[0:01] >> Good morning,
[0:03] everyone. I would like
[0:04] to call this meeting
[0:05] to order and acknowledge the
[0:06] High Desert and Joshua Tree
[0:07] video conferencing sites,
[0:08] and thank you all
[0:09] for joining us.
[0:10] Before we begin, if there are
[0:11] any property owners wishing
[0:12] to file written protests
[0:14] on item number 102, please see
[0:15] the special district staff
[0:16] available in the rotunda
[0:18] behind us out, out here.
[0:19] Additionally, if anyone is here
[0:21] regarding items number 3,
[0:22] 103, and 104, we also have
[0:24] staff in the rotunda as well
[0:25] to assist
[0:27] with any questions that you
[0:28] may have related
[0:30] to delinquent water, sewer,
[0:31] or solid waste charges. This
[0:32] morning, our pledge and
[0:34] invocation will be led
[0:35] by the 5th District.
[0:36] >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
[0:38] Good morning, everybody. Have
[0:39] the pleasure,
[0:40] pleasure and honor
[0:41] of introducing Bishop August
[0:43] L. Smith Jr., and he's here
[0:44] with his lovely wife and
[0:46] daughter. Want to welcome you
[0:47] to our chambers. Thank you
[0:49] for being here. He's from the
[0:50] True Light Community
[0:51] Fellowship in San Bernardino,
[0:52] is a very passionate spiritual
[0:53] leader, pastor,
[0:54] and community servant with
[0:56] over a decade
[0:57] of ministry experience. And I
[0:58] personally have had the
[1:00] opportunity to visit his,
[1:01] his church many, many times.
[1:02] He began pastoring in
[1:04] Compton, California in 2013 and
[1:06] now serves as a senior pastor
[1:07] in a growing congregation
[1:09] in the city of San
[1:10] Bernardino. He was consecrated
[1:11] as a bishop in 2020. He also
[1:13] holds the honorary doctorate
[1:15] degree in theology, from the
[1:17] Next Dimension University.
[1:18] In addition to ministry,
[1:20] Bishop Smith is a licensed
[1:22] vocational nurse, chaplain
[1:23] for San Bernardino Police
[1:25] Department, and vice president
[1:26] and general board member
[1:28] of the Neighborhood
[1:29] Association of Council
[1:30] for the city of San
[1:32] Bernardino, which is a
[1:33] volunteer group for
[1:34] Neighborhood Watch. He resides
[1:35] in San Bernardino
[1:36] with his wife Lady Jessica
[1:38] Smith. Welcome. And their
[1:39] daughter Autumn Smith, who's
[1:41] here. And he remains committed
[1:42] to serving and uplifting his
[1:43] community through faith,
[1:45] leadership, and compassion.
[1:46] Please lead us in prayer, Mr.
[1:47] Smith.
[1:56] >> Let us pray. Gracious
[1:58] Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank
[1:59] you for this day. We thank you
[2:01] for waking us up this morning
[2:03] in our right minds and starting
[2:04] us on our way. Lord, we thank
[2:06] you for each and every person
[2:07] that's assembled here
[2:08] for this meeting. Lord, it's
[2:10] in the mighty name of Jesus
[2:11] that we pray for the county
[2:12] of San Bernardino and every
[2:14] city within it. Lord, we ask
[2:16] that you watch
[2:17] over our elected officials.
[2:18] Your word says that we should
[2:20] pray for those in rule
[2:22] over us. So we pray
[2:23] for our supervisors. We pray
[2:25] for the county members and
[2:26] everybody that serves this
[2:28] illustrious area. Lord, we ask
[2:29] that in this meeting that you
[2:31] would go forward,
[2:32] that you would touch our minds,
[2:34] touch our ears, touch our
[2:35] hearts, and allow us to receive
[2:37] what it is that you would have
[2:38] to help us be
[2:40] about a better county. It's
[2:42] in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
[2:44] And now the Pledge of
[2:48] Allegiance. Ready? Begin.
[2:49] >> I pledge allegiance
[2:51] to the flag of the United
[2:52] States of America and
[2:54] to the republic
[2:55] for which it stands,
[2:57] one nation under God,
[2:58] indivisible,
[3:00] with liberty and justice
[3:01] for all.
[3:03] >> Thank you very much,
[3:10] Bishop. We will now move on
[3:11] to our memorial adjournments.
[3:12] Vice Chair?
[3:13] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I do
[3:14] have one today. I'd like
[3:16] to take the opportunity
[3:17] to adjourn in memory of Miss
[3:19] Judy Coombs of Rialto. She was
[3:20] 82 years of age,
[3:22] and I had the personal honor
[3:24] of knowing Miss Coombs. We
[3:26] served together on the
[3:27] Probation Youth
[3:29] Accountability Board for 12
[3:30] years in the city of Rialto.
[3:32] She was just a wonderful woman.
[3:33] They're having her services now
[3:34] as we speak, so just want
[3:36] to make sure we adjourn
[3:37] in memory of Miss Judy
[3:38] Coombs, 82, of Rialto. Thank
[3:40] you, Madam Chair.
[3:41] >> Thank you very much.
[3:42] Supervisor Cook. Supervisor
[3:44] Armendarez.
[3:45] >> Yes, I have two. First, I
[3:47] would like to, adjourn
[3:51] in memory of a friend.
[3:53] Sergeant Daniel Garcia's father
[3:55] passed away. He's a Fontana he
[3:57] was assigned to Fontana
[4:00] Sheriff's Station. He was 97
[4:02] years old. He was a veteran.
[4:05] He served as a corporal
[4:06] in the United States Army,
[4:08] fought in the Korean War. He
[4:10] was one of the 25th Infantry
[4:12] Division, 4th Infantry
[4:13] Regiment. He was survived
[4:16] by his 2 sons, his daughter,
[4:17] and his wife and 4
[4:20] grandchildren. Our hearts go
[4:22] out to the family. And the
[4:24] other one is Al Castro-Leon,
[4:26] originally from Redlands. He
[4:28] passed away lived in Yucaipa
[4:30] when he passed away. Al was 79
[4:32] years old. This one was
[4:34] important to me. And thank you,
[4:35] Chair, for allowing me
[4:37] to do this one because Al, was
[4:39] one of the first people who
[4:41] trained me. I got my skills as
[4:43] a diesel mechanic
[4:45] under his watch,
[4:46] and he happens to be my
[4:49] sister's father-in-law,
[4:54] because who would have known,
[4:56] 30 years later that everything
[4:58] would come fruition and his son
[5:00] would marry my sister. So, he
[5:01] was a great man. he was
[5:06] employed by Dalton Trucking
[5:09] for 37 years, Pepsi for 11
[5:11] years. He was a vet from the
[5:13] U.S. Navy. He's survived
[5:15] by his son, his daughter,
[5:17] his wife of 57 years, and his
[5:21] 3 grandchildren. So I just want
[5:24] to say my heart goes out to
[5:26] them and the family and that's
[5:27] all.
[5:28] >> Thank you. Supervisor
[5:29] Hagman.
[5:31] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I
[5:32] have 2 today as well. First is
[5:35] for, like, to adjourn to
[5:36] Charles Nichols. Charles
[5:38] Nichols life was defined
[5:39] by hard work, vision, devotion
[5:40] to family,
[5:42] and enduring passion
[5:43] for aviation. He was born May
[5:45] 2nd, 1936, and passed
[5:46] peacefully on May 4th, 2026.
[5:48] He lived a full and meaningful
[5:51] 90 years, leaving behind a
[5:52] legacy that will continue
[5:54] for generations. Along
[5:56] with his wife Judy, he co-owned
[5:57] and operated Nichols Lumber
[5:58] in Baldwin Park
[6:00] for half a century. His work
[6:01] ethic was shown,
[6:02] but up every day,
[6:03] worked hard and take pride
[6:05] in what you built.
[6:06] Beyond businesses, his greatest
[6:07] passion was aviation. As the
[6:09] founder of Yanks Air Museum
[6:11] at Chino Airport, one of the
[6:13] largest aircraft collections
[6:14] in the world,
[6:16] he devoted countless hours
[6:17] to preserving the history
[6:19] of aircraft
[6:20] through collecting, restoring,
[6:21] and sharing these incredible
[6:22] machines
[6:23] for future generations. He
[6:24] began a museum collection in
[6:26] 1973 and spent 40 years
[6:27] traveling the world in order
[6:29] to find rare American airplanes
[6:30] and parts. Because of his hard
[6:33] work and dedication, the Aix
[6:34] Museum is now home to over 200
[6:36] aircraft, many which are
[6:37] extreme extremely rare and the
[6:39] only one remaining species of
[6:41] their kind. he and his beloved
[6:43] wife Judith Nichols built a
[6:45] beautiful home and life
[6:46] centered around the work, love,
[6:48] and commitment. He was preceded
[6:49] in death
[6:50] by his wife and his son Brett
[6:52] Nichols, survived
[6:53] by his daughters Christine and
[6:54] Valerie, 8 grandchildren, as
[6:55] well as many beloved
[6:57] great-grandchildren who would
[6:58] carry on his memory forward.
[7:00] And secondly, I'd like
[7:02] to adjourn to Lieutenant Jim
[7:03] Michael's memory. He was just
[7:05] 5 months in his retirement
[7:06] after 28 years
[7:08] of dedicated service to
[7:09] Montclair Police Department
[7:10] when he passed away in 1993.
[7:12] Enlisted in the United States
[7:13] Army where he served 3 years in
[7:15] a light infantry air assault
[7:17] unit assigned to the 25th
[7:18] Infantry Division, out of
[7:19] Hawaii. He deployed to Japan,
[7:21] and Haiti as well. Lieutenant
[7:24] Michael was honorably
[7:26] discharged in 1996. He attended
[7:29] the San Bernardino County
[7:31] Sheriff's Academy in '97.
[7:33] Lieutenant Jim Michael began
[7:34] his career with the Montclair
[7:36] Police Department in December
[7:38] 1997. Lieutenant Michael worked
[7:39] in uniform patrol,
[7:40] he was a field training
[7:42] officer, DRE, a member of the
[7:43] POP team and a narcotics
[7:44] investigator. Lieutenant
[7:47] Michael held 4-year assignments
[7:48] as a detective where he worked
[7:50] fraud, property crimes,
[7:51] and crimes against person. On
[7:53] August 13th, Lieutenant
[7:55] Michael supported the sergeant,
[7:56] survived supervised patrol,
[7:58] major accident investigation
[8:00] team,
[8:01] and field training program.
[8:02] November 2018, he was promoted
[8:04] to lieutenant. As a field
[8:05] service lieutenant, he managed
[8:07] patrol operation dispatch
[8:08] Mobile Field Force, the Field
[8:10] Training Program, Specialized
[8:11] Enforcement Team, the Major
[8:13] Accident Investigation Team,
[8:14] volunteers, the Explorer
[8:16] Program, Recruitment, and
[8:17] Community Relations. As
[8:19] Supportive Services
[8:21] Lieutenant, he served as the
[8:23] department's POST coordinator
[8:24] and managed the Detective
[8:26] Bureau, Tech Services,
[8:27] Evidence and Records Bureau.
[8:28] And with that, I'd like to
[8:29] adjourn memory both those
[8:31] names, Madam Chair.
[8:32] >> Thank you,
[8:33] thank you very much. This
[8:34] morning, I would like
[8:35] to adjourn in memory of two
[8:36] Big Bear residents who lost
[8:37] their lives
[8:38] in a tragic automobile accident
[8:40] Kathy Greenwood was 85
[8:41] at the time of her passing,
[8:43] and Sandra Sense was 64. Both
[8:45] women were incredibly involved
[8:46] in their community and
[8:47] volunteered for the local
[8:48] Meals on Wheels program.
[8:49] Kathy's daughter was also
[8:50] in a vehicle with them
[8:51] at the time
[8:52] of the accident and currently
[8:53] is in critical condition. I'd
[8:55] like to ask everybody
[8:56] to keep their families
[8:57] in their prayers
[8:58] at this difficult time. Thank
[9:00] you. And this morning we have
[9:02] one special presentation. If
[9:03] everyone will join me
[9:26] in the well, please. Could I
[9:27] have Stephen Lee Castillo join
[9:28] us up here, please?
[9:40] >> Good morning and
[9:42] congratulations. We would like
[9:45] to present this certificate
[9:48] of resolution in honor of
[9:50] Stephen Lee Castillo, who is
[9:51] retiring after 30 years
[9:52] with the county. Stephen began
[9:54] his career as a fiscal clerk
[9:56] and has since advanced across
[9:58] 11 departments He is concluding
[10:00] his career with County Fire,
[10:01] where he serves as a finance
[10:03] officer. Steven is a lifelong
[10:05] resident of the county and has
[10:06] committed numerous years
[10:07] to youth sports with the
[10:09] Grand Terrace Community
[10:10] Soccer Club and the Grand
[10:12] Terrace Little League. We thank
[10:13] you for your dedication to the
[10:14] county and happy retirement.
[10:42] >> Thank you. I just would
[10:44] like to say thank you. I
[10:45] completely appreciate the
[10:47] opportunity to have a career.
[10:49] I now intend
[10:51] to spend more time
[10:53] with friends and family,
[10:54] and thank you all.
[12:16] >> Actually, Stephen's been a
[12:18] very valued member
[12:19] of our team and has done so
[12:21] much for us to get us
[12:23] on the right fiscal track. And
[12:24] a little surprised I mean,
[12:25] kind of hinted over it,
[12:26] and I kept telling him 30 more
[12:27] years, but he didn't want
[12:29] to listen.
[12:30] But it's a great day
[12:31] for your family,
[12:32] and we're really proud
[12:33] of you, and thank you for
[12:34] supporting us the way you have.
[12:56] >> Congratulations.
[12:57] >> Thank you again.
[13:35] >> We will now move on
[13:36] to our reports from our CEO
[13:37] County Council. Laura.
[13:40] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I
[13:41] have nothing to report.
[13:42] >> Alright, due to the length
[13:43] of our meeting today,
[13:44] it will be exceptionally long.
[13:45] We're going
[13:46] to move our comments,
[13:47] our board member comments,
[13:48] and our CEO comments
[13:50] to the very end
[13:51] of today's agenda. And
[13:52] with that, Danette, do we have
[13:53] any changes or additions
[13:55] to the agenda today? We do.
[13:57] on item 99, recommendation 2A
[13:59] has been revised to approve the
[14:01] application and preliminary
[14:03] environmental description form,
[14:05] including the non-standard
[14:07] indemnification provision
[14:08] related to Local Agency
[14:10] Formation Commission proposal
[14:13] LAFCO 3279. Recommendation,
[14:15] recommendation 2B has been
[14:17] revised to delegate authority
[14:20] to the fire chief, fire warden,
[14:21] or the deputy chief to sign and
[14:23] certify the application and
[14:24] preliminary environmental
[14:26] description form and any other
[14:28] documents, which includes a
[14:29] nonstandard provisions related
[14:32] to Local Agency Formation
[14:33] Commission proposal, LAFCO
[14:35] 3279, subject to review
[14:38] by county council. And
[14:40] recommendation 2C was revised
[14:42] to direct the fire chief,
[14:44] fire warden to transmit the
[14:46] application and preliminary
[14:47] environmental description form
[14:49] and any documents
[14:50] under recommendation to be
[14:51] to the Secretary of the Board
[14:53] of Directors within 30 days
[14:55] of execution. Those are all the
[14:56] changes that I have today.
[14:58] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank
[14:59] you very much. if any board
[15:01] member has any conflict
[15:02] of interest to disclose,
[15:03] now would be the time
[15:05] to do so. All right, seeing
[15:07] none, we'll move on
[15:09] to our consent calendar,
[15:10] which today consists
[15:11] of items number 2 through 100.
[15:12] Do we have any board members
[15:13] wishing to pull an item
[15:15] for discussion? All right,
[15:17] we have 2 requests to speak
[15:19] this morning. first up is
[15:20] Garth Peasant, followed by
[15:34] Carlo. Do we have Garth
[15:36] in chambers? Oh, thank you.
[15:46] Good morning, sir. Now we can.
[15:55] >> Good morning. It's good
[15:56] to be before the honorable
[15:57] Board of Supervisors. Item
[15:59] 50, probation,
[16:01] authorize the purchase
[16:03] of prepaid negotiables for from
[16:06] various transportation retail
[16:08] and food vendors for use
[16:10] by adult and juvenile offenders
[16:13] to assist with basic
[16:15] necessities and support
[16:16] adherence to program plans
[16:19] in an aggregate amount not
[16:23] to exceed $280,000
[16:25] for the period of July 1st,
[16:29] 2026 through June 30th, 2027.
[16:33] Presenter Tracy Reese. I take
[16:35] my hat off to you.
[16:39] >> Thank you very much. Our
[16:41] next request is from Carlo.
[16:42] Good morning, sir.
[16:46] >> Good morning. The ankle's
[16:47] getting better,
[16:50] some things you do,
[16:51] serving your country,
[16:52] and you're like, all right,
[16:54] I got to fix this later.
[16:57] But anyways, I want
[16:59] to say thank you
[17:00] to the board first and foremost
[17:02] for allowing me
[17:03] to speak and some
[17:04] of the mothers and fathers
[17:05] to speak as well in regards
[17:06] to CFS. as we look
[17:07] at these agenda items,
[17:09] and especially with 29 and
[17:10] 20, 30, we just don't know. We
[17:13] haven't had clear evidence that
[17:17] these false allegations and
[17:19] everything supporting the
[17:23] system has stopped. We're
[17:24] talking about $8 million today.
[17:26] Last week we were here for
[17:27] $147 million. And et cetera.
[17:29] But as these Latinos and Black
[17:30] families are going
[17:31] through these services
[17:33] for child abuse, mind you,
[17:34] child abuse, right? Let's think
[17:37] about that a little bit. What
[17:39] are group homes? They're filled
[17:42] with child abuse. The state,
[17:44] the county has pulled these
[17:45] kids out of their homes and you
[17:48] can't provide proof that
[17:50] they're based on false
[17:52] allegations and they're sitting
[17:53] in, wallowing in child abuse.
[17:55] Victorville, foster homes,
[17:57] torture, starvation,
[17:58] child abuse. People
[18:02] in suits who come
[18:04] to your home, take your kids,
[18:06] who falsify allegations
[18:07] on paper, put them
[18:10] in worse situations, but yet
[18:12] in court,
[18:16] you're abusing the families.
[18:19] This is family abuse.
[18:21] Emotional abuse, trauma,
[18:22] cycles of this. And we are
[18:25] targeting Latinos, Blacks, and
[18:28] poor whites. Now I am starting
[18:31] to see other races as Asians
[18:33] and whatnot. But I always ask
[18:35] these families when we are
[18:36] looking at these cases,
[18:39] because I want to give it a
[18:41] Maria test, right? The white
[18:42] Maria test. If you can grow up
[18:43] your kids, spray them
[18:44] in the face with oven cleaner
[18:45] and attack them for the Bible
[18:46] and not lose one day
[18:47] of custody, That should be the
[18:48] standard here in San
[18:50] Bernardino because the Equal
[18:51] Protection Clause says such.
[18:53] You cannot treat one person,
[18:54] her status, economic, standing,
[18:55] and class
[18:57] in the society and treat
[18:59] Black, brown, and Latina women
[19:01] different and then say, hey,
[19:07] guess what, we have all these
[19:08] kids that we need services
[19:10] because they were abused.
[19:14] Bam. What is really going
[19:15] on here? It just smells to me
[19:16] like a bunch of fraud.
[19:17] Seriously, we've had history
[19:19] and reports in other states of
[19:20] social workers and county
[19:22] council attorneys being
[19:24] arrested and charged
[19:27] for this. I'm telling you,
[19:28] it's going on now. It is going
[19:33] on now in San Bernardino, and
[19:35] all
[19:36] of us who are taxpayers pay
[19:37] for this. We are paying
[19:40] for this, and we'll pay
[19:41] for this because God is
[19:43] watching all of us. Silence is
[19:44] complicity. Thank you,
[19:46] and have a great morning.
[19:49] >> Thank you very much. That is
[19:50] last request to speak. Thank
[19:52] you for the motion, Supervisor
[19:54] Hagman, and the second, Vice
[19:55] Chair Baca. All those
[19:57] in favor?
[19:58] >> Aye.
[19:59] >> Any opposed? Any
[20:00] abstentions?
[20:01] >> With that, the consent
[20:02] calendar passes unanimously.
[20:03] >> Thank you very much. We will
[20:05] now move on
[20:07] to our discussion calendar,
[20:08] starting
[20:09] with agenda item number 101,
[20:10] which is a public hearing and
[20:11] ordinance related to the
[20:12] Option and Amendment of the
[20:13] 2025 edition of the
[20:14] California Fire Code being
[20:16] presented this morning by
[20:17] Chief Muncy. I will open the
[20:18] public hearing while he makes
[20:19] his way down to join us. Good
[20:21] morning, Chief.
[20:42] >> Good morning. I'm going
[20:43] to be sitting here, but our
[20:44] Fire Marshal Monica Ronchetti
[20:45] will do the presentation.
[20:49] >> Good morning. Good morning.
[20:51] These microphones right
[20:52] in front of you are hard
[20:53] to hear. If you can pull it
[20:54] close to you,
[20:55] that would be fantastic. Is
[20:56] that better?
[20:58] >> Much better. All right.
[21:00] Good morning, Madam Chair,
[21:01] Board of Supervisors. The San
[21:02] Bernardino County Fire
[21:03] Protection District ordinance
[21:04] related
[21:05] to the adoption and amendment
[21:07] of the 2025 edition of the
[21:08] California Fire Code. The
[21:09] California Fire Code contains
[21:18] regulations consistent
[21:21] with practices for safeguarding
[21:24] life and property
[21:25] from hazards,
[21:26] including the hazards
[21:28] of fire and explosion and use
[21:29] of hazardous materials. The
[21:30] California Fire Code is updated
[21:32] by the state every 3 years.
[21:34] The last update was the 2025
[21:36] edition of the California
[21:38] Fire Code. Pursuant to
[21:39] California Health and Safety
[21:41] Code Section 13869 and
[21:43] Government Code Section
[21:45] 50022, the San Bernardino
[21:47] County Fire Protection
[21:50] District may adopt
[21:51] by reference the 2025 edition
[21:53] of the California Fire Code and
[21:54] amend as necessary based
[21:56] on certain findings. The
[21:58] proposed ordinance will repeal
[22:01] Ordinance FPD 23-01 and adopt
[22:04] the provisions of the 2025
[22:09] edition of the California
[22:11] Fire Code, along with certain
[22:12] changes that are reasonably
[22:14] necessary. Include existing
[22:15] local amendments carried over
[22:18] from the previous adoption and
[22:20] amend the 2025 edition of the
[22:22] California Fire Code and the
[22:24] edition 2025 edition of the
[22:26] California Wildland Urban
[22:28] Interface Code as appropriate.
[22:35] Some of the significant changes
[22:37] deleted Section 3 through 26
[22:40] and Section 28 through 34 of
[22:41] the previous ordinance as they
[22:44] have been included in Chapters
[22:49] 1, 3, 5, 50, 57, and 58.
[22:51] Adopted Chapter 1 of
[22:53] California Fire Code. Adopted
[22:55] California Wildland Urban
[22:57] Interface Code by reference.
[22:59] Increased idle pallet storage
[23:01] height to 20 feet in height
[23:03] to match the California Fire
[23:05] Code. Amended requirements for
[23:07] mechanically operated security
[23:09] gates to require exit loops be
[23:10] installed at a fire access gate
[23:11] and required an infrared
[23:13] automatic gate system for all
[23:14] new and existing electrically
[23:16] operated gates. Adopted
[23:18] Appendix P to provide codes
[23:22] for temporary haunted houses,
[23:27] ghost walks and similar
[23:28] amusement uses,
[23:31] increased penalties
[23:32] for transportation and storage
[23:33] of dangerous fireworks from
[23:37] $1,250 to a maximum penalty
[23:39] of $15,000. Any questions? We
[23:46] have any questions?
[23:49] >> Nope. No.
[23:53] >> Very good. I will close the
[23:54] public hearing. I do not
[23:56] believe I have any requests
[23:57] to speak
[23:58] on this item. I have a motion
[23:59] from Supervisor Hagman and a
[24:00] second from Vice Chair Baca.
[24:02] All those in favor?
[24:03] >> Aye.
[24:04] >> Any opposed? Any
[24:05] abstentions?
[24:06] >> With that, Item 101 passes
[24:08] unanimously.
[24:09] >> Thank you very much. Item
[24:11] number 102 is a public hearing
[24:12] on proposed adjustment to
[24:16] property-related service
[24:18] charges for Community Service
[24:20] Area 70, Zone R-15, which is
[24:22] in Landers, being presented
[24:23] this morning by Noel Castillo.
[24:25] Before I open the public
[24:26] hearing, are there any property
[24:28] owners or persons registered
[24:29] to vote in the county service
[24:31] area who wish
[24:33] to file a written protest? If
[24:34] so, they must be filed
[24:35] with the clerk now. All right,
[24:39] I will open the public hearing.
[24:40] Good morning, Noel.
[24:42] >> Good morning. Good morning,
[24:43] Chair, board members. I'm here
[24:44] to give a brief overview
[24:46] of the proposed adjustments to
[24:47] the property-related service
[24:49] charge for CSA 70. Zone R-15.
[24:51] Next slide. In 1984, property
[24:55] owners requested the formation
[24:57] of this road zone to support
[24:58] maintenance and grading of, of,
[25:00] for about 164 miles
[25:02] of dirt roads in the Landers
[25:03] area. The annual parcel charge
[25:06] set at $20 has never been
[25:08] adjusted since its adoption.
[25:10] Next slide. A recent 2025
[25:15] departmental review found that
[25:17] this fixed fee no longer covers
[25:19] the cost of main maintaining
[25:20] the dirt roads. As a result,
[25:22] routine grading has been
[25:23] suspended due to lack
[25:24] of adequate funding. The
[25:26] proposed changes are solely to
[25:27] support operations maintenance,
[25:28] not capital projects. Next
[25:30] slide.
[25:35] To address this shortfall,
[25:36] we propose to update the annual
[25:38] per parcel charge from $20 to
[25:39] $75. Included with this
[25:41] adjustment is an annual
[25:43] inflationary adjustment of up
[25:45] to 3%. There is no allocation
[25:46] for loans or capital
[25:50] improvements. This is strictly
[25:51] about sustaining day-to-day
[25:53] maintenance activities. This
[25:55] adjustment is designed to
[25:56] restore sustainable maintenance
[25:58] levels and ensure continued
[26:00] service for the community. The
[26:01] road district is within the
[26:03] Landers area,
[26:04] as you can see here. Next
[26:06] slide. As required by
[26:12] Proposition 218, process. If a
[26:14] majority protest is received,
[26:16] the adjustment cannot proceed
[26:17] and the zone will be
[26:21] dissolution, shifting road
[26:23] maintenance responsibility
[26:25] to the property owners. If the
[26:27] majority protest is received,
[26:29] the board may authorize a,
[26:31] a if no majority protest is
[26:32] received, the board may
[26:34] authorize a mail ballot
[26:36] election with the earliest
[26:37] possible date being July 3rd,
[26:38] 2026. An independent provider
[26:40] would conduct the election. A
[26:41] majority yes vote from the
[26:42] property owners would be
[26:43] required
[26:45] for the would be required
[26:46] for the new rate
[26:47] to take effect. We recognize
[26:48] the road maintenance affects
[26:50] daily access, safety,
[26:51] and quality of life
[26:52] for residents in this area.
[26:53] Your participation today,
[26:54] whether through questions,
[26:56] comments, or formal protests,
[26:57] is vital part
[26:59] of this process. Next slide.
[27:03] And this concludes my
[27:04] presentation.
[27:05] >> Thank you very much. We have
[27:06] a number of public speakers.
[27:08] We're going to start here in
[27:09] San Bernardino, and then we're
[27:10] going to go out to our Joshua
[27:12] Tree conferencing site. First
[27:13] up here is Ray Pessa, followed
[27:15] by Mike Hawkins. Sir, the our
[27:29] podiums
[27:30] for public comment are up
[27:34] in the okay, two. Good morning,
[27:36] Ray. Our public commenters will
[27:45] have 3 minutes. When it reaches
[27:47] the 30-second warning, the
[27:48] light will flash yellow and
[27:49] then red at the end
[27:52] of the time. Thank you very
[27:57] much.
[28:01] >> Okay, thank you for hearing
[28:04] me. And my concerns
[28:07] about the increase in, in cost
[28:09] to the special districts
[28:12] for road maintenance, pretty
[28:14] made clear the last time we
[28:16] were up here. And, so I just
[28:19] thought I'd use my 3 minutes
[28:20] to bring a little more
[28:23] to your attention. The little
[28:24] map that I handed
[28:26] out is pretty old, kind of
[28:28] like my memory,
[28:29] but if you look at Section
[28:31] 13, that's the section that I
[28:33] referred to when I talked
[28:34] about the, letter from Tim
[28:36] Millington to get the, tractor
[28:39] to stop grading the two roads,
[28:41] Wright Road and Touchstone,
[28:44] because they were being
[28:47] destroyed, cutting the,
[28:48] the hard crust off the top.
[28:52] And, he agreed as long as it
[28:53] preferred or agreed
[28:56] to continue paying the, the
[28:58] $20, which was nothing, but
[29:00] it's a little bit different
[29:02] now. I mean,
[29:04] I know this is not a lot
[29:05] of money, but everybody
[29:07] in that Section 13 that I have
[29:08] circled there, signed it.
[29:10] Well, I shouldn't say
[29:11] everybody. They signed that
[29:12] petition,
[29:14] to make that happen. And, I
[29:16] would propose
[29:20] to special districts, that
[29:23] Section 13 and the one
[29:25] to the left To the left, 18,
[29:26] which is
[29:28] in a different township, 18 is
[29:30] completely barren. There's
[29:32] nothing on it. There's no taxes
[29:36] to be received there. And 13,
[29:41] as I said last time we were
[29:45] here, hasn't received,
[29:48] any road maintenance since,
[29:54] 2007, I think it was 7. And
[29:58] the, the property owners
[29:59] themselves maintain the roads
[30:00] as agreed to with Tim
[30:02] Millington. And on the left,
[30:06] Section 14, is another section,
[30:11] and there are property owners
[30:12] out there, and it probably
[30:15] wouldn't take much me for me
[30:16] to petition them and to, agree
[30:21] with, my idea. And what I
[30:24] propose is to have special
[30:26] district draw a line
[30:27] across the bottom of those 3
[30:29] sections, on which
[30:31] on this map it says, Ritchie
[30:33] Road, but it's not Ritchie
[30:35] Road, it's Bodick, Bodick Road
[30:37] and remove those 3 sections
[30:39] from the special district,
[30:43] Zone 70 R-15. so that would be,
[30:48] that would be my challenge,
[30:50] whether or not, the, increase
[30:54] of, of funds for,
[30:55] the road maintenance go
[30:58] through is to get those 3
[30:59] sections removed. None of them
[31:01] are receiving road maintenance
[31:02] at this time.
[31:04] >> Thank you,
[31:09] sir. the next request
[31:10] to speak is Mike Hawkins, and
[31:12] then we're going to go out to
[31:13] Joshua Tree. And as Mike is
[31:14] waking making his way to the
[31:16] podium speakers will have
[31:18] Jennifer Cusack out there,
[31:20] followed by Christine Hudson.
[31:22] Good morning.
[31:24] >> Morning, board. I'm Mike
[31:26] Hopkins. I live in Yucca
[31:28] Valley, California, and I'm
[31:29] against the proposed increase,
[31:31] and I oppose putting it
[31:33] on the ballot. 40 years ago,
[31:34] myself and another property
[31:36] owner in what became the
[31:38] northernmost portion of Road
[31:39] District 15 attended meetings
[31:42] to consider its formation. I
[31:45] conveyed them that we were not
[31:46] interested
[31:47] in anyone grading our roads,
[31:49] the roads in our area, Section
[31:51] 13, as was mentioned by Ray,
[31:55] Section 13, Township 3 North,
[31:57] Range 5 East of San
[32:00] Bernardino Meridian. We were
[32:01] included nonetheless. Many
[32:03] property owners in our area are
[32:04] the same families who acquired
[32:06] their places through the
[32:07] Small Tract Act in the '50s.
[32:10] It was they who built our
[32:11] roads. It was we who have
[32:13] maintained them better than 70
[32:14] years, not the government,
[32:16] not the taxpayer. They are not
[32:18] county roads, they are ours.
[32:20] 19 years ago, we had
[32:24] to petition the district
[32:25] to stop work
[32:26] in our area because
[32:27] of problems it was causing.
[32:29] Grading has scraped
[32:30] off many tons of decomposed
[32:31] granite that was laid down
[32:33] in the '50s. To fortify a
[32:34] quarter-mile stretch of
[32:36] Wright Boulevard, leaving it so
[32:37] sandy that property owners on
[32:39] Robbenness and Ordway, Ordway
[32:41] began allowing the handful
[32:42] of neighbors
[32:44] to the north access
[32:46] through their properties. Berm
[32:48] work on both McKiska and
[32:49] Bodick, just west of Wright
[32:51] Boulevard, changed drainage in
[32:53] such a manner that it allowed
[32:55] subsequent rain to flood 2
[32:57] occupied residences on Wright
[32:58] Road. When a resident
[32:59] on the north side of
[33:04] Touchstone decided
[33:05] to put a fence
[33:07] on his property line, never
[33:08] mind that that's the middle
[33:09] of the road,
[33:11] the grader simply moved the
[33:12] road over
[33:13] beyond the right-of-way
[33:14] provided
[33:15] on the opposite property. The
[33:17] district does not need our
[33:18] roads. There is no access
[33:20] through the district,
[33:21] through our area,
[33:23] to the district
[33:24] through our area,
[33:26] as it is open desert beyond.
[33:28] And our area is accessible
[33:29] without the district as well.
[33:32] See the map. In 2007, special
[33:34] districts agreed
[33:36] to stop the maintenance
[33:37] in our area but continued the
[33:39] annual charge. Our outlying
[33:41] area has subsidized the rest
[33:43] of the district
[33:44] without benefit to us for 19
[33:46] years. That's okay. We, like,
[33:48] I mean, we like to help with
[33:51] all the roads that everyone
[33:53] uses. Glad too that the
[33:54] district stopped destroying
[33:56] ours, but I'm against
[33:57] quadrupling the cost nearly
[33:58] quadrupling the cost
[34:00] of a service we didn't want
[34:01] in the first place,
[34:03] haven't even had for 2 decades,
[34:05] and still won't have no matter
[34:06] what we are charged. Thank you.
[34:08] >> Thank you very much. We'll
[34:11] now go out to our Joshua Tree
[34:12] teleconferencing site. We'll
[34:14] have Jennifer Cusack followed
[34:15] by Christine Hudson and then
[34:16] Mike Lipsitz. Good morning,
[34:22] Chair, members of the board.
[34:24] Thank you for allowing remote
[34:25] participation today. My name is
[34:27] Jennifer Cusack. I'm the new
[34:28] general manager at Bighorn
[34:30] Desert View Water Agency in
[34:31] Landers. Last week, our board
[34:33] of directors adopted a
[34:34] resolution in support of
[34:36] County Service Area 70 Zone R15
[34:38] for Landers. we strongly
[34:42] support increasing the
[34:43] assessment to maintain this
[34:45] critical basic service. The
[34:46] current assessment at only $20
[34:47] per parcel that has not been
[34:50] increased since 1984 is no
[34:52] longer sufficient to keep pace
[34:54] with the inflation or even
[34:57] provide adequate emergency
[34:58] repairs following rain events,
[35:02] flooding, and erosion. County
[35:04] staff have done a good job
[35:06] with limited resources, but the
[35:07] current funding structure is
[35:09] simply no longer sustainable.
[35:10] Maintaining dirt roads and
[35:11] landers is important not only
[35:13] for residents and emergency
[35:15] access, but also for protecting
[35:16] public infrastructure.
[35:19] Flooding and erosion can expose
[35:20] water lines and damage
[35:21] infrastructure located
[35:23] within the roads. Ongoing
[35:25] grading and storm repair help
[35:27] reduce those risks and maintain
[35:28] safe and reliable access
[35:31] throughout the community. The
[35:32] proposed increase to 55 of $55
[35:35] more per parcel annually with a
[35:37] reasonable 3% inflationary
[35:39] adjustment is necessary to
[35:40] maintain this critical service
[35:42] into the future. It is our
[35:44] understanding that
[35:45] without your support, this
[35:46] service will no longer be
[35:48] viable. And is currently
[35:49] already paused. We recognize
[35:51] the importance
[35:53] of county road service funding,
[35:54] and we support maintaining this
[35:56] item and respectfully encourage
[35:59] your support. Thank you
[36:01] for your time. Thank you very
[36:03] much. Next up, we have
[36:05] Christine Hudson, followed by
[36:06] Mike Lipsitz, and then Jose
[36:08] Martinez. hello, I'm
[36:15] Christine Hudson. I live on
[36:17] Yucca Mesa in Landers, and I'm
[36:19] for the increase in the road
[36:22] maintenance. I've been
[36:25] out here for over 15 years.
[36:26] I've seen the my road, Yucca
[36:30] Mesa, degrade due
[36:32] to increased traffic,
[36:36] and I just support raising the,
[36:39] the fee because we do need our
[36:42] roads maintained because
[36:45] there's been some services that
[36:46] won't come out
[36:48] to my house because
[36:49] of the road. So I'd like
[36:51] to see it on the ballot, and I
[36:53] want, to have the ability
[36:56] to have my road maintained for
[37:04] traffic and also this my car. I
[37:06] mean, it's tearing my car up.
[37:08] So, thank you.
[37:11] >> Thank you very much. Mike
[37:12] Lipsitz followed by Jose
[37:13] Martinez and then Jane
[37:14] Martinez.
[37:22] >> Good morning. Thank you
[37:23] for the opportunity to weigh
[37:25] in on the issue
[37:26] of road maintenance in
[37:28] Landers. My name is Mike
[37:29] Lipsitz. I'm president of the
[37:30] Landers Homestead Valley
[37:32] Community Association. And have
[37:34] been a resident of Landers
[37:36] since 2004. Take a drive
[37:38] along any 2 miles
[37:40] of the more than 150 miles of
[37:42] Landers graded dirt roads.
[37:45] You'll understand why there's
[37:47] community support for the road
[37:50] maintenance increase. Henry
[37:52] Mack and his team at special
[37:54] districts have put together a
[37:55] solid proposal that is
[37:56] reasonable in scope,
[37:57] manageable as far as the cost
[37:59] to property owners, and
[38:01] sustainable given the annual
[38:03] inflation-based increase. A
[38:07] $75 annual er, a $75 annual
[38:10] assessment is a fraction the
[38:12] cost of replacement shocks or
[38:15] struts, tires, and alignment.
[38:17] Vehicle repair is an obvious
[38:19] cost. Less obvious,
[38:20] but just as certain,
[38:22] are the costs associated
[38:23] with depressed property values,
[38:24] damages to utilities like phone
[38:26] lines and water infrastructure,
[38:27] and any of the other
[38:29] consequences seen when roads
[38:31] turn to gullies and
[38:33] bone-jarring washboards. How
[38:37] about the cost of a human life
[38:39] should first responders arrive
[38:40] too late to render aid because
[38:41] bad roads require detours and
[38:42] other delays?
[38:46] For these reasons, the
[38:48] Landers Homestead Valley
[38:49] Association unanimously passed
[38:50] a resolution in support of the
[38:52] road maintenance increase,
[38:53] as did Bighorn Desert View
[38:56] Water Agency. The dire need
[38:57] for road maintenance in
[38:59] Landers is a given. What our
[39:01] community is asking for today
[39:02] is a little different. We're
[39:04] asking for the same opportunity
[39:06] that you've given Copper
[39:07] Mountain Mesa, Flamingo
[39:10] Heights, Yucca Mesa, Pioneer
[39:12] Town, and Wonder Valley. What
[39:14] we're asking
[39:15] for is the freedom to vote on
[39:18] this road maintenance proposal.
[39:20] You're not deciding. If our
[39:21] roads get fixed. You're
[39:23] deciding whether or not
[39:24] property owners in Landers get
[39:25] to make that determination
[39:26] for themselves. We hope you'll
[39:29] make the right decision. And
[39:31] very quickly, I'd like
[39:32] to ask the clerk of the board
[39:34] why many letters why the many
[39:35] letters of support failed
[39:37] to make it
[39:38] into the background material
[39:40] for the issue. That omission
[39:41] was a disservice
[39:43] to the board and the people
[39:44] of Landers. Thank you. Good
[39:45] morning.
[39:48] >> Thank you. Jose Martinez
[39:49] followed by Jane Martinez.
[39:56] >> Good morning, Board of
[39:59] Supervisors and Chairman
[40:02] Rowe. My name is Jose R.
[40:05] Martinez. I am a homeowner of
[40:06] 3 properties in the Yucca
[40:07] Valley area, and I'm here
[40:09] to advocate not just for
[40:10] myself. I already have had the
[40:11] privilege of voting
[40:13] for my properties, voting yes
[40:15] that we need the roads
[40:17] approved. I'm also a member
[40:20] on the board of directors
[40:21] at the Bighorn Water
[40:23] District, which indicated to
[40:24] you that we need it as well. I
[40:27] understand that there are some
[40:28] folks opposed,
[40:30] and I've been there since
[40:31] 1987, and I understand that
[40:33] there's some folks opposed,
[40:35] but the reality is that all
[40:36] of us I'm not advocating
[40:38] for myself because I'm able
[40:39] to vote now. I'm advocating
[40:41] for the whole community.
[40:42] Landers has a right to vote.
[40:44] Let us make our own
[40:45] determination. Let us make our
[40:48] own determination as
[40:51] to what we need. That's what
[40:52] we're asking for. I'm asking
[40:53] for and advocating for my
[40:55] friends and neighbors and
[40:58] Landers to have the same
[40:59] opportunity that I have in
[41:01] Flamingo Heights, those that
[41:03] are in the Mesa, those that are
[41:05] in the Johnson Valley, all of
[41:07] our communities that have right
[41:09] to vote, that Landers have the
[41:11] right to vote. And those that
[41:12] are opposed, they can oppose
[41:14] it, but those of us that are
[41:15] for it, let us have that right
[41:17] and let us decide
[41:19] for ourselves your constituents
[41:20] to decide
[41:21] for ourselves what is right
[41:26] for us, not anyone else. Let us
[41:28] have that right. I'm asking you
[41:29] to consider Landers and give
[41:32] them the opportunity to vote
[41:34] like I think that's the only
[41:36] right thing, that all your
[41:38] constituents have the same
[41:40] rights that I've had. I wanna
[41:42] thank you for your time, and I
[41:43] hope that we have an approval.
[41:47] >> Thank you, sir. Jane
[41:48] Martinez is our last request
[41:49] to speak.
[41:55] >> Thank you for allowing me to
[41:57] speak to you this morning.
[41:59] Landers is an anchor community
[42:00] in the Homestead Valley area.
[42:03] The population is approximately
[42:05] 3,000. There is Landers
[42:07] Elementary School, post office,
[42:09] Moose Lodge, Homestead Valley
[42:11] Association, including a thrift
[42:13] store. Homestead Valley Park,
[42:16] Goobler's Orchid Farm, the
[42:19] Integratron, and a couple of,
[42:22] event centers that are being
[42:24] built, as well as 2 churches.
[42:28] It is imperative that this
[42:29] community have the opportunity
[42:30] to vote on improving its roads
[42:32] because it is needed
[42:35] for its citizens
[42:37] to travel safely. Thank you.
[42:39] Thank you very much. That is
[42:42] the last request to speak. Any
[42:43] questions of the board?
[42:46] >> Thank you. I realize I've
[42:48] been around long enough
[42:49] to see these. They were
[42:51] established, what, 40 years ago
[42:52] and never been updated,
[42:55] adjusted, and just the cost
[42:56] of inflation from 1984
[43:00] to today is 220.4%. So even
[43:02] at 75, it's less than what the
[43:04] inflation rate's been
[43:05] since established 40 years ago.
[43:06] I'm just wondering, Noel, how
[43:09] many, how many more are these
[43:11] out there? Because I keep
[43:12] thinking of we finally found
[43:14] one that's no longer here.
[43:15] Nope, I guess there's a bunch
[43:17] more. And how can we get them?
[43:18] Because if we're doing the
[43:20] disservice, if we have an area
[43:21] that's supposed to be
[43:22] maintained and we're not doing
[43:23] it because we're not raising
[43:25] the, bringing the funds in,
[43:26] we are doing the disservice
[43:28] to those, people are paying
[43:29] those property taxes. How do we
[43:30] get this up to more
[43:32] of a modern type
[43:33] of thing and not have to wait
[43:34] 40 years
[43:35] to do adjustments.
[43:37] >> Thank you for the, the
[43:38] question, board member. I have
[43:41] to give kudos
[43:43] to our staff on, on the
[43:44] concerted effort that they've
[43:46] been doing,
[43:47] on this front. so we're about
[43:48] halfway there. so our folks
[43:50] have been meeting
[43:51] with the communities. It takes
[43:52] a lot
[43:53] of community engagement and,
[43:54] and meetings
[43:56] to make sure that we're
[43:57] out there first of all and
[43:58] trust making sure that they
[43:59] have our trust that we're doing
[44:00] the right thing with the,
[44:01] the monies that we're in,
[44:03] stewards of, right, to make
[44:04] sure that we are doing an
[44:05] efficient job. So
[44:06] through those meetings,
[44:08] we make sure that we're,
[44:09] level-setting with them. They
[44:10] understand what,
[44:11] services we're able
[44:13] to provide. And, as you may
[44:14] know, this,
[44:15] special districts division
[44:16] of the Public Works Department
[44:17] was, taken over in 2020. So
[44:19] we've been working towards this
[44:20] ever since to get us
[44:21] to a sustainable entire system.
[44:23] So again, we're
[44:25] about halfway there,
[44:26] and then we'll continue
[44:27] to have those community
[44:28] meetings with each community,
[44:29] make sure we have that
[44:30] engagement, that we have that
[44:31] buy-in as we continue
[44:32] to move forward,
[44:33] because it really is up
[44:34] to them. And as you can tell
[44:36] today, we put it up to
[44:38] a vote through a ballot
[44:39] to make sure that they want
[44:40] to do this.
[44:41] >> No, and I appreciate that
[44:42] process,
[44:43] appreciate your team's hard
[44:45] work on this too. And, but, to
[44:46] the public who just saw this
[44:48] one item,
[44:49] you're going up 400%. Well,
[44:50] it's really been less than 3%
[44:51] without adjustment
[44:53] since the time, even
[44:55] at 3% would be,
[44:57] or just the cost
[44:59] of inflation, be $81, not the
[45:00] $75 that you're proposing today
[45:02] with my rough calculations
[45:03] here. But, it doesn't look good
[45:05] to go from one thing
[45:06] to the other. So yeah,
[45:08] as much as you can working
[45:09] with the CEO staff
[45:10] to bring those other ones
[45:11] through and get them, get them
[45:13] on track, or,
[45:14] the alternative is for us to
[45:16] let those things go as some and
[45:17] I, I do like the idea
[45:19] for the residents
[45:20] to have their say
[45:21] in it and have the vote
[45:22] on it, what they want to do
[45:23] with their community. But
[45:24] hopefully we give them a
[45:25] service if we're gonna be
[45:27] charging for it too. Thank you,
[45:28] Madam Chair.
[45:29] >> Thank you. Any other
[45:31] comments? Supervisor Cook?
[45:34] >> Yeah, Lander's
[45:38] in the area that, talked I'm
[45:39] in strong support of this.
[45:41] It's an area that,
[45:44] simply because it's,
[45:46] in the middle of nowhere, the
[45:48] desert, it has a tendency
[45:50] to be forgotten. And,
[45:53] unfortunately,
[45:56] I've had occasion
[45:58] out there because,
[45:59] even back when I was in the
[46:01] Marine Corps, where you'd have
[46:03] somebody that after a, a CACS,
[46:07] one of the exercises that they
[46:10] would have out there, you would
[46:13] be missing an individual.
[46:17] And, I hate to tell you this,
[46:20] but, very rarely found them.
[46:22] And, it's kind
[46:27] of scary when you think
[46:28] about it. It's a huge area.
[46:30] in the summer,
[46:32] it's almost impossible to,
[46:35] to be outside. And, there's a
[46:39] lot of people that come in
[46:40] from the big cities to go
[46:42] out there. They don't even have
[46:44] water. Going
[46:45] out there. I mean,
[46:47] how stupid can you be? And, and
[46:49] the desert is very,
[46:51] very unforgiving. It's very
[46:52] beautiful,
[46:53] it's majestic and everything
[46:56] else, and sometimes the people
[46:57] that live out there, because
[46:59] they're just such a small
[47:01] number, they, they don't have
[47:02] the,
[47:07] the power that other people in
[47:08] other communities have because
[47:14] of the small numbers. I, I,
[47:18] I don't know. There's a lot
[47:20] of history. I, I think it's an
[47:23] area that has a tendency
[47:25] for people in all areas
[47:28] to forget about them. and the
[47:29] worst situation is when you
[47:31] have somebody left over from a
[47:33] CACs or what have you that you
[47:35] can't find them, and you walk
[47:36] constantly, or you,
[47:39] you're trying to find them,
[47:42] hopefully alive. sometimes it
[47:45] doesn't turn out like that
[47:47] because we all know the desert
[47:49] is very, very unforgiving. So
[47:52] I'm very, very supportive of,
[47:54] of, what we can do on that.
[47:59] And correct,
[48:01] an area is simply because
[48:03] of the small number of people
[48:05] there. I think they their,
[48:06] their power to be represented
[48:09] is often forgotten. Thank you.
[48:12] >> Thank you. Luther.
[48:14] >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
[48:15] Just a comment I'd like
[48:16] to make
[48:18] about the rate increases
[48:19] in general as it relates
[48:20] to these special districts,
[48:22] as well as the annual inflator,
[48:23] as Supervisor Hagman was
[48:25] mentioning,
[48:27] that it while it's not popular
[48:28] to increase rates,
[48:30] equally not popular
[48:32] to have an annual inflator,
[48:34] what we found in reviewing
[48:36] these is that those special
[48:38] districts that were established
[48:39] with an annual inflator built
[48:41] into it have been able
[48:44] to self-sustain. And the way
[48:45] the law works and the legal
[48:47] process, the administrative
[48:48] process that goes into,
[48:49] addressing rate increases
[48:53] with these they're expensive,
[48:55] and those,
[48:56] those processes are paid for
[48:59] from those districts. So the
[49:01] funds that could be used for
[49:03] road maintenance end up being
[49:04] used
[49:05] for the administrative process
[49:06] to get rate increases. So in
[49:08] Noel and my conversations,
[49:09] we are strong advocates for
[49:11] when we do bring these forward,
[49:12] bringing them forward
[49:13] with some sort
[49:14] of annual increase
[49:16] in that amount so that it paces
[49:18] with inflation,
[49:19] so that we're able
[49:21] to keep talented, qualified
[49:23] employees there serving and
[49:25] working on those roads,
[49:26] and any labor costs or
[49:28] in materials costs,
[49:29] equipment costs also pace
[49:30] with that. So I just wanted
[49:31] to share that. I know it's not,
[49:32] not fun
[49:34] to have rate increases. It's
[49:36] not, it, it impacts people,
[49:37] but that is not our goal. Our
[49:39] goal is to keep them small,
[49:40] modest, and, the districts
[49:42] in good repair.
[49:45] >> Thank you.
[49:47] >> Thank you. I would like to
[49:48] address the comment that we had
[49:49] from Mr. Lipsitz about the
[49:50] public comments that were
[49:52] received. They were emailed
[49:53] to the clerk of the board, a
[49:54] specific board member comment
[49:55] email address, and the
[49:57] residents and landowners that
[49:58] were in favor
[49:59] of this sent them in,
[50:01] by the close of business on
[50:03] Thursday is what I was told.
[50:05] But apparently, according
[50:06] to the clerk,
[50:07] that email address doesn't open
[50:08] until Friday when the agenda is
[50:09] published, and then the
[50:11] comments are received
[50:13] during the period of time
[50:14] until we start the meeting, and
[50:17] then they are distributed
[50:19] electronically to the Board
[50:20] of Supervisors. So when I
[50:21] realized that that happened,
[50:22] I asked for all of those
[50:23] to be pulled out,
[50:24] and then they were there were
[50:26] 17 of them. They were then
[50:27] emailed
[50:28] to the board electronically,
[50:29] even though they may not have
[50:30] made it into the background
[50:32] for the record on this, but
[50:33] that the supervisors did
[50:35] receive them in support
[50:37] of this. And maybe we can
[50:38] discuss how we keep that email
[50:39] open at all times
[50:40] in the future. It was confusing
[50:41] to me as well as the residents.
[50:43] So, and with that, I'll
[50:44] entertain a motion.
[50:45] >> I'll move it.
[50:46] >> Second
[50:47] >> Thank you for the motion,
[50:48] Supervisor Hagman, and second,
[50:49] Vice Chair Baca. All those
[50:50] in favor oh wait, I'm gonna
[50:51] close the public hearing
[50:52] before I call for the vote.
[50:53] All those in favor?
[50:55] >> Aye.
[50:56] >> Any opposed? Any
[50:57] abstentions?
[50:59] >> With that, recommendations
[51:00] 1 and 2 passes unanimously.
[51:02] >> Thank you very much. And
[51:03] with that, we will move on
[51:09] to let's see here. We have
[51:11] to tabulate now. We did not
[51:14] receive any,
[51:17] so nothing has been received,
[51:19] correct? So a majority we
[51:20] didn't receive it today,
[51:22] but there, there is not a
[51:24] majority protest that exists.
[51:25] So now we move on
[51:26] to the board recommendations,
[51:28] item 3 and 4, correct? Thank
[51:29] you for the motion, Supervisor
[51:31] Hagman, and the second, Vice
[51:32] Chair Baca. All those in favor
[51:33] of recommendations 3 and 4?
[51:34] >> Aye.
[51:35] >> Any opposed?
[51:37] >> With that, recommendations
[51:38] 3 and 4 passes unanimously.
[51:40] >> Thank you very much. Thank
[51:42] you, Noel. Appreciate the
[51:43] patience on this agenda item.
[51:46] Item number 103 is a public
[51:47] hearing regarding the placement
[51:48] of delinquent water and sewer
[51:49] charges
[51:51] on the 2026-2027 tax roll
[51:53] for collection,
[51:55] also being presented by Noel.
[51:56] As a reminder, there is staff
[51:57] in the rotunda area available
[51:59] to answer any questions that
[52:00] you have
[52:02] on this. as well as item number
[52:03] 104. So I will open the public
[52:05] hearing and turn it over to
[52:06] Noel.
[52:08] >> Thank you once again,
[52:09] Chair Rowe. Next slide.
[52:11] Special Districts provides
[52:14] water and sanitation services
[52:15] for a total of 13 county
[52:17] service areas, CSAs. There's
[52:20] within that, there is 5
[52:21] water-only, 6 sanitation-only,
[52:23] and 2 water and sanitation
[52:25] combo CSAs. Any water or
[52:26] sanitation accounts 60 days
[52:29] delinquent as of May 1st are
[52:31] added to our county tax roll
[52:32] for collection. Collection of
[52:35] delinquent charges supports
[52:36] fiscal solvency of the CSAs
[52:38] by ensuring revenues for the
[52:40] operation and infrastructure
[52:42] maintenance
[52:43] of each separate system. The
[52:44] total number
[52:45] of delinquent water accounts is
[52:46] 136 out of 8,387, which is an
[52:49] average delinquency rate
[52:51] of 2%. No change in percentage
[52:52] from last year. The total
[52:56] number of delinquent sanitation
[52:58] accounts is 512 out of 9,011,
[53:00] which is an average delinquency
[53:03] rate of 6%, a decrease
[53:05] from 8% last year. Next slide.
[53:07] All CSA bills are mailed
[53:13] on a bimonthly basis
[53:14] for a total of 6 cycles
[53:15] annually.
[53:17] To mitigate delinquent fees,
[53:19] special districts notified
[53:20] customers
[53:21] of delinquent accounts by
[53:22] completing the following
[53:23] actions before applying
[53:24] delinquent charges to the
[53:25] county tax roll: regular
[53:27] bimonthly bill mailed,
[53:29] 30-day delinquent notice mailed
[53:31] with past due messages and late
[53:32] charges applied,
[53:33] 45-day final notice mailed,
[53:35] and for water only,
[53:37] 60-day service disconnected. 7
[53:40] days prior to the disconnect,
[53:42] disconnection, customers
[53:44] receive a courtesy phone call,
[53:46] on a red door tag if unable
[53:47] to reach customer by phone.
[53:50] for sanitation only,
[53:51] 90-day intent
[53:52] to lien notice mailed,
[53:54] including payment plan option.
[53:56] Special districts mailed a
[53:57] hearing notice letter to,
[53:59] letter prior to May 1st,
[54:00] 2026,
[54:01] to notify property owners
[54:03] with delinquent accounts
[54:04] of hearing. In addition,
[54:05] all attempts by customers
[54:07] to contact special districts
[54:08] by phone, email, or
[54:10] in person regarding, regarding
[54:11] the delinquent water and
[54:12] sanitation charges are actively
[54:14] offered a payment option plan.
[54:16] Customers are also offered an
[54:17] external, external resource
[54:19] for financial assistance. If
[54:20] the delinquent accounts amounts
[54:24] owed are still outstanding on
[54:26] August 3rd, special districts
[54:28] will submit a final list
[54:30] of accounts to the county
[54:32] to collect funds
[54:34] through the property tax roll.
[54:36] Any delinquent fees resolved
[54:38] by August 3rd will not be added
[54:40] to the tax roll. Next slide.
[54:44] Currently, there are a total
[54:45] of 648 delinquent accounts
[54:46] through early May of 2026,
[54:49] with approximately $466,000
[54:52] in unpaid fees. It is important
[54:54] to mention, historically,
[54:56] we have found 25% of delinquent
[54:57] accounts are resolved before
[54:59] the final list is submitted
[55:00] to the tax collector's, in,
[55:02] collector's office in August.
[55:04] Special District's customer
[55:05] service staff are
[55:06] in the rotunda available
[55:07] to answer any questions
[55:08] to the public that they may
[55:09] have. This concludes my
[55:11] presentation.
[55:13] >> Thank you very much. Do we
[55:15] have any requests to speak
[55:17] on this item at all? We do not.
[55:19] >> Just a comment. No, you
[55:21] brought it up
[55:23] in your presentation, but not
[55:26] on the paperwork that we
[55:27] received. I'm a big trend
[55:29] person. I'd love to see 5
[55:30] years, just, are we going
[55:31] trending one way or the other,
[55:32] and is it mostly the sewer or
[55:34] the water? Just some
[55:35] historical,
[55:36] having a certain number at a
[55:38] year date doesn't help too
[55:40] much. But if I know the trend's
[55:41] going worse or it's getting
[55:42] less, kind of give you a sense
[55:44] of the microeconomies
[55:45] throughout the county.
[55:47] >> I agree. Yes, we'll
[55:48] definitely do that, maybe
[55:49] for the 5 years to see the,
[55:51] the longer trend line.
[55:52] >> Thank you. I'll move the
[55:53] item.
[55:54] >> I'm going to close the
[55:55] public hearing. Thank you very
[55:56] much for the motion,
[55:57] Supervisor Hagman, and the
[55:58] second, Vice Chair Baca. All
[55:59] those in favor?
[56:00] >> Aye.
[56:01] >> Any opposed? Any
[56:02] abstentions?
[56:04] >> With that, Item 103 passes
[56:05] unanimously.
[56:06] >> Thank you very much. Item
[56:07] number 104 is a public hearing
[56:08] for the collection
[56:09] of solid waste handling fees,
[56:11] also presented by Noel, and I
[56:12] will open the public hearing.
[56:13] >> Thank you. Last item,
[56:18] I promise. Good morning once
[56:21] again. We'll go on
[56:23] to slide number 2. Uniform
[56:25] handling, or mandatory trash
[56:27] collection, was established
[56:28] by the county in 2004 for, er,
[56:30] residential property owners
[56:32] in Valley and most
[56:33] of the mountain areas
[56:34] to assist the county with,
[56:36] meeting Assembly Bill 939 and
[56:38] Senate Bill 1383. Assembly
[56:40] Bill 939 mandates the county
[56:42] to divert 50% of all waste
[56:43] from landfills, and Senate
[56:45] Bill 1383 mandates the county
[56:46] to adopt enforceable mechanisms
[56:49] to provide organic collection
[56:51] service to all generators. In
[56:53] 2022, uniform hauling was
[56:56] approved for all unincorporated
[56:58] residential and commercial
[56:59] properties. Unless granted a
[57:00] low population waiver
[57:01] from the state in order
[57:03] to comply with Senate Bill
[57:04] 1383 regulations. Uniform
[57:06] handling service is a
[57:07] standardized way to provide
[57:09] refuse collection service,
[57:10] reduce illegal dumping,
[57:12] and enhance recycling programs
[57:13] to provide flexibility
[57:15] to residents and businesses.
[57:17] There are alternatives to
[57:18] uniform handling service that
[57:19] include the county's self-haul
[57:21] exception program, where
[57:22] residents and businesses can
[57:23] haul their own waste in lieu
[57:25] of paying
[57:26] for mandatory service to the
[57:27] franchise waste and haulers,
[57:29] and the hauler-provided fee
[57:31] waiver program,
[57:32] where the residents in some
[57:33] franchise areas that
[57:35] infrequently use their
[57:36] properties and have less than
[57:37] 6 kilowatts of daily average
[57:39] power usage per month can opt
[57:40] out of mandatory service and
[57:42] receive bill credits
[57:43] through the haulers. Next
[57:46] slide. In areas subject
[57:50] to uniform hauling services,
[57:52] county code and the franchise
[57:53] agreements prohibit that
[57:54] franchise waste hauler from
[57:56] discontinuing service because
[57:57] of nonpayment
[57:58] of service fees. Accounts that
[58:00] are unpaid for 90 days or more
[58:01] become delinquent,
[58:03] and fees are considered a debt
[58:04] to the county that are subject
[58:05] to collection
[58:07] through property tax as a lien.
[58:08] To mitigate delinquent fees,
[58:10] waste haulers notify customers,
[58:11] customers
[58:12] of their delinquent accounts
[58:13] through monthly robocalls,
[58:15] messages
[58:16] on billing statements,
[58:18] and direct notices. The county
[58:21] generated a hearing notice
[58:23] letter that was mailed out
[58:24] by the waste haulers on May
[58:25] 5th, 2026
[58:26] to notify property owners
[58:27] with delinquent accounts
[58:29] of the hearing and the option
[58:30] to pay any delinquent fees by
[58:32] July 27th
[58:33] to avoid the fees going
[58:35] to their property tax bill. If
[58:37] the delinquent amounts owed are
[58:38] still outstanding after July
[58:40] 27th, the waste haulers will
[58:41] submit a final list
[58:43] of accounts to the county
[58:44] to collect funds
[58:45] through the property tax roll,
[58:47] and liens will be recorded
[58:48] against the properties. Any
[58:51] delinquent fees subject to the
[58:52] lien process are not sorry,
[58:53] any delinquent fees subject to
[58:56] the lien process that are not
[58:58] resolved by July 27th will not
[59:00] be added to the tax roll. Next
[59:04] slide. Currently, there is a
[59:09] total of 9,015 delinquent
[59:11] accounts through March 2026,
[59:13] which is approximately $3.6
[59:15] million in unpaid fees. This
[59:17] equates to
[59:19] about a 13% delinquency rate.
[59:21] The percentage
[59:22] of delinquent accounts dropped,
[59:23] to 9% in 2025 but rose to 13%
[59:26] in 2026. A shift influenced
[59:30] expanded by mandatory service
[59:31] areas as well as the annexation
[59:33] of some additional parcels as
[59:36] well as SB 1383 requirements
[59:42] and earlier administration
[59:43] deadlines that increased the
[59:44] number of accounts appearing on
[59:45] initial administrative
[59:46] deadlines I'm sorry, the last
[59:49] item that caused the increase
[59:51] was administrative deadlines
[59:52] that increased the number
[59:53] of accounts appearing
[59:54] on initial delinquency list.
[59:56] So although more accounts were
[59:58] flagged as delinquent
[1:00:00] to these changes, historical
[1:00:01] trends suggest that the same
[1:00:02] number
[1:00:03] of liens will be resolved prior
[1:00:05] to the liens being recorded.
[1:00:06] In the past, on average,
[1:00:08] this equates
[1:00:09] to approximately a third
[1:00:11] of the number
[1:00:13] of potential liens being,
[1:00:14] initially reported Therefore,
[1:00:16] the final number
[1:00:17] of liens recorded in 2026 is
[1:00:18] expected to resemble the 2025
[1:00:21] levels. As of Friday, May 15th,
[1:00:22] the total number
[1:00:23] of liens had been reduced
[1:00:24] by 30%, from 6,246, to 6,246
[1:00:28] instead of the 9,015, and we
[1:00:31] expect the number to continue
[1:00:32] to decrease prior
[1:00:33] to the liens being recorded.
[1:00:36] Next slide. This concludes my
[1:00:39] presentation.
[1:00:41] >> Thank you very much. I do
[1:00:42] not have any requests to speak
[1:00:44] on this item. Any members of
[1:00:45] the board have questions?
[1:00:47] >> Just the same general
[1:00:48] comment. I mean, that's a big
[1:00:50] number, $3,600,000. I'm just
[1:00:52] wondering what the trend lines
[1:00:53] are for year over year
[1:00:54] on that. Is this normal? This
[1:00:56] is higher, that type
[1:00:57] of thing. So thank you. I'll
[1:00:59] move it.
[1:01:00] >> I'm going to close the
[1:01:01] public hearing. Thank you
[1:01:02] for the motion, Supervisor
[1:01:03] Hagman.
[1:01:04] >> Second.
[1:01:05] >> Thank you. All those
[1:01:06] in favor?
[1:01:07] >> Aye.
[1:01:08] >> Any opposed? Any
[1:01:09] abstentions?
[1:01:10] >> With that, Item 104 passes
[1:01:11] unanimously. Thank you very
[1:01:13] much. Item number 105 is
[1:01:14] requested by Ensign Mason to
[1:01:15] retain independent legal
[1:01:16] counsel, being presented by
[1:01:17] Laura Feingold.
[1:01:19] >> Thank you, Madam Chair and
[1:01:20] members
[1:01:21] of the board. as referenced
[1:01:22] by the chair, this item is
[1:01:25] to consider Ensign Mason, the
[1:01:26] county's elected auditor,
[1:01:27] controller, treasurer,
[1:01:29] and tax Collector's request
[1:01:33] made on May 12th that the
[1:01:35] county retain independent
[1:01:36] counsel
[1:01:38] to represent his interests
[1:01:39] in an ongoing investigation.
[1:01:41] That investigation was
[1:01:43] requested by the chair on
[1:01:44] February 24th, 2026, to
[1:01:47] evaluate two issues regarding
[1:01:48] Mr. Mason. The first was to
[1:01:50] consider whether the operation
[1:01:51] of Mr. Mason's private
[1:01:53] investment business and SIN
[1:01:54] Financial Services creates an
[1:01:57] actual or perceived conflict
[1:01:58] of interest
[1:02:00] with his elected position. The
[1:02:01] second part of the
[1:02:03] investigation concerns an
[1:02:04] allegation of whether Mr.
[1:02:06] Mason is able to fulfill his
[1:02:08] county duties while also
[1:02:10] managing his private business.
[1:02:11] to complete this investigation,
[1:02:14] my office hired two firms,
[1:02:17] two independent firms, one a
[1:02:18] law firm and one an accounting
[1:02:19] firm. One portion of that
[1:02:21] investigation has been
[1:02:23] completed. The report is
[1:02:24] submitted to my office. the
[1:02:27] second portion has not been
[1:02:29] completed and remains ongoing.
[1:02:32] Mr. Mason is requesting
[1:02:33] representation
[1:02:34] for the remainder
[1:02:35] of that investigation. The law
[1:02:36] permits Mr. Mason to make that
[1:02:38] request when he believes the
[1:02:40] County Council has a conflict
[1:02:41] of interest and that,
[1:02:43] that prevents him
[1:02:45] from that prevents my office
[1:02:47] from providing legal services
[1:02:48] to help him perform his job
[1:02:49] duties. Because my office is
[1:02:52] overseeing this investigation,
[1:02:54] We do have a conflict
[1:02:56] of interest. However, Mr.
[1:02:58] Mason's request is specifically
[1:03:00] for counsel
[1:03:02] to represent his interest
[1:03:03] in the investigation. He is not
[1:03:05] requesting counsel
[1:03:06] to assist him in carrying
[1:03:07] out the official duties
[1:03:08] of his office. The law does not
[1:03:09] require the county to pay
[1:03:11] for legal representation for
[1:03:12] Mr. Mason personally because it
[1:03:14] is not necessary
[1:03:15] to the performance
[1:03:17] of his duties. The question
[1:03:18] before the board today is
[1:03:20] whether the county would, like
[1:03:21] to authorize payment
[1:03:23] for independent counsel
[1:03:27] to represent Mr. Mason
[1:03:29] in connection with this
[1:03:30] investigation as he has
[1:03:33] requested. Do we know what
[1:03:34] caused the delay
[1:03:35] in the second investigation?
[1:03:36] Mr. Mason made a request
[1:03:37] to delay his interview
[1:03:39] initially until
[1:03:40] after the election,
[1:03:42] but ultimately agreed
[1:03:43] to be interviewed on May 11th.
[1:03:44] That interview was completed it
[1:03:46] resulted in the production of
[1:03:47] documents that are being
[1:03:48] evaluated before the final
[1:03:50] report is prepared and sent
[1:03:52] to our office. And do we know
[1:03:54] if Mr. Mason has representation
[1:03:56] now, any interaction with an
[1:03:58] attorney? I am not aware, but
[1:04:00] I've also not asked him.
[1:04:02] >> Okay, I have one request
[1:04:03] to speak on this,
[1:04:04] and then we'll bring it back
[1:04:05] to the board. Mr. Mason?
[1:04:15] >> Good morning, board. The
[1:04:17] item you have
[1:04:18] before you is a, Government
[1:04:19] Code 995 demand letter, which
[1:04:21] creates a situation where
[1:04:22] litigation is reasonably
[1:04:23] anticipated whether you vote
[1:04:24] yes or no,
[1:04:26] and it should be addressed
[1:04:27] in closed session. Discussion
[1:04:29] of the legal merits and scope
[1:04:30] of the investigation or the
[1:04:31] county's potential exposure in
[1:04:33] open session would prejudice
[1:04:35] the county's legal position
[1:04:36] in any such proceedings.
[1:04:40] Closed session is appropriate
[1:04:42] and recommended under
[1:04:44] Government Code 54956.9. I have
[1:04:47] asked for a copy
[1:04:49] of the first investigation,
[1:04:50] which has been completed, and
[1:04:51] that, that request was denied
[1:04:52] under attorney-client
[1:04:54] privilege. If anything is
[1:04:55] discussed here
[1:04:56] about that investigation, it
[1:04:57] becomes immediately disclosable
[1:04:59] to me under, under Labor Code
[1:05:02] 1198.53. You will be waiving
[1:05:05] client-attorney privilege
[1:05:08] under, Evidence Code 912. if
[1:05:12] you discuss anything other than
[1:05:13] the attorney request, that you
[1:05:14] would once again be violating
[1:05:16] the Brown Act, which is also
[1:05:17] known as Government Code
[1:05:20] 54950. The investigation itself
[1:05:21] was a Brown Act violation. As
[1:05:23] everybody
[1:05:24] on the dais should know,
[1:05:26] you are not permitted
[1:05:27] to discuss nor take action
[1:05:28] on any item that's not
[1:05:30] on the agenda. You discussed
[1:05:31] the item and took action
[1:05:33] on an item and it was not
[1:05:35] on the agenda. You have
[1:05:36] violated the Brown Code. If you
[1:05:38] discuss the investigation here
[1:05:39] today, you will be doing so
[1:05:40] again. all the other folks that
[1:05:45] come up here, especially the
[1:05:47] CPS people who are concerned
[1:05:49] about CPS, every meeting beg
[1:05:50] for your help, beg
[1:05:51] for your involvement,
[1:05:54] and you do nothing. You say
[1:05:56] nothing because you can't,
[1:05:58] because it's a Brown Act
[1:05:59] violation.
[1:06:00] But you decided whatever it was
[1:06:02] for me to not do that. You won't
[1:06:05] help children when people come
[1:06:08] up here every single meeting and
[1:06:10] ask, but you will attack me.
[1:06:11] So I'm asking that you don't do
[1:06:13] that again. They don't get as
[1:06:19] much as a reassuring word,
[1:06:22] but you, you will go out
[1:06:23] of your way
[1:06:25] to harm my reputation This is
[1:06:26] the last meeting before
[1:06:28] election. I don't I think
[1:06:29] everybody who's listening
[1:06:31] to this knows what's,
[1:06:32] what's going on here,
[1:06:33] why this investigation is
[1:06:35] being, performed, and, and
[1:06:36] probably, the motive
[1:06:38] behind the words you're about
[1:06:40] to say. So thank you.
[1:06:42] >> That's the last request
[1:06:43] to speak that I have. so,
[1:06:46] Laura, can you clarify? The
[1:06:47] motion today is
[1:06:49] to authorize payment of his
[1:06:52] attorney's fees that we're
[1:06:54] unaware of, or to deny that.
[1:06:56] Is that correct?
[1:06:57] >> Correct.
[1:06:58] >> So I need a board motion one
[1:07:00] way or the other.
[1:07:02] >> I'll make a motion that we
[1:07:03] deny.
[1:07:06] >> Do I have a second?
[1:07:09] >> I'll second the motion
[1:07:10] to deny.
[1:07:12] >> All those in favor?
[1:07:13] >> Aye.
[1:07:14] >> Any opposed?
[1:07:17] >> All right. And I have a
[1:07:19] question for you. We have heard
[1:07:21] Mr. Mason make a lot
[1:07:23] of accusations directly
[1:07:24] to the media, as well as
[1:07:25] on social media,
[1:07:27] that I do not believe at all
[1:07:28] to have merit or truth
[1:07:30] in them. Could you please bring
[1:07:31] back an item for the board to
[1:07:32] consider censure or removal?
[1:07:34] >> Yes, thank you. With that,
[1:07:36] we will move on
[1:07:38] to our next agenda item,
[1:07:39] number 106. It is the appeal
[1:07:45] of the Planning Commission's
[1:07:46] approval of the Maverick
[1:07:48] convenience store and gas
[1:07:49] station project. This item is
[1:07:50] being continued to the June 9th
[1:07:52] board meeting, but I would
[1:07:53] like to open the public hearing
[1:07:54] and have anybody here today
[1:07:56] provide public comment that
[1:07:57] came down for this. And I
[1:07:58] believe we have 4 requests
[1:08:00] to speak so far. So your
[1:08:02] comments today will remain a
[1:08:04] part of the official record,
[1:08:07] and then we will continue this
[1:08:08] to that future meeting on June
[1:08:11] 9th. Our first request
[1:08:13] to speak is Debbie McCaffee,
[1:08:14] followed by Anne Hale. And then
[1:08:17] Barbara Fredette.
[1:08:51] >> Hi, my name is Debbie
[1:08:52] McAfee. I moved to Pinion
[1:08:53] Hills 21 years ago from Los
[1:08:54] Angeles. I moved here
[1:08:57] specifically because I wanted
[1:08:59] to live in a rural and natural
[1:09:00] environment. I would have moved
[1:09:02] to Hesperia or Victorville if I
[1:09:04] had wanted more services. 21
[1:09:06] years later, I still marvel
[1:09:07] at the mountains
[1:09:08] behind my home and the valley
[1:09:10] to the north.
[1:09:11] In the mornings,
[1:09:12] I wander my yard listening
[1:09:14] to the birds and looking for
[1:09:15] wildflowers. I do not want a
[1:09:17] Maverick truck stop a stone's
[1:09:18] throw away from my home.
[1:09:21] Since December, our team has
[1:09:22] been talking with hundreds
[1:09:24] of local residents,
[1:09:25] and the majority
[1:09:26] of folks are opposed
[1:09:28] to having a Maverick truck stop
[1:09:29] in our community. If this is
[1:09:30] built,
[1:09:32] it will become the anchor of
[1:09:33] our town a large gas station
[1:09:35] truck stop will turn this town
[1:09:37] into a pass-through town
[1:09:39] for travelers. In addition,
[1:09:41] the proposed site is directly
[1:09:43] across from several folks'
[1:09:44] personal residences. The
[1:09:46] proposed station will
[1:09:47] negatively impact the quality
[1:09:49] of those folks' lives
[1:09:50] drastically and possibly the
[1:09:51] value of their homes. This will
[1:09:54] greatly interfere
[1:09:56] with our local community going
[1:09:58] to pick up their mail
[1:10:00] at the post office. Our team
[1:10:01] had a personal conversation
[1:10:03] with the postmaster She told us
[1:10:05] that no one in, the office of
[1:10:08] the applicant had made any
[1:10:10] contact with them talking
[1:10:13] about the Mavericks'
[1:10:15] requirement that the traffic
[1:10:16] pattern going in and out
[1:10:18] of the post office be changed.
[1:10:19] And she specifically said
[1:10:21] they're not willing
[1:10:23] to do it because
[1:10:24] of how the mail gets delivered
[1:10:26] from their main station. Let's
[1:10:29] see, Kevin Deitz at the last
[1:10:32] meeting said he had talked
[1:10:34] to them and they did not. We
[1:10:37] request that the county provide
[1:10:39] written proof that the U.S.
[1:10:41] Postal Service was informed and
[1:10:42] is agreeable to the changes as
[1:10:44] per the statement that Kevin
[1:10:45] Deitz made
[1:10:46] at the last meeting.
[1:10:48] In addition,
[1:10:49] this will create more traffic
[1:10:50] on Oasis Road in front of the
[1:10:52] Pinion Hills Elementary School
[1:10:54] with more big rigs going up and
[1:10:55] down. It will create a danger
[1:10:58] for the children entering and
[1:10:59] exiting the school and will
[1:11:01] interfere with multiple bus
[1:11:02] stops. I am not here to hate
[1:11:04] on Maverick. We all want
[1:11:05] cheaper gas,
[1:11:07] don't get me wrong. We are
[1:11:08] saying the location of this is
[1:11:10] completely wrong. I know the
[1:11:11] county wants the sales tax
[1:11:13] revenue. San Bernardino County
[1:11:15] is the largest county in the
[1:11:17] nation. I know that a better
[1:11:18] location can this
[1:11:20] for this can be found
[1:11:21] in the county. As far as I'm
[1:11:23] aware, also, the applicant does
[1:11:25] not even own the property
[1:11:26] in question. it is not recorded
[1:11:30] in the applicant's name,
[1:11:32] and the realtor whose sign is
[1:11:33] on the property only tells us
[1:11:34] the property is in escrow. If
[1:11:37] the applicant were to find an
[1:11:38] additional location that would
[1:11:41] not impact the local residents
[1:11:42] or the local post office
[1:11:44] in another location in San
[1:11:45] Bernardino County, It would be
[1:11:48] a win-win for all of us.
[1:11:51] >> Thank you. And Hale,
[1:11:56] followed by Barbara Fredette
[1:11:57] and then Jan Grogan.
[1:12:02] >> Morning, my name is Anne
[1:12:03] Hale. I've lived in Pinion
[1:12:05] Hills for 36 years. I'm
[1:12:06] in opposition to the Mavic
[1:12:08] project. Traffic at the signal
[1:12:10] on Highway 138 and Oasis Road
[1:12:11] can back up for over a mile
[1:12:14] during peak hours. Getting to
[1:12:16] the post office will be very
[1:12:17] difficult, if not dangerous.
[1:12:19] Most residents in Pinion Hills
[1:12:21] must pick up their mail on-site
[1:12:22] since there are no, home
[1:12:24] deliveries. the post office
[1:12:27] also serves home-based
[1:12:28] businesses, people wanting
[1:12:29] to apply for passports,
[1:12:31] purchase stamps, ship packages,
[1:12:32] or buy money orders. Hmm,
[1:12:34] approximately 1,880 patrons
[1:12:36] pick up their mail regularly.
[1:12:38] Truck and vehicle traffic
[1:12:40] entering and exiting the
[1:12:44] Maverick Fueling Center would
[1:12:45] add an intense burden
[1:12:47] to the narrow roads
[1:12:50] by the post office. Truck and
[1:12:51] vehicle paths crossing
[1:12:52] at the intersection of
[1:12:54] Buckthorn Road and Oasis Road
[1:12:56] would be dangerous. Traffic
[1:12:57] buildup on Highway 138
[1:13:00] behind slow trucks leaving the
[1:13:01] Maverick Station or slow or
[1:13:04] stopped excuse me trucks
[1:13:05] waiting to turn right on
[1:13:07] Oasis Road to enter the station
[1:13:08] would make it difficult
[1:13:09] for patrons to easily access
[1:13:11] the post office. The Maverick
[1:13:12] project would be
[1:13:14] across the street
[1:13:15] from the post office. Trucks
[1:13:16] entering and leaving the
[1:13:17] fueling station onto Oasis
[1:13:19] Road from Buckthorn Road would
[1:13:20] be mixing with vehicles trying
[1:13:22] to enter or leave the post
[1:13:24] office parking lot. There are
[1:13:25] no approved plans
[1:13:26] for the county
[1:13:28] to reconfigure the intersection
[1:13:29] at Buckthorn at Buckthorn and
[1:13:31] Oasis where traffic exits the
[1:13:32] post office. No one has contact
[1:13:35] contacted anyone
[1:13:37] at the post office
[1:13:38] from the postmistress on up
[1:13:40] about the proposed Maverick
[1:13:41] project. This is quite an
[1:13:44] oversight considering that
[1:13:46] at the last hearing, Kevin
[1:13:49] Dice stated that he'd gotten
[1:13:51] word from the post office that
[1:13:53] they were amenable to
[1:13:55] reconfiguring the entire
[1:13:56] parking lot,
[1:13:57] changing the traffic pattern.
[1:13:59] Again, the post office knows
[1:14:00] of no such discussion. The
[1:14:02] project was approved by land
[1:14:04] use staff even though these
[1:14:06] statements and certain site
[1:14:08] maps were not previously
[1:14:13] approved. Thank you.
[1:14:15] >> Thank you very much, Barbara
[1:14:16] Furdette, followed by Jan
[1:14:17] Grogan.
[1:14:23] >> Good morning Supervisors.
[1:14:25] Regarding item 106, my husband
[1:14:26] and I own a home less than 1
[1:14:28] mile from the approved Pinion
[1:14:30] Hills construction site for a
[1:14:32] Maverick truck stop. I'm here
[1:14:34] today to ask you to reject this
[1:14:35] construction project
[1:14:36] specifically because the
[1:14:38] station will service large
[1:14:40] trucks. Given that over half
[1:14:41] of the property area, 5
[1:14:43] of the fueling stations, and 2
[1:14:45] of the 3 entrances are
[1:14:46] specifically designed
[1:14:48] for large commercial trucks,
[1:14:50] it is not unreasonable to
[1:14:51] expect that large trucks will
[1:14:53] comprise a large portion
[1:14:54] of the station's customers.
[1:14:56] The commercial property that
[1:14:57] has been proposed
[1:14:58] for the project is poorly
[1:15:00] suited
[1:15:01] for large truck access, and I
[1:15:02] believe will be extremely
[1:15:03] problematic and unsafe not only
[1:15:05] for the Pinion Hills residents
[1:15:06] but for also the truck drivers
[1:15:08] and car drivers who will use
[1:15:09] the station. Here are my
[1:15:11] specific reasons. First
[1:15:13] of all, the truck stop has no
[1:15:14] direct access to Route 138 and
[1:15:15] instead proposes indirect
[1:15:17] access via Oasis Road and
[1:15:20] Buckthorn Road. While Highway
[1:15:23] 138 meet state standards
[1:15:25] for STAA truck travel.
[1:15:28] Neither Oasis Road nor
[1:15:29] Buckthorn Road meet these
[1:15:30] standards. Commercial truck use
[1:15:32] of these roads may even be
[1:15:34] in violation of AB 98 and SB
[1:15:36] 415. These local rural roads
[1:15:39] are not suited
[1:15:41] for STAA truck travel. Simply
[1:15:43] paving them between 138 and the
[1:15:45] station entrance will not make
[1:15:46] them suited or safe
[1:15:48] for large truck travel. The
[1:15:50] Maverick Corporation should
[1:15:51] have sought a better suited
[1:15:52] commercially zoned property.
[1:15:54] one that has Caltrans-approved
[1:15:55] access
[1:15:56] to a designated truck route,
[1:15:57] thus ensuring safe and legal
[1:15:59] access to the station.
[1:16:00] Secondly, in the Maverick
[1:16:04] Project plan, Oasis Road serves
[1:16:06] not only as an entrance
[1:16:08] to the gas station
[1:16:10] but also as an entrance
[1:16:11] to the Pinion Hills Post
[1:16:13] Office. Residents of Pinion
[1:16:14] Hills have no mail delivery
[1:16:15] to their homes. 1,880
[1:16:18] households must retrieve their
[1:16:20] daily mail deliveries
[1:16:21] from post office boxes located
[1:16:22] inside the post office. The
[1:16:24] Maverick Company has proposed
[1:16:25] the traffic will run smoothly
[1:16:27] and safely on Oasis and
[1:16:28] Buckthorn Roads because they
[1:16:30] claim that Caltrans will post
[1:16:31] signage, signal signage on
[1:16:33] Oasis Road, and also that the
[1:16:35] post office has agreed
[1:16:37] to alter their traffic flow
[1:16:39] through their parking lot and
[1:16:41] alter their entrance and exit.
[1:16:43] But does the Maverick proposal
[1:16:46] include documented proof that
[1:16:47] Caltrans or the Pinion Hills
[1:16:49] Post Office to show that these
[1:16:50] precautions will occur? If such
[1:16:53] documents were not included
[1:16:54] in the proposal, then why was
[1:16:56] this project approved by the
[1:16:57] Planning Commission? The
[1:16:59] current plan presents a
[1:17:01] dangerous traffic situation
[1:17:02] on Oasis and, Road for Pinion
[1:17:04] Hills residents and for
[1:17:06] Maverick customers accessing
[1:17:07] the gas station. Surely there
[1:17:08] must be commercial ventures
[1:17:10] that are better suited for this
[1:17:11] commercial property. I urge the
[1:17:12] San Bernardino County Board
[1:17:14] of Supervisors
[1:17:16] to overturn the Planning
[1:17:18] Commission's decision This
[1:17:19] poorly planned project should
[1:17:21] never have been approved.
[1:17:22] Thank you.
[1:17:24] >> Thank you very much. Is that
[1:17:28] the last request? One more? It
[1:17:31] has disappeared for me. If you
[1:17:34] can read the name oh, Jan
[1:17:36] Grogan, there it is. Good
[1:17:38] morning.
[1:17:39] >> Good morning, and thank you
[1:17:40] for listening to us. These
[1:17:41] three ladies have just covered
[1:17:43] everything. and I want
[1:17:46] to say that, I have lived in
[1:17:50] Pinion Hill since 2002, and it
[1:17:56] is the most wonderful place
[1:17:59] that I've ever lived. Our
[1:18:01] neighbors are like family.
[1:18:03] They're it's so different than
[1:18:05] other places I've lived that
[1:18:08] were also nice, but the people
[1:18:09] did not have the ethics and the
[1:18:12] responsibility disability these
[1:18:14] people have. And one day I was
[1:18:16] going down Goss Road to
[1:18:17] Oasis, and that's
[1:18:19] about a half a mile south or,
[1:18:20] no, excuse me, north of,
[1:18:22] Pinon Hills Elementary
[1:18:25] School. And a large semi flew
[1:18:28] past the stop sign I was at.
[1:18:30] He had a long flatbed
[1:18:33] behind him. And when he got
[1:18:39] to the, school area, and where
[1:18:40] it says the speed limit should
[1:18:43] drop to 25. He did not slow
[1:18:45] down. I was had turned left,
[1:18:47] and I was behind him, and he
[1:18:49] was completely past that school
[1:18:50] before I even came to it. The
[1:18:52] playground on that elementary
[1:18:56] school is right next to Oasis
[1:19:00] Road. There's a sidewalk that's
[1:19:02] about 4 feet wide, and then the
[1:19:04] fence that keeps the students
[1:19:05] in there. In the afternoons,
[1:19:08] the parents pick these students
[1:19:14] up. Some
[1:19:15] of the students cross Oasis
[1:19:16] Road. They do have somebody
[1:19:18] holding a stop sign, but when
[1:19:20] you have that much traffic,
[1:19:22] those students are put
[1:19:24] at extreme danger. The thoughts
[1:19:26] of losing what we have in that
[1:19:31] rural community just devastates
[1:19:35] me, and it does my neighbors
[1:19:36] too,
[1:19:38] and other people that live in
[1:19:41] Phelan and even up to Hesperia
[1:19:44] realize what we have
[1:19:46] in our area. And why would a
[1:19:49] truck stop be allowed
[1:19:51] to devastate a community
[1:19:54] like this? It's a rural
[1:19:56] community. Why don't they put
[1:19:59] that next to a freeway or in a
[1:20:00] larger city where it would be
[1:20:02] welcomed and,
[1:20:05] people could use that. We don't
[1:20:07] need that in our community
[1:20:08] to destroy or kill or anything
[1:20:10] like that. And will our
[1:20:13] property taxes be raised to
[1:20:15] accommodate the road changes
[1:20:17] that'll have to be made
[1:20:19] for these big trucks? And can
[1:20:22] the people afford them? We have
[1:20:25] wonderful young people
[1:20:26] with children, the most
[1:20:29] wonderful parents I've met
[1:20:31] in my life. They're so
[1:20:33] dedicated to their children.
[1:20:34] Why should they give this up so
[1:20:36] we can have a truck stop up
[1:20:38] there that will devastate
[1:20:39] that's time. Thank you very
[1:20:41] much.
[1:20:47] >> With that, I will entertain
[1:20:48] a motion to continue this item
[1:20:49] to June 9th.
[1:20:50] >> Second.
[1:20:52] >> Thank you, Supervisor
[1:20:54] Hagman. And for the second,
[1:20:55] Vice Chair Baca. All those
[1:20:56] in favor?
[1:20:57] >> Aye.
[1:20:58] >> Any opposed? Any
[1:20:59] abstentions?
[1:21:01] >> With that, Item 106, open
[1:21:02] hearing, has been continued
[1:21:03] to June 9th, 2026. Thank you
[1:21:05] very much. Item number 107 is a
[1:21:07] presentation on the state of
[1:21:08] healthcare and key impacts
[1:21:09] facing hospitals,
[1:21:11] being presented this morning
[1:21:13] by Andrew Goldfrack. Good
[1:21:14] morning.
[1:21:21] >> Good morning, Chair Rowe,
[1:21:23] members of the board. I'm
[1:21:25] Andrew Gofrack, the Chief
[1:21:26] Executive Officer for
[1:21:27] Arrowhead Regional Medical
[1:21:29] Center. Today I'm going
[1:21:30] to provide a brief overview
[1:21:31] on the state of healthcare and
[1:21:32] understanding key impacts, and
[1:21:33] the healthcare landscape that
[1:21:35] we're facing related to HR 1.
[1:21:36] This slide deck should only be,
[1:21:38] about 10 minutes or so, and
[1:21:39] then I'll entertain questions
[1:21:41] as we going to, go
[1:21:43] through this. The objective,
[1:21:44] as I mentioned, is really
[1:21:45] to provide you
[1:21:47] with a clear understanding
[1:21:48] of the healthcare landscape
[1:21:49] within San Bernardino County
[1:21:50] and the potential impacts that
[1:21:52] we all face relating to HR 1.
[1:21:53] the goal really is to look
[1:21:56] at the current landscape,
[1:21:57] provide a, an understanding
[1:21:59] of our current landscape,
[1:22:00] the financial overviews
[1:22:02] of the healthcare systems, and
[1:22:03] then the key headwinds and
[1:22:04] challenges that we're,
[1:22:06] we're facing. Across San
[1:22:08] Bernardino County, there are
[1:22:11] 19 acute care hospitals, 15
[1:22:12] of which are private, 1 owned
[1:22:14] by the county, 2 district
[1:22:15] hospitals, and 1 federal VA
[1:22:17] facility. In addition,
[1:22:19] we have a fair number
[1:22:20] of specialty care hospitals,
[1:22:21] children's hospitals,
[1:22:23] post-acute facilities,
[1:22:24] hospital-based ambulatory
[1:22:25] clinics,
[1:22:26] federally qualified healthcare
[1:22:28] centers, private physician
[1:22:30] practices, mobile clinics,
[1:22:31] etc. These are the services
[1:22:32] that really provide most
[1:22:34] of the healthcare services
[1:22:35] for the residents of San
[1:22:37] Bernardino County. This is just
[1:22:39] a quick snapshot of just the
[1:22:41] different hospitals that we
[1:22:42] have within the county, just
[1:22:43] to kind of give a frame
[1:22:45] of reference.
[1:22:46] But what I really want
[1:22:47] to illustrate is really
[1:22:48] on the next slide, which is the
[1:22:49] inpatient utilization
[1:22:50] of services broken down by the
[1:22:52] payer or how those services are
[1:22:54] funded. Over 40%
[1:22:56] of all inpatient care services
[1:22:58] within San Bernardino County is
[1:22:59] done and paid through,
[1:23:01] Medi-Cal or Medi-Cal managed
[1:23:03] programs. Of that,
[1:23:06] the vast majority
[1:23:08] of those are 83% of that is
[1:23:09] from IEHP. Over 70% overall is
[1:23:12] from a government payer,
[1:23:14] which relates to both Medicare
[1:23:17] and Medi-Cal services. And you
[1:23:19] could see that the top 5
[1:23:20] hospitals that present or that
[1:23:22] receive patient care, from a
[1:23:25] Medi-Cal standpoint is
[1:23:26] Arrowhead Regional Medical
[1:23:28] Center, Loma Linda, Community
[1:23:29] Hospital San Bernardino, St.
[1:23:31] Bernardine, and Providence
[1:23:33] St. Mary's. while there's,
[1:23:35] again, the 19 hospitals,
[1:23:37] these are the top 5 that
[1:23:38] receive Medi-Cal patients on
[1:23:40] the inpatient setting or the
[1:23:43] admitted patients. this is
[1:23:44] different than the emergency
[1:23:46] department services, which,
[1:23:47] as you can see
[1:23:48] on the next slide, similar
[1:23:49] in terms of number
[1:23:50] of hospitals, where the top 5
[1:23:51] hospitals that receive
[1:23:52] Medi-Cal
[1:23:54] on the emergency department is
[1:23:55] Arrowhead, St. Bernardine's
[1:23:56] Community Hospital San
[1:23:58] Bernardino, Providence St.
[1:24:01] Mary's Medical Center, and
[1:24:04] Kaiser Fontana. But what I
[1:24:05] really want to illustrate on
[1:24:06] this slide is the numbers that
[1:24:08] are in front of you. The number
[1:24:10] of population, or for every,
[1:24:12] number population
[1:24:14] within the county for every
[1:24:15] emergency department bed, is
[1:24:17] about 4,445. So
[1:24:19] for every one er bed
[1:24:21] in the county, that represents
[1:24:22] 4,445 residents. That ranks 20
[1:24:25] in the, in the county rankings
[1:24:27] across all 58 counties.
[1:24:28] However, when you look
[1:24:30] at the, counties
[1:24:32] with populations of 2 million
[1:24:34] or more, we're the 3rd highest
[1:24:36] ranked, county in the state.
[1:24:38] The higher the ranking
[1:24:40] in this case is not good. It
[1:24:42] is, it is bad. And then when
[1:24:44] you look at the number of
[1:24:45] emergency department visits per
[1:24:47] bed, we actually rank number 1
[1:24:50] in terms of large counties.
[1:24:51] What this really tells us is
[1:24:53] that we are very much currently
[1:24:54] over underbedded and
[1:24:56] overutilized
[1:24:57] in our emergency departments.
[1:24:59] This is gonna play heavily as
[1:25:00] we talk through some
[1:25:02] of the impacts that we're
[1:25:04] facing over the next 10 years,
[1:25:05] under HR1. In addition
[1:25:09] to the, the hospitals
[1:25:10] themselves, we have 44
[1:25:12] federally qualified healthcare
[1:25:15] centers and 12 community
[1:25:16] healthcare centers. These are
[1:25:18] prime predominantly primary
[1:25:20] care, services that are located
[1:25:21] throughout the county that help
[1:25:23] serve the underserved
[1:25:24] populations within San
[1:25:25] Bernardino County.
[1:25:27] In general, San Bernardino the
[1:25:31] Inland Empire has the lowest
[1:25:32] number
[1:25:34] of primary care physicians per
[1:25:36] 100,000 patients in the nation
[1:25:38] at 35, where the average is
[1:25:40] between 60 to 80 primary care
[1:25:43] physicians per 100,000
[1:25:44] patients. so we are already
[1:25:46] in a very stressed environment
[1:25:49] before any of the impacts
[1:25:51] of H1, which we're about
[1:25:52] to talk about. Do you have a
[1:25:55] question?
[1:25:56] >> I just wonder how Adelanto
[1:25:58] has 4 FQHCs.
[1:25:59] >> I could I'll be able
[1:26:00] to pull the, the data
[1:26:02] for you.
[1:26:05] >> The way the hospitals are,
[1:26:06] are funded, there's really 4
[1:26:08] breakdowns of,
[1:26:10] of funding sources: Medicare,
[1:26:11] Medi-Cal or Medicaid. I'm going
[1:26:14] to use Medicaid and Medi-Cal
[1:26:15] somewhat interchangeably,
[1:26:17] because it Medicaid is the
[1:26:19] federal name and the state
[1:26:21] calls it Medi-Cal. Private
[1:26:22] insurance and then other
[1:26:24] revenue such as grants,
[1:26:25] philanthropy,
[1:26:26] and investments. As I mentioned
[1:26:28] earlier, the vast majority of
[1:26:29] patients that are seeking
[1:26:31] services within San
[1:26:32] Bernardino County fall
[1:26:34] under that Medi-Cal, bucket,
[1:26:35] which really looks at what
[1:26:36] inpatient fee-for-
[1:26:38] fee-for-service payments,
[1:26:40] so per-day basis,
[1:26:42] outpatient capitated rates, and
[1:26:43] then other supplemental
[1:26:44] programs that help offset the
[1:26:45] cost
[1:26:47] of healthcare delivery within,
[1:26:49] the hospitals. When you look
[1:26:52] at the different types
[1:26:53] of payer mix
[1:26:54] between public hospitals,
[1:26:56] district hospitals, and
[1:26:57] private, you could see publics,
[1:26:59] have the vast majority of,
[1:27:01] services under the Medi-Cal,
[1:27:04] and then a much smaller ranking
[1:27:05] on the Medicare and private
[1:27:08] versus the others. However, it
[1:27:09] is important
[1:27:10] to note that as we talk
[1:27:12] about the impacts coming up
[1:27:13] here in a moment, all of the
[1:27:14] uninsured populations
[1:27:16] regardless are going
[1:27:17] to continue
[1:27:19] to increase substantially
[1:27:22] over the next 10 years. and
[1:27:23] that's gonna be play a major
[1:27:25] into the overall distressed
[1:27:27] hospital systems that we're,
[1:27:30] we're gonna be talking about.
[1:27:31] So the reason I share this
[1:27:33] information is to really help
[1:27:34] talk ab and set the stage is
[1:27:35] to really help talk about the
[1:27:36] impacts that we're facing.
[1:27:38] U.S., House Resolution Number
[1:27:40] 1, or the One Big Beautiful
[1:27:41] Bill, was put into law in June
[1:27:43] of 2024, and passed
[1:27:46] by the federal government,
[1:27:47] commonly referred to as the
[1:27:49] One Big Beautiful Bill, which
[1:27:50] is by far the single biggest
[1:27:51] federal funding shift
[1:27:53] for healthcare delivery
[1:27:55] in modern times. This
[1:27:57] reconciliation bill will call
[1:27:58] for a $1 trillion hit to
[1:27:59] Medicaid and Medi-Cal services
[1:28:02] over the next 10 years
[1:28:03] across the nation. That is
[1:28:05] substantial. So what that
[1:28:07] really means is we're going
[1:28:09] to see, kind of
[1:28:11] at a brass tacks,
[1:28:12] substantial loss in Medi-Cal
[1:28:15] coverage as there are multiple
[1:28:17] different initiatives
[1:28:18] under HR 1 relating
[1:28:21] to new work requirements, new
[1:28:22] immigration-related eligibility
[1:28:23] redetermination timelines, as
[1:28:25] well as additional state-level
[1:28:27] Medi-Cal policy changes, as
[1:28:29] well as different federal
[1:28:30] funding restrictions
[1:28:31] across the Medi-Cal programs,
[1:28:33] really shifting the programs
[1:28:34] from the federal government
[1:28:36] to the, the states,
[1:28:38] to the local jurisdictions,
[1:28:39] to the hospitals, and
[1:28:42] to the practice. This is
[1:28:43] on top of already very fragile
[1:28:45] healthcare system where all of
[1:28:46] our costs are not covered
[1:28:47] already by our
[1:28:50] by reimbursement rates. So if
[1:28:51] you think about a house of
[1:28:53] cards that we're already trying
[1:28:55] to juggle today in terms
[1:28:57] of how we finance hospitals,
[1:28:59] we're essentially taking a
[1:29:01] wrecking ball to that, those,
[1:29:04] that house of cards with HR1,
[1:29:05] which is going to result
[1:29:07] in a significant increase
[1:29:08] in uncompensated care,
[1:29:09] significant increase
[1:29:11] in the emergency departments,
[1:29:13] which are already overstressed,
[1:29:14] significant reduction
[1:29:16] in programs, that hospitals
[1:29:17] provide, insurance,
[1:29:19] companies pay for, taxpayers,
[1:29:21] are gonna be impacted as well
[1:29:22] as privately insured services.
[1:29:24] Essentially, when we look at
[1:29:26] the different hospitals and
[1:29:27] health systems, regardless
[1:29:30] of whether you have Medi-Cal,
[1:29:32] Medicaid, or private insurance,
[1:29:34] if a hospital ends up reducing
[1:29:36] services or closing those
[1:29:37] services down as a result of
[1:29:39] HR1 or other financial impacts,
[1:29:40] it's gonna affect all patients.
[1:29:42] Regardless
[1:29:43] of who their payer is, because
[1:29:44] those services will no longer
[1:29:46] be necessary or needed. Great
[1:29:48] example
[1:29:50] of this is there was a hospital
[1:29:51] in Riverside County that
[1:29:52] recently closed
[1:29:53] down its maternity services.
[1:29:55] As a result, regardless
[1:29:56] of the payer, anyone looking
[1:29:57] to seek those services has
[1:29:59] to go now go to Pomona Valley
[1:30:01] or somewhere else. The timeline
[1:30:02] for HR 1 is quite extensive
[1:30:05] over the next several years.
[1:30:07] this slide is actually intense
[1:30:08] and intentionally complex and
[1:30:10] busy because it really helps
[1:30:12] illustrate the complexity of
[1:30:15] just all the different phases
[1:30:18] that HR1 has put into place.
[1:30:21] However, the big key dates
[1:30:22] to really pay attention
[1:30:24] to is this upcoming October
[1:30:26] where we start
[1:30:27] to see the reduction
[1:30:28] in the federal Medicare
[1:30:29] assistance program or the
[1:30:31] federal share, January 2027
[1:30:33] where we start to see a lot
[1:30:34] of the work requirements go
[1:30:36] into place and we'll start
[1:30:38] to see a significant decrease
[1:30:39] in Medi-Cal enrollees. And then
[1:30:41] in 2028, in January, we'll
[1:30:42] start to see a lot of the
[1:30:44] supplemental programs that
[1:30:45] hospitals rely on decrease
[1:30:46] at a 10% clip year over year
[1:30:48] for the next 10 years. This is
[1:30:50] going to drive down a lot of
[1:30:51] the financial challenges that
[1:30:53] we're going to be seeing
[1:30:54] over the next several years.
[1:30:58] Nationally, you can see the
[1:30:59] breakdown here
[1:31:01] on this slide that really talks
[1:31:02] about just where the dollars
[1:31:04] are coming from. That draws
[1:31:05] down to that $1 trillion. A lot
[1:31:06] of it is the cuts to the
[1:31:08] Medicare, Medi-Cal eligibility
[1:31:09] at around $550 $566 billion,
[1:31:14] cuts to benefits, cuts to
[1:31:16] general financing. we've seen
[1:31:18] some reductions already
[1:31:19] in the subsidies tied to the
[1:31:21] Affordable Care Act, and we've
[1:31:23] started to see reductions
[1:31:25] in individuals being enrolled
[1:31:27] in Medi-Cal as a result
[1:31:28] of that. And that's what drives
[1:31:30] up the $1 trillion The CBO is
[1:31:32] projecting about 11.8 million
[1:31:34] people are gonna be reduced er,
[1:31:36] losing coverage as a result
[1:31:39] directly of the, ah, of HR 1,
[1:31:40] as well as an additional 5.1
[1:31:42] million people will be losing
[1:31:43] coverage as a result of some
[1:31:44] of the changes in,
[1:31:46] the ACA program. Bringing that
[1:31:48] down to the state and to the,
[1:31:50] the local levels, across
[1:31:52] California we're gonna actually
[1:31:53] see over the next 10 years
[1:31:56] about a $120 billion impact.
[1:31:58] Impact, as well as, locally
[1:32:00] within the San Bernardino
[1:32:01] County region, roughly
[1:32:03] about a $6.4 billion impact
[1:32:05] to how hospitals are, are able
[1:32:07] to be financed. This is on top
[1:32:09] of things that are already
[1:32:11] happening, since we've designed
[1:32:13] this presentation. recently we
[1:32:14] saw
[1:32:15] in the news that CMS has
[1:32:17] decided to withhold $1.3
[1:32:18] billion in the federal share
[1:32:20] of the Medi-Cal program. so
[1:32:21] we're gonna start to see some
[1:32:23] additional impacts directly as
[1:32:26] a result of that as well. From
[1:32:27] a public hospital standpoint,
[1:32:32] this, waterfall slide,
[1:32:34] we call this the, the slide
[1:32:36] of doom. Unfortunately, this is
[1:32:37] for all the 17 public hospitals
[1:32:38] and health systems
[1:32:39] across the state of
[1:32:41] California. We are looking
[1:32:43] at anywhere from, in 2026, a
[1:32:44] $1.7 billion hit all the way
[1:32:46] down to about a $4 to $6
[1:32:48] billion hit just in the public
[1:32:50] hospital systems alone directly
[1:32:52] as relates to HR1,
[1:32:53] as well as some of the state,
[1:32:55] changes we saw in the May
[1:32:59] revise. the governor has called
[1:33:00] for a change
[1:33:02] in how we reimburse,
[1:33:04] the hospitals for the what we
[1:33:06] call the UIS population, or the
[1:33:07] unsatisfactory immigration
[1:33:10] status population,
[1:33:11] and shifting them
[1:33:13] from responsibilities of the
[1:33:14] managed care plans directly to
[1:33:15] what's called a
[1:33:16] fee-for-service. That
[1:33:17] in and itself is going
[1:33:19] to have an $800 million impact
[1:33:21] to the public hospitals.
[1:33:23] Specifically across San
[1:33:24] Bernardino itself, we're, ah,
[1:33:25] anticipating about 300,000,
[1:33:27] individuals that are at risk
[1:33:29] of losing coverage. Roughly 20%
[1:33:30] of, ah, I EHP's patient
[1:33:32] population is gonna lose their
[1:33:34] coverage over the next 3 years
[1:33:35] as a result
[1:33:37] of the workforce requirements,
[1:33:39] the UIS populations,
[1:33:41] and others. This is gonna
[1:33:42] directly result in an increase
[1:33:44] in the er becoming primary care
[1:33:45] services and a significant
[1:33:46] increase in the emergency
[1:33:48] department utilization,
[1:33:49] again emphasizing an overtaxing
[1:33:50] of the emergency department,
[1:33:52] which is already overtaxed as
[1:33:54] it sits today. As a direct
[1:33:57] result, we're gonna continue to
[1:33:58] see increased financial
[1:34:00] pressures on the different
[1:34:02] county systems. We're gonna see
[1:34:03] potential service lines closed
[1:34:04] or reduced
[1:34:06] across the different hospitals,
[1:34:07] not only in this county but
[1:34:08] across the region and
[1:34:10] across the state and across the
[1:34:11] nation. as well as a lot
[1:34:13] of the federal restrictions,
[1:34:15] on the provider taxes to
[1:34:16] Medi-Cal, which will result
[1:34:17] in additional, financial
[1:34:19] reductions and financial
[1:34:20] pressures to,
[1:34:22] to the different hospitals.
[1:34:24] The California Hospital
[1:34:26] Association has put up these
[1:34:28] numbers, which is in 2025
[1:34:29] there's about 34 a little
[1:34:31] over 3,300 layoffs
[1:34:36] in hospitals, which is greater
[1:34:37] than the last 5-year average
[1:34:39] of 2,235 layoffs directly as a
[1:34:41] result of hospitals being
[1:34:43] getting prepared
[1:34:44] for HR1 impacts. 2026,
[1:34:47] across the nation, 46 sorry,
[1:34:49] 42 healthcare organizations
[1:34:51] have already announced layoffs.
[1:34:53] That is far on out to outpace
[1:34:56] 2025 by a long shot as we look
[1:34:59] at what are the impacts
[1:35:00] across the region and across
[1:35:04] the nation are facing. these
[1:35:05] are gonna, again, affect not
[1:35:07] only the vulnerable populations
[1:35:09] that Medi-Cal serves,
[1:35:12] but really across the entire
[1:35:14] region and all patient
[1:35:15] populations regardless
[1:35:17] of who their payer is. So kind
[1:35:19] of in, in, in summary and some
[1:35:20] key takeaways, HR 1 is gonna be
[1:35:22] driving significant federal
[1:35:24] funding restrictions and
[1:35:25] reductions that will reshape
[1:35:27] the healthcare delivery system
[1:35:28] as we know it today. Today.
[1:35:31] The county as it, as itself,
[1:35:32] the county in itself, is
[1:35:34] already disproportionately
[1:35:35] impacted due
[1:35:37] to the high volume of Medi-Cal
[1:35:39] recipients. Already 40% of,
[1:35:41] of all inpatient utilization is
[1:35:42] Medi-Cal, so we're going
[1:35:44] to see a significant increase
[1:35:45] in the uninsured populations
[1:35:47] here locally,
[1:35:48] and the hospitals are going
[1:35:50] to continue to grow,
[1:35:52] and face significant financial,
[1:35:53] instability that will contain
[1:35:55] that will lead
[1:35:56] to potential reductions of
[1:35:58] services or even potential
[1:36:00] hospital closures. as well as
[1:36:01] the uninsured care is gonna
[1:36:03] continue to utilize the er,
[1:36:05] as primary care services,
[1:36:07] which will, again, continue
[1:36:08] to inundate the, the er.
[1:36:10] Also, as we've talked about
[1:36:11] in other presentations
[1:36:13] in the past, the county systems
[1:36:16] will likely have
[1:36:18] to absorb a fair amount
[1:36:20] of the cost due to this 17
[1:36:22] Section 17,000 of the Health
[1:36:24] and Safety Code. So,
[1:36:27] from an action steps and,
[1:36:29] and what we're working on,
[1:36:31] we're continuing our
[1:36:32] consolidated ongoing advocacy
[1:36:34] efforts at the state and
[1:36:35] at the federal levels. Each
[1:36:36] different hospital and health
[1:36:38] systems has their own
[1:36:39] mitigation plans that they're
[1:36:41] working through to try
[1:36:43] to mitigate this to the extent
[1:36:45] possible. as well as we're
[1:36:46] partnering very closely
[1:36:47] with the health plans,
[1:36:48] probably predominantly IHP and
[1:36:49] Molina, which are the two
[1:36:50] Medi-Cal plans in San
[1:36:51] Bernardino County, as well as
[1:36:52] the Transitional Assistance
[1:36:54] Department here, in the county
[1:36:56] on Medi-Cal enrollment. this
[1:36:58] was really just a again,
[1:36:59] wanted to provide just an
[1:37:00] overview. unfortunately it's
[1:37:01] not a good overview,
[1:37:03] but an overview of,
[1:37:04] what we're facing
[1:37:05] over the next 10 years
[1:37:06] in hospital financing,
[1:37:07] as a result of the federal and
[1:37:09] state changes. And with that,
[1:37:10] I'd like to open up
[1:37:11] with any questions.
[1:37:12] >> Thank you. I would like to
[1:37:13] clarify that this is not meant
[1:37:14] to be political at all,
[1:37:15] just laying out of the facts.
[1:37:18] And I,
[1:37:19] I know that this has a tendency
[1:37:21] to go political,
[1:37:22] and we are charged with living
[1:37:24] within our means
[1:37:25] from whatever is handed to us
[1:37:26] from any other outside source.
[1:37:29] And so I appreciate you laying
[1:37:30] out what the options will be
[1:37:32] and the things that we will be
[1:37:33] facing.
[1:37:35] >> Absolutely. Yeah, this is
[1:37:36] absolutely apolitical. This is
[1:37:37] really just based
[1:37:39] off the numbers, the,
[1:37:40] the actuary reviews,
[1:37:41] as well as the,
[1:37:42] the language that's
[1:37:43] within the laws written.
[1:37:45] >> Very good.
[1:37:47] >> Supervisor Hagman.
[1:37:48] >> Thank you. And, thank you,
[1:37:49] Andrew, for I appreciate the
[1:37:50] ups and downs that you have to
[1:37:51] do as a hospital administrator.
[1:37:53] I've been here long enough
[1:37:54] to know
[1:37:55] before ACA what it was like,
[1:37:57] and that was 10 years ago where
[1:37:58] they put trillions of dollars
[1:38:00] into the medical system,
[1:38:01] and now they're taking some
[1:38:02] of those resources back out
[1:38:04] over the next 10 years. So
[1:38:07] there was a plan before ACA.
[1:38:10] There will be a plan
[1:38:12] after ACA. There will be a plan
[1:38:13] if it changes again
[1:38:14] with the next administration.
[1:38:17] And, I do hope that we still
[1:38:20] consider, our biggest cost is
[1:38:22] using that emergency room when,
[1:38:23] when people don't necessarily
[1:38:26] need those emergency services.
[1:38:27] They can use regular doctors
[1:38:28] and stuff. And I know we'll
[1:38:30] continue
[1:38:31] to coordinate as chair
[1:38:32] of IHP right now
[1:38:33] with my colleagues
[1:38:34] on that board, the changing
[1:38:35] landscape that comes out.
[1:38:36] And, but I, I've seen it,
[1:38:39] our budget before we had those
[1:38:40] extra dollars. And, hopefully
[1:38:42] we can adjust as the political
[1:38:45] climate changes on the federal
[1:38:46] side and where our
[1:38:47] representatives feel
[1:38:49] like their priorities are
[1:38:50] to spend those dollars. Thank
[1:38:52] you.
[1:38:53] >> Thank you.
[1:38:56] >> Yeah, thank you, Madam
[1:38:57] Chair. I appreciate Andrew,
[1:38:59] bringing up the potential
[1:39:00] impacts of HR 1. And I know
[1:39:01] that you and I have had
[1:39:02] several, several conversations
[1:39:03] in regards to the impact.
[1:39:04] But, something sometimes
[1:39:06] to keep in mind is part
[1:39:08] of the reason why our,
[1:39:09] our volume is so high is
[1:39:10] because of the amount
[1:39:12] of services. It's almost a
[1:39:13] double-edged sword.
[1:39:15] >> We offer a lot at
[1:39:16] Arrowhead Regional Medical
[1:39:17] Center.
[1:39:18] >> One of the things is we're
[1:39:19] one of two Level 1 trauma units
[1:39:20] in the County of San
[1:39:21] Bernardino, so that tends
[1:39:22] to draw a high amount
[1:39:24] of volume. The other thing is
[1:39:26] the, the homeless population.
[1:39:28] And a lot of times and Andrew
[1:39:29] understands this that our
[1:39:30] homeless population can stay
[1:39:32] in a bed up to 90 days. So I
[1:39:34] know one
[1:39:35] of the things we're looking
[1:39:36] at is looking
[1:39:37] at alternatives. I think one
[1:39:38] of the items we're looking
[1:39:39] at later on today or in the
[1:39:40] near future is
[1:39:41] to find alternatives
[1:39:42] to transition those individuals
[1:39:43] out of our beds, which are
[1:39:44] much, much needed. The other
[1:39:45] thing that Arrowhead Regional
[1:39:47] Medical Center does do is they
[1:39:49] airlift 2 to 3 individuals
[1:39:50] sometimes out of the area and
[1:39:52] out of the county. And people
[1:39:54] don't realize Arrowhead
[1:39:56] Regional Medical Center, not
[1:39:57] just serves the Valley,
[1:39:58] but it serves a lot of the
[1:40:00] High Desert. And one of the
[1:40:01] challenges is that our
[1:40:02] hospitals in the High Desert
[1:40:04] tend to struggle or not have
[1:40:05] the services that we offer
[1:40:06] down here. So that has a huge
[1:40:08] impact, as we look at access
[1:40:09] to healthcare. But, I
[1:40:11] appreciate what Andrew has done
[1:40:13] to try to maintain it and,
[1:40:14] and keep this and keep
[1:40:16] in mind, this is one
[1:40:18] of few hospitals in the entire
[1:40:19] state that does not use any
[1:40:21] general fund money. So they've
[1:40:23] done a great job managing the
[1:40:24] money, making sure that they
[1:40:25] get reimbursements.
[1:40:26] But as time goes on,
[1:40:27] we know it's going
[1:40:28] to become much,
[1:40:29] much more challenging.
[1:40:30] But just want to thank you
[1:40:32] for that update. And I think
[1:40:33] there's a lot of things that,
[1:40:34] on the basis of time,
[1:40:36] could not talk about. But, I
[1:40:38] think those are key things
[1:40:39] for individuals
[1:40:41] to understand. Because
[1:40:42] of the services we offer,
[1:40:44] because we don't turn down
[1:40:45] anyone and we take everybody,
[1:40:46] that is a big cost
[1:40:48] to our system. But thanks
[1:40:49] for the report.
[1:40:54] >> Yeah, I wanna echo some
[1:40:55] of the comments of, of my,
[1:40:57] counterparts here, but, I think
[1:40:58] this is also an opportunity. I
[1:40:59] try to always look at,
[1:41:01] the glass half full, not half
[1:41:05] empty, and,
[1:41:07] maybe this is an opportunity
[1:41:08] for us to reorganize, and,
[1:41:09] and maybe we as San
[1:41:10] Bernardino County can actually,
[1:41:11] show what a well-run hospital
[1:41:13] can do, when given the
[1:41:16] opportunity. things
[1:41:18] like looking at how we are
[1:41:20] addressing our people who are
[1:41:22] coming in, the emergency rooms,
[1:41:24] are undocumented, are,
[1:41:27] maybe we need to have,
[1:41:28] small pop-ups where people are,
[1:41:30] getting service not
[1:41:34] in the emergency room or prior
[1:41:36] to getting emergency room,
[1:41:37] like some sort of urgent care
[1:41:39] or mobile medicine. explored
[1:41:41] at a higher level, or,
[1:41:44] being proactive with,
[1:41:46] especially those who don't
[1:41:49] have, insurances. How do we
[1:41:50] find ways to get them, if they,
[1:41:51] if they choose
[1:41:52] to be vaccinated, getting them
[1:41:54] those, basic proactive care,
[1:41:56] and really focusing on the
[1:42:00] preventative versus having them
[1:42:02] come in when it's too late. I
[1:42:04] think that could be an
[1:42:05] opportunity
[1:42:07] for us and just really looking
[1:42:09] at that. those are all my
[1:42:12] comments.
[1:42:13] >> All right, I think that is
[1:42:16] it. Since this is a receive and
[1:42:17] file, thank you very much. We
[1:42:18] appreciate the update. And
[1:42:21] with that, we will move on
[1:42:25] to agenda item number 108.
[1:42:26] Before we do start 108, I
[1:42:27] wanted
[1:42:28] to just make an announcement
[1:42:30] for housekeeping. We will break
[1:42:31] at noon and take a 15-minute
[1:42:32] recess. and then we'll
[1:42:34] reconvene at 12:15. So 108 is a
[1:42:35] public hearing on Government
[1:42:39] Code Section 3502.3, which is
[1:42:41] AB 2561 regarding vacancies and
[1:42:43] recruitment presentation being
[1:42:45] presented this morning by Leo
[1:42:48] Gonzalez. We'll open the public
[1:42:54] hearing. Good morning, Leo.
[1:42:55] >> Good morning, Chair Rowe,
[1:42:57] and Members of the Board of
[1:43:02] Supervisors, I'm Leo
[1:43:03] Gonzalez, Human Resources
[1:43:04] Director, and I'm here
[1:43:05] to present to you on
[1:43:06] California Assembly Bill 2561
[1:43:07] and the status of the county's
[1:43:09] vacancy recruitment and
[1:43:11] retention process. California
[1:43:14] Assembly Bill 2561 became
[1:43:15] effective January 1st, 2025,
[1:43:17] and mandates that the public
[1:43:19] agencies annually assess and
[1:43:20] report
[1:43:22] on job vacancy agencies. This
[1:43:23] information must be present
[1:43:24] like, I mean, do this slide
[1:43:28] here. this information must,
[1:43:32] present vacancy and recruitment
[1:43:33] data at a public hearing,
[1:43:35] before finalizing the budget.
[1:43:37] The purpose of the law is
[1:43:38] to enhance transparency. The
[1:43:40] county is excited
[1:43:41] by the opportunity to present
[1:43:42] to the public the ongoing
[1:43:43] strategies to address
[1:43:45] recruitment and retention.
[1:43:48] Today's topics will include
[1:43:52] county workforce,
[1:43:53] hiring and recruitment
[1:43:55] strategies, retention
[1:43:56] strategies, recruitment
[1:43:58] outcomes, public I'm sorry,
[1:43:59] position vacancy summary,
[1:44:00] and vacancies
[1:44:02] by bargaining unit. So what's
[1:44:05] the county's workforce and what
[1:44:06] do they do? The county is proud
[1:44:07] to showcase the people
[1:44:09] behind the services. The
[1:44:11] following graphic gives you a
[1:44:12] snapshot
[1:44:13] of our county workforce,
[1:44:14] highlighting the number
[1:44:15] of dedicated staff, available
[1:44:17] opportunities, and a glance at
[1:44:19] the different services that
[1:44:21] help the community every day.
[1:44:23] what services do we provide
[1:44:24] by the county? The county
[1:44:25] delivers a wide variety
[1:44:26] of services
[1:44:28] to support our community,
[1:44:29] including public safety,
[1:44:30] health and human services,
[1:44:31] community services, road and
[1:44:33] infrastructure, land use,
[1:44:35] environment, along
[1:44:36] with county operations. What is
[1:44:40] the what is the county's hiring
[1:44:42] and recruiting strategies? How
[1:44:44] does the county find and hire
[1:44:45] people? We spread the word
[1:44:47] through social media,
[1:44:49] community outreach and events,
[1:44:51] building partnerships,
[1:44:53] and using advertising tools.
[1:44:54] We build career pathways,
[1:44:56] programs such as SPARK, Youth
[1:44:58] Employment Program, Career
[1:44:59] Technical Education
[1:45:00] Connectional Programs,
[1:45:02] internships, apprenticeships,
[1:45:03] and entry-level jobs that get
[1:45:05] people started and grow their
[1:45:06] careers with the county. We
[1:45:07] make it easy to apply. The
[1:45:09] online application is simple,
[1:45:10] mobile-friendly,
[1:45:11] and provides the ability
[1:45:12] to apply for several jobs
[1:45:13] at once. I'd like
[1:45:15] to highlight a couple
[1:45:17] of the many 2025 outcomes. We
[1:45:19] attended 89 outreach events
[1:45:20] across the county,
[1:45:22] netting interactions with
[1:45:23] over 7,000 attendees.
[1:45:28] Retention strategies how does
[1:45:29] the county keep good,
[1:45:31] good employees? We make sure
[1:45:32] jobs match work
[1:45:33] by reviewing job descriptions.
[1:45:35] We understand what's working
[1:45:37] and what's not by monitoring
[1:45:39] hiring and staffing trends. We
[1:45:41] listen and respond
[1:45:42] through labor negotiations. We
[1:45:43] work to make pay,
[1:45:44] pay competitive
[1:45:45] within the market.
[1:45:46] To highlight a couple
[1:45:47] of the many 2025 outcomes, 485
[1:45:48] classifications were modified
[1:45:50] and 43 classifications received
[1:45:52] equity adjustments.
[1:45:55] Recruitment outcomes. Is the
[1:45:56] county hiring the right people
[1:45:58] and fast enough? Yes, we're
[1:45:59] reaching more people. Our
[1:46:01] increased outreach has boosted
[1:46:02] awareness
[1:46:03] of the county as a great place
[1:46:05] to work. we're growing future
[1:46:06] talent, we're hiring faster,
[1:46:08] we keep jobs filled thanks to
[1:46:09] strong recruitment and
[1:46:11] retention efforts. Our vacancy
[1:46:13] rates stay low. Award-winning
[1:46:15] the county earned a prestigious
[1:46:16] challenge award from
[1:46:17] California State Association
[1:46:19] of Counties, CSAC, for our
[1:46:21] Rapid Hire program. Let me show
[1:46:23] a couple of 2025 outcomes. We
[1:46:27] recruited for 1,150 positions.
[1:46:29] and during this process,
[1:46:31] we were able to hire 2,668 new
[1:46:33] hires and promoted over 2,800
[1:46:35] employees within the county.
[1:46:40] So let's get to the numbers.
[1:46:42] at a high level, the county's
[1:46:44] position vacancy summary
[1:46:45] for all bargaining units
[1:46:46] between April 13th, 2025 and
[1:46:48] April 13th, 2026 was an
[1:46:49] impressive 13.71%
[1:46:51] in comparison
[1:46:53] to last year's presentation
[1:46:54] of 15.31%. This is a reduction
[1:46:57] from last year about 1.6%. If
[1:46:58] you look at, if you look
[1:47:01] at the right side
[1:47:03] of the slide, you will see a
[1:47:04] high-level position vacancy
[1:47:06] summary breakout by the
[1:47:07] respective bargaining groups. I
[1:47:09] will now navigate to the,
[1:47:10] to each
[1:47:12] of these bargaining groups to
[1:47:13] better understand how we
[1:47:15] arrived at the overall position
[1:47:17] vacancy rate. First up is
[1:47:19] Teamsters Local 1932. As of
[1:47:21] April 13, 2026, the position
[1:47:23] vacancy rate was 14.64% for
[1:47:25] Teamsters. That number reduced
[1:47:27] by 2%
[1:47:28] from last year's 16.72% and
[1:47:29] below the AB 2561 threshold
[1:47:32] of 20% vacancy rate. This is
[1:47:35] good work by departments across
[1:47:37] the county and filling their
[1:47:39] vacancies. Next up is
[1:47:44] Sheriff's Employee Benefit
[1:47:45] Association, SEBA. As of April
[1:47:47] 13th, 2026, SEBA's position
[1:47:49] vacancy rate was about 9.14%.
[1:47:51] While this number is
[1:47:52] approximately 1.5% higher than
[1:47:54] last year's,
[1:47:55] this is attributed
[1:47:57] to approximately 131 sheriff's
[1:47:59] trainees currently in the
[1:48:00] academy that will soon be added
[1:48:02] to the workforce,
[1:48:03] thus improving these numbers.
[1:48:04] Bear
[1:48:05] in mind that these numbers are
[1:48:07] near impressive 11%
[1:48:08] below AB 2561's threshold.
[1:48:10] Great work by the Sheriff's
[1:48:12] Department, the Fire
[1:48:13] District, Probation
[1:48:14] Department, District
[1:48:15] Attorney's Office, and others
[1:48:16] in filling their vacancies.
[1:48:19] Next up, let's transition
[1:48:21] to SEIU Local 721. As of April
[1:48:22] 13, 2026, the position vacancy
[1:48:23] rate was 17.74
[1:48:26] for this group. That number has
[1:48:29] improved by 2%
[1:48:31] from a year ago, below the AB
[1:48:34] 2561 threshold of 20%. Good
[1:48:36] work by CFS, DBH,
[1:48:38] and other departments
[1:48:39] in working to fill their
[1:48:43] hard-to-fill recruitment
[1:48:44] efforts. This is followed by
[1:48:45] California Nurses
[1:48:47] Association, CNA. As of April
[1:48:48] 13, 2026, CNA's position
[1:48:49] vacancy rate was 12.39%. While
[1:48:51] this dropped to 0.75%, it is
[1:48:53] notable that this bargaining
[1:48:55] group is made up
[1:48:56] of nurse classifications
[1:48:58] across the county. This
[1:49:00] position the, the position
[1:49:02] vacancy rate is well
[1:49:04] below the AB 2561 threshold of
[1:49:06] by almost 8%. Great work
[1:49:08] by ARMC, the Sheriff's
[1:49:10] Department, Probation, DBH,
[1:49:11] Public Health, and other
[1:49:12] departments who fill these
[1:49:13] positions. Let's talk about
[1:49:16] Professional Firefighters
[1:49:19] Local 935. As of April 13,
[1:49:21] 2026, the position vacancy rate
[1:49:23] was 11.17 for this group. That
[1:49:25] compared to last year's 16.50
[1:49:28] is a reduction of over 5% and
[1:49:30] below the AB 2561 threshold
[1:49:32] of 20% vacancy rate. The fire
[1:49:34] district has been impressive
[1:49:36] on the recruitment efforts. So
[1:49:40] next up is San Bernardino
[1:49:41] County Probation Officers
[1:49:43] Association, POA. As of April
[1:49:45] 13th, 2026, the POA's position
[1:49:47] vacancy rate was 8.68%. This
[1:49:49] dropped approximately 3.5% from
[1:49:51] last year's 12.20%. this
[1:49:52] position vacancy rate is well
[1:49:57] below the AB 2561 threshold
[1:50:01] by almost 11.5%. great work
[1:50:03] by the probation department.
[1:50:07] This is followed by San
[1:50:08] Bernardino County Public
[1:50:09] Attorneys Association
[1:50:10] Attorneys Unit. As of April
[1:50:11] 13th, 2026, the position
[1:50:13] vacancy rate was 10.80
[1:50:15] for this group. That number was
[1:50:17] has improved by 2.7%
[1:50:19] from last year
[1:50:21] from a year ago, excuse me,
[1:50:23] and below the AB 2561 threshold
[1:50:25] of 20% by over 9%. Good work
[1:50:28] by the District Attorney, the
[1:50:30] Public Defenders, and others
[1:50:31] filling those positions. Up
[1:50:34] next is International Union
[1:50:35] of Operational Engineers Local
[1:50:37] 12, IUOE. As of April 13th,
[1:50:40] 2026, the IUOE's position
[1:50:42] vacancy rate was 7.14. That
[1:50:46] drop of approximately 11.25 is
[1:50:48] striking. The position vacancy
[1:50:50] rate is well below AB 2561
[1:50:51] threshold by almost 13%. Great
[1:50:55] work by the fire district.
[1:51:00] Next up is the Association of
[1:51:01] San Bernardino County Fire
[1:51:03] Management. As of April 13th,
[1:51:04] 2026, the position vacancy rate
[1:51:06] was 3.45% for this group. That
[1:51:08] compared to last year's 13.79%
[1:51:10] is a reduction of over 10% and
[1:51:12] below the 2 below the AB 2561
[1:51:14] threshold of 20% vacancy rate
[1:51:17] by more than 16.5%. The fire
[1:51:22] district has steadfast
[1:51:23] recruitment efforts
[1:51:24] to continue
[1:51:25] to do these things. Okay, the
[1:51:31] last bargaining group to share
[1:51:32] with you today is the
[1:51:34] International Brotherhood of
[1:51:35] Electrical Workers Local 47,
[1:51:37] IBW. As of April 13, 2026, the
[1:51:40] position vacancy rate was
[1:51:41] 21.43% for IBW. This year's
[1:51:45] number is approximately 7%
[1:51:48] higher than it was last year's
[1:51:50] figure, at 14.29%. As I
[1:51:52] mentioned previously
[1:51:53] in the slides, AB 2561's
[1:51:54] threshold 20% vacancy rate. So
[1:51:57] we were slightly
[1:51:58] over a threshold. So I'd like
[1:52:02] to take a moment to talk about
[1:52:04] the recruitment challenges and
[1:52:05] opportunities for this group.
[1:52:06] This is one
[1:52:07] of the smaller bargaining
[1:52:09] groups within the county that
[1:52:10] provides specialized services
[1:52:11] for public works special
[1:52:12] districts. It's a dedicated
[1:52:14] it's, it's a delicate balancing
[1:52:16] act as a staffing size can
[1:52:17] easily skew vacancy rates
[1:52:18] for this group. You will see
[1:52:20] illustrated on the graph the 3
[1:52:21] classifications that triggered
[1:52:23] the vacancy rate Those are
[1:52:25] maintenance worker 1/training,
[1:52:26] maintenance worker 2 and 3,
[1:52:28] treatment plant operator 4. So
[1:52:30] what's prompting the
[1:52:32] recruitment retention
[1:52:34] challenges? Limited qualified
[1:52:36] candidate pools to this,
[1:52:38] that require specialized
[1:52:39] certificates, technical
[1:52:40] experience,
[1:52:42] and licensure requirements.
[1:52:43] Remote service locations along
[1:52:45] with travel requirements impact
[1:52:46] the recruitment effort. Early
[1:52:48] turnover as employees obtain
[1:52:50] certificates and transfer
[1:52:51] to local water districts.
[1:52:53] However, the,
[1:52:55] the special districts continues
[1:52:56] to focus
[1:52:57] on recruitment efforts along
[1:52:59] with retention efforts to
[1:53:00] ensure that we have a that we
[1:53:01] can meet those workforce
[1:53:05] challenges. Let me share with
[1:53:06] you the recruitment outcomes.
[1:53:08] What are we doing to improve
[1:53:09] our candidate pool and our
[1:53:11] ability
[1:53:12] to hire quality candidates?
[1:53:14] While you, while you see
[1:53:15] illustrated that we received
[1:53:16] applicants, for all 3
[1:53:18] classifications, right, you
[1:53:20] see, large number of candidates
[1:53:21] that apply these positions,
[1:53:23] the list dwindles down once we
[1:53:24] actually start meeting the
[1:53:25] qualifications that are needed
[1:53:26] for these jobs. As such, the
[1:53:28] team has implemented
[1:53:29] recruitment strategies
[1:53:30] to increase our candidate pool.
[1:53:31] So I'll use maintenance worker
[1:53:32] 1 as an example. A rapid hire
[1:53:34] event filled 4 other vacancies.
[1:53:36] recruitment efforts generated
[1:53:37] 83 eligible candidates,
[1:53:39] and we're moving much faster
[1:53:40] to get candidates
[1:53:41] through the pipeline by
[1:53:42] ensuring that our certification
[1:53:44] lists are being much quicker.
[1:53:45] In this particular case, 7
[1:53:47] business days. There are
[1:53:48] currently 2 job offers for
[1:53:49] maintenance worker training.
[1:53:51] Once these positions are
[1:53:52] filled,
[1:53:53] the threshold we will go from
[1:53:54] 21.45 to 16.67. Again, 1
[1:53:57] vacancy for this group,
[1:53:58] could very easily put you
[1:54:00] above the 20% threshold, based
[1:54:02] on the number
[1:54:03] of positions we actually have
[1:54:05] within the group. Next up is
[1:54:06] the maintenance worker 2,
[1:54:07] continuous year-round
[1:54:08] recruitments
[1:54:09] to maintain candidate pool. So
[1:54:10] we're ensuring that we're
[1:54:12] continuously looking
[1:54:13] at that list as opposed
[1:54:14] to waiting for vacancies
[1:54:15] to occur. The average
[1:54:17] turnaround time to actually get
[1:54:18] these lists prepared,
[1:54:19] it takes us 3 business days.
[1:54:20] Last one is the treatment plan
[1:54:21] operator 4. This is now a
[1:54:23] continuous year-round
[1:54:24] recruitment
[1:54:25] to maintain candidate pool in
[1:54:26] the event that we have a
[1:54:27] separation from this group.
[1:54:29] And again, it's taking us
[1:54:30] about 3 days to, to, 3 business
[1:54:32] days to turn
[1:54:33] around getting candidates to
[1:54:34] the process. so what are we
[1:54:37] doing from a compensation
[1:54:38] workplace enhancements to
[1:54:40] support recruitment and
[1:54:42] retention? The board approved a
[1:54:43] successor MOU for 2024
[1:54:45] through 2027, a member
[1:54:47] understanding providing
[1:54:48] multiple-year compensation
[1:54:50] stability that included
[1:54:51] increased employer medical
[1:54:52] premium contributions to reduce
[1:54:54] employees' healthcare costs.
[1:54:55] We've implemented 14% total
[1:54:58] salary increases over the term
[1:54:59] of this contract, including a
[1:55:01] new top salary step increasing
[1:55:03] maximum pay, by 2.5%. And, and
[1:55:04] the board approved 10% salary
[1:55:06] equity adjustments
[1:55:07] for the maintenance worker 1
[1:55:08] through 3 series, along
[1:55:10] with the, Treatment Plant
[1:55:11] Operator 1 through 4
[1:55:13] classifications. These efforts
[1:55:16] have strengthened the county's
[1:55:19] ability
[1:55:20] to recruit and retain employees
[1:55:21] in historically hard-to-fill
[1:55:23] positions. I'd like
[1:55:27] to thank the board, our CEO
[1:55:29] Luther, along with our
[1:55:30] assistant executive officers
[1:55:32] and department executives
[1:55:33] for collaborating with Human
[1:55:34] Resources and filling our
[1:55:36] vacancies, along
[1:55:37] with our chief financial
[1:55:38] officer
[1:55:39] for creating opportunities
[1:55:40] for us to recruit and retain a
[1:55:42] talented the workforce. Does
[1:55:43] the board have any questions,
[1:55:44] comments, or for me?
[1:55:46] >> Thank you very much
[1:55:47] for that presentation.
[1:55:48] Supervisor Hagman.
[1:55:49] >> It's not
[1:55:50] like I broke a record today,
[1:55:52] but again, I appreciate that
[1:55:53] you put last year's
[1:55:54] percentages,
[1:55:55] but as this is a requirement
[1:55:56] to do annual reporting now,
[1:55:58] it'd be nice
[1:55:59] to start just yeah,
[1:56:00] just trend it in,
[1:56:02] in so we can look
[1:56:03] at overall trends
[1:56:04] over the years. And just one
[1:56:05] cheat sheet that shows year
[1:56:07] to year for future.
[1:56:08] But great reporting. Thank you.
[1:56:10] >> Thank you, sir.
[1:56:12] >> Do we have any represented
[1:56:13] groups here today wishing
[1:56:15] to speak, present?
[1:56:21] >> Yes, John Richardson.
[1:56:24] >> Good afternoon. Please feel
[1:56:26] free to come on down here.
[1:56:28] Yeah, I don't know,
[1:56:29] it's your preference.
[1:56:36] >> Good morning. I'm
[1:56:39] in the unenviable position
[1:56:41] of being between you guys and
[1:56:44] lunch and the rest
[1:56:46] of the folks here, so I
[1:56:47] appreciate you indulging me.
[1:56:49] for those
[1:56:50] of you don't know me here, I
[1:56:51] think I met most the board
[1:56:53] members so far. My name is
[1:56:54] John Richardson. I am a deputy
[1:56:56] DA. I've been a 21-year county
[1:56:58] employee and I'm the current
[1:57:00] president of the San
[1:57:01] Bernardino County Public
[1:57:03] Attorneys Association. We
[1:57:04] represent the deputy DAs,
[1:57:06] deputy public defenders,
[1:57:07] and the deputy child support
[1:57:08] attorneys,
[1:57:10] in this county. I would
[1:57:11] actually like to thank the
[1:57:13] board and the county staff for
[1:57:14] this presentation because I
[1:57:15] think it's very helpful. I
[1:57:16] spent a number
[1:57:17] of years working in HR, and I
[1:57:19] think it's important the public
[1:57:20] can kind of see some of the
[1:57:21] strides and efforts the
[1:57:22] county's making and that HR is
[1:57:24] making to, to fill positions
[1:57:25] and do this work. So I,
[1:57:26] I do appreciate this. I'd also
[1:57:28] like
[1:57:29] to acknowledge and I don't, I
[1:57:31] don't know if we have any reps
[1:57:33] here but reps from the Public
[1:57:34] Defender's Office, District
[1:57:35] Attorney's Office, child
[1:57:37] support, and HR,
[1:57:38] for the work they've done in
[1:57:39] filling not just our positions
[1:57:41] but positions in the county,
[1:57:42] countywide. I know it takes a
[1:57:44] lot of work,
[1:57:46] and it takes more than just
[1:57:48] Leo here. Leo knows he has a
[1:57:49] whole staff
[1:57:50] behind him doing the work
[1:57:51] to get that done, and we
[1:57:53] appreciate that. one important
[1:57:54] thing I think Leo talked
[1:57:55] about it a little bit,
[1:57:57] and I think Supervisor, Hagman
[1:57:58] kind of touched
[1:58:00] on is that these each
[1:58:01] of those presentations kind
[1:58:02] of demonstrate kind
[1:58:04] of a snapshot in time. It
[1:58:05] demonstrates a snapshot now.
[1:58:06] It may not be reflective
[1:58:07] of what it looked like a month
[1:58:09] ago or what it's going to look
[1:58:10] like in a month because people
[1:58:11] could leave, right? May have
[1:58:13] done a big recruitment a month
[1:58:14] ago, but
[1:58:16] at least as a result,
[1:58:17] involves our membership. You
[1:58:18] saw about a vacancy rate of
[1:58:19] about 10% currently. That's
[1:58:20] what that snapshot revealed.
[1:58:21] and obviously, our members fill
[1:58:24] this critical role
[1:58:25] of ensuring that the, the
[1:58:26] community is protected and that
[1:58:28] people's constitutional rights
[1:58:29] are protected as well. What the
[1:58:33] snapshot does not reveal is the
[1:58:34] ongoing struggles, though,
[1:58:35] that the Public Defender's
[1:58:37] Office, the DA's Office, and
[1:58:38] Child Support have had
[1:58:40] in filling some of those
[1:58:42] positions. I'll tell you, the
[1:58:43] county is facing serious
[1:58:44] recruitment and retention
[1:58:45] challenges. San Bernardino
[1:58:47] County continues to struggle
[1:58:49] to compete
[1:58:50] with neighboring jurisdictions,
[1:58:51] most importantly Riverside
[1:58:54] County. District attorneys and
[1:58:55] public defendants er, public
[1:58:57] defenders are experiencing
[1:58:58] significant turnover
[1:58:59] among newer attorneys. One of
[1:59:00] the things that wasn't
[1:59:02] highlighted in this is that
[1:59:03] amongst our newer attorneys,
[1:59:05] we're seeing turnover
[1:59:07] in the range of nearly 40%. So
[1:59:08] what you see is folks come
[1:59:10] in because we're able
[1:59:11] to recruit and get them in,
[1:59:12] but we're seeing them leave.
[1:59:13] After just a couple years. And
[1:59:14] one of the major reasons
[1:59:15] they're doing that is they're
[1:59:16] going to some of our
[1:59:17] surrounding competitors.
[1:59:18] they're leaving to go
[1:59:20] to competitors like LA
[1:59:21] County, Riverside County,
[1:59:22] Orange County, as well as some
[1:59:24] local municipalities like
[1:59:25] Riverside, Burbank, Long
[1:59:26] Beach, and Pasadena. What
[1:59:30] Riverside what we're seeing
[1:59:31] in Riverside is Riverside's now
[1:59:32] providing significant increases
[1:59:33] to their district attorneys and
[1:59:34] public defenders, and by July
[1:59:36] Riverside attorneys, we're,
[1:59:37] being paid roughly $14,000 more
[1:59:39] a year than San Bernardino
[1:59:40] County attorneys. And that,
[1:59:43] that's an area where our folks
[1:59:44] are leaving to. They get some
[1:59:45] good experience here,
[1:59:47] and I'll tell you, many of
[1:59:48] these what we're seeing these
[1:59:49] other,
[1:59:50] municipalities is that they
[1:59:51] like to take laterals, right?
[1:59:52] Because those are people who've
[1:59:53] already demonstrated that they
[1:59:54] can do the job, that they know
[1:59:56] what they're doing. And what
[1:59:57] we're seeing is other
[1:59:58] municipalities poaching our
[1:59:59] people. Now,
[2:00:02] for the last several years,
[2:00:03] San Bernardino County has been
[2:00:04] a constant state
[2:00:05] of recruitment.
[2:00:08] For our attorneys. As recently
[2:00:10] as just 4 years ago, the county
[2:00:11] actually would just hold 2
[2:00:12] recruitments year-round,
[2:00:14] and it was timed around the
[2:00:15] time the bar passage would come
[2:00:17] out. Well, 2 recruitments
[2:00:19] year-round,
[2:00:20] they were successful
[2:00:21] in filling vacancies, but
[2:00:23] around 2023, the sister the
[2:00:24] situation became a lot more
[2:00:25] urgent. What we started to see
[2:00:26] was that our internal
[2:00:27] comparables began
[2:00:28] to become misaligned with 50
[2:00:30] years
[2:00:31] of county tradition and also
[2:00:32] with surrounding counties.
[2:00:33] Turnover began
[2:00:34] to increase and the number
[2:00:35] of applicants began
[2:00:37] to dwindle. Now, I'm thankful
[2:00:38] that Human Resources have been
[2:00:39] a partner in this,
[2:00:41] and they were able
[2:00:42] to assist with, what Leo
[2:00:43] actually touched on,
[2:00:44] what they did with the
[2:00:45] treatment plant operators was
[2:00:46] doing ongoing recruitment
[2:00:47] year-round
[2:00:48] to fill our positions. And so
[2:00:50] they do it year-round rather
[2:00:51] than just twice a year.
[2:00:52] But even it being year-round,
[2:00:53] our ongoing recruitment,
[2:00:55] we continue to struggle
[2:00:56] to fill those vacancies. Now,
[2:00:57] I'm thankful
[2:00:58] for the board that we have And
[2:01:00] this board, I can tell you,
[2:01:01] the Sheriff Dykes and
[2:01:03] District Attorney Jason
[2:01:04] Anderson have demonstrated
[2:01:05] through collaborative efforts
[2:01:07] time and again the safety of
[2:01:08] our community is the highest
[2:01:10] priority. And that's what this
[2:01:11] is all about. If we cannot
[2:01:12] adequately recruit and retain
[2:01:14] frontline attorneys,
[2:01:16] we will not be able to protect
[2:01:17] the vulnerable members of our
[2:01:19] community and ensure that our
[2:01:20] community's rights are
[2:01:22] defended. I look forward
[2:01:23] to working with the board and
[2:01:25] county staff, Leo staff to fix
[2:01:26] these problems so that we can
[2:01:27] realign our attorneys
[2:01:29] internally and
[2:01:30] in the job market. Restoring
[2:01:32] parity is necessary
[2:01:33] to maintain fairness,
[2:01:35] preserve internal consistency,
[2:01:36] and ensure San Bernardino
[2:01:38] County remains competitive with
[2:01:40] surrounding jurisdictions so
[2:01:41] that we can recruit and retain
[2:01:43] those attorneys who are going
[2:01:44] to protect our community.
[2:01:47] >> Thank you.
[2:01:49] >> Thank you very much. We have
[2:01:50] any questions from board,
[2:01:52] board members? No, thank you
[2:01:54] very much. This is a receive
[2:01:55] and file, and I don't believe I
[2:01:57] have anybody here, although I
[2:01:58] do recall it was a public
[2:02:00] hearing, so I should close the
[2:02:01] public hearing. I'll do that.
[2:02:02] All right,
[2:02:03] thank you both.
[2:02:04] >> Thank you all.
[2:02:06] >> I didn't want
[2:02:07] to make a scene
[2:02:09] over here waving. I just,
[2:02:10] I just wanted
[2:02:11] to make a quick comment.
[2:02:12] When, when I joined,
[2:02:13] the county as the COO about 5
[2:02:14] years ago,
[2:02:17] our vacancy rates were close
[2:02:19] to 20%, and even
[2:02:23] since that time,
[2:02:25] we've increased about 3,000
[2:02:26] additional positions as a
[2:02:29] county. And today, here we sit
[2:02:33] with a vacancy rate 14.6%. I,
[2:02:36] I want to give kudos
[2:02:37] to staff, as well as
[2:02:39] to our board for the work
[2:02:40] of making investments
[2:02:44] in our staff,
[2:02:45] in the wages that we pay,
[2:02:47] in the,
[2:02:48] the work that staff has done
[2:02:49] to really go out and recruit
[2:02:51] and do the hard work
[2:02:52] of finding, and our then the
[2:02:54] work our departments are doing
[2:02:55] of retaining those talented
[2:02:57] people. It has been incredible
[2:02:58] to see it, to watch it,
[2:03:00] to be part of it. Yesterday, I
[2:03:01] have the privilege of speaking
[2:03:03] at every new employee
[2:03:05] orientation, and I stood
[2:03:07] in this room. There were 97
[2:03:10] smiling faces who may or may
[2:03:13] not have slept the night
[2:03:14] before as they came in excited
[2:03:15] to start a new career. And I
[2:03:17] asked them, who here is this
[2:03:18] your first government job? And
[2:03:20] about 90%
[2:03:22] of the room raised their hand.
[2:03:24] It is fantastic to see
[2:03:26] government service alive and
[2:03:28] well and playing out every day
[2:03:29] in this county. I, I just,
[2:03:31] I just wanted
[2:03:34] to make the comment. There are
[2:03:35] so many people involved
[2:03:36] in this process.
[2:03:37] From our unions as well,
[2:03:38] advocating
[2:03:39] for their employees. It really
[2:03:40] is a beautiful thing
[2:03:41] to see all the way around. And
[2:03:42] I think we do an exceptionally
[2:03:44] good job here as a county
[2:03:45] in prioritizing our people,
[2:03:47] our staff,
[2:03:50] and doing a fantastic job. So
[2:03:52] kudos to the board for the
[2:03:54] investments they've made.
[2:03:55] Kudos to Leo and his team,
[2:03:56] Mr. Richardson and his
[2:03:57] counterparts and other it
[2:03:59] really is we all,
[2:04:01] sometimes we fight. That's
[2:04:03] okay. That's what we should do.
[2:04:04] because but we are aligned
[2:04:06] in what we're trying
[2:04:07] to accomplish,
[2:04:08] which is taking care
[2:04:09] of our people. And so I just
[2:04:10] wanted
[2:04:11] to make those comments.
[2:04:13] Luther, if he wasn't fine,
[2:04:16] he wouldn't be doing his job,
[2:04:18] so he's doing good too.
[2:04:19] But thank you very much
[2:04:20] for letting me.
[2:04:22] >> Thank you all very much. We
[2:04:23] appreciate the presentation.
[2:04:24] We are going to recess. We'll
[2:04:25] be back here
[2:04:26] at 12:20.
[2:04:27] [RECESS]
[2:21:15] >> Good afternoon and welcome
[2:21:17] back. Steve Rogers, would you
[2:21:19] like to speak first
[2:21:20] since you're standing up there?
[2:21:23] If you're ready, we're going
[2:21:25] to move on
[2:21:26] to our public comment
[2:21:27] for items not on the agenda.
[2:21:29] As a reminder,
[2:21:30] our speakers will have 3
[2:21:31] minutes and the light will
[2:21:32] flash yellow as it gets
[2:21:34] to the end and you have 30
[2:21:35] seconds left. And good
[2:21:36] afternoon, Steve, whenever
[2:21:37] you're ready.
[2:21:49] >> Madam Chair, Board of
[2:21:52] Supervisors, Steve Rogers,
[2:21:54] Redlands. I came today
[2:21:57] to speak with the Board of
[2:22:00] Supervisors
[2:22:02] about my experience on,
[2:22:04] here recently in trying
[2:22:09] to deal with,
[2:22:13] situation. I contacted the DA's
[2:22:15] office, I contacted the fraud,
[2:22:20] waste, and abuse hotline,
[2:22:23] through, Henson Mason's office.
[2:22:28] And basically, as I said when
[2:22:31] I, I attended the last Board
[2:22:33] of Supervisors meeting,
[2:22:35] I'm appalled
[2:22:36] by what the board is attempting
[2:22:39] to do with Henson Mason. And I,
[2:22:44] I received this mailer,
[2:22:46] this hit piece that I consider
[2:22:48] to be complete fake news. It
[2:22:53] has all the Board of
[2:22:54] Supervisors
[2:22:56] on the bottom endorsing,
[2:22:59] this. And I believe this is,
[2:23:02] is on the verge
[2:23:03] of it's election, election
[2:23:05] rigging,
[2:23:07] as is the entire situation
[2:23:10] of the, this investigation
[2:23:17] being brought up when it was
[2:23:18] not an agendized item and the
[2:23:20] board voted
[2:23:22] on it and approved and,
[2:23:23] and went forward with an
[2:23:25] investigation that was not
[2:23:27] on the agenda. That's a
[2:23:29] violation of the Brown Act. So
[2:23:30] this whole thing is,
[2:23:32] is just a political shenanigan.
[2:23:36] And, I, I've sent over a public
[2:23:42] comment. I'm not sure if that's
[2:23:44] what is being received
[2:23:45] at this time, but,
[2:23:47] I was gonna read the last,
[2:23:48] paragraph where I'm requesting
[2:23:55] that my,
[2:23:59] my case that's being held up by
[2:24:01] the district attorney's office
[2:24:03] and involves, the board's
[2:24:06] biggest campaign contributor
[2:24:07] that, that case be moved to
[2:24:10] Riverside County, because this
[2:24:16] board and the DA both have a
[2:24:20] considerable, conflict
[2:24:21] of interest with the subject
[2:24:24] matter involved here. This is a
[2:24:26] developer that was the same
[2:24:29] developers involved in the,
[2:24:30] in the county,
[2:24:31] in the county scandal,
[2:24:34] involving the, Colonies
[2:24:38] project. So, I mean,
[2:24:41] I'm requesting that it be moved
[2:24:43] to Riverside County, to the
[2:24:44] Riverside County Sheriff and
[2:24:46] DA.
[2:24:48] >> That's time. Thank you very
[2:24:51] much. Garth Pesant, if you're
[2:24:52] ready, we'll have you up next,
[2:24:53] followed by Carlo.
[2:25:09] >> My name is Garth Benjamin,
[2:25:13] I have the combination
[2:25:14] to every prison break
[2:25:16] in the state of California. It
[2:25:18] is called ineffective
[2:25:21] assistance of counsel. They
[2:25:22] tried to keep me for life in 2
[2:25:25] prisons and 3 state hospitals.
[2:25:27] I'm out, and you can get
[2:25:29] out too. Just listen to me.
[2:25:32] To District Attorney Jason
[2:25:33] Anderson, your department,
[2:25:36] civil rights attorney Aaron
[2:25:39] Zisser, Sheriff Deputy,
[2:25:40] Deputy Investigator
[2:25:42] Leatherman, and its internal
[2:25:44] affairs officers, and San
[2:25:46] Bernardino City Mayor Helen
[2:25:48] Tran are alleged
[2:25:50] to be involved in conspiracy
[2:25:52] to cover tampering
[2:25:54] with evidence and obstruction
[2:25:56] of justice as a fiduciary
[2:25:59] breach in an October 8th, 2020
[2:26:03] officer-involved shooting body
[2:26:06] camera rigging victimizing
[2:26:08] Garth Pezzant Sr. I will get
[2:26:11] justice. Google my success rate
[2:26:14] and consult your demonic gods
[2:26:16] that you may know who I am. We
[2:26:20] the people, for the people,
[2:26:22] by the people. We the people
[2:26:24] did not create this earth we
[2:26:26] live on, and it did not come
[2:26:28] about by chance. The
[2:26:30] legislature are new laws
[2:26:32] created by mankind. It does not
[2:26:34] belong to us
[2:26:36] to survive independently from
[2:26:38] God. That is why Armageddon
[2:26:41] will come, not to destroy the
[2:26:43] elements that sustain us,
[2:26:45] Armageddon will destroy those
[2:26:48] of us whom are wicked. Seek
[2:26:49] Jehovah while you are still
[2:26:51] alive. You are
[2:26:54] before the highest court
[2:26:55] in the universe
[2:26:56] for committing one of the most
[2:26:58] heinous crimes imaginable. All
[2:27:00] the angels and all the peoples
[2:27:02] are witnessing your case. No
[2:27:04] defense attorney nor district
[2:27:06] attorney are present. You are
[2:27:09] about
[2:27:10] to be convicted and sentenced.
[2:27:12] Jehovah God says, son,
[2:27:14] I forgive you. You are now
[2:27:16] sentenced to life eternal,
[2:27:18] unrestricted,
[2:27:20] to turn this earth
[2:27:22] into a paradise along with your
[2:27:24] fellow humans forever.
[2:27:29] >> Thank you, Carlo, followed
[2:27:31] by Derek Rutherford.
[2:27:50] >> Good afternoon, board. the
[2:27:55] first point that I want
[2:27:57] to make is it's, it's a heavy
[2:27:59] topic and it's a heavy subject.
[2:28:02] So a mom reached out
[2:28:03] to me not too long ago on my
[2:28:05] TikTok channel, SigIsLife, and
[2:28:09] she mentioned and, spoke to me
[2:28:12] about her 2-month-old baby
[2:28:15] passing away in the system.
[2:28:17] And now, she's afraid that CFS
[2:28:21] is gonna try to take her other
[2:28:23] children away this Friday. if
[2:28:27] we can have a conversation here
[2:28:28] about that issue here
[2:28:31] after this, I'd appreciate it
[2:28:32] so that way we can get some
[2:28:33] eyes on,
[2:28:35] on the actual details. And
[2:28:37] again, I'm at this point where
[2:28:38] I don't really trust CFS if
[2:28:39] there were any false
[2:28:41] allegations in part of this,
[2:28:45] because I would say and you all
[2:28:46] know my story already that if a
[2:28:48] person can grope her children,
[2:28:52] spray them in the face
[2:28:53] with sulfuric acid,
[2:28:55] and body slam them
[2:28:57] for having a Bible gets 100%
[2:28:58] custody, then we have
[2:29:00] to also look at the 14th
[2:29:02] Amendment across the board
[2:29:04] for other, families. Second
[2:29:07] point I want to make is there
[2:29:09] was an immigrant family that I
[2:29:11] met at the court. Now, this is
[2:29:12] what I'm also doing for, to
[2:29:14] help the board understand
[2:29:15] what's going on,
[2:29:16] is that the late filings. But
[2:29:19] this immigrant family went
[2:29:20] there,
[2:29:21] didn't understand what they
[2:29:22] were signing,
[2:29:24] and the social worker told her,
[2:29:25] if you don't sign this case
[2:29:26] plan, it can go a lot worse
[2:29:30] for you. And in that case plan
[2:29:32] was the word adoption
[2:29:33] at the end of it. Are we
[2:29:37] coercing families to sign case
[2:29:39] plans that they agree to
[2:29:43] adoption? this is an immigrant
[2:29:50] family from Mexico. not even 2
[2:29:53] years in this country. And what
[2:29:55] are we doing? Let's look
[2:29:58] at the case again, right?
[2:30:01] Let's look at it. Let's tease
[2:30:03] out all the false allegations.
[2:30:06] And then again, what these late
[2:30:09] filings do what these late
[2:30:11] filings do is not a I don't
[2:30:12] know how,
[2:30:15] how we can just stand and look
[2:30:17] at each other in the face and
[2:30:19] say this is okay, this practice
[2:30:21] is okay. I remember talking
[2:30:22] to Ms. Glasgow on the phone
[2:30:24] when I was handed my late
[2:30:25] filings after the hearing.
[2:30:27] Okay, and then these people are
[2:30:30] getting their paperwork and
[2:30:32] they have no chance
[2:30:36] to respond. Every time I go
[2:30:38] there, it's almost everybody
[2:30:39] it's the same thing,
[2:30:41] it's the same thing. They sit
[2:30:44] there with no paperwork and
[2:30:45] then someone comes up with a
[2:30:47] cart here's your paperwork
[2:30:48] right before their hearing.
[2:30:49] Thank you.
[2:30:52] >> Thank you. Derek Rutherford
[2:30:53] followed by Leticia Howard.
[2:30:57] >> Good morning, Chair Rowe and
[2:30:58] members
[2:31:00] of the board. my name is
[2:31:01] Derek Rutherford. I live at
[2:31:05] 14944 El Carrizo Road
[2:31:07] in unincorporated County
[2:31:09] Pocket in Victorville. I'm here
[2:31:11] for, to request board action
[2:31:12] on County Code Section
[2:31:15] 83.01.080. On April 29th,
[2:31:17] 2026, San Bernardino County
[2:31:21] stated on Facebook that the
[2:31:22] board and county public service
[2:31:23] professionals work
[2:31:25] to create an outstanding
[2:31:27] quality of life for residents
[2:31:28] and visitors. I am here because
[2:31:31] that statement does not reflect
[2:31:32] my family's lived experience.
[2:31:34] For approximately 8 years,
[2:31:36] repeated bass intrusion from
[2:31:38] the same neighboring source has
[2:31:40] continued inside of our home.
[2:31:42] This is not ordinary noise.
[2:31:44] Low-frequency bass can travel
[2:31:46] through the walls and be felt
[2:31:48] inside of our home. The current
[2:31:51] 55 decibel A standard does not
[2:31:54] fully capture low-frequency
[2:31:56] bass. Because A-weighted is
[2:31:59] designed for ordinary speech
[2:32:01] and traffic noise, the decibel
[2:32:03] level A scale essentially turns
[2:32:04] a blind eye to bass. It's
[2:32:06] like trying
[2:32:07] to record bass disturbances
[2:32:09] with an iPhone, which,
[2:32:10] also filters out low-frequency
[2:32:11] bass. I'm asking the county
[2:32:14] to add a C-weighting, decibel
[2:32:17] C, or Hertz-based standard so
[2:32:19] bass vibrations from large
[2:32:21] stereos can be measured and
[2:32:23] enforced. Health and Safety
[2:32:25] Code 46000, California's
[2:32:27] Noise Control Act, should be
[2:32:29] used to support this request.
[2:32:30] Excessive noise is a serious
[2:32:32] public health threat and
[2:32:34] mandates state and local
[2:32:37] governments to protect citizens
[2:32:39] welfare and peaceful living
[2:32:41] conditions. If the county truly
[2:32:42] wants
[2:32:44] to create an outstanding
[2:32:45] quality of life
[2:32:47] for residents and visitors,
[2:32:48] then the county should review
[2:32:50] and update its noise ordinance
[2:32:51] and consider adopting a
[2:32:53] Roseville-style noise standard,
[2:32:56] Chapter 9.24, as an example,
[2:32:59] including enforceable
[2:33:00] low-frequency bass or
[2:33:02] vibration-based Measurements.
[2:33:05] I'm asking the board
[2:33:06] to direct staff
[2:33:08] to review subsection
[2:33:09] 83.01.080, study standards
[2:33:13] like Roseville City noise
[2:33:15] standard, and bring back an
[2:33:16] ordinance update that gives
[2:33:18] residents a real remedy
[2:33:20] for chronic base intrusion
[2:33:22] in one's home. Court-specific
[2:33:24] evidence needs to be objective
[2:33:26] to obtain lasting solutions in
[2:33:28] today's criminal justice
[2:33:30] system. No family should be
[2:33:32] controlled inside their home by
[2:33:34] harassing neighbors based
[2:33:37] intrusion allowed
[2:33:39] by an ambiguous code. If county
[2:33:41] code or statute is too vague,
[2:33:44] it cannot be enforced by law,
[2:33:46] leaving an actual quality of
[2:33:48] life that is not outstanding.
[2:33:51] Thank you for your time.
[2:33:54] >> Thank you. Latisha Howard
[2:33:57] followed by Victoria Perez.
[2:34:05] >> I stand here today hoping
[2:34:07] that someone with a heart will
[2:34:10] listen and take action. When we
[2:34:11] come to these meetings, we are
[2:34:13] not here threatening anyone.
[2:34:14] We are not aggressive. We are
[2:34:16] asking for help for our
[2:34:17] children and our families. Our
[2:34:19] mothers are we are excuse me,
[2:34:20] we are mothers, fathers,
[2:34:22] grandparents and advocates
[2:34:24] asking the board
[2:34:25] to investigate San Bernardino
[2:34:27] County Children and Family
[2:34:28] Services. My concern today is,
[2:34:30] why does Jeanne Glasgow feel
[2:34:32] like she needs to be escorted
[2:34:34] out by sheriffs when she
[2:34:36] leaves? and there's no threat
[2:34:37] against her. Are taxpayers
[2:34:38] funding protection for
[2:34:40] criminals while our children
[2:34:42] are the ones who are
[2:34:44] in danger? While she walks out
[2:34:45] with security escorts,
[2:34:46] children
[2:34:47] in the county are being abused,
[2:34:48] neglected, and trafficked
[2:34:49] through a system that is
[2:34:51] supposed to protect them, and
[2:34:52] families cannot even get a
[2:34:53] simple investigation open.
[2:34:55] Parents are being ignored,
[2:34:56] evidence is being ignored,
[2:34:58] complaints are being ignored.
[2:35:00] Jeanie is the one signing off
[2:35:01] on these, on these actions. So
[2:35:03] I ask again,
[2:35:05] are our tax dollars being used
[2:35:07] to protect the criminals
[2:35:08] instead of the children? Today
[2:35:10] I call on advocates,
[2:35:12] civil rights leaders,
[2:35:13] attorneys, media outlets,
[2:35:14] churches,
[2:35:15] and community organizations.
[2:35:17] We need your help. Family,
[2:35:18] families across this county are
[2:35:20] saying the same thing over and
[2:35:22] over again. Children are being
[2:35:23] illegally removed and pushed
[2:35:25] towards adoption
[2:35:26] for financial incentives tied
[2:35:28] to Title IV-E funding
[2:35:29] under the Social Security Act.
[2:35:31] Before anyone dismisses us as
[2:35:32] emotional parents,
[2:35:34] understand this: we have
[2:35:35] documentation, we have
[2:35:37] recordings, court records,
[2:35:38] medical records, and other
[2:35:39] evidence. I am personally
[2:35:40] willing
[2:35:42] to provide my entire file
[2:35:43] to anyone who is willing to
[2:35:44] help fight this battle and
[2:35:46] expose what is happening
[2:35:47] to families. We have
[2:35:49] complained, we have filed
[2:35:50] complaints, we have asked
[2:35:52] for investigations,
[2:35:53] and nobody seems to care
[2:35:54] about nobody seems to care
[2:35:56] because too many people are
[2:35:57] benefiting financially off
[2:35:58] of the backs of stolen children
[2:36:00] and broken families.
[2:36:01] At this point, will somebody
[2:36:03] in at what point will somebody
[2:36:04] in power decide to protect our
[2:36:05] children rather than
[2:36:07] to protect the system? And
[2:36:08] in case you haven't noticed,
[2:36:09] We're not going away. it's time
[2:36:12] for it's time for us
[2:36:14] to change the narrative. Stop
[2:36:15] letting them control what is
[2:36:16] being done with our money.
[2:36:18] People, we need
[2:36:19] to register and get registered
[2:36:20] to vote and then vote. If
[2:36:22] current if the current people
[2:36:24] in power are not willing
[2:36:25] to do their jobs,
[2:36:26] replace them. If they are not
[2:36:28] working for the people,
[2:36:29] replace them. We have the
[2:36:31] power, but until people
[2:36:33] understand that the act that
[2:36:34] action needs
[2:36:35] to be taken place,
[2:36:37] what is happening
[2:36:38] to our families will continue
[2:36:41] And it will get worse. Thank
[2:36:44] >> Thank you. Victoria Perez
[2:36:46] followed by Andrea Wade. Do we
[2:36:55] have Victoria Perez? Andrea
[2:37:01] Wade? And then next up is Corey,
[2:37:05] followed by Mark Lee. All
[2:37:13] right, Victoria Perez, going
[2:37:14] once, going twice. Andrea
[2:37:18] Wade, last call. We have Corey
[2:37:24] followed by Mark Lee. Do we
[2:37:28] have Corey in the house? Yes,
[2:37:29] sir, either side.
[2:37:37] >> Hi, I'm Corey Tarallo and I
[2:37:38] manage a large business in
[2:37:40] San Bernardino County. I've
[2:37:41] been here a couple times before
[2:37:43] and I am back because I read
[2:37:44] that Ensign Mason said the
[2:37:45] investigation
[2:37:47] into his ethical conflict is
[2:37:48] over and I wanted
[2:37:49] to get an update. So thank you
[2:37:51] for that. In the meantime, I
[2:37:53] did my own research and I have
[2:37:54] discovered some alarming
[2:37:55] information In addition
[2:37:57] to profiting from his role as
[2:37:59] the auditor controller
[2:38:00] treasurer tax collector while
[2:38:01] simultaneously running an
[2:38:02] investment company full-time,
[2:38:04] he was up to even worse
[2:38:06] unforgivable things at the
[2:38:07] county. I have discovered that
[2:38:11] Ensign Mason employed a child
[2:38:12] sex predator
[2:38:14] at his county office.
[2:38:16] However, this is not even the
[2:38:18] worst part. Unbelievably, he
[2:38:20] kept them on payroll for over
[2:38:21] 4 months after he was arrested
[2:38:22] at the Auditor Controller's
[2:38:25] Office here in the county. 4
[2:38:27] months. Worse still is that
[2:38:30] this child sex predator lived
[2:38:32] at Ensign Mason's house,
[2:38:34] which was raided by the police
[2:38:36] for child pornography. Why am
[2:38:38] why am I paying taxes for
[2:38:39] Ensign Mason to employ a child
[2:38:41] sex predator who lives
[2:38:42] with him? This doesn't make any
[2:38:43] sense. He should never have
[2:38:45] been hired at our expense after
[2:38:46] he was arrested the first time
[2:38:48] He should have been terminated
[2:38:50] immediately. But to have him
[2:38:52] arrested a second time at the
[2:38:53] county office is unfathomable.
[2:38:55] I hope you make your
[2:38:57] investigation on Ensign Mason
[2:38:59] public because we deserve
[2:39:00] to know all that he has done to
[2:39:02] endanger the taxpayer dollars
[2:39:03] and mismanage this county. And
[2:39:05] in my hand, if you would like
[2:39:07] to see it, I have the
[2:39:08] Superior Superior Court of
[2:39:10] California, County of San
[2:39:11] Bernardino search warrant that
[2:39:13] was issued to his,
[2:39:14] his residence. Thank you.
[2:39:20] >> Thank you. Next up we have
[2:39:22] Mark Lee, and then we're going
[2:39:23] to go back to somebody else
[2:39:27] that just popped in. Sir, go
[2:39:31] right ahead.
[2:39:33] >> Okay, I'm Mark Lee. I thank
[2:39:34] you for, for a few minutes of
[2:39:36] your time. I'm here again. I
[2:39:38] thank you for your
[2:39:39] investigation. I'm back here
[2:39:40] again today. I read
[2:39:43] in the newspaper that Mr.
[2:39:44] Mason seems
[2:39:45] to think that us citizens
[2:39:46] of our county mean nothing,
[2:39:48] that our discovery
[2:39:49] of his conflict
[2:39:51] of interest is some kind
[2:39:52] of scheme. Double dipping is a
[2:39:54] conflict of interest. It's not
[2:39:56] a scheme. It's thank you again
[2:39:58] for investigating. This is the
[2:40:01] same man who scrubbed his
[2:40:02] financial website the very same
[2:40:04] night
[2:40:06] after he was exposed here
[2:40:07] in public comment.
[2:40:09] In its clearest, clearest
[2:40:10] terms,
[2:40:12] he's using his public position
[2:40:13] to enrich himself. This is the
[2:40:15] fiscal watchdog of our county
[2:40:17] orchestrating a cover-up. It's
[2:40:18] pathetic. And I thought that
[2:40:22] was enough to throw this crony
[2:40:24] out of office until I heard
[2:40:25] that his home was raided. Get
[2:40:26] this child pornography. It's
[2:40:28] public record. No wonder this
[2:40:32] guy posted, in his own words,
[2:40:34] that he has been silent
[2:40:36] about corruption for almost 7
[2:40:37] years. He's orchestrated One
[2:40:38] of the biggest cover-ups
[2:40:40] in this county's history. He
[2:40:41] has betrayed the trust
[2:40:43] of the public. He should resign
[2:40:45] office immediately. Thank you.
[2:40:53] >> Thank you, Melinda. Did we
[2:40:54] have someone up there that was
[2:40:55] trying to speak?
[2:40:56] >> All right,
[2:40:57] then our last request
[2:40:58] to speak is Kresha, and I don't
[2:41:00] know how to say Kresha's last
[2:41:01] name. How do you pronounce your
[2:41:10] last name?
[2:41:11] >> Kell. Thank you. My name is
[2:41:13] Cresha Kell. I'm the mother
[2:41:15] of Adon Kell, a 2-year-old
[2:41:16] child who's been
[2:41:18] in foster care. I left my son
[2:41:19] with his father, who reported
[2:41:21] to authorities that he did not
[2:41:23] know me or my son. I was
[2:41:26] arrested for abandonment. The
[2:41:27] DA never picked up charges.
[2:41:29] Charges were never filed. It
[2:41:31] was a tool that the social
[2:41:32] worker and the officer used
[2:41:34] to take custody of my child
[2:41:35] without a search warrant and
[2:41:37] without a petition
[2:41:39] to the courts. This happens on
[2:41:40] a regular basis. CFS will
[2:41:41] create the emergency
[2:41:42] circumstance and remove your
[2:41:44] child. It has been 2 years. I
[2:41:47] have completed all courses and
[2:41:48] paid for additional courses
[2:41:50] out of my own pocket. My visits
[2:41:52] have been labeled detrimental,
[2:41:53] not because my son is abused,
[2:41:55] not because something bad
[2:41:56] happened
[2:41:58] to him or I said something
[2:41:59] to him. But because a social
[2:42:00] worker is mad because I called
[2:42:03] her Quasimodo. Because somebody
[2:42:04] said that my,
[2:42:05] my son's having nightmares and
[2:42:07] maybe, just maybe,
[2:42:08] it might be because of mom.
[2:42:10] But none of these tantrums or
[2:42:11] bad behavior ever persist
[2:42:13] during any of my visits. Every
[2:42:15] single monitor has labeled
[2:42:17] every one of my visits
[2:42:18] acceptable and appropriate,
[2:42:20] even the ones who go
[2:42:22] on court and say, I feel
[2:42:23] like this, I feel like this,
[2:42:25] she makes me feel belittled,
[2:42:27] so now I don't see my son.
[2:42:29] When are we going to uphold law
[2:42:31] and not people's opinion
[2:42:33] about their feelings? Not
[2:42:36] discernment. Discernment should
[2:42:37] not enter our courtrooms. That
[2:42:38] judge is there
[2:42:40] to make a decision. I used
[2:42:41] to be scared, scared to say
[2:42:43] about what happened to me,
[2:42:44] but now I'm going to yell it
[2:42:45] from the mountaintops because
[2:42:47] it doesn't matter. The
[2:42:48] consequences does not outweigh
[2:42:50] it outweighs the punishment.
[2:42:53] Regardless of the fact that,
[2:42:54] that man being
[2:42:55] on open child support,
[2:42:56] the county did no due diligence
[2:42:57] to bring my son back to me.
[2:42:59] Not one. We're here 2 years
[2:43:00] later. My son went
[2:43:02] to the hospital that day.
[2:43:03] Nothing wrong with him. No
[2:43:05] signs of neglect, no signs
[2:43:06] of abuse. Where's the risk
[2:43:07] in returning him to the place
[2:43:08] where he has no signs
[2:43:10] of risk or abuse? Instead, he's
[2:43:13] in the system. He now has RSV,
[2:43:15] He's anemic. He's not meeting
[2:43:17] his development he's not
[2:43:19] developing appropriately. He's
[2:43:21] not meeting his milestones.
[2:43:25] And yet he hasn't been able
[2:43:26] to return home,
[2:43:27] hasn't been able to see his 6
[2:43:29] brothers and sisters who I
[2:43:31] returned custody of,
[2:43:33] who were removed because
[2:43:35] of emotional damage over an
[2:43:36] event they were never there
[2:43:38] to see or hear about
[2:43:41] until CFF brought it
[2:43:43] to their attention. We called
[2:43:44] Paul Cook several times.
[2:43:45] Over and over and over. The
[2:43:47] only one who's able to step in
[2:43:48] and regulate what CFS is doing
[2:43:50] in my district. Has he done it?
[2:43:51] Nope. Open signs,
[2:43:53] clear signs. I'm coming
[2:43:54] for your job. This is a
[2:43:56] petition to recall you, Paul
[2:43:58] Cook. If you don't do something
[2:44:00] different,
[2:44:02] we will recall your ass. It
[2:44:04] don't make sense that we got
[2:44:06] to come up here 15, 5 families
[2:44:08] at a time asking for help. You
[2:44:10] do nothing. You play
[2:44:12] on your phones. You send these
[2:44:13] people up here
[2:44:15] to do that.
[2:44:18] >> That is the last request
[2:44:19] to speak that I have. We will
[2:44:20] now move on to our comments
[2:44:22] from our CEO, Luther.
[2:44:27] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. All
[2:44:33] right, thank you, Madam Chair.
[2:44:34] I appreciate that. I'd like
[2:44:36] to recognize our Workforce
[2:44:37] Development Department. I think
[2:44:39] Brad's still here. He is.
[2:44:40] they've been designated
[2:44:42] by the State of California as a
[2:44:43] high-performing workforce
[2:44:44] board. This is a 3-year
[2:44:46] designation. It's a prestigious
[2:44:47] designation,
[2:44:49] and it reflects the Workforce
[2:44:50] Development Department's,
[2:44:51] excellence and leadership
[2:44:53] in workforce development
[2:44:54] efforts across our region. So
[2:44:56] congratulations to Brad, his
[2:44:57] entire team, on that
[2:44:59] outstanding achievement. I'd
[2:45:01] like to also highlight some
[2:45:02] recent work by our Economic
[2:45:03] Development team. they hosted
[2:45:05] the final stop of the Select
[2:45:06] USA Spinoff Roadshow. This was
[2:45:10] an event, it created some
[2:45:12] meaningful connections between
[2:45:13] international companies, local
[2:45:15] businesses, healthcare leaders,
[2:45:17] and regional partners. one
[2:45:19] of the things we're focused on,
[2:45:20] advancing entrepreneurship, and
[2:45:22] this was specifically focused
[2:45:25] on doing so. this is hoping
[2:45:27] to bring investment,
[2:45:28] new business development here
[2:45:30] in the county. So I appreciate
[2:45:32] those are departments you don't
[2:45:34] often hear a lot about here.
[2:45:36] workforce I had a chance
[2:45:37] to go up and meet with the
[2:45:38] Workforce Development Board,
[2:45:39] participate in a,
[2:45:41] an annual event they have.
[2:45:42] There is a lot
[2:45:43] of passion that comes out
[2:45:45] of that group and a lot
[2:45:46] of great work that comes
[2:45:47] from our Workforce
[2:45:48] Development Department, as well
[2:45:49] as Economic Development. So
[2:45:50] thank you to both of them. And
[2:45:51] just, I wanted
[2:45:53] to take the opportunity here,
[2:45:54] we have a number of speakers
[2:45:57] who have come and spoken
[2:45:58] at public comment. Obviously
[2:45:59] the board they,
[2:46:01] they cannot respond
[2:46:03] during public comment,
[2:46:05] and so we do not respond.
[2:46:06] But I just want them to know
[2:46:08] that we hear them. I have a
[2:46:09] team that sits here. I, I know
[2:46:11] there aren't many left here
[2:46:12] in the room, but for those
[2:46:14] of you who are here,
[2:46:15] my executive team comes
[2:46:16] to each of these meetings and
[2:46:17] participates. They hear we are
[2:46:19] often talking about things.
[2:46:20] They follow up on just about
[2:46:22] everything that is discussed
[2:46:23] here
[2:46:24] on public comment. I just
[2:46:26] wanted to make that clear to
[2:46:27] everyone who is listening and
[2:46:28] watching. That though we may
[2:46:30] sit here, and hear them
[2:46:32] out and the board is not able
[2:46:33] to respond, we are absolutely
[2:46:35] taking these things seriously
[2:46:37] and appreciate all the comments
[2:46:39] that are made. Thank you
[2:46:40] for that.
[2:46:42] >> Thank you. We're now going
[2:46:43] to move on to our individual
[2:46:44] board member comments. Vice
[2:46:45] Chair Baca.
[2:46:46] >> Thank you, Madam Chair, and
[2:46:47] thank you, Luther,
[2:46:48] for those comments. And I think
[2:46:49] it's important to,
[2:46:50] let the public know that we are
[2:46:51] listening, we are engaged, and
[2:46:52] we do have staff readily
[2:46:53] available to answer any
[2:46:54] questions that the public has.
[2:46:56] So thank you for doing that.
[2:46:57] Just want to highlight some,
[2:46:58] events and great things that
[2:46:59] are going on
[2:47:01] in the county. one of the
[2:47:02] things we had the opportunity
[2:47:03] to attend is myself and the
[2:47:05] chair in Bloomington. the new
[2:47:07] animal shelter received a $2
[2:47:08] million contribution from
[2:47:10] Congressman Aguilar. I want
[2:47:12] to thank the chair
[2:47:13] for being there and, and really
[2:47:15] the investment that we're
[2:47:16] making in our,
[2:47:18] our animal shelter with phase
[2:47:19] 1 and potentially a phase 2
[2:47:20] coming on to begin to take
[2:47:22] on some of our city partners.
[2:47:24] So great progress. This will be
[2:47:25] done next year and address many
[2:47:27] of our needs that our animal
[2:47:29] shelter in Deborah cannot no
[2:47:30] longer meet, meet,
[2:47:32] meet as the county continues
[2:47:34] to grow. The other thing is
[2:47:35] our, our office had our 5th
[2:47:37] District Youth Advisory
[2:47:38] Council Scholarship Awards
[2:47:40] event, which is right here
[2:47:41] in the building. we gave out,
[2:47:44] 23 scholarships at $1,500
[2:47:46] apiece for many individuals
[2:47:48] throughout the 5th District.
[2:47:50] Wanna thank those students
[2:47:51] for their civic engagement,
[2:47:52] involvement, and wish them much
[2:47:53] success as they graduate, in
[2:47:55] the next coming month. also
[2:47:57] last week attended the
[2:47:58] Bloomington Senior Prom. Wanna
[2:48:00] thank the, Family Service
[2:48:02] Association
[2:48:04] for providing the food and the
[2:48:05] Bloomington Parks and Rec
[2:48:07] District for putting
[2:48:08] on the entertainment. it's
[2:48:09] great to see our seniors
[2:48:10] socialize and have a good time,
[2:48:11] especially one
[2:48:13] of our county facilities there
[2:48:15] at Ayala Park. So hats off
[2:48:16] to the, staff. also, we had
[2:48:18] 100 items that we approved
[2:48:20] on the consent calendar,
[2:48:22] but just keep in mind these are
[2:48:23] things that are good
[2:48:24] for the entire county and, and
[2:48:26] throughout several districts.
[2:48:27] But I want
[2:48:28] to particularly highlight,
[2:48:30] just a few. One
[2:48:31] of them was item 31, which is a
[2:48:32] $2.85 million investment
[2:48:34] in the Days Inn, which will
[2:48:36] provide 49 permanent supportive
[2:48:38] housing beds here in the city
[2:48:40] of San Bernardino. And it's not
[2:48:41] a homeless shelter, it's
[2:48:42] basically those that are either
[2:48:44] disabled or maybe experienced
[2:48:45] homeless, but to give them
[2:48:46] permanent supportive housing so
[2:48:48] they can have the help that
[2:48:49] they need. And a lot of times
[2:48:51] people get confused between, a
[2:48:52] homeless shelter and permanent
[2:48:54] supportive housing. the other
[2:48:56] thing is item 46, operating
[2:48:58] support reserve
[2:48:59] for homeless youth program,
[2:49:01] which is $623,000 to help youth
[2:49:03] homeless and transition age
[2:49:05] youth help, success
[2:49:07] for housing, case management,
[2:49:09] and Supportive Services. 51,
[2:49:11] item 51, which will provide
[2:49:13] probation officers through many
[2:49:16] districts throughout the
[2:49:17] county, but I want
[2:49:19] to highlight the, Colton Joint
[2:49:20] Unified, San Bernardino City
[2:49:21] Unified, and, county schools
[2:49:23] will be receiving probation
[2:49:24] officers. item 55, continued
[2:49:26] progress. This is for Pacific
[2:49:28] Village Phase 3. We're working
[2:49:29] on Phase 2. This will be the
[2:49:31] next phase, which will receive
[2:49:32] some BCHIP money. It's a great
[2:49:34] program to continue continue
[2:49:35] to address homelessness,
[2:49:37] especially the substance use
[2:49:39] disorder beds, which are just
[2:49:40] so critically needed in our
[2:49:42] county. the other thing is
[2:49:43] wanna thank, the staff
[2:49:45] for item 62, the childhood lead
[2:49:47] poisoning prevention grant,
[2:49:48] $3.1 million in state funding
[2:49:50] to prevent, lead poisoning
[2:49:53] for our children. items 71 and
[2:49:55] 95, it's a cooperative
[2:49:58] agreement with the city of
[2:49:59] Rialto to help with, areas
[2:50:01] in the events
[2:50:02] with public works,
[2:50:03] filling potholes. It's a
[2:50:05] $500,000 cost-sharing
[2:50:06] agreement. It's a great,
[2:50:08] investment. Item 73, which is
[2:50:10] our Muscoy pedestrian
[2:50:12] improvement project this is a
[2:50:13] little over $3 million, which
[2:50:15] will help pedestrian safety
[2:50:16] in the community of Muscoy.
[2:50:18] And the last one is item 88,
[2:50:19] community cleanup employment
[2:50:21] pathway grant. This is a grant
[2:50:23] with Caltrans, a $575,000
[2:50:24] investment, which will help,
[2:50:26] litter and abate workforce
[2:50:27] training, which is,
[2:50:29] great investments. And the last
[2:50:31] thing, just want
[2:50:33] to thank our military
[2:50:35] for their service as we enter
[2:50:36] Memorial Day, next Monday.
[2:50:38] Thank you, Madam Chair.
[2:50:39] >> Supervisor Cook.
[2:50:42] Supervisor Armendarez.
[2:50:45] >> Yes, thank you. lots
[2:50:50] of stuff to be said. I,
[2:50:51] I wanted to make sure I,
[2:50:54] said something about, Item 4
[2:50:55] that we had where,
[2:50:58] I'm very pleased
[2:50:59] to see that we are moving in
[2:51:00] the direction where we're going
[2:51:01] to be able to take advantage
[2:51:02] and see what the technologies
[2:51:04] that are around, clean energy,
[2:51:06] energy in particular, are
[2:51:07] headed, and creation
[2:51:09] of this ad hoc.
[2:51:12] But I am just curious, and
[2:51:14] hopefully, the, the board can
[2:51:16] entertain a possible workshop
[2:51:18] prior to that ad hoc
[2:51:19] commencing. I believe it'd be
[2:51:22] great for all of us to kind
[2:51:23] of chime in up front
[2:51:26] for a better understanding
[2:51:27] of what the goals and
[2:51:28] objectives of this ad hoc are
[2:51:29] gonna look like. And
[2:51:31] at least, some of us give some
[2:51:32] partial direction
[2:51:33] of the stuff we also wanna see.
[2:51:34] So I'm hoping,
[2:51:35] you'll consider doing some sort
[2:51:37] of board workshop for that.
[2:51:38] Also wanna highlight some
[2:51:40] items. We're doing a lot
[2:51:41] for the 2nd District. we, we
[2:51:43] are, working with Upland
[2:51:46] Chamber and, helping them with,
[2:51:47] assisting of event cost. We're
[2:51:49] working with the Fontana Days
[2:51:51] Festival community project
[2:51:53] for scholarships. We're doing,
[2:51:54] we did $40,000 in Ranch
[2:51:57] Cucamonga, to fund one year
[2:51:59] of gold sponsorship for 2027
[2:52:00] to assist with facility
[2:52:02] improvements and the cost
[2:52:04] for their Route 66 welcoming
[2:52:06] center. $30,000, for, the new
[2:52:12] San Bernardino County Fire
[2:52:13] Foundation to help them get
[2:52:16] them up and running. $15,000
[2:52:18] for the community Little
[2:52:19] League, for their equipment,
[2:52:21] tools, and supplies for their
[2:52:23] youth. and the one that I'm
[2:52:25] most proud of is the $40K we
[2:52:27] are investing back in our kids
[2:52:28] through the SPARK program.
[2:52:30] SPARK program is something that
[2:52:32] those who know me know is very,
[2:52:33] very, very near and dear
[2:52:35] to my heart. And, we took,
[2:52:37] and put our Second District
[2:52:38] discretionary money, into play
[2:52:40] on this because we believe we
[2:52:42] want
[2:52:43] to affect more kids and we want
[2:52:45] to be able to help more kids
[2:52:46] in the Second District. So So
[2:52:48] we are gonna be working with,
[2:52:50] the county as part
[2:52:52] of that SPARK program
[2:52:53] to bring some additional kids
[2:52:54] into that, and we the second
[2:52:56] district will be funding that.
[2:52:57] also wanna commend,
[2:52:58] since it's, after the fact,
[2:53:00] our approval of, the $420,
[2:53:03] grant award for Omnitrans
[2:53:05] Measure I funds
[2:53:07] to support our elderly. I feel
[2:53:09] like that's very important.
[2:53:11] I've been asking about this
[2:53:12] through Omnitrans
[2:53:14] for a minute, like,
[2:53:15] how can we do more? More
[2:53:16] to help our seniors
[2:53:18] in our communities. And I think
[2:53:19] this is just one step
[2:53:20] in moving
[2:53:21] in that positive direction
[2:53:22] to continue to do that. And,
[2:53:23] I'm gonna let it go at that
[2:53:30] because there's no one else
[2:53:31] here. Thank you, Madam Chair. I
[2:53:37] just have a couple updates from
[2:53:38] district. recently he was able
[2:53:40] to support the Veterans Legal
[2:53:42] Institute, which provides free
[2:53:43] legal services to at-risk,
[2:53:45] low-income veterans. And I know
[2:53:47] that our Veterans Department
[2:53:48] does an excellent job
[2:53:50] with that as well,
[2:53:52] so thank you for all their
[2:53:53] work. I was also recently
[2:53:54] honored to attend the Chino
[2:53:56] Legends and Academy, the
[2:53:57] competition at the Chino
[2:53:58] Senior Center, which is you
[2:53:59] have to be over 55, so I do
[2:54:01] qualify
[2:54:02] to go compete next year, so
[2:54:04] we'll see. I also recently
[2:54:05] attended the City of
[2:54:07] Montclair's high school senior
[2:54:08] birthdays, or senior birthday
[2:54:09] celebration and Montclair's
[2:54:11] High School to College
[2:54:12] Graduates, which is a program
[2:54:14] that gives students the
[2:54:15] opportunity
[2:54:17] to earn a 2-year scholarship
[2:54:18] at Chaffey College. record
[2:54:19] number, 175 students completed
[2:54:20] the program this year,
[2:54:22] which is fantastic. And lastly,
[2:54:23] last week we also donated,
[2:54:24] $125,000 to the Chino Valley
[2:54:26] Fire District
[2:54:28] for a special vehicle
[2:54:30] to attack EV fires. And sure
[2:54:33] enough, 2 hours later An EV
[2:54:34] overturned on, on Grand Avenue
[2:54:37] in Chino Hills and started a
[2:54:38] fire out there. So they put it
[2:54:40] to work that, that very day,
[2:54:41] to help put out the, the EV
[2:54:44] fire. tomorrow we'll be
[2:54:46] speaking at Ontario Global
[2:54:47] Business Connects Symposium
[2:54:49] at the Ontario Airport. Also,
[2:54:50] we have our annual open house
[2:54:52] at our district office from 5
[2:54:53] to 7. And lastly,
[2:54:55] our next shredding event will
[2:54:56] be June 6th in Chino.
[2:54:59] For anybody who's interested,
[2:55:01] please check to register.
[2:55:02] Thanks.
[2:55:03] >> Thank you, thank you. I
[2:55:04] wanted
[2:55:05] to highlight agenda item number
[2:55:07] 29
[2:55:08] on our consent calendar today.
[2:55:09] It was an MOU with Loma Linda
[2:55:10] University Children's
[2:55:11] Hospital Resiliency Institute
[2:55:13] for Childhood Advocacy, also
[2:55:14] known as RICA. RICA's clinic
[2:55:16] services they serve all
[2:55:17] children in the Inland Empire
[2:55:18] with priority given to CFS and
[2:55:20] court-dependent youth. They
[2:55:22] provide holistic care to
[2:55:23] children who have experienced
[2:55:24] abuse and trauma while offering
[2:55:26] ongoing treatment to from
[2:55:28] professionals who are
[2:55:30] experienced
[2:55:31] in trauma-informed care,
[2:55:33] and I'd like to thank the team
[2:55:35] at the clinic for their work.
[2:55:36] And lastly, the Highland
[2:55:37] Library Farmers Market. The
[2:55:39] county library is bringing a
[2:55:40] new weekly farmers market to
[2:55:41] Highland every Wednesday from
[2:55:43] 2 to 7 at the Highland Sam
[2:55:45] Radicchio Library. The market
[2:55:47] will feature local vendors
[2:55:49] offering farm-fresh produce,
[2:55:51] artisan goods,
[2:55:52] and ready-to-eat food options.
[2:55:54] So that's exciting for
[2:55:55] Highland. That's it for me.
[2:55:56] Our meeting stands adjourned.
[2:55:58] Our next regularly scheduled
[2:56:00] Board of Supervisors meeting
[2:56:02] will be here June 9th at 10 AM
[2:56:03] in this chamber. Thank you.