USED. THEY HAVE LIED TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS, AND EVEN LIED TO A POLICE CHIEF ABOUT DATA COLLECTION. THEIR PROTECTIONS AGAINST THE ILLEGAL USE OF FLOCK DATA BY POLICE DEPARTMENTS IS WEAK. IN OREGON, POLICE ENTERED THE WORDS HEY, HEY, HEY IN THE SEARCH FUNCTION AND WERE GIVEN ACCESS TO FLOCK DATA. IN SAN JOSE, THE POLICE USED FLOCK TO COLLECT LOCATION DATA WITHOUT WARRANTS. THEY ARE NOW DEFENDANTS IN A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEIR ILLEGAL COLLECTION OF INFORMATION. DO WE HAVE THE MONEY TO FIGHT A LAWSUIT IN MERCED COUNTY IF WE ALSO USE FLOCK INFORMATION ILLEGALLY. DO WE HAVE CONTROLS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT SUCH ILLEGAL USE DOES NOT HAPPEN? PLEASE VOTE AGAINST THIS CONTRACT. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE PURCHASE WITH NO CLEAR PUBLIC PURPOSE, NO OBVIOUS PROTECTIVE PROCEDURES IN PLACE, AND NO DATA ON ITS VALUE TO MERCED COUNTY. WE HAVE BETTER USES FOR THIS MONEY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UNDERSHERIFF GIBSON, WOULD YOU MIND ANSWERING A QUESTION OR TWO? YEAH. AT THE SAME TIME, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE OUT PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. I DIDN'T DO THAT OFFICIALLY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YEAH. CAN CAN YOU TELL US WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION THAT THE CAMERAS COLLECT? YES. SO THIS IS AN AMENDMENT TO OUR CURRENT CONTRACT. THIS IS GOING TO ESTABLISH SOME CAMERAS OUT AT ANIMAL SERVICES, BUT OUR FLOCK DATA IS SHARED WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SHARE DATA WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES. CALIFORNIA LAW IS PRETTY STRICT ON THAT. AND SO WE CONTROL WHO HAS ACCESS TO OUR DATA. IT'S NOT IN A FLOCK DATABASE. IT'S IN A SHERIFF'S OFFICE DATABASE. AND WE SHARE WITH OTHER LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT WE SO CHOOSE. AND THEN WITH THAT, SHARING IT WITH OTHER AGENCIES, WOULD THAT REQUIRE WARRANTS OR NOT? NO, IT DOES NOT REQUIRE A SEARCH WARRANT. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEARCH IN THE SYSTEM BASED ON A LICENSE PLATE OR A TYPE OF VEHICLE. IT'S BEEN A VERY GOOD TOOL, AN INVESTIGATIVE TOOL. WE'VE SOLVED A LOT OF HOMICIDES BASED OFF LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY. THE OTHER LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES EITHER USE FLOCK OR THEY USE OTHER, OTHER VENDORS. AND WHEN AVAILABLE, WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH EACH OTHER WHEN SO ASKED. AND THEN SO DOES FLOCK HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION AND DATA? IT'S OUR DATA. FLOCK ACTUALLY IS THE PROVIDER. THEY WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE DATA IN ANY WAY OR SELL THE DATA IN ANY WAY. LIKE CONTRACTUALLY THAT'S IN THE CONTRACT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. AND SO THE INFORMATION THEY'RE SAYING THAT'S IN THE CLOUD THAT IS WITHIN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM ONLY IN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. SO IT'S IN THE GOVERNMENT CLOUD. SO IT'S ANOTHER LEVEL OF SCRUTINY WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESS. SO THE DATA IS MORE SECURE THAN JUST ON A COMMERCIAL CLOUD OR ON A REGULAR YOU KNOW, AMAZON CLOUD. THERE'S MORE RESILIENCY IN THE SYSTEM TO NOT ALLOW DATA BREACHES AND CYBER ATTACKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PACHECO. THANK YOU CHAIR. JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP, AS YOU MENTIONED MEN SPYING ON GIRLFRIENDS AND THAT KIND OF THING. YOU HAVE TO HAVE LIKE A CASE NUMBER OR SOMETHING WHEN YOU TRY TO ACCESS THAT DATA OR HAVE A REASON. YES. YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ACTUAL REASON TO LOOK AT THE INFORMATION. THERE'S SOME ABILITIES IN WHICH THE SYSTEM IS AUDITED. AND SO WE DON'T ALLOW SYSTEM JUST TO LOOK, I'M LOOKING FOR, I SAW SOMETHING AND I WANT TO LOOK AT FOR A PARTICULAR CAR. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE SYSTEM IN THAT WAY. THE. YOU WILL YOU'LL BE PENALIZED AT WORK FOR DOING SO. SO THERE'S TRACKING OF ACCESS. YES, ABSOLUTELY. TO THE DATA. EVERY EVERY SEARCH, EVERY THING THAT A USER DOES IN THE SYSTEM IS TRACKED. AND THERE'S AN AUDIT ON THAT. YES. VERY GOOD. I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE QUEUE. I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION OF A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT, WE HAVE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ITEM 17 THROUGH 20. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ITEM 17 THROUGH 20. [01:25:09] WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ITEM 17 THROUGH 20 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. IF NOT, I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT WE HAVE ELECTIONS. ITEMS 21 AND 22. GO AHEAD. OUR REGISTRAR OF VOTERS. NOT QUITE AS TALL AS THE UNDERSHERIFF. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN MCDANIEL. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CEO HENDRICKSON, COUNTY COUNCIL HANSEN AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS MEL LEVY I'M THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS. THE ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT HAS TWO ITEMS ON THE REGULAR CALENDAR THIS MORNING. ITEM 21 IS THE RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF LOCAL ELECTIONS. WITH THIS NOVEMBER'S GENERAL ELECTION PURSUANT TO THE CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE AND OTHER RELEVANT STATE CODE, THE COUNTY, MERCED'S COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH CITIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS FOR MONTHS TO ENSURE THAT THE MANY OFFICES AND MEASURES TO BE VOTED ON THIS FALL WILL BE ADMINISTERED AS ONE ELECTION. THE SECOND ITEM BEFORE YOU IS ITEM 22, A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE MERCED COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION OR MERCED SARA ELECTION THIS OCTOBER. CODES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THIS ELECTION ARE DIFFERENT IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS FROM THE FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS THAT GOVERN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. THE DIFFERENCES IN ADMINISTERING THIS RETIREMENT BOARD ELECTION ARE A BIG REASON WHY THE TIMELINE FOR THESE ELECTIONS DO NOT MIRROR THE STATE AND LOCAL ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER. THE MERCED COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION BYLAWS STIPULATE THAT THE ELECTION MAY BE CONDUCTED BY THE MERCED COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, WHO MAY ESTABLISH THE FILING DATES FOR CANDIDATES, THE METHOD OF ELECTION, ALL ELECTION RULES, THE ELECTION DATE AND WHO SHALL CONDUCT THE ELECTION AND CERTIFY THE RESULTS. I WILL NOTE COORDINATION AND PLANNING WITH MERCED SARA BEGAN IN THE SPRING, AND A MAILER WAS SENT OUT TO ALL MEMBERS LAST WEEK NOTIFYING THEM OF THE ELECTION. THE COST OF THAT MAILING WILL BE REIMBURSED BY MERCED SARA, AS IS OUTLINED IN THEIR RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE ELECTION. BUT I DO WANT YOU TO ALSO KNOW THAT I'LL BE REVIEWING OUR TIMELINES FOR HOW WE CONDUCT THOSE ELECTIONS IN THE FUTURE TO DETERMINE WHAT ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ONLY AFTER THE RESOLUTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU. FOR INSTANCE, THE MAILER BEING SENT OUT. SO I WANTED TO MAKE NOTE OF THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I DO HAVE A QUESTION BY CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MEL, NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION. IT'S JUST A THANK YOU. I, YOU KNOW, I GOT A LOT OF I HAD A LOT OF FOLKS FROM OUT, ESPECIALLY IN LOS BANOS WHO REACHED OUT. I KNOW THAT THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS OFFICE IS SETTING UP A WHERE YOU CAN MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, BUT THEY'RE DOING IT IN LOS BANOS. SO IF FOR SOME, A LOT OF YOUR LOCAL ELECTED POSITIONS, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED YOUR 20 SIGNATURES, THEY WOULD HAVE TO COME OVER HERE AND FILE THE PAPERWORK AND THEN GO BACK. SO A LOT OF THANKS FROM THOSE FOLKS THAT YOU GUYS DECIDED, HEY, TO TRY TO HELP OUT ON A CERTAIN DAY. IT'S COMING UP PRETTY SOON, ISN'T IT? THAT'S RIGHT. SO THIS IS THE FIRST ELECTION THAT WE'VE KIND OF CONDUCTED THIS PILOT PROGRAM WHERE WE HAVE OUR STAFF ON LOCATION ON THE WEST SIDE FOR CANDIDATE FILING APPOINTMENTS. TO YOUR POINT IN PRIOR ELECTIONS, CANDIDATES ON THE WEST SIDE HAD TO COME OUT HERE TO MERCED TO OUR OFFICE FOR MULTIPLE APPOINTMENTS. AND SO KIND OF IN AN EFFORT TO, TO, YOU KNOW, REDUCE THEIR TRAVELING AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION AMONGST FOLKS ON THE WEST SIDE. WE'VE COORDINATED WITH THE CITY OF LOS BANOS TO KIND OF BORROW SOME SPACE IN THEIR CITY HALL. THE FIRST TWO DAYS THAT WE'LL BE OUT THERE, WE'LL HAVE A TEAM OUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE THIS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AND THEN WE WILL HAVE TWO DAYS THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST THAT OUR TEAM WILL BE BACK OUT THERE TO KIND OF COMPLETE FILINGS WITH FOLKS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN TELLING FOLKS IS THAT IF THEY'RE ON THE WEST SIDE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEND A COUPLE HOURS ON THE ROAD THEY CAN COORDINATE WITH OUR TEAM AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE OUT THERE FOR THEM. PERFECT. THANK YOU. AND YEAH, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. I KNOW THAT THAT MEANS A LOT. YOU KNOW, FOR SOME OF THOSE I'LL CALL THEM LESSER POSITIONS. BUT YOU KNOW, LIKE YOUR CITY TREASURER, YOUR CITY CLERK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS THAT DON'T WORK WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT ENTITY. AND THEN TO HAVE TO TAKE TIME OFF TO COME OVER HERE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO FILE, I THINK IT REALLY HELPS THEM OUT. SO THANK YOU AND KUDOS FOR DOING THAT. APPRECIATE IT. YEAH. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YEAH. NO, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN TO I KNOW THIS IS A SUPER BUSY TIME AND YOU'RE GEARING UP FOR THE SUPER BOWL, [01:30:06] IF YOU WILL. SO AND I THINK YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB IN THE JUNE ELECTION. I KNOW THAT'S COMING UP ALSO, BUT I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFF ARE DOING. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LOOKS LIKE CHAIR NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE MR. SILVEIRA AGAIN. ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT M SARA? AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I READ SOMETHING TODAY THAT THE GOVERNOR IS GOING TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOME MORE MONEY TO SPEED UP YOUR VOTE COUNTING FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. $40 MILLION DOLLARS THAT HE HAS GIVEN. THAT'S I THINK THAT'S THE NUMBER ALL THE US. ACTUALLY THIS THIS WAS A HOT TOPIC AT LAST WEEK'S ANNUAL CACEO THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS AND ELECTIONS OFFICIALS CONFERENCE. THERE'S ABOUT $29 MILLION IN THE BUDGET EARMARKED TO GO TO THE COUNTIES SPECIFICALLY TO, AS YOU SAID, KIND OF ASSIST WITH BALLOT PROCESSING. THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILLION OR SO EARMARKED FOR OUTREACH FROM THE COUNTIES AND THEN APPROXIMATELY $5 MILLION OF OUTREACH FROM THE STATE. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED GUIDANCE YET FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY MERCED COUNTY CAN EXPECT OF THAT POT. YOU KNOW, BASED ON A KIND OF A ROUGH CALCULATION OF OUR NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS AS COMPARED TO THE STATE NUMBER, I WOULD THINK THAT WE'RE SOMEWHERE IN THE ORDER OF $170,000 TO $200,000, WHICH IS HELPFUL. WE WILL CERTAINLY NEVER TURN DOWN MONEY FROM STATE OR FEDERAL PARTNERS. BUT ONE OF THE TOPICS OR KIND OF ONE OF THE THREE LINES THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK WAS THIS IDEA OF ONE TIME MONEY AND WHAT WE CAN REASONABLY AND RESPONSIBLY PUT THE ONE TIME MONEY TO IMPROVE PROCESSES VERSUS, YOU KNOW, AN ONGOING COMMITMENT FROM THE STATE WHICH CANDIDLY, THERE HAVE BEEN CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN CACEO AND OUR STATE YOU KNOW, OUR STATE PARTNERS. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT LOCAL OFFICIALS WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MORE OF AN ONGOING COMMITMENT FROM THE STATE TO ASSIST WITH SOME OF THESE PROCESSES. SO WE'RE STARTING TO EVALUATE KIND OF WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO ALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA ONCE WE SEE WHAT THAT FINAL NUMBER IS. I LIKE THAT HE PROVIDED THOSE COMMENTS BECAUSE IN THAT SAME ARTICLE. YOUR ASSOCIATION DID PROVIDE THAT AS WELL. THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT WAS GOING TO BENEFIT, BUT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO TURN AWAY THE MONEY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ELECTIONS ITEMS 21 AND 22. I'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ITEM 21 AND 22 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. IF NOT, I DO HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. PLEASE RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT, WE HAVE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER. ITEMS 23 AND 24 PLEASE NOTE WE WILL TAKE THESE ITEMS SEPARATELY. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THIS MORNING ARE ACTUALLY TWO ITEMS THAT REPRESENT YOUR NEXT STEP IN STRENGTHENING THE LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE PROGRAM, SOMETHING THAT THIS BOARD HAS EXERCISED LEADERSHIP UPON. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BASED UPON THE COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION THAT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE BALDWIN GROUP, WHICH ARE BOARD AUTHORIZED AS A PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND LONG TERM PLANNING. THE FIRST ITEM REQUEST AUTHORITY TO UTILIZE UP TO ABOUT 3.3 MILLION FROM THE COUNTY'S POST-EMPLOYMENT TRUST TO REIMBURSE ELIGIBLE RETIREE HEALTH CARE COSTS INCURRED DURING FISCAL YEAR 25-26. THIS TRUST WAS SPECIFICALLY ESTABLISHED TO FUND RETIREE HEALTH CARE OBLIGATIONS, AND BALDWIN'S ANALYSIS CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS IN A STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION. USING THESE FUNDS FOR THIS INTENDED PURPOSE IS A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE STEP. IT HELPS REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT ACTIVE EMPLOYEES CURRENTLY SUBSIDIZE RETIREE HEALTH CARE COSTS AND SUPPORTS AGAIN, THE LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF BOTH RETIREE AND EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLANS. SO BEGINNING WITH FISCAL YEAR 26, 27, STAFF WILL BE INCLUDING THIS FUNDING APPROACH AS A PART OF YOUR FINAL BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS. THE SECOND ITEM ESTABLISHES. AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD EXPRESSED INTEREST IN PREVIOUSLY AND EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE BENEFITS OVERSIGHT AD HOC COMMITTEE, WHICH WOULD BE MADE UP OF TWO MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD, WHICH OF COURSE, WILL REQUIRE CONVERSATIONS FROM THIS BOARD TODAY TO IDENTIFY THOSE TWO MEMBERS. THIS COMMITTEE WILL WORK WITH COUNTY STAFF AND OUR HEALTH CARE CONSULTANT AGAIN TO REVIEW THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, [01:35:05] EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES TO MANAGE COSTS AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS TO TO ENHANCE OUR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS PROGRAM. SO AGAIN, I WOULD ARGUE THAT EACH OF THESE ACTIONS REFLECT A BALANCED APPROACH. THEY ALLOW US TO MAKE GOOD USE OF A WELL FUNDED TRUST WHILE CREATING A PROCESS FOR THOUGHTFUL OVERSIGHT AND PLANNING. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE EACH OF OUR ASSISTANT CEOS AND OUR STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND PREPARATION FOR THESE ITEMS. OF COURSE, THE BOARD WAS VERY INTERESTED IN BEING SPEEDY AND BRINGING SOMETHING BACK TO THE BOARD IN ABOUT 4 TO 6 MONTHS. THIS IS AGAIN OUR FIRST STEP, BUT IT WAS DONE IN PROBABLY ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF. SO, MR. CHAIRMAN, WITH THAT WE CERTAINLY RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF EACH ITEM. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU. I WILL RECOGNIZE THAT I DO HAVE A SPEAKER IN THE QUEUE, AND THAT WILL BE FOR THE MOTION. SO JUST TO LET THE DAIS KNOW. BUT AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE ITEMS 23 AND 24. BUT YOU DO NEED TO SEPARATE THOSE ITEMS. NO, WE DON'T HAVE TO. HE'S GOING TO MAKE TWO MOTIONS. OKAY. I'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT, MR. CHAIR. NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS LOGGED ON AT THIS TIME. OKAY. AND CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 23. AUTHORIZING STAFF TO UTILIZE ASSETS FROM THE POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS INVESTMENT TRUST TO REIMBURSE RETIREE HEALTH CARE COSTS INCURRED DURING FISCAL YEAR 25-26 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $3,300,000, SUBJECT TO REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY THE AUDITOR, COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE AND COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE, AND INCLUDED ALSO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 24 BY APPOINTING. I'D LIKE TO APPOINT SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. I THINK IT WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT. IT WAS REALLY HIS IDEA THEN TO REPRESENT SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES ON THE WEST SIDE AND PEOPLE ON THE WEST SIDE. AND THEN ALSO, I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO REPRESENT ON THE EAST SIDE SUPERVISOR PACHECO. I DON'T KNOW, ARE WE TAKING BOTH TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY? WE'RE TAKING THEM BOTH TOGETHER. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. SILVEIRA. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND PUT IT IN. YEAH. SHOULD BE. MR. PAREIRA. YEAH, I WANT TO TALK. YEAH. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PAREIRA. OKAY. THANK YOU. I, I GUESS THIS IS A QUESTION FOR FOR CO HENDRICKSON. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHAT THE $3.3 MILLION IS ACTUALLY USED FOR? BECAUSE THE ITEM ISN'T VERY CLEAR. SO THANK YOU. MR. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA THROUGH THE CHAIR. SO MANY YEARS AGO, THIS COUNTY ESTABLISHED A POST-EMPLOYMENT RETIREMENT TRUST FOR THE PURPOSES OF HELPING FUND THOSE COSTS FOR OUR RETIREES. SO THIS, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, HAS GENERATED, THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS BOARD, RESOURCES THAT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO IN SO DOING THIS ACTION TODAY ESSENTIALLY WOULD EASE THE SUBSIDY THAT THE ACTIVE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN INCURRING ON BEHALF OF OUR RETIREES AND ACTUALLY USING THOSE RESOURCES FOR THE INTENDED PURPOSE, WHICH WAS TO FUND RETIREE HEALTH CARE POST-EMPLOYMENT. SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? I GUESS SO THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS IT. I'M GOOD. YEAH. SO AGAIN, MAYBE, MAYBE JUST SIMPLY PUT, AND MAYBE I'LL ASK THE ASSISTANT CO TO COME UP AND MAYBE ARTICULATE IT BETTER THAN I CAN. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS BOARD. MANY YEARS AGO, THESE FUNDS WERE SET ASIDE AND HAVE GROWN TO THE POINT WHERE, AS YOU MIGHT RECALL FROM THE BALDWIN ANALYSIS, JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE WERE ACTUALLY FAR AHEAD OF MOST JURISDICTIONS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY SET ASIDE COMPARABLE RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS SET PURPOSE. BUT MAYBE MR. MIRRIONE CAN MAYBE ELABORATE A LITTLE FURTHER. YEAH, JUST BEFORE YOU ELABORATE. MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE $3.3 MILLION BEING USED FOR? RIGHT. JUST SPECIFICALLY? YES. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DAVID MIRRIONE ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER SO WHAT THESE FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR IS TO REIMBURSE THE TRUST. OUR BASIC SO WE HAVE TWO TRUSTS WE HAVE OUR HEALTHCARE TRUST THAT WE PAY OUR BILLS FROM. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE SECTION 115 TRUST THAT CO HENDRICKSON SPOKE ABOUT THAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING DOLLARS ASIDE SINCE 2018 FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF USING FOR RETIREMENT HEALTH CARE COSTS. IT'S AN OPEB BENEFIT. AND SO AS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES USED TO HELP MITIGATE THE RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR THE CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR 2026. [01:40:05] SO WE OPERATE IN FISCAL YEARS, BUT HEALTH CARE IS ON A CALENDAR YEAR. IT WAS DECIDED TO USE THE HEALTH TRUST ITSELF TO OFFSET SOME OF THOSE COSTS. SO IN THEORY, WHAT THAT DID WAS IS IT LOWERED THE OVERALL COST OF THE HEALTH CARE BENEFITS FOR THE ACTIVES. IT DID NOT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON OUR RETIREES. SO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT HAD BEEN OCCURRING THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE STUDY WITH BALDWIN, AND WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT TRUST, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRUST ITSELF, THE SECTION 115 TRUST WITH THOSE EARMARKED DOLLARS, COULD AFFORD TO ABSORB THE COST THAT OUR REGULAR TRUST WAS ALREADY PAYING THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR. SO RATHER THAN USING THOSE DOLLARS FROM OUR EXISTING TRUST, WHICH WE DO ALL OF OUR HEALTH CARE OUT OF, WE'RE REIMBURSING OURSELVES OUT OF THE SECTION 115 TRUST, WHICH THEN GROWS THAT FUND BALANCE BACK AND CREATES AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE YEARS. SO BASICALLY, WE'RE USING ONE POT TO PAY OURSELVES BACK FOR EXPENSES THAT WE HAVE ALREADY INCURRED FOR THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR. OKAY, SO I THINK YOU'RE OVERCOMPLICATING MY QUESTION. OKAY. SO IS THIS 3.3 MILLION GOING TO ELIMINATE A RETIREE'S INPUT FOR HEALTH CARE? IT DOES NOT RETIRE. IT DOES NOT ELIMINATE THEIR INPUT. THEY WILL CONTRIBUTE ON THEIR END. AND THEN THIS IS USED TO HELP OFFSET THOSE RATES AND BRING THAT COST DOWN. THAT THE ACTIVE EMPLOYEES ARE SUBSIDIZING. CORRECT. SO THAT BY USING THESE DOLLARS, THE SUBSIDY DID NOT TAKE EFFECT IN THE 26 CALENDAR YEAR. AND THEN WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS, AS PART OF THE STAFF REPORT IS FORESHADOWING AS WE COME BACK TO YOU AND PROPOSE OR IN FINAL BUDGET, WE WILL BE RECOMMENDING THAT STRATEGY AS WELL GOING FORWARD. AND THE BUDGET WOULD REFLECT THAT. YEAH, I MEAN, I JUST THINK THAT THE AGENDA ITEM DOESN'T REALLY EXPLAIN TO ACTIVE EMPLOYEES OR THE RETIREES EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. RIGHT. THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING THE QUESTION. I MEAN, I KNEW THE ANSWER, BUT I WANTED IT TO BE ON THE RECORD. YEAH. IT'S BASICALLY WE HAD A TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX THAT CAN HELP OFFSET THOSE COSTS. WE WENT THROUGH OUR STUDY. THE STUDY SAID, YES, THAT YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO USE THOSE DOLLARS. SO WE HAVE USED THOSE DOLLARS AND INTEND TO USE THOSE DOLLARS GOING FORWARD WITH YOUR BOARD'S APPROVAL. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. SILVEIRA. YEAH. SO I'M GOING TO SIMPLIFY IT EVEN BETTER THAN THAT, DAVE. BASICALLY, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS, IS THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES SUBSIDIZE THE RETIREES HEALTH CARE RATE. SO THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES PAY A LITTLE BIT HIGHER RATE TO OFFSET, WHICH WOULD BE A HIGHER RATE FOR RETIREES AND BRINGS THEIR RATE DOWN THAT'S SUBSIDIZED. WE CREATED THIS TRUST, THE OPEB TRUST, RIGHT. OR PEB, I GUESS IT'S OPEB OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, RIGHT? SO THEY CREATED THIS TRUST OVER 2008, NOT 18. THE COUNTY HAS SLOWLY BEEN CONTRIBUTING TO THIS. AND THE WHOLE IDEA IS, IS THAT AT SOME POINT THAT TRUST HAS ENOUGH MONEY INTO IT, THAT IT IS KIND OF IT ACTS AS LIKE AN ANNUITY THAT THAT WOULD, ON A GO FORWARD BASIS, PAY FOR THOSE RETIREES, RIGHT? THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE RETIRED BUT AREN'T ON MEDICARE, CAN'T GET MEDICARE YET, RIGHT. TYPICALLY HIGHER HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR THOSE FOLKS. SO NOW WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE THAT TRUST IS ABLE TO PAY THAT. SO NOW THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES DON'T HAVE TO SUBSIDIZE THE RETIREES HEALTH CARE COSTS ANYMORE. THEY'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THEIR PORTION. BUT OPEB IS DOING AND THAT MONEY WAS ONLY PUT INTO THAT ACCOUNT. IT ONLY COULD BE USED FOR POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. IT CAN'T BE USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. SO ONCE YOU COMMIT IT IN THERE, IT CAN ONLY BE GO OUT FOR THAT. AND WE'RE AT NOW AT A POINT WHERE WE THINK THAT THAT CAN SUSTAIN MOVING FORWARD, THAT IT TAKES CARE OF ITSELF AND ULTIMATELY WHAT THAT MEANS TO THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES IS THAT HEALTH CARE RATES ARE GOING UP FOR EVERYBODY, BUT YOURS IS NOT GOING TO GO UP QUITE AS MUCH NOW BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO SUBSIDIZE RETIREES. THANK YOU. OKAY. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZO AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT. NEXT, WE HAVE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. [01:45:02] ITEMS 25 AND 26. AT THIS TIME, DISTRICT ATTORNEY NICOLE SILVEIRA WILL PROVIDE COMMENTS REGARDING ITEM NUMBER 25. GOOD MORNING, BOARD, CEO, COUNTY COUNSEL. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. THIS IS REALLY SUPERVISOR PACHECO'S ITEM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE PARTNERING ON. SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT TO THIS, IN NOVEMBER OF 2024, THE VOTERS OF CALIFORNIA PASSED PROP 36, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, MADE RETAIL THEFT PRIOR ABLE AGAIN AND ALLOWED US TO AGGREGATE OFFENSES TO MAKE THEM FELONIES. SO PREVIOUSLY PEOPLE COULD STEAL FROM STORES UP TO $950, AND IT WOULD BE A MISDEMEANOR, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY DID IT. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ACROSS THE STATE CAMPAIGNED FOR PROP 36. LIKE I SAID, VOTERS PASSED IT. AND TWO IMPORTANT THINGS THAT IT DID WAS THAT IF SOMEONE STEALS MULTIPLE TIMES, THAT AMOUNT CAN BE AGGREGATED OVER $950 TO BECOME A FELONY. THE SECOND THING IS THAT THEFT IS PREFERABLE NOW. SO IF SOMEONE GETS TWO MISDEMEANORS STEALING FOR UNDER $950, THE THIRD ONE, REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT, IT CAN BE CHARGED AS A FELONY. SO IT REALLY INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LAST YEAR, SO THE LAW WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2025. SO THE PART OF THE BILL WAS CODIFIED AS PENAL CODE 666.1, WHICH WAS THE FELONY THEFT. I'LL PUT THAT IN LAYMAN'S TERMS. LAST YEAR, MY OFFICE ONLY RECEIVED ABOUT 130 REFERRALS FOR THAT PARTICULAR CHARGE. WE FILED 95% OF THEM. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS DATA, WE THINK THAT THERE IS KIND OF A GAP IN THE KNOWLEDGE IN OUR COMMUNITY AS TO WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THESE TYPES OF CRIMES. SO MERCED POLICE DEPARTMENT REALLY TOOK A LEAD IN THEIR JURISDICTION IN EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY GETTING WITH RETAILERS TO LET THEM KNOW, HEY, WE ARE WORKING ON THIS. WE ARE ARRESTING PEOPLE. WE ARE SENDING THEM TO THE DA'S OFFICE. THEY ARE FILING, BUT MY OFFICE WANTED TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER AND BRING THE WHOLE COUNTY TOGETHER. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS WE WANT TO START THIS PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, PRINT THE FLIER, THE SAMPLE THAT YOU SEE ONTO POSTERS AND STICKERS AND DISTRIBUTE THEM TO RETAILERS SO THEY CAN PUT THEM UP IN THEIR BUSINESSES TO PUT BOTH THE RETAILERS ON NOTICE THAT WE WILL BE PROSECUTING, TO PUT THE CRIMINALS ON NOTICE, WHO COME THROUGH THE DOORS, THAT WE WILL BE PROSECUTING THESE CRIMES AND OUR VICARIOUS VICTIMS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO PATRON THESE STORES AND DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO SHOP WHEN SOMEONE MAY BE STEALING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. THE SECOND THING THAT WE ARE DOING AS PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN IS STARTING A COUNTY WIDE RETAIL THEFT TASK FORCE. SO LAST WEEK, WEEK AND A HALF AGO ON JULY 1ST, MY OFFICE HOSTED THE FIRST QUARTERLY RETAIL THEFT TASK FORCE MEETING IN OUR COUNTY. WE HAD ALMOST EVERY SINGLE AGENCY ATTEND. AND SO WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THIS FRONT. AND WE ASKED SUPERVISOR PACHECO TO PARTNER WITH US ON THIS AND HELP FUND THIS EFFORT. VERY GOOD. RCRC VERY INVOLVED IN PROP 36 RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. AND I WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE FIRST COUNTY SUPERVISOR TO SIGN UP IN SUPPORT OF PROP 36. SO AT THIS TIME, THANK YOU. I WILL GO AHEAD AND OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS 25 AND 26. SEEING NOBODY, WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ITEM 25 AND 26 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND AS I SUPPORT ITEM 25, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH MY COLLEAGUES ITEM 26. THE WINTON VFW HALL HAS A STOVE THAT YOU KNOW, SMELLS LIKE PROPANE WHEN YOU GO IN, IT'S OUTDATED. AND THEN HAS A COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATOR THAT ALSO SWEATS BECAUSE IT'S LEAKING. AND SO ANYWAYS, IT'S JUST, HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT OUR VETERANS. AND SO I'D ASK THAT YOU ALL VOTE YES ON THAT ITEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PACHECO. THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND I DO WANT TO THANK DA NICOLE SILVEIRA AND HER OFFICE AND HER STAFF FOR SPEARHEADING THIS PROJECT AND DESIGNING THAT SIGN. RETAIL THEFT THERE'S A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE KEEPING OUR BUSINESS EMPLOYEES AND OUR FAMILIES SAFE IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY. I'M HOPING MY COLLEAGUES WILL JOIN ME IN PARTNERING WITH THE DA'S OFFICE, LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND OUR RETAIL COMMUNITY TO HELP PREVENT RETAIL THEFT BY SUPPORTING AND FUNDING THE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO PROTECT LOCAL BUSINESSES, IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, STRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, AND REINFORCE THE THAT RETAIL THEFT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN MERCED COUNTY. SO I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE AUTHORIZE AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $34.63 FOR THE PURCHASE OF ANTI-THEFT POSTERS TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE [01:50:02] DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS PART OF A RETAIL THEFT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, AND ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO VOTE YES ON THIS. THANK YOU. I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. LET'S RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT, WE HAVE BOARD INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. [BOARD INFORMATION & POSSIBLE ACTION] ITEMS 27 AND 28. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR BOARD INFO ITEMS 27 AND 28. SEEING NONE, DO YOU HAVE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'LL MAKE THIS QUICK. CHAIR MCDANIEL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M HERE THIS MORNING TO REPORT ON ITEM 28. ON JUNE 26TH, 2026, I CERTIFIED THE OFFICIAL RESULTS FOR MERCED COUNTY'S JUNE 2ND, 2026 STATEWIDE DIRECT PRIMARY ELECTION. THE ELECTION SAW COUNTY WIDE TURNOUT RATE OF NEARLY 35%, WITH ROUGHLY 47,000 VOTES CAST ACROSS THE COUNTY. TURNOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE JUNE 2022 PRIMARY, ALTHOUGH THAT INCREASE WAS TRUE ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE. FOR REFERENCE, TURNOUT FOR THE JUNE 2022 PRIMARY WAS ROUGHLY 25%, WITH A LITTLE UNDER 32,000 BALLOTS CAST. I WANT TO THANK THE NEARLY 300 INDIVIDUALS WHO WORKED FOR MERCED COUNTY ELECTIONS AT SOME POINT DURING THE LAST TWO MONTHS, MOST SERVING AS PART TIME ELECTION WORKERS OR VOLUNTEER POLL WORKERS. ELECTIONS, THOUGH ADMINISTERED ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS, ARE RUN LOCALLY. THE PEOPLE DESIGNING THE BALLOT, ORDERING SUPPLIES, CONFIGURING EQUIPMENT, MANNING VOTE CENTERS, PROCESSING VOTE BY MAIL, VERIFYING SIGNATURES AND TABULATING BALLOTS LIVE AND WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND THE DEDICATION AND DILIGENCE SHOWN BY THE STAFF THAT WORK THIS ELECTION IS SOMETHING THAT ALL MERCED COUNTY VOTERS SHOULD BE PROUD OF. THEY PERFORMED LIKE EXPERTS, AND THIS ELECTION WAS CONDUCTED OPENLY, FAIRLY, SECURELY, ACCURATELY, AND ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. LEVY. ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS ONLINE? MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY LOGGED IN. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BOARD INFO ITEMS 27 AND 28 IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS. I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE. RECORD THE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. NEXT, WE HAVE TWO SCHEDULED ITEMS. [SCHEDULED ITEMS] WE WILL START WITH ITEM SUBMITTED BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. PUBLIC HEARING TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE REPORT FOR 2025 AND TO REVIEW AND RENEW ORDINANCE NUMBER 2035, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN MCDANIEL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CEO HENDRICKSON AND COUNSEL HANSEN. I AM ANNA HAZEL, CHIEF OF INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE MERCED COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. TO PROMOTE EFFICIENCY IN THIS PROCESS AND FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE THE MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAVE ALIGNED OUR ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE PRESENTATIONS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT GOING FORWARD. I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF GOING FIRST THIS YEAR. IN 2021, GOVERNOR NEWSOM SIGNED INTO LAW ASSEMBLY BILL 481 RELATING TO THE USE OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. THE LAW REQUIRES AGENCIES TO SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNING BODY AN ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT REPORT, BOTH FOR EACH TYPE OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT APPROVED BY THIS GOVERNING BODY AND THE INSTANCES OF USE OF THAT EQUIPMENT EACH YEAR AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, FOR AS LONG AS THE MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE IS AVAILABLE FOR USE BY THAT AGENCY. THE TYPE OF EQUIPMENT USED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNED BY THIS LEGISLATION INCLUDE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DRONES, RIFLES, LESS LETHAL FIRING PLATFORMS, AND SPECIFIC TYPES OF AMMUNITION. IN COMPLIANCE WITH AB 481. THE MERCED COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE POSTED OUR 25 2026 ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE REPORT ON THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WEB PAGE ON JUNE THE 11TH OF 2026. NOTICE OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING WAS PUBLISHED IN THE MERCED COUNTY TIMES ON JULY THE 2ND OF 2026, AND SAID NOTICE WAS ALSO POSTED TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WEB PAGE ON THIS SAME DATE. THE MERCED COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS ASKING THE BOARD TO RENEW ITS ORDINANCE NUMBER 2035, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY, ADOPTED FIRST ON OCTOBER THE 24TH OF 2023 AND RENEWED THEREAFTER [01:55:07] IN 2024 AND 2025, AND TO APPROVE THE SUBMITTED DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S ANNUAL MILITARY USE REPORT FOR 2025 2026. THANK YOU. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE ANYBODY IN THE QUEUE. SO AT THIS TIME I WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. I WILL ACCEPT PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING THIS ITEM. TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. SEEING NONE, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CHECK TO SEE IF WE HAVE REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY IN THE QUEUE. OKAY, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS ITEM IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MOTION TO APPROVE. I THINK JOSH WAS GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION. NO. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE REPORT FOR 2025 AND RENEW ORDINANCE NUMBER 2035, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY. SECOND. I HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? ALL IN FAVOR? SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? SAY NAY. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM AN ITEM SUBMITTED BY THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. PUBLIC HEARING TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THE ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE REPORT FOR 2025 AND TO REVIEW AND RENEW ORDINANCE NUMBER 2017, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY. AT THIS TIME UNDERSHERIFF GIBSON WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING THIS ITEM. WELL, AFTERNOON AGAIN, AS CHIEF HAZEL CLEARLY EXPLAINED, A B 481 REQUIRES US TO COME YEARLY TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COMPLIANCE WITH ANNUAL REPORTING OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, USE OF MILITARY USE OF EQUIPMENT. WE POSTED OUR ANNUAL REPORT TO OUR WEBSITE ON JUNE 15TH, 2026 AND PUBLISHED A NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING IN THE MERCED COUNTY TIMES ON JULY 2ND, 2026, AS WELL AS OPPOSED TO THE NOTICE OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WEB PAGE. WE ARE SUBMITTING OUR ANNUAL MILITARY USE REPORT TO YOU NOW AND ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL AND ASK THAT YOU RENEW OUR ORDINANCE NUMBER 2017, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY. OKAY. THANK YOU. I WILL NOW OPEN PUBLIC HEARING. I WILL ACCEPT PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THIS ITEM. TESTIMONY IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. I WILL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT. MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY LOGGED IN. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE REPORT FOR 2025 AND RENEW ORDINANCE NUMBER 2017, ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A MILITARY USE EQUIPMENT POLICY FOR MILITARY EQUIPMENT USE POLICY. SECOND. OKAY. I HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND. DID YOU GET THE SECOND? SUPERVISOR PACHECO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? SAY NAY. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. DO WE HAVE ANYBODY LOGGED IN? OKAY, SO THERE'S NO COMMENTS THERE. AT THIS TIME WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GO TO BOARD REPORTS. [REPORTS/BOARD DIRECTION] START STARTING WITH SUPERVISOR PACHECO. THANK YOU CHAIR. JUST BRIEFLY ON SATURDAY, I ATTENDED THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE GENERAL VANG PAO AND ALTHEA JUNE PARK IN NORTH MERCED I THINK IT'S TEN ACRES OUT THERE. IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT SPACE AND A GREAT MONUMENT TO OUR LEADER. AND I CONGRATULATE THE HMONG COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF MERCED ON THIS NEW PROJECT. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR PEDROZO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. LAST WEEK I HAD OUR MONTHLY MEETING WITH THE CITY MAYOR, THE CEO, AND CITY MANAGER. JUST TO TALK ABOUT OUR UPDATES ON WHAT'S GOING ON AND WORKING TOGETHER MOVING FORWARD. I ALSO ATTENDED THE BACKPACK GIVEAWAY WITH ASSEMBLYMEMBER SORIA AT GOLDEN VALLEY. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IN ATTENDANCE, WHICH WAS REALLY COOL. AND THEN ALSO WITH THE YLI, THEY HAD A CACTUS FLOWER. THEY CALLED IT THE CACTUS FLOWER PROJECT WHERE THEY HAD JUVENILES IN JUVENILE HALL WHO DISPLAYED ART AND PUT IT UP FOR SALE. [02:00:04] IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING AND REALLY COOL THING. AND THEN I TOO ATTENDED THE GENERAL VANG PAO PARK AND ALTHEA JUNE PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT ON SATURDAY AS WELL. SO IT'S, I WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN WE STARTED THAT PROCESS. AND SO IT'S GOOD TO SEE IT STARTING TO COME TO FRUITION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR PAREIRA. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. KIND OF A SLOW WEEK FOR ME. I DID ATTEND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY OF LAST WEEK AND PAST DIRECTOR YVONNIA BROWN, WHO CONTRACTS WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, WAS THERE, DID A PRESENTATION AND ANYWAYS DID A REALLY GOOD JOB. THE, I GUESS THE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT FOLKS THAT MIGHT WANT TO SERVE, LET US KNOW. WE HAVE, WE HAVE PLENTY OF SEATS AVAILABLE. AND, SO ANYWAYS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, AS A PART OF THE MEMBERSHIP DRIVE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE MEMBERS TO SERVE. AND, NOW I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, THE ONLINE PARTICIPATION IS GOOD. AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT REPRESENT OUTLYING AREAS THE POTENTIAL FOR ATTRACTING A MEMBER MIGHT BE GOOD. SO ALSO I JUST WANTED TO THANK WASTE MANAGEMENT, VANESSA BARBERIS WAS HERE EARLIER AND TALKED ABOUT THE BULKY ITEM PICKUP. YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE WASTE MANAGEMENT IN YOUR AREA AND YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PROMOTING THAT YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A GREAT DEAL YOU KNOW, ILLEGAL TRASH DUMPING IN, IN ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS IS, HAS BEEN BAD AT TIMES. AND ANYWAYS, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO GET THAT IF YOU WANT TO DO A BULKY ITEM BLOCK PARTY I THINK VANESSA WOULD BE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU. SO THAT'S ALSO AN OPTION TO GET A BUNCH OF NEIGHBORS TOGETHER TO KIND OF PROMOTE IT AND GET IT DONE. SO THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. GOT IT. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. PEDROZO. HE HAD A FOLLOW UP. YES. SORRY. I DO THIS EVERY TIME JUST TO PROMOTE THE ARTS AND STUFF, BUT SHREK IS STARTING AT THE MERCED MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER. IT STARTS ON THURSDAY AND IT RUNS THROUGH SUNDAY. I THINK THURSDAY IT'S ALREADY SOLD OUT, BUT FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, I THINK TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE. AND MY SON IS THE BIG BAD WOLF, I THINK SO, YEAH. CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR SILVEIRA. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. JUST A COUPLE THINGS. THIS PAST OR THIS WEEK, ACTUALLY, WE WERE JUST WITH YOU GUYS LAST WEEK. I'M ON AN ADVISORY GROUP FOR CSAC, THE STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES. IT'S THEIR NEW SUPERVISORS INSTITUTE. SO AS NEW SUPERVISORS COME ON BOARD UP AND DOWN THE COUNTY, THEY HAVE A NEW SUPERVISORS INSTITUTE, A REALLY GREAT PROGRAM THAT I THINK THAT ALL OF US ARE VERY THANKFUL THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, GO THROUGH. AND JUST NOW THAT THAT PROGRAM, THE CURRENT VERSION OF IT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR ALMOST A COUPLE DECADES NOW, THEY WANTED TO PUT AN ADVISORY GROUP TOGETHER TO KIND OF LIKE FRESHEN IT UP AND MAYBE MAKE A FEW MINOR CHANGES TO IT. AND SO I WAS VERY THANKFUL TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. AND I THINK THERE'S SOME GOOD WORK CAME OF THAT. YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR SUPERVISOR PAREIRA MENTIONED WASTE MANAGEMENT, I AM GOING TO PUBLICLY JUST KIND OF CALL OUT GILTON'S, WHO'S REPRESENTS MY DISTRICT. AND I WILL TELL YOU AS A PERSON WHO I'VE, OTHER THAN ONE TIME GETTING A PHONE CALL BECAUSE IT WAS A DUCK CLUB AND THE ROAD WAS TOO MUDDY, THEY COULDN'T GET THE TRUCK IN THERE. IT'S A LITTLE FRUSTRATING TO ME THAT YOU KNOW, OUR PUBLIC WORKS STAFF PROMOTE THESE COMMUNITY CLEANUP EVENTS AND, IF YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW MERCED THE CITY HAS THEIR BULKY ITEM DROP OFFS, SO MAYBE FOLKS OVER HERE DON'T SEE IT, BUT WHEN THEY HAVE THESE EVENTS OUT ON THE WEST SIDE, WHEN I SAY THEY'RE WELL ATTENDED, THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT. THERE'S LITERALLY CARS THAT GO BLOCKS AROUND, YOU KNOW, IT GOES BLOCKS OF CARS WAITING TO GET INTO THESE. AND THEN FOR THEM TO JUST NOT SHOW UP. THAT'S PRETTY FRUSTRATING. THAT'S POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND, I, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THANK OUR PUBLIC WORKS STAFF WHO HAD TO ADAPT AND OVERCOME ON HOW YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE TO DROP THIS STUFF OFF THERE. AND THEN WE'RE WAITING ON, YOU KNOW, THE HAULER TO SHOW UP. IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE TO ME. AND I DON'T TYPICALLY LIKE TO DO THIS, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BS LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T LIKE THIS JUST CAME UP YESTERDAY. WE DO THESE ALL THE TIME. AND FOR THEM TO JUST NOT SHOW UP, NOT HAVE SOMEBODY ON THEIR SCHEDULE, THAT I'M GOING TO KEEP THAT IN THE OLD MEMORY BANK NEXT TIME THINGS COME AROUND. AND SO I HOPE THAT THIS GETS BACK TO THEM. AND I HOPE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION AGAIN AND THAT THEY DO BETTER NEXT TIME. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNTY COUNSEL, CEO NOTHING. I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN IN HONOR OF JOAN PAUL, A LONG TIME EDUCATOR, VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE FOR THE CITY OF ATWATER AND FORMER [02:05:05] MAYOR. SHE WAS A GOOD, STRONG MAYOR. SHE WAS A GOOD CONFIDANTE, APPRECIATED A LOT OF OUR POLICY DISCUSSIONS WE MIGHT NOT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON THE SAME PAGE, BUT I LEARNED A LOT FROM FROM HER INTELLECT ON IT. THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 10 A.M. ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH. THIS CONCLUDES THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING FOR JULY 14TH. MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.