[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:15] Ready? All right. Good morning, everybody. I'd like to welcome you to a regular meeting of the
[0:21] Medira County Board of Supervisors. Today is Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
[0:29] Are there any additions to the agenda?
[0:34] Yes, chair. There was there is one addition for the board to consider adding to your agenda that
[0:40] was brought to our attention. Unfortunately after the agenda was posted and that's relating to the river fire, the declaration of proclaiming the existence of a local emergency was declared yesterday July 12, 2020.
[0:58] 2020, excuse me, 2021 by your director of emergency services and share of Tyson Pogue.
[1:04] There's a request to add a resolution of the Board of Supervisors in Madera County,
[1:09] ratifying and extending the local declaration of emergency for the river fire and
[1:14] under government code section
[1:19] 8630, the Board will continue to declare the emergency and
[1:26] can tell terminated to add this to the agenda. It requires a two-thirds vote and an additional
[1:35] vote to approve the resolution and I'm not exactly certain whether some from the sheriff's office
[1:41] will be here but I would imagine that they may be tied up and if not I'm happy to present it further
[1:46] and there's a copy of the Declaration of Emergency and the Resolution for the Board and any members of
[1:51] public that would like to review it. Thank you.
[1:54] I knew that would you play that emergency and add it to our
[1:58] agenda. I think we moved to add it to the agenda finding that it
[2:03] arose after the posting of the agenda.
[2:06] Okay. Right. Motion. Second, are there any members of the
[2:10] public who wish to comment on this addition to the agenda?
[2:15] If not, we'll take a roll call vote.
[2:18] Supervisor Frazier. Supervisor Wheeler. Yes. Supervisor Gonzalez. Yes, Super Chairman Poitress. Yes,
[2:28] so it's added to the agenda and what I guess the next item would be where are we going to add it to the agenda and that would be probably at the end of the discussion items.
[2:43] That's, that's, I defer to your, why is, uh, I've been a management, because I do this all the time.
[2:51] Yes.
[2:51] Let's make it six.
[2:53] Oh, pardon me.
[2:54] Go ahead.
[2:55] All right.
[2:56] That was going to say, let's make it part of the 10 o'clock agenda.
[3:00] And most like somebody from the sheriff's office will arrive.
[3:03] Six ideas.
[3:05] There's a, uh, changing command meeting at the Miracles Fairgrounds this morning at ADM.
[3:10] So, some of the Command staff may be there,
[3:12] I'm sure the sheriff's office will have someone here at 10 o'clock.
[3:16] Okay? Very good.
[3:19] We'll move on to the closed session items and council.
[3:23] Will you read the items into the record?
[3:25] Yes, Chairman, thank you.
[3:27] Under government code session 54957.6.
[3:29] You have conference with your labor negotiators.
[3:31] Your designated representatives are director Gomez
[3:34] and Miss Carter.
[3:35] The employer organization are all units.
[3:37] Under government code section five four nine five six point nine subsection D one. There's existing litigation and that's county of Menderer versus a Marisaurusburg and drug corporation at all. The eastern district case number is listed on the agenda under government code section five four nine five six point nine.
[3:58] There's a decision whether to initiate litigation, and that's one case, and your last few items are under government code section 5407.
[4:07] You have public employee performance evaluation of your water and natural resources director and your chief clerk of the board.
[4:14] Thank you.
[4:15] Thank you.
[4:15] Thank you.
[4:17] Are there any members of the public who wish to comment on these closed session items?
[4:25] Let me see.
[4:26] Theo Varney is this from prior.
[4:28] Okay. Okay. Okay. Seeing none, we will recess in the closed session.
[5:10] We want to do that. We're ready.
[5:15] Thanks, sir.
[5:18] Thanks, Ron.
[5:42] Good morning, everybody. I'd like to welcome you to a regular meeting of the
[5:46] Board of Supervisors today is Tuesday, July 13th, 2021. Council, is there anything to report out of closed session?
[5:55] Chairman, there's no report of election from your closed session.
[5:58] Very good, and then we have not completed closed session. We'll be heading back after the conclusion of the regular session.
[6:07] Or is there any one that one of my colleagues would like to remember as far as opening a close in the meeting, a member of the advisor?
[6:19] Yes, I got to.
[6:21] I don't know how many of you have been up to the Jones' store, restaurant up at Bay Soar.
[6:28] And the burn black, the family owned it, and I think he was 99 years old.
[6:35] He was a World War II veteran.
[6:38] He used to really love to talk about that time.
[6:42] I think he was a pilot, and he always given stories about World War II.
[6:48] But then he passed away last weekend.
[6:51] And he was working last, not last time, because it was closed.
[6:54] But the summer before he was still working up there,
[6:57] these years, 97 minutes. We also did a really great young man. You've been Hammond Hammond.
[7:06] As we got hit by your skateboard and down school road.
[7:12] But then that new gosh town connection.
[7:15] And on the far, when you took off the black dark colored SUV.
[7:21] maybe a tyrant or a runner or a deep Cherokee, so if you see a line of the Vulcan window
[7:29] and crash on the front of it, he's the one that took off and wasted a young man's life.
[7:37] He was always in the Golden Train Theater, as a actor, a singer, he played guitar.
[7:46] But this is really good young man, life will.
[7:55] Really on our evening, Bernie.
[7:57] Thank you.
[7:58] All right.
[7:58] Very good.
[7:58] Thank you, supervisor.
[7:59] Is there anybody else?
[8:01] I have one.
[8:03] Charlotte Leeson.
[8:05] Long time a day of resident.
[8:07] We've to church all early.
[8:10] She taught for a year.
[8:12] Can a garden.
[8:12] But she was just involved in absolutely everything.
[8:18] American Cancer Society, Historical Society, Campfire, I mean, you saw her everywhere.
[8:27] And so she was late to rest yesterday, but just a wonderful woman and she'll be missed.
[8:35] And so just wanted to open and close and her memory.
[8:37] She was 99 also.
[8:38] 99 and a half, that's the only one, very good, thank you, is there anybody else?
[8:46] We will now move to the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, leading us in invocation
[8:52] is Pastor Mike Farmer, the 4th Street Church of God, and Bobby McColley will be leading us
[9:00] in the Pledge of Allegiance.
[9:10] Please join me in prayer.
[9:12] Father, once again, we're grateful to be at this place, this place that you have created
[9:17] that you've given to us to live in, and fathers, we gather, we remember the families of those
[9:23] mentioned, we pray for them, ask that you be with them, comfort them, give them what they need
[9:28] in this moment. Or as we look forward to this day, the business of this day to ask that you grant
[9:34] these men and women, the wisdom, the guidance direction they need, is they conduct the business of
[9:39] of Madera County. So be with them, bless them. And as always, Lord, guide and direct their
[9:47] steps and may your name be honored and glorify. Amen.
[10:12] Thank you. Next, we have public comment. And just as a reminder, the first 15 minutes
[10:17] of each regular session are set aside for members of the public to address the board any matter
[10:22] under the jurisdiction of the board, but not appearing on the agenda.
[10:26] The board will not take action on any items presented under public comment.
[10:31] Speakers are in limited to three minutes, and anyone addressing the board is asked for
[10:34] their name clearly on the speaker sheet at the podium, and state their name and county
[10:39] of residence for the record.
[10:40] Are there any members of the public wishing to make a comment?
[10:46] Very good.
[10:48] We will now move on to the consent calendar, and are there any items that one of my colleagues
[10:55] would like to have pull for further discussion or elaboration about GK in through W,
[11:03] in through W, okay, GK and in through W, okay? Very good. Any other items?
[11:10] Very good.
[11:11] Let's move on to item G.
[11:19] Oh, but that's straightened out. That was I just wanted to know how many how they got so many homes under weeps and act property
[11:26] Okay, but not actually told you. Okay, so I was one of those who had you got straightened out. He got me the map and told me that
[11:34] But they are out of it. Thank you. Okay, and then I just so everybody knows that they were doing a lot of land adjustment, you know
[11:43] We have to knock off, but he's at a whole bunch of houses up there, central camps, so they're
[11:50] not in the woods.
[11:51] They're very clear.
[11:53] They're very good.
[11:55] And then we have item K, K,
[11:59] you see what I wrote down here.
[12:07] Oh, I see.
[12:09] It says, and I remember three in the back of it that says, the use of disposable phones, they
[12:14] draw down at their discretion when they do it. I think that they before they draw down we should have
[12:20] the bill and I'd really like to see what they are charging the lawyers fee and the different
[12:25] costs that they said they're going to charge us to look at that and stuff. So let's see if I
[12:37] Whether this does, they will be able to draw down on those deposit funds, the next, I think
[12:46] the next section there, requires them to provide a full accounting of all the staff
[12:50] costs.
[12:50] It says full accounting.
[12:51] There's that before they go the money out, they give it to you, and you guys approve
[12:55] it to say they want $5,000 or what do they charge in?
[13:00] I mean, how do we oversee that?
[13:03] Yeah, the only way we really can monitor that is we will be involved with any of
[13:07] coordination and tracking the hours of time that they're involved with with any input or feedback.
[13:15] We can certainly talk about how we can get that information up front.
[13:20] I will say that I went back at Fourth Home quite a bit on this agreement and trying to get
[13:25] language change and it was pretty tough, our county council as well.
[13:30] We got the deposit down from
[13:33] 20,000 to 15,000, that was about the best I could do.
[13:36] Well, as on my net, I just, this professional staff,
[13:40] I just like to know what they're going to charge us.
[13:42] They're going to charge us $500 an hour.
[13:45] Charge us $500 an hour for the lawyers.
[13:48] I just think the public should know what they're going to charge us.
[13:52] You know, most of any other contract we got is both down.
[13:55] What, you know, even the secretaries, they've got that in you.
[13:59] $500 an hour.
[14:01] I can I could try to see if we can get some sort of a rate sheet from them on that stuff, I'm not sure if they're fully have that available, but I can certainly ask for that.
[14:11] Okay.
[14:11] And Mr. Chairman, if I may, Matt Treberchee of Development Services, I would just and maybe but for the public as well to be obviously obvious on this is the 41 expressway project does crossover and there is this necessity which MID owns controls Bureau of Reclamation holds it in the fee for the benefit of MID and so this is a mandate and a requirement for us to get that project to
[14:41] to coordinate there before we will obviously and we'll obviously be tracking that and those
[14:47] expenditures and again this is a Mr. Carter spelled out they have to provide that back up to us
[14:53] no sugar covered understood very good and now I
[15:01] I just, I wanted to, you know, here we're doing a whole bunch of these special districts, and rather than ask on each one of them, I just thought maybe they could give us a rundown of what's happening with all these specialties.
[15:15] Sure. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and supervisor Wheeler.
[15:20] I appreciate that opportunity, and I will have Andrea Saludati, our deputy director of public works.
[15:26] talk on those specifics. I would just tell you that these are a number of some our cash flow
[15:34] loans, some are simply identifying and receiving increased revenue into the district such
[15:41] as the gold side. We had on it just a bit of revenue and so looking at it in the auditor and
[15:48] the financial aspects, but this is something we are tracking. We do take serious a number of these
[15:54] districts are already at their fifth year as a part of that rate study and we've
[16:00] been talking several times on those and so they will be going through a rate
[16:04] study and process and those that aren't right that are in your three that now
[16:10] have a cash flow loan before this will absolutely be looking into that and
[16:15] whether now is the time to start looking at a rate study to bring those rates
[16:22] back into the billing right PG&E increases continue to skyrocket that is not going to change
[16:28] any time in the near future. And so we are tracking these things and working on this aspect.
[16:36] Again, these aren't loans out of the general funds, so the general fund, the taxpayer dollars
[16:40] aren't going towards these aspects correct. So I don't know Andrew if you had anything specific
[16:46] work. But I just want to make sure that we start really watching these and start
[16:51] in our study, so have these two 18 votes.
[16:55] That's really got you caught up once.
[16:57] Yes, and so we are going to be going through
[16:59] another rate city process with all of the districts again,
[17:04] like Matt said, a lot of the districts are in your five,
[17:07] or they have never had a rate study.
[17:09] And so they are in this collective group of districts
[17:12] that will be going through a rate study
[17:14] in this fiscal year.
[17:15] I will say the ones that are needing cash flow loans,
[17:17] they are very, very small districts.
[17:19] And so 16 rate pairs within a district, if two or three do not pay, you're out of severe
[17:26] disadvantage.
[17:27] So these very small districts, although they do have rate increases, you try to keep
[17:32] up.
[17:32] Again, if you have just a handful of folks not pay, then essentially you're in the situation.
[17:41] And when we do that study like that, can we know we've done it laughable to try to get
[17:46] some of these to join together, but pay and you're a human money guru.
[17:52] But pay some of these small districts like that one, said 17, there's some of this 20,
[17:57] some got 30.
[17:58] Even if they're different parts of the county, they'd be beneficial for them to join
[18:03] together and be one industry, even if they're scattered around that side by side or close to each other.
[18:12] Absolutely, a supervisor and that is something that actually we've been talking a lot internally
[18:18] with an effort to see about where consolidation. In fact, we have a project and a program with
[18:25] state funding to look at that specific thing on on a several of these three small in that
[18:33] instance, this advantage communities to see about trying to consolidate not only the financial
[18:38] aspects, but also the infrastructure because the secret would be beneficial to them in the
[18:43] economy of scale to show that they will save money. Absolutely. No, that's what happens.
[18:49] on this and we get to it three people don't pay five years
[18:53] saved before they can get lean on them, except for district.
[18:59] Or should I, I'd like to look at that very,
[19:03] mostly really, really,
[19:07] very good.
[19:08] Thank you, or are there any other items on the consent calendar
[19:10] that need further discussion, if not outs,
[19:15] oh yeah, that's any members of the public.
[19:18] if you have any comments or any questions.
[19:22] Seeing none, we'll bring it through.
[19:25] We'll have a motion in a second to prove the consent calendar.
[19:29] We'll all vote please.
[19:32] Supervisor Fraser.
[19:33] Yes.
[19:33] Supervisor Gonzalez.
[19:34] Yes.
[19:35] Supervisor Wheeler.
[19:36] Yes.
[19:36] Chairman Poetris.
[19:37] Yes.
[19:38] So passes 40.
[19:40] Thank you.
[19:41] Moving on to discussion item.
[19:43] Decide in 6A.
[19:44] This is a presentation of our population recognizing Judy Shobot for years.
[19:49] of dedication and commitment to the Middora High School's rural softball team.
[19:54] Supervisor.
[19:55] Thank you, Chairman.
[19:57] Thank you.
[19:58] And I'd like to see Coach Shaw back here.
[20:01] And we're a little bit behind because she's already at 1,3,1 victories.
[20:08] It just keeps going up and up.
[20:11] But, you know, going through a high school and seeing coach out there and a lot of my friends played for
[20:20] her program just absolutely loved her and just what she's done for the community through
[20:27] through softball and teaching life skills through it and victories that come with it.
[20:34] I remember as a mayor, I got to throughout the pitch at a softball game
[20:41] I congratulate her on her 500th victory, and that was just in 2012, so in nine years we've
[20:48] racked up another 500 victories, so at this pace, because it's going up exponentially as you
[20:55] see her victory, so at the end of my next term, when we presented her with, I think maybe 2000
[21:00] victory, but I know a lot of a lot of people that work right here in the county have been taught
[21:10] coached by her, people within the community and her impact on our community is immeasurable
[21:18] and just wanted to congratulate her on her 1,000th victory and we have a proclamation as well as
[21:27] a plaque for all of her efforts and just like to have her come up we can get a picture.
[21:34] Also as significant she's a proud resident of the Howard district.
[21:38] Yes.
[21:41] So when I threw out the pitch, my shoulder was bad then and it's bad again right now.
[21:47] But I was so worried that I wasn't going to get it across the plate.
[21:50] But I think I did some more damage to it, trying to get it.
[21:52] And I got it across the plate.
[21:53] It wasn't a strike, but I got it there.
[21:57] I think it's much to say to people.
[22:03] It's much to say to people.
[22:05] I just like to thank the Board of Supervisors and everyone for this recognition.
[22:10] And I don't have a job.
[22:12] I love what I do.
[22:14] It's a passion.
[22:15] And I have great kids, matter of fact,
[22:17] one of my former player's moms in the audience.
[22:20] And so I love what I do.
[22:21] I wish I could keep doing it forever.
[22:23] But a thousand games is a lot of games.
[22:26] But thanks again, I love my community and I love these kids.
[22:30] And it's really not a job.
[22:32] It's a pleasure to raise great kids.
[22:35] And that's all that saying is I've had a lot of great families
[22:38] in the community of Madera, and a lot of great kids. So thank you again.
[24:08] Let's move on to the presentation of a proclamation proclaiming July 18th to 24th as
[24:26] Some right-hand people actually is holding a apartment there right there you go morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, Chris Chilters, Chief Probation Officer, I appreciate the chance and opportunity to do a presentation short one,
[24:47] the expense of the, you know, more important things going on, but there is a few things I would like to announce.
[24:55] And this year's probation services week is taking place July 18th through the 24th, so starting next week will be celebrating the entire week.
[25:03] Every year we make an extra effort to acknowledge the compassion and the strength and determination of the mid and women of our probation department.
[25:11] And the outstanding work they do to serve the county of Medea and the residents of those members of the community.
[25:18] Probation profession often oftentimes challenges us to engage our local communities using a balanced approach to public safety.
[25:26] That being given opportunity to those under community supervision, but at the same time offering the same accountability that we use as an alternative to sentencing to
[25:38] So the accountability and opportunity, those of my famous words for our new slogan for probation, so it's a balance, it's a well-rounded balance, and it provides public safety in the long term.
[25:51] They're a county in particular during COVID.
[25:53] Probation staff found new ways to deliver vital services to get their work done keeping the community and each other safe from the coronavirus.
[26:01] You know the tension staff never took a day off. They tell a work. They didn't tell a work. They didn't
[26:08] You know any of the administrative leave. They were on duty the whole time 24-7-7 days a week.
[26:15] They had to fill voice that weren't expected of them. They had to act as teachers. They had to act as counselors.
[26:20] They had to be the activities that were
[26:23] pro-social such as gardening, art, freedom art, and
[26:27] celebrating special occasions as they came
[26:30] But in closing, these officers and sports staff are dedicated to serving communities and
[26:34] helping persons in the cycle of crying both in the juvenile criminal justice system and
[26:39] the adult criminal justice system.
[26:41] The progress and success of probation, California, is based on commitment to providing
[26:46] continue quality for community supervision.
[26:49] And in closing, the last thing I'd like to say is during probation services week is
[26:53] important to recognize probation officers and the staff that their dedication
[26:58] commitment to the profession is of the utmost and important seat community seat. And with me, I have
[27:05] probation officer or chief deputy deputy chief probation officer, Stephanie Stokele,
[27:10] deputy chief Paul the earnin deputy chief Santa Mendez and deputy chief Jose Pentohoff.
[27:16] So that's pretty much the whole division. Very good. Well, thank you. Outstanding or there
[27:23] comments for whom I call these?
[27:26] You're a great job.
[27:28] Right, absolutely.
[27:29] I get a chance to spend a little bit of time in the hall.
[27:34] And I can attest to your comments in regards to the juvenile detention staff.
[27:40] They really do a nice job building relationships with the kids.
[27:43] I mean, they're just not there to make sure they're in and out of their rooms.
[27:48] I mean, that's one of the things.
[27:49] But it's, you know, I can see there's that mentorship
[27:52] that's taking place as well.
[27:54] So that's really, really important.
[27:56] So great job.
[27:58] So with that, were you all working here
[28:00] when Rob was doing his time in the past?
[28:08] Yeah.
[28:10] Yeah, maybe I could have worded that differently.
[28:14] Yeah.
[28:15] Chairman Poach is on the work for Lil' Program.
[28:17] Yeah.
[28:18] I don't see pieces.
[28:20] Yeah, I want to success stories, I guess, you made it, there you go, so with that, guess what?
[28:29] We've got a proclamation, so let's go ahead and gather here and...
[30:08] Okay, we are going to take a moment to reactivate public comment, and we have Mr. Treber here, who will
[30:23] Absolutely.
[30:24] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I apologize I was on me for Mr. Frick opportunity.
[30:30] I did want to provide the board and also the public, the notification that under
[30:37] our current county ordinance, I as responsible for the public works department do have the
[30:44] authority to enact water conservation measures within the county maintained public water
[30:51] systems. And we intend to do that today and go to a Stage 2 water conservation notice.
[30:57] That is the first set at a minimum in our districts to a Stage 2 that does allow outdoor
[31:04] watering twice a week morning and evening. So it is not it's the first step in that. We
[31:10] felt it appropriate and a necessity at this point based on the drought and the actions of the
[31:18] state and of this award as well in acting and proclaiming drought protections there.
[31:24] So we will be moving all of our public water systems to a minimum of a stage to water conservation method.
[31:30] Again, that's two day a week watering mornings and evenings.
[31:35] So why don't you inform the board and the public of that before we enact?
[31:40] Thank you.
[31:42] To that point, so after, as I knew the next drought is always right around the corner,
[31:47] After the last time we had gone on stage two, I've continued to have my landscaping on two days a week and then some hand watering here and there, but there is you can still have a nice yard with putting in those watering measures and I have an app that
[32:17] yard still looks relatively good. Maybe my neighbors would say something different, but
[32:23] this is what I think it's important for even when we lift these for finding ways to
[32:31] continue that water saving even after the fact. So I just want to put that in.
[32:39] And just to be clear, right, we do have districts right now that are on stage three and 3.5
[32:44] watering restrictions. So this is moving as again, everybody to a minimum of a stage two
[32:50] conservation measure. And we continue to track all of those water systems every day, every
[32:56] hour and work through those things. So I wanted to be a front for the public and the board
[33:01] as well to let you know that, but we will be enacting that today.
[33:06] Yes, sir.
[33:08] Matt, is that mountains, too?
[33:09] Yes, every public water source in the county maintains the managers.
[33:13] if you get to 15 to put out a notice of that.
[33:15] Absolutely, I could get it now, but it all will go.
[33:19] Very good.
[33:20] Are there any comments from the members of the public?
[33:24] Hearing none, thank you very much.
[33:26] It is 1031 and that means it's time for our GSA report.
[33:35] This is a presentation update on the Mid-Arcanic
[33:37] groundwater sustainability agency.
[33:42] Stephanie.
[33:44] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the board.
[33:46] This is your update on GSA activities.
[33:49] Let me just,
[34:13] okay, here we go.
[34:15] So I wanted to update you on our outreach.
[34:18] That includes some interbasin work,
[34:20] a drought working group, which has recently been formed
[34:23] with internal and external partners, water market simulation,
[34:28] and our rate study.
[34:31] So, as you know, your board took a groundbreaking step and developed and adopted an allocation
[34:39] in early June, we're developing some outreach materials to send out.
[34:44] You'll see a screenshot of them there.
[34:47] We also had an additional public workshop June 16th.
[34:51] We did the hybrid format we've been doing with Farm Bureau being the in-person location.
[34:57] Thank you to Farm Bureau.
[34:58] as well as doing it on Zoom.
[35:00] We had about 100 people on Zoom and 20 people at the Farm Bureau.
[35:05] We talked to Zoom.
[35:06] Yeah, it was really good turnout.
[35:08] We talked about recharge,
[35:09] our strategic agricultural land conservation,
[35:13] as well as the allocation and domestic wealth.
[35:17] So big workshop of very well attended June 16th.
[35:22] We have had an interbasin coordination meeting.
[35:25] You'll see those four sub basins listed there
[35:28] of the slide, including Medera, Chauchilla, Merced,
[35:32] and the Delta Mendoza.
[35:33] So very large coordination meetings,
[35:36] these are held on WebEx with some people,
[35:39] deemed speakers and some people, as listeners,
[35:42] the focus is on subsidence, which is a concern,
[35:47] primarily driven by the Delta Mendoza,
[35:49] from impact on their facilities, particularly sect down.
[35:56] We have formed a drought working group.
[35:58] it's a combination of internal and external partners. It met a couple of
[36:04] Fridays ago and we're going to meet this Friday again. We can loop in
[36:08] whoever would like to be involved, but the idea is to use this group for
[36:12] communication and coordination so that we all know what each other is doing.
[36:18] Linked to that, the partnership for the Samwalking Valley, which is a group of
[36:24] county's has supervisor, pooch grists is representing our county on that, there is a water
[36:31] working group that is attempting to coordinate valley-wide messaging about drought mainly so that
[36:38] people are really clear where they can go in order to receive help if they have issues with domestic
[36:44] wells. We are hosting another hybrid workshop July 20th, where self-help is going through
[36:51] you the drought programs that they have for domestic wells, I'm sure I've mentioned this before,
[36:58] but self-help is being funded directly from the state board so rather than funds going through
[37:04] county or other local sources they're going through self-help. So this is intended for us to use
[37:10] and there are funds for emergency supplies of water including bottled water tanks and help with wells.
[37:18] There is also funds for water quality tests and additional supplies if you need it.
[37:27] I wanted to bring some water market simulation feedback to you.
[37:31] So these are based on the last round of the water market.
[37:34] You can see a fair amount of enthusiasm.
[37:38] I believe the market offers the best method to allocate a scarce resource such as groundwater,
[37:43] which is why it's used to buy and sell.
[37:45] It is absolutely necessary this simulation is providing a glimpse into the future and allows me to think about what I need to do to survive.
[37:54] So that's the second person, third person, great game, especially if it's both sides that are learning, which is true.
[38:01] We are learning as well.
[38:03] Learning, they're having to change it be more flexible than that.
[38:06] I've learned from experience never to trust government.
[38:09] I hope you can prove me wrong.
[38:10] We do our best, but it is what it is.
[38:14] I'm learning a lot from the pilot process and would very much like to see it implemented during
[38:20] the coming years in Sigma and then someone who wants two different simulations where they can
[38:26] try out different strategies. So this is all funded through a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation.
[38:31] So you can see this is people are finding this to be pretty useful to simulate a water market,
[38:37] particularly multiple years with scarce or scarce or supply.
[38:42] And I know that you are anxious for an update on the rate study.
[38:47] We have finished the engineering portions that need to go into it.
[38:51] Recharge programs that need to be funded over five years, land repurposing, and domestic
[38:57] well mitigation graph tell us the consultant will be able to provide an update to you with
[39:04] key input at policy level choices in August.
[39:09] And I think that is, if I can, oops, one more slide.
[39:15] I know there are some big-ling issues on the allocation, including what the opt-in process looks like.
[39:23] We need a revised resolution for the allocation approach that updates exhibit A based on the 2020 ETA review.
[39:33] So these are things that we are working on and we'll come back to you and great consultant will be an office.
[39:40] I would be glad to answer any questions you have.
[39:43] Very good.
[39:44] Are there any questions of Stephanie?
[39:48] Seeing your questions.
[39:49] Are there any members of the public who have any comments or questions?
[39:55] What are you doing pretty good job?
[39:57] Questions are okay.
[39:59] Very good.
[40:02] All right. Well, thank you very much.
[40:03] Thank you for moving on to item 6C. This is an update on the Creek Fire Recovery process.
[40:11] Dexter.
[40:15] Good morning, Chairman. Members of the board. Dexter Martin and Romana Health.
[40:19] Before I begin, I just wanted to send our thoughts and prayers to all those people and fire
[40:25] fires dealing with the river fire right now.
[40:30] I will be given a brief update on the Creek Fire Recovery
[40:33] process. I'll be giving some timelines and the process that we went through to help and assist
[40:42] the property owners to get the green fire recovery.
[41:19] Great. Thank you. So the timeline is,
[41:23] so the creek fire started in September 2020 and the fire burned 379,895 acres and was declared
[41:33] hundred percent contained on December 24th, 2020. It was estimated costs was over $193 million.
[41:42] Total building and structures that were storied between Fresno, Medira County was around 856.
[41:51] And there was no death reported.
[41:55] On September 7, the governor knew some the issue to
[41:58] emergency, Madera and Mariposa County and then on September 30, the County Public Health
[42:05] Officer declared a local health emergency due to hazardous material debris waste caused
[42:10] by the fire and then on October 9, the county office emergency services, the sheriff's office
[42:17] requested for state and federal assistance to help in the recovery cleanup efforts and then on
[42:24] October 16, the county medera was granted state and federal assistance through FEMA.
[42:31] So under the declaration, the county was eligible for phase one, which is the hazardous
[42:37] material cleanup phase and phase two, which is the ash and debris cleanup.
[42:43] And with this declaration, it entitled all these private property owners for state assistance
[42:49] and the cleanup will be at no cost to the property owners.
[42:56] And then in mid-October, in Vara Health, with the assistance of the Sheriff's Office, Cal Fire, and the Derek County Code enforcement, we initiated the preliminary side assessments of all effective properties.
[43:12] So with the team of us, we actually went through all of the areas within the Creek Fire, and we assessed property damage.
[43:22] When we did the site assessment, we came up with nine affected areas.
[43:28] So we narrowed down to nine areas within the county.
[43:31] Arnold Meadows, Grizzly Meadows, Wagner's property,
[43:35] Mammothpool, Apple Ranch, Mammoth Powerhouse,
[43:39] Cascadell with a Kingman flat and Northford Creek's per area.
[43:45] So out of those nine areas, we determined there was 42 properties
[43:49] that were affected by the fire.
[43:54] Because we declared a local emergency,
[43:58] under phase one of the state cleanup,
[44:02] all the properties were included in the cleanup
[44:05] of the hazardous material,
[44:09] which included propane tanks, compressed gas
[44:11] on their solvents, chemicals and paints,
[44:14] and they did pre-liminary soil samples
[44:18] of his best to some of his properties.
[44:22] So this is a picture of a property and this is a beginning
[44:26] of phase one cleanup. So as you can see there's 55 gallons of drums, propane cylinders and things
[44:33] like that, that will be cleaned up under phase one. Here's another picture that shows household
[44:40] chemicals and paints and things like that that were in the shed on a property.
[44:48] So under phase one
[44:48] Everybody was a lot of that process to do a cleanup.
[44:53] So once it was cleaned up of hazardous material,
[44:56] each property was posted assigned.
[45:00] That says this property household has its ways when we're well has been completed and it has a completed sign that was given by FEMA.
[45:11] So once this process is done, then phase two comes on. So phase two was pretty lengthy process where we had to work with all the entrepreneurs to get them to sign right up entry forms before phase two can start.
[45:26] So we started that process in December, you know, I'm sorry, we started that process in February
[45:33] and we ended it in June of collecting signatures from all the property owners.
[45:39] One, the phase two, they did a side assessment, they did debris removal, they did sampling,
[45:47] and then they did a final inspection, that was all included under phase two.
[45:53] And here's some pictures of phase two.
[45:55] So this is a property that all the hazardous material
[45:57] has already been cleaned up.
[46:02] And this is a process as they're starting to clean up.
[46:04] And if there were trees in the way of the removal process,
[46:09] they would take out the trees as well.
[46:15] And this is a property, as our front again,
[46:18] all the material, ash and debris,
[46:22] and they actually will remove the foundation as well.
[46:25] And you can see the slide on the right
[46:26] is the actual completion of the cleanup
[46:29] in the beginning to be empty.
[46:33] And if our property has step-to-step system that could be identified, the state would put a cap on it and they would market for the property owners.
[46:42] So under the phase two, once the cleanup is completely done, calorie cycle and calorias, they would issue a cleanup waiver that indicates this property is completed and that property owner can now go get a building permit to start the rebuilding process.
[46:58] So their property is actually received a clean bill of health to the start rebuilding.
[47:07] So as of June 11th, the Derek County for me landfill received 1,315 tons of ash and debris from the material are in the face too.
[47:19] And then as of July 8th, just last week, I mean, our department, the Rama Health, we see three two final sign-offs of forms for the property owners.
[47:29] So now those property owners can start rebuilding. So out of the 42 that we started with, we have 32 that are finally completed where they can start with building.
[47:40] Before I conclude, I really want to thank a couple of agencies that helped us out along the way and
[47:49] of always offered the help and every time because we were on a lot of deadlines with the
[47:55] state.
[47:55] There's some of it paperwork and we were always on timeline and every time I reached out
[48:00] to other departments, there were books always willing to help.
[48:03] So I want to really thank the County Administration, Sheriff's Office, County Council, Public
[48:09] Health, IT, the Pit Team, Supervisor Wheeler and his Chief of Staff, Chief for Development
[48:16] services, public works, planning, and of course my Department of Environmental Health.
[48:21] I'm available for any questions.
[48:23] Pretty much the whole county.
[48:25] Yeah.
[48:26] It was a group effort.
[48:27] Group effort.
[48:28] Very good.
[48:29] Supervisor Wheeler.
[48:30] Those last 10.
[48:33] They've been done, or they opt out, or they just not quite finish yet.
[48:37] Well, out of the 10, there's probably eight of them that were on state federal lands that
[48:41] were included, under phase two.
[48:43] And they were included under phase one for the hazardous material removal, but the phase
[48:47] two of the work.
[48:48] Oh, okay.
[48:49] But most of the ones that were private property owners were taken care of.
[48:55] Want to know if there's any hiccups that we can help with, so.
[48:59] Very good.
[48:59] Are there any other comments?
[49:01] Questions?
[49:02] I think for me, one of the most significant things was what you said early on, no deaths
[49:07] recorded.
[49:09] Yeah.
[49:09] And I think that's really important.
[49:11] That's unbelievable.
[49:11] really that by was right. Exactly. Just the emergency response that you know that took place was outstanding.
[49:20] So thank you so much. I just wish that this wasn't happening during the river fire right now.
[49:28] All right. But to do this again.
[49:32] Right. I hope that you could have that zero deaths. Exactly. Absolutely.
[49:36] Are there any members of the public who have a comment or like to add something so well, thank you very much, Dexter.
[49:43] Great job.
[49:45] Thank you very much.
[49:46] You really went over and above.
[49:48] Thank you.
[49:49] Thank you.
[49:50] Appreciate it.
[49:51] Sixty.
[49:52] This is a discussion and consideration of approval of men.
[49:56] The position allocation and community economic development building division.
[50:00] Mr. Treber.
[50:02] Thank you Mr. Chairman, Matt Treber, Chief of Development Services.
[50:05] as with me is our deputy director of building
[50:08] in fire safety, Deborah Moller.
[50:12] So this item was and is incorporated
[50:15] into the community economic development budget
[50:19] that was adopted in June.
[50:23] In fact, what devs and what we worked on
[50:27] was not additional numbers of staffing,
[50:30] but simply we had a senior or supervising plan checker that retired after 30 plus years of service
[50:39] with the county and we're simply looking at that position and converting it and hopefully with
[50:45] your board support going before civil service and creating a position within Deborah shop that would
[50:53] receive, you know, the permitting, the front counter staff and our plan checks staff, as well
[51:00] as as plug in with our inspection. As we've talked about, we have seen a enormous increase
[51:06] and influx in permitting and permit activity throughout the county. We are still running very
[51:12] lean with Deb's shop. You will be the first to tell you that. We have almost 600 just single family
[51:19] I've been applying for since January of this year.
[51:25] 600, yes. Again, our previous high staffing count,
[51:30] we had under 100 permits for the entire year,
[51:34] which we are still not staffed at that level that was at our peak in that 2008 timeframe.
[51:41] So this, again, the revenue that is generated from those permits,
[51:46] completely offsets the cost and I will tell you and, you know, Deb will, there's always in my ear about that.
[51:54] Her shop runs a surplus and has repeatedly year over year.
[52:01] So there is no county cost dollars that are identified as a part of this or do we anticipate as a part of this action because of those revenues that are coming in.
[52:11] This is obviously a needed position and something that we have been working with, and so I will stop speaking and see if Deb has anything otherwise, we're available for any questions.
[52:25] Very good, are there any comments to revise our concerns?
[52:29] Thank you. How many people in this division will you have total then?
[52:37] So with the addition of this, Deb, I believe that brings your funding and your budget
[52:45] funded level to 21 positions once, they're fully placed, which we still have a number of vacancies.
[52:54] We are working on recruiting those individuals as well.
[52:59] So we have recruitment for permit text and fine checkers, and we have open recruitment
[53:06] for building inspectors as well. And that was all included in the original in the budget that we just
[53:11] correct. This is not a change. You're an amendment to the budget. This is just working towards that first
[53:16] step of trying to implement that and put that in place. Okay. Thank you. We're getting any other comments.
[53:23] Any members of the public? Have a comment. Move to approve. Second. We have a motion in a second. Role
[53:31] all vote please.
[53:33] Supervisor Wheeler.
[53:35] Supervisor Fraser.
[53:36] Yes.
[53:36] Supervisor Gonzalez.
[53:37] Yes.
[53:38] Chairman Poetris.
[53:39] Yes.
[53:39] Vote passes.
[53:40] For zero.
[53:41] Very good.
[53:42] Thank you.
[53:43] 60.
[53:44] Discussion and consideration of approval to reorganize the county administration apartment.
[53:48] as health.
[53:51] Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
[53:52] Members of the Board and Joel Legate County Administrative Office.
[53:55] The item before you is a proposed reorganization of the General Services and
[53:58] Fleet Services Division of the County Administrative Office.
[54:02] These two divisions are two major functions of the CAO.
[54:05] In between them, they manage over 80 county facilities.
[54:08] That's totaling 836,000 square feet.
[54:12] 20 lease agreements, 12 solar projects, 20 active capital projects,
[54:16] and the management that made in us a 304-6-light due to vehicles across all county departments.
[54:22] They operate seven distinct budget orgs, including the fleet services internal service fund,
[54:27] which is similar to an enterprise fund where it has the self-sustained its operations and cash balance
[54:32] through the charging appropriate fees for services, supplies, and capital replacements.
[54:39] The scope of work at these divisions should have triggered a reorganization several years ago.
[54:43] So, in reference during the peak prior to the recession, these two operations had a total 32 FTEs.
[54:51] Even if these recommendations are approved, it would still be 27 FTEs, which is five FTEs below the previous peak.
[54:58] Despite an over 200,000 increase in square footage of county facilities, and as well as a 12% increase in total vehicles, primarily due to sheriff vehicles.
[55:11] Even though it has been reviewed thoroughly over the past years and the staff's best recommendations is summarizes follows.
[55:21] First is to consolidate the fleet services division with the General Services Division under one manager.
[55:27] With this concept of consolidation, we are proposing to reclassified the current General Service Manager position to a division director of General Services.
[55:34] This new classification will provide management oversight
[55:38] to the new general services division,
[55:40] which will include all the fleet services as well.
[55:43] This action will delete the general services manager
[55:45] from the position allocation of the department.
[55:48] Second, it's to create a new position
[55:50] called facility superintendent.
[55:52] We'll directly oversee all building and maintenance
[55:55] in parts and grants maintenance,
[55:57] and both planned a day-to-day operations
[55:58] of these functions,
[56:01] but as well as address the medium,
[56:02] at the long term facility planning needs of the HR County.
[56:06] And third and the last is to revise the vacant automotive shop
[56:09] supervisor position to a fleet serviceist manager
[56:12] to allow for the recruitment of an individual
[56:14] with the skills to both run the day-to-day operations
[56:17] of the maintenance garage, but also manage all aspects
[56:20] of the county fleet program that is responsible
[56:22] for 300-46 vehicles.
[56:25] This includes managing the internal service fund,
[56:28] setting the annual rates, making sure a cash balance
[56:30] is sustainable, budgeting, and as well as developing sustainable policies surrounding the county
[56:36] fleet. This concludes our brief introduction to the item and we're all available for any questions.
[56:41] Very good. Are there any questions of Joel?
[56:44] Two of Reserkins, all of us. Thank you. Joel, thank you for the information and the presentation.
[56:51] Much more transparent this time. I do have some concerns. I believe that the reorganization
[57:00] is absolutely wanted and I agree with it.
[57:03] I want to thank Jay for taking the time to talk to me about it in a private meeting.
[57:08] My concern, though, is the timing of this item, and we just had budget hearings, and we're
[57:15] in a $6 million deficit, and I don't know what that sends, that, as approving this, or
[57:22] moving forward with going in this direction, what that says to our employees when we're asking
[57:28] are staff to recognize the 9% salary savings, and so with HR, when they're bringing these items forward,
[57:39] we are addressing a lot of disparities where we just we just approved a person in our
[57:47] economic development department. Sorry, you know what I mean? But I just don't know if the time
[57:57] is appropriate for this and again it's not anything against the staff or where the proposal
[58:02] because I do think it's warranted but when we're asking to realize these salary savings
[58:08] when we're using $21 million of our ARPA money to offset salaries when we could be using that
[58:14] for infrastructure but we're trying to save our staff and then sending the message that we can reorganize
[58:21] and some staff get increases. I just don't see the fair, how it's fair.
[58:27] And so, in addition to that, sorry,
[58:36] we're also asking staff not to fill positions
[58:42] and we're creating the facility's managers position. And I understand that we have a lot of
[58:47] over doing a lot of work, as I just feel really concerned that it doesn't send the right
[58:52] message to the employees and for those reasons, I can't support this today.
[59:00] All right, very good. Supervisor Wheeler. Yeah, thank you. You know, and I can see her
[59:04] concerns too on that. The facilities manager, we've needed that for years. We have talked
[59:11] about somebody doing the whole thing years ago before you were here. And she would never
[59:19] have had that. And I think that's very important. We do that. That's really the only new position
[59:23] this fleet manager, this fleet service manager, by version of those two, we're not actually,
[59:30] that's not adding anything, it's probably going to probably be a salary savings.
[59:34] Right, so to clarify the facility superintendent, out of the three position actions,
[59:40] the facility superintendent is the new position. It's a new position in the county.
[59:45] If the services manager, we're proposing to convert the automotive shop supervisor and the
[59:52] management position to begin with given right right right now and then because we are
[59:59] consolidate
[1:00:00] In the fleet services, under the same general services, I think we can make the argument that it should have been a general services division director from the start and supervisor Gonzalez.
[1:00:10] Your points are truly appreciate what we're cognizant of how it looks and how it's perceived.
[1:00:17] If I may though, I think we're victims of we didn't bring this in sooner, right? So the admin office is not reorganized over the past 10 years.
[1:00:27] And I think the timing could have been better, but I think it's always, you know, we always
[1:00:34] come up to this like we need to do everyone first. So even now we're doing it, last
[1:00:38] it seems we're doing it first, but I just want to say it because, you know, on behalf of the
[1:00:44] admin office, this isn't, you know, that we didn't pick the timing because, you know, we're in a
[1:00:49] budget deficit and all that is just, you know, there's never a good time to do it. And I think
[1:00:55] victims of we didn't bring it in sooner when times are better but I think the this brings
[1:01:04] those two positions to the level that it should have been for the county our size and
[1:01:08] their responsibilities those positions have right now. I just want to reiterate that point.
[1:01:14] And I really think that by combining some of these like this you're going to have sorry savings
[1:01:18] in the long way. Because otherwise we always had, you know, especially like to two fleet managers,
[1:01:24] we always had, they had to have secretaries, they had to have whatever underneath something.
[1:01:29] Now we have somebody who's going to be doing all this together. So I just, that's what we did when
[1:01:34] we done that study, 10 years ago when we done all those reorganization. This is kind of stuff that we did.
[1:01:39] And super, as we go to the point of the salary savings. So prior to this budget year,
[1:01:44] The general service division had two general service managers once an extra help. We did eliminate
[1:01:50] the extra help funding and funded a lower level analyst position in with the difference and that's how we're
[1:01:56] offsetting the classification of general service division director. The fleet service
[1:02:02] manager is a night internal service fund. So the cost of that division is recovered through the rates.
[1:02:07] It's not a hundred percent general fund under departments will bear that benefit and great at loss.
[1:02:13] However, there is what's hard to quantify, but we believe that there are savings in the long term, including the superintendent.
[1:02:22] When we're able to plan short and long term, like facilities, easy replacements,
[1:02:28] and it's not reacting to the fire at the moment, you say the emergency cost of having to buy an AC right now as opposed to
[1:02:37] Exactly, you've got to plan forward in the same thing with a fleet service manager. So
[1:02:44] an example of what value added a fleet service manager would have to do operations
[1:02:50] is that we can better plan the acquisition of vehicles. I'm going to use the current leasing program as an
[1:02:56] example. The traditional model that we've had was by a friend and by a friend only what we do collect.
[1:03:04] However, during the recession, the rates were never adjusted, so we never collected enough to do that.
[1:03:12] So we, through planning with our office, you know, we adjusted the rates at the same time,
[1:03:18] leverage low interest rates so that we can get the replacement schedule back on track, similar to the fire,
[1:03:23] our replacement plan.
[1:03:25] But these are the kinds of planning decisions that we can expect an individual, an individual.
[1:03:30] We're not with those skills.
[1:03:32] Right.
[1:03:33] And that's a not the former shop supervisor, but there's a different skill set when you're managing an internal service fund.
[1:03:42] I agree.
[1:03:43] Supervisor Fraser.
[1:03:45] Thank you very much for the explanation of that.
[1:03:48] And I think another point to make is we do have a new CEO and charge of admin and how that organization should look.
[1:03:58] And there's always going to be some changes.
[1:04:02] I do appreciate to provide your condolences, comments, they make a lot of sense, I'm glad
[1:04:08] that that's the way she's looking at it because it makes sense and you always have to worry
[1:04:15] about that appearance and that we're doing the right things.
[1:04:19] I think your point was well made, Joel, after that this isn't first, it just seems like
[1:04:26] because it's at the beginning of the fiscal year,
[1:04:31] trying to go at the end of the fiscal year.
[1:04:34] But so I appreciate the comments
[1:04:38] and the work that went into this to figure out
[1:04:41] how to take this organization into the future
[1:04:46] and sometimes it does the numbers skew at the beginning,
[1:04:51] but then you do see those salaries savings later on,
[1:04:56] But this board looks at it from an entirety as a board.
[1:05:00] So I appreciate all that and I'm moved to a proven
[1:05:03] ever after we go to the public.
[1:05:07] So it reminds you, Gonzales.
[1:05:08] Sorry, I had one more point to say when it's just
[1:05:10] to make sure that I added to the record.
[1:05:13] And again, it's not that I don't agree
[1:05:15] with the reorganization.
[1:05:16] And I just think at the timing.
[1:05:17] And I also think that classifying it as a division director
[1:05:22] is the wrong route as well I did talk to Jay and ask him why wouldn't it be a deputy director or a WCAO position?
[1:05:31] He did explain that it doesn't warrant that, so again I'm not against it, but you're taking some of the duties from the current
[1:05:39] from a current WCAO in place in the general services, so it's a mid-management position and you're paying it at a level level of the deputy director
[1:05:49] And so I just think that opens it up to a lot of controversy with some of the union threats
[1:05:54] and it could potentially bring some of that in from our union organization.
[1:05:59] So I just think it opens the count of ones.
[1:06:02] Thank you.
[1:06:03] Very good.
[1:06:04] Are there any other comments from my colleagues, Council Garza?
[1:06:08] Yes, Chairman.
[1:06:09] Thank you.
[1:06:09] And members of the board.
[1:06:11] I just want to add that on page three of the staff report, staff is asking for consideration
[1:06:17] of approval and if the board makes a motion for approval, items 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 specifically
[1:06:26] would be part of that motion. I wanted to just make sure that that was clear for the record,
[1:06:32] and I can read those in, if needed. But otherwise. All those would be part of my motion. Thank you.
[1:06:38] Very good. No, it's the same part. Okay. We have a motion a second. Are there any members of the
[1:06:45] public who have any comments?
[1:07:10] Stephanie Sivley Secretary, representing the mid-management association of
[1:07:13] MDR Accounting and its membership.
[1:07:15] Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Board members.
[1:07:18] While the mid-management association of MDR Accounting and MDR Accounting
[1:07:23] emphatically supports all manager supervisors and members of our association,
[1:07:28] we must voice our opposition to this board item and consequently
[1:07:32] item F, which is not for you yet.
[1:07:34] Some of the salaries before you today are salaries for members of the mid-management association.
[1:07:41] So it is very difficult to have to voice an opposition to these out actions, however,
[1:07:47] what is equitable and fair for some must be fair and equitable to all.
[1:07:52] Based on the current county financial information provided to the unions,
[1:07:57] the county cannot afford such raises, whether positions are funded from subvented departments
[1:08:02] or not, there is still a net cost to the county and the taxpayer and the county at this time has no money.
[1:08:10] If the county had the necessary funding, departments would not have been directed to cut labor costs by 9% per year,
[1:08:18] over the next four fiscal years, leave positions vacant and limit extra help staff.
[1:08:24] These actions today are the result of this county continually failing its employees with regard to salary,
[1:08:30] classification and compensation year after year salaries are not salaries
[1:08:37] studies are not implemented or we're yet our set aside. Employees need to know
[1:08:44] raises let alone cost of living increases are now gone until at least 2025
[1:08:50] with no relief in sight. Therefore is our belief that taking these actions would be
[1:08:56] mental and would add an additional burden to the county financially and we request that the board
[1:09:02] oppose each action. If the board intends for all departments and employees to continue making
[1:09:08] sacrifices to help find a way out of the current fiscal crisis, we believe your board and
[1:09:14] your administration must be the first to set the example. Thank you.
[1:09:21] Are there any other public
[1:09:22] comments.
[1:09:25] Seeing none, we'll bring the item back to the board. We do have a motion in the
[1:09:31] second, and I'll ask for a roll call vote. Supervisor Fraser. Supervisor Wheeler. Yes. Supervisor
[1:09:38] Gonzalez. No. Chairman Poitress. Yes. The passes three. One.
[1:09:46] Moving on to item six F discussion
[1:09:49] and consideration of approval to reorganize the Department of Human Resources as outlined. Good
[1:09:57] So this is one of the table items that I would brought back to you.
[1:10:03] And then it was in changes in some historical background.
[1:10:06] To provide to you of why we're bringing those changes to you.
[1:10:10] To start with is the audit that was done by Shaw H.
[1:10:15] Our consultant.
[1:10:16] We entered into an agreement with the company in January.
[1:10:20] And that agreement was brought to the board on January 5th for approval.
[1:10:24] The scope of services that were required of that audit was for HR consulting to review all of the county reasonable accommodations and disability interactive process policies procedures and practices within the HR department.
[1:10:38] And then many recommendations to ensure that accommodation policies procedures and practices work on plan would ADA fee as well as consistent with this practices that are out there.
[1:10:48] Part of that process also included for HR consultants to identify any practices of our procedures that needed to be in place for HR to be able to conduct this work.
[1:10:58] And so when they brought the report back, they made recommendations of chiefs that needed to happen within the HR department.
[1:11:04] The recommendations included that we have to basically revamp all our processes in our forms and centralize some of the services that were being done with the disability compliance program.
[1:11:15] Basically, what HR, Shaw HR Consulting said is that we had to create a program that specifically was named the Fija ADA Disability Compliance.
[1:11:26] And, and bring that back into the HR, we had to do more work with the fitness for duty program and then centralize the accommodations process and make that work with an art department.
[1:11:38] We had to create uniform processes, and right now what we're doing in the department is
[1:11:42] looking at our forms, changing the workflows, and how that works being done.
[1:11:47] As part of that recommendation, also meant that we had to change some of the functions within
[1:11:51] the HR staff and bring those and address those in the job descriptions.
[1:11:55] We made those changes in the job descriptions, and the changes were significant, which meant
[1:12:00] that our assistant director was really had to oversee a lot of that work that had to be
[1:12:04] then and may not have been done with the departments
[1:12:07] and bring that over to HR, as well as creating management
[1:12:11] positions that were at that level to make sure
[1:12:13] that worker was being done.
[1:12:15] So really the recommendation from HR Consulting
[1:12:18] was to centralize all that work, bring it back to HR
[1:12:21] and work with the departments to ensure we
[1:12:22] were in compliance with the disability compliance program.
[1:12:26] And our recommendation to the board and request
[1:12:29] is to allow us to restructure the HR department
[1:12:31] where we are creating divisions now.
[1:12:33] and are able to provide their services to the departments that are in need.
[1:12:38] There are some departments that don't not have a staff to be able to do this for,
[1:12:42] or not, or not trained to be able to do the interactive process or handle these,
[1:12:48] the way their staff is in HR.
[1:12:50] And so this would allow for that to happen.
[1:12:52] So we're breaking up our department into divisions.
[1:12:55] There'll be divisions and handles staff development and the recruitment and
[1:12:58] recruitment and selection process as well as classification and compensation.
[1:13:02] There will be an intervention to handle specifically position control, as well as handling
[1:13:08] all our employee relations, which has to do with discipline, and as well as assisting our employees
[1:13:14] that wouldn't have questions specifically about certain people going on within their positions.
[1:13:19] Then we have our division C, which is labor-relations, our chief negotiator, believe managing
[1:13:23] that area with a staff member, and the last division that is really being created as part
[1:13:28] this is the Disability Compliance Program, which we'll have a HR Manager does
[1:13:32] managing that with an analyst in handling all of the interactive
[1:13:35] process with another analyst and staff members.
[1:13:41] So that's really where the recommendation was missed
[1:13:43] from last time that was not brought to you.
[1:13:46] The significant changes that were made to the job descriptions,
[1:13:50] you can see from the red lines in the changes,
[1:13:53] and that also caused the review of the salaries and the positions.
[1:13:55] We're not making salaries like a changes to the original, I think that was about to you
[1:14:00] which were the HR analyst and the senior HR analyst.
[1:14:03] Those classifications we believe are not as impacted by these changes as is the assistant
[1:14:09] director and the HR managers.
[1:14:12] So that's why these are the only ones that are being brought to you for approval this time.
[1:14:16] And so really that is our presentation and request from you and I'm very happy to have any questions.
[1:14:22] Supervisor Frazier.
[1:14:23] Thank you Chairman. This one took me a while to wrap my head around to understand what it was doing.
[1:14:32] I wanted to see like shifting and then it was the, well, these are suspended dollars that are going to be from there.
[1:14:40] That always seems like, well, okay, then it's free money. It's not real money.
[1:14:45] But as part of our budget, we still have to be, we have the fiduciary responsibility to,
[1:14:50] to spend it correctly, and so I had to think through to, okay, what is this? If we shift
[1:14:56] those dollars away from that organization.
[1:15:00] Or from that department, you know, how is that helping the goal of that department?
[1:15:07] And don't know who we were looking at the tax sharing agreement where we shifted responsibility from
[1:15:14] the sheriff's department up in over park where it didn't save us or didn't bring in any extra money,
[1:15:19] but it did was create the ability to have higher levels of service in different areas instead of focus on that.
[1:15:25] So it shifts HR work away from departments that should really have all of their focus on the goals
[1:15:36] that they have for their department, but the Department of Social Services, behavioral health.
[1:15:42] Instead of having somebody dedicated their to doing HR work outside of what they would normally
[1:15:49] do, now all of their dollars can be focused on providing services for mental health, for social
[1:16:01] service, sorry, that didn't have that run down, but that's where I see the increase in service
[1:16:10] delivery to our customers, our clients, our citizens, is by all the focus in those departments
[1:16:20] in that direction versus having to figure out how to do HR, how to do, keep up with all the
[1:16:27] different laws that govern HR. So I find it was able to get that to where that seemed to
[1:16:35] make sense. That wasn't just chipping that out of there, creating a higher level of service. And that's
[1:16:40] go on through all of this. We'll also see throughout this year, in a number of different
[1:16:48] departments, this is the first one, these are the first ones that are coming, but every
[1:16:52] time that someone comes in with a re-ort, it does trigger those looks at whether or
[1:17:02] not it's within the correct ranges, whether the job description is correct and so those
[1:17:08] what happened and we won't have the same questions on all of those as we would on here and we
[1:17:13] have to look at it in the same way as we go through the year and right now. So those were kind of
[1:17:21] where I'd got to but that was it was hard for me to wrap my head around this one and how to do it
[1:17:26] but I think I finally now have it and I thank you for picking the time to meet with me and help
[1:17:33] me understand this and I think in the information and bringing in the showing that the study
[1:17:39] had an impact because that was not there last time. It wasn't discussed. And so I think
[1:17:47] all of that together makes much more sense and I think it's much more transparent now and
[1:17:53] this is the way our these items should be as being forward with all the information so that
[1:18:03] to consult us.
[1:18:04] Thank you.
[1:18:05] I thank you, Elder.
[1:18:06] Yeah.
[1:18:06] Thank you for providing the overview as well.
[1:18:10] I just kind of want to echo the sentiments from the last item and I just think it's
[1:18:14] in good space and good conscience.
[1:18:15] I just can't support it.
[1:18:17] If the whole restructuring when you have four HR managers that are being reclassified and
[1:18:24] you have an assistant at HR manager and your HR manager, then I have six high level employees
[1:18:30] So we're seeing a staff of 18, 17, because once I'm filled, and I just think it's very
[1:18:36] top-heavy.
[1:18:38] And again, I just think it opens the kind of rooms.
[1:18:41] We have how many other departments are going to come in and want to reclassify a new
[1:18:46] classification so that they can circumvent the salary survey because I feel like we're
[1:18:51] kind of implementing it here.
[1:18:52] So I just, I understand, I respect supervisor wheelers and, and what your stuff does, it has absolutely nothing to do with the stuff, but you just can't in good conscience support that I've stuck into one of my dear friend over the weekend and they work in the private sector.
[1:19:11] And I asked about the structure of their operation and they oversee about an $80 million budget, they do the fiscal and the HR.
[1:19:20] They do the fiscal and HR work in that in the private sector and they get about $80,000 a year and that doesn't include that because we have great benefits here at the county and the retirement.
[1:19:31] So I just, it's my dear county, it's just, I just, but thank you.
[1:19:35] Thank you.
[1:19:36] So, rise to Wheeler.
[1:19:37] Yeah, thank you.
[1:19:39] Everyone's got to just remember that HR is our report system for every part, the main thing that their job is.
[1:19:48] And we reorganized it a few years ago throughout on your own, and it seemed like they never worked
[1:19:55] on it.
[1:19:55] But now that we've got a new director, we're kind of changing again a little bit.
[1:20:00] And I think the way it's designed now, after being explained to me, it was a month
[1:20:05] and a half, a week ago it was about up, I was never loaded for it, but now that I've got
[1:20:11] a mistake head of mine, what we're doing and how we're doing it, does make a difference to
[1:20:18] because the other one keeps us safe and legal and we need to re-organize to do that
[1:20:29] and bring these divisions like that. I got the organization chart.
[1:20:34] One thing that I just don't look at me is that top head is like it.
[1:20:40] I don't mind that, but we do have to have that visions
[1:20:45] swing the different departments and stuff and so I want to thank you too for
[1:20:52] letting that to me and always get it that easy but I didn't get this easy
[1:20:58] either but I did get it in my head and but I just wanted to know that HR is our
[1:21:03] support for home or departments. Bottom line. Very good. Any other comments from
[1:21:10] my colleagues if not open up the public or are there any public comments?
[1:21:14] Good
[1:21:32] morning.
[1:21:33] Let's check it out.
[1:21:34] It was still morning.
[1:21:38] Rebecca Martinez, clerk recorder, register our photos.
[1:21:41] I want to preface my comments this morning by saying that I am not here to object to any of the requested increases in salary.
[1:21:53] And I want to make sure that that's clear to the people who are receiving the increases and to this for
[1:22:00] The last time that these items came before this board, my department was mentioned at that public comment and now I feel compelled to explain my deputies received a pay increase because they were the lowest paid clerical support staff that we have in county.
[1:22:26] They remained that way for years, and it wasn't something that I could get fixed for some time.
[1:22:32] And this goes all the way back to when we were living in the old building.
[1:22:36] So it's been quite a long time.
[1:22:39] But what happened was when salary surveys were done, those salaries were never compared with internal-like positions.
[1:22:49] So you had a bunch of clerical staff, but none of them were ever compared to one another.
[1:22:54] When, in fact, sometimes you could literally lay job specifications on top of another, but one class was paid 30% more than the others.
[1:23:06] And so, I moved forward with making sure that we remedied that finally.
[1:23:14] I didn't change their titles. We did do some amendments to their job specifications.
[1:23:19] Now, all that being said, I note that in the request that you've had this morning, that
[1:23:27] titles are changing, using keywords such as manager, director, etc. There are so many
[1:23:35] manager positions out there in county. And there's so many of us that have assistant
[1:23:40] department heads to take over for us in our absence, especially the ones that serve elected
[1:23:45] officials, they have a huge burden. I have two managers in my department and one chief assistant.
[1:23:56] But once these items are all approved, the salaries for the management staff that are out there
[1:24:03] supporting this county need to be compared throughout the county with one another at the very least
[1:24:13] So that you don't have that same disparity because then we're going to have the same issue that I've had before.
[1:24:22] Right, and that is where we end up at the bottom of the rub.
[1:24:28] I unfortunately did not know that a consulting firm was hired to do desk audits.
[1:24:35] I missed it.
[1:24:37] But I most certainly would have asserted that me too close had I been watchful.
[1:24:43] But the result of the taxpayer-funded report should have been included in the backup, so that we all as department heads can take a look at it, see what it takes to do the desk of it, because I'm sure that at some point we're going to be there.
[1:24:58] And I'm hoping that soon. And it's already been mentioned, but next week we're going to be discussing salaries due to the structural deficit.
[1:25:07] But we have to consider equity and fairness and I'm requesting that this board commit to
[1:25:14] looking at management positions throughout the county as soon as possible.
[1:25:19] Otherwise, this is going to be viewed upon and perceived to be back, that door approach
[1:25:24] to implementing a salary survey for a select few.
[1:25:29] That's it.
[1:25:29] Thank you very much.
[1:25:31] Thank you.
[1:25:32] Are there any other comments from members of the public?
[1:25:36] Seeing none, we'll bring the action.
[1:25:40] I got one more move.
[1:25:41] Yes.
[1:25:44] I actually talked with Becky too, another part of the hedge.
[1:25:48] You know, this is something that we started doing now.
[1:25:51] We've done a few more last year, earlier this year, earlier.
[1:25:56] And we have to look at all the departments and do
[1:25:59] compare each one.
[1:26:00] I have no problem with that.
[1:26:02] But we, as directors, have to do and have to talk
[1:26:06] go on Jay and see if we can get that moving board bottom line. So, and I moved a
[1:26:12] prove item the extent we have a motion in the second to approve.
[1:26:24] May clarify that that motion includes just because especially because they
[1:26:28] deal with salaries items 1, 2 and 3 on page 3, supervisor Wheeler on your
[1:26:34] There's a request specifically for approval of the organizational chart, the salary range for the assistant director of human resources and the salary range for the manager of human resources manager.
[1:26:50] I'd like the motion to prove items 1, 2 and 3 under item 6 out and I do have that
[1:26:57] organization charge that we'll be included very good and we have that motion in a second
[1:27:03] from a supervisor, Frazier and we've had public comments so ask for a roll call vote.
[1:27:10] Supervisor Wheeler?
[1:27:11] Yes.
[1:27:12] Supervisor Frazier?
[1:27:13] Supervisor Gonzalez?
[1:27:14] No.
[1:27:15] Chairman Poitress?
[1:27:16] Yes.
[1:27:16] Vote passes 3-1.
[1:27:18] Thank you. Moving on to item 6G. This is an update on the COVID-19 and current vaccination administration status.
[1:27:33] Morning, sir. Still morning.
[1:27:35] Good morning.
[1:27:37] Sarah Bosch, public health director.
[1:27:43] I'd to be back with you.
[1:27:45] Mr. Chair and members of the board.
[1:27:49] We are still in good shape when it comes to the data for COVID.
[1:27:53] Other than watching some things that I'll cover today, so our seven-day average daily
[1:27:59] case rate is at 3.8, our positivity rate, the county is 2.4%.
[1:28:04] That helps equity positivity rate is 4.1% and our testing volume is at 200 and 300,000.
[1:28:11] That's about 326 tests per day when you count the entire population.
[1:28:17] Our hospitalizations are increasing as you would expect to kind of correspond with that
[1:28:22] case rate, although as you recall, the hospitalization tends to trail the case rate by a little
[1:28:30] bit.
[1:28:31] And so we are right now at 3.7, and you look at the average of the last three days hospitalizations
[1:28:38] because of course it goes up and down a passive medicary county resonance in medicary
[1:28:43] county hospitals, and that's really what we've been watching and all of the hospitalizations
[1:28:49] are unvaccinated individuals.
[1:28:51] We are continuing to monitor outbreaks and so far that are small and quickly contained.
[1:28:59] All cover vaccination rate in just a minute, but it's important to understand the prevalence of antibodies in the population.
[1:29:07] That factors in both people who've gotten antibodies through vaccination, but also people who have antibodies by having contracted the illness.
[1:29:14] For California, the zero prevalence for the population,
[1:29:19] the presence of antibodies is 85.9% and in the
[1:29:23] San Joaquin Valley, it's 84.5%.
[1:29:26] We're just under the state average for a while there.
[1:29:30] We were even ahead of it just because we had a higher volume of cases.
[1:29:34] But as the rest of the state has vaccinated at a higher rate than the
[1:29:38] San Joaquin Valley, we've seen that zero prevalence kind of common
[1:29:42] We are watching the Delta variant very closely and it's important to understand that the only way we know what kind of variant it is or if it's a variant is genomic sequencing, which takes time.
[1:29:55] Right now it takes about three to four weeks before we get information.
[1:30:00] We're talking about genomic sequencing on our cases. And so we really have very low numbers that we can report. Last, I heard, we had 13 cases of Delta variant of the last month and a half 13 13.
[1:30:15] So we got one because it was 12 many of those came from a single event.
[1:30:21] that was a large event, about a hundred people and attendance.
[1:30:25] And so we'll expect that more will happen, and it's mostly because the Delta variant is so highly transmissible.
[1:30:33] We use for contact tracing, as you know, identifying close contacts is 15 minutes or less.
[1:30:39] In close proximity to someone who's positive with the Delta variant, we're looking at more like a minute or two.
[1:30:45] It's much more transmissible.
[1:30:47] But the good news is that the mRNA vaccines, in particular, may be up to 88% effective against
[1:30:55] the Delta variant.
[1:30:56] So those, in particular, who have gotten the mRNAs of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, have a significant
[1:31:02] amount of protection from the Delta variant, and that's good news in terms of our overall
[1:31:06] population health perspective.
[1:31:10] But again, when you talk about the level of antibodies in the community, we're getting
[1:31:15] significant amount of our protection from previous infection versus vaccination in comparison
[1:31:20] to other areas of the state. And so we don't know how that's going to play out with regards
[1:31:26] to the Delta variant and other variants as they come because it's just not well-known how that variant
[1:31:34] is affecting current infection of people who previously had a different strain of the virus.
[1:31:40] What we do know is that in California the case rate among unvaccinated people is 4.9 per 100,000.
[1:31:49] And vaccinated people it's 0.6.
[1:31:52] So significantly less among vaccinated individuals current infections.
[1:31:58] So that is the main message is that vaccination is really worthwhile for
[1:32:04] containment of COVID for individual protection for family and
[1:32:09] friend protection against COVID.
[1:32:11] So our vaccination rate is for one dose only 49 percent in
[1:32:17] Medira County.
[1:32:18] That's compared to the state, which is at 69.8 percent.
[1:32:22] Holy vaccinated, we're 42.1.
[1:32:27] We are seeing differences among different populations.
[1:32:30] We're seeing less vaccination among that reporting area B in particular and we've done lots and lots of
[1:32:37] outreach in that area. Individuals aged 34 years of age and younger are vaccinating at a lower rate
[1:32:45] and are Hispanic Latino audience is vaccinated at a lower rate and so of course we're very aware of that
[1:32:51] and a lot of our outreach strategies are looking at how do we expand vaccination among those populations.
[1:32:58] We currently are hosting still about 14 clinics a week.
[1:33:03] There's lots of access and that access is all throughout our county.
[1:33:08] We have that update that you ask for in a regular basis
[1:33:13] as about our community-based organizations and how they're functioning.
[1:33:16] We have defined a difference between direct outreach and indirect outreach.
[1:33:21] Interrupt outreach accumulates over time from a marketing perspective
[1:33:25] If you think about impressions, like every time you see that advertise when it adds up over time,
[1:33:30] but that's an indirect impression if it's less than five minutes of interaction.
[1:33:35] That's the definition that we put and it's very common for grant funded education programs.
[1:33:41] So our CBOs together sent from March to June have 19283 impressions and then 6,724 direct contact.
[1:33:52] So that's five minutes or more and most of those interactions
[1:33:55] are 10, 15 minutes, where they're really intensively
[1:33:58] working with individuals answering their questions
[1:34:00] and helping them get registered as much as possible.
[1:34:05] We've had over 400 pop-up education events
[1:34:08] throughout the community, Quabria,
[1:34:10] a storefront pop-up, store-to-door campusing.
[1:34:13] And so that's been a successful effort.
[1:34:15] And we really have increased the volume of data
[1:34:18] that we're collecting from those communities, organizations,
[1:34:20] and utilizing that to improve our outreach.
[1:34:24] The other thing we've rolled out in the last couple of weeks is based on some data that we collected about
[1:34:29] people who waited to get vaccinated, but then went ahead and got vaccinated.
[1:34:34] So I asked my staff to look at that group in particular because much of the research is going and asking people who have not gotten vaccinated while you're not getting it.
[1:34:43] And it's basically known in marketing that that data is pretty unreliable.
[1:34:48] People will tell you lots of different reasons why they're not, but
[1:34:52] you don't really know what's going to convince them to change until you look at the group that has changed.
[1:34:58] So when we looked at the people who are vaccinated in the month of May, we learned several things.
[1:35:02] The first is many of them delayed for very reasonable reasons.
[1:35:07] They didn't have a lot of time. Many people are working several jobs.
[1:35:10] it's difficult for them to get the time to do it, especially when you factor in the people
[1:35:14] have had kind of side effects of the vaccine and they want to make sure they have time to recover.
[1:35:20] Others express things like we wanted to wait until our kids were eligible and we were just waiting
[1:35:25] to go together as a family and solidarity. Many people express they were concerned about the effects
[1:35:31] of the vaccine and they just wanted time to see how it went for people and that was the predominant
[1:35:38] answer is that people who are waiting are mostly unless they're truly like anti-vaccination,
[1:35:44] which they're those, but they're a group that's kind of in the middle to just haven't quite
[1:35:48] made up their mind yet, it's their friends, their family. Did they get vaccinated and what was their
[1:35:54] experience and are they getting sick and any of the hospital or are they protected? So we have
[1:36:01] developed an incentive program that's referred to a friend. We're encouraging people who have been
[1:36:08] So anyone who has a referral code, other vaccinated or not, they can refer other people
[1:36:13] and both individuals get $25 when the individual goes and gets vaccinated.
[1:36:20] So it's an easy way to get free money for people like we want to, and all of this is funded
[1:36:27] by those cowly of a dollars that we've been using for instance, it says not government, fun
[1:36:31] thing, it's through our health plan, but we encourage people to log into our website, get that
[1:36:36] real code it's on our Facebook page and refer friends and family to get back
[1:36:40] soon because that's how we're going to really tackle code is if we're all doing it
[1:36:44] together. I just wanted to address that this week there was in the news that Pfizer was
[1:36:50] trying to get approval for the booster. CDC pushed back there's really not data to show that
[1:36:57] there's need for booster at this point that was not based on science that was based on
[1:37:01] company wanting to have a third vaccine so that they can get more money for vaccine.
[1:37:07] Maybe a good second quarter.
[1:37:11] They haven't made enough money yet.
[1:37:12] And so, you know, good on them, it's capitalism, they're going for what they can.
[1:37:18] And we don't know yet about whether or not a booster is needed.
[1:37:21] So I just wanted to clarify that there isn't really scientific evidence at this point.
[1:37:27] What we're seeing is the vaccine is being very effective.
[1:37:30] It's keeping people from either having if they are infected, milder symptoms,
[1:37:36] if any symptoms at all, and keeping them at a hospital.
[1:37:38] There's really only been a handful of cases that have been hospitalized after vaccination.
[1:37:44] And then, one, I did just briefly touch on school guidance was released yesterday.
[1:37:49] Lots of controversy around the fact that universal masking California was recommended,
[1:37:53] or it's part of the guidance.
[1:37:56] CDPH looks like they might be back pedaling a little bit, we'll see that it was early on,
[1:38:02] but I'll just say that on the calls, the real goal that was emphasized is getting kids back to school.
[1:38:09] That was the real goal.
[1:38:10] And when you look at all of the mitigation factors, if you take distancing away,
[1:38:15] masking is really the best next answer for protecting everyone who is there.
[1:38:20] Students, their families as well as staff.
[1:38:23] So that was the goal, and we'll see what happens.
[1:38:27] I'm sure there's going to be ongoing debate about that.
[1:38:30] And we are, I am in conversations with Dr. Masetti,
[1:38:34] our superintendent of schools,
[1:38:35] keep our superintendents well informed
[1:38:37] and we're still having regular calls with superintendents.
[1:38:41] In summary, COVID-19 has not gone.
[1:38:44] We encourage residents to focus on themselves
[1:38:46] and others how they can protect all of us
[1:38:51] working together, vaccination is the most the most effective means of us doing that, but also there's
[1:38:58] still the things that we've all learned, asking distancing and so if people are not vaccinated
[1:39:02] or even vaccinated, if you find yourself in a place of a distancing is not possible or in large
[1:39:07] crowds, always wear a mask and it's highly recommended and of course get tested. If you do feel sick
[1:39:14] And if you're sick, stay home. Any questions?
[1:39:18] Supervisor Fraser.
[1:39:19] Yeah, on the guidance for the universal masking at schools, I just
[1:39:25] very opposed to what I've, with four young children in watching,
[1:39:33] their mental health, and their ability to interact with people,
[1:39:36] and learn.
[1:39:40] I've just seen how damaging it's been for them to be
[1:39:43] about to see that, I mean, I was a strong proponent of masking and doing all the things and
[1:39:52] as people are vaccinated or not vaccinated and they're making that, themselves, they're making
[1:40:00] that conscious decision, but they're not to protect themselves, whether they be the teachers
[1:40:04] or other students or, I think that at some point we can't just protect everybody if they're
[1:40:11] making the conscious decision with all of the information that's out there, and so I don't
[1:40:18] know how well they'll learn without, you know, to see their teachers face or their friends
[1:40:25] faces or other students, I mean, I've seen kids that haven't seen each other for a year,
[1:40:31] and then they see each other and they don't, they're like, oh, who are you, like, with
[1:40:36] of the mask on, and I just have seen, at some point there's more damage that can happen
[1:40:44] to our kids mental health, I wish I think is extremely important.
[1:40:51] That's just my own personal observations of my kids and what has done to them in their
[1:41:02] version to talking to people and being able to connect.
[1:41:07] And I think that's an important part.
[1:41:09] That's just me personally.
[1:41:12] And so if there's ways to do waivers for that
[1:41:15] and the kids that want to wear them and I think
[1:41:19] it should be a personal choice at this point.
[1:41:25] And then a question in regards, because I also have kids
[1:41:30] that are eligible for the vaccine now.
[1:41:36] But just to give some feedback as a parent
[1:41:38] who is not an anti-bax or I just haven't seen the data
[1:41:43] of what the long-term effects will be.
[1:41:45] And then when I see that in actual medical journals,
[1:41:50] because my wife won't just let me read,
[1:41:53] just things online, it has to be a medical journal
[1:41:56] that actually has research behind it so that I'm not
[1:42:00] just spreading falsehoods, but there's been an increase in in large heart for young males
[1:42:09] and have you seen any of that data? Is it resolved quickly? Is it that's the question?
[1:42:22] I'm not familiar with all of that research myself. I do know that when you look at statistically
[1:42:28] the risk of having those kinds of effects so far in the data, of course, this is a young
[1:42:34] vaccine.
[1:42:35] We don't know everything about it in terms of long term effects and I'm will tell.
[1:42:41] But when you compare that to the risk of COVID infection and the impacts of COVID infection,
[1:42:49] that those impacts far outweigh statistically some of those side effects.
[1:42:54] And so from a population health perspective,
[1:42:56] that's what we're looking at is where does the risk lie?
[1:43:02] And so we still do support vaccination for children.
[1:43:07] I'm looking forward to the approval of the vaccine,
[1:43:10] for kids under age 12, which is expected September,
[1:43:13] October, late September, October.
[1:43:16] Because again, when you compare this vaccine
[1:43:19] to vaccines throughout history,
[1:43:22] this one is far more effective than what we've ever seen before. And that's that's really
[1:43:28] encouraging. So I think that there are there always exceptions and things and risks associated
[1:43:38] with almost any medical treatment that's out there. And we have to look at each individually for ourselves
[1:43:44] for our own kids in a way those different things and make an informed decision that's best for us.
[1:43:50] And to call if I might see him from a personal individual,
[1:43:55] both of my children had COVID, so they have some anti-bodies.
[1:44:01] And so it makes it a little easier to wait a little bit longer to see
[1:44:07] as the more research comes out and what happens in maybe it's a false sense of security,
[1:44:13] but at least there is that little bit that I'm kind of waiting on to be able to see
[1:44:19] longer term effects just to give feedback from somebody who's grappling with this decision
[1:44:26] right now is you're trying to get those data points. I'll do mine publicly.
[1:44:33] Sure.
[1:44:34] And each individual person and family has to make a decision based on the evidence the information
[1:44:40] that they have about where their comfort level is and when they're ready to move forward.
[1:44:44] From a population perspective we're of course encouraging as many people to get vaccinated as possible.
[1:44:49] because that's how viruses work.
[1:44:52] They need a host and it's more of the population level
[1:44:55] that we're looking.
[1:44:56] So we are, of course, encouraging people
[1:44:58] to get vaccinated, but it's certainly interesting.
[1:45:00] We're individual people. If they feel they need more time to see what the outcomes are, that's why we put the information out so that they can take their time and when they're ready, get back to you.
[1:45:14] I've got paralysis by analysis.
[1:45:16] Supervisor Wheeler, yeah.
[1:45:18] Thank you.
[1:45:20] That dealt with very, is that then kids get that easier
[1:45:24] than the other rigor?
[1:45:26] Oh, but it's a little bit different.
[1:45:28] It's a little bit different as young girls.
[1:45:29] More susceptible.
[1:45:30] It regardless of age.
[1:45:34] So it's how quickly it can be passed from one person
[1:45:37] to another.
[1:45:38] Very young.
[1:45:40] So that's not dependent on age.
[1:45:44] Sue Reiserkin's always. Yes, there are what's the age range of the children who can be vaccinated?
[1:45:50] age 12 and up can receive the best Pfizer vaccine. Okay, and then I just
[1:45:54] Do you are comments about the hesitancy of receiving the vaccine?
[1:45:59] Evident it's in my household. I have a sister-in-law who's been very hesitant to receive the vaccine and today has my effect. She has an appointment to get it because they had a little bit of a scare
[1:46:09] someone was exposed, they had to get tested, so now they're going in and she's taking the kids,
[1:46:14] so you'll have three additional people receiving the vaccine today, but I'll make sure to tell her
[1:46:19] to refer to her friend. Yeah, I agree. You can get the referral and that's often what happens.
[1:46:27] I just heard a story from another staff member of exactly the same scenario on someone who was very
[1:46:33] resistant to getting the vaccine that they had a scare and they're waiting for their test results.
[1:46:37] And if it comes back negative, the first thing they're going to do is go get back to me.
[1:46:41] That's that's often an experience that happened.
[1:46:43] And they were waiting to see what happened to me after I received it.
[1:46:47] Yeah.
[1:46:47] Okay.
[1:46:48] Thank you.
[1:46:49] Very good.
[1:46:50] Are there any comments from the members of the public?
[1:46:53] Seeing and hearing none, let's move on to item six each.
[1:46:56] The Sheriff's Office Mobile Command Center.
[1:47:09] Morning, Chairman and members of the board.
[1:47:11] I'm sure of high symposium here is your director of emergency services from the
[1:47:16] County. So we started looking at ways to replace our aging
[1:47:20] milk map of several years ago. Our current map post was a
[1:47:24] used vehicle that we obtained from the public health
[1:47:27] department. It's actually a 1992 when a baguette and I
[1:47:31] believe we received about 15 years ago, not positive on the day,
[1:47:36] but it's somewhere in that range. It doesn't any use to drive
[1:47:38] it to or something. Yeah, it's a big occasion. It's a
[1:47:42] point up great from that. Yeah, but she served us very well.
[1:47:45] We're very grateful to have that and it's been really good to us.
[1:47:48] But unfortunately, it's no longer able to fully support our current future operation requirements.
[1:47:54] There are technology needs and I keep you all these obviously have increased in the last 20 years.
[1:47:59] So in 2019, the Midair Accounting Anti-Cares and Task Force, which includes the County Fire
[1:48:05] Chief, the Public Health Officer, the Midaira City Police Chief, the Midaira City Fire Chief,
[1:48:09] and the Child Child Police Chief, and lastly the Child Child Fire Chief,
[1:48:13] elected to start a project for a regional command post. And so by using that group of people,
[1:48:17] we were able to leverage about $211,629 a full-man security grant funding for the project.
[1:48:25] Which gave us a great start. Additionally, we were proposing to use 810,466 dollars from the
[1:48:31] rural sheriffs fund. These funds are allocated and specified the rural and small county sheriffs
[1:48:36] in HANTS law enforcement services.
[1:48:39] We assemble a team for a Muslim development.
[1:48:43] They created a list of needs and wants and working with that group and any other stakeholders.
[1:48:49] And then we put this project forward for a RFP and finally reviewed all those bids.
[1:48:55] We did quite a bit of research.
[1:48:56] We visited other agencies, talk to the end users.
[1:48:59] People actually go in the command, post and use it every day and did a lot of work to make sure
[1:49:04] that we were selecting the best product
[1:49:06] and the most fiscal irresponsible matter.
[1:49:09] In the end, our development team recommended
[1:49:12] in BF industries, and I can further their decision.
[1:49:17] A couple of things I've mentioned about this bid.
[1:49:19] It was the lowest bid, as well as it was the setup
[1:49:22] or vehicle we liked the most.
[1:49:25] Even if price wasn't the factor,
[1:49:28] in BF was really the perfect vehicle
[1:49:30] that there are needs.
[1:49:31] So it's very fortunate that it was also the lowest bid.
[1:49:34] So they built similar command vehicles for many other law enforcement agencies, military, fire,
[1:49:39] emergency management and private industries. One thing to mention, it's the only company that I'm
[1:49:45] aware of, not just in the bid process, but I think in the country that built their moveable box,
[1:49:51] and this allows it to be when this vehicles at the end of life such as ours is now, we'll
[1:49:57] take that box off, K to have it rehabilitated a new technology that mounts on a new chassis.
[1:50:02] This in the end will save the county and the taxpayers significant amounts of money.
[1:50:11] So this is a map post office space for a full-instinct man team, including a remote dispatch center and a conference room.
[1:50:17] Having a redundant dispatch center is obviously critical.
[1:50:21] map postal have redundant satellite internet ensuring that we always have connectivity during disasters or when we need it.
[1:50:27] It'll have available to all of our, it will be available to all of our county and agency partners,
[1:50:34] whenever they need mayor rise for them. Whether it's managing a fire or local disaster,
[1:50:38] maybe a vaccine distribution point, it'll also be available to be sent out of mutual aid.
[1:50:44] So we rely a lot on mutual aid from other counties to come in and organise with personnel and equipment,
[1:50:48] and this is way for us to also help out our other partners. And of course, if they have a
[1:50:55] the inverse of what incident allows cost recovery.
[1:50:59] I believe the cost recovery is somewhere in the range of 3 to $700 per day on this vehicle
[1:51:04] when it's out on incident.
[1:51:06] So it can get significant for us.
[1:51:10] I can tell you that it's been extremely useful to have a vehicle like this when we're going
[1:51:13] to our current fire.
[1:51:15] So we think of them get a lot of use.
[1:51:17] It's a great design.
[1:51:18] It's going to serve our agency in the citizens for many years to come.
[1:51:21] And since we're using grant funds and the rural sheriff's funds, there's no general
[1:51:25] on impact, but with I'd like to ask you to approve the notice and attempt to award, and
[1:51:29] we'll see then it's just a bit of revenue and we're available with questions and we have
[1:51:32] any questions of the share of?
[1:51:37] Are there any members of the public that have a comment?
[1:51:42] Seeing none, we'll approve, that one, two and three, yes, they're good.
[1:51:48] We have a motion in a second, roll, co-vote, please.
[1:51:54] Oh, any members of the public have any comments?
[1:51:58] Oh, if I ask.
[1:52:00] Okay.
[1:52:00] Okay.
[1:52:00] Very good.
[1:52:01] Okay.
[1:52:04] Supervisor Frasher.
[1:52:05] Yes.
[1:52:05] Supervisor Wheeler.
[1:52:07] Yes.
[1:52:07] Supervisor Gonzalez.
[1:52:09] Yes.
[1:52:09] Chairman Poittrees.
[1:52:10] Yes.
[1:52:10] Yes.
[1:52:10] The passes 40.
[1:52:12] Very good.
[1:52:13] Looking forward to it.
[1:52:15] Next, we have item 6.
[1:52:16] And this is the declaration proclaiming the existence of a local emergency.
[1:52:21] This is the item that this is the addition to the agenda that we approved early on.
[1:52:28] Yes, Chairman, if I will, before the sheriff, thank you, Sheriff Pogan.
[1:52:32] In Chairman, the sheriff did declare the existence of a local emergency due to the river fire,
[1:52:38] and that was proclaimed yesterday on July 12th, Sunday.
[1:52:43] And today, before you as a resolution, ratifying and extending that proclamation of a local emergency and with that, I would suggest that you're any motion that you make to approve is a resolution and but we ask gave us a template that that also provides some additional language for the board to ratify it, but the share a declaration would be an exhibit to any resolution that was approved by the sport related to the river fire.
[1:53:13] Thank you.
[1:53:15] Thank you, Chairman.
[1:53:18] Chair Pizepog.
[1:53:19] Again, here is your Office Emergency Services Director.
[1:53:22] I'm joined here by Battalion Chief Anthony Garcia as well.
[1:53:26] I appreciate you adding this important item to the agenda this morning.
[1:53:29] As you're aware, I've proclaimed a local emergency yesterday to do the riverfire.
[1:53:32] It's burning in the Medera or at the Medera Marcosa County line.
[1:53:37] Off of road 800 in area known as Bailey flats.
[1:53:41] between Raymond and a warning.
[1:53:43] So I'm asking for you to sign a resolution ratified
[1:53:46] stating that declaration of local emergency.
[1:53:48] Currently we have evacuations in place for road 600,
[1:53:51] between road 612, and blazing saddle trail,
[1:53:54] road 800, road 820, road 810, and road 812.
[1:53:59] But we also have evacuation warnings for another section,
[1:54:02] a couple sections of road 600, between road 415 and 612,
[1:54:06] as well as between blazing saddle trail and how a 40-minute time.
[1:54:11] Some road closures road 600 at road 612, 600 at 619 and road 816.
[1:54:18] Right now we're about 95 homes under evacuation order and additional 25 under evacuation warning.
[1:54:24] Our county staff and deputies are out conducting damages assessments to see what homes or structures have been burned
[1:54:30] and what county roadways or their infrastructure has been damaged as we speak.
[1:54:35] County Road Supporting, there's at least three bridges in the area that are going to need to be assessed for damage.
[1:54:41] And as far as on the sheriff side, we're currently receiving quite a bit of requests for people to go back in or retrieve items or feed and water animals.
[1:54:49] We're working with fire to make those arrangements to conduct them as safely as efficiently as possible.
[1:54:56] We are doing a lot of patrolling, making sure people's property and other items are safe.
[1:55:03] And I'm going to turn it over to a tiny Chief Anthony Garcia to talk to you a little bit about
[1:55:07] current fire ravers to get understand and what's going on there.
[1:55:13] I turn the members of the board at the New Garcia Battalion Chief of Calpire.
[1:55:16] As of this morning's report, Pires still looking at 9,500 acres, 15% contained, still 600
[1:55:22] structures being immediately threatened.
[1:55:24] About 1,216 personnel on the scene yesterday they did request an incident management team
[1:55:30] to come in and assist with management of the fire.
[1:55:32] that team will take over the fire of the speed today, and that's just going to help
[1:55:36] up a lot of the digital support, trying to support operations and finance the fire itself.
[1:55:41] I don't know if you have any questions, I'll be really happy to answer.
[1:55:43] Supervisor Wheeler.
[1:55:45] Yeah, first of all, I just want to thank you when
[1:55:49] about two and a half miles from my base, so I got noticed to evacuate,
[1:55:54] then that back and what had you, so let's say everything's packed up here.
[1:55:57] So, anyway, I've talked with the chief about what's in that night, and he was telling
[1:56:04] me some history,
[1:56:07] 60 years ago in 1961, a hard-old buyer started on most exact place
[1:56:12] where this started, on most exact time, the aim gate, when he differences a little bit as the
[1:56:18] heat there was two degrees cooler than back then than it is this time.
[1:56:24] We're in the same way, I guess we don't have the wins, maybe you guys ought to have
[1:56:30] so much quicker than what they did back then.
[1:56:33] Right, we did a big difference so good job, I don't like it today.
[1:56:40] Very good, thank you, are there any other comments from my colleagues?
[1:56:44] Any members of the public have a comment?
[1:56:48] I'll bring it back to the board and I'll accept the motion for action.
[1:56:52] I'll move to approve the emergency declaration.
[1:56:55] Second.
[1:56:57] We have a motion in a second.
[1:56:59] We'll call vote please.
[1:57:01] Supervisor Wheeler.
[1:57:02] Yes.
[1:57:02] Supervisor Gonzalez.
[1:57:04] Yes.
[1:57:04] Supervisor Fraser.
[1:57:05] Yes.
[1:57:05] And stay safe up there.
[1:57:07] Chairman Poetris.
[1:57:08] Yes.
[1:57:09] Vote passes for zero.
[1:57:11] Thank you.
[1:57:12] Very good.
[1:57:12] Appreciate it.
[1:57:14] Moving on to pending legislation.
[1:57:16] And is there any legislation that we need to deal with today?
[1:57:22] Doesn't look quite hit?
[1:57:23] There's not.
[1:57:24] Let's move on to supervisor and staff reports.
[1:57:26] I'll start to my right.
[1:57:28] Supervisor Frazier.
[1:57:30] I attended the Central Valley Railworking Group last Friday.
[1:57:36] A lot of information about everything that's going on.
[1:57:39] And how to keep cars off the road, Rob?
[1:57:42] That's really good things, yeah.
[1:57:43] Well, this is, I'll be a lot safer than that.
[1:57:46] That's right, our bikes, very good.
[1:57:48] Supervisor Gonzalez, supervisor Wheeler.
[1:57:52] Just one short deal yesterday.
[1:57:55] The PG&E had their Crain Valley perk.
[1:57:58] It was kind of our last hearing of what we're going to do.
[1:58:01] We had all the public comments, but they wanted
[1:58:03] to change it last late, no weight boards, no more buoys.
[1:58:08] You know, there was probably at least 50 comments
[1:58:11] from the public that we went over over two and a half hours so that they'll come out and
[1:58:18] how it was report and what they all wanted to use for next year's book that comes out
[1:58:23] at last late. Just to note, over the last year we used the sheriff's in the orders for $4,000
[1:58:31] acres for the folks that put in the last late. Do you get one of them by September last year?
[1:58:36] But they ordered 4,500 this year having, yeah, very interesting.
[1:58:43] And I just wanted to thank the sheriff on that.
[1:58:45] Also, they got, they've been, one of the things that public
[1:58:48] been complaining about is not on their sheriff.
[1:58:51] They've got two full-time sheriff's extra on the base late now.
[1:58:54] And we've got three boats now.
[1:58:56] Two way, way of wondering, they started seven in a morning.
[1:59:02] But the last whistle goes out of eight,
[1:59:04] they probably stayed a little bit late at eights.
[1:59:06] to do a heck of a job and testing.
[1:59:09] Thank you.
[1:59:10] Can I add one more?
[1:59:11] And this is just for actually next month.
[1:59:14] I'd like to add.
[1:59:14] On last Thursday, I went to, I was coffee at Bernard.
[1:59:18] Bernard is a property.
[1:59:20] There's two houses right on the gloves in Madera County.
[1:59:24] Overlooking the river.
[1:59:26] And a lot of different groups just come out.
[1:59:29] Every month to talk about vision of the river.
[1:59:33] Different things.
[1:59:34] It was actually very interesting and informative, and so I just invite people who were put it
[1:59:44] on next month on my page on the county when it is. But bring your own 14-chair up. Only have one
[1:59:54] and two kids in the dog and the dog used it.
[1:59:59] Well, the dog was...
[2:00:00] We're meeting a couple of people in the circle, but the kids got my chair and I just stood up.
[2:00:06] And then you can walk down. There's a great little trail that goes down there and see some very beautiful river scenery there and they're counting.
[2:00:18] Fantastic. Thank you. Mr. Barney, any reports?
[2:00:23] I have a brief one as to do with animal services, so you may have noted in the Governors budget there was an additional $45 million put in this year to go with $5 million from last year
[2:00:35] it's all going to UC Davis to address animal shelter issues. I guess that's good news. The bad news is up to this point. Our shelter. The issues that are trying to address are youth that age was in this point.
[2:00:50] Our shelter isn't. I don't know what to call. They're doing such a good job that they're not bad enough to qualify for any of that money
[2:00:57] So that's kind of the classic upside down government thought. However, I wanted to bring to the board's attention that
[2:01:04] We've kind of noted throughout the Western states in the post-COVID world that there's a whole lot of people abandoning a whole lot of pets
[2:01:11] I don't know if it's because
[2:01:12] Just like Thomas talking about recreation. We had all these new
[2:01:16] first time folks up on the lake. I think COVID drove a lot of people to be new first time pet owners and now that they return to work
[2:01:24] or now that their animals may be reaching young adulthood, maybe it's too much form and
[2:01:29] rather than adopting them out there. So they are abandoning them. So they're ending up in the shelter. So
[2:01:35] recently to help alleviate some of that FMS funded
[2:01:40] the adoption fees for 25 of these animals. So that
[2:01:44] up to a little bit, but my guess is this is going to go on for at least say six more months.
[2:01:52] So we may be bringing a night up back to the board to discuss what we're going to do about adoption fees.
[2:01:56] Because generally, if the fees are low, people will come out and adapt.
[2:02:01] If the fees are high, if people won't, and you're probably wondering, well, what are those fees for?
[2:02:06] And the fees are for, we release spade and neutered animals, and we also chip them.
[2:02:11] And part of the reason we give them is to encourage people to be responsible adopters, so they don't try to play musical dogs or cats and get one and bring it back to three months, we want people to invest themselves in the animals that they adopt.
[2:02:27] So, we may be bringing something back as it relates to the fees within the next month or two,
[2:02:34] and it would probably be something along the lines of either temporarily setting the
[2:02:41] fee aside or some other way to support that fee so that folks can adopt these animals so that
[2:02:46] we don't end up on that list that you see Davis is going to try to deal with. That's my report.
[2:02:52] very good. Thank you. Council Garza. Thank you, Chairman. I do have a report today and I'm happy to announce that we are at the final stages of coordinating some very tailored training for our boards and commissions that would be the assessment appeals board.
[2:03:09] that serves the county.
[2:03:13] The other is the Civil Service Commission
[2:03:16] and our planning commission.
[2:03:18] There have been some new appointments
[2:03:20] and of some members and also some that have served for a while
[2:03:24] and coordinating with the folks that put those agendas together
[2:03:28] and help those bodies do the work that they do.
[2:03:32] We've come up with a list of tailored trainings
[2:03:34] and that will happen on July 29th.
[2:03:37] The three will come together.
[2:03:38] So they'll each have to post a special meeting agenda 530 in the afternoon, and it will be a couple of hours where we'll hit on some training and have a section where they can stump the lawyers and ask any questions that they might have.
[2:03:55] So, many of you board members would like to attend and mingle with your appointees or go through some additional training.
[2:04:00] We're going to highlight parliamentary procedure and touch on conflict by some of the AB-123 FEPC
[2:04:08] ethics required training that we just rolled out about a year ago. We'll touch on some pieces
[2:04:14] and hopefully it would be productive and worthwhile two hours. If a majority of the board wants to
[2:04:21] attend, you can let any of us know here and we'll make sure that we cover it as a special meeting.
[2:04:28] Thank you.
[2:04:30] Very good.
[2:04:30] Thank you.
[2:04:31] Where could the board?
[2:04:32] Nothing to report.
[2:04:33] Thank you.
[2:04:34] Thank you.
[2:04:35] And we do have to complete closed session.
[2:04:39] We have a couple more items.
[2:04:41] So we will go there now.
[2:04:58] Right.
[2:04:59] Yeah.
[2:05:11] Exactly.
[2:05:12] That's it.
[2:05:33] Session.
[2:05:34] Councilor.
[2:05:35] There are 80 reportable items.
[2:05:41] Chairman, there are no reportable actions from the conclusion of your closed session.
[2:05:45] Very good, thank you, and we shall adjourn.
[2:05:49] Appreciate it.