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GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 20TH, 2026
[CLOSED SESSION]
MEETING FOR THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.WE'LL BE MEETING IN CLOSED SESSIONS AS BOTH BOARD SUPERVISORS AND IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, PUBLIC AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD.
YOUR CLOSED SESSIONS THIS MORNING ARE EXISTING LITIGATION, ANTHONY TAYLOR VERSUS COUNTY OF MERCED, WORKERS' COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARD, CASE NUMBER ADJ 9 5 3 3 1 4 8.
AND ON THE IHS AGENDA, WE HAVE A MEET AND CONFER AGENCY NEGOTIATOR OF MARCY BARRERA.
THE PUBLIC WILL BE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON ANY MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED ENCLOSED SESSION PRIOR TO THE BOARD RETURNING 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 A 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.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CLOSED SESSION ITEMS. YOU'RE JUST HERE TO PARTICIPATE.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON REMOTE MR. CHAIR? THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES LOGGED IN.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED FOR CLOSED SESSION ITEMS AND WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION.
[10:00 A.M. REGULAR MEETING]
AND WELCOME BACK TO THE OCTOBER 20TH, 2026 MEETING THE MERCED COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.THIS MORNING WE HAD CLOSED SESSION MEETING AS BOTH BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND AS THE IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PUBLIC AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD STAFF WAS GIVEN DIRECTION ON ALL CLOSED, UH, SESSION ITEMS. WE'LL NOW START WITH THE INVOCATION LED BY PASTOR JOHN MOTTS WITH THE NEW LIFE COMMUNITY CHURCH IN ATWATER.
AND THEN I WILL LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE BEFORE WE PRAY.
B AND I HAVE THE MICROPHONE NOW.
UH, LET ME TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UH, MR. LLOYD PEREIRA.
UM, IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH YOU, AT LEAST EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE BIRTHDAY CANDLES TO BLOW OUT OR ANYTHING, IT'S STILL GOOD TO BE HERE, AND IT'S A PRIVILEGE FOR ME TO COME BEFORE YOU AS A BOARD AND AS STAFF TO PRAY FOR YOU.
AND, UM, LASTLY, LET SAY, UM, SUPERVISOR MCDANIEL, IT'S ALSO A PRIVILEGE FOR ME TO, UM, FOR YOU TO CALL ME YOUR PASTOR.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT, APPRECIATE OUR FRIENDSHIP, AND IT'S A, IT'S AN HONOR FOR ME TO COME AND SERVE IN THIS WAY.
FATHER, AS WE COME TODAY, IT IS, UH, IT IS A PRIVILEGE.
UM, GOD THAT WE, THAT WE GET A MOMENT SIMPLY TO PAUSE AND RECOGNIZE YOUR GOODNESS AROUND US, EVEN IN THE FACE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE BEFORE US.
WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF PAUSING NOW TO TAKE A BREATH, TO, UH, ALLOW OUR THOUGHTS, TO SETTLE, TO ALLOW YOUR PEACE TO SETTLE IN, TO BEGIN TO GUIDE OUR STEPS, RATHER THAN ALLOWING US TO GET OUT IN FRONT OF YOU AND CHASE AFTER WHATEVER WE MAY BE DISTRACTED BY.
SO, GOD, AS WE COME TODAY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EACH OF OUR SUPERVISORS WHO ARE BEARING THIS MANTLE OF LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR EACH OF THE STAFF WHO ARE HERE SERVING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
PRAY GOD FOR YOUR WISDOM TO CONTINUE TO GUIDE THEIR STEPS, FOR YOUR PROVISION, FOR THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE, THAT THE CHALLENGES WE FACE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH IN A WAY THAT HONORS YOU AND CARES FOR ONE ANOTHER.
FATHER, I PRAY THAT ON THIS DAY, ESPECIALLY, UH, THAT WE WOULD, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEADING TODAY, THAT EACH OF US WOULD BE ABLE TO OFFER TO YOU, OUR HEART, OUR MIND, OUR SOUL, AND ALL OF OUR STRENGTH AS WE SEEK TO HONOR YOU WITH ALL OF THE TASKS THAT YOU PLACE BEFORE US.
AND AS YOU HELP US TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS, AS WE LOVE OURSELVES.
FATHER, FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING IN THIS PLACE, UH, SEEKING AFTER A BETTER COMMUNITY, A MORE COMPLETE AND CARING COMMUNITY.
FATHER, WE PRAY THAT YOU WOULD BE THE ONE WHO GUIDES OUR STEPS.
SO OVER THIS MEETING AND OVER THESE LEADERS, YOUR WISDOM WE PRAY FOR, IN JESUS NAME, 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.
[PUBLIC COMMENT]
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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 A 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 AVAILABLE IF NEEDED, AT THIS TIME, WE'LL PUT UP PUBLIC COMMENT.
AGAIN, THIS IS FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS. IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO REGISTER OR RAISE YOUR HAND, UH, IN TIME TO 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.
KAREN ADAMS COUNTY TREASURE TAX SECTOR.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS HIRED AN EXCEPTIONAL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEE FROM MY TREASURY DIVISION WHO STARTED THEIR NEW POSITION YESTERDAY.
THE BAD NEWS IS THAT ONCE AGAIN, THE TREASURY HAS LOST A TALENTED EMPLOYEE LEAVING YET ANOTHER VACANCY IN A CRITICAL INVESTMENT AND BANKING SUPPORT POSITION BECAUSE THE TREASURY CANNOT COMPETE WITH OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE FULLY AUTHORIZED TO OFFER PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT SINCE MAY, 2024.
THE TREASURY DIVISION ALONE, NOT INCLUDING THE TAX COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, IS ON OUR 11TH EXTRA HELP RECRUITMENT.
WITH AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE DURATION OF 125 DAYS OR APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS, I WOULD GLADLY, I WOULD'VE GLADLY RETAINED OUR LATEST DEPARTING EMPLOYEE.
THIS FRESNO STATE ACCOUNTING GRADUATE STAYED AT ABOVE AVERAGE DURATION OF 134 DAYS OR FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS, AND PERSONALLY CONFIRMED TO ME THAT HE WAS EAGER TO RETURN TO OUR DIVISION.
THE MOMENT A PERMANENT ROLE IS AUTHORIZED, THIS CONTINUOUS REVOLVING DOOR OF EXTRA HELP EMPLOYEES IN BOTH MY TREASURY AND TAX COLLECTION DIVISION IS EXHAUSTING.
MY MANAGEMENT TEAM IS TRAPPED IN A WASTEFUL CYCLE OF RECRUITING, TIME CONSUMING BACKGROUND CHECKS AND ONBOARDING ONLY TO SERVE AS A FREE TRAINING GROUND FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS, OFFERING EMPLOYMENT STABILITY WITH BENEFITS AND THE TIMING COULD NOT BE WORSE.
WE HAVE OFFICIALLY ENTERED OUR FIRST INSTALLMENT PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION SEASON, HAVING JUST MAILED OVER 98,000 SECURED PROPERTY BILLS TOTALING $446 MILLION.
THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE MILLIONS BILLED IN UNSECURED PROPERTY TAXES.
WE ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR BILLING AND COLLECTING.
MEANWHILE, THE TREASURY MUST CONTINUE TO MANAGE BANKING, INVESTMENT, CASH FLOW, AND MAINTAINING INTERNAL CONTROLS FOR SAFEGUARDING THE $2.3 BILLION IN PUBLIC FUNDS.
UNDER MY ELECTED AUTHORITY, MY STATUTORY DUTY TO PROVIDE SAFEKEEPING OF MONIES IS PERMANENT.
IT IS MY HOPE TO HAVE PERMANENT STAFF ENTRUSTED TO HELP CARRY OUT THOSE DUTIES.
CONTINUING TO RELY ON A REVOLVING DOOR OF TEMPORARY EXTRA HELP EMPLOYEES FOR CRITICAL FINANCIAL OPERATIONS IS NEITHER EFFICIENT NOR SUSTAINABLE.
THIS IS NOT MERELY A STAFFING INCONVENIENCE, IT IS A OPERATIONAL INTERNAL CONTROL CONCERN.
OH, SHE'S GOT 23 SECONDS LEFT.
UH, I'M MAGGIE FREEMAN, AN ADVISOR TO THE MERCED POLICE DEPARTMENT CANINE ASSOCIATION AND MEMBER OF THE ROTARY E CLUB OF SILICON VALLEY, OUR PROUD PRESENTING SPONSOR.
TODAY, I COME BEFORE YOU WITH A HEART FILLED WITH GRATITUDE ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 17TH.
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENED AT BEAUTIFUL LAKE YOSEMITE.
THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNER, MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT 200 PARTICIPANTS, MANY ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR CANINE COMPANIONS CAME TOGETHER FOR OUR ON PATROL ONE MILE WALK, 5K AND 10 K RUN.
BUT THIS WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN A RACE.
IT WAS ABOUT A COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO TELL OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, WE APPRECIATE YOU, WE RESPECT YOU, AND WE STAND WITH YOU.
OUR OFFICERS AND SHERIFFS FACE CHALLENGES MOST OF US WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE.
EVERY DAY THEY LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES ANSWER THE CALLS TO SERVICE NOT
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KNOWING WHAT THEIR DAY MAY BRING.AND ALONGSIDE OUR CANINE HANDLERS ARE EXTRAORDINARY FOUR-LEGGED PARTNERS WHO SERVE WITH COURAGE, LOYALTY, AND DEVOTION.
OUR EVENT SUPPORTED CANINE TRAINING, HEALTHCARE AND THE NEEDS OF RETIRED CANINE HEROES.
BUT PERHAPS THE GREATEST IMPACT COULD NOT BE MEASURED IN THE DOLLARS RAISED OR IN THE MILES WALKED AND RAN.
POLICE CHIEF MERCED POLICE CHIEF STEVEN STANFORD REMINDED US THERE WILL ALWAYS BE INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR OFFICERS ARE NOT STRANGERS TO HEARING NEGATIVE COMMENTS IN COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.
AND THAT IS PRECISELY WHY COMMUNITY SUPPORT MATTERS.
WHEN OUR SHERIFFS AND POLICE OFFICERS SEE FAMILIES CHEERING CHILDREN, SMILING NEIGHBORS STANDING TOGETHER SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THEM IN APPRECIATION, IT REMINDS THEM THEIR SERVICE MATTERS, THAT THEY ARE RESPECTED, THAT THEY ARE VALUED, AND THAT THEY ARE NEVER STANDING ALONE.
OUR HEARTFELT GRATITUDE GOES TO OUR SPONSORS, OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS, POLICE EXPLORERS, VOLUNTEERS, PARTICIPANTS, MEED, POLICE COUNTY SHERIFFS, CANINE HANDLERS, AND AGAIN, THE MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT.
I HAVE ONE SIMPLE REQUEST FOR EACH OF YOU LISTENING.
THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ONE OF OUR SHERIFFS OR OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN THE COMMUNITY, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY TWO WORDS.
THOSE WORDS COST NOTHING, BUT TO A SHERIFF OR POLICE OFFICER WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING A DIFFICULT DAY, THESE WORDS MAY MEAN EVERYTHING.
BECAUSE WHEN WE STAND WITH THOSE WHO PROTECT US, WE MAKE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY STRONGER.
ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFFS AND THE MERCED POLICE DEPARTMENT, CANINES ASSOCIATION, AND ROTARY, THANK YOU, MERC.
MY NAME IS KRISTY WATKINS COHEN.
I AM THE OFFICE MANAGER AT THE WINTON CEMETERY DISTRICT.
I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY THAT THE WINTON CEMETERY DISTRICT PARTICIPATES IN REEFS ACROSS AMERICA.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS MAY SPONSOR ARIE IN HONOR OF A VETERAN BURIED AT OUR CEMETERY BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE OR CONTACTING OUR OFFICE.
FLYERS WITH QR CODES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE TODAY FOR EASY ACCESS IN SPON TO THE SPONSORSHIP LINK.
SPONSORSHIPS DO NOT NEED TO BE DESIGNATED FOR A SPECIFIC GRAVE ON DECEMBER 19TH, 2026 RES WILL BE PLACED IN HONOR OF THE VETERAN'S LATE TO REST AT OUR CEMETERY.
WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2000 VETERANS BURIED HERE, AND EACH RE SPONSORSHIP IS $17.
MEMBERS OF VFW ORGANIZATIONS MAY ALSO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE REEVES THROUGH THEIR LOCAL POST.
IN ADDITION, THE CEMETERY WILL HOST AN RENDA AT THE OPEN CHAPEL AND OBSERVANCE OF DAY OF THE DEBT.
IT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE FROM OCTOBER 31ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 3RD.
FOR ANYONE WISHING TO HONOR AND REMEMBER LOVED ONES, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US RECOGNIZE AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY AND LOVED ONES WE HOLD DEAR.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? IF NOT, WE WILL CHECK FOR REMOTE COMMENTS.
MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED FOR NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS.
[PRESENTATION]
I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ERIC SERATO, OUR DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE INVESTMENT, UH, TO PROVIDE UPDATE ON NORTH VALLEY THRIVE.GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN,
UH, GOOD MORNING, UH, CHAIR, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, CEO HENDRICKSON, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL HANSEN.
UH, MY NAME IS ERIC AND I AM YOUR DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE INVESTMENT.
UH, YOU HAVE GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY OVER THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS TO UPDATE YOU ON WHAT THE DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE INVESTMENT IS DOING, HOW THE PROSPERO WORKFORCE BOARD HAS LAUNCHED, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT TIME.
UH, TODAY, I'M COMING BEFORE YOU FROM A RELATED BUT VERY DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT, AND THAT IS AS DIRECTOR OF NORTH VALLEY THRIVE, WHICH IS A REGIONAL ECONOMIC INITIATIVE THAT IS HOSTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE INVESTMENT, WHICH MEANS IT IS ADMINISTERED BY MERCED COUNTY.
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IS THE FIRST OF WHAT I THINK WILL BE SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS THAT WE WILL MAKE TO OTHER BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS, UH, COGS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS TO KEEP THEM APPRISED OF NORTH VALLEY THRIVE'S WORK AND WHAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.WE WANTED TO START HERE BECAUSE THIS IS OUR HOME, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE HOME, AND IT ALSO ALLOWS, UH, ME TO GET INTO A LITTLE MORE OF THE MECHANICS OF HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADMINISTER THIS PROGRAM AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
AGAIN, OUR AIM IS NOT JUST TO UPDATE YOU, BUT TO ALSO SOLICIT YOUR FEEDBACK AND ADVICE AS WE ENTER A REALLY, YOU KNOW, NEW AND NOVEL NEXT PHASE OF OUR, OF OUR WORK.
I OFTEN SAY THAT, UH, DWI IS THE STRONGEST, UH, MIGHTIEST AND MOST IMPACTFUL TEAM, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ONLY 19.
UH, BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE AN EVEN SMALLER TEAM, UH, TO INTRODUCE YOU TO.
AND THAT IS THE FOUR OF US THAT MAKE, UH, UP NORTH VALLEY THRIVE.
SO I SERVE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
UH, DR. THOMAS POGUE IS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.
UH, YOLANDA MERA IS ANOTHER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, AND JACOB FALTER IS A COUNTY EMPLOYEE, UH, WHO IS, UH, WHOLLY DEDICATED TO NORTH VALLEY THRIVE'S WORK.
UH, WE HAVE A VERY UNIQUE OPERATING STRUCTURE.
I OBVIOUSLY SPLIT MY TIME AS DIRECTOR OF THE WORKFORCE BOARD AND DIRECTOR OF NORTH VALLEY THRIVE.
POGUE IS ALSO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR BUSINESS AND POLICY RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC AND YOLANDA MRAZ LEAD STRATEGY AT LAU 2030.
UH, IT IS THIS REALLY UNIQUE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO BE IN THREE COUNTIES AT THE SAME TIME, UH, TO PLUG INTO OTHER INITIATIVES TO REPRESENT GOVERNMENT, REPRESENT EDUCATION, AND ALSO REPRESENT COMMUNITY EFFORTS.
WE ALSO HAVE A STEERING COMMITTEE OF ABOUT 21 INDIVIDUALS.
UH, SOME OF THEM ARE HERE TODAY.
WE HAVE A HANDFUL OF FOLKS THAT REPRESENT MERCED COUNTY, THAT INCLUDES SOL RIVAS, STEPHANIE DIETZ, JESSE ELLIS, WILL KELLY, OLIVIA GOMEZ, UH, AND ANNETTE, UH, ROBERTS WEBB.
IF YOU'RE HERE, IF YOU COULD RAISE YOUR HAND.
NORTH VALLEY THRIVE WAS BORN OUT OF THE CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST INITIATIVE.
UH, CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST SOUGHT TO DO SOMETHING THAT HADN'T BEEN DONE IN MULTIPLE GENERATIONS, AND THAT IS TO CREATE A COHESIVE ECONOMIC BLUEPRINT FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
UH, IT DIVIDED THE STATE INTO 13 REGIONS BASED ON ECONOMIC CENTERS OF GRAVITY.
UH, OURS IS THE NUMBER, UH, SIX UP THERE AS YOU CAN TELL.
UH, AND WE INCLUDE THE COUNTIES OF MERCED STANISLAUS AND, UH, SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
UM, I THINK THE THING THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO NOTE ABOUT CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST IS THAT IT WAS AN EFFORT TO BE AN ECONOMIC EQUALIZER ACROSS THE STATE, SO THAT IT WASN'T JUST THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES THAT WERE THRIVING ECONOMICALLY, BUT ALSO INLAND CALIFORNIA AS WELL AS THE SOUTHERN BORDER AND THE FAR NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE.
UH, I'M OFTEN ASKED HOW NORTH VALLEY THRIVE CAME TO BE.
IT WAS IN 2021 THAT THE STATE LAUNCHED ITS FIRST ITERATION OF CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST, WHICH WAS CALLED SURF.
UM, THEN, UH, WE LAUNCHED INTO A PLANNING PHASE.
UH, EVERY ONE OF THOSE 13 REGIONS HAD TO IDENTIFY A BODY THAT WOULD CARRY THIS INITIATIVE.
IN MOST OF THOSE 13 SPOTS, THERE WAS ALREADY AN EXISTING ORGANIZATION THAT COULD PLAY THIS ROLE.
THERE WAS NOT AN ORGANIZATION IN OUR THREE COUNTIES.
SO IF YOU THINK OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY, IT HAS THE L-E-E-D-C.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT, UH, THE SACRAMENTO AREA, IT HAS SOMETHING CALLED VALLEY VISION.
WE DID NOT HAVE A COHESIVE THREE COUNTY STRUCTURE.
UH, ONCE WE WERE IDENTIFIED AS A REGION AND WE APPLIED, WE HAD TO COME TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND WHO MIGHT LEAD THIS EFFORT.
AND SO IN A VERY DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, UM, A HUNDRED OR SO PARTNERS VOTED AND DWI WAS ELECTED AS THE CONVENER OF, UH, OF THIS NEW INSTITUTION.
WE CHOSE THE NAME NORTH VALLEY THRIVE.
IT'S ACTUALLY AN ACRONYM, UM, UH, THE HIGH ROAD, UM, UH, INITIATIVE FOR A VIBRANT ECONOMY.
UM, AND, UH, WE GOT TO WORK, UH, WE STARTED IN EARNEST, UM, WITH WHAT WAS CALLED OUR PLANNING PHASE.
THEN CAME A CATALYST PHASE WHERE WE ARE AWARDED $14 MILLION IN PART TO REDISTRIBUTE TO PROJECTS ACROSS OUR REGION.
AND NOW WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK IN WHAT WE'RE CALLING NORTH VALLEY THRIVE 2.0, WHICH IS THE NEXT ITERATION OF OUR WORK.
OKAY, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR THREE COUNTIES.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THAT POPULATION BREAKS OUT, SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HAS ABOUT 50%.
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STANISLAUS COUNTY HAS ABOUT 30%, AND THE BALANCE OF THAT 20% COMES, UH, THROUGH MERCED COUNTY.ANOTHER THING I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT ABOUT NORTH VALLEY THRIVE AND CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST WRIT LARGE, IS THAT IT ISN'T JUST AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.
IT IS REALLY ABOUT INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT WE ENSURE THAT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE BRING FORWARD REALLY REACHES THE MOST MARGINALIZED IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
THE FIRST THING WE SET OUT TO DO WAS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR REGION, WHAT ITS ASSETS WERE, AND WHAT OUR ECONOMIC PLAYS MIGHT BE.
UM, AND WE CAME TO THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE A SINGULAR, UNIQUE POSITION GLOBALLY, NOT JUST IN THE STATE, NOT JUST NATIONALLY, BUT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE THAT IS JUST EAST OF THE NUMBER ONE TECH HUB IN THE WORLD.
THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE THAT IS JUST SOUTH OF WORLD CLASS POLICYMAKING.
THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE THAT IS AT THE NORTHERN END OF CALIFORNIA'S AND AMERICA'S BREADBASKET, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE BITES OF FOOD.
THAT KIND OF GEOLOCATION, THAT MEGA REGIONAL RELATIONSHIP SHOULD MEAN SOMETHING FOR OUR ECONOMY, SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T QUITE TAPPED INTO.
AND SO A LOT OF OUR WORK HAS BEEN AT LOOKING AT THE ASSETS ACROSS THIS REGION.
AND THERE ARE MANY, UH, WE HAVE, UH, IN STANISLAUS COUNTY, THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF FOOD PROCESSING, UH, ANYWHERE IN THE STATE.
WE HAVE IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF LOGISTICS, EMPLOYMENT, ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE STATE.
WE HAVE BOTH A RIVER PORT AND AN IN LAND PORT.
UH, WITH MERCED COUNTY, WE HAVE TREMENDOUS RAIL CAPABILITY AS WELL AS TWO HIGHWAYS, FREEWAYS THAT CROSS, UM, OUR LAND.
SO WE HAVE INCREDIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS READY TO BE CAPITALIZED.
AND SO OUR NUMBER ONE EFFORT IS TO MARKET THIS REGION TO THE REST OF THE WORLD SO THAT WE BRING IN NEW OPPORTUNITY TO EACH OF THOSE THREE COUNTIES.
SOME OF THE ASSETS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FOCUS ON ARE THE SIX.
UH, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE UNIVERSITY ECOSYSTEM.
VERY FEW OTHER REGIONS CAN SAY THEY HAVE BOTH THE OLDEST AND THE NEWEST UNIVERSITIES IN THE STATE.
UOP IS THE OLDEST IN CALIFORNIA, UC, MERCED THE NEWEST.
WE HAVE A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY, A STATE UNIVERSITY, AND A UC, WHICH IS PHENOMENAL.
UH, WE HAVE LOTS OF LAND THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
WE HAVE GLOBAL TRADE ACCESS THROUGH, UH, SOME OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT I MENTIONED.
UH, WE HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS READY TO GO TODAY.
A BIG PART OF THAT ARE OUR IRRIGATION DISTRICTS.
MORE OF OUR LAND IS COVERED BY IRRIGATION DISTRICTS THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE THEIR OWN POWER THAN ANY OF THE OTHER 12 REGIONS.
WE HAVE A GROWING POPULATION THAT IS GROWING AND YOUNGER THAN THE REST OF THE STATE, AND MAYBE MOST IMPORTANTLY, AS WE HAVE COLLECTIVE ENERGY AMONG OUR INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN BUILDING ON SOMETHING TOGETHER.
SO HOW DO WE LEVERAGE THAT? ONE EXAMPLE IS THE AGTECH TOUR, UH, THAT MANY OF YOU PARTICIPATED ON, UH, BECAUSE OF OUR, UM, STATURE WITHIN THE CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST SYSTEM, WE WERE ASKED BY GO BZ TO HOST, UH, 16 INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVES, UH, INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES THAT HAD COME TO A CONFERENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
AND THE STATE WAS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SHOW THEM WHAT INLAND CALIFORNIA WAS LIKE.
WE TOURED THEM HERE FOR A COUPLE DAYS.
UH, WE SHOWED THEM, UM, EVERYTHING THAT MERCED COUNTY HAD TO OFFER IN TERMS OF AG TECH.
UM, AND THEN SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL HAPPENED, UH, THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
WE PUT THEM ON A BUS BACK TO SAN FRANCISCO, AND THEN WE LEARNED THAT THEY RENTED CARS AND DROVE ALL THE WAY BACK TO TALK TO FARMERS AND TO FOLKS THAT THEY HAD MET.
UH, AND WE ARE, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF TALKING TO A COUPLE OF THOSE COMPANIES, UH, IN THE FARTHEST PLACES YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN, IN CREATING A HOME BASE HERE IN MERCED COUNTY.
THERE ARE THREE MAIN WAYS THAT WE DO OUR WORK, AND I'LL GO THROUGH THESE AND THEN I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
WE CONVENE PARTNERS, UH, SOMETIMES UNLIKELY PARTNERS.
SO WE ARE A BROAD TABLE THAT INCLUDES COMMUNITY GROUPS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS, PLANNERS, UM, LABOR, UM, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT INPUTS THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN INCLUSIVE, UH, ECONOMY.
AND WE BRING THOSE FOLKS TOGETHER TO REALIZE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
UH, WE CONDUCT ECONOMIC RESEARCH THAT IS LED BY MY COLLEAGUE DR.
POGUE, BUT WE, UH, ALSO HAVE OTHER PARTNERS THAT WE CONTRACT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR OPPORTUNITIES ARE HERE IN THE REGION.
AND THEN WE TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND WE ACTIVATE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, WE DO THAT, UH, PRIMARILY THROUGH THREE ECONOMIC SECTORS.
THE FIRST IS THE BIO CIRCULAR ECONOMY, AND WE HAVE GLORIA GOMEZ HERE FROM BEAM.
UH, WE DO THAT THROUGH ADVANCED MANUFACTURING.
AND LASTLY, THROUGH, UH, CLEAN ENERGY, THAT BIO CIRCULAR WORK IS WHAT HAS CONNECTED
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US TO FOLKS LIKE NUTRITION AND, UH, PLANT THE BIOSCIENCE, UH, WHICH WE REALLY THINK IS THE FUTURE, UM, OF AG TECH HERE IN THE REGION.I'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN, AND THAT IS SHIP BUILDING.
SO YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ESTABLISHED A $75 BILLION MARITIME FUND TO ACCELERATE SHIPBUILDING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN PRIMARILY ON THE WEST COAST.
UM, IN PART BECAUSE OF OUR PROXIMITY TO CHINA AND THE NEED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP, UH, WITH OTHER NATIONS, UM, ACROSS THE GLOBE.
UH, WE KNOW THAT SAN DIEGO IS LARGELY BUILT OUT AND THERE AREN'T A LOT OF OTHER OPPORTUNITIES NORTH OF CALIFORNIA.
AND SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ENERGY PUT ON, UH, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.
THE STATE HAS BEGUN TO PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING CALLED A, LIKE A BAY DELTA COALITION ENABLED TO ACCESS SOME OF THOSE FUNDS AND BRING A MAJOR INVESTMENT INTO OUR PART OF THE STATE.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THINGS LIKE CALIFORNIA FOREVER.
YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF, UH, MAYOR ISLAND.
UM, WELL, THE PORT OF STOCKTON IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT PLAN.
IT IN FACT IS FURTHER DEVELOPED, HAS MORE INFRASTRUCTURE THAN ANY OTHER OF THE COMPONENTS OF THAT REGIONAL COALITION.
UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE PORT OF STOCKTON, UH, WITH THEIR BLESSING.
WE FORMED A COALITION TO SUPPORT THAT WORK SO THAT WE HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT NORTH VALLEY THRIVE DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT INSTEAD OF JUST A LOCAL PARTNER? IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE PORT OF STOCKTON MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE BROADER SUPPLY CHAIN.
WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE UP AND DOWN THE FIVE AND THE 99.
AND LO AND BEHOLD, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT COUNTY HAS MORE BAT BOAT MANUFACTURERS THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE REGION, IT IS MERCED COUNTY.
AND SO WE'RE GOOD AT BOAT MANUFACTURING.
WE'RE GOOD AT WELDING, WE'RE GOOD AT METAL FABRICATION.
THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE A MAJOR, MAJOR PART OF THE FUTURE SUPPLY CHAIN OF WHAT WILL BE SHIP BUILDING AT THE PORT OF STOCKTON.
UH, WE ARE CONDUCTING RESEARCH WITH OUR PARTNERS, BW RESEARCH TO HELP THE PORT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR BEST ECONOMIC FIT IS AND HOW THEY CAN, CAN COMPETE GLOBALLY FOR SOME OF THESE PROJECTS.
AND THEN WE'RE ACTIVATING THAT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY BY BEGINNING TO BRING TOGETHER PARTNERS IN THAT POTENTIAL SUPPLY CHAIN AND HAVING DIRECT DIALOGUE WITH THE STATE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THAT INVESTMENT COMES, THAT WE ARE PRIMED AND READY TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT.
THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF OTHER STRATEGIES.
UM, JUST TO POINT OUT A COUPLE.
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT PLACEMAKING AND AMENITIES.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT A PLACEMAKING SERIES THAT WE, UH, CO-SPONSORED HERE IN MERCED THAT TALKED ABOUT HOW TO ACTIVATE DOWNTOWNS UP AND DOWN THE 99.
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT GENERATIONAL WELLBEING TO UNDERSTAND, UH, ACCESS TO CHILDCARE AS WELL AS ELDER CARE.
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT CLIMATE SMART INFRASTRUCTURE TO UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF OUR LEVEE SYSTEM, OF OUR CANALS, OF PLACES LIKE THOSE REAL ESTATE PARK THAT ALSO HELP, UH, WHEN WE HAVE DELUGES OF RAINS.
AND THEN WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT CATALYTIC SKILLS AND IDENTIFIED THREE OCCUPATIONS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO CATALYZE OUR ECONOMY.
AND THOSE ARE NURSES, ELECTRICIANS, AND MACHINE MECHANICS.
WE DO ALL OF THIS IN CONCERT, UH, EVERY SINGLE DAY, WORKING WITH A HUNDRED OF PARTNERS ACROSS THOSE 4,100 SQUARE MILES.
OKAY, I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, DR.
POGUE, WHO IS GOING TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE DO THAT IS FOCUSED ON MERCED COUNTY.
AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIFIC INVESTMENTS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN MADE HERE, UM, IN MERCED COUNTY.
THANKS, AND, UH, NICE TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS MORNING.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE KEY DIMENSIONS THAT HAVE REALLY MANIFEST THIS REGION'S IDENTITY AND SOME OF THE DYNAMICS THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN NORTH VALLEY THRIVE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS AS, AS WE, AS WE WORK TO, UM, AGAIN, MAKE TRANSFORMATIVE GROWTH AND CHANGE FOR THE REGION.
UM, ONE OF THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTIONS IS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE IS DIVERSITY, THERE'S A COMMON SET OF EXPERIENCES IN ALL THREE COUNTIES.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH IS SOMEWHAT SURPRISING IS THAT AT LEAST TO SOME IS THAT, UM, COMMUTING IN IN ALL THREE COUNTIES IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT.
AND, AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HAS A LARGE BAY AREA CONNECTION TO, UM, WITH, UM, IN TOTAL 25% OF THE COUNTY'S POPULATION WORKING OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY.
BUT HERE IN MERCED COUNTY, IT'S ACTUALLY 30% OF THE POPULATION WORKS OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY.
[00:30:01]
AND, AND, AND THAT HAS CONTINUED TO GROW.STANISLAU IS IS SLIGHTLY LESS, UM, THAN THAN MERCED, BUT, UM, BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO GROW OVER THE LAST TWO OR THREE DECADES.
AND, AND WHAT'S ALSO BECOME IMPORTANT IS THIS GROWTH OF THE INTRA REGIONAL COMMUTING CONNECTIONS WHERE WE'VE SEEN COMMUTERS BETWEEN STANISLAUS AND SAN JOAQUIN, MERCED AND STANISLAUS, STANISLAUS AND MERCED AND SAN JOAQUIN.
AND, AND STANISLAUS REALLY GROW IN, IN, UM, QUANTITY.
AND, UM, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE NUMBER OF INTRA REGIONAL COMMUTERS IS ALMOST THE SAME AS THE, AS THE LARGE NUMBER OF BAY AREA COMMUTERS.
AND THAT'S PART OF A COMPLICATED STORY, WHICH I'M HAPPY TO, TO TALK ABOUT IN MORE DETAIL.
BUT, UM, I, I THINK IN TERMS OF MERCED, WHAT IS, UM, QUITE REMARKABLE IS THAT OF THE 36,000, UM, RESIDENTS WHO COMMUTE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY AS THEIR PRIMARY, UH, JOB, 18,000, LITTLE OVER 18,000 GO TO STANISLAUS AND ANOTHER 8,000 GO TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
AND TOGETHER, THAT MAKES UP 72% OF ALL THOSE OUT OF COUNTY COMMUTERS ARE LINKED TO THE BAY AREA AND TO OTHER PARTS OF THE, OF THE NORTH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.
AND, AND THINKING ABOUT THOSE JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND THE REASONS FOR THOSE COMMUTERS, HOW WE LEVERAGE THAT, BUT ALSO WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY AN EMERGING DISTINCT REGIONAL LABOR MARKET IN AND OF OURSELVES HAS HELPED SHAPE THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT THE REGION'S LOOKING AT AND SOME, AND SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE AWARE OF.
IMPORTANTLY, THAT COMMUTE PATTERN ALSO IS REFLECTED IN MIGRATION PATTERNS WHERE WE SEE, UM, IMPORTANT INFLOWS OF POPULATION FROM THE BAY AREA MOVING IN HERE, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE, THE REGION WHERE PEOPLE FROM SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY ARE MOVING DOWN TO STANISLAUS, STANISLAUS TO MERCED AS COSTS AND AFFORDABILITY ARE IMPACTING THE, THE RESIDENTS IN THESE, IN THESE AREAS.
WHEN WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT UM, ALSO MEANS IS AS WE LOOK AT, AT, UM, THE FUTURE AND, AND, AND THE PAST AND, AND I'M SORRY, THERE SHOULD BE A DOTTED LINE FROM FROM 2026, WHICH IS WHERE PROJECTIONS COME IN, UM, BEFORE THAT ARE THE ACTUAL POPULATION ESTIMATES.
UH, THE, THE DATA FROM 2026 ONWARD IS A, IS A PROJECTION OF THE POPULATION, UM, OUT TO 2070.
BUT, BUT WHAT WE SEE IS A STORY OF STRONG GROWTH IN MERCED COUNTY AND THE REST OF THE REGION, WHICH IS SLOWING OVER TIME.
AND, AND, AND THAT SLOWING IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S CHANGING THE FUTURE, BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE REST OF THE STATE.
AND THESE NUMBERS ARE FAR TOO SMALL FOR YOU TO SEE.
BUT BASICALLY WHAT, WHAT THIS SHOWS IS FROM THE 1970S ONWARD, MERCED COUNTY HAS ECLIPSED THE REST OF CALIFORNIA IN TERMS OF ITS GROWTH RATE.
AND THAT FOR MANY YEARS WAS DRIVEN BY ITS BIRTHS AND, AND, AND THE HIGH, UM, RATE OF BIRTH THAT IT HAD, THE RELATIVELY YOUNG POPULATION THAT IT HAD.
BUT INCREASINGLY, AS WE LOOK OUT OVER TIME THAT THAT NATURAL NET NATURAL GROWTH, WHICH IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORTALITY AND BIRTH, UM, IS SLOWING DOWN IN CALIFORNIA, THAT THAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS WILL ACTUALLY TURN NEGATIVE IN ABOUT 2038.
LOOKING AT CURRENT PROJECTIONS, UM, IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY THAT'S ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 2058 AND STANIS LOST ABOUT 2059 THROUGH THE MOST RECENT PROJECTION, WHICH GOES OUT TO 2070.
THAT NET NATURAL GROWTH IS STAYING POSITIVE IN MERCED, BUT IT'S SLOWING DOWN DRAMATICALLY.
AND THAT'S AS WE AS WE ARE INCREASINGLY, UM, SEEING PEOPLE HAVING TO, TO START WORK, UH, START FAMILIES LATER BECAUSE OF, UH, EDUCATION AND ALSO CULTURAL CHANGES AS, AS THERE ARE FEWER IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS AND OUR AGING POPULATION COMES TO BE, THAT'S CHANGING THAT NET NATURAL GROWTH RATE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHAT'S REALLY GONNA BE DRIVING THE FUTURE OF NOT ONLY MERCED COUNTY, THE NORTH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, BUT ALSO CALIFORNIA IS THE NET MIGRATION.
HOW ARE WE, HOW ATTRACTIVE ARE WE TO, UM, PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE AREA? HOW CAN WE RETAIN THOSE PEOPLE? AND IMPORTANT DIMENSIONS OF THAT ARE NOT ONLY WHAT, UM, WHAT WE LOOK LIKE TO INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS BECAUSE THOSE HAVE BEEN IMPORTANT SUBSTANTIALLY FOR OUR REGION, BUT IN INTER REGIONALLY ACROSS THOSE REGIONS IN CALIFORNIA THAT ERIC SHOWED.
[00:35:01]
IS IT FOR PEOPLE TO COME HERE? HOW ATTRACTIVE IS THE WORK OPPORTUNITIES? HOW ATTRACTIVE IS IT IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE, WHICH ARE SOME OF THOSE, UM, UH, CROSS-CUTTING ENABLING STRATEGIES THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT? AND WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT THIS MEANS, THIS IS ACROSS THE 13 CALIFORNIA JOB FIRST REGIONS LOOKING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCES CURRENT PROJECTIONS.IT SHOWS THAT THERE'S A DRAMATIC DIVERGENCE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF CALIFORNIA.
AND, AND YOU SEE HERE, THE NORTH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IS ACTUALLY PROJECTED TO GROW THE MOST OF ANY REGION OVER 27%.
UM, AND AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AT DIFFERENCES IN COUNTIES, THERE'S ALMOST POLAR OPPOSITES WHERE A COUNTY LIKE SAN JOAQUIN IS, IS PROJECTED TO GROW 42%.
AND A PLACE LIKE MONO IS PROJECTED TO TO DECLINE BY 46%.
AND, AND AGAIN, THERE'S A NEED TO HAVE REGIONALLY REFLECTED STRATEGIES 'CAUSE ONE STRATEGY ISN'T GONNA WORK FOR ALL OF CALIFORNIA.
AND AS WE LOOK AT THIS DATA, WHICH IS SHOWING US THE NATURE OF THIS REGION, TRYING TO THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE REGION HAVE ARE, ARE CAPTURED AND, AND LEVERAGED, UM, IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK LATER ABOUT ANY, ANY OTHER DETAILS, BUT I'M GONNA HAND IT BACK OVER TO ERIC NOW.
WE STARTED OFF THIS PROCESS TALKING ABOUT HOW OUR REGION WAS THE FUTURE OF CALIFORNIA AND PEOPLE DIDN'T REALLY TAKE US SERIOUSLY.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT DATA, IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT WE ARE THE FUTURE OF CALIFORNIA.
WE DO THIS WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOTS OF ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, FORGIVE ME, I'M FIGHTING A LITTLE COLD UP HERE, UM, INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES STANISLAU, THE SAN JOAQUIN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP, STANISLAU COUNTY, AND ITS CEO SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
UH, BUT I AM FROM MERCED COUNTY.
AND SO IT BRINGS ME A LOT OF PRIDE TO TALK NOW ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.
CALIFORNIA JOBS FIRST, UH, MADE AVAILABLE, UH, NEARLY $80 MILLION, UM, FOR A VARIETY OF PROJECTS THAT WOULD STIMULATE THE ECONOMY.
WE WORKED, UH, VERY HARD, UM, TO BRING FORWARD A $9.2 MILLION GRANT FOR, UH, PROJECT THAT WAS SHARED BETWEEN UC, MERCED, AND MERCED COLLEGE, WHICH IS, UH, THE FOUNDATION OF THEIR AG TECH ALLIANCE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOWED, UH, THE SECRETARY OF LABOR JUST YESTERDAY, AND THAT CONTINUES TO GAIN A LOT OF MOMENTUM.
AND SECURING THAT $9 MILLION WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO US.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THE $9.2 MILLION THAT CAME DIRECTLY FROM SACRAMENTO, UH, WE ALSO MADE ABOUT $9 MILLION WORTH OF REWARD ACROSS THE REGION.
A THIRD OF THAT CAME TO MERCED COUNTY.
SO MERCED COLLEGE GOT AN ADDITIONAL $1.5 MILLION, UM, TO, UH, ACCELERATE THE WORK, UH, OF THAT $9.2 MILLION AWARD.
UH, WE MADE A $450,000 AWARD TO BRISCOE ENTERPRISES, UH, FOR, UH, DEEP WELL COMPOSTING, UC, MERCED, UH, UH, GOT 200 AND $450,000, UH, THROUGH THEIR PACE PROGRAM, UH, MCOE, ANOTHER $450,000 FOR THEIR WORK IN CHILDCARE.
AND MERCED COLLEGE GOT AN EXPLORATORY GRANT TO, UH, SEE WHETHER DEVELOPMENT OF SEMICONDUCTOR TRAINING HEAD LEGS HERE, HERE IN OUR REGION.
SO THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE TRIED TO MAKE OUR IMPACT REALLY FELT HERE IN MERCED COUNTY.
BUT WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE QUESTIONS.
UM, AND ANY, UM, ADVISEMENT YOU MAY HAVE, UH, ABOUT OUR WORK AS WE LAUNCH INTO THE NEXT PHASE, WHICH WE ARE CALLING NVT 2.00.
UM, NOBODY'S IN THE, IN THE QUEUE YET WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THIS REFLECTS, AND I LOVE IT WHEN DR.
POGUE COMES UP AND TALKS ABOUT THE COMMUTERS AND WHAT'S GOING ON.
'CAUSE THE RIGHT OUTTA COLLEGE, MY FIRST 10 YEARS, I DID NOT WORK IN MERCED COUNTY.
I COMMUTED OUT EVERY DAY AND I SAW THE SAME FOLKS ON THE FREEWAY EVERY DAY.
AND, UH, EVEN AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND STARTING MY BUSINESS FOR 25 YEARS, I DIDN'T HAVE ONE CONTRACTOR DO ANY BUSINESS IN MERCED COUNTY.
IT WAS ALL DONE EVERYWHERE ELSE.
AND SO WHEN I LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, IT'S VERY REFLECTIVE AND, AND I GET IT.
AND IT'S HOW DO WE RETAIN 'EM HERE? I KNOW WHENEVER I SENT MY KIDS OFF TO COLLEGE, THEY WENT TO SCHOOL DOWN IN LA BUT IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE MIND AND ALWAYS KEPT IT IN THEIR MIND.
WE CANNOT LET THE BRAIN TRUST LEAVE.
AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY MY KIDS DID RETURN.
I THINK COVID WAS VERY HELPFUL WITH THAT.
UH, BUT THEY, EVERY TIME THEY COME HOME FROM, UH, FROM LA, THEY JUST LOOK AROUND AND
[00:40:01]
SAY, LOOK AT THESE OPEN SPACES.THEY WERE TIRED OF ALL THE PEOPLE AND THEY DID NOT LIKE THE CONGESTION DOWN IN LA.
AND SO THEY'VE RETURNED, AND MY GRANDSON'S HERE NOW, AND IT MAKES EVERYTHING REALLY NICE.
UM, DR. POPE, A QUESTION ON SLIDE 15, IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO IT RIGHT THERE, CAN YOU, IT JUST WAS NOTICEABLE TO ME THAT, THAT THE PROJECTIONS FROM 2020 TO 2025, I GUESS THOSE ARE PROBABLY REAL NUMBERS.
THEY'RE NOT PROJECTIONS ANY, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE REASON WHY THERE WAS A NEGATIVE GROWTH IN THAT PERIOD, AND THEN IT KIND OF BUMPS BACK UP FOR THE NEXT POTENTIAL, BUT I'M GONNA CALL THAT 20 YEARS OR SO.
AND, AND WHAT IT DID ON THE STATE.
UM, ALL THE PEOPLE THAT TOOK REMOTE WORK OPPORTUNITIES AND MOVED SOMEPLACE THAT WAS MORE AFFORDABLE, UM, THAT WAS THE, A HUGE, HUGE ACTUAL IMPACT ON, ON, ON CALIFORNIA, PARTICULARLY THE BAY AREA AND LOS ANGELES AREA.
BUT, BUT IT DID SLOW DOWN A LOT OF EVEN, UH, GROWTH IN OUR REGION.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS GROWTH IN OUR AREA.
IT WAS STILL GROWTH IN OUR AREA.
BUT, BUT IT, BUT IT DID, IT, IT, YES, THERE WAS STILL GROWTH IN OUR AREA AND, AND THAT ALTHOUGH THERE, OUR COMMUTING SLOWED DOWN TO THE BAY AREA DURING THAT TIME, UM, WE HAD JOBS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T CLOSE DOWN.
AND SO THERE WERE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND, UM, AND, AND REMOTE WORK AND HYBRID WORK ALSO CREATED A NEW SORT OF CLASS OF, OF OPPORTUNITY, ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF THEM DID GO OUTTA STATE RATHER THAN IN, IN INTRA REGIONALLY.
CHAIR RECOGNIZES, UH, SUPERVISOR PRAYER.
UM, WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR REALLY SUNSHINE IN DATA, RIGHT? THAT, THAT HELPS, UM, I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS CREATE OUR NARRATIVE AND THEN HAVE IT BE RELATABLE AND AND RELIABLE BY, BY THOSE THAT ARE OUTSIDE OUR AREA THAT MIGHT BRING JOBS HERE.
AND, AND, UH, SO ANYWAYS, I JUST THINK THIS IS A GOOD SUN SHINING OF THAT DATA AND APPRECIATE THAT I, UH, YOU KNOW, OFTEN, YOU KNOW, I I I AM A FARM KID, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, GROWTH ISN'T NECESSARILY ONE OF MY HIGH PRIORITIES.
HOWEVER, WHAT I HAVE LEARNED, BEING A SUPERVISOR, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOME GROWTH, RIGHT? AND I THINK WHEN I FIRST STARTED IT WAS MAYBE THREE OR 4% GROWTH.
UM, NOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE COST OF GOODS AND THE COST OF LIVING, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE HIGHER.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE NOT GROWING BY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND 10%, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY DYING, UH, AS FAR AS AN ECONOMY.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST IN MY OWN PERSONAL GROWTH JUST NOW REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING NORTH VALLEY THRIVE IS DOING, WORKFORCE INVESTMENT IS DOING.
I, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I REALLY, I SEE A LOT OF VALUE IN THAT.
AND, UH, I'M THANKFUL THAT YOU'RE HERE AND, AND REALLY THANKFUL THAT WE'RE SUNSHINE IN THIS DATA AND MAKING IT AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE LOOKING, UH, TO, TO MOVE.
UH, IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE A COUPLE OF, YOU KNOW, YESTERDAY AT, AT, UH, AT THE CONVENING WITH THE SECRETARY OF LABOR, UM, YOU KNOW, HAD GALLO AND FOSTER FARMS AS TWO MAJOR EMPLOYERS IN OUR REGION.
AND, AND IT WOULD BE NICE TO, TO, YOU KNOW, FIND SOME OTHER EMPLOYERS, UH, MAYBE IN A DIFFERENT INDUSTRY AND NOT COMPETING WITH THEM, BUT TO KIND OF DO THE SAME.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW SMALL BUSINESS IS THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT, UH, IT'S NICE TO HAVE THOSE LARGER EMPLOYERS THAT, UM, CAN BE LIKE ANCHOR, UH, TYPE.
SO ANYWAYS, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS.
I'LL, I'LL ADD TO THAT AND JUST SAY, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT THAT WE NEED TO FIND OTHER ANCHOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE HEADQUARTERED HERE.
AND PART OF THE REASON THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON PLACEMAKING INITIATIVES IS THAT WE HEARD FROM THOSE COMPANIES THAT IN ORDER TO HEADQUARTER HERE, THEY WANT A QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THEIR EXECUTIVES THAT MAKES IT ATTRACTIVE.
AND SO ALL OF THIS, THESE, THESE THINGS ARE VERY INTERCONNECTED.
I'LL ALSO MAKE A NOTE ABOUT GROWTH.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, GATHERED ALL OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, DIRECTORS AND THE PLANNERS, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR MIMS AND HIS COLLEAGUES TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT GROWTH AND WHAT WE THINK GROWTH COULD AND SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, I'LL GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE THAT THERE IS A THOUGHT THAT WE SHOULD PRESERVE THE AG LAND IN BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITIES.
THAT THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT ALWAYS EXISTS, THAT THE 99 SHOULD JUST NOT BLEED POPULATION.
BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO THINK COLLECTIVELY ABOUT WHAT GROWTH NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, AND THEN CREATE THE POLICY STRUCTURES THAT PRESERVE THAT OPEN SPACE FOR US.
SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT A LOT.
WELL, JUST A, A QUICK ANECDOTAL STORY.
UH, IN 1988, I WAS DRIVING TO SAN DIEGO, UH,
[00:45:01]
TO TAKE PICTURES OF SOME COWS, RIGHT, ON A DAIRY.AND, UH, SO BAG PHONES ARE OUT.
I HAD A BAG PHONE, I CALL MY GRANDMOTHER.
MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED IN HOPETON, NEVER HAD A DRIVER'S LICENSE.
UH, YOU KNOW, MY GRANDFATHER TOOK HER EVERYWHERE SHE WANTED TO GO.
BUT ANYWAY, SO I CALL HER JUST TO CHAT.
AND, UH, SHE ASKED WHERE I WAS AND I SAID, WELL, I'M BETWEEN LA AND SAN DIEGO.
AND SHE GOES, ISN'T THAT SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FARM GROUND YOU'VE EVER SEEN? YOU KNOW, WELL, IN 1952, HER AND MY GRANDFATHER TOOK MY DAD DOWN TO SAN DIEGO, TO THE NAVY, RIGHT? HADN'T BEEN SOUTH OF THE GRAPEVINE SINCE.
AND I SAID, WELL, GRANDMA, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY FARM GROUND IN A WHILE.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SHE FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, SO I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, YOUR THOUGHTS AND WITH SIGMA AND THE GROUNDWATER ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA LOSE SOME FARMING, BUT, UH, TO PRESERVE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CAN IS, I, I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, AS WELL.
THANK YOU, CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR RA.
SO JUST A COUPLE QUICK THOUGHTS IS, IS I REALLY, I WANNA PIGGYBACK ON WHAT SUPERVISOR PERRA SAID IS IT'S USING THIS DATA TO NOT ONLY TELL OUR STORY TO THE BUSINESS, THAT BUSINESSES THAT POTENTIALLY WANNA COME HERE, BUT TELL OUR STORY TO THE STATE.
BECAUSE HISTORICALLY, THE VALLEY'S BEEN OVERLOOKED, THE INVESTMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE, WE DON'T HAVE THE POPULATION CENTERS, WE DON'T HAVE THE VOTES, RIGHT? YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME TOLD, TELL THE STORY ABOUT WHEN, AT THE TIME ASSEMBLY MEMBER ADAM GRAY GOES, AND IT'S THE, HE'S FIRSTLY NEWLY ELECTED AND THEY DO ROLL CALL BY COUNTIES.
AND WHEN THEY CALL LA COUNTY, A THIRD OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE STANDS UP, BUT IN THE ASSEMBLY THEN AT THAT POINT, MERCED COUNTY, HE WAS OUR ONLY REPRESENTATIVE THEN.
YOU KNOW, THEY CALL MERCED COUNTY IS JUST ONE PERSON.
AND SO I THINK THIS HELPS TO TELL THE POWERS TO BE AT, AT THE STATE HOW IMPORTANT IT DID.
WE'RE NOT JUST, WE'RE NOT JUST OUT HERE SQUEAKY WHEEL.
WE'RE SHOWING YOU DATA THAT'S SHOWING YOU THAT ALL THE PLACES THAT YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO ARE LOSING PEOPLE AND THEY'RE COMING HERE.
RIGHT? AND SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THEN WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GROWTH ASPECT OF IT, IT'S SMART GROWTH VERSUS JUST GROWTH.
AND I KNOW LIKE FOR OUR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS, OUR CITIES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT GROWING, YOU'RE DYING.
YOU, YOU HAVE TO KEEP, AND, AND, AND THERE'S PEOPLE THAT WANNA BE ISOLATIONISTS AND THEY DON'T WANT, THEY DON'T WANT IT TO CHANGE.
WELL, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN LOS MANUS WAS 8,000 PEOPLE AND NOW IT'S CLOSE TO 50.
AND, AND WHAT SCARES ME, AND I, I HOPE THIS IS A MESSAGE TO YOU AS YOU TALK TO FOLKS, YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO THEM IF YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO NOTHING, THAT'S GONNA GIVE THE STATE MORE AND MORE INCENTIVE TO THEN JUST DO BLANKET, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY LOVE TO DO IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, MAKE IT BLANKET POLICIES THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE GROWTH THAT IT TAKES THE LOCALS OUT OF, HAVE ZERO CONTROL.
IT'S GONNA GET TO A POINT IF YOU WANT TO, IF YOU'RE NOT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SMART GROWTH PLANS, THAT THE STATE IS GONNA CREATE A CHECKLIST AND TELL DEVELOPERS AND WHOEVER IT IS.
WELL, AS LONG AS YOU CAN CHECK THESE BOXES, YOU CAN BUILD IN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN BUILD THERE.
SO I THINK THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT THINGS TO, UH, REMEMBER AS WE GO DOWN THIS, 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S ALL MARRIED TOGETHER.
THE JOB PART OF IT, THE HOUSING PART OF IT, THE QUALITY OF LIFE PART OF IT, THESE ARE, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT, THEY'RE NOT NEW THINGS.
BUT I, I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND, AND TAKING A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THIS THREE COUNTY, UM, PROGRAM HERE TO, SO THAT WE CAN, WELL LEND YOUR TALENTS TO OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT DOES, IF, IF THEY GET HELPED OUT, IT HELPS ALL OF US OUT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
NO, AND THANK YOU, UH, SCOTT, THEY ARE RECOGNIZING US.
WE WERE AT THE CALIFORNIA ECONOMIC FORUM LAST WEEK AND THE GOVERNOR ACTUALLY COMMENTED ON HOW WELL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS WORKING IN MERCED COUNTY.
AND IF YOU WANT TO HEAR ERIC SQUEAL OR JUMP UP IN GLEE, I HEARD IT, I SAW IT.
AND, OR, BUT
UH, MAYBE THE LEGISLATURE ISN'T, BUT WE KNOW THE GOVERNOR IS RECOGNIZES AND A LOT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND, AND STUFF UP THERE.
AND IT WAS GOOD CONVENING WITH, UH, THE CALIFORNIA FORWARD, UH, FOLKS.
'CAUSE THEY ALL RECOGNIZE WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE AND COMPLIMENTING IT ON.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING ON THIS TASK.
UH, I'M GLAD OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD DECIDED TO JUMP IN AND BE A PART OF THIS.
OKAY, AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE PRESENTATION.
WE'LL LOOK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
UH, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS PRESENTATION
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
IS NOW CLOSED.NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEM ONE REQUIRES A FORE VOTE.
PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON.
[00:50:01]
THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON, PLEASE USE THE ST.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.
IN ENSURE FAIRNESS, WE WILL START WITH FIVE SPEAKERS IN PERSON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE REMOTE SPEAKERS UNTIL THE TIME IS EXPIRED.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT.
CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14, I SEEING NONE IN THE ROOM.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR CONSENT, CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR S SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROSO, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE RECORD THE VOTE.
[BOARD ACTION]
WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO BOARD ACTION.WE'LL BEGIN WITH PUBLIC WORKS.
ITEMS 15 AND 16, PLEASE NOTE ITEM 16 REQUIRES A FOUR FIFTH VOTE.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
ITEMS 15 AND 16, CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PEDROZA.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ON THIS ITEM.
UM, IT'S IN REGARDS TO THE AMOUNT OF CHANGE ORDERS FOR THIS, AND I KNOW WE'VE DONE THIS QUITE A BIT.
46 CHANGE ORDERS SEEMS A LOT FOR A COMPANY THAT WE'VE ALREADY HAD THE CONTRACT WITH.
AND I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS IN THIS REPORT THAT IT'S MENTIONS IS THAT DUE TO THE INABILITY TO FORESEE THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY BID A PROJECT, SHOULDN'T THEY HAVE SOME ABILITY TO FORESEE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? I MEAN, I, I UNDERSTAND NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF IT, BUT 46 CHANGE ORDERS SEEMS LIKE AN AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT.
UH, GOOD MORNING, UH, BOARD CHAIR AND SUPERVISOR.
SUPERVISOR PEDROZA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, THIS CHANGE ORDER SPECIFICALLY DEALS WITH, UM, WORK THAT IS TRULY UNFORESEEN.
WE NEEDED TO RIP OFF A PORTION OF BUILDING 600 ROOF.
UM, AND IN DOING SO, WE NEEDED TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE THAT WAS DONE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY COVERED UP.
A MAJORITY OF THE CHANGE ORDERS, UH, FOR THIS PROJECT, UH, INVOLVE, UM, REMODELING AN EXISTING BUILDING.
AND I'M SURE, UH, MOST PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU'RE DOING A HOME REMODEL, YOU TEAR OFF THE WALL AND THEN YOU REALIZE, OKAY, WHAT'S ACTUALLY THERE? SO A LOT OF THE CHANGE ORDERS ARE RELATED TO THAT.
UH, THIS PROJECT IS, UH, DELIVERED VIA DESIGN BUILD DELIVERY METHOD.
AND SO, UH, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE CONTRACTOR, UM, IN AN EXPEDITIOUS WAY TO HELP DELIVER THE PROJECT.
AND ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE IT, UM, THEY, UH, IDENTIFY A NOT TO EXCEED, UH, AMOUNT BASED ON CERTAIN ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE MADE.
UM, THOSE ASSUMPTIONS, UH, THE COUNTY AND THE CONTRACTOR CARRY RISK BASED ON THOSE ASSUMPTIONS.
UH, SO IN THIS, IN THIS SITUATION, UM, THE COUNTY KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE, UH, A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE ORDERS BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO REMOVE THE ROOF AND MATERIAL.
UH, LOOK AT THE SHEATHING, LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY ORGANIC GROWTH THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH, UH, AND SO, UH, THIS PROJECT, WELL, IT IS ABOVE MY SIGHTING AUTHORITY AND REQUIRES BOARD APPROVAL.
IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT PREVIOUSLY HAD NOT BEEN SET ASIDE.
UM, AND THAT'S THE CASE FOR A MAJORITY OF THE CHANGE ORDERS, UH, ON THIS PROJECT.
AND, AND I, AND I GET THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER.
I, I MEAN, I'M NOT GOING TO, I'M GONNA VOTE YES ON THIS, BUT I JUST THINK THAT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO GET THE EXPLANATION.
'CAUSE I THINK IT ALMOST BEGS THE QUESTION, SHOULD WE HAVE JUST TORN THE WHOLE THING DOWN AND STARTED FROM STRETCH? BUT I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
IT, IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE COST A LOT MORE.
UM, BUT, UM, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE DO THAT.
UH, IT, IT JUST FOR COMPARISON, AND IT'S, IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES, BUT, UH, PHASE TWO OF THE JLCC PROJECT IS A NEW BUILD AND WE HAD SUBSTANTIALLY LESS CHANGE ORDERS ON THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE SAME DELIVERY METHOD BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TRYING TO RENOVATE AN EXISTING FACILITY.
AT THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
MERCEDES, ARE YOU NOT GONNA COMMENT? YOU SAW ITEM NUMBER 15,
IF NOBODY'S GONNA COMMENT IN THE ROOM, WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
ITEMS 15 AND 16 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAAS.
AND, UM, IF THERE'S FURTHER DISCUSSION,
[00:55:03]
I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR SRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO.LET'S CALL FOR THE VOTE RECORD THE VOTE MOTION PASSES.
NEXT, WE HAVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES, ITEM 17 THROUGH 19.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES.
ITEM 17 AND 19 OR 17 THROUGH 19, WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES ON ITEM 17 THROUGH 19 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
SEEING NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE, I DO HAVE A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROZA.
IT WAS MOTION SAW LLOYD DISAPPEARED.
I'LL PULL IT DOWN A LITTLE, A LITTLE QUICK AT THE DRAW.
THERE WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PERRA.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT SECOND? YES.
UH, WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
SEEING NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
NEXT, WE HAVE HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY ITEMS 20 THROUGH 22.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP A COMMENT FOR HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY ITEMS 20 THROUGH 22.
SEEING NOBODY IN THE ROOM, WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
WE'LL, UH, THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR HUMAN SERVICES 20 AND THROUGH 22 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
I DO HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PERRA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR RA, UH, NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
NEXT WE HAVE HEALTH ITEMS 23 THROUGH 26.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR HEALTH ITEMS 2323 THROUGH 26.
THAT WAS HARD TO SAY, SEEING NOBODY IN THE ROOM.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CHECK FOR REMOTE ACCESS.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR HEALTH ITEMS 23 THROUGH 26 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS.
I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR RA, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEREIRA WITH NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR FIRE.
SEEING NO SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM, WE'LL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR FIRE ITEM 27 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
I DO HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR SILVERA, NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR SHERIFF ITEM NUMBER 28.
SEEING NOBODY IN THE ROOM, I WILL CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR SHERIFF ITEM 28 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAIS CHAIR, RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PEREIRA.
WELL, UM, I, YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, THIS ADDRESS IS, UM, OBVIOUSLY IN MY DISTRICT, AND SO I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL THE, YOU KNOW, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, THE, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL'S OFFICE, UM, FOR, FOR WORKING TO CLEAN UP THESE, THESE PROPERTIES.
I, YOU KNOW, AS SUPERVISORS, WE GET CALLS ALL THE TIME AND, AND IT'S A TREACHEROUS EFFORT TO GET PROPERTIES ABATED.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THE COURT SYSTEM SEEMS TO SLOW IT DOWN THE MOST.
[01:00:01]
A WIN AND SO DO THE NEIGHBORS.SO JUST WANT TO SHARE MY APPRECIATION.
THERE'S NO OTHER SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
NEXT WE HAVE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEM 29 HAS BEEN PULLED.
NEXT WE HAVE TREASURER ITEM 30.
AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN A PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TREASURER.
ITEM NUMBER 30, SEE NOBODY IN THE ROOM.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CHECK FOR REMOTE COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR TREASURE ITEM 30 IS NOW CLOSED.
WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DIOCESE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
SEEING NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE MOTION, LITTLE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY.
OKAY, I DO HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR PEDROSO.
SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEDROSO.
I SEE NO FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE RECORD THE VOTE.
NEXT WE HAVE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE ITEM 31.
I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER MARK HENDRICKSON TO PROVIDE OPENING COMMENTS.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD LESS THAN ONE MONTH AGO.
UH, THIS BOARD AT YOUR FINAL BUDGET HEARING EXPRESS INTEREST IN UPDATING, UH, YOUR GENERAL FUND RESERVE POLICY TO ENSURE THAT INTEREST EARNINGS, UM, WERE ADDED, UH, TO YOUR, UH, TO, TO YOUR RESERVE, UH, AS ESTABLISHED THROUGH YOUR BUDGET PROCESS.
THE PROPOSED REVISION TODAY ESTABLISHES A CONSISTENT PROCESS FOR ADDING THOSE EARNINGS TO THE RESERVE IN THE FI FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR, WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR EXISTING TARGET RANGE.
THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AS WE LOOK AHEAD.
AS I MENTIONED, DURING YOUR FINAL BUDGET HEARING, WE MAY BE ENTERING A PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, THAT'S CERTAINLY GOING TO BE MORE CHALLENGING WITH CONTINUED COST PRESSURES AND UNCERTAINTY AROUND REVENUES.
TAKING STEPS NOW, UH, TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FISCAL POSITION WILL HELP US REMAIN PREPARED TO PROTECT ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND AVOID MORE DIFFICULT DECISIONS DOWN THE ROAD.
ULTIMATELY, THIS IS A STRAIGHTFORWARD BUT IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS STRENGTHENING YOUR LONG-TERM FISCAL STABILITY AND PROTECTING THE ESSENTIAL SERVICES OUR RESIDENTS DEPEND ON.
AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN OVER TO MR. MARIANI AND THANK HIM FOR HIS EFFORTS TO DO THIS EXPEDITIOUSLY.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN MCDANIEL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CEO, HENDRICKSON COUNTY COUNCIL HANSON, DAVID MARONE, ASSISTANT CEO.
AND IT'S MY PLEASURE TODAY TO PRESENT TO YOU GENERAL FUND BUDGET PER BUDGET RESERVE POLICY UPDATE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
AS A WAY OF SOME, UH, BRIEF HISTORY, THIS POLICY WAS ORIGINALLY ADOPTED IN 2020.
AND AS WE, UH, DISCUSS EVERY YEAR DURING THE BUDGET POLICY SENSE, WHAT THIS DOES IS ORIGINALLY SET A RANGE OF SEVEN TO 9% OF THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS OF ACTUAL GENERAL FUND REVENUE TO BE BUDGETED IN A SUBSEQUENT, UH, FISCAL YEAR.
SO, AS DISCUSSED AT BUDGET, ONCE WE GO INTO FINAL BUDGET AND YEAR END BOOKS ARE CLOSED, WE HAVE A, SO, YOU KNOW, OF A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S ACTUAL REVENUE.
WE TAKE THAT THREE YEAR AVERAGE, WE SET A RANGE OF A FLOOR OF SEVEN AT THAT TIME, 9%, AND, UM, SET THE RESERVE WITHIN THAT, UH, FRAMEWORK.
IN 2022, THAT POLICY WAS REVISED AND TAKEN FROM 7%, UH, UP TO 12%.
AT THAT TIME, YOU WERE STARTING TO SEE THE, THE, THE CEILING, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE RESERVES START TO GET TOWARDS THAT CEILING AREA BECAUSE, UH, YOU ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN YOUR REVENUES.
SO, UH, FROM BUDGET, WE TOOK THE SLIDE FROM BUDGET.
THIS SHOWS WHERE, UH, WE ARE HISTORIC, UM, RESERVES HAVE BEEN BUDGETED AT, AS YOU MAY RECALL, DURING BUDGET, WE WERE AT 7.2% IN THAT SEVEN TO 12% RANGE.
WITH THE FLOOR BEING 43.7 MILLION, WE WERE BUDGETED AT 45.1.
AS, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT IS, UM, APP APPRO BASICALLY APPROACHING THE, THE FLOOR OF THAT POLICY.
WHEN YOUR POLICY WAS REVISED IN 2022, YOU WERE NEARLY AT THE CEILING OF YOUR POLICY BEFORE IT WAS REVISED.
UM, TO GET TO THAT, UH, 12%, YOU WOULD BE AT 74.9 MILLION BASED ON THE LAST THREE YEARS.
[01:05:03]
SO THE PROPOSED, UH, POLICY REVISIONS ARE HOW WE WOULD, HOW WE WOULD DO THIS IS THE AMOUNT ADDED TO THE RESERVE EACH YEAR WOULD EQUAL THE ACTUAL EARN INTEREST EARNINGS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE FOR THE PROCEEDING FISCAL YEAR AS DETERMINED BY THE AUDITOR CONTROLLER USING THE COUNTY'S ESTABLISHED INTEREST ALLOCATION METHOD.SO, SIMILARLY TO WHEN WE CLOSE YEAR END BOOKS AND WE HAVE THE THREE YEAR, UH, AVERAGE, WE HAVE WHAT THOSE ACTUAL EARNINGS WERE ON, UM, OUR INTEREST, WE'RE ABLE TO, THROUGH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE PRORATE, UM, THAT STATIC AMOUNT OF, OR THE AMOUNT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE RESERVE.
UM, AS YOUR, UH, INTEREST CALCULATIONS ARE CALCULATED, THEY'RE CALCULATED BASED ON YOUR AVERAGE FUND BALANCES QUARTERLY.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST 'CAUSE YOU HAVE AN $850 MILLION GENERAL FUND BUDGET DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THAT IN CASH AT ALL DAY ANY DAY, RIGHT? DOLLARS COME IN, THEY GO OUT, IT'S A FLUID PROCESS.
SO AS THAT INTEREST IS CALCULATED ON CASH ON HAND, THEN IT WOULD BE PRORATED QUARTERLY BASED ON HOW MUCH THAT 45.1 FOR THIS EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE PRORATED AMOUNT THAT, THAT THE INTEREST WOULD BE, UH, CREDITED TO.
THE OTHER PIECE OF THE REVISION AT THE END IS, UH, VERSION CONTROL.
THIS IS JUST SOME LANGUAGE THAT IS GOOD, UH, PRACTICE TO HAVE IN YOUR POLICIES, ASSIGNING ESSENTIALLY THE CEO, THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING, UH, THE ADOPTED POLICY AND THE REVISION HISTORY, AND THEN REQUIRES US TO RETAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, SUPERSEDING VERSIONS UNDER APPLICABLE RECORDS.
SO WE ALWAYS HAVE A, A RECORD OF, YOU KNOW, AS THE POLICY CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS.
SO, UM, WHAT THIS SLIDE DEPICTS HERE, UM, FEW DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO, UH, THE BAR GRAPH, AND I'LL START, UM, TO YOUR FAR LEFT WITH 26, 27, WE ARE AT THAT 7.2% RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND WHAT THAT SHOWS IS WHERE IT SHOWS 43.7, AND YOU SEE THAT DOTTED LINE THAT IS THE FLOOR OF OUR POLICY, THAT IS THE 7%, THE DOTTED LINE UP AT THE TOP, THAT IS YOUR, UM, CEILING.
AND SO WHAT THAT 1.8 MILLION IS ON THAT YELLOW LINE, UH, THE YELLOW PIECE OF THE BAR, THAT WOULD BE ASSUMING THE SAME INTEREST, UH, EARNINGS, UH, THAT, THAT WE HAD ACHIEVED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THAT YOUR, UM, YOUR $45.1 MILLION WOULD BE EARNING THAT IN INTEREST AS YOU PROCEED TO THE RIGHT, THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT THEN ROLLS IN TO YOUR NEXT YEAR.
AS WE BUILD BUDGET IN FIN OR IN PROPOSE AND IN FINAL, WE WOULD, WE WOULD MAKE AN ASSUMPTION AND TRUE THAT UP AS PART OF THE FINAL BUDGET PROCESS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT PROGRESS AS IT GOES ON.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS, EVEN AS WE ARE INCREASING THOSE, THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS YOU'RE STILL AT IN THE NEXT YEAR, IF THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ALL HOLD TRUE, IF YOU GET, YOU KNOW, THE SAME, UH, RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE NEXT YEAR, YOU'RE GOING FROM 7.2 TO 7.4% AND THE NEXT YEAR, 7.5 THE NEXT YEAR IS 7.6.
SO IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT SWING TOWARDS THAT 12% BY ANY MEANS.
AND IT, IT'S KEEPING UP WITH, YOU KNOW, THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE HAD IN OUR FIVE YEAR PROJECTION AT, AT BUDGET THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH, UM, ACTUAL REVENUE GROWTH AND EXPENDITURE GROWTH.
SO THAT'S HOW YOU WOULD SEE THAT TREND IF ALL ASSUMPTIONS HOLD TRUE.
SO THE RECOMMENDATION BEFORE YOU TODAY IS TO ADOPT THE REVISED GENERAL FUND RESERVE POLICY EFFECTIVE TODAY TO REQUIRE THAT INTEREST EARNED ON THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE DURING EACH FISCAL YEAR, BE ADDED TO THE RESERVE IN THE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR THROUGH THE ANNUAL BUDGET ADOPTION PROCESS, AND TO ESTABLISH VERSION CONTROL PROVISIONS SUPERSEDING THE POLICY APPROVED ON SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2022, AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU, DAVID, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD, AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, SUPERVISOR RA, UH, FOR THIS IDEA, UH, FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD.
UM, I CAN REMEMBER IN, IN, UH, 2018 WHEN WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS RESERVE POLICY, WHEN I BROUGHT IT FORWARD AND, UM, UH, THROUGH THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS.
IT WASN'T AS MUCH AS I WANTED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I KNEW WE HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE.
AND LET'S REALIZE WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS PROBABLY LESS THAN SIX MONTHS OF OPERATING IF EVERYTHING WENT BAD ALL AT ONCE.
AND, UH, AS A BUSINESSMAN, THAT MAKES ME NERVOUS.
AND, UH, I FELT LIKE THIS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET THIS IN PLACE.
AND I APPRECIATE EVERY TIME WE HAVE TO NEGOTIATE THAT AT THE, EVERY BUDGET CYCLE TO PUT SOME MONEY IN THERE TO, TO KEEP IT AFLOAT OR TO KEEP IT GOOD.
AND, UH, I APPRECIATED SUPERVISOR RA COMING UP WITH
[01:10:01]
THIS IDEA, UH, WHEN HE, UH, WE COULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT ANY OTHER, I MEAN, IT WAS A, IT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND IT'S NOT TOO MUCH, BUT IT'S ENOUGH JUST TO KEEP US ABOVE THAT FLOAT LINE.UM, CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR S THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF, UH, CEO HENDRICKSON AND OUR ASSISTANT, CEO, MARIO, AND ALL THE OTHER STAFF THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THIS AS SOME A RELATIVELY QUICKLY TURNAROUND, UM, AS WE KIND OF BROUGHT THIS UP JUST MERELY A MONTH AGO.
UM, AND I THINK IT DOES A COUPLE THINGS.
NUMBER ONE IS IT MAKE IT, IT REALLY KIND OF ALLOWS US TO AFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO KEEPING THESE GENERAL FUND RESERVE POLICIES IN PLACE.
AS FOLKS WHO ARE AWARE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, WHICH WE'RE SO HEAVILY RELIANT ON FUNDING THAT COMES FROM THE STATE, UM, IT COULD, THAT'S WHY WE DO A PROPOSED BUDGET AND A FINAL BUDGET IS BECAUSE WE GOTTA KIND OF WAIT AND SEE WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO.
SO IT ULTIMATELY DETERMINES WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO ON OUR END.
UM, SO I THINK IT REAFFIRMS THAT IT DOESN'T PUT US IN A POSITION TO WHERE THAT IF FOR SOME REASON, GOD WILLING, WE HAVE A GOOD YEAR THAT WE COULDN'T ADD MORE TO IT.
BUT THIS IS JUST KIND OF A GUARANTEED WAY OF ALLOWING THAT MONEY, THE WORK THAT IT'S DOING THROUGH THE INVESTMENTS IN THE TREASURY.
IT'S JUST SAYING RIGHT OFF THE TOP THAT WE'RE GONNA KEEP ADDING THAT TO OUR RESERVES.
AND IF FOR SOME REASON OUR OVERALL GENERAL FUND BUDGET STARTS TO DECLINE, THAT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA SEE THOSE CHANGES AND IT GIVES US, AND, AND REALLY THE, THE MONEY'S THERE, IT JUST PUTS A LITTLE BIT MORE STRINGS AROUND IT THAT SAYS THAT IF, IF THIS BOARD IS GONNA MAKE A COMMITMENT TO HAVING TO GO DIP INTO RESERVES LIKE THAT, THAT YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A FOUR FIFTHS VOTE, THAT IT, THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN ON HOW YOU'RE GONNA REPLACE IT.
IT DOESN'T, IT'S, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT JUST AS A, A SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
LIKE WE ALL MIGHT ENJOY WHERE, OH, I NEED A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY, I GO TO THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
THIS ONE IS, IS REALLY A RAINY DAY FUND.
AND I THINK THIS ALLOWS US TO, IT ALLOWS STAFF, IT ALLOWS OUR BUDGET OFFICE, YOU KIND OF ALREADY KNOW IF THAT IF WE'RE HAVING SOME GOOD INTEREST YEARS, THAT FUND IS GONNA GROW.
OUR RESERVE FUND IS GONNA GROW WITHOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THOUGHT PRO THOUGHT PROCESS, AND IT AUTOMATICALLY JUST PUTS THAT IN THERE AND THAT'S JUST, YOU TAKE THAT RIGHT OFF THE TOP AND IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE BETTER NUMBERS TO WORK WITH ON THE BACK END.
SO I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE ON THE QUICK TURNAROUND ON THIS, AND I'M, I'M HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS AND WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL MY COLLEAGUES TO VOTE YES ON IT.
UH, YOU KNOW, BACK, UH, I GUESS I WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH YOU BACK IN 2018, AND, AND WHEN YOU BROUGHT THAT FORWARD, YOU KNOW, I CAN REMEMBER ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS THE RESERVE FUND BACK IN 2009, RIGHT WHEN, WHEN THE ECONOMY CRASHED AND, AND I BELIEVE THE NUMBER WAS 30 MILLION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, BACK THEN WE GOT BACK TO 30 MILLION AND I FELT PRETTY CONFIDENT, RIGHT? THAT WE HAD PUT BACK WHAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE BACK THERE IN CASE THAT HAPPENED.
AGAIN, NOT THINKING THAT WE WOULD EVER HAVE AN ECONOMY CRASH LIKE THAT GOING FORWARD, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING GOING FORWARD, RIGHT? HAS, HAS INCREASED, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND WAS A PART OF, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING YOU AND YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR THOUGHT OF HAVING THIS RANGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WISH WE COULD PUT MORE IN THERE, BUT, UM, I, I TOO WANNA THANK, UH, THE CEO AND STAFF AND, AND MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALL BEING SUPPORTIVE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING MONEY IN THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I I, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, IT'S, IT'S ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS WORTH OF OUR SALARIES ALONE.
I MEAN, SO IT'S NOT REALLY A, A BIG FUND AS IT IS, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT, THAT ARE HERE AND, AND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT IF THERE EVER WAS A, A SOMETHING THAT, UH, THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND TAKE CARE OF THOSE THAT, UH, THAT WORK FOR THE COUNTY.
AND SO ANYWAYS, I'M JUST SUPER PLEASED AND THANKFUL THAT, UH, WE'RE AT THIS SPOT AND, AND, UM, I THINK, UH, IT'S A SMART DECISION.
CHAIR RECOGNIZES SUPERVISOR PEDROZA.
YEAH, I AGREE WITH WHAT'S BEEN SAID, AND I'VE, UM, BEEN SAYING THIS, YOU KNOW, FOR QUITE SOME TIME THAT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN OF, OF UTMOST IMPORTANT TO ME AS A POLICYMAKER BECAUSE I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING GONE THROUGH AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER GONE THROUGH THE CRASH AND HAVING TO MAKE THOSE HARD DECISIONS, I THINK THAT US MAKING THESE DECISIONS PUTS US A LITTLE BIT MORE AT EASE TO, TO, IF WE HAD TO DEAL WITH, UM, AN EMERGENCY.
AND, AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND IT HELPS, I THINK, PUT, UM, STAFF AT EASE AND STAFF AS, UH, AND ALL OF US AT EASE UP HERE AS OF NOW, BECAUSE IT'S, WE'RE TAKING THAT MONEY AND UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S A RAINY DAY FUND, THAT WE CAN'T TOUCH IT.
AND I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND I, I REALLY APPLAUD THE STAFF FOR, WITH A QUICK TURNAROUND.
AND I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES SUPERVISOR RA, UM, FOR BRINGING THIS UP.
AND THEN BACK WHEN YOU GUYS DID THE
[01:15:01]
ORIGINAL POLICY, I THINK THAT'S GOOD FORESIGHT AND, AND, AND THINKING ON YOUR PART.SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT WAS DONE ON THIS.
AND I CAN REMEMBER ACTUALLY A DISCUSSION YOU AND I HAD BEFORE YOU EVER DECIDED TO RUN FOR SUPERVISOR AND YOU LIKED THE POLICY.
THERE'S NO OTHER SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
I'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
ITEM NUMBER 31, SEEING NOBODY IN THE ROOM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CHECK FOR REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, THERE ARE NO REMOTE ATTENDEES IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE ITEM 31 IS NOW CLOSED.
AND AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO THANK STAFF FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD SO FAST AS WELL.
THANK YOU, MARK, FOR, FOR DOING THAT.
OKAY, WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE DAAS.
I HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR S SECOND BY SUPERVISOR PEDROSO, NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE, RECORD THE VOTE.
NEXT, WE HAVE BOARD APPOINTMENTS, ITEMS 32 AND 33.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN UP PUBLIC COMMENT FOR BOARD APPOINTMENTS, ITEMS 32 AND 33.
I WILL CHECK FOR REMOTE COMMENT.
MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR BOARD APPOINTMENTS, ITEMS 32 AND 33 IS NOW CLOSED.
I HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY SUPERVISOR PACHECO, SECOND ADVISE SUPERVISOR PEDROSO, NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE VOTE.
[REPORTS/BOARD DIRECTION]
OKAY, CONTINUATION THE 30 MINUTE PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR REMOTE PARTICIPANTS.MR. CHAIR, WE HAVE NO REMOTE SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE, AND AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA GO TO BOARD REPORTS, AND I'M GONNA USE CHAIRMAN DISCRETION ON THESE BOARD REPORTS TONIGHT.
UM, I'M GOING FIRST TODAY, GUYS, BECAUSE I HAVE A SPECIAL THING THAT I WANT TO DO.
I DO WANNA REPORT OUT THAT I DID ATTEND THE CALIFORNIA ECONOMIC, UH, CONFERENCE THIS PAST WEEK.
BEING AN ECONOMIST, I KIND OF GEEK OUT ON THAT AND LIKE IT, AND IT WAS GOOD TO SEE, UH, THE GOVERNOR RECOGNIZES, AS WELL AS OTHER CALIFORNIA FORWARD FOLKS WHO WANTED TO TALK TO US MORE ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN MERCED COUNTY AND CASTLE IN PARTICULAR.
BUT AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA ASK MARK TO JOIN ME OUT FRONT.
SO MARK'S BEEN AND RUMMAGING AROUND THE BACK ROOMS AND MARCY, AND I HAD AN IDEA, THIS WAS MARCY'S IDEA
MARK'S BEEN WITH US FOR HOW LONG, MARK? 20 YEARS THIS MONTH.
COME ON, JOIN ME OUT FRONT, ACTUALLY, ONCE THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS JOIN ME OUT HERE FRONT TOO.
IT'S FUNNY, I HAVE A LETTER HERE, REC SAYING THAT YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS.
MARK USUALLY SIGNS THESE LETTERS FOR OTHER OTHER EMPLOYEES, BUT THIS ONE WE FELT LIKE WE DIDN'T WANT HIM TO SIGN HIS OWN LETTER.
WHY YOU GOT DRAWN, CROSSED 20 23 0 6, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNOR AFFAIRS AT MERCED COUNTY CAME TO US FROM PG AND E.
I DON'T KNOW, SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT THAT? OR, I THINK YOU'VE PROVEN YOURSELF.
10 27 0 8 PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AVIATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFERRED TO CAED 7 1 13, PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFERRED TO PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
FOUR 10, PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND TRANSFERRED TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
I CAN REMEMBER THAT DAY IN PARTICULAR.
AND YOUR FIRST, LIKE THREE DAYS, YOU'RE LIKE, YOU COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH HAPPENS ON THE THIRD FLOOR.
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING A LOT ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
6 30, 25, PROMOTED TO COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
MARK, I'VE WALKED THROUGH ALL THE WAY FROM SENATOR MONTEITH WITH YOU
[01:20:02]
IN, IN THIS JOURNEY.AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN DADS TOGETHER.
I CALLED YOU AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHEN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WAS ARRIVED ON MY DOORSTEP WHEN I SAID, HEY, WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
LET'S CALL NEW YORK AND GET THIS COMPANY TO CASTLE.
ANYWAY, IT'S AN HONOR FOR ME TO STAND WITH YOU TODAY AND, UH, GIVE YOU YOUR 20 YEAR PEN AND THE LETTER THAT REPRESENTS IT, THAT MARCY SIGNED.
SO MARK, ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR A GREAT JOB.
YOU'VE MORE THAN PROVEN YOURSELF, AND I WANT TO GIVE YOU YOUR 20 YEAR PIN, AND I THINK YOUR WIFE SHOWED UP TO JOIN US.
SHE'S RIGHT THERE SHE IS, RIGHT THERE.
I'M GONNA LET THE OTHER SUPERVISOR SAY SOMETHING AND WE'LL HAND YOU THE MIC AT THE END.
WELL, SO BESIDES DARREN, I'VE BEEN HERE WITH YOU THE LONGEST, AND I HAVE APPRECIATED YOU ALL ALONG THE WAY.
AND, AND I THINK THE, UH, THE, THE STANDOUT FOR ME IS YOUR HEART, THE WAY YOU CARE.
YOU, YOU LOVE THE COUNTY, AND YOU, UM, UH, JUST AT EVERY TURN YOU TRY TO DO WHAT'S BEST, UH, FOR THE COUNTY.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I I JUST THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF IF ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE JOBS IN THE COUNTY OR THE COUNTRY HAD THE DEDICATION TO, YOU KNOW, DOING YOUR JOB AND MAKING SURE THAT, THAT YOU KNOW, OTHERS AROUND YOU SUCCEED, AND, UH, I, I KNOW THAT OF YOU FROM DEPARTMENT LAND, THAT YOU WANTED YOUR EMPLOYEES TO SUCCEED.
UM, AND, UH, AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, AS OUR CEO YOU WANT US TO SUCCEED.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND, UH, YOU'RE JUST A GOOD MAN.
IT'S BEEN FUN TO WATCH YOU BECOME A GRANDPA.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU BECAME THE CEOI WAS WORRIED THAT YOU WOULD, YOU KNOW, WORK 14 HOURS A DAY AND, AND NOT TAKE CARE OF, UH, THE PERSONAL BUSINESS, WHICH ALL OF US AGREE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS.
AND I THINK YOU'VE BALANCED THAT WELL.
UM, AND, UH, I WISH YOUR GRANDSON DIDN'T LIVE IN TEXAS, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DO A GOOD JOB AT BEING GRANDPA, AND I'M SURE THAT'S YOUR, UH, PROBABLY YOUR, YOUR HIGHEST HONOR.
AND AND I APPRECIATE YOU AND THE WAY YOU DO IT.
I, I THINK, HONESTLY, THAT WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE MARK IN THIS POSITION.
YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WORKS OUT FOR A REASON.
UM, I FIRST MET MARK WHEN HE WORKED FOR PG E WHEN I WAS ON CITY COUNCIL, ON THE DEFUNCT EDCO.
I WAS, I, I GOT APPOINTED TO THAT BOARD AND LASTED FOR ABOUT A WHOLE MEETING, AND THEN IT, IT DISBANDED.
AND SO THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAD MET MARK.
AND SO BUILT THAT RELATIONSHIP.
AND THEN I WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE STORY IS, IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN ISSUE IN MY DISTRICT THAT WAS WITH A FRIEND, UM, AND I WASN'T ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
I KNEW MY SUPERVISOR, JERRY O'BANION, AND WHEN WE NEEDED, HE NEEDED HELP NAVIGATING STUFF, THE FIRST GUY I CALLED WAS MARK, RIGHT? AND, AND EVEN WHEN I CAME ON BOARD AS A COUNTY SUPERVISOR, BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAD, AND AND JIMMY YOU COULD ATTEST TO THIS, WHEN YOU GET HERE, YOU THINK, YOU KNOW THAT YOU DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT THE COUNTY DOES.
AND YOU GET HERE AND YOU REALIZE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.
IT'S DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE.
AND SO A LOT OF TIMES YOU DON'T ALWAYS WANNA GO BUG THE CEO.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF, I DIDN'T WANNA SHOW MY IGNORANCE, I GUESS.
AND SO MY FIRST CALL WOULD BE TO MARK, AND, AND IT WAS, IT WAS LITERALLY BECAUSE HE KNEW HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM, AND IT WAS NOT EVEN AN ISSUE THAT WAS WITHIN HIS DEPARTMENT.
IT MAY BE WITH ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, BUT HE GAVE ME THAT GUIDANCE.
AND SO WE COME FULL CIRCLE TO WHERE HE IS, OUR CEO, AND HE'LL ASK ME ON OCCASION, SO I'M DOING OKAY, RIGHT? I'M DOING OKAY, EVERYTHING'S, AND I SAID, MARK, YOU KNOW ME, BUT LIKE, IF I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE DOING OKAY, WE WOULD HAVE THAT CONVERSATION BEFORE YOU EVER HAD TO ASK ME.
AND SO I'M JUST REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE HERE.
UM, I TOO, WHEN YOU BECAME THE CEO, MY, MY CONCERNS WERE IS THAT YOU WEREN'T GONNA TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, BECAUSE I KNOW YOUR DEDICATION.
UM, I STILL GET FRUSTRATED WHEN YOU CALL ME ON, WHEN YOU'RE ON VACATION JUST TO CHECK IN TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M OKAY.
AND I TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT'S JUST KIND OF TALKING TO THE WALL THAT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
UM, AGAIN, LUCKY TO HAVE YOU, MERCED COUNTY'S LUCKY TO HAVE YOU.
I I DO THINK THAT YOU, YOU ARE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB, SO CONGRATULATIONS ON 20 YEARS.
UH, YEAH, MARK, WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER.
I MEAN, I'VE BEEN WITH THE COUNTY FOR, UM, 35 YEARS OR SO.
ANYWAY, UM, GLAD TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU NOW.
UH, I TOO, WHEN I WAS A SUPERVISOR, HAD AN ISSUE AND, UH, I COULDN'T FIND ANY ANSWERS.
AND, UH, WE CALLED MARK AND HE GOT US, UH, GUYS, WHAT WE NEEDED.
AND WHEN IT CAME UP TO TIME TO, YOU KNOW, TO BE A COME TO THE JOB, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I I KNOW ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY, AND I KNOW YOU'RE A GOOD WORKER, AND, UH, AND JUST THAT YOU'RE, UH, YOU'RE INVESTED IN MERCED COUNTY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEMS THAT YOU HAVE, THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE, THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT CONSTITUENT HAVE.
SO I KNOW YOU'LL HAVE THAT DEDICATION TO GET THAT DONE.
SO, UM, APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO.
AND I'M THE NEWEST GUY ON THE BOARD, AND SO I'M, YOU KNOW, BEEN WORKING WITH YOU THE LEAST, BUT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW ME AND GUIDE ME AND HOLD MY HAND AND MAKE SURE THAT I'M, UH, NOT
[01:25:01]
GONNA MAKE ANY MISTAKES.SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT AND CRASH ON 20 YEARS.
I THINK I'VE, UH, I'VE KNOWN YOU SINCE 2005 WHEN MY DAD WAS A BOARD MEMBER.
UM, I THINK WE MET AT, AT LIVINGSTON, AND I WAS WITH MY GIRLFRIEND AND MY DAD AT THE TIME, AND I THINK YOU WERE JUST STARTED WITH THE COUNTY OR STILL AT PG E.
AND FROM THAT POINT ON, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FATHER AND DEVELOP INTO THIS PERSON THAT YOU ARE, BUT YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN THIS HARD CHARGER, UM, AND SOMEBODY THAT I RELY ON A LOT.
SO MUCH SO THAT IN 2008 WHEN I DID MY MASTER'S THESIS, I INTERVIEWED YOU FOR, UH, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT CASTLE.
I I THINK THAT YOU REPRESENT ALL THE GOOD THAT IS WITH MERCED COUNTY AND TRY TO MAKE IT THE BEST MERC THE BEST COUNTY IN THE STATE.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT THE FIVE OF OUR GOAL IS.
AND I THINK THAT YOU'VE, UH, TAKE TAKEN THAT ON.
I TOO, LIKE SCOTTY, HE'LL TELL YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE, DON'T CALL ME.
I DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
IT'S NOT 'CAUSE WE DON'T LIKE YOU, IT'S JUST BECAUSE WE WANT YOU TO ENJOY YOUR TIME.
BUT MARK, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU.
AND I MIGHT HAVE A VIDEO OF MARK AS A FATHER WHEN HIS SON BROKE OUT ON THE LEFT SIDE WITH THE BALL,
AND MARK WAS STRIDE FOR STRIDE WITH HIM ON THE SIDELINE.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN, AND YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO CRY.
WELL, TO EACH OF, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS, AS YOUR CEOI FEEL VERY BLESSED EVERY SINGLE DAY, UH, TO COME TO WORK.
UH, I LOVE THE FACT THAT I'M A SMALL PART OF ABOUT 2,500 EMPLOYEES WHO COME TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH THE INTENTION OF POSITIVELY IMPACTING THE LIFE OF SOMEBODY.
AND THAT'S WHERE, UM, I'M, I'M MOST PROUD.
I'M MORE PASSIONATE TODAY, 20 YEARS LATER THAN I WAS 20 YEARS AGO.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, I TRULY BELIEVE, UH, FROM A CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDPOINT, WHICH I KNOW IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THIS BOARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT, UH, TO, TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN NO ONE'S LOOKING.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE, ULTIMATELY THE MEASURE OF CHARACTER.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT THIS BOARD EXPECTS.
I AM BLESSED TO WORK WITH TWO PHENOMENAL ASSISTANT CEOS.
UH, I AM BLESSED EVERY SINGLE DAY, MARCY.
I'M NOT REALLY HAPPY WITH YOU RIGHT NOW.
BUT, UH, BUT, BUT PUTTING THAT ASIDE, I, I GREW UP IN THIS ORGANIZATION WITH MARCY.
AND, UH, WE UHM VERY, VERY PROUD OF, OF ALL THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
VERY BLESSED TO WORK WITH, WITH MR. MARIANI EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND SO IN EACH OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS, UM, TALENTED GROUP OF PEOPLE.
BUT I'LL TELL YOU, AS I TAKE A LOOK BACK OVER, OVER THE COURSE OF MY, MY 20 YEARS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT, THAT REALLY STAND OUT.
BUT MOST NOTABLY JUST THE, THE TEAM THAT I'VE GOT THE PRIVILEGE TO LEAD, UM, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO WORK AGAIN, UH, TO HELP THOSE PERHAPS MOST DISADVANTAGED.
WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF HELPING PEOPLE.
AND, UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN THAT FOCUS.
UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE BOARD'S COMMENTS WITH REGARD TO MY FAMILY, AND I REALLY, I HAD NO IDEA THAT MY, MY WIFE WAS GONNA BE HERE.
SO I'M GONNA TRY TO AVOID A LITTLE EYE CONTACT, UH, RIGHT NOW.
I KNOW MY, UH, MY WIFE AND MY, MY BOYS, MM-HMM
UM, THEY, THEY, THEY ARE MY EVERYTHING.
AND, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE FACT THAT THEY GIVE ME, UH, MAYBE THE LATITUDE TO DO MY JOB, UM, THE WAY I DO MY JOB.
AND I THINK WE'VE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE COMMENTED ABOUT BEING ON VACATION.
I'VE ALWAYS, MY MY JOB DOESN'T STOP, UM, WHEN I'M, WHEN I'M OUT OF TOWN.
UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, THAT MY WIFE UNDERSTANDS THAT.
UH, I'M SURE IT FRUSTRATES MY FAMILY AT TIMES.
UH, BUT AGAIN, I AM SIMPLY, UH, JUST A, A BYPRODUCT, UH, OF, OF REALLY THAT THE LATITUDE THAT THEY GIVE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE FOUR CEOS THAT I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING FOR, THEY ARE THE TRAILBLAZERS.
AND, UH, AND I AM AN AMALGAMATION OF BITS AND PIECES OF EACH OF THEM.
SO TO EACH OF THE, THE FORMER CEOS, UH, FOR WHOM I'VE GOT JUST A GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT, UM, I THANK THEM, UH, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
NOTABLY MR. TATUM, WHO GAVE ME THAT OPPORTUNITY BACK IN 2006, UH, TO COME INTO HIS ORGANIZATION AND TO BE, AGAIN, JUST A VERY SMALL PART OF, OF THE, OF THE COUNTY FAMILY.
SO, WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID, I'D LIKE TO THANK THIS BOARD, UH, FOR, UH, FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SERVE AS YOUR CEO FOR THE 20 YEARS.
UH, THAT, UH, I HAVE BEEN AFFORDED AND BLESSED, UH, TO, TO BE A PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND CERTAINLY TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
UH, JUST JUST KNOW THAT I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD TO, AGAIN, BE JUST A VERY SMALL PART OF, OF THIS, UH, THIS TEAM THAT'S DEDICATED SERVING PEOPLE.
SO, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT'S ALL I GOT TODAY.
[01:31:28]
OKAY, WE'LL GO TO SUPERVISOR PACHECO.HEY, YOU, JERRY, BOY, HOW DO YOU FOLLOW THAT
UM, ON OCTOBER 8TH, I ATTENDED THE MERCY VILLAGE, UM, HOUSING PROJECT RIBBON CUTTING, UH, HOUSING PROJECT IN NORTH MERCED.
I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THAT CITY OF MERCED ON THAT.
THAT'S GONNA BE A NICE PROJECT OUT THERE TO PROVIDE MORE HOUSING FOR THE MERCED AND MERCED COUNTY.
UH, ON THE SEVENTH, I ATTENDED THE, UH, AL CEREMONY FOR SENATOR ANA CABALLERO.
UM, I'M GONNA TAKE HER FOR HER SERVICE, UH, TO THE STATE, AND I WISH HER WELL IN THE FUTURE.
AND THIS LAST SATURDAY, UM, PART OF THE GRAND LIONS CLUB, WE HAD A BREAKFAST IN THE PARK, WHICH WAS A VERY WELL INTENDED, A COUPLE OF, UH, ONE MY COLLEAGUES CAME OVER THERE.
UH, ANYWAY, JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY TO COME OUT AND SUPPORTING THE LA GRANDE LIONS CLUBS OUT THERE.
AND, UH, YESTERDAY HE ATTENDED THE RIBBON COUNTY FOR PIONEER NORTE LEETA INTERSECTION, WANT THANK, UH, DBW AND DIRECTOR BRAY FOR ALL THEIR WORK TO MAKE SURE WE GOT THAT PROJECT DONE.
AND JUST ANOTHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COLLEAGUE, UH, LORD PRAYER.
THANK YOU, CHAIR SUPERVISOR PEDROSO.
HOW DO YOU FOLLOW THAT? UM, SO, UH, LAST WEEK WE HAD THE MCAG GOVERNING BOARD RETREAT.
WE ALSO, I ALSO ATTENDED THE MERCY VILLAGE, UH, RUBEN CUTTING OR GROUNDBREAKING.
UM, I TOO ATTENDED THE SENATOR CERO, UH, RETIREMENT CELEBRATION TO THANK HER FOR HER EFFORTS.
UM, SATURDAY I DID ATTEND THE, THE GRAND LINES CLUB PANCAKE BREAKFAST, AS WELL AS THE CASTLE AIR AIR FEST.
AND THEN WE HAD THE TREEHOUSE TUTORING, WHICH, UM, I THOUGHT WAS REALLY COOL, UM, TO SEE THEM GO TO A 5 0 1 C3, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY GOOD.
MARCUS, CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
UM, I, TOO WAS AT THE RIBBON CUTTING YESTERDAY FOR THE PIONEER AND OR TAKE ALETA.
I CAN'T, OH, I CAN NEVER PRONOUNCE IT.
UM, BUT, UM, I ALSO ATTENDED THE NAACP BANQUET.
UM, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT WAS, WAS VERY, UM, IT WAS A A, A GOOD EVENING.
UM, I, I WANT TO JUST BRING SOMETHING UP AND I, I HATE TO BE THE DEBBIE DOWNER TO RAIN LINE ANYBODY'S PARADE AFTER THAT 20 YEAR CELEBRATION.
BUT, YOU KNOW, UM,
AND I THOUGHT, TO BE QUITE HONEST, I THOUGHT IT WAS CRAZY.
AND THEN AS THE MORE AND MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT, I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS TO DO, IS TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AND I THINK THAT SOME OF OUR PEOPLE ARE GETTING A LITTLE COMPLACENT, BECAUSE IF I GET CONSTITUENT CALLS AND I'M GIVING CALLS TO DEPARTMENT HEADS AND I'M NOT GETTING CALLS BACK, OR WHEN I DO CALL, I HAVE TO EXPLICITLY SAY, THIS IS JOSH PEDROSO, OR, 'CAUSE I'M BEING ASKED.
AND THEN IT SEEMS AS IF EVERYTHING IS TAKEN CARE OF, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT HAPPENS IF IT'S JUST JOSH SMITH THAT'S CALLING.
SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WE'RE DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO SAY YES, OR THAT WE SHOULD, I SHOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY, OR THE FIVE OF US SHOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY.
BUT I EXPECT THAT US TO TREAT THE PUBLIC IN A CERTAIN WAY TO WHERE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, JUST ANSWER IT, JUST TALK TO THEM.
UM, I CALLED YESTERDAY TO ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS 'CAUSE I WAS ON THE ROAD, AND THE MESSAGE THAT I GOT WAS, IF
[01:35:01]
WE DON'T RETURN YOUR CALL, IT'S DUE TO VACANCIES OR HIGH TURNOVER.I, I'M SORRY IF I, IF THAT WAS MY MESSAGE ON MY PHONE, I WOULDN'T HAVE A JOB VERY LONGER, VERY MUCH LONGER.
I RECOGNIZE WE HAVE SOME ELECTED DEPARTMENT HEADS AND SOME, UH, AT WILL DEPARTMENT HEADS.
AND THIS ISN'T AN OVERALL, UH, STATE OR THIS IS AN OVERALL STATEMENT FOR THE ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES.
I MEAN, UH, MARK JUST MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, CUSTOMER SERVICE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF DOING.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE WE'RE UP HERE DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T EXPECT WE EXPECT ANYTHING DIFFERENT FOR OUR, OUR CONSTITUENTS.
UM, ANYWAYS, WELL, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
UM, UH, CONGRATULATIONS, MARK.
I, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S, UM, IT'S A TREAT TO, TO WATCH YOU WORK AND, UH, TO WATCH YOUR PASSION AND, UM, SEE YOU GET NERVOUS ONCE IN A WHILE.
BUT, UH, ANYWAYS, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN.
UH, I, UH, HAD THE, UH, THE GOOD FORTUNE.
I HAD TWO HOMECOMING PARADES LAST FRIDAY IN MY DISTRICT, AND THROUGH AN ACT OF GOD.
ONE OF 'EM WAS AT NINE 30 IN THE MORNING, AND THE OTHER ONE WAS AT TWO 30 IN THE AFTERNOON.
AND SO I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND THEM BOTH.
UM, UH, DELHI, UH, WAS THE, WAS THE MORNING ONE, AND THEY HAD A FLOAT THAT WAS, I THOUGHT, JUST PURE GENIUS.
THEY TOOK TWO BY FOURS AND MADE A 16 FOOT LONG BY EIGHT FOOT WIDE BY EIGHT FOOT TALL BOX, AND THEN WRAP CELLOPHANE AROUND IT, AND THEN HUNG FISH IN IT.
AND I JUST THOUGHT THAT FOR A BUNCH OF STUDENTS, THAT WAS A MOST CREATIVE, UH, FLOAT I THINK I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE HILMAR HOMECOMING PARADE, BUT THEIR FLOATS ARE MECHANICAL.
UM, AND I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THEY ARE ON THE, THE LEVEL OF, UM, THE ROSE PARADE, BUT THEY ARE AS CLOSE AS ANYTHING YOU'VE SEEN.
IF YOU'VE SEEN THEM, UH, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ON A CAR FRAME.
THEY, THEY BUILD THE DECK, SO IT'S DRIVING, THERE'S SOMEBODY IN IT DRIVING IT DOWN THE STREET.
AND ANYWAYS, IT'S JUST UNREAL.
SO, UH, I WAS THANKFUL FOR BOTH OF THOSE.
I ATTENDED THE MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION, A GOVERNMENT'S RETREAT LAST WEEK.
AND, UH, IT, UH, IT JUST, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT MEASURE V, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT GARBAGE.
UH, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE BUS, REALLY NOT SEXY ITEMS, BUT I FELT LIKE, UH, OUR, OUR, ME AND MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND THE CITY REPS WERE ABLE TO KIND OF CONVEY SOME VISION TO THE STAFF AND, AND FELT THAT WAS A VERY, VERY PRODUCTIVE, UH, USE OF A, A FULL DAY'S TIME, UH, TO ATTENDED THE CASTLE AIR FORCE OR THE CASTLE AIR FEST, UH, THIS, UH, PAST WEEKEND.
AND, UH, IT WAS KIND OF FUN GOING OUT THERE.
AND, UH, IT JUST KIND OF, THE TIMING WORKED OUT FOR ME AND MY WIFE TO WATCH SOME OF THE MILITARY PLANES TAKE OFF AND THEN COME BACK INTO A FLY BY.
AND IT JUST REALLY BROUGHT BACK THE HERITAGE OF, OF CASTLE AND, UH, TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE OUT THERE ENJOYING THEMSELVES WAS, UH, WAS WONDERFUL.
UM, YESTERDAY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SECRETARY OF LABOR, UH, SONDER LING AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKED YOUNGER THAN MOST INTERNS I'VE SEEN, BUT, UH, BUT A PRETTY SHARP GENTLEMAN.
AND, AND, UH, THANK YOU TO, UH, ERIC SERATO FOR, FOR GETTING HIM TO TOWN AND KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING AGAIN, WHAT WE DO HERE IN MERCED COUNTY AND, AND ALSO HIGHLIGHTING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BUSINESS EDUCATION AND, AND THE COUNTY AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT WAS A, UM, A REALLY KIND OF A NEAT, UH, A NEAT EVENT.
I, I'M QUITE A BUSY COUPLE WEEKS SINCE WE LAST MET.
UM, I ATTENDED THE CSAC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING IN SANTA CLARA.
THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON A ON A STATEWIDE LEVEL, AND IT'S KIND OF WHERE THE EC MEETS AND SETS KIND OF, UH, SET LOOKS BACK ON THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND, AND KIND OF SET SOME GOALS TO ACHIEVE IN THE, IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
SO, UM, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING OVER THERE.
UM, I TOO ATTENDED THE FAREWELL EVENT FOR SENATOR CERO, A REALLY NICELY DONE EVENT, UM, OUT AT UC.
MERCED, YOU KNOW, SENATOR CERO HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD FRIEND TO COUNTIES.
UM, LAST YEAR AS CHAIR OF THE, UH, SENATE, UM, APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, UM, SHE KILLED A LOT OF BILLS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN NEGATIVE TOWARDS COUNTY.
SO MUCH SO THAT SHE RECEIVED AN AWARD FROM CSAC FOR, FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT SHE DID, AND, AND WE WILL MISS HER.
UM, THE MCAG RETREAT, A TWO ATTENDED THAT.
AND I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, UH, SUPERVISOR PEREIRA, THAT JUST, WE REALLY NEEDED TO GET IN THE WEEDS ON, ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE FACE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMING TO A, A A POINT HERE WHERE WE BRING OUT OF COUNTY WASTE INTO OUR FACILITIES BECAUSE WE HAD BIG BOND PAYMENTS THAT WE HAD TO MAKE, AND, AND THOSE BOND PAYMENTS ARE GONNA BE PAID OFF.
AND SO IT'S GONNA ALLOW US TO KINDA LOOK DIFFERENTLY AT, AT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND, AND REALLY MY GOAL, AND I THINK ALL OF OUR GOAL IS, IS TO PROLONG, UM, AIRSPACE, THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL IT IN GARBAGE WORLD FOR, FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE FOR BOTH THE EAST SIDE AND THE WEST SIDE OF THE COUNTY.
IF WE DO NOTHING, WE'RE MERELY YEARS AWAY FROM RUNNING
[01:40:01]
OUTTA SPACE.BUT WITH SOME STRATEGIC MOVES HERE AND THE NEXT FEW YEARS, IT, WE CAN REALLY GAIN TO WHERE NOBODY IN THIS ROOM WILL BE HAVING TO WORRY WHETHER, WHERE THEIR GARBAGE IS GONNA GO.
AND SO I'M CONTINUING LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING DOING THAT.
UM, YESTERDAY I WAS, I WAS INVITED BY, UM, JOE DEL BOSKY, WHO WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE LATINO WATER COALITION.
UM, AND HIM AND MARIO SANTOYO BOTH, UH, FOUNDING MEMBERS FOUNDED THAT 20 YEARS AGO.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER, THERE WAS A BIG MARCH THAT WENT FROM MENDOTA TO SACRAMENTO EVENTUALLY.
UM, AND, UH, THEY STARTED LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND THEY WERE GRAY HAIRED WHEN THEY STARTED IT.
AND NOW THEY'RE WHITE HAIRED AND A LOT OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS ARE NO LONGER WITH US.
AND SO THEY'RE TRYING TO REINVIGORATE THAT, THAT GROUP AND, AND MAKE THEIR VOICES BE HEARD ON WATER POLICY ISSUES IN SACRAMENTO.
SO VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO MEET WITH SOME FOLKS.
UH, THE PIONEER ORGO LTA EVENT YESTERDAY, RIBBON CUTTING.
IT WAS A UNIQUE EVENT, YOU KNOW, WITH MEASURE V MONEY, MCHS INVOLVED, THE COUNTIES INVOLVED.
THEY REDID AN INTERSECTION AT, UH, THE CORNER OF ORGO LTA AND PIONEER, WHICH IS PART OF A LONGER TERM PLAN TO, TO IMPROVE THAT, UH, PIONEER CORRIDOR IN LOS BNIS.
AND AT THE SAME TIME WITH WHEN WE BONDED OUT OUR MEASURE V MONEY, WE, ONE OF THE ROADS THAT WAS GONNA BE REPAVED IS PIONEER ROAD.
AND, AND THIS IS A SITUATION, AND I WANT TO THANK NATHAN BRAY.
I WANNA THANK THE CEO, THE, THE CITY MANAGER OF LOS BNIS.
THERE'S A SECTION OF THAT ROAD THAT WAS CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY.
AND INSTEAD OF DOING WHAT WE USED TO DO, WHERE THE COUNTY WOULD REPAVE THEIR PIECE, AND THEN YOU'D HAVE THIS, I'M GONNA CALL IT MAYBE QUARTER MILE, THIRD MILE SECTION, THAT IS THE CITIES THAT WOULDN'T BE PAVED.
YOU KNOW, THE CONSTITUENTS DON'T CARE.
THEY DON'T CARE WHERE THE CITY LINE AND THE COUNTY LINE ENDS.
THEY, THEY JUST KNOW THAT, THEY LOOK AT IT LIKE, WHAT, WHAT DID THESE IDIOTS DO? THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE THIS NICE INTERSECTION AND THERE'S A SECTION OF UNPAVED ROAD, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THIS NICE SECTION OF PAVED ROAD THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
AND, AND VERY QUICKLY, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT OUR STAFF TALKED WITH THE CITY STAFF.
AND, AND, AND THE IMPORTANT PART IS, IS THE TRUST FACTOR IS, TIMING WISE, OUR BOARD MEETING WASN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
THEIR CITY COUNCIL MEETING WASN'T GONNA HAPPEN IN TIME.
THE EXECUTIVES FROM, FROM BOTH SIDES AND, AND, AND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT, YES, WE'RE, WE WILL PAY FOR OUR PART AND THEN WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE PAPERWORK AFTERWARD.
AND, AND SO TO ME, THAT'S REALLY WORKING, UH, BEING FISCAL STEWARDS, IT SAVED THE CITY MONEY WHERE OUR EQUIPMENT, THE, THE COMPANY WE HIRED WAS ALREADY GONNA BE OUT THERE.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE MOBILIZATION COSTS THAT THEY WERE GONNA HAVE TO PAY, IS SAVE THE TAXPAYERS OF LOSIS, THE CITY OF LOS BANIS MONEY, AND THEREFORE THE TAXPAYERS OF MERCED COUNTY.
SO VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE OF THAT COLLABORATION IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, I DO WANNA SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SUPERVISOR PERRA, AND IT'S ALWAYS SUPERVISOR PEDRO'S BIRTHDAY.
SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO, JOSH.
AND, UH, AND THEN A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY I WAS IN, I WAS, I TOOK SOME PERSONAL TIME LAST WEEK AND I WAS IN NASHVILLE.
UH, MY DAUGHTER'S 21ST BIRTHDAY, SO I WANNA SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MCKENNA.
I, I WILL JUST QUICKLY NOT GIVE YOU TOO MANY DETAILS, BUT, UH, NASHVILLE'S A REALLY COOL PLACE IF YOU'RE INTO ANY KIND OF MUSIC, IT'S A REALLY COOL PLACE TO GO.
IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT ON THE EXPENSIVE SIDE, BUT, BUT IT'S WORTH THE TIME THERE.
UM, REALLY ENJOYED MY TIME OUT THERE WITH, WITH SPENDING SOME TIME WITH FAMILY.
IT'S BEEN A BUSY COUPLE LAST MONTH.
THIS LAST MONTH HAS BEEN VERY BUSY WITH SOME CONFERENCES THAT WE'VE ATTENDED.
AND SO IT WAS NICE TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY AND, AND, UH, AND I JUST GOT A TEXT FROM HER A LITTLE BIT AGO.
SHE'S FINALLY HEADING BACK TO ARIZONA, WHERE SHE'LL GRADUATE LATER THIS YEAR.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK AGAIN.
I, I ALMOST, UH, UM, DIDN'T DO SOMETHING.
BUT, UH, DELHI HAS, UH, HAD A COMMUNITY MEMBER, UH, JIM CLARET WHO PASSED AWAY, AND I WANTED TO CLOSE, UH, TODAY'S MEETING IN HIS HONOR.
UH, JIM WAS A DAIRYMAN, KIND OF OUT IN THE LIVING LIVINGSTON AREA FOR A LOT OF YEARS.
I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THEN HE RETIRED AND MOVED INTO DELHI AND, UH, COULDN'T SIT STILL.
SO HE, UH, HE JOINED THE, THE, UM, OR, UM, GOT ELECTED TO THE WATER BOARD THERE AND WAS REALLY, UM, I THINK BECAUSE OF HIS PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, HE WAS A REALLY GOOD PERSON TO HAVE IN THEIR ORGANIZATION AND BROUGHT A LOT OF VALUE.
AND, UH, ANYWAY, SO I, I JUST HAVE APPRECIATED HIM THE 10 YEARS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH HIM.
AND, UH, IT JUST, UH, WOULD FEEL REMISS IF I DIDN'T, UH, CLOSE TODAY'S MEETING AND HIS MEMORY.
AND THEN I WANNA POINT OUT ONE OTHER THING.
UM, YOU KNOW, SUPERVISOR SRA TALKED ABOUT, UH, THE, THE LANDFILL HAVING A BOND AND I, THAT BOND, I, IT WAS A 30 YEAR BOND, I BELIEVE, AND, AND IT ENDS, UH, JULY OF THIS COMING YEAR.
AND I CAN REMEMBER THAT, UH, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE LANDFILL COULDN'T MAKE ITS BOND PAYMENT, RIGHT? THEY WERE STRUGGLING.
AND, AND SO IF A GENTLEMAN NAMED BROOK STAYER WAS HIRED, CAME IN, WHIPPED THAT PLACE INTO SHAPE AND, UM, REALLY DID A PHENOMENAL JOB AND, UH, AND ALLOWED US TO GET TO THE END OF THE BOND.
UH, AND THEN THE POINT I WANNA MAKE IS THAT, UM, THAT THEY'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT GOING OUT FOR ANOTHER BOND, RIGHT?
[01:45:01]
THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I, UM, AS, AS YOU, SOME AGENCIES HAVEN'T EVEN PAID OFF THEIR PREVIOUS BOND AND THEY'RE ALREADY ASKING FOR, YOU KNOW, THE SECOND OR THE THIRD OR THE FOURTH ONE.AND, AND, UH, SO ANYWAYS, I JUST FEEL REALLY PROUD OF, UH, OF THE MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS AND THE WAY THEY HANDLE THEMSELVES FINANCIALLY.
WHY DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE MORE? AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I'M GLAD JOE DE BOSQUE, UH, STARTED THAT WATER COALITION.
AND THE FACT THAT WE HAD, WE'RE NOT PREDICTING WHO OUR NEXT GOVERNOR IS, BUT THAT ER ACTUALLY HAD SOME OF HIS FOLKS THERE ATTENDING THE MEETING.
MEAN MEANS IT'S A GOOD TIME TO BE STARTING IT, THAT THEY'RE ALREADY INVOLVED IN IT.
UM, AND THEN ERIC, I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN.
NOT ONLY FOR THE ECONOMIC SUMMIT, BUT THE SECRETARY OF LABOR, UH, COMING INTO TOWN.
WE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD DISCUSSIONS AND I LIKED HOW THE ADMINISTRATION WAS TALKING.
YOU KNOW, THEY TOUCHED ON THE PELL GRANT AND THEIR FOCUS ON FOLKS GOING TO WORK.
AND I, I LIKED HOW THEIR NEW DESCRIPTION ON TECH JOBS, AND YOU DON'T EVEN THINK OF IT AT THE WAY THAT, THAT THEY EXPLAINED IT, BUT IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
'CAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS WANTING TO COME OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL, WANTING TO GET RIGHT TO WORK, AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO STUDY, BUT IF THEY GET TO WORK, THEY'LL FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY NEED TO STUDY, WHETHER IT'S FOR LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE.
AND I APPRECIATED THEIR APPROACH ON THAT.
AND THE FACT THAT THE WESTMARK CFO SHARED HIS STORY BECAUSE OF THE, HE SAYS IT'S A PERFECT STORY OF HOW HE GOT STARTED TO BECOME THE CFO OF WESTMARK, UH, WAS THAT EXACT DESCRIPTION.
BIG THANK YOU TO HUNTER FARMS AND WESTMARK FOR HOSTING OUR LABOR SECRETARY.
AND WITH THAT, OUR NEXT REGULAR
[POSSIBLE DIRECTION FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
SCHEDULED BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 10:00 AM ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026.THIS CONCLUDES THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING FOR OCTOBER 20TH, 2026.