[1:56] >>chair, doug chaffee: good

[1:56] morning, everyone. If you can,

[1:58] please find a seat so we can

[2:00] begin our presentations. Today

[2:02] it's my honor to present along

[2:04] with supervisor sarmiento a very

[2:07] special and meaningful

[2:08] proclamation on behalf of the

[2:11] orange county board of

[2:12] supervisors, recognizing the

[2:15] celebration of eid, al-fitr.

[2:22] eid mubarak all of you.

[2:28] [ applause ]

[2:41] this marks the end of the month

[2:44] and the time is served by

[2:47] muslims around the world through

[2:49] fasting, prayer, reflection and

[2:50] acts of charity. Time that

[2:53] emphasizes compassion, gratitude

[2:55] and a deep sense of community.

[3:00] here in orange county we're

[3:01] proud to be a vibrant home for a

[3:07] diverse assist muslim community,

[3:08] why more than 100,000 residents,

[3:10] who contribute every day to the

[3:12] strength, culture and success of

[3:14] our county. Small businesses to

[3:18] healthcare, education, to public

[3:21] service, impact is felt across

[3:22] every part of our county. This

[3:26] year's proclamation is

[3:28] especially significant as it

[3:30] marks the first time the orange

[3:31] county board of supervisors is

[3:32] fully recognizing eid al fitr.

[3:38] the important step acknowledging

[3:43] and celebrating the diversity

[3:44] that makes our county stronger.

[3:46] this time we'd like to invite

[3:49] members of the muslim community,

[3:51] who are here with us today to

[3:52] please come forward and let us

[3:53] recognizing you. If I read your

[3:56] name, please step forward and

[3:58] come next to the sheriff, if you

[4:01] would. Dr. Deana helmy is

[4:04] president of the shore council.

[4:06] dr. Muzammil siddiqi, a longtime

[4:12] religious director of the

[4:14] longest serving maoist in orange

[4:16] county. Dr. Alhmed soboh,

[4:23] director of yorba linda

[4:24] placentia islamic center and

[4:27] also is a dentist. So be sure

[4:30] have a good smile this morning.

[4:32] sayed mahdi qazwini, educational

[4:45] center of orange county. Rima

[4:46] nashashibi, the alderman

[4:52] commissioner for the orange

[4:53] county women's commission on the

[4:55] status of women and girls.

[4:56] shaista malik, policy manager,

[5:02] mervette judah, committee

[5:07] organizing and realtor. Lucy

[5:08] silva, latino muslim community

[5:10] member. And the afghan american

[5:14] business and alliance

[5:16] representative and machoke buena

[5:20] park councilmember. We at the

[5:22] board extend our warmest wishes

[5:24] to all of those celebrating eid

[5:28] al-fitr to my colleagues and

[5:31] those around the world. After

[5:33] my colleagues make comments, I'd

[5:36] like to invite dr. Deana helmy

[5:37] and dr. Muzammil siddiqi to make

[5:43] a few remarks. Supervisor

[5:43] sarmiento, you're next because

[5:46] you joined in bringing this

[5:48] matter forward.

[5:49] >>vincente sarmiento: good

[5:50] morning, everybody. I'm vincent

[5:52] sarmiento, orange county

[5:52] supervisor for the second

[5:53] district. I proudly represent

[5:55] the cities of santa ana, orange,

[5:57] tustin, garden grove and

[5:59] anaheim. Ramadan mubarak to

[6:05] everybody. Today is a historic

[6:06] first. We are recognizing eid

[6:09] al-fitr at orange county board

[6:11] of supervisor for the first

[6:12] time, a meaningful and long

[6:14] overdue acknowledgment. I was

[6:16] with you last friday at isoc,

[6:21] the islamic center of orange

[6:23] county, where over 5,000 people

[6:25] were gathered to break fast and

[6:28] to step eide. I'm proud to

[6:31] co-present this with chairman

[6:31] chaffee as we take the step

[6:34] toward recognize diversity of

[6:37] traditions that make up our

[6:38] county. I want to thank all of

[6:38] the community leaders and

[6:39] partners that are here with us

[6:41] today and have continued to

[6:42] proudly represent the muslim

[6:44] community in orange county.

[6:45] your leadership, advocacy and

[6:48] service are deeply valued. I'd

[6:51] like to highlight two guest

[6:53] speakers that the chairman

[6:54] referenced today. Dr. Deana

[6:56] helmy and dr. Muzammil siddiqi,

[7:02] both of whom are highly regarded

[7:04] in their field and our community

[7:05] leaders that we're so proud to

[7:06] have with us today. Dr. Helmy

[7:09] currently serves as the board

[7:10] chair of the islamic shura

[7:13] council in southern california,

[7:15] becoming the first woman to lead

[7:17] this organization. The shura

[7:18] council brings together muslim

[7:20] organizations and leaders across

[7:22] southern california to promote

[7:24] unity, community service,

[7:24] advocacy and leadership

[7:27] development. Dr. Siddiqi is the

[7:29] long-time religious director of

[7:32] the islamic society of orange

[7:34] county and garden grove and

[7:36] widely respect for his decades

[7:38] of faith leadership, scholarship

[7:41] and interfaith engagement. Me

[7:42] helped build bridges across

[7:44] communities and has long been a

[7:46] trusted voice both locally and

[7:49] nationally on issues of faith,

[7:50] service, and civic

[7:51] understanding. This moment

[7:53] reflects our commitment to

[7:54] ensuring all communities in

[7:56] orange county are seen,

[7:57] respected and included in our

[7:59] civic spaces. Eid al-fitr marks

[8:03] the end of ramadan, a sacred

[8:06] month of fasting, reflection and

[8:07] charity. Month concludes with

[8:08] eide, a joyful celebration that

[8:10] brings families and communities

[8:13] together. Many begin their day

[8:13] with a special congregational

[8:16] prayer, wear their beth clothes,

[8:19] visit family and friends, share

[8:20] meals and give to those in need

[8:22] so that everyone can participate

[8:25] in the celebration. Globally

[8:27] more than 1.9 billion muslims

[8:30] celebrate eid al-fitr making one

[8:34] of the most widely-observed

[8:36] holidays in the world. Here in

[8:37] orange county, the muslim

[8:39] community is vibrant, growing

[8:40] and estimated at over 100,000

[8:43] residents who contribute deeply

[8:44] to our region across healthcare,

[8:46] education, business and public

[8:48] service. Again, I had the

[8:51] pleasure of being with the

[8:52] community last friday, and it

[8:54] was a beautiful, beautiful

[8:56] collection of families and

[8:58] friends at a joy us moment. And

[9:00] so recognizing here eide al-fitr

[9:05] at the county level sends a

[9:06] clear message, that our diverse

[9:08] sit strong here in orange

[9:09] county. It affirms that orange

[9:11] county is a place where all

[9:12] communities are seen and

[9:13] respected. For many residents,

[9:14] this recognition is not just

[9:16] symbolic, it's a meaningful step

[9:18] towards inclusion and belonging

[9:19] in these public spaces. So with

[9:21] that, I want to welcome you all

[9:23] who are here. Thank you to

[9:25] everybody for all the work, all

[9:26] the community leaders that do

[9:28] work always throughout your

[9:32] careers here in the county, and

[9:32] thank you for your leadership.

[9:35] I also with the chairman and

[9:38] just proud to be here at this

[9:39] historic moment with him. Thank

[9:40] you all.

[9:42] [ applause ]

[9:49] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: eide

[9:52] al-fitr, this is a great day for

[9:55] orange county to celebrate our

[9:57] diversity and to join with our

[9:59] muslim community here as you end

[10:01] your fast. Thank you to the

[10:03] chairman and the -- supervisor

[10:05] sarmiento for bringing this

[10:08] historic resolution forward and

[10:09] for helping us to really in that

[10:12] orange county is a diverse

[10:15] community, and we have so many

[10:18] different residents, who hail

[10:21] from so many different countries

[10:22] and who really brighten and

[10:24] enhance the quality of our

[10:25] overall community because of

[10:27] that. Ramadan, a mark month

[10:32] marked by reflection, virtuosity

[10:36] and deep spiritual commitment

[10:38] for our husband limb communities

[10:39] and for the world is so

[10:42] important to you. We want you

[10:43] to know that we see you and we

[10:45] hear you and we are here

[10:46] standing with you. We remain so

[10:49] fortunate to live in this

[10:50] amazing community where we can

[10:52] all learn from each other and

[10:54] celebrate each other's different

[10:56] cultures and religious

[10:58] experiences and traditions. And

[11:01] it is my privilege to be able to

[11:03] stand here with you as you end

[11:05] your fast and to celebrate with

[11:08] you. Thank you all for joining

[11:10] us here today, and thank you for

[11:11] your good work in the community

[11:12] whether it's public service or

[11:15] commitment to community causes,

[11:17] and congratulations where women

[11:20] here in orange county continue

[11:22] to excel in all parts of our

[11:24] community. So thank you so

[11:25] much.

[11:28] [ applause ]

[11:39] >>speaker: good morning, and

[11:42] eide mubarak. Thank you for

[11:45] your invitation, for your

[11:51] kindness.

[11:52] honorable chair chaffee and

[11:54] honorable supervisor vincent

[11:57] sarmiento, respectable members

[11:59] of the county board of

[11:59] supervisors. Ladies and

[12:03] gentlemen, on behalf of the

[12:04] islamic society of foreign

[12:07] countries for garden grove, this

[12:09] board and staff and many

[12:10] members, I express our deep

[12:12] thanks and appreciation to the

[12:14] board of supervisors of orange

[12:16] county for recognizing eide

[12:21] al-fitr, a major muslim

[12:23] festival. It comes annually.

[12:24] after observing a month of

[12:27] fasting, prayer, and acts of

[12:29] charity. It is a major

[12:30] religious festival of muslims

[12:32] and it is recognized universally

[12:34] by muslims in orange county, the

[12:36] united states and all over the

[12:37] world. The islamic society of

[12:42] orange county has also

[12:43] celebrated recently its 50th

[12:46] anniversary, and is one of the

[12:49] oldest and largest islamic

[12:51] organizations in the area, as

[12:53] well as many other

[12:55] organizations, we are very

[12:55] grateful. We are thankful that

[12:57] the -- last friday morning on

[13:01] the eighth day, the honorable

[13:03] supervisor sarmiento was with

[13:07] thousands of muslims and

[13:09] announced the first time

[13:10] recognition of israel by the

[13:13] supervisors of foreign

[13:14] countries. Thank you for your

[13:16] openness to diversity and

[13:19] multiplicity of races, religions

[13:22] and cultures in our great orange

[13:22] county. We pray to god for

[13:26] peace, prosperity, and happiness

[13:29] of all people in orange county

[13:30] and in america and around the

[13:33] world. We thank you for your

[13:35] wise and gracious leadership.

[13:38] may god bless you. Thank you.

[13:39] amen.

[13:41] [ applause ]

[13:46] >>speaker: good morning.

[13:49] honorable chairman supervisor

[13:50] chaffee, supervisor sarmiento,

[13:54] and all supervisor community

[13:58] partners and distinguished

[13:59] guests, my name is dr. Deana

[14:01] helmy and I'm honored to serve

[14:04] as the first chairwoman of the

[14:06] islamic shura council of

[14:08] southern california. On behalf

[14:09] of the muslim community of

[14:11] orange county I want to express

[14:12] our sincere appreciation to

[14:14] chairman supervisor chaffee and

[14:15] supervisor sarmiento for

[14:15] bringing forward this historic

[14:18] proclamation, recognizing eide

[14:21] here in orange can county. This

[14:23] is a meaningful moment for our

[14:25] community and a powerful

[14:26] affirmation of inclusivity. The

[14:28] holiday being recognized today

[14:29] is one of the most joyful

[14:31] celebrations in islam. It marks

[14:34] the culmination of ramadan, a

[14:35] month of fasting from dawn to

[14:37] sunset which is filled with

[14:41] spiritual reflection, acts of

[14:42] charity, and strengthening our

[14:44] bonds with family and community

[14:45] members. Throughout the month

[14:46] of ramadan, mosques across

[14:49] orange county host nightly

[14:51] prayers and community events

[14:53] where people from all

[14:55] backgrounds gather to share a

[14:57] meal and build relationships. I

[14:58] hope you have had

[15:00] the opportunity to join one of

[15:04] these and if not take in an

[15:06] invitation for next year and

[15:08] partake in avtar. I encourage

[15:13] everyone to join the community

[15:15] in observe and prayer and

[15:19] community celebration. Orange

[15:21] county is a home to vibrant and

[15:23] diverse muslim communities with

[15:24] dozens of course h of mosques

[15:27] serving thousands of families.

[15:28] these institutions are not only

[15:30] places of worship, but also

[15:32] centers of education, youth

[15:34] leadership, interfaith

[15:35] collaboration and extensive

[15:36] community service. Muslims

[15:37] contribute across many sectors

[15:40] in healthcare, education,

[15:42] business, science and technology

[15:43] and public service and nonprofit

[15:46] work, from caring for patients

[15:48] to teaching our students to

[15:50] running small businesses to

[15:52] supporting charitable and civic

[15:54] initiatives, muslim residents

[15:55] help strengthen the social and

[15:56] economic fabric of this county

[15:57] every day. I'm proud to

[16:00] represent the islamic shura

[16:01] council of southern california,

[16:02] a coalition that brings together

[16:04] more than 80 mosques and muslim

[16:06] organizations across the region.

[16:07] the shura county works to foster

[16:10] unity, support community

[16:12] development and build bridges

[16:13] with interfaith partners, civic

[16:16] leaders and local institutions.

[16:17] our mission is simple, to uplift

[16:19] our communities and contribute

[16:23] positively to the broader

[16:24] society we are a part of, lead a

[16:27] celebration of gratitude,

[16:28] compassion and renewed purpose,

[16:29] values that resonate far beyond

[16:32] the muslim community. And by

[16:33] recognizing eide, the board of

[16:35] supervisors not only are

[16:37] honoring a meaningful religious

[16:40] holiday but also contribution

[16:42] diversity and civic spirit of

[16:43] muslim families who helped make

[16:45] orange county a more vibrant and

[16:47] inclusive place to live. Thank

[16:49] you again for your leadership

[16:50] and ensuring that every resident

[16:52] here feels seen, valued and

[16:54] included. Thank you.

[16:57] [ applause ]

[16:59] norwuz. Zandalasini.

[20:01] >>chair, doug chaffee: we're

[20:05] going to go on to our second

[20:07] presentation in morning, and

[20:08] that will be led by vice-chair

[20:10] foley, for bringing forward --

[20:16] if I say that right --

[20:19] celebrating norwuz.

[20:21] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: thank

[20:21] you, mr. Chairman. Norwuz

[20:25] peruz. I'm katrina foley,

[20:29] representing the board as the

[20:32] vice-chair and representative

[20:33] for the fabulous fifth district

[20:35] which covers costa mesa all the

[20:37] way to san clemente, 31 miles of

[20:39] beautiful coast. And home to a

[20:42] vibrant iranian american

[20:45] community. Norwuz marks the

[20:48] bring of a new year on the

[20:49] persian calendar, continuing a

[20:51] more than 3,000 year-old

[20:54] tradition, welcoming spring.

[20:56] norwuz, a new day, is when

[21:01] 36,000 iranian americans that

[21:04] reside right here in orange

[21:05] county start a new day. And

[21:09] this year many of our beautiful

[21:11] festivals that normally would

[21:13] have been happening during this

[21:15] time period have been turned

[21:19] into and converted to vigils or

[21:21] not happening at all. And due

[21:24] to the war and due to the

[21:27] sensitivity and concern that it

[21:29] would be inappropriate to be

[21:31] celebrating and happy and

[21:33] living, you know, these great

[21:35] lives we have here while many

[21:37] are mourning and struggling and

[21:40] grieving for their families. In

[21:42] iran. On sunday I had the

[21:45] privilege of joining the iranian

[21:48] american bar association at a

[21:51] vigil in irvine, and it was a

[21:54] replacement for the normal gala

[21:56] that they have, where they

[21:58] raised money for scholarships

[22:00] and what I enjoyed so much about

[22:02] the vigil was that I got to hear

[22:05] directly from many individuals

[22:08] who were sharing stories about

[22:11] their journey america, sharing

[22:15] stories about the pain that they

[22:17] are feeling because they have

[22:18] family members and friends who

[22:20] are in iran and the uncertainty.

[22:24] and also the conflict between

[22:26] feeling, you know, good that a

[22:30] terrible dictator has been

[22:31] removed and a regime change.

[22:35] but at same time such terrible

[22:39] degradation of the community and

[22:41] death of the people, especially

[22:43] the children. So we today bring

[22:47] this presentation forward to

[22:50] join our iranian community, to

[22:53] recognize norwuz and a new day,

[22:57] making sure, just like we did

[22:59] for the last presentation, we

[23:00] have such a beautiful, diverse

[23:03] community here in orange county

[23:04] where we all get to learn about

[23:06] each other's cultures and

[23:09] celebrations and struggles. And

[23:11] that's what makes orange county

[23:13] a wonderful place to live and

[23:16] where we all can grow together.

[23:18] my office, we will continue to

[23:20] stand with our iranian

[23:22] community, especially the women,

[23:24] and we want you to know that we

[23:29] are here mourning with you as

[23:31] you transition this norwuz. So

[23:37] if some could join me up here,

[23:40] we have the iranian american

[23:42] community group's ceo

[23:43] dr. Michael chegini, who will

[23:48] come up and join to us say a few

[23:50] words. And I know we have

[23:52] representatives from our iranian

[23:53] american bar association, the

[23:55] iranian american community

[23:57] groups, our former mayor of

[24:01] laguna beach, alex ronoghi is

[24:05] here. Come and join us. Our

[24:08] iranian american chamber of

[24:10] commerce, shani moslehi and also

[24:13] the network of iranian american

[24:16] professionals of orange county,

[24:17] please join us. And

[24:20] dr. Chegini, after my

[24:26] colleagues, we'll have that you

[24:28] say a few words. Mr. Chairman,

[24:40] do you want to say a few words?

[24:46] supervisor sarmiento.

[24:48] >>vincente sarmiento: thank you.

[24:52] thank you for bringing this.

[24:55] last year I know I had the

[24:56] pleasure of introducing norwuz

[24:59] and celebrating norwuz. So I

[25:01] want to see if I can have

[25:02] somebody who's very special to

[25:05] me, my chief of staff,

[25:07] yasie goebel, who is persian

[25:11] american, and I want to have her

[25:12] come up. Give her a big round

[25:14] of applause. She does all of

[25:15] the heavy lifting for me. Suzie

[25:18] price from the d.a.'s office,

[25:19] can you join us up here as well?

[25:20] I see you in the audience.

[25:22] please come and join us. We

[25:23] have a lot of persian americans

[25:25] that work here in the county,

[25:27] too many to count and have up

[25:29] here. But we have many, many

[25:31] people that we're blessed who

[25:32] are of persian descent and so

[25:34] today as the vice-chair was

[25:36] mentioning we are joining

[25:37] millions of people around the

[25:38] world to celebrate norwuz, the

[25:40] start of spring, and a new year

[25:42] for over 300 million people.

[25:45] for more than 3,000 years norwuz

[25:48] has been about renewal, it's a

[25:50] time to reflect, make amends, to

[25:52] reconnect with loved ones and to

[25:54] look ahead with hope. It

[25:55] reminds us that just like the

[25:55] world around us begins again in

[25:57] the spring, we can too. But

[25:59] this year I know it is a very

[26:02] solemn moment in the midst of a

[26:05] joy us occasion. So we

[26:07] celebrate with deep concern

[26:10] about what is happening on the

[26:12] other part of the world in iran.

[26:14] we also have to acknowledge the

[26:15] painful reality. Many

[26:17] communities that would normally

[26:18] be celebrating are instead

[26:20] living through fear and loss.

[26:22] in countries like iran, people

[26:24] are enduring profound hardship,

[26:26] mourning the thousands of lives

[26:28] lost during the recent

[26:29] government massacre and ongoing

[26:31] abuses. While also living

[26:34] through unprovoked foreign

[26:35] violence, facing danger both on

[26:37] the ground from their own

[26:38] government and from the sky

[26:40] through active war. In

[26:42] afghanistan, women and girls

[26:43] continue to be stripped of their

[26:45] most basic rights, denied

[26:47] education, denied independence

[26:48] and denied even the freedom to

[26:50] leave their homes without a male

[26:53] guardian, all the while the

[26:54] country remains gripped by

[26:55] instability, conflict from

[26:57] foreign intrusion. Across the

[27:00] region, many families are

[27:01] enduring the realities of war

[27:03] displacement and deep

[27:04] uncertainty. So with that

[27:07] context, I know that the people

[27:09] who celebrate norwuz, who we're

[27:12] celebrating with today, are

[27:13] resilient, are people who

[27:15] endured for 3,000 years and

[27:18] celebrated in a joy us way new

[27:20] beginnings and hope. So this

[27:23] year it is a moment for us to

[27:25] celebrate in solidarity with

[27:26] them. They stand with those who

[27:27] are grieving, who are living in

[27:29] fear and who do not know what

[27:31] tomorrow will bring, but we

[27:32] embrace their resilience and

[27:33] hold on to the hope that freedom

[27:36] and peace lie ahead in this new

[27:38] year with days filled with

[27:40] safety and opportunity for

[27:41] everybody. Here in our

[27:42] community we're blessed we have

[27:44] so many iranians and folks who

[27:47] celebrate norwuz. We are proud

[27:49] to celebrate the cultures and

[27:51] tracks that make us stronger.

[27:53] with that, welcome. Let's

[27:54] continue to celebrate, let's

[27:55] continue to keep hope alive. We

[27:57] know that we've gone through

[27:59] difficult moments as a

[28:01] community, as a country. But as

[28:03] a global community, we must also

[28:05] make sure that we stand with

[28:06] people going through difficult

[28:08] moments. So thank you,

[28:09] everybody, back here for

[28:10] everything that you do,

[28:11] representing your community

[28:12] beautifully. Thank you so much

[28:14] to all of who are joining us as

[28:16] well. Thank you.

[28:17] [ applause ]

[28:21] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[28:22] dr. Chegini, would you like to

[28:25] say a few words?

[28:27] >>speaker: thank you so much.

[28:30] and good morning to chairman

[28:36] chaffee and vice-chairman foley

[28:42] and county supervisor sarmiento.

[28:48] the iranian community are in

[28:51] grief as totally true. This

[28:55] year has been with a difficult

[28:58] year for us. Iran american

[29:02] communities, as ms. Foley

[29:09] mentioned, our diverse

[29:12] community, and we have many

[29:14] association here, the new park

[29:21] community bar association,

[29:23] chamber of commerce. But we are

[29:26] all in one heart, and that's

[29:29] freedom for iran. We all share

[29:33] for that.

[29:34] [ applause ]

[29:35] >> maybe we have different views

[29:37] how to get there. But we all

[29:39] want free iran. And this year

[29:44] has been a difficult year for

[29:50] all of us. I would like to talk

[29:52] about norwuz, iran's new year, a

[29:56] celebration that's more than

[29:57] just a hide holiday. It is a

[29:59] symbol of renewal, resistance

[30:01] and hope. Norwuz, which means

[30:06] new day, in persia is

[30:09] celebrating of the first day of

[30:11] the spring. At exact moment of

[30:15] the vernal equinox. It

[30:20] originally goes back 3,000 years

[30:22] rooted in the ancient persian

[30:25] legend of zoroastrian. Despite

[30:31] centuries of invasions,

[30:33] political changes and cultural

[30:38] shifts, norwuz has been survived

[30:39] and continues to be celebrated

[30:42] by millions of people across the

[30:44] iran and many countries. At its

[30:49] heart, norwuz represents

[30:52] rebirth. The idea after

[30:54] darkness comes light. After

[30:57] winter comes spring. Families

[31:00] gather at home, cleaning, and a

[31:06] special table called haft-seen.

[31:14] the tree is set withheld

[31:16] symbolic items representing

[31:19] life, health, and prosperity.

[31:21] it is a time for conqueredness,

[31:23] reflection and new beginnings.

[31:24] but today as we celebrate

[31:26] norwuz, we cannot ignore the

[31:29] reality that many iranians and

[31:32] americans face. This year

[31:36] norwuz arrives under the shadow

[31:38] of war and conflict. Recent

[31:41] events have brought violence,

[31:45] uncertainty and loss to many

[31:47] families. Celebration that are

[31:53] usually joyful have become

[31:54] quieter, more reflective and,

[32:00] for some, filled with grief. At

[32:04] same time many iranians, both

[32:10] sides, inside of iran and

[32:11] outside of iran, around the

[32:13] world continue to hope for

[32:14] packers dignity and freedom.

[32:16] many see the difficult moment as

[32:20] a turning point, a chance for

[32:23] change to a better future. And

[32:27] yet then hardship, the spirit of

[32:31] norwuz lives on. People are

[32:36] still gathering around their

[32:40] house at tables, they still

[32:42] share meals, tell stories and

[32:44] hold on to tradition passed on

[32:47] by generations. Because norwuz

[32:50] is not just about celebration,

[32:52] it is about endurances. It

[32:58] reminds us that light can

[33:01] overcome darkness. Hope can

[33:03] survive even at difficult times,

[33:06] and renewal is always possible.

[33:10] as we reflect on norwuz today,

[33:14] let us not only celebrate a new

[33:17] year, but also stand with those

[33:20] who long for peace and justice

[33:25] instead of war and conflict.

[33:27] love instead of hate and freedom

[33:30] instead of fear. May this new

[33:39] year truly become a new

[33:42] beginning for iran, the united

[33:45] states, israel and region and

[33:49] for all people seeking a better

[33:51] life. The iranian american of

[33:58] orange county appreciate all of

[33:58] the support and love this

[34:01] country and the country has

[34:04] provided us this year, we in

[34:08] persian say norwuz mobarak, and

[34:14] in hebrew, we say shanah tovah,

[34:20] and in english, we say happy new

[34:21] year. Thank you.

[34:22] [ applause ]

[37:54] >>chair, doug chaffee: good

[37:55] morning again. We have one more

[37:56] presentation to make. Thank you

[37:59] to supervisor sarmiento, bring

[38:05] forward directing h recognizing

[38:08] march 2026 as developmental

[38:11] disabilities awareness month. I

[38:13] guess that's me. Too often

[38:15] those with developmental

[38:16] disabilities are excluded due to

[38:19] preconceived notions of their

[38:21] abilities to perform work. I

[38:25] encourage all resident tots

[38:26] recognize the importance of

[38:27] disability development awareness

[38:30] and support ongoing efforts of

[38:31] the county throughout a range of

[38:34] services including therapy,

[38:36] education and support to address

[38:37] the specific needs of people

[38:39] with developmental disabilities.

[38:41] supervisor sarmiento, thank you

[38:43] for bringing this. Where did

[38:47] you disappear to? Okay.

[38:50] >>vincente sarmiento: I gotcha.

[38:51] thank you, mr. Chairman. And

[38:53] thank you for the opportunity

[38:55] for allowing us to celebrate

[38:57] march 2026's developmental

[38:59] disabilities awareness month.

[39:01] this observance recognizes

[39:03] people with developmental

[39:04] disabilities and the many

[39:06] contributions of those who

[39:08] support them in living

[39:09] independent and fulfilling

[39:10] lives. Developmental

[39:12] disabilities include

[39:13] intellectual disabilities,

[39:16] cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism

[39:19] and other related conditions

[39:21] that affect development and

[39:22] daily functioning. This year's

[39:24] theme is "we're here then, now,

[39:27] and always." it reminds us that

[39:28] individuals with developmental

[39:29] disabilities have always been

[39:31] part of our communities. But

[39:32] not always been treated well and

[39:34] just. We need to continue to

[39:37] contribute today and will remain

[39:39] essential to our shared future

[39:41] that we all recognize our need

[39:44] to do better and to do more. It

[39:46] calls on all of us to build

[39:49] conclusive communities where

[39:50] everyone belongs. We also

[39:52] recognize the vital role of

[39:53] parents, caregivers, advocates

[39:55] and organizations who provide

[39:57] essential services. More than

[39:59] five decades ago california

[40:01] passed a historic landmark law,

[40:05] the lanterman developmental

[40:08] disability service act of 1969.

[40:10] it established a regional center

[40:13] system to replace institutional

[40:14] air and support independent

[40:15] living. Today californians with

[40:18] developmental disabilities are

[40:19] entitled to services that help

[40:21] them thrive in their

[40:25] communities. As we look ahead,

[40:26] it's essential that we continue

[40:27] building on this legacy by

[40:29] prioritizing community-based

[40:32] support and independence and

[40:34] resistant returning to models

[40:35] that push toward -- resist

[40:38] returning to models that push

[40:40] toward isolation or

[40:41] institution-centered systems. I

[40:43] learned that from my wife. In

[40:45] orange county organizations such

[40:46] as the regional center of orange

[40:47] county, the office of clients

[40:50] rights advocacy, the orange

[40:51] county autism foundation and the

[40:53] project independence play a

[40:55] critical role in advocacy and

[40:57] service delivery with support

[40:59] and empower independence rather

[41:01] than centralized closed systems.

[41:04] despite this progress,

[41:06] significant challenges remain.

[41:08] individuals with developmental

[41:10] disabilities continue to face

[41:10] discrimination, underfunding and

[41:12] barriers to housing, health

[41:15] care, employment and civic

[41:16] engagement. To move forward, it

[41:18] is essential that policymakers

[41:20] listen to individuals that have

[41:22] lived experience when addressing

[41:24] these systematic problems. This

[41:26] resolution is deeply personal to

[41:27] me. Through my wife, eva casa

[41:33] sarmiento, who is in the

[41:35] audience, I'm going to ask her

[41:36] come up, as well, she is the

[41:38] managing attorney at office

[41:39] clients rights advocate answers

[41:41] and has dedicated her career and

[41:43] her life -- her life's work as a

[41:46] civil rights attorney, to making

[41:48] sure that people have advocates.

[41:51] and my policy aide I want to

[41:54] recognize, damiana armendariz,

[41:57] who lives with autism spectrum

[42:00] disorder. I have seen both

[42:01] challenges and the invaluable

[42:02] perspectives of this community.

[42:05] so I want to thank damiana

[42:07] because she helped draft this.

[42:09] even though she's upstairs

[42:11] working hard, give her a big

[42:12] round of applause because she

[42:13] does excellent work.

[42:15] [ applause ]

[42:15] and I want to congratulate her

[42:18] on her new roles at my office as

[42:19] a policy aide on issues of

[42:21] legislation older adults and

[42:23] disabilities. As we observe

[42:25] developmental disabilities

[42:26] awareness month, let us recommit

[42:28] to inclusion, raise awareness

[42:29] and remove barriers to community

[42:31] life. Let's ensure that

[42:33] everybody with developmental

[42:34] disabilities have access to the

[42:35] resources, support

[42:36] and opportunities that we all

[42:39] have and need to be fully

[42:42] included and represented within

[42:43] our county. I have a couple of

[42:45] people that I want to ask to

[42:47] come up. Obviously my wife, eva

[42:50] casa sarmiento, somebody who's

[42:51] going to be addressing this as

[42:53] well, my colleague on the

[42:54] caloptima board of directors,

[42:57] maura byron. Maura is the

[42:59] executive director of the family

[43:00] support network which offers

[43:01] resources for family and

[43:04] children with social, emotional,

[43:05] intellectual and physical needs

[43:07] so they can reach their full

[43:08] potential. Maura is nags

[43:11] pate -- passionate about

[43:14] addressing the gaps as a family

[43:16] member in care for vulnerable

[43:18] community members and advocating

[43:19] for parent caregivers. Maura

[43:23] was appointed to the caloptima

[43:26] health board in december 2023

[43:30] and is the vice-chair -- became

[43:32] the vice care in january 2026.

[43:35] maura is the first person in

[43:38] leadership at the board of

[43:39] directors of caloptima who is a

[43:41] family member, and that is very

[43:43] important because she brings

[43:44] lived experience as guidance to

[43:45] our board. I also want to

[43:48] recognize larry land daughter

[43:50] who oversees our regional center

[43:53] here in orange county. Lawyer

[43:55] landauer. Thank you, larry. If

[43:57] you're here, please join us.

[43:59] and also the president of the oc

[44:03] autism foundation, julie diep,

[44:05] she also is the executive

[44:06] director there and oversees

[44:08] speech therapy clinic,

[44:10] disability advocacy center and

[44:11] the community integration

[44:13] program. Thank you so much,

[44:14] julie, for being here as well.

[44:16] so please join us. Thank you

[44:17] for everybody that does tireless

[44:21] work in this area, for making

[44:23] sure that everybody living with

[44:25] a disability, whether it be

[44:27] developmental, intellectual,

[44:29] that we continue working strong

[44:32] together to make sure that our

[44:34] county, our state and our

[44:35] country do better. And there is

[44:39] a lot of room for improvement.

[44:40] I know with the advocates behind

[44:42] me, I know we'll get there. So

[44:43] I will turn this over to

[44:45] vice-chair foley. And thank you

[44:47] all for joining us again.

[44:48] thanks.

[44:49] [ applause ]

[44:51] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: good

[44:52] morning, I'm katrina foley,

[44:53] county supervisor. And thank

[44:55] you to supervisor sarmiento for

[44:58] bringing forward this resolution

[44:59] to recognize the 2026

[45:02] developmental disabilities

[45:03] awareness month. And as you

[45:06] mentioned, the theme this year

[45:07] is "we're here, then, now, and

[45:11] always." and this theme

[45:13] reflects the legacy of progress.

[45:14] as somebody whose family has

[45:17] been involved in the work to

[45:19] support individuals with

[45:22] developmental disabilities for

[45:23] many years, my father-in-law was

[45:27] first hired to work at the

[45:29] fairview developmental center in

[45:31] costa mesa. My husband grew up

[45:33] in a little house right there on

[45:35] the site, and it wasn't unusual

[45:38] to see him out playing

[45:40] basketball with the clients, and

[45:45] their family is a big part of

[45:46] that community. And as that

[45:48] community has transitioned and

[45:50] the fairview developmental

[45:51] scheidt been closed, the

[45:52] community still remains. There

[45:54] are individuals who are living

[45:56] in the apartments and living

[45:59] independently. And as part of

[46:01] the planning for the future,

[46:02] there will be another community

[46:05] built right there at the

[46:06] fairview developmental center.

[46:08] the developmental disabilities

[46:11] awareness month was first

[46:12] established in 1987 by president

[46:15] reagan. So this month we

[46:17] continue to highlight the more

[46:18] than 28,000 county residents,

[46:21] who live with developmental

[46:23] disabilities. And in district 5

[46:25] I want to recognize some of the

[46:26] transformative programs that we

[46:28] have in our district. In costa

[46:32] mesa, the nonprofit project

[46:35] independence, it provides

[46:36] in-home, workplace and

[46:38] community-based services, and

[46:40] every year at winkle park you

[46:43] can join us for a walk around

[46:45] park for independence and help

[46:47] support and meet many of their

[46:48] clients, who are living

[46:50] independently. We have the shea

[46:52] center at san juan capistrano

[46:55] that seeks to improve whether I

[46:57] was people with disabilities

[46:58] through equine therapy. They

[47:00] are making magic there at the

[47:02] shea center. And then one of my

[47:04] favorite surf and turf therapy

[47:07] out of san juan capistrano.

[47:10] their clients can participate in

[47:14] surfing and riding horses,

[47:16] equine therapy, to build

[47:17] strength, disability and

[47:19] confidence through horseback

[47:21] riding and surfing lessons. And

[47:27] another favorite -- and I

[47:27] believe we have a guest here

[47:30] today, tommy stevens a teacher

[47:31] and an education specialist. Is

[47:33] tommy here? Okay. Come on up,

[47:34] tommy. It says tom. I know him

[47:38] as tommy because I've known him

[47:40] for a long time. His dad is

[47:42] mayor of costa mesa, and he

[47:44] helps with rad camp in irvine.

[47:46] they offer vibrant summer camp

[47:47] program force children and

[47:49] adults living with developmental

[47:50] disabilities. And while tom

[47:53] stevens works during the school

[47:55] year as a special education

[47:57] teacher, he -- during the summer

[48:00] and in many parts of his life,

[48:03] volunteers to continue to sport

[48:07] community. So we must honor the

[48:08] past, recognize the present and

[48:10] recommit to the future, a future

[48:12] where everyone belongs and

[48:13] everyone has access, then, now,

[48:16] and always. Thank you.

[48:18] [ applause ]

[48:31] >>speaker: good morning. Thank

[48:32] you for recognizing

[48:33] developmental disabilities

[48:34] awareness month and for your

[48:36] continued leadership in

[48:37] supporting children and families

[48:39] across orange county. My name

[48:40] is maura byron and I'm the

[48:43] executive director of family

[48:43] support network. For more than

[48:45] 40 years our organization has

[48:46] supported families raising

[48:47] children and adults with

[48:49] developmental disabilities and

[48:52] complex medical needs. We are

[48:53] founded by parents who met in

[48:55] the neonatal intensive care unit

[48:57] and recognized as they prepared

[49:00] to leave the hospital that while

[49:01] their children that were being

[49:03] discharged, the support that

[49:04] they needed was far less clear.

[49:06] they came together to help one

[49:08] another navigate a very complex

[49:10] system of care, and that spirit

[49:12] continues to guide our work

[49:12] today. My connection to this

[49:14] work is both professional and

[49:16] extremely personal. I join

[49:18] family support network 19 years

[49:21] ago as a parent mentor. My

[49:22] husband and I have raised three

[49:24] children, and our youngest

[49:25] daughter, now an adult, lives

[49:26] with cerebral palsy,

[49:29] developmental delays and

[49:30] extremely complex medical needs.

[49:32] that experience has given me a

[49:34] practical understanding of the

[49:35] challenges that families face,

[49:37] not only emotionally but in

[49:39] coordinating care, accessing

[49:42] services and planning for the

[49:43] future. Today family support

[49:46] network provides a variety of

[49:48] programs and services reaching

[49:49] nearly 2000 families across

[49:51] orange county every year.

[49:52] through our reach program,

[49:54] resources, education, advocacy

[49:57] and caring health and in

[50:00] partnership with the regional

[50:00] center of orange county, we

[50:02] provide hands-on navigation,

[50:03] developmental screenings,

[50:06] behavioral coaching and access

[50:07] to tools such as communication

[50:08] devices, helping families

[50:10] connect to the right resources

[50:12] as early as possible. What we

[50:15] consistently see is that

[50:17] families are doing an incredible

[50:18] job, managing complex needs.

[50:20] but they benefit greatly from

[50:22] clear guidance and coordinated

[50:25] support. When families can more

[50:26] easily access services and

[50:28] understand their options, they

[50:30] are better able to plan, stay

[50:32] ahead of challenges, and focus

[50:34] on their child's growth and

[50:35] development. That's the role

[50:38] family support network is proud

[50:40] to play. By working alongside

[50:42] families and in partnerships

[50:43] with systems like the regional

[50:45] center, we help make support

[50:46] more accessible, more

[50:48] coordinated and more effective.

[50:51] together we have the opportunity

[50:52] to continue strengthening a

[50:54] system that works, one that

[50:57] ensures that families feel

[50:58] supported, informed and

[50:59] connected every step of the way.

[51:02] thank you so much.

[51:04] [ applause ]

[52:29] >>chair, doug chaffee: that

[52:29] concludes this morning's

[52:30] presentations. We'll begin our

[52:34] regular board meeting in about

[52:35] 10 minutes.

[1:05:27] >>chair, doug chaffee: good

[1:05:27] morning, everyone. If you

[1:05:30] considering please find a seat

[1:05:30] so we can get to our regular

[1:05:34] meeting. Welcome all of to you

[1:05:36] our board meeting this morning.

[1:05:42] today we'll begin with the

[1:05:43] invocations to be offered by

[1:05:46] supervisor wagner to be followed

[1:05:47] by the pledge of allegiance led

[1:05:49] by vice-chair foley. Please

[1:05:51] stand if you're able...

[1:05:58] >>don wagner: dear heavenly

[1:06:00] father, may your people

[1:06:01] persevere in obedience to your

[1:06:03] will so that through this

[1:06:05] obedience we may grow in your

[1:06:07] grace and increase in wisdom.

[1:06:08] we ask this through your holy

[1:06:11] name, amen.

[1:06:14] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: I'd

[1:06:15] like to invite brandon denowics

[1:06:18] [phonetics], who is a

[1:06:20] representative at our orange

[1:06:22] county transit authority in the

[1:06:23] bus operations division, he's

[1:06:25] also an orange county native and

[1:06:26] earned his bachelor of arts in

[1:06:28] music from the university of red

[1:06:30] lands, and he will sing the

[1:06:31] national anthem with us, and

[1:06:33] then we will say the pledge.

[1:06:37] national anthem 777

[1:08:05] [ applause ]

[1:08:06] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: thank

[1:08:07] you, brandon. Bravo. Please

[1:08:10] see with me...

[1:08:12] I pledge allegiance to my flag

[1:08:13] to the united states of america

[1:08:15] and to the republic for which it

[1:08:17] stands, one nation, under god,

[1:08:19] indivisible, with liberty and

[1:08:21] justice for all.

[1:08:28] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:08:29] you, supervisors wagner and

[1:08:31] foley, also brandon for singing

[1:08:32] the national anthem. Just a few

[1:08:36] reminders for today's meeting.

[1:08:40] please use the main entrance

[1:08:41] when entering and leaving the

[1:08:43] room because all other doors are

[1:08:45] alarmed and for emergency exit

[1:08:47] only. Please set all phones to

[1:08:51] "mute" or vibrate at this time

[1:08:54] and for the duration of the

[1:08:55] meeting. The changes to today's

[1:09:01] agenda along with agendas and

[1:09:02] requests to speak are located in

[1:09:04] the lobby just outside the

[1:09:06] boardroom. The board will be

[1:09:07] breaking for lunch around the

[1:09:09] noon hour at which time we'll

[1:09:11] also recess to closed session.

[1:09:14] if you need a parking validation

[1:09:17] for the p4 parking lot, please

[1:09:19] see the deputy clerk next to the

[1:09:20] podium, and you'll get a

[1:09:21] validation card. We will now

[1:09:24] move to the agenda for this

[1:09:25] morning's meeting. Agenda

[1:09:28] contains a brief description of

[1:09:30] each item to be considered

[1:09:33] except as otherwise provided by

[1:09:34] law such an emergency, no action

[1:09:38] shall be taken on any item not

[1:09:41] appearing on the agenda. Agenda

[1:09:43] is divided into sections. All

[1:09:44] matters on the consent calendar

[1:09:45] are approved by one motion

[1:09:48] unless a board member or member

[1:09:50] of the public request a separate

[1:09:52] action on a specific item. If

[1:09:54] you wish to address the board,

[1:09:56] please complete a speaker

[1:09:57] request form located in the

[1:09:59] lobby outside the boardroom. To

[1:10:01] ensure the smooth conduct in the

[1:10:02] meeting, speaker request forms

[1:10:04] must be turned in prior to the

[1:10:06] beginning of the item being

[1:10:07] considered, whether it be the

[1:10:09] consent calendar, the reading of

[1:10:10] individual items or the

[1:10:11] beginning of public comments.

[1:10:14] speakers may address the board

[1:10:15] on up to three occasions with

[1:10:16] three minutes allot per

[1:10:20] occasion. When are you called

[1:10:22] to speak, please step to the

[1:10:24] podium, we ask that you state

[1:10:25] your name and city and residents

[1:10:27] for the record. The green light

[1:10:36] means have you three minutes.

[1:10:36] the light changes to yellow when

[1:10:39] have you 1 minute, and the red

[1:10:40] light means your time has

[1:10:44] expired. We ask that you

[1:10:46] observe the lights so that all

[1:10:47] who wish to speak have the

[1:10:48] opportunity do so. When

[1:10:49] addressing the board, please

[1:10:50] address the board as a whole

[1:10:52] through the chair. . I'll ask

[1:10:57] the clerk if you've identified

[1:10:59] any changes to the agenda or

[1:11:00] requests to receive from the

[1:11:03] public to pull an item for the

[1:11:05] consent calendar.

[1:11:05] >>clerk, robin stieler: on the

[1:11:08] discussion calendar, items 13

[1:11:09] and 29 have both been continued

[1:11:10] to april 14th, be 2026, 9:30

[1:11:14] a.m. And the public has

[1:11:15] requested to pull item 1 from

[1:11:16] the consent calendar.

[1:11:18] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[1:11:19] right. And I have received a

[1:11:22] number of requests for priority,

[1:11:26] that it be heard immediately

[1:11:29] after consent calendar. There

[1:11:31] are so many, I kind of did my

[1:11:32] own re-jumbling a little bit. I

[1:11:34] had like four different

[1:11:36] requests. So after consent

[1:11:37] calendar, we'll then go to item

[1:11:39] 32, and that will be next to

[1:11:43] supplement 31c, supplement 31d,

[1:11:46] supplement 31e, supplement 31f,

[1:11:49] and supplement 31g, and then we

[1:11:52] can come back to item 11. So

[1:11:53] that's the order in which we

[1:11:55] intend to move unless a member

[1:11:56] of the board objects. I see

[1:11:58] none. And I would please be

[1:12:01] mindful, I had multiple requests

[1:12:02] for jumbling the order. We have

[1:12:08] a request to hear -- supervisor

[1:12:10] sarmiento, did you wish to pull

[1:12:12] an item.

[1:12:13] >>vincente sarmiento: simply

[1:12:14] make a comment on item no. 8,

[1:12:16] when that moment comes after we

[1:12:18] approve --

[1:12:19] >>chair, doug chaffee: you want

[1:12:23] just to make your comment.

[1:12:25] >>vincente sarmiento: yes.

[1:12:27] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[1:12:28] objection to approving the

[1:12:29] remaining items? If you'd like

[1:12:31] to make a comment, then we'll go

[1:12:32] to item 1 which has a speaker

[1:12:35] request.

[1:12:35] >>vincente sarmiento: briefly I

[1:12:37] want to thank doug becht and his

[1:12:39] team, everybody who worked on

[1:12:40] the commission to address

[1:12:42] homelessness annual report for

[1:12:44] 2025. As the outgoing chair of

[1:12:48] the commission to address

[1:12:48] homelessness, I'm pleased to

[1:12:50] comment on this item and

[1:12:51] highlight work that has been

[1:12:52] done by the commission. The

[1:12:54] report provides a clear summary

[1:12:57] of the commission's work and

[1:12:58] accomplishments that highlights

[1:13:00] four areas, structure,

[1:13:01] continuing initiatives,

[1:13:02] collaboration and legislative

[1:13:03] engagement. In terms of

[1:13:04] structure, the commission

[1:13:05] updated its bylaws, clarified

[1:13:07] its mission and my duties,

[1:13:10] strengthened recruitment and

[1:13:11] added a commissioner spotlight

[1:13:13] to share individual

[1:13:14] contributions. Continuing

[1:13:14] initiatives included the

[1:13:15] small-scale housing report,

[1:13:17] which we believe is going to be

[1:13:19] one more part of the housing

[1:13:21] inventory that we need to make

[1:13:23] sure people have a path from

[1:13:25] shelters to permanent supportive

[1:13:27] housing. That is a very, very

[1:13:28] gaping absence between those two

[1:13:33] polar ends, shelters and

[1:13:34] permanent supportive housing.

[1:13:36] we also supported the warm

[1:13:39] program, which was the motel

[1:13:40] vouchers, for students and

[1:13:42] families in our five unified

[1:13:46] school districts that have

[1:13:47] access to shelter when the

[1:13:49] rain -- rainy and cold season

[1:13:52] are here. Also updates on the

[1:13:54] homeless prevention

[1:13:55] stabilization program, we have

[1:13:57] to now all of our slots filled,

[1:13:59] families that are now receiving

[1:14:01] support, not only funding, but

[1:14:04] services to make sure that they

[1:14:06] are not suffering from unlawful

[1:14:09] detainers and evictions, and

[1:14:11] they all seem to be so far doing

[1:14:14] well in the program. On

[1:14:16] collaboration, the commission

[1:14:17] has partnered with continuum of

[1:14:19] care board on the 2025 homeless

[1:14:22] survey to review and discuss the

[1:14:23] pace at which our residents are

[1:14:24] entering homelessness and the

[1:14:26] causes behind that. Respect

[1:14:26] to -- with respect to

[1:14:30] legislation, commissioners

[1:14:30] received briefings on the

[1:14:33] relevant state and federal laws

[1:14:33] and submitted letters urging

[1:14:36] collaboration funding for

[1:14:37] expiring hehv vouchers, renewing

[1:14:40] coc grants and offering input to

[1:14:43] the safe task force on

[1:14:46] encampment clean-ups. So this

[1:14:49] report addresses homelessness in

[1:14:50] orange county with dedication

[1:14:51] and strategic work and

[1:14:52] collaboration approach. We have

[1:14:55] a long way to go, much adieu,

[1:14:57] problems not solved but I

[1:15:00] believe that the commission's on

[1:15:00] the right path to making sure

[1:15:03] and identifying the priorities,

[1:15:04] especially prevention, knowing

[1:15:06] that's something that renders

[1:15:07] results, is cost-effective and

[1:15:09] efficient. So with that,

[1:15:11] mr. Chair, I'll go ahead and

[1:15:12] pass it to you.

[1:15:14] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank you

[1:15:14] for comments. Now we go back to

[1:15:15] consent calendar item 1, we have

[1:15:18] a request from a member of the

[1:15:19] public. Madam clerk, would you

[1:15:22] please call that member of the

[1:15:22] public.

[1:15:30] >>clerk, robin stieler: 1. Under

[1:15:31] chair chaffee - commission to

[1:15:32] address homelessness - reappoint

[1:15:32] gina cunningham orange, kelly

[1:15:33] bruno-nelson, long beach, for

[1:15:34] terms ending 4/14/28; appoint

[1:15:35] adam foster, la habra, for term

[1:15:36] ending 4/14/28; and approve

[1:15:36] waiver of residency

[1:15:37] requirements.

[1:15:37] and we have two requests to

[1:15:41] speak, paul hayek and david

[1:15:42] duran.

[1:15:55] >>speaker: good morning,

[1:15:58] council, chair people. On this

[1:16:00] we need to get rid of the "no

[1:16:03] walk-in" rule for the homeless

[1:16:06] shelters to get those that are

[1:16:07] not families often street

[1:16:09] because I have a friend who got

[1:16:12] two tickets for camping.

[1:16:15] >>chair, doug chaffee: sir this

[1:16:15] is about appointments.

[1:16:17] >>speaker: we need make sure

[1:16:20] that whoever we appoint looks at

[1:16:22] places like bridges and kraemer,

[1:16:25] la mesa, the homeless shelters.

[1:16:30] that would help those that are

[1:16:33] not family members to get off

[1:16:34] the street, and let's give them

[1:16:36] jobs while they're in the

[1:16:38] shelters.

[1:16:39] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:16:40] you.

[1:16:41] >>clerk, robin stieler: last

[1:16:43] speaker is david duran.

[1:16:45] >>chair, doug chaffee: may I

[1:16:45] have a motion on item 1.

[1:16:47] >>clerk, robin stieler:

[1:16:47] mr. Chair, one more speaker.

[1:16:49] >>chair, doug chaffee: sorry.

[1:16:50] go ahead.

[1:16:51] >>clerk, robin stieler: last

[1:16:52] speaker is david duran.

[1:16:54] >>speaker: I would like to first

[1:16:57] preface the idea that the

[1:17:01] supervisor, or at least three of

[1:17:02] the supervisors, recognized

[1:17:04] community today. Thank you.

[1:17:11] part 2 is -- has to do directly

[1:17:15] with the appointments of the

[1:17:18] commission to address -- really

[1:17:21] should be end homelessness --

[1:17:26] but address homelessness. And

[1:17:29] I'm in strong opposition that,

[1:17:30] unless the commission has

[1:17:31] changed something, that district

[1:17:35] attorney spitzer sits on that

[1:17:37] commission, already convicted of

[1:17:43] sexual harassment multiple

[1:17:45] times. Has cost the county

[1:17:46] millions of dollars in legal

[1:17:47] fees, and yet you recognize him

[1:17:50] as a leader. He's voiced his

[1:17:54] opinion during meetings that he

[1:17:58] is a proponent of treatment

[1:18:01] first, not housing first. I

[1:18:08] don't believe is qualified to

[1:18:09] sit on that commission. If you

[1:18:13] don't have the guts or the power

[1:18:17] to remove him, at least state

[1:18:21] so, at least verbalize to the

[1:18:22] public, tell the public that

[1:18:27] you're asking for his

[1:18:28] resignation because of who he is

[1:18:32] and how he's conducted himself.

[1:18:34] I would hope that everybody on

[1:18:36] that commission is a better

[1:18:39] citizen than our district

[1:18:41] attorney has proven that he is.

[1:18:44] secondly, I'm hoping that sb-707

[1:18:49] is implemented for that

[1:18:50] meeting --

[1:18:53] >>don wagner: mr. Chairman, this

[1:18:55] is the appointment, good or bad

[1:18:57] of ms. Cunningham, not

[1:18:59] mr. Spitzer or anything else

[1:19:01] being done by council. I move

[1:19:03] the order of the day.

[1:19:04] >>chair, doug chaffee: are you

[1:19:04] referring to one of the people

[1:19:06] up for appointment? Who are you

[1:19:08] talking about?

[1:19:08] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[1:19:09] there's only one person.

[1:19:11] >>chair, doug chaffee: this is

[1:19:12] item 1 on the consent calendar.

[1:19:13] >>speaker: again, it's -- it has

[1:19:15] to do with the commission to

[1:19:16] address homelessness and the

[1:19:18] people that have been appointed.

[1:19:20] >>chair, doug chaffee: but

[1:19:20] that's not on the agenda. This

[1:19:22] is appointment of people to the

[1:19:23] commission.

[1:19:24] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: it's

[1:19:25] three specific people.

[1:19:26] >>speaker: thank you for your

[1:19:27] lack of interest.

[1:19:28] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:19:29] you. All right.

[1:19:32] >>clerk, robin stieler: no

[1:19:33] further speakers, mr. Chair.

[1:19:36] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[1:19:36] supervisor sarmiento.

[1:19:39] >>vincente sarmiento: yes, thank

[1:19:39] you, I'll be supporting the

[1:19:41] appointments, and I think just

[1:19:43] to clarify the appointments that

[1:19:44] are being considered today, gina

[1:19:46] cunningham from orange, she's

[1:19:48] the executive director of

[1:19:49] homemade of orange county,

[1:19:52] los angeles and also kelley

[1:19:52] bruno-nelson from long beach.

[1:19:56] her term -- she is the executive

[1:19:58] director of cal-aim and also an

[1:20:02] employee at caloptima and it's

[1:20:04] also to appoint anna foster with

[1:20:06] the la hambra police department,

[1:20:09] adam foster, he is a police

[1:20:10] chief, as well. Those are the

[1:20:12] appointments we are considering.

[1:20:13] to mr. Duran's point, the seat

[1:20:15] held by d.a. Spitzer was

[1:20:16] considered by the commission. I

[1:20:18] personally had to struggle and

[1:20:21] ensure that all seats made

[1:20:23] sense, that there was some nexus

[1:20:25] between who was sitting in them

[1:20:26] and the relevance and the effort

[1:20:30] and the connection that they

[1:20:31] would have with the mission that

[1:20:34] the commission had. So there

[1:20:35] was that discussion at

[1:20:36] commission with the membership

[1:20:40] ad hoc, as well. So your

[1:20:41] concerns were ones that were

[1:20:43] concerned by others on the

[1:20:44] commission. So it was

[1:20:45] definitely deliberated. But

[1:20:47] today we're just simply looking

[1:20:49] at these three appointments.

[1:20:50] and with that, I'll turn it back

[1:20:52] over.

[1:20:53] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:20:54] you, supervisor. It's been

[1:20:55] moved and second.

[1:20:56] >>clerk, robin stieler: I have a

[1:20:57] motion by supervisor wagner and

[1:20:59] did I hear a second?

[1:21:01] >>janet nguyen: nguyen.

[1:21:02] >>clerk, robin stieler: all

[1:21:04] right. Thank you.

[1:21:04] >>chair, doug chaffee: motion

[1:21:05] carries. And thankful that we

[1:21:06] have qualified people to serve

[1:21:08] on that commission and there are

[1:21:10] three of them being appointed

[1:21:11] today. Now I'm going to go to

[1:21:14] item 32, which is a public

[1:21:16] hearing. Madam clerk.

[1:21:18] >>clerk, robin stieler: 32.

[1:21:19] under

[1:21:20] county counsel - under

[1:21:21] government

[1:21:22] code section 7283.1, conduct

[1:21:23] public hearing regarding

[1:21:24] transparent review of unjust

[1:21:25] transfers and holds (truth) act;

[1:21:27] and receive and file information

[1:21:28] from county law enforcement

[1:21:29] departments regarding

[1:21:30] immigration

[1:21:32] and customs enforcement's access

[1:21:32] to individuals in 2025.

[1:21:39] >>speaker: I'm going to open the

[1:21:40] public hearing.

[1:21:42] >>clerk, robin stieler: we have

[1:21:44] received 11 requests.

[1:21:45] >>chair, doug chaffee: please

[1:21:46] call the speakers.

[1:21:52] >>clerk, robin stieler: alice

[1:21:56] soto, david duran and logan

[1:21:57] smith.

[1:22:08] >>speaker: good morning,

[1:22:08] supervisors. I have not been to

[1:22:10] one of these before. If there

[1:22:13] has been one, I was interested

[1:22:16] in hearing specifically from the

[1:22:20] sheriff's department on the

[1:22:22] process through which the truth

[1:22:25] act interview consent forms are

[1:22:26] done. I have to say when I

[1:22:28] looked at this information, it

[1:22:29] looked pretty clean, pretty

[1:22:33] doable and also it looked like

[1:22:37] the numbers were well-given.

[1:22:40] the reasons for people being

[1:22:42] incarcerated as well. And then

[1:22:44] I asked myself, if I were a

[1:22:47] person who was being asked to go

[1:22:50] through this interview,

[1:22:52] evidently I have a choice, how

[1:22:55] respectful is that choice? I

[1:23:00] notice the forms are in english.

[1:23:01] I would hope that they are in

[1:23:02] other languages. I want to hear

[1:23:04] that. And also the amount of an

[1:23:08] individual would have between

[1:23:09] the time they are given this

[1:23:12] particular information sheet and

[1:23:17] the time that they have to pleat

[1:23:19] it. I'm a highly-educated

[1:23:22] individual, and I have a hard

[1:23:24] time just because I lack spatial

[1:23:26] intelligence to be able to go

[1:23:29] through a process like this

[1:23:30] without having a lot of thinking

[1:23:33] going on. I have a tendency to

[1:23:35] miss information. And if I am

[1:23:38] in a hurried situation or an

[1:23:40] intimidating situation, although

[1:23:43] it is stated that they are not

[1:23:45] intimidated, I'm not sure what

[1:23:47] that means. The very fact of

[1:23:50] being surrounded by police force

[1:23:53] and I.c.e. In particular would

[1:23:55] intimidate the hell out of me.

[1:23:57] so I want to be able to go away

[1:24:02] understanding exactly how this

[1:24:04] process works, not just the end

[1:24:08] results. Thank you.

[1:24:11] >>chair, doug chaffee: next

[1:24:12] speaker, please.

[1:24:26] >>speaker: I too echo the

[1:24:30] comments of alice on the

[1:24:35] community that surrounds orange

[1:24:37] county and how the sheriffs are

[1:24:42] interacting and how they do in

[1:24:47] fact intimidate. Are they

[1:24:52] acting lawfully? And more

[1:24:54] importantly, are they acting

[1:24:57] with humanity? Keep in mind the

[1:25:08] effects of someone who is being

[1:25:11] deported unjustly. Keep in mind

[1:25:17] the effects -- the aftermath of

[1:25:20] what happened to that

[1:25:22] individual's children, what

[1:25:26] happens if they are the bred

[1:25:28] winner. Does that put more

[1:25:32] people on the streets to become

[1:25:33] unhoused? So an act of the

[1:25:39] sheriffs to quote/unquote follow

[1:25:41] the law, what is more important?

[1:25:49] is it law or is it the value of

[1:25:52] human life that the sheriff

[1:25:55] argues is for the safety of the

[1:25:57] community? The supervisors, the

[1:26:05] sheriff have the power to do

[1:26:10] what's right. It's sometimes

[1:26:15] more important than to do what's

[1:26:17] lawful. As all of you look down

[1:26:23] and ignore --

[1:26:24] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: I

[1:26:26] wasn't ignoring you.

[1:26:28] >>speaker: I just want to

[1:26:31] document lack of understanding,

[1:26:32] the lack of care, the lack of

[1:26:34] attention the supervisors quite

[1:26:37] often give people who come to

[1:26:39] this microphone to speak. So

[1:26:46] you can go about your day. If

[1:26:49] you're not an immigrant, then

[1:26:51] you have nothing to worry about.

[1:26:54] you can just enjoy your day.

[1:26:58] but there's a community out

[1:26:59] there that needs help, not

[1:27:05] arrest, not deportation. Think

[1:27:09] about that while you're trying

[1:27:11] to go to sleep.

[1:27:16] >>clerk, robin stieler: the next

[1:27:18] three speakers norma, karen, and

[1:27:20] kelsey gordon.

[1:27:23] >>speaker: my name is logan

[1:27:24] smith and we continue to express

[1:27:27] concern about the orange county

[1:27:30] sheriff's department still

[1:27:33] choosing to transfer people to

[1:27:34] I.c.e. Without judicial

[1:27:36] warrants. The increase in

[1:27:37] I.c.e. Transfers this year

[1:27:38] appears to be driven by judicial

[1:27:41] warrants but still the vast

[1:27:42] majority that osc transferred to

[1:27:44] I.c.e. In the past year were

[1:27:46] transferred voluntarily rather

[1:27:47] than in response to judicial

[1:27:48] warrants. Contact with I.c.e.

[1:27:49] has always been risky for

[1:27:51] community members but over the

[1:27:53] last year I.c.e. Has become even

[1:27:54] more opaque and conditions in

[1:27:56] its facilities and the private

[1:27:57] prisons it contracts with are

[1:27:59] even more brutal. More than

[1:28:01] ever ocs continually voluntarily

[1:28:06] poses a risk to public safety

[1:28:08] soley transferring to I.c.e. At

[1:28:09] least 12 people including 2 u.s.

[1:28:13] citizens have died in I.c.e.

[1:28:13] custody by mass federal agents

[1:28:16] in the streets of america.

[1:28:16] every time sheriff barnes and

[1:28:19] his deputies send another

[1:28:20] community member into the

[1:28:20] clutches of the same federal

[1:28:21] authorities, they're rolling the

[1:28:23] dice with the continued survival

[1:28:25] of mothers, fathers, sons and

[1:28:27] daughters. It is more urgent

[1:28:28] than ever that osc align itself

[1:28:30] with the majority of sheriff's

[1:28:31] departments in the state of

[1:28:33] california and stop this deeply

[1:28:34] harmful practice. Thank you.

[1:28:35] [ applause ]

[1:28:38] >>chair, doug chaffee: next

[1:28:39] speaker, please.

[1:28:42] >>speaker: good morning, board

[1:28:44] of supervisors. My name is

[1:28:45] norma palacios, organizing

[1:28:49] manager for the california

[1:28:50] immigrant policy center. We are

[1:28:51] a statewide organization

[1:28:53] advancing policies to protect

[1:28:54] the rights of immigrants. I am

[1:28:57] here to speak on item 32

[1:28:58] regarding the review of the

[1:29:02] unjust and transparency we are

[1:29:04] deeply concerned about the high

[1:29:05] volume of people that the

[1:29:06] sheriff department has

[1:29:08] transferred to immigration

[1:29:12] custom enforcement. It's

[1:29:13] alarming that they've

[1:29:15] transferred over 200 community

[1:29:16] members to I.c.e. In 2025. It

[1:29:18] puts their health, safety, lives

[1:29:19] and legal rights at risk.

[1:29:21] detention centers expose people

[1:29:24] to dangerous conditions, the

[1:29:27] facilities have failed to meet

[1:29:28] basic standards of care such as

[1:29:30] urgent medical care, food,

[1:29:32] water, and hygiene supplies.

[1:29:35] the people who were transferred

[1:29:36] to I.c.e. Were residents of

[1:29:37] orange county and should have

[1:29:38] been given the opportunity to

[1:29:39] return home after serving their

[1:29:40] time. The continued conclusion

[1:29:43] with federal immigration

[1:29:43] enforcement will only continue

[1:29:45] to drive fear among immigrant

[1:29:47] communities and encourage them

[1:29:48] from accessing emergency and

[1:29:50] essential services which would

[1:29:52] only undermine them their safety

[1:29:55] and health. We urge you to end

[1:29:57] I.c.e. Transfers. L.a. County

[1:29:58] did this in 2000, and now the

[1:30:00] l.a. Sheriff's department

[1:30:02] transfer zero people to I.c.e.

[1:30:04] each year. County resources

[1:30:05] should not be sent to aid and

[1:30:07] intensify I.c.e. Enforcement but

[1:30:09] instead be reserved for

[1:30:11] resources like healthcare, food,

[1:30:12] affordable housing and

[1:30:14] education. It's also important

[1:30:15] that as long as I.c.e. Has

[1:30:17] access to people in the

[1:30:18] sheriff's department, custody,

[1:30:21] that more information is made

[1:30:22] available about those

[1:30:22] interactions. Thank you for

[1:30:24] considering our position and

[1:30:25] requests.

[1:30:26] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:30:27] you. Next speaker, please.

[1:30:28] [ applause ]

[1:30:35] >>speaker: hello, my name is

[1:30:37] karen hernandez. I am with the

[1:30:39] orange county rapid response

[1:30:41] network, and I am a resident of

[1:30:43] anaheim in vincent sarmiento's

[1:30:47] district. I'm here to talk

[1:30:48] about the truth act, which we

[1:30:51] know is about transparency and

[1:30:52] trust. And for many of our

[1:30:55] community interaction women's

[1:30:55] grace enforcement have been

[1:30:57] deeply personal, including for

[1:30:58] me. Leaving devastating and

[1:31:00] lasting effects on families.

[1:31:03] I'm honestly like -- really

[1:31:07] angry that I have to be here

[1:31:09] today because there are counties

[1:31:11] like l.a. That are currently not

[1:31:12] transferring people, and the

[1:31:13] amount of work that the 300-plus

[1:31:15] volunteers that work with ocr

[1:31:18] have to take away from our day

[1:31:20] of supporting the impacted

[1:31:22] community members and their

[1:31:23] families who have lost

[1:31:24] breadwinners, who have lost, you

[1:31:27] know, their fathers, their

[1:31:28] mothers, their kids, it's

[1:31:30] devastating. It is really

[1:31:32] devastating. Orange county for

[1:31:34] a very long time has transferred

[1:31:35] and continues to transfer more

[1:31:37] people to I.c.e. Than any other

[1:31:40] county in the state. It's not

[1:31:44] because we have more criminals.

[1:31:46] it's because policing originated

[1:31:49] from slave paroles and continues

[1:31:50] to this day in this county.

[1:31:52] this is an issue about race. And

[1:31:53] I sheriff don barns is a

[1:31:55] deporter in chief. I'd also

[1:31:57] like to read a people in a good

[1:31:59] friend of mine who's a black

[1:32:01] organizer from anaheim, her name

[1:32:03] is karemi, wrote, it's called

[1:32:06] just another black life that

[1:32:07] mattered in a world undeserving.

[1:32:08] a poem written on another day

[1:32:10] when another black person died

[1:32:11] in a detention center and/or a

[1:32:13] jail and/or a prison, somewhere

[1:32:15] in the united states of america.

[1:32:17] criminal and/or immigrant,

[1:32:18] caged, incarcerated and/or

[1:32:21] detained, because that taillight

[1:32:24] was out, and your skin was dark,

[1:32:26] and you looked like deep trouble

[1:32:27] to me. Worth your weight in

[1:32:29] gold in my vault. Look down at

[1:32:31] you from my horse, restrict your

[1:32:34] hopes and dreams and movements

[1:32:35] from my goals. Are you a

[1:32:36] number, an inmate, and/or

[1:32:37] detainee. Don't you know you

[1:32:39] could never float, let alone

[1:32:43] fly? Good thing you got thick

[1:32:45] skin, hard bones and working

[1:32:47] hands for me. Don't matter your

[1:32:49] accent or passport. Know a

[1:32:52] place for your kind, too black

[1:32:53] to be child or elder or pregnant

[1:32:55] or human. Just a number in a

[1:32:57] cage. So shackled and

[1:32:58] restrained. World use to your

[1:33:03] pain for our gain. Too bad you

[1:33:05] became another name in the

[1:33:07] grave. Only you to blame.

[1:33:09] don't worry, I built a system

[1:33:09] very well-sustained. Pick

[1:33:11] another one of use to abuse and

[1:33:14] minimize, reduce and strength in

[1:33:16] size, watch you fall like place

[1:33:16] to, just another black life.

[1:33:20] finally I just want to send this

[1:33:22] by saying that without

[1:33:26] transparency, we can't build

[1:33:28] trust. Without trust, our

[1:33:32] communities are less safe.

[1:33:33] thanks.

[1:33:35] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:33:35] you, ma'am. May we have the

[1:33:36] next speaker, please.

[1:33:38] >>clerk, robin stieler: next

[1:33:40] three speakers are cheryl long,

[1:33:41] felicity and sandra deonda.

[1:33:44] >>speaker: good morning, my name

[1:33:45] is chelsea and I'm an anaheim

[1:33:47] resident. I'm here today

[1:33:48] because of the truth act and

[1:33:52] call for an end to I.c.e.

[1:33:55] transfers. As a member of the

[1:33:55] orange county rapid response

[1:33:57] network every day I take calls

[1:33:58] from individuals and families

[1:33:59] impacted by the immigration

[1:34:00] system. Immigrants are

[1:34:03] disproportionately pushed into

[1:34:05] deportation by over-policing and

[1:34:07] I.c.e. Collaboration with local

[1:34:08] law enforcement, especially in

[1:34:10] black communities. Orange

[1:34:11] county also has the highest

[1:34:12] number of prop 36 filings not

[1:34:15] box office our more criminals

[1:34:15] but because of our racist

[1:34:16] systems and the d.a.'s office's

[1:34:19] choice to charge so many

[1:34:21] community members makes them

[1:34:22] further vulnerable to systematic

[1:34:24] abuses and I.c.e. Transfers. In

[1:34:26] 2025 transfers have

[1:34:28] disproportionately targeted

[1:34:29] mexican, vietnamese, and central

[1:34:31] american communities. It is not

[1:34:33] a coincidence but a systematic

[1:34:34] inequity in action and demands

[1:34:36] accountability. Black migrants

[1:34:37] are only about 6% of the

[1:34:39] imprisoned I.c.e. Population but

[1:34:41] nearly 30% of abuse complaints

[1:34:42] which indicates that black

[1:34:43] people are detained and

[1:34:45] disproportionately abused

[1:34:47] according to bodies 2022 report

[1:34:49] uncovering the truth, violence

[1:34:51] and abuse against black migrants

[1:34:52] and immigration detention.

[1:34:54] individuals transferred to

[1:34:55] I.c.e. Detention from local

[1:34:56] sheriffs custody have no avenues

[1:34:57] for proper medication given to

[1:34:59] them. They have been several

[1:35:02] cases already named in orange

[1:35:02] county where people have died.

[1:35:04] policing, including I.c.e., do

[1:35:06] not keep people safe. And while

[1:35:09] the truth act is about

[1:35:10] transparency, without the

[1:35:11] transparency we cannot build

[1:35:13] trust, and without trust our

[1:35:14] communities are less safe and

[1:35:16] less connected.

[1:35:17] we care about this county and

[1:35:18] immigrant families and ask that

[1:35:18] you listen to this. Thank you

[1:35:21] for your time, and no transfers

[1:35:21] in oc.

[1:35:23] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:35:24] you. May we have the next

[1:35:26] speaker?

[1:35:29] >>speaker: good morning,

[1:35:32] supervisor. I am dr. Cheryl

[1:35:34] long, and I'm a long-time

[1:35:35] resident of irvine since 1980.

[1:35:37] I am here to ask that each you

[1:35:39] as the orange county board of

[1:35:40] supervisors enforce the truth

[1:35:42] act. The enforcement is needed

[1:35:43] to successfully protect every

[1:35:45] orange county resident from the

[1:35:47] injustices of the lawless,

[1:35:49] excessively violent actions up

[1:35:52] to and including murder and

[1:35:54] inhumane actions of unvetted,

[1:35:56] partially-trained, masked,

[1:35:57] unidentifiable agents work for

[1:36:00] various prospected him grace

[1:36:02] agencies under dhs, but also

[1:36:04] including the fbi. I reference

[1:36:06] these collectively as simply

[1:36:08] I.c.e., making the lawlessness

[1:36:09] even worse is the use of a

[1:36:11] bounty as a reward for catching

[1:36:13] people of color regardless of

[1:36:15] their legal status up to and

[1:36:17] including citizenship. A bounty

[1:36:19] become as reward based on the

[1:36:21] numbers of and not legality nor

[1:36:24] accuracy of targeting. It is

[1:36:26] overwhelmingly dehumanizing the

[1:36:28] individuals being abducted.

[1:36:29] this is un-american, and it is

[1:36:31] inhumane. Because I.c.e. Is no

[1:36:33] longer function as a normal

[1:36:34] agency when -- within the law, I

[1:36:36] am asking that you direct the

[1:36:39] orange county sheriff's

[1:36:39] department to stop work it

[1:36:42] anyway with I.c.e. I.c.e. Is no

[1:36:44] longer serving our country. Ask

[1:36:46] the orange county sheriff's

[1:36:47] department to stop doubling down

[1:36:50] in their enforcement to arrest

[1:36:52] community members that they can

[1:36:53] filter into the deportation

[1:36:55] pipeline. The sheriff's 202045

[1:36:59] systematic reveals systematic

[1:37:02] inequity and action in the

[1:37:05] over-representation of mexican,

[1:37:07] vietnamese, and central

[1:37:08] americans. As physicians we

[1:37:10] take an oath to care for all

[1:37:12] people and to do no harm. As

[1:37:14] law enforcement, the orange

[1:37:14] county sheriffs have taken an

[1:37:17] oath to protect constitution and

[1:37:18] as written the rights of all

[1:37:20] people. I.c.e. Has overtly

[1:37:22] violated the constitution in

[1:37:23] many ways and more egregiously

[1:37:26] due process. Thus the sheriffs

[1:37:28] are not upholding their oath if

[1:37:30] they transfer americans to

[1:37:31] I.c.e. As a physician, I speak

[1:37:33] to the life-threatening risks as

[1:37:34] well as the inhumanity of not

[1:37:36] allowing individuals expedient

[1:37:38] access and really any access at

[1:37:40] all to their need medications

[1:37:42] when they are transferred from

[1:37:43] I.c.e. Custody -- from sheriffs

[1:37:45] custody to I.c.e. Detention.

[1:37:47] over 31 individuals have died in

[1:37:48] I.c.e. Detention including at

[1:37:49] least one resident from costa

[1:37:51] mesa and one from huntington

[1:37:53] beach that we know of. Thank

[1:37:55] you for your time, and I hope

[1:37:56] that you will fully seem your

[1:37:57] role as a critical overseeing

[1:37:59] body for the sheriff's

[1:38:00] department and that you enforce

[1:38:02] all aspects of the truth act to

[1:38:04] protect all of your

[1:38:05] constituents. Simply stated, we

[1:38:08] demand that there are zero

[1:38:09] transfers to I.c.e. In orange

[1:38:09] county. Thank you for your

[1:38:11] time.

[1:38:13] [ applause ]

[1:38:18] >>speaker: good morning, my name

[1:38:20] is felicity. I've lived in

[1:38:22] irvine for over 30 years, the

[1:38:24] immediate past president of the

[1:38:26] newport mesa irvine interfaith

[1:38:28] council, although, this morning

[1:38:29] I'm speaking as a private

[1:38:30] citizen. I'm extremely

[1:38:33] disappointed that with all of

[1:38:33] the information we now have

[1:38:34] regarding how I.c.e. Transfers

[1:38:36] actually make our community less

[1:38:38] safe here in orange county they

[1:38:40] are still happening at a rapid

[1:38:41] pace. When it comes to

[1:38:42] notifying I.c.e. When they can

[1:38:46] pick up undocumented inmates --

[1:38:48] immigrants, nobody in california

[1:38:49] does it as much as orange

[1:38:50] county. In 2019 and 2020 the

[1:38:52] orange county sheriff's

[1:38:53] department transferred the

[1:38:54] largest number of people over to

[1:38:56] I.c.e. Of all california

[1:38:57] counties. Twice as many as the

[1:38:59] number 2 county san diego which

[1:39:01] has a slightly larger population

[1:39:02] than oc and in 2020 they

[1:39:04] transferred even more than l.a.

[1:39:05] county, which has three times

[1:39:07] our population. 2022 data shows

[1:39:09] that sheriff barnes fully

[1:39:12] intended to transfer 155 people

[1:39:15] over to I.c.e. Although I.c.e.

[1:39:16] only accepted 17, which

[1:39:18] demonstrates the blatant

[1:39:20] overreach of the county

[1:39:22] department. In 2023, the

[1:39:23] sheriff's department referred

[1:39:24] twice as many community members,

[1:39:27] 300 to I.c.e., and ultimately

[1:39:29] transferred 221. That's an

[1:39:31] increase of 1200%. The numbers

[1:39:35] went new24, to 228. And last

[1:39:38] year I.c.e. Transfers through

[1:39:39] I.c.e. Detainers increased once

[1:39:43] again by close to 9%, rising to

[1:39:44] 239 people transferred. In

[1:39:46] addition, 2025 transfers have

[1:39:49] disproportionately targeted

[1:39:51] mexican, vietnamese, and central

[1:39:54] american communities making this

[1:39:55] a racial justice issue. There

[1:39:56] are multiple counties in

[1:39:58] california that don't allow any

[1:39:59] transfers from county jails to

[1:40:01] detention facilities with

[1:40:02] absolutely no negative

[1:40:03] consequences. Those counties

[1:40:04] realize that transferring people

[1:40:06] to I.c.e. After they have

[1:40:08] finished their sentences, then

[1:40:11] rehabilitate -- been

[1:40:12] rehabilitated, deemed ready to

[1:40:14] go back to society by the parole

[1:40:16] board or even the governor is

[1:40:17] both pointless or

[1:40:19] counter-productive. What good

[1:40:20] is accomplished by separating a

[1:40:22] shattering family by denying a

[1:40:23] household its principal

[1:40:25] breadwinner or by leaving

[1:40:26] american-born children with

[1:40:27] either parents to care for them.

[1:40:30] local law enforcement are acting

[1:40:33] as immigration police and public

[1:40:35] trustee roads. Witnesses do not

[1:40:36] come forward, domestic violence

[1:40:38] survivors will remain silent and

[1:40:40] even victims of crimes are

[1:40:42] afraid to speak out for fear of

[1:40:44] putting themselves or their

[1:40:46] loved ones in jeopardy. This

[1:40:49] puts all community members in

[1:40:51] danger, not to mention the

[1:40:52] economic toll in our communities

[1:40:54] when our local and state tax

[1:40:56] dollars are being used to do the

[1:40:57] work of federal agents instead

[1:41:00] of providing much-needed

[1:41:01] resources for our own residents.

[1:41:04] no one should be subjected to

[1:41:07] double punishment after they

[1:41:08] have served their time and ready

[1:41:09] to become contributing members

[1:41:11] of their community. And that's

[1:41:13] why I say for the sake of every

[1:41:15] oc resident, end all I.c.e.

[1:41:18] transfers now. Thank you.

[1:41:20] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:41:20] you.

[1:41:20] >>clerk, robin stieler: after

[1:41:21] sandra, the last two speakers

[1:41:23] are jahira and amy s.

[1:41:32] >>speaker: good morning, board

[1:41:33] of supervisor. My name is sandra

[1:41:35] de anda and I'm the director of

[1:41:38] policy and legal strategy at the

[1:41:40] orange county rapid response

[1:41:41] network. I am also a

[1:41:43] constituent of district 2. I'm

[1:41:45] here to speak on item 32, the

[1:41:47] truth act. My colleagues and

[1:41:50] community members have been

[1:41:52] track I.c.e. Enforcement trends

[1:41:54] since our inception in 2017. In

[1:41:57] doing, so last year was an

[1:41:59] immensely heavy task as we saw

[1:42:02] dhs tactics become more inhumane

[1:42:06] and a spectacle of suffering for

[1:42:07] immigrant and refugee

[1:42:10] communities. All while, our

[1:42:12] sheriff was transferring around

[1:42:17] 50 to 70 community members a

[1:42:19] month behind closed doors

[1:42:20] through our jail system. The

[1:42:21] 2025 I.c.e. Transfer data shows

[1:42:24] us that our mexican, central

[1:42:26] american and vietnamese

[1:42:27] community members the most

[1:42:30] criminalized by this county's

[1:42:32] discretionary policy at a time

[1:42:35] when our communities continue to

[1:42:37] go further into the shadows,

[1:42:40] many of them failing to be

[1:42:43] beneficiaries of the county's

[1:42:45] health agency. We know that the

[1:42:47] oc sheriffs screened 824

[1:42:51] community members, even though

[1:42:53] only 501 of our community

[1:42:55] members were not transferred to

[1:42:56] I.c.e. We know that sb-54 is

[1:43:00] functioning as a real barrier to

[1:43:02] this discretionary deportation

[1:43:05] pipeline. A deportation

[1:43:08] pipeline that we know is not

[1:43:10] enough for the sheriff as the

[1:43:12] sheriff also transferred at

[1:43:14] least 32 community members to

[1:43:16] I.c.e., not through the

[1:43:17] traditional I.c.e. Detainer

[1:43:20] process, but through judicial

[1:43:21] warrants. Our team believes

[1:43:25] this may be in line with the

[1:43:27] bill of salaries project

[1:43:30] guardian angel enforcement

[1:43:31] practice, an enforcement

[1:43:34] operation meant to bypass sb-54.

[1:43:39] our colleagues and myself, with

[1:43:41] dough this work, right, because

[1:43:42] we believe that our community

[1:43:45] members are more than numbers

[1:43:48] and statistics, and we know that

[1:43:54] detention at the root of it

[1:43:55] really is inhumane. I have had

[1:43:58] the great privilege, myself and

[1:43:59] my team, to speak to both orange

[1:44:00] county families whose loved ones

[1:44:03] died in detention last year so

[1:44:06] this included the costa mesa

[1:44:08] family, who did not receive the

[1:44:10] proper care in detention and

[1:44:11] also a huntington beach father

[1:44:14] whose also medical attention was

[1:44:18] neglected.

[1:44:21] so let's get rid this policy.

[1:44:24] we need trust, not I.c.e.

[1:44:26] transfers. Thank you.

[1:44:35] good morning. My name is

[1:44:38] jahira...

[1:44:47] your local immigrant and refugee

[1:44:53] communities face -- between

[1:44:59] federal agencies and the

[1:45:00] sheriff's department and other

[1:45:02] local participation in my role

[1:45:03] as a volunteer with the response

[1:45:04] network, I witnessed many

[1:45:06] families from receiving

[1:45:07] essential support services out

[1:45:09] of fear of encountering

[1:45:10] immigration or deputized local

[1:45:12] law enforcement officials on the

[1:45:14] way to receiving services.

[1:45:15] while others have elected to

[1:45:16] forgo essential services simply

[1:45:18] out of fear that their

[1:45:19] information will be shared by

[1:45:21] social services institutions

[1:45:22] with immigration agencies for

[1:45:23] purpose of enforcement as we

[1:45:24] heard from a couple of speakers.

[1:45:27] under the current immigration

[1:45:28] enforcement regime, immigrant

[1:45:30] and refugee communities are

[1:45:32] being forced to live under the

[1:45:33] radar, and in an effort to

[1:45:34] protect not only their family

[1:45:36] unit but also their health

[1:45:37] against the pervasive gaze of

[1:45:40] the immigration state. A key

[1:45:42] component driving this is

[1:45:43] suspicion of local collaboration

[1:45:44] with dhs agencies, although now

[1:45:47] we can confidently say with all

[1:45:49] federal agencies. That's why

[1:45:50] it's critical that ocsd be

[1:45:53] transparent about the types of

[1:45:54] detainer requests that they

[1:45:55] receive and honor and move to

[1:45:57] end such transfers. If

[1:45:59] self-isolation your vince not

[1:46:02] enough, it's critical that you

[1:46:03] recognize many oc families have

[1:46:04] come into the network safe space

[1:46:06] and expressed the barriers that

[1:46:08] they've faced and merely

[1:46:09] dropping off medication for

[1:46:10] their loved ones in federal

[1:46:12] intention progression

[1:46:13] facilities, resulting in your

[1:46:14] own community members suffering

[1:46:15] and dying from medical neglect

[1:46:18] within these facilities, many of

[1:46:19] whom who have ended up within

[1:46:21] these facilities through the

[1:46:22] sort of obscure forms of jail to

[1:46:26] I.c.e. Transfers. So the truth

[1:46:29] act is about ensuring that what

[1:46:30] happens in our communities is

[1:46:31] not hidden from the people in it

[1:46:32] affects. Without transparency

[1:46:35] we cannot build trust, and

[1:46:36] without trust, our communities

[1:46:38] are less safe and less

[1:46:39] connected. We care about this

[1:46:40] county and it's why so many of

[1:46:42] us are involved in this work,

[1:46:44] and we ask that you listen to us

[1:46:45] on these important issues raised

[1:46:47] today because they expand simply

[1:46:48] beyond jail to I.c.e. Transfers.

[1:46:50] and we demand zero transfers in

[1:46:52] oc. Thank you.

[1:46:54] >>chair, doug chaffee: next

[1:46:56] speaker, please.

[1:47:01] >>speaker: I'm amy. I'm a

[1:47:02] teacher, a volunteer, a wife, a

[1:47:04] mom, and a voter living in

[1:47:07] mission viejo. First I want to

[1:47:09] thank the three supervisors.

[1:47:12] supervisor foley, supervisor

[1:47:13] sarmiento, and supervisor

[1:47:14] chaffee who showed up on time

[1:47:17] today to acknowledge our iranian

[1:47:19] community. I'm sure you already

[1:47:21] know this. There are over

[1:47:23] 950,000 immigrants living in

[1:47:25] orange county. That means

[1:47:29] almost 1/3 of our residents were

[1:47:31] born outside the united states.

[1:47:34] they are our friends, our

[1:47:36] relatives, and our neighbors,

[1:47:38] and immigrants make orange

[1:47:39] county great, but right now due

[1:47:42] to I.c.e. Terrorizing our

[1:47:44] communities and the illegal

[1:47:45] transfer of people from sheriff

[1:47:46] custody to I.c.e., I'm seeing my

[1:47:49] friends and neighbors too

[1:47:51] terrified to take their children

[1:47:52] to school, to go to work

[1:47:54] themselves, or even to leave

[1:47:56] their homes to do basic things

[1:47:58] like get groceries or visit

[1:48:00] doctor. While these illegal

[1:48:02] detentions and transfers

[1:48:03] disproportionately affect black

[1:48:06] and brown people in our county,

[1:48:07] I just spoke to a white man

[1:48:10] yesterday from the u.k., who is

[1:48:10] in the process of working on his

[1:48:12] citizenship and has been for

[1:48:14] years. He's worried about being

[1:48:16] detained by law enforcement and

[1:48:18] how that might affect his

[1:48:19] chances of becoming a citizen

[1:48:20] and what might happen to his

[1:48:22] family, were he to be taken.

[1:48:25] but it shouldn't take an impact

[1:48:28] to white people for us to act

[1:48:29] against these illegal

[1:48:30] activities. This isn't public

[1:48:31] safety. This is disrupting

[1:48:33] people's lives, caution distrust

[1:48:36] in our institutions, and

[1:48:37] negatively impacting our

[1:48:39] communities and our local

[1:48:40] economy. A recent study by uci

[1:48:43] find drop in neighborhood

[1:48:45] economic output of almost $60

[1:48:47] million and a loss of $4.5

[1:48:50] million in sales tax in just

[1:48:52] eight weeks last summer. The

[1:48:54] truth act is about transparency.

[1:48:56] we need you. Our supervisors

[1:48:59] elected to serve all the people

[1:49:01] of orange county, to follow the law

[1:49:04] and demand the stop these

[1:49:06] illegal transfers between the oc

[1:49:09] sheriff's department and I.c.e.

[1:49:09] please do your duty and protect

[1:49:11] our community.

[1:49:15] [ applause ]

[1:49:18] >>chair, doug chaffee: is this

[1:49:20] our last speaker? Thank you.

[1:49:21] please go ahead sir.

[1:49:23] >>speaker: good morning, members

[1:49:24] of the board. My name is elmer

[1:49:27] flores. I'm a managing attorney

[1:49:29] at immigration, defenders law

[1:49:31] center. I'm here today to urge

[1:49:33] to you end the orange county

[1:49:35] sheriff's department

[1:49:37] collaboration with I.c.e., a

[1:49:38] practice that continues to harm

[1:49:40] thousands of our neighbors and

[1:49:42] undermine public safety. With

[1:49:43] offices throughout the state

[1:49:45] including santa ana,

[1:49:47] organizations the largest

[1:49:49] nonprofit deportation defense

[1:49:51] law firm in the state. Our team

[1:49:52] hears firsthand the stories of

[1:49:54] many community members who were

[1:49:55] unjustly detained by federal

[1:49:57] immigration officers. I witness

[1:50:00] how I.c.e. Agents arrested

[1:50:01] community members after the

[1:50:02] immigration hearings at the

[1:50:05] santa ana immigration court.

[1:50:06] california laws are clear, our

[1:50:09] state has chosen to protect

[1:50:11] public safety by ensuring local

[1:50:13] resources are not entangled with

[1:50:14] federal immigration enforcement.

[1:50:16] the truth act exists because

[1:50:18] transparency and accountability

[1:50:20] are essential when these

[1:50:22] entanglements occur. Today

[1:50:24] we're asking you to go further,

[1:50:26] to use your authority, and moral

[1:50:30] leadership to ensure that orange

[1:50:30] county is no longer an outlier

[1:50:34] in maintaining deep cooperations

[1:50:37] with I.c.e. It's time to align

[1:50:39] our county with these values.

[1:50:40] it's time to prioritize

[1:50:41] community safety over fear, and

[1:50:43] time to end policies that

[1:50:44] separate families, that depress

[1:50:48] our economy and damage public

[1:50:50] trust. I urge this board to

[1:50:51] take action to end ocsd's

[1:50:53] transfers to I.c.e. And create a

[1:50:55] county where all residents,

[1:50:57] regardless of immigration

[1:50:58] status, can live, work, and

[1:51:01] raise their families in safety

[1:51:02] and dignity. Thank you.

[1:51:05] >>clerk, robin stieler: no

[1:51:06] further speakers, mr. Chair.

[1:51:08] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[1:51:09] you. If there are no further

[1:51:10] speakers, I'm going to close the

[1:51:11] public hearing and bring it back

[1:51:13] to the board. This is an annual

[1:51:17] hearing that we're required to

[1:51:19] do. And I thank everyone for

[1:51:21] their time in coming here and

[1:51:23] sharing with us their view. So

[1:51:25] I'm not closing the public --

[1:51:27] I'm now closing the public

[1:51:29] hearing and bringing it back to

[1:51:30] the board. This is a "receive

[1:51:31] and file" item. There's no

[1:51:33] action that we're being asked to

[1:51:35] take, but if there are comments,

[1:51:38] questions, anyone has of our

[1:51:40] board before we receive and file

[1:51:42] it formally, I'm now open for

[1:51:45] that opportunity. Supervisor

[1:51:46] sarmiento.

[1:51:47] >>vincente sarmiento: thank you,

[1:51:47] mr. Chair. I'm not sure if you

[1:51:49] wanted to bring up the sheriff

[1:51:50] first, if there's any

[1:51:52] presentation that he wishes to

[1:51:53] offer.

[1:51:54] >>chair, doug chaffee: no.

[1:51:54] there's no presentation. You

[1:51:55] may ask questions if you wish.

[1:51:56] >>vincente sarmiento: thank you.

[1:51:57] in any event, I wanted to make

[1:51:58] sure we provided that

[1:51:59] opportunity for comments to be

[1:52:00] made. So let me thank everybody

[1:52:03] who came and spoke. I

[1:52:05] appreciate you all sharing your

[1:52:07] thoughts, and you've done this

[1:52:10] since I've been here, and so

[1:52:12] I've heard you cloud and clear,

[1:52:14] and I think all of us have.

[1:52:16] just so we can kind of recap,

[1:52:17] this is the -- it's a required

[1:52:19] public forum that the

[1:52:21] legislature has cast local

[1:52:24] communities to do. This is the

[1:52:25] california's transparent review

[1:52:28] of unjust transfers and holds

[1:52:30] act, and it requires communities

[1:52:32] provide this forum each year and

[1:52:35] inform the public about

[1:52:37] information and access to what

[1:52:40] policies and numbers and data

[1:52:43] regarding immigration and custom

[1:52:45] enforcement transfers by local

[1:52:48] law enforcement. So in any

[1:52:49] event, that is important for us

[1:52:51] to understand why we're here.

[1:52:53] it's a required public forum,

[1:52:55] and, you know, I wish we would

[1:52:57] just do this voluntarily, and

[1:52:58] hopefully we will continue if

[1:53:00] this is ever rescinded. What I

[1:53:02] also want to sort of clarify is

[1:53:04] that we're talking about

[1:53:05] transfers of people who have

[1:53:08] already done their time for an

[1:53:11] offense that they've committed.

[1:53:12] so this isn't -- what I hear in

[1:53:15] the public sometimes you're

[1:53:17] releasing undocumented people

[1:53:18] who have committed crimes out

[1:53:21] into the community. That's not

[1:53:22] the case. This is folks --

[1:53:25] these are folks who have

[1:53:26] committed offenses, they've

[1:53:28] served their time, and then they

[1:53:30] meet the criteria under sb-54 to

[1:53:36] be transferred. Now, many and

[1:53:39] most counties have chosen not to

[1:53:42] transfer folks to I.c.e. And

[1:53:46] this was well before this

[1:53:48] current administration has been

[1:53:49] in office. And I want to

[1:53:50] emphasize what we're looking at

[1:53:53] with I.c.e. And with the

[1:53:55] detention facilities is a very

[1:53:56] irregular setting and

[1:53:59] environment than what we've

[1:54:00] experienced in the past. These

[1:54:01] are, you know -- there are

[1:54:03] claims, and well-documented

[1:54:07] claims, that demonstrate a

[1:54:09] pattern and practice of conduct

[1:54:13] and treatment of once somebody

[1:54:15] has been detained, civil rights

[1:54:19] abuses, human rights abuses, it

[1:54:21] is considered a rogue agency, in

[1:54:23] my opinion. We also know that

[1:54:25] judicial orders have been

[1:54:26] ignored, people have been

[1:54:28] deported to third-party

[1:54:30] countries that they have had

[1:54:31] absolutely no connection to.

[1:54:33] there are documented reports of

[1:54:34] abuse of treatment during

[1:54:36] transport where people are

[1:54:37] shackled for hours on end,

[1:54:39] denied food, water, and restroom

[1:54:41] access while in transit to

[1:54:44] multiple locations. Medical

[1:54:46] conditions such as diabetes and

[1:54:47] asthma, which require monitoring

[1:54:50] and medication, are disregarded

[1:54:52] or ignored. When and if they

[1:54:54] finally make it to a detention

[1:54:56] center, the only way to find

[1:54:59] them through an unreliable track

[1:55:00] system that sometimes causes a

[1:55:02] person to essentially disappear

[1:55:04] for periods of time, making

[1:55:06] impossible for their counsel, if

[1:55:08] they have one, or their families

[1:55:10] to find them to provide vital

[1:55:12] support as they tempt exercise

[1:55:13] their rights on immigration

[1:55:14] cases. I.c.e. Detainment

[1:55:17] facilities, now that they're

[1:55:19] privately run, have always posed

[1:55:21] a health risk to those detained

[1:55:24] in those facilities, but we've

[1:55:26] seen a drastic and dramatic

[1:55:27] increase in the deaths and

[1:55:29] spread of serious illnesses

[1:55:31] contracted by those that come

[1:55:32] into I.c.e. Facilities during

[1:55:34] this current administration.

[1:55:36] overcrowding, insufficient food,

[1:55:39] irregular access to showers and

[1:55:40] grossly unsanitary conditions

[1:55:43] have led to outbreaks of

[1:55:44] respiratory diseases,

[1:55:46] gastrointestinal diseases,

[1:55:49] measles and acute mental health

[1:55:50] deterioration. These have been

[1:55:53] widely documented and witnessed

[1:55:55] by congressional representatives

[1:55:57] inspecting these facilities and

[1:55:59] receiving testimonials from

[1:56:00] those who have been detained.

[1:56:02] in 2025, there were 32 deaths of

[1:56:05] people in I.c.e. Custody. It's

[1:56:08] the deadliest year in two

[1:56:10] decades. In 2026, just in these

[1:56:15] few short months, we've

[1:56:16] already -- there's already been

[1:56:16] at least 13 deaths in I.c.e.

[1:56:20] custody. In 2025, the office of

[1:56:23] the california attorney general,

[1:56:25] the highest rank law enforcement

[1:56:29] officer in our state rob banta

[1:56:32] inspected all eight detainment

[1:56:34] facilities in california and

[1:56:35] released a report titled

[1:56:37] immigration detention in

[1:56:39] california, a comprehensive

[1:56:41] review with a focus on mental

[1:56:43] health. In that report, the

[1:56:44] attorney general found that

[1:56:45] medical care across all eight

[1:56:47] facilities in california were

[1:56:49] grossly inadequate with many

[1:56:51] healthcare position unfilled.

[1:56:53] mental healthcare was even worse

[1:56:55] with psychiatry care at several

[1:56:57] detention facilities provided by

[1:56:59] one psychiatrist. We know that

[1:57:05] other counties have chosen not

[1:57:08] to transfer folks. This county

[1:57:12] continues to do so. And not

[1:57:14] only does it continue to do so,

[1:57:15] it transfers more than any other

[1:57:17] county that is chosen to do

[1:57:19] that. I'm very troubled about

[1:57:21] the fact that -- specifically in

[1:57:24] our vietnamese community, which

[1:57:26] only makes up about 16% of our

[1:57:27] county population, yet, they are

[1:57:29] represented about 27% of those

[1:57:33] transferred to I.c.e. Custody.

[1:57:34] that means 73 people out of the

[1:57:37] 271 that were transferred. By

[1:57:41] not collaborating with I.c.e.,

[1:57:44] the communities that have chosen

[1:57:45] not to transfer have seen no

[1:57:48] increase in crime. So the nexus

[1:57:51] between transferring people who

[1:57:54] served their time and have

[1:57:54] I.c.e. Detainers doesn't seem to

[1:57:57] have the data to support that

[1:58:00] decision. Also l.a. County

[1:58:04] sheriff's department saved 1.4

[1:58:07] million-dollars of staff time in

[1:58:08] one year by choosing not to

[1:58:11] transfer. We know that right

[1:58:15] now there is a government

[1:58:17] shutdown because of the dilemma

[1:58:18] that our congressional

[1:58:20] representatives are facing with

[1:58:22] respect to funding homeland

[1:58:24] security because of the

[1:58:27] difficulty that they've had

[1:58:29] funding I.c.e. And other

[1:58:33] agencies such as that, that

[1:58:35] continue to have agents that are

[1:58:37] not trained, that are masked,

[1:58:40] and don't show identification.

[1:58:41] we know that there's been

[1:58:43] documented unconstitutional

[1:58:44] practices and lawlessness by

[1:58:47] I.c.e. And other enforcement

[1:58:50] agencies. So if there ever was

[1:58:54] a year for us to step back and

[1:58:55] say, do these transfers make our

[1:58:59] communities safer? This was it.

[1:59:01] this was the moment to say, it

[1:59:03] is so dangerous for somebody to

[1:59:06] be placed in a detention center

[1:59:08] with all the documented

[1:59:09] problems, with people dying,

[1:59:13] this was the moment to say, why

[1:59:14] are other counties not seeing a

[1:59:17] spike in crime once they decide

[1:59:21] not to transfer folks? And we

[1:59:22] could have assessed based upon

[1:59:24] good data to see if that makes a

[1:59:26] difference. I know that people

[1:59:28] who commit crime should be in

[1:59:32] custody and should be detained.

[1:59:34] but once that detention is over,

[1:59:38] it become as choice. It's not

[1:59:39] mandated, for us to transfer.

[1:59:42] and many counties have chosen

[1:59:43] not to. So that is the dilemma

[1:59:46] before us, just to ask that

[1:59:49] fundamental question, are we

[1:59:51] safer as a result of this

[1:59:52] practice? And that's something

[1:59:56] that we've struggled with being

[1:59:57] able to show. And so I know

[1:59:59] that there are dangerous people

[2:00:03] that are undocumented and are

[2:00:05] citizens who -- so we know that

[2:00:08] nobody is saying release them,

[2:00:10] don't have them serve time,

[2:00:12] don't have them convicted or,

[2:00:15] you know, in custody. We are

[2:00:16] saying now that second step,

[2:00:18] that is a volitional step.

[2:00:21] it's something that we need

[2:00:23] reconsider. So this is a public

[2:00:25] forum. It is not something that

[2:00:28] we can dictate to the sheriff.

[2:00:29] he is a directly-elected

[2:00:32] official. This is the

[2:00:33] opportunity for the public to

[2:00:34] make its comments known, for the

[2:00:36] board to make its comments for

[2:00:38] the record. And, you know, my

[2:00:40] comments have been consistent

[2:00:41] all along. I actually hosted

[2:00:43] every year since I've been on

[2:00:45] this board a public forum at a

[2:00:47] time in the evening when the

[2:00:49] public could come and ask

[2:00:50] questions of me, of my staff, of

[2:00:54] any representatives from the

[2:00:55] sheriffs because I believe it's

[2:00:56] important. The legislature and

[2:00:59] its wisdom made sure that we had

[2:01:01] a document for this. And again,

[2:01:04] this is an irregular year. This

[2:01:05] was a moment when we said --

[2:01:08] when we could have said, it is

[2:01:09] so dangerous -- because I don't

[2:01:10] think the sheriff operates the

[2:01:13] local county jails and anything

[2:01:15] close to the conditions that

[2:01:17] these detention centers are. So

[2:01:19] why would we transfer folks from

[2:01:21] what is a safe condition in our

[2:01:23] jails to a possibly fatal

[2:01:25] condition in other detention

[2:01:28] centers? So those are my

[2:01:30] comments for the record. I

[2:01:32] appreciate the work that the

[2:01:34] orange county rapid response

[2:01:36] network continues to do. It's

[2:01:40] not something you should be

[2:01:40] doing. It is incredibly insane

[2:01:44] that we have to be protecting

[2:01:47] neighbors who are going through

[2:01:49] the immigration process, people

[2:01:51] who have children who served in

[2:01:53] the military, who are being

[2:01:54] detained, and all abuse and

[2:01:57] unconstitutional violations that

[2:01:58] we've seen. I want to thanking

[2:02:01] harbor institute for providing

[2:02:03] the documents, data, the

[2:02:06] analysis, kim and grant

[2:02:08] defenders as well. I know that

[2:02:12] the chairman and I -- when the

[2:02:14] salaries were increased for the

[2:02:16] supervisors, that increase that

[2:02:17] we received as a family, me

[2:02:19] personally, was $50,000 that I

[2:02:21] donated to immigrant defenders

[2:02:22] because I know that a person

[2:02:25] without counsel has zero chance

[2:02:27] of making their case, possibly

[2:02:30] being bonded out, and preventing

[2:02:32] a removal. So I hope that was

[2:02:34] used well.

[2:02:35] it was intended well, and I know

[2:02:37] that this board allowed me to

[2:02:41] use my discretionary moneys to

[2:02:43] the amount of half a

[2:02:44] million-dollars that was matched

[2:02:46] by two foundations to begin

[2:02:48] something called the liberty

[2:02:50] fund. And that was to empower

[2:02:51] immigrant families, to be able

[2:02:53] to represent themselves and to

[2:02:55] also retain security council

[2:02:57] they could be accompanied to

[2:02:59] hearings. So I am proud of the

[2:03:00] work that you've all inspired me

[2:03:03] to do. I will continue to do

[2:03:04] that. I hope that they will

[2:03:06] come -- the day will come when

[2:03:09] this county just steps back and

[2:03:11] realizes, does this make sense?

[2:03:12] is there a net benefit? Are we

[2:03:16] eroding public trust so much

[2:03:16] that this is counter-productive?

[2:03:19] and that's something that we

[2:03:20] haven't done in earnest, and I

[2:03:22] hope we will. I'm not saying

[2:03:24] that this -- that's the right

[2:03:26] way or the wrong way. But we

[2:03:27] should certainly look at it and

[2:03:29] make sure that we're doing the

[2:03:31] right thing. So with that, I

[2:03:32] just want to thank all of who

[2:03:33] came and spoke, and I'll go

[2:03:35] ahead and give it back to the

[2:03:37] chair.

[2:03:38] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[2:03:39] you, supervisor. Are there any

[2:03:42] other comments from any other

[2:03:43] supervisors? Let me just close,

[2:03:45] then. I am dismayed by some of

[2:03:49] the lawlessness that I see

[2:03:51] immigration officers use. We

[2:03:54] try to be a nation of laws, but

[2:03:56] then law enforcement itself

[2:03:59] doesn't obey the laws, and

[2:04:00] that's very troubling. So let

[2:04:02] me close on a positive note. I

[2:04:06] sponsored the creation of the

[2:04:08] office of immigration refugee

[2:04:10] affairs and along with some

[2:04:12] funding, and I was pleased that

[2:04:14] the board approved that office.

[2:04:16] it will be celebrating its

[2:04:19] second year on april 8 in santa

[2:04:20] ana. And there will be more

[2:04:22] about that, but should be a

[2:04:24] joyful celebration. It has not

[2:04:29] been ability to do everything I

[2:04:30] had hoped because of the

[2:04:31] circumstances happening with

[2:04:32] I.c.e. And others. So with

[2:04:34] that, there are no further

[2:04:35] comments, this is a "receive and

[2:04:36] file" item, and I'm deeming it

[2:04:39] received and filed, and we'll

[2:04:40] move on now to supplement 31c.

[2:04:49] >>clerk, robin stieler: s31c.

[2:04:50] under supervisor wagner -

[2:04:51] approve

[2:04:52] sponsorship of various nonprofit

[2:04:53] entities from third district

[2:04:54] events funds; approve addition

[2:04:55] or

[2:04:55] revision of events to fy 2025-26

[2:04:56] county events calendar; make

[2:04:58] related findings under

[2:04:59] government

[2:05:00] code section 26227; and

[2:05:01] authorize auditor-controller to

[2:05:02] make related payments.

[2:05:04] we have no requests on s31c.

[2:05:07] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[2:05:08] supervisor wagner, that's your

[2:05:09] item.

[2:05:10] >>don wagner: thank you,

[2:05:11] mr. Chairman. And thank you for

[2:05:12] advancing this item, routine use

[2:05:13] of discretionary funds, I urge

[2:05:16] an "aye" vote and move for

[2:05:17] approval.

[2:05:18] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved and

[2:05:19] seconded by supervisor foley.

[2:05:20] comment.

[2:05:21] >>speaker: thank you, I will

[2:05:22] abstain on this item, within the

[2:05:27] 90 days preceding an election a

[2:05:29] member of the board who is on

[2:05:30] the balance as a supervisor

[2:05:31] district candidate of the board

[2:05:32] and has an opponent on that

[2:05:33] ballot shall not take any action

[2:05:35] related to spending district

[2:05:37] discretionary funds,.

[2:05:41] >>vincente sarmiento: and I have

[2:05:43] no problem with the item itself.

[2:05:45] for clarity, county counsel, I

[2:05:47] respect the vice-chair's

[2:05:48] analysis of it, and it is very,

[2:05:50] very, you know -- being almost

[2:05:53] ultra careful with this, and I

[2:05:54] want to do the same. You can

[2:05:57] give us some guidance on this in

[2:05:58] the event that, you know, it

[2:06:00] isn't our item. We're not

[2:06:01] moving our discretionary monies.

[2:06:03] and again, I believe that ab2946

[2:06:06] has sort of complicated things.

[2:06:08] but we want to make sure that

[2:06:10] we're both consistent. At least

[2:06:11] I'm consistent.

[2:06:14] >>leon page: thank you,

[2:06:14] supervisor. Would you like me

[2:06:16] to give that you advice now.

[2:06:18] >>vincente sarmiento: yes.

[2:06:18] summary, and then maybe you can

[2:06:20] give me sort of a deeper

[2:06:20] analysis later.

[2:06:22] >>leon page: sure. I do not

[2:06:23] believe that you are required to

[2:06:27] recuse yourself or for that

[2:06:28] matter that supervisor foley is

[2:06:30] required to recuse herself. I

[2:06:32] believe that the statute was

[2:06:33] intended to cover the member

[2:06:36] putting the item on the agenda

[2:06:37] only and not other members who

[2:06:40] happen to be up for re-election.

[2:06:42] >>vincente sarmiento: and I

[2:06:42] understand the out of abundance

[2:06:44] of caution, I do that often, but

[2:06:46] to the extent that I am -- I

[2:06:49] concur with what you said, and

[2:06:51] that was my understanding of

[2:06:52] that. Again, it's tricky. It's

[2:06:55] the first time it's been, you

[2:06:55] know, kind of rolled out, we're

[2:06:59] putting it into effect or we're

[2:07:00] subject to it. I'm going to

[2:07:02] support it. I do believe that

[2:07:04] it is -- my understanding the

[2:07:07] way you read, but I completely

[2:07:08] understand the vice-chair's

[2:07:10] cautionary position. Thank you.

[2:07:14] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[2:07:15] further comments.

[2:07:16] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: yeah.

[2:07:16] just for clarification, I just

[2:07:19] don't want to take any chances

[2:07:20] because of the way that it's

[2:07:22] worded. It is I think subject

[2:07:25] to having individuals take

[2:07:27] advantage of it, file a

[2:07:30] complaint, and it's just

[2:07:31] something I don't want to have

[2:07:32] to deal with. Additionally as

[2:07:34] it relates to this item, there's

[2:07:36] actually two nonprofits that are

[2:07:39] actually in my district. And so

[2:07:41] I would feel that I would be

[2:07:43] subject to a complaint even

[2:07:44] more. So that's why I'm erring

[2:07:46] on the side of caution. I don't

[2:07:49] want to have to deal with the

[2:07:50] complaint.

[2:07:52] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[2:07:53] supervisor nguyen.

[2:07:54] >>janet nguyen: mr. County

[2:07:55] counsel, can we -- I think I

[2:07:57] mentioned last time, but why

[2:08:00] don't we make an official

[2:08:00] request to the author to ask for

[2:08:03] ledge council's opinion because

[2:08:05] it's something that we'll have

[2:08:06] to deal with in the future.

[2:08:06] it'd be easier just to get ledge

[2:08:09] council's opinion on it, and how

[2:08:11] that works is he just needs toe

[2:08:13] ask ledge counsel. It is a

[2:08:15] confidential memo to him. He

[2:08:17] chooses if he lets us have that

[2:08:19] information or not. But if

[2:08:20] we're asking for, it I'm sure he

[2:08:22] would. So I think it's just for

[2:08:24] us going forward, and if there

[2:08:26] needs some clarification for

[2:08:28] amendments, then we can also

[2:08:30] have that conversation with him

[2:08:32] just to clarify so that it's

[2:08:33] very clear what can and cannot

[2:08:36] be done.

[2:08:37] >>leon page: thank you,

[2:08:38] supervisor. We absolutely can

[2:08:39] do that. We can ask the

[2:08:42] legislator to ask ledge counsel.

[2:08:44] unfortunately an opinion from

[2:08:46] legislative counsel would not

[2:08:48] provide a board member with an

[2:08:49] affirmative defense. But an

[2:08:51] attorney general opinion would,

[2:08:51] which is another step that

[2:08:52] perhaps we could take.

[2:08:54] >>janet nguyen: I would start

[2:08:55] with let council because if it's

[2:08:59] a tweak that needs to add words

[2:09:01] or just a clarification, he can

[2:09:02] maybe consider anticipating it

[2:09:05] next year, and then you can go

[2:09:06] further. But usually members

[2:09:08] don't ask for ag's opinion until

[2:09:12] they're dead senate they're not

[2:09:14] going to make any changes to it.

[2:09:16] we don't even know if there

[2:09:18] needs to be changes.

[2:09:19] >>chair, doug chaffee: it's been

[2:09:20] moved and second. Madam clerk,

[2:09:21] for charity, would you do a roll

[2:09:23] call vote, please.

[2:09:24] >>clerk, robin stieler:

[2:09:25] supervisor wagner.

[2:09:29] >>don wagner: aye.

[2:09:29] >>clerk, robin stieler:

[2:09:30] supervisor nguyen. Supervisor

[2:09:39] sarmiento. Vice-chair foley.

[2:09:42] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[2:09:43] abstain.

[2:09:45] >>clerk, robin stieler: chair

[2:09:46] chaffee.

[2:09:46] >>chair, doug chaffee: aye.

[2:09:48] >>chair, doug chaffee: 4 yes and

[2:09:51] votes 1 abstention. I wasn't

[2:09:53] sure about that. All right,

[2:09:56] madam clerk, let's move on to

[2:09:58] supplement 31d.

[2:10:01] >>clerk, robin stieler: s31d.

[2:10:02] under supervisor wagner -

[2:10:04] development processing review

[2:10:05] committee - appoint

[2:10:06] stephanie mari fabbri carter,

[2:10:08] tustin, for term concurrent with

[2:10:10] third district supervisor’s term

[2:10:11] of office.

[2:10:12] and we have no requests to speak

[2:10:15] on s31d.

[2:10:16] >>don wagner: this should be

[2:10:18] much easier not spending any

[2:10:19] money. I move for approval.

[2:10:22] >>chair, doug chaffee: second.

[2:10:22] any objection? The item is

[2:10:23] approved. A slight switch here,

[2:10:26] let's do supplement -- lost it

[2:10:38] somewhere. But I think we want

[2:10:38] to dot sheriffs items next,

[2:10:40] which is supplement 31f and g.

[2:10:46] >>clerk, robin stieler: f and g

[2:10:47] are the sheriffs.

[2:10:48] >>chair, doug chaffee: yeah,

[2:10:50] let's do that.

[2:10:54] >>clerk, robin stieler: s31f.

[2:10:55] under sheriff-coroner - accept

[2:10:56] donation from orange county

[2:10:57] sheriff's advisory council

[2:10:58] of architectural and engineering

[2:10:59] plans, contract management,

[2:11:00] permit processing, labor

[2:11:01] and materials for construction

[2:11:01] of

[2:11:02] modular tactical training

[2:11:03] building adjacent to sandra

[2:11:04] hutchens regional law

[2:11:04] enforcement

[2:11:05] training center (estimated value

[2:11:05] $15,000,000); adopt resolution

[2:11:06] approving license with orange

[2:11:07] county sheriff')s advisory

[2:11:07] council

[2:11:09] and making findings under

[2:11:10] government code 26227 and other

[2:11:12] related findings; authorize

[2:11:12] chief

[2:11:13] real estate officer or designee

[2:11:15] to execute license, related

[2:11:16] documents and amendments under

[2:11:17] certain conditions; and make

[2:11:18] california environmental

[2:11:19] quality act (ceqa) exemption

[2:11:20] findings under ceqa guidelines

[2:11:22] section 15303.

[2:11:26] and we have no requests to speak

[2:11:29] on s31f.

[2:11:31] >>chair, doug chaffee: is that

[2:11:32] an all-district item.

[2:11:34] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[2:11:35] second.

[2:11:36] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[2:11:37] objection? Supervisor nguyen?

[2:11:38] >>janet nguyen: I'm just

[2:11:39] excited. Thank you, sheriff,

[2:11:40] thank you, everybody, for

[2:11:42] putting this together. This is

[2:11:44] so exciting for the county and

[2:11:46] all the work that the sheriff

[2:11:48] and his staff has done in terms

[2:11:49] of the training center.

[2:11:51] congratulations, and looking

[2:11:53] forward to it.

[2:11:55] >>chair, doug chaffee: and if no

[2:11:56] objection, the item is approved.

[2:11:58] thank you, sheriff. And now

[2:11:59] let's go on to supplement -- the

[2:12:03] other sheriffs -- g. Okay.

[2:12:07] >>clerk, robin stieler: s31g.

[2:12:07] under sheriff-coroner - approve

[2:12:08] amendment 2 to contract with

[2:12:10] global tel (link corporation dba

[2:12:11] viapath technologies for inmate

[2:12:12] communication services; and

[2:12:15] authorize county procurement

[2:12:16] officer or deputized designee to

[2:12:18] execute amendment.

[2:12:18] we have no requests to speak on

[2:12:21] s31g.

[2:12:23] >>chair, doug chaffee: move for

[2:12:25] approval? Moved and seconded.

[2:12:27] supervisor sarmiento.

[2:12:28] >>vincente sarmiento: yes, thank

[2:12:29] you, mr. Chair. This is an

[2:12:31] amendment number 2 for the

[2:12:33] contract with gtl doing business

[2:12:36] as via path. When this contract

[2:12:40] came before the board the last

[2:12:41] time on june 27, 2023, I voted

[2:12:45] no. And the reason was that the

[2:12:49] vendor via path refused to

[2:12:51] indemnify the county in a

[2:12:53] lawsuit. The vendor was

[2:12:55] defending against due to a phone

[2:12:56] call billing rate commission.

[2:12:59] that, I believe, continues to be

[2:13:01] unresolved, and I believe that

[2:13:05] this asr didn't capture it. But

[2:13:08] I am not going to be supportive

[2:13:10] for that reason. But also

[2:13:11] because I've had some personal

[2:13:13] experience with this vendor and

[2:13:16] their services have been less

[2:13:18] than adequate. One of the

[2:13:21] things that -- in reading this

[2:13:23] asr, and this is sort of outside

[2:13:25] the subject matter of this

[2:13:26] vendor -- was just the music

[2:13:31] facility not having in-person

[2:13:33] visitation. And I know that

[2:13:34] that's something that was

[2:13:37] grandfathered in before the

[2:13:39] legislature required that all

[2:13:40] facilities have in-person

[2:13:43] visitation ability. So I do

[2:13:45] think that, you know, this is, I

[2:13:48] believe, a video or way to visit

[2:13:54] somebody through a device,

[2:13:56] tablet. And I know that the

[2:13:58] county is able to pay for the

[2:14:01] first two visits by video, and

[2:14:05] then I believe the inmate in

[2:14:08] custody or their family has to

[2:14:10] pay for any subsequent ones. So

[2:14:13] there are two 30-minute videos.

[2:14:15] I guess the question to me is,

[2:14:17] you know -- it's more of a query

[2:14:20] about our facility in irvine, at

[2:14:23] music facility. The fact that

[2:14:24] there is no in-person

[2:14:26] visitation, even though it's

[2:14:27] required now, we've predated

[2:14:30] that law -- doesn't mean we

[2:14:32] shouldn't consider it. I do

[2:14:34] believe that, you know, the

[2:14:36] facility here in santa ana has a

[2:14:40] in-person visitation opportunity

[2:14:43] there in space. I guess we

[2:14:47] can't even release folks from

[2:14:48] the music facility in irvine.

[2:14:51] they have to be transferred to

[2:14:52] santa ana to be released. So

[2:14:54] those are things that are

[2:14:54] troubling to me. And I do want

[2:14:57] to make sure that we revisit

[2:14:58] those. But mr. Chair, based

[2:15:00] upon the reasons stated, I am

[2:15:02] going to be consistent went my

[2:15:04] vote from last time, and I'll be

[2:15:06] a no vote on this item.

[2:15:07] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[2:15:07] right. Any other comments? I

[2:15:11] think I -- do we have a motion

[2:15:12] already made? All right. Any

[2:15:17] other objections besides

[2:15:18] supervisor sarmiento? All

[2:15:20] right, then, the matter carries

[2:15:23] 4 in favor, 1 opposed. We're

[2:15:27] going to pull another blip and

[2:15:30] take care of the last sheriffs

[2:15:32] item, which is item 12.

[2:15:38] >>clerk, robin stieler: 12.

[2:15:39] under

[2:15:40] sheriff-coroner - approve

[2:15:40] subordinate contract

[2:15:41] ma-060-26010796 with wcc

[2:15:42] technologies group for

[2:15:42] structured

[2:15:43] cabling and installation

[2:15:44] services, term ending 2/28/27

[2:15:45] ($1,600,000); renewable for one

[2:15:46] additional one-year term; and

[2:15:47] authorize county procurement

[2:15:47] officer or deputized designee to

[2:15:48] execute contract.

[2:15:48] we have no requests to speak on

[2:15:51] agenda item 12 he.

[2:15:52] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[2:15:53] the item.

[2:15:54] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[2:15:55] objection? Motion carries.

[2:15:57] thank you. Let's get to

[2:15:59] supplement 31e, which could take

[2:16:01] some time.

[2:16:03] >>clerk, robin stieler: s31e.

[2:16:04] under internal audit - receive

[2:16:05] and file forensic audit of

[2:16:05] county

[2:16:06] contracts phase one report and

[2:16:07] related presentation by weaver

[2:16:08] and tidwell, l.l.p.

[2:16:16] and we have one speaker.

[2:16:22] steven mcmally

[2:16:45] >>speaker: I'm steve mcmally and

[2:16:54] I'm here today to express an

[2:16:56] opinion about this being a

[2:16:58] supplemental item rather than a

[2:17:01] regular item. It's always

[2:17:03] bothered me when things are on a

[2:17:07] supplemental basis and I can't

[2:17:09] see the backup, and it

[2:17:14] frustrates me because I've read

[2:17:17] the report because I got it from

[2:17:19] a public source, but I didn't

[2:17:22] get it from the people I'm

[2:17:24] looking for to get it from. And

[2:17:28] that's upsetting. Also when you

[2:17:32] give away the ability to control

[2:17:35] the communication and the

[2:17:36] narrative on a topic, then we

[2:17:40] get what I call misplaced,

[2:17:43] misdirected public upset that

[2:17:45] becomes public anger. And I

[2:17:48] have that anger myself, but it's

[2:17:52] mostly frustration when people

[2:17:54] come up here for three minutes

[2:17:56] that maybe becomes two, maybe

[2:17:58] becomes one. It's not easy to

[2:17:59] make public comment. It's not

[2:18:00] easy to make public comment that

[2:18:02] you think you're making a public

[2:18:04] comment that you don't think

[2:18:05] people want to hear. But

[2:18:07] there's a couple of things, like

[2:18:08] I would go to the county press

[2:18:09] releases to look for this.

[2:18:12] don't see one. I get

[2:18:15] everyone -- every supervisor's

[2:18:17] newsletter. So there may have

[2:18:19] been a link. I don't know. I'm

[2:18:21] not going to go there. And I'm

[2:18:25] just wondering when this was

[2:18:27] such an important topic, it's

[2:18:30] put as a supplemental item so I

[2:18:32] have to go outside of my

[2:18:34] supervisors to find it. And

[2:18:38] then a lot's been made about how

[2:18:40] much has changed from supervisor

[2:18:43] dough. This was all a

[2:18:46] supervisor dough concern. There

[2:18:48] was an mhsa audit done back in

[2:18:52] 2021. That also you had to find

[2:18:56] on the vendors website because

[2:18:58] when you asked for it, you

[2:19:00] didn't receive it. Also a

[2:19:05] county ad hoc at that time ran

[2:19:08] multiple, multiple years and

[2:19:10] brought up publically in many

[2:19:13] boards, commission, committee

[2:19:15] meetings and went unaddressed.

[2:19:17] the problem was known way

[2:19:19] before, and yet we couldn't get

[2:19:21] any kind of traction. So that's

[2:19:26] sort of where we are today,

[2:19:27] where we were, and maybe how

[2:19:29] much different really is it? So

[2:19:32] where we could be with the

[2:19:33] reciprocal relationships built

[2:19:36] upon trust between the board and

[2:19:37] the community, and that would

[2:19:40] basically be based on openness,

[2:19:43] willingness and open access to

[2:19:47] the supervisors when asked, the

[2:19:51] board, committee, or commission

[2:19:53] in the county. Thank you.

[2:19:53] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[2:19:54] you, sir.

[2:19:54] >>clerk, robin stieler: no

[2:19:55] further requests, mr. Chair.

[2:19:57] >>chair, doug chaffee: for this,

[2:19:59] a receive of the forensic audit.

[2:20:02] are there any comments -- do we

[2:20:05] have a staff presentation? I

[2:20:05] think there was some request. I

[2:20:07] don't remember. Okay. From the

[2:20:10] auditors, I believe. Thank you

[2:20:18] for waiting. I'm sorry we had a

[2:20:20] number of items that took some

[2:20:21] time.

[2:20:22] >>speaker: not a problem. Good

[2:20:23] morning, board, chair chaffee,

[2:20:25] members of the board. My name

[2:20:26] is travis casner. I'm a partner

[2:20:28] with weaver & tidwell, and I'm

[2:20:30] here with my colleague sasha

[2:20:32] gartman who's a director with

[2:20:34] weaver. We're here today to

[2:20:35] present the findings for the

[2:20:37] phase 1 of the forensic audit.

[2:20:39] we're going to walk through the

[2:20:40] executive summary, and we also

[2:20:43] want to make sure we have time

[2:20:45] to answer any questions that you

[2:20:45] have. And before we get

[2:20:49] started, I did want to mention a

[2:20:52] few things. First of all, you

[2:20:54] know, we received complete

[2:20:57] cooperation from all of the

[2:20:58] employees and staff that we

[2:20:59] spoke with at the county. We

[2:21:01] spoke with individuals within a

[2:21:04] number of different departments

[2:21:05] and agencies, and their

[2:21:08] timeliness and responsiveness in

[2:21:10] providing documents and requests

[2:21:11] to us allowed us to complete the

[2:21:14] phase 1 in a timely manner. So

[2:21:17] we appreciate their cooperation.

[2:21:19] and also I wanted to mention

[2:21:22] that, as you know, this report

[2:21:23] is publically available in its

[2:21:25] completion -- or in its entirety

[2:21:29] through the county website. Let

[2:21:31] me start by talking about the

[2:21:32] scope of work. So this slide

[2:21:35] shows the phased approach with

[2:21:38] the four phases of over 2500

[2:21:40] contracts, totaling about 4.3

[2:21:44] billion dollars. These are

[2:21:44] contracts that were executed

[2:21:45] during the 2019 to 2024 time

[2:21:49] period. So this presentation

[2:21:51] and this report is focused on

[2:21:53] phase 1, which were identified

[2:21:55] through the internal audit

[2:21:56] department as the top priority

[2:21:58] contracts, and this includes 145

[2:22:01] contracts, totaling about 486

[2:22:05] million-dollars. And then this

[2:22:09] table breaks down the phase 1

[2:22:11] contracts, based on the

[2:22:13] department. So just a couple of

[2:22:16] quick observations, the majority

[2:22:17] of the contracts that we looked

[2:22:19] at as part phase 1 were within

[2:22:21] the healthcare agency and then

[2:22:22] oc community resources, and then

[2:22:26] also the county executive

[2:22:27] office. And then for each of

[2:22:30] the 145 contracts that we

[2:22:32] received as part of phase 1, we

[2:22:35] went through an -- eight work

[2:22:39] steps as part that review. So

[2:22:40] that included an initial review

[2:22:44] and investigation of the

[2:22:45] vendors. There were about 60

[2:22:47] unique vendors associated with

[2:22:49] these phase 1 contracts. We

[2:22:51] also examined and reviewed the

[2:22:53] procurement process as far as

[2:22:54] how the vendor was selected,

[2:22:57] what that process was, whether

[2:22:58] it was competitively bid,

[2:23:01] sole-sourced, emergency

[2:23:02] purchased, and the supporting

[2:23:05] documentation associated with

[2:23:06] that. We also looked at the

[2:23:08] payment records, including the

[2:23:09] invoices, the amounts paid

[2:23:11] relative to the contract

[2:23:14] authorization, and that's work

[2:23:17] step 4. We looked at all of the

[2:23:20] email communications between the

[2:23:21] vendor and the contractor and

[2:23:22] the employees at county

[2:23:25] regarding the process and

[2:23:26] decision related to these

[2:23:27] contracts. We evaluated

[2:23:30] compliance with local, state,

[2:23:31] and federal requirements and

[2:23:34] then, as you know, we drafted a

[2:23:37] report and we're here today to

[2:23:38] present the findings for phase

[2:23:40] 1. So now I'd like to get into

[2:23:45] the findings that are listed in

[2:23:47] the executive summary. So I'm

[2:23:49] going to touch on those briefly

[2:23:50] and then go through our

[2:23:51] recommendations. The first

[2:23:53] finding relates to the district

[2:23:55] 1 tone at the top, which binded

[2:23:58] the county's procurement

[2:23:59] controls. Specifically we noted

[2:24:01] that the past district 1

[2:24:03] leadership was very involved in

[2:24:05] the decisions related to

[2:24:07] procurement, and this is

[2:24:09] specifically referring to former

[2:24:10] supervisor dough and the former

[2:24:12] chief staff, ms. Wangsaporn's

[2:24:16] support for district 1. They

[2:24:18] established a culture where

[2:24:19] certain decisions, primarily

[2:24:22] procurement related, were not to

[2:24:23] be questioned, and there were

[2:24:25] people who indicated to us

[2:24:27] during interviews that they were

[2:24:31] concerned at times that they

[2:24:32] would receive phone calls from

[2:24:33] district leadership if they did

[2:24:36] not go along with, you know,

[2:24:38] certain procurement decisions.

[2:24:40] some of the decisions that we

[2:24:41] identified during phase 1

[2:24:43] included lump sum advance

[2:24:45] payments to specific

[2:24:47] contractors. These were

[2:24:48] typically service contracts.

[2:24:51] there was also directives to pay

[2:24:53] vendors and contractors while

[2:24:56] there was open issues still

[2:24:58] under review, and then also

[2:24:59] decisions related to the

[2:25:01] selection and award contracts to

[2:25:03] vendors and grant recipients.

[2:25:07] the second finding that we

[2:25:09] included in the executive

[2:25:10] summary relates to the emergency

[2:25:13] purchasing authority and the

[2:25:15] sole-sourcing, which allowed

[2:25:17] contractor words without

[2:25:18] competitive bidding or board

[2:25:20] approval.

[2:25:21] so essentially what we observed

[2:25:22] was that the environment during

[2:25:25] this time period in 2020, 2021

[2:25:28] in particular, there was a

[2:25:32] lowering of the guardrails that

[2:25:32] are in place through the county

[2:25:34] contract procurement manual,

[2:25:36] which allowed some of these

[2:25:39] things to occur based on the

[2:25:41] emergency purchase proceedings

[2:25:42] that were approved in

[2:25:45] april 2020. As well as the

[2:25:48] frequency and the use of the

[2:25:49] sole source contracts without

[2:25:52] competitive bidding, and the

[2:25:54] result of this was, you know, we

[2:25:55] noted that there was limited

[2:25:57] oversight with respect to the

[2:25:59] emergency purchases. The

[2:26:01] departments as required under

[2:26:03] the policy manual with emergency

[2:26:06] purchases, they're only required

[2:26:09] to provide an emergency

[2:26:10] justification memo, which

[2:26:12] documents essentially that the

[2:26:14] purchase is related to covid-19

[2:26:19] response. So that's essentially

[2:26:21] the requirement for the

[2:26:22] emergency purchase. There's not

[2:26:24] competitive bidding. That's

[2:26:25] waived during this process.

[2:26:27] it's resulted in blanket

[2:26:28] authorizations for broad

[2:26:29] categories of purchases, which

[2:26:32] were directly 69 directly

[2:26:33] related to the covid-19

[2:26:34] response. It also resulted in

[2:26:37] limited visibility of the

[2:26:39] purchase amounts and the vendors

[2:26:42] selected, many of the emergency

[2:26:44] justification memos only

[2:26:45] included broad line items, for

[2:26:48] example, covid-19 testing

[2:26:50] without indication of who the

[2:26:53] contractor that was selected or

[2:26:56] the contract amount. We also

[2:26:59] found that former supervisor do

[2:27:01] steered contracts to specific

[2:27:03] businesses. We identified a

[2:27:06] pattern of contracts that aimed

[2:27:09] to grants that were being

[2:27:10] steered to certain businesses

[2:27:12] specifically by former

[2:27:13] supervisor do, oftentimes

[2:27:16] facilitated by his former chief

[2:27:18] staff mr. Wangsaporn. And these

[2:27:22] businesses that employed

[2:27:23] immediate family members is one

[2:27:27] of the categories, it also

[2:27:28] included businesses that

[2:27:29] contributed to political

[2:27:31] campaigns shortly after the

[2:27:32] award of the contract as well as

[2:27:34] businesses that provided a media

[2:27:36] platform for former supervisor

[2:27:38] do and also businesses involved

[2:27:39] in the two festivals that were

[2:27:41] operated through district one,

[2:27:45] the tet and moon festivals. And

[2:27:48] we'll talk a little bit more

[2:27:53] about this, but as a whole, you

[2:27:56] know, one of the themes we noted

[2:27:58] was that these festivals for

[2:28:00] district 1, we saw the use of

[2:28:01] the term constituents. There

[2:28:04] was invitations that would go

[2:28:06] out to 54,000 constituents, and

[2:28:08] so from our viewpoint, this has

[2:28:10] a connotation of, you know,

[2:28:13] we're not talking about a

[2:28:15] community event for citizens.

[2:28:15] it's more of a campaign-related

[2:28:19] terminology. And we also noted

[2:28:21] that mr. Wangsaporn, the chief

[2:28:23] staff, was also the campaign

[2:28:25] manager for former supervisor

[2:28:27] do, which I think, you know,

[2:28:30] part of the -- plays into some

[2:28:42] of these findings. And notably

[2:28:45] some of these sponsorships were

[2:28:47] being filed third parties in

[2:28:48] lieu of being paid to the

[2:28:51] county. So some aspects of it

[2:28:57] were not going directly to the

[2:29:00] county. There were some -- one

[2:29:02] of the key sponsors, the main

[2:29:04] logo on the stage was cal

[2:29:06] optima. There was payments to

[2:29:07] the county for those. But what

[2:29:08] we're talking about is the

[2:29:11] booths and some of the other

[2:29:13] sponsors, those dollars were

[2:29:15] going to other individuals,

[2:29:16] which included peter pham

[2:29:19] through his business, hd

[2:29:22] entertainment, or by 2t media

[2:29:25] who we found during our

[2:29:26] interview that they actually had

[2:29:28] a separate agreement with hd

[2:29:32] entertainment where they would

[2:29:33] emit 30% of the sponsorship

[2:29:35] revenues that they collected as

[2:29:37] a commission -- or they would

[2:29:39] retain 30% of the commission and

[2:29:41] remit the other portion to

[2:29:42] mr. Pham at hd entertainment.

[2:29:44] we also found that former

[2:29:48] supervisor do mr. Wangsaporn

[2:29:51] were aware these sponsorship

[2:29:53] revenues were being paid to 2t

[2:29:56] media. The county staff was

[2:29:57] aware base on the interviews

[2:29:58] that we conducted. And with

[2:30:00] respect -- did not appear to be

[2:30:02] aware. And with respect to the

[2:30:05] expenditures for the festivals,

[2:30:06] we noted advanced lump sum

[2:30:09] payments with round dollar

[2:30:11] amounts with limited detail in

[2:30:13] the invoices and supporting

[2:30:19] documentation. So for example,

[2:30:22] $50,000 for entertainment at a

[2:30:24] festival, for, you know, a

[2:30:27] number of musical acts without

[2:30:28] any kind of detail that you'd

[2:30:31] expect to see as part of the

[2:30:32] standard contract 69 voicing

[2:30:34] process. So there's limited

[2:30:35] visibility with respect to the

[2:30:37] actual costs of some of those

[2:30:39] payments.

[2:30:40] and while some of these

[2:30:43] contracts that we're talking

[2:30:45] about next were not a part our

[2:30:47] scope, we noted with respect to

[2:30:48] this -- the festivals, that the

[2:30:51] other businesses that were

[2:30:51] involved all appeared to be

[2:30:53] businesses that were in

[2:30:55] different ways connected with

[2:30:56] district 1 or former supervisor

[2:30:58] do, including the viet america

[2:31:01] society, who was doing a lot of

[2:31:02] the food at the festivals, aloha

[2:31:05] financial services, and hd

[2:31:08] entertainment were doing

[2:31:10] festival management services.

[2:31:11] they had contracts with the

[2:31:12] county for that, and premier

[2:31:14] entertainment solutions. We

[2:31:17] found that there were

[2:31:20] pass-through grants related to

[2:31:22] the arts relief program that

[2:31:25] obfuscated the county's

[2:31:27] visibility into the

[2:31:29] disbursements of the

[2:31:30] subrecipients. So just to kind

[2:31:32] of provide an overview, there

[2:31:34] was two the recipients. They

[2:31:37] each received $300,000 the

[2:31:41] westminster chamber commerce and

[2:31:43] then the garden grove community

[2:31:44] foundation each received

[2:31:45] $300,000 as a pass-through

[2:31:47] recipient but they were

[2:31:49] instructed through former

[2:31:50] supervisor do that $200,000 of

[2:31:51] those funds would go to specific

[2:31:54] entities, and so they

[2:31:55] essentially were only

[2:31:57] responsible for identifying the

[2:31:57] recipients for about a third of

[2:31:59] those funds. And in doing so in

[2:32:02] this manner, the pass-through

[2:32:06] recipients obfuscated the

[2:32:09] ultimate recipients of these

[2:32:11] grants, which are included on

[2:32:13] this slide. So for

[2:32:15] 300,000 that was awarded to

[2:32:16] garden grove community

[2:32:17] foundation, we determined that

[2:32:19] 100,000 of those funds went to

[2:32:22] 2t media and then 100,000 to

[2:32:25] premier entertainment solutions,

[2:32:26] both of which were at direction

[2:32:27] of former supervisor do. And

[2:32:30] with respect to the 300,000 to

[2:32:32] the westminster chamber of

[2:32:33] commerce, those were also

[2:32:35] directed to four entities listed

[2:32:37] here for $50,000 each, the viet

[2:32:41] america society integrated

[2:32:44] broadcasting kong gray, saigon

[2:32:46] television corp. And then the

[2:32:48] vietnamese america

[2:32:49] philharmonics. And for purpose

[2:32:52] of comparison, the other four

[2:32:54] districts that had similar

[2:32:56] programs and allocations of $1

[2:32:59] million for the arts relief

[2:33:00] program, they contracted with an

[2:33:03] independent firm to administer

[2:33:06] those grant funds, you know,

[2:33:07] with a process that was

[2:33:09] independent. And so this

[2:33:12] process for district 1, you

[2:33:13] know, differed significantly

[2:33:15] from what we saw with the other

[2:33:16] districts. And most notably,

[2:33:19] based on the amount influence

[2:33:21] and how those contracts were

[2:33:22] steered to specific businesses

[2:33:26] and nonprofits. We found that

[2:33:30] former supervisor do exerted

[2:33:33] influence related to payment

[2:33:35] authorization decisions. And a

[2:33:39] few examples that we identified

[2:33:40] were the authorization of the --

[2:33:43] to the hca directory issue

[2:33:46] payment to 360 clinic for

[2:33:48] uncollectable claims at which

[2:33:50] point the invoice were still

[2:33:52] under review. We also know that

[2:33:58] the grant that we obtained for

[2:34:03] the chamber of commerce, former

[2:34:05] supervisor do directed them to

[2:34:07] pay $50,000 to one of the

[2:34:09] sub-recipients that were still

[2:34:11] in the investigating process.

[2:34:12] so they said they were waiting

[2:34:13] on confirmation related to a

[2:34:16] license but were told to go

[2:34:19] ahead and make the payment by

[2:34:21] former supervisor do. And with

[2:34:24] respect to the district 1 arts

[2:34:29] relief program that the staff

[2:34:31] that was in charge of those

[2:34:32] funds was, you know -- informed

[2:34:35] us that there was pressure to

[2:34:35] get those funds paid as quickly

[2:34:38] as possible by former supervisor

[2:34:38] do. And one other thing that's

[2:34:43] not on the slide that I wanted

[2:34:44] to mention with respect to some

[2:34:47] of the other observations was

[2:34:48] that there was also certain

[2:34:50] contract language that was

[2:34:51] included at direction of former

[2:34:54] supervisor do related to self

[2:34:57] certification for things like

[2:35:00] being eligible to receive the

[2:35:01] grants, which is -- was

[2:35:04] described by staff as unusual

[2:35:06] and differed from some of the

[2:35:08] other contracts, which were

[2:35:09] verified and monitored by the

[2:35:11] county versus this was

[2:35:13] essentially a self certification

[2:35:15] provision in those contracts.

[2:35:23] and finally, we wanted to

[2:35:25] mention, you know, that the find

[2:35:27] things that we've discussed so

[2:35:28] far relates to about 33 of the

[2:35:31] 145 phase 1 contracts. The

[2:35:34] appendix b to the report

[2:35:36] includes the detail of our

[2:35:40] review for the entire 145

[2:35:41] contracts. So that is included

[2:35:42] with the report that is

[2:35:44] available online. . Finally, we

[2:35:50] wanted to go over the relations

[2:35:52] that are included in the phase 1

[2:35:54] report that are for the county's

[2:35:56] consideration. So the first one

[2:35:57] was to adopt standardized

[2:36:00] invoicing requirements within

[2:36:01] the contract policy manual. So

[2:36:04] we saw that there was some

[2:36:07] differences within the contracts

[2:36:10] as far as what needed to be

[2:36:11] required as far as a valid

[2:36:13] invoice and details related to

[2:36:15] pricing and amount as and so

[2:36:17] forth. So standardizing that

[2:36:20] through the contract policy

[2:36:21] manual. The second is updating

[2:36:24] the code of ethic to ensure that

[2:36:26] board members do not influence

[2:36:27] procurement decisions. This is

[2:36:30] really intended to make sure

[2:36:31] that the board, you know, is

[2:36:34] fulfilling the role as governing

[2:36:37] and not managing the county.

[2:36:42] the third one is standardizing

[2:36:43] monitoring requirements for

[2:36:44] federal contracts. That just

[2:36:46] gets into some of the language

[2:36:50] in certain contracts that was

[2:36:52] different for some of these

[2:36:54] grants for district 1. The next

[2:36:56] someone to extend due diligence

[2:36:59] procedures to subcontractors and

[2:37:01] sub-awards, and some of this has

[2:37:03] already been done. We know that

[2:37:05] there was a memo with -- of

[2:37:08] protocols to this effect that it

[2:37:09] was, I believe, issued in

[2:37:12] november of 2024, but ensuring

[2:37:14] that that is implemented across

[2:37:16] the county to avoid situations

[2:37:18] where there's circumvention of

[2:37:23] county processes and policies by

[2:37:25] using subcontractors and

[2:37:28] sub-recipients. The next one is

[2:37:30] enhanced annual training focused

[2:37:32] on fraud and internal controls.

[2:37:33] and the next slide has the

[2:37:39] remainder of our

[2:37:41] recommendations. Evaluating the

[2:37:43] effectiveness of the fraud

[2:37:44] reporting hotline. So we've --

[2:37:48] based on the acsv data for the

[2:37:52] last 20 years or so, the number

[2:37:52] one method of detection of fraud

[2:37:55] continues to be through

[2:37:56] anonymous tips or employees

[2:38:01] coming forward well information.

[2:38:02] and so really focusing on the

[2:38:06] effectiveness of the fraud

[2:38:07] hotline, the awareness of making

[2:38:09] sure that employees know how to

[2:38:11] access it and have a good

[2:38:15] understanding of what

[2:38:15] information is required to

[2:38:16] report something, if they're

[2:38:18] aware of it. Stake guidelines

[2:38:22] for the solicitation and receipt

[2:38:23] of sponsorship revenues related

[2:38:25] to the county-funded events.

[2:38:28] standardizing the emergency

[2:38:31] justification memos across

[2:38:32] departments, some have more

[2:38:35] detail than others, and some of

[2:38:37] them had higher level bullet

[2:38:39] points with limited detail that

[2:38:40] we described earlier. And then

[2:38:44] improving the -- I'm sorry, the

[2:38:48] recovery of any overpayments to

[2:38:50] 360 clinic for uncollectible

[2:38:52] claims related to the covid-19

[2:38:54] testing services. And this is

[2:38:57] discussed in section d of the

[2:39:01] report. But we did a review of

[2:39:04] all the un-celebratable claims

[2:39:06] invoices, and those --

[2:39:09] uncollectible claims invoices

[2:39:11] and those findings are from the

[2:39:12] invoices that we saw through the

[2:39:14] analysis. And finally the

[2:39:15] referral of campaign

[2:39:18] contributions to former

[2:39:19] supervisor do. Notably this

[2:39:21] related to one of the findings

[2:39:23] that a campaign contribution,

[2:39:27] when we spoke with one of the

[2:39:28] vendors that was reported to

[2:39:29] have made the contribution, they

[2:39:31] indicated that they did not make

[2:39:33] that contribution, so that

[2:39:35] raises questions as far as the

[2:39:38] validity of some of the campaign

[2:39:40] finance reports, if in fact

[2:39:41] those contributions were not

[2:39:43] made by that vendor. So some of

[2:39:48] these have already been made to

[2:39:50] some extent, so we wanted to

[2:39:53] acknowledge that. But we wanted

[2:39:54] to also highlight these based on

[2:39:56] the findings from phase 1. And

[2:40:00] I think with that, we are happy

[2:40:02] to answer any questions that you

[2:40:04] have.

[2:40:07] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[2:40:08] right, before I go to questions,

[2:40:10] I'd like to put up on the screen

[2:40:11] the information on our fraud

[2:40:13] hotline. So members of the

[2:40:16] public may record any

[2:40:18] information might be helpful to

[2:40:20] them. A fraud hotline has a

[2:40:23] main number, which is important

[2:40:26] to note. You can call anytime,

[2:40:27] anyplace, day or night 24/7 and

[2:40:29] remain anonymous. Report

[2:40:32] questionable behavior, fraud,

[2:40:34] waste, abuse involving county

[2:40:36] vendors, employees, and

[2:40:37] processes. You'll see a series

[2:40:39] of special numbers regarding

[2:40:41] different topics, one for

[2:40:45] welfare fraud, child abuse,

[2:40:46] medi-cal fraud, consumer and

[2:40:48] economic fraud, u-tip safety and

[2:40:52] loss prevention hotline and

[2:40:53] county employers workers'

[2:40:55] compensation fraud. So if any

[2:40:58] of those numbers are important

[2:40:59] to you, please jot it done and

[2:41:01] you can anonymously call it in

[2:41:03] and not be afraid of reporting

[2:41:04] something. Questions,

[2:41:05] supervisor nguyen.

[2:41:06] >>janet nguyen: I just want to

[2:41:08] thank the weaver team for the

[2:41:09] work that they've done, that

[2:41:11] you've done. This was a very

[2:41:13] thorough and professional. And

[2:41:16] so we appreciate it, and I think

[2:41:18] we can all agree the audit was

[2:41:21] necessary and to continue the

[2:41:23] oddity is necessary as well.

[2:41:26] aggie, I just also want to thank

[2:41:28] you and your staff for pushing

[2:41:30] this forward and making sure

[2:41:32] that we're meeting the deadlines

[2:41:33] and getting the information to

[2:41:34] the board and also to the public

[2:41:36] as needed. I just want, to you

[2:41:39] know, just very clear that this

[2:41:41] is today. We're not trying to

[2:41:45] re-litigate the andrew do case.

[2:41:47] we are trying to find what has

[2:41:49] happened and what process and

[2:41:50] procedure that we need to

[2:41:53] distribution correct and

[2:41:54] amend -- that we need to correct

[2:41:57] and amend so that we can move

[2:41:59] forward as well. When this

[2:42:02] audit was commissioned, you

[2:42:03] know, I've said it before that I

[2:42:05] believe it was just the tip of

[2:42:06] the iceberg. Of, you know, when

[2:42:13] andrew got convicted. But, you

[2:42:14] know, and what actually really

[2:42:18] helped is the fact that this

[2:42:20] report that you have, the first

[2:42:21] phase, does state this is the

[2:42:24] tip of the iceberg. There's

[2:42:26] more that we're looking into.

[2:42:28] so the audit review is a pattern

[2:42:30] of win supervisor using his

[2:42:32] office to steer public dollars

[2:42:34] to his family, campaign donors,

[2:42:37] most without competitive bidding

[2:42:39] and with staff also afraid to

[2:42:42] push back. I know we made a lot

[2:42:44] of strides in improving our

[2:42:47] processes, but it's very clear

[2:42:49] that there needs to be more.

[2:42:50] and so I do have quite a few

[2:42:54] questions. So you're going to

[2:42:56] have to bear with me. I know

[2:43:05] that you've identified some

[2:43:07] folks that you've talked to. I

[2:43:10] guess my first -- I mean, you

[2:43:12] reported that you tried to talk

[2:43:13] to the former chief of staff,

[2:43:16] and there was no response.

[2:43:19] >>speaker: correct.

[2:43:20] >>janet nguyen: you've also

[2:43:21] talked about not being able to

[2:43:26] get a response from the 360

[2:43:27] clinic and vince tien.

[2:43:30] >>speaker: right. When we

[2:43:32] emailed him we received a

[2:43:34] response from 360 clinic's their

[2:43:36] counsel mr. Tien was no longer

[2:43:39] floyd and they were going to be

[2:43:40] answering the questions that we

[2:43:42] had. And they did respond and

[2:43:44] provide information to us on

[2:43:46] behalf 360 clinic.

[2:43:56] >>janet nguyen: I'm sure he's

[2:43:57] still employed there because

[2:43:59] it's all over his facebook. He

[2:44:01] is no longer employed by 360

[2:44:03] clinic or the mother ship of the

[2:44:05] corporation?

[2:44:07] >>speaker: we were informed that

[2:44:08] he is not an employee of the

[2:44:10] special entity, the 360 health

[2:44:12] plan dba 360 clinic, which was

[2:44:16] the questions related to this

[2:44:17] contract. And so that's

[2:44:19] information we were provided

[2:44:21] from the legal counsel. I guess

[2:44:23] the email was forwarded to them.

[2:44:24] >>janet nguyen: which is

[2:44:26] actually very disturbing.

[2:44:28] because 360 clinic itself has

[2:44:29] been shut down for a while, it's

[2:44:31] the mother ship, the 24/7 care,

[2:44:33] hospice care and all of the

[2:44:35] other entities that they own

[2:44:36] collectively between the

[2:44:39] brothers, gary and larry nguyen.

[2:44:42] so they're now declined to speak

[2:44:45] to us because of a company that

[2:44:47] they formed days after or days

[2:44:51] before they got the massive

[2:44:53] millions and millions of dollars

[2:44:54] from this county contract. So I

[2:44:57] think then that tells me that we

[2:44:59] need to either force the

[2:45:02] information or send this over to

[2:45:04] the doj and d.a. Because that's

[2:45:08] not a response we want. I mean,

[2:45:10] that's not a right response, is

[2:45:14] 360 has been shut down for a

[2:45:16] while. And so, but, yet, he's

[2:45:19] still employed within the

[2:45:20] corporation somewhere else. So

[2:45:23] this is where, you know, it's

[2:45:24] frustrating for me, is that if

[2:45:27] we can't get a whole -- if we

[2:45:29] can't talk to his former chief

[2:45:31] of staff, if we can't talk to

[2:45:33] people at 360, then who else?

[2:45:36] if vince tien is no longer

[2:45:38] there, who else is there

[2:45:40] currently? Is it fully shut

[2:45:42] down? When did he leave? These

[2:45:45] are the kinds of information I

[2:45:46] think his attorneys should

[2:45:47] probably submit to us and send

[2:45:49] over to us if they, you know --

[2:45:51] because they're still holding

[2:45:52] our money potentially. And

[2:45:54] that's where, you know, I want

[2:45:56] to go in to is, that you know,

[2:45:59] they submitted to us, what,

[2:46:02] $60,000-plus -- they submitted

[2:46:06] 60,000-plus claims but only

[2:46:09] 30,000 claims were documented.

[2:46:12] we paid for all of these other

[2:46:13] claims without any documents.

[2:46:16] what happens there? Who do we

[2:46:18] go to and ask? If it's not

[2:46:20] vince, who else at the company,

[2:46:23] are the fundings still there?

[2:46:24] and quite frankly at this point

[2:46:26] I think we need to insist on

[2:46:28] doj, the fraud and abuse

[2:46:30] department of doj, to really

[2:46:32] look into this. Because if they

[2:46:34] are sending us -- I think it was

[2:46:38] 69,000 claims, imagine how much

[2:46:41] was sent to the department of

[2:46:43] medi-cal for reimbursement, and

[2:46:46] what has that looked at? I

[2:46:48] mean, this is where, I think,

[2:46:50] you know, the question about 360

[2:46:52] clinic has been out there for

[2:46:53] many, many years. Everybody's

[2:46:55] talked about it. And no one has

[2:46:57] stepped up and actually done

[2:46:59] anything. And we've barely even

[2:47:02] touched a bit of it. And so I

[2:47:04] think, you know, whether you can

[2:47:06] do it or our legal counsel --

[2:47:10] county counsel -- I know that we

[2:47:12] have potential lawsuits and

[2:47:15] et cetera. But I think we need

[2:47:17] to really come up with some kind

[2:47:19] of solution because this is

[2:47:22] getting too old. We need to do

[2:47:26] something besides just suing

[2:47:27] them in a civil case because

[2:47:29] that's going to take forever.

[2:47:30] we're talking about fraud in the

[2:47:33] tens of millions of dollars

[2:47:34] potentially to not just the

[2:47:35] county of orange but also to the

[2:47:37] federal government. And so the

[2:47:42] assistant that, you know, we

[2:47:43] need to go back and ask them,

[2:47:45] one, does the 360 clinic

[2:47:47] actually still officially

[2:47:48] accompany -- a company? Two, if

[2:47:53] yes, then who is still there?

[2:47:54] who can we talk to? If they

[2:47:57] don't want to let us talk to

[2:47:58] vince, then who else? And what

[2:48:00] is the responsibility of the

[2:48:02] corporations that are above 360?

[2:48:07] what are their responsibilities,

[2:48:08] you know? Because obviously,

[2:48:11] 360 is just a dba of, you

[2:48:13] know -- of a subcompany, of the

[2:48:16] mother ship. And so I think

[2:48:18] those are the kinds of questions

[2:48:19] I would like you to go back and

[2:48:21] ask them. But on top of that,

[2:48:23] though, I think we need to go a

[2:48:24] little further and to insist on

[2:48:25] getting all the documentation of

[2:48:28] all the claims that were

[2:48:30] submitted to the county, that

[2:48:32] hasn't been submitted yet

[2:48:33] outside of the 30,000 claims

[2:48:37] that's been submitted.

[2:48:38] >>speaker: and to clarify, with

[2:48:39] the 13,000, this was a function

[2:48:41] of the timing when they were --

[2:48:43] when those were -- the county

[2:48:45] requested the -- so for the --

[2:48:48] prior to that the process was

[2:48:49] they submitted an excel

[2:48:51] spreadsheet with the summary and

[2:48:53] then I don't remember what time

[2:48:54] period it was, but then that's

[2:48:56] when based on some of the --

[2:48:58] that they were reviewing

[2:49:00] information and certain other

[2:49:01] information came to light, the

[2:49:03] decision was made to request the

[2:49:04] supporting documentation and the

[2:49:07] explanations of benefits for the

[2:49:07] remaining 13,000, just to

[2:49:10] clarify as to the why the 13,000

[2:49:13] is the number out of the -- not

[2:49:15] the entire 69,000.

[2:49:17] >>janet nguyen: but that I

[2:49:18] believe is during the time when

[2:49:20] the county looked at it and

[2:49:21] started questioning. That's why

[2:49:23] they asked for that number. So

[2:49:25] I think though at this point we

[2:49:26] should ask for all. We should

[2:49:29] ask to get all the documentation

[2:49:30] of all of the other claims, you

[2:49:33] know. I mean, we're lucky if we

[2:49:36] can get it from them. It

[2:49:37] doesn't seem like they want to

[2:49:39] have any conversation with any

[2:49:41] authority or us, any public

[2:49:44] agency at this point. But I

[2:49:45] think this is what transparency

[2:49:47] is. If they haven't done

[2:49:49] anything wrong, they should then

[2:49:50] submit the information. If they

[2:49:52] haven't done anything wrong,

[2:49:53] vince should be talking to us,

[2:49:55] or whoever it is, whether it's

[2:49:56] gary, larry or whoever it is,

[2:49:58] that, you know, that ran the

[2:50:00] 360. Because they are all

[2:50:02] connected. It's not that they

[2:50:05] aren't. My next -- so what is

[2:50:09] the next step then if his former

[2:50:12] chief staff is not talking to

[2:50:13] us? What do we do? I mean, how

[2:50:16] do we get more information if

[2:50:16] he's not willing to talk to us?

[2:50:20] >>speaker: we don't have

[2:50:21] subpoena power, so -- and he's a

[2:50:23] former employee, he's so not

[2:50:25] obliged to participate. We've

[2:50:27] reviewed his emails, and we've

[2:50:30] conducted interviews with people

[2:50:32] who, you know, were witness to

[2:50:36] how decisions were made, but

[2:50:38] short of having subpoena power,

[2:50:40] there's really not a whole lot

[2:50:42] that we can do from -- as far as

[2:50:45] weaver to compel him to speak

[2:50:47] with us or provide us with any

[2:50:48] kind of information.

[2:50:50] >>janet nguyen: thank you. And

[2:50:51] so then, mr. County counsel, I

[2:50:55] would then -- I know that the

[2:50:57] d.a. Has mentioned publically

[2:50:59] that he is looking at report as

[2:51:00] well. But I think an official

[2:51:05] request from the county to the

[2:51:06] d.a. And ag and/or the doj --

[2:51:12] and actually officially sending

[2:51:13] them the report I think would be

[2:51:15] more helpful than just to hope

[2:51:18] that they caught article and

[2:51:20] read it. So I think, you know,

[2:51:23] furthering that would give them

[2:51:25] potentially -- because, you

[2:51:28] know, all the -- those who were

[2:51:31] part of the scheme has not been

[2:51:34] touched yet. And I think this

[2:51:36] is not just something that is on

[2:51:38] just andrew do. We need make

[2:51:41] sure that the public understands

[2:51:44] that we are going to hold people

[2:51:46] accountable. Not just the one

[2:51:48] individual. And so we just need

[2:51:52] to make sure that they continue

[2:51:54] to look at this case and see if

[2:51:56] there's -- maybe there might

[2:51:58] even be new cases or new

[2:52:01] findings that wasn't part of the

[2:52:04] previous plea agreement with the

[2:52:06] former supervisor. Were you

[2:52:09] able to interview clayton chau,

[2:52:16] the former hca director?

[2:52:19] >>speaker: yes, we were able to

[2:52:21] speak with him.

[2:52:23] >>janet nguyen: I know that you

[2:52:24] found nothing, but is there --

[2:52:26] was it very specific questions

[2:52:28] you asked him or was he willing

[2:52:33] to provide more information

[2:52:33] or -- I'm just -- because

[2:52:38] there's a lot of the items that

[2:52:41] was given out, came -- a lot

[2:52:46] came from hca, and so he was at

[2:52:49] the helm. What is it that we

[2:52:51] don't know, and how can we make

[2:52:54] sure that everybody rock's

[2:52:57] uncovered.

[2:53:00] >>speaker: we spoke with him for

[2:53:01] probably an hour and a half. We

[2:53:03] have, you know, a list of 40 or

[2:53:07] 50 questions, and he answered,

[2:53:10] you know, all of our questions

[2:53:11] and was cooperative. But, yeah,

[2:53:16] we did have specific questions,

[2:53:18] you know, not just about the

[2:53:19] contract with 360 clinic but

[2:53:22] other healthcare agency

[2:53:24] contracts that were awarded

[2:53:26] during his tenure.

[2:53:31] >>janet nguyen: so nothing

[2:53:33] alarming to you?

[2:53:34] >>speaker: I think the common

[2:53:36] theme was the pandemic and the

[2:53:38] certain circumstances that were

[2:53:40] being operated during that time

[2:53:41] period. And I think that

[2:53:43] environment is different than

[2:53:44] the normal procurement

[2:53:45] environment and I think he

[2:53:50] joined the county in april of

[2:53:54] 2020 right when the pandemic

[2:53:56] started or a month into it, so I

[2:53:57] think that that was -- played a

[2:54:00] role into, you know, a lot of

[2:54:02] the contracts that we're looking

[2:54:03] at, you know, in the backdrop of

[2:54:06] that as the pandemic and the

[2:54:08] need to get contracts approved

[2:54:13] quickly, get things -- the

[2:54:15] testing, for example, get it up

[2:54:16] and rung as quickly as possible.

[2:54:18] I think that was, you know, his

[2:54:19] priority and focus.

[2:54:28] >>janet nguyen: the report shows

[2:54:31] he 33 of the 145 contracts

[2:54:34] having significant findings. In

[2:54:38] your professional judgment, do

[2:54:40] you believe that the conduct

[2:54:41] you've documented was isolated

[2:54:44] to just those 33 or does it

[2:54:47] reflect a broader pattern than

[2:54:48] may extend in phases 2 and 4?

[2:54:51] >>speaker: so we highlighted

[2:54:52] kind of the more significant

[2:54:54] findings in the executive

[2:54:55] summary, but there were some

[2:54:57] other observations associated

[2:54:58] with the other -- some of the

[2:55:00] other contracts. We also know,

[2:55:03] as we've started to look at

[2:55:04] phase 2 contracts, which are

[2:55:08] classified as high priority by

[2:55:10] the internal audit department

[2:55:12] selection of contracts, that we

[2:55:13] know that there are contracts

[2:55:15] included in those. There are

[2:55:16] 630 that relate to, you know,

[2:55:19] specific districts and

[2:55:20] specifically district 1

[2:55:21] contracts that, you know, may

[2:55:23] have similar patterns to some of

[2:55:25] the ones we saw in phase 1. So

[2:55:29] I don't think we can speak to

[2:55:31] phases 3 and 4, but for phase 2

[2:55:33] I think there is the potential

[2:55:34] for some of the same pattern to

[2:55:37] be identified in some of these

[2:55:40] phase 2 contracts.

[2:55:44] >>janet nguyen: I know that for

[2:55:47] reference a lot of emails that

[2:55:48] you read between do, his chief

[2:55:51] of staff and the vendors, were

[2:55:53] there any communications you

[2:55:55] reviewed that you were unable to

[2:55:56] include in the report that you

[2:56:00] believe is relevant to the full

[2:56:01] picture and was there any

[2:56:04] repeated approval chain that

[2:56:10] were pragmatic contracts, like

[2:56:12] were there employees whose name

[2:56:14] kept on coming up across

[2:56:16] multiple finding?

[2:56:16] we should be aware of?

[2:56:18] >>speaker: so the first question

[2:56:20] regarding the emails, so there

[2:56:22] was emails that raised concerns

[2:56:25] that we didn't include

[2:56:27] necessarily because of the --

[2:56:29] they didn't relate to the

[2:56:30] contracts included in phase 1,

[2:56:31] although, we did make reference

[2:56:33] to them. So for example, in the

[2:56:35] report we mention that we came

[2:56:37] across an email that showed that

[2:56:39] there was a permit issued by hd

[2:56:42] construction owned by mr. Pham

[2:56:46] related to a kitchen renovation

[2:56:47] for the personal residence of

[2:56:50] former supervisor do. That

[2:56:51] email didn't relate to a

[2:56:53] specific contract, but it was

[2:56:56] relevant. So we referenced it

[2:56:58] as part of a broader picture.

[2:57:01] and so to the extent we didn't

[2:57:05] reference an email specifically,

[2:57:07] it may have just been a function

[2:57:07] of whether it applied or was

[2:57:10] relevant to a specific contract.

[2:57:12] >>janet nguyen: what about names

[2:57:13] of employees that have been

[2:57:16] mentioned multiple times in any

[2:57:19] of the conversations or any of

[2:57:21] the interviews that, you know --

[2:57:24] that we should be aware of?

[2:57:27] >>speaker: so there --

[2:57:30] >>janet nguyen: outside the

[2:57:31] chief of staff, you know, or the

[2:57:35] usual suspect already.

[2:57:36] >>speaker: we talked to a number

[2:57:37] of employees who -- you know,

[2:57:40] whether they were a contract

[2:57:41] manager or, you know, involved

[2:57:45] somehow in the procurement

[2:57:46] process, you know, whether it's

[2:57:48] with occr or hca or the county

[2:57:52] executive office. To the extent

[2:57:54] that we saw that they were part

[2:57:56] of the approval process, we

[2:57:57] wanted to get information from

[2:57:59] them to determine were there any

[2:58:00] efforts to influence or pressure

[2:58:02] them. And I think that's where

[2:58:04] one of the observations and find

[2:58:07] things that we had was that for

[2:58:08] some of the contracts

[2:58:10] specifically with the festivals

[2:58:11] and the events, there was, you

[2:58:14] know, things that were kind

[2:58:15] of -- they did have questions

[2:58:17] about like why are we paying

[2:58:19] this vendor in advance, which is

[2:58:22] a gray area. It's not something

[2:58:24] that's explicitly prohibited.

[2:58:27] there's -- and so they, you

[2:58:29] know, raised concerns to their

[2:58:31] supervisors, and that's where

[2:58:33] the -- I think the culture of,

[2:58:34] if they didn't, you know,

[2:58:36] approve that and move forward

[2:58:39] with, it they were likely going

[2:58:40] to get a call from either

[2:58:42] mr. Wangsaporn or former

[2:58:45] supervisor do. And so that was

[2:58:46] the environment which a lot of

[2:58:49] the procurement decisions, was

[2:58:51] there was some things that were

[2:58:53] in the gray area, especially

[2:58:55] with this period of emergency

[2:58:59] purchases, sole-source

[2:59:00] purchases, district

[2:59:01] discretionary funds that had

[2:59:02] been approved at the board level

[2:59:04] that were used to justify these

[2:59:08] decisions, and they felt, you

[2:59:11] know, that if they didn't go

[2:59:12] along with it that they would

[2:59:14] get a call. So I don't know if

[2:59:16] that answers your question, but

[2:59:22] there were employees involved

[2:59:23] with a lot of the different

[2:59:25] contracts because a lot of these

[2:59:27] were the same types of

[2:59:27] contracts.

[2:59:28] >>janet nguyen: I was looking

[2:59:30] for more of a pattern, right,

[2:59:30] like if there was a specific

[2:59:32] employee that kept on -- besides

[2:59:33] his chief of staff -- pushing it

[2:59:35] internally at the county level

[2:59:36] that we are not aware of.

[2:59:39] >>speaker: not that --

[2:59:41] >>janet nguyen: you know, one or

[2:59:42] two -- I've seen some of the

[2:59:43] emails that questioned it, and

[2:59:45] it went all the way up to the

[2:59:46] highest chain in this county.

[2:59:49] but it's more I'm trying to see

[2:59:52] was there a pattern of county

[2:59:53] employees outside of his office

[2:59:56] that were always involved in

[2:59:59] every one of these potential

[3:00:02] contracts or payments when a

[3:00:05] payment request comes in.

[3:00:07] that's what I'm more curious

[3:00:08] about.

[3:00:09] >>speaker: so I would say no,

[3:00:11] but there were people who were

[3:00:12] being -- on the receiving end of

[3:00:16] it, that they were being pushed

[3:00:18] or they were -- they knew if

[3:00:21] they didn't approve it, they

[3:00:21] would get pushed by district 1

[3:00:24] leadership.

[3:00:25] >>janet nguyen: and then I've

[3:00:26] got a few more, mr. Chairman,

[3:00:28] and then I'll pause so that my

[3:00:30] colleagues, if anybody else has

[3:00:32] questions on, it I would request

[3:00:33] a few more. But let me -- I

[3:00:37] know you also touched on dtn and

[3:00:40] tech. And the report notes that

[3:00:42] the chief of staff, you know, e

[3:00:44] emailed dtn tech to tend out

[3:00:48] 54,000 household mailers to the

[3:00:50] district, right. And did you

[3:00:52] examine whether any of those

[3:00:54] mailers would be billed to the

[3:00:57] county at a different rate other

[3:00:57] than what was billed to

[3:01:00] political campaigns.

[3:01:01] >>speaker: so we spoke with dtn

[3:01:05] techs ownership a couple of

[3:01:06] times and asked similar

[3:01:08] questions. What they informed

[3:01:09] us was that the process by which

[3:01:12] they are contracted for

[3:01:14] different campaigns, there's a

[3:01:15] bidding process, so the pricing

[3:01:17] is locked in based on the bid.

[3:01:20] typically they're engaged

[3:01:21] through a creditor or consultant

[3:01:23] like a campaign consultant,

[3:01:26] versus, you know, directly by

[3:01:27] the campaign but I think that

[3:01:32] varies. But, no, and there's

[3:01:34] also oversight through the

[3:01:36] federal election commission. So

[3:01:37] I think that we didn't identify

[3:01:40] evidence if there was any kind

[3:01:41] of, you know, reduced pricing or

[3:01:45] discounts, you know, for the

[3:01:47] campaign services. But we also

[3:01:49] didn't have full visibility into

[3:01:53] their contracts for campaigns as

[3:01:56] that was outside our scope.

[3:01:58] >>janet nguyen: did you ask for

[3:02:01] it and did they give it to you?

[3:02:03] >>speaker: they said they did

[3:02:04] not have it. I think their

[3:02:07] response was they would need

[3:02:09] permission to provide it based

[3:02:11] on their contracts with campaign

[3:02:12] consultants.

[3:02:13] >>janet nguyen: so that --

[3:02:16] because, here's what's

[3:02:16] interesting, here's a mailer

[3:02:18] from the former supervisor for a

[3:02:21] tet festival. Here's a mailer

[3:02:24] for his chief of staff. They're

[3:02:29] identical, same size. I would

[3:02:31] be curious to see what the

[3:02:32] differences in cost is. Because

[3:02:36] I'll tell you, from what we've

[3:02:38] seen, when you look at campaign

[3:02:40] reports, it seems like he got --

[3:02:43] this is just an estimate because

[3:02:44] we don't know the exact how many

[3:02:46] went out -- almost like 16 cents

[3:02:49] per piece that he paid, which is

[3:02:52] unbelievable. Everyone on this

[3:02:56] dais can say that is like the

[3:02:57] cheapest you can ever -- it's

[3:03:00] unheard of. So that's where is

[3:03:03] that they should be able to

[3:03:06] provide that information because

[3:03:08] it's very clear that campaign

[3:03:11] will pay for what it is in terms

[3:03:14] of postage just like everybody

[3:03:16] else, unless it goes through a

[3:03:19] nonprofit or to the party. It's

[3:03:22] a little discounted rate there.

[3:03:24] but most campaigns pay the same

[3:03:27] stamp rate that you and I would

[3:03:29] pay if we were to mail to our

[3:03:31] family, friends or bills, right.

[3:03:33] and so that's where I think if

[3:03:34] they're exactly identical, it's

[3:03:37] the same company, I'm more

[3:03:38] curious to know was the county

[3:03:42] overbilled or overcharged to

[3:03:45] give someone else a discount,

[3:03:47] which is actually illegal.

[3:03:51] because that's not only, one,

[3:03:53] the county is paying for

[3:03:55] someone's campaign mailers but,

[3:03:58] two, is they're getting favors

[3:04:00] from a county to off-set a

[3:04:03] donation from the company that

[3:04:04] exceeds the contribution limits.

[3:04:06] and so I think going back to dtn

[3:04:11] and asking those questions would

[3:04:13] be helpful a former staff that

[3:04:17] worked for the county at one of

[3:04:18] the supervisor's offices at the

[3:04:20] time is also the campaign

[3:04:22] manager and the consultant to

[3:04:24] dtn tech. And so I think those

[3:04:26] are the kind of questions that

[3:04:28] should be asked, and if they

[3:04:29] won't provide it, then, I'm

[3:04:31] sorry, mr. County counsel, those

[3:04:35] who work for you, it's time to

[3:04:36] ask fppc to ask, because fppc

[3:04:41] can subpoena those records. And

[3:04:43] if it's the question coming from

[3:04:45] the county, this will have to

[3:04:48] provide those records. How much

[3:04:50] was mailed out, for what mailer,

[3:04:53] what the cost was per piece,

[3:04:55] what the cost was per postage,

[3:04:58] and then we should, from the

[3:04:59] county's side, ask that from our

[3:05:02] side, if it was mailed 54,000,

[3:05:04] how much was it per piece? How

[3:05:07] much did we pay in postage? How

[3:05:09] many of the mailers were done

[3:05:11] during that time? Because dtn

[3:05:13] not only had contracts with the

[3:05:14] county in terms of mailers, but

[3:05:17] also had contracts in terms of

[3:05:21] swags. Whether it's t-shirts or

[3:05:24] whatever, they had a huge

[3:05:26] contract with the county

[3:05:27] overall. And so what is it that

[3:05:30] they got that could potentially

[3:05:34] off-set these campaigns? And if

[3:05:38] I'm wrong, then, great, we don't

[3:05:40] have a problem. But if I'm not

[3:05:43] wrong, I mean, I would love to

[3:05:44] be proved wrong. But I don't

[3:05:49] think I'm wrong, but my

[3:05:50] suspicion, my -- I'm thinking --

[3:05:58] or I believe that there's some

[3:05:59] unfairness here. And I think

[3:06:00] that the taxpayer county

[3:06:02] residents had to pay for someone

[3:06:04] else's campaign for favors. And

[3:06:07] so I think, you know, going back

[3:06:09] asking dtn for these documents,

[3:06:11] if they don't provide, it we

[3:06:13] should go ahead and ask fppc to

[3:06:15] get involved.

[3:06:17] >>speaker: yeah. I understand.

[3:06:19] we did ask the questions about

[3:06:21] the pricing for the campaigns.

[3:06:23] and, you know, there's us asking

[3:06:25] for documents related to

[3:06:26] non-county contracts, you know,

[3:06:28] is -- I think that's where we

[3:06:30] have limitations, but we also

[3:06:32] did review the contracts with

[3:06:33] dtn tech that were in phase 1

[3:06:36] that related to mailing

[3:06:36] services, swag services as well

[3:06:38] as obviously the nutrition gap

[3:06:42] program. Those were all

[3:06:44] competitively bid with the --

[3:06:47] well, or emergency purchase.

[3:06:49] but the mailers specifically,

[3:06:51] they're part the group of

[3:06:55] businesses that are, you know,

[3:06:59] selected through the rfp process

[3:07:00] that have a -- on demand or

[3:07:02] as-needed-type contract. I

[3:07:05] understand what you're saying,

[3:07:07] and I think we can ask them and

[3:07:09] then we can coordinate with the

[3:07:11] internal audit department based

[3:07:12] on what kind of response that we

[3:07:14] get.

[3:07:15] >>janet nguyen: mr. Chairman,

[3:07:16] I'll pause for now and pass to

[3:07:18] my colleagues.

[3:07:20] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:07:21] supervisor foley.

[3:07:22] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: thank

[3:07:23] you mr. Chairman, thank you

[3:07:24] supervisor nguyen. You gave me

[3:07:26] a lot to think about because --

[3:07:28] so supervisor wagner and I over

[3:07:30] here saying, well, we just use

[3:07:31] the in-house print shop at the

[3:07:33] county wouldn't even occur to me

[3:07:36] to go and hire a private company

[3:07:39] to do mailers or printing for

[3:07:41] our work here at county because

[3:07:43] typically it's going to be a lot

[3:07:45] less expensive to use the

[3:07:46] in-house print shop than to be

[3:07:49] hiring private printers. So

[3:07:52] that is of concern, and I

[3:07:55] support the effort to kind of

[3:07:57] dig into that. So the other

[3:08:00] issue with this dtn, and I like

[3:08:03] us to maybe look into this.

[3:08:08] maybe it can be procurement.

[3:08:10] I'm not sure if it needs to be

[3:08:12] the forensic auditing. But when

[3:08:13] I first got here in 2021, this

[3:08:16] was a company that just was

[3:08:19] given to us in my office. This

[3:08:22] is -- we were told this is who

[3:08:23] we order all of our things

[3:08:25] through. And so we accepted

[3:08:27] that as this is coming from the

[3:08:29] county people, and this is where

[3:08:31] we would order, you know,

[3:08:34] jackets and things that we need

[3:08:41] for the office. And soon

[3:08:43] thereafter, I learned sort of

[3:08:44] the connection with the

[3:08:45] political people and I didn't

[3:08:46] feel right about it, so then we

[3:08:48] did kind of an outsourcing and

[3:08:50] tried to get other bids and went

[3:08:51] to a different vendor. We have

[3:08:53] a couple now that we use for

[3:08:56] purchasing t-shirts or if the

[3:09:05] staff needs a jacket or anything

[3:09:06] like that that we try not to buy

[3:09:08] too much of, but if we do need

[3:09:10] to. So I do that I is in the

[3:09:11] realm of how did this vendor

[3:09:13] become like the vendor for the

[3:09:17] board? I think moving forward

[3:09:20] may be what we might want to do

[3:09:22] is make sure -- and I do think

[3:09:24] the -- some of the procedures

[3:09:27] and protocols that we've put

[3:09:28] into place over the last two

[3:09:30] years will probably eliminate

[3:09:33] that from happening in the

[3:09:34] future. But just in case we

[3:09:39] should probably have -- we

[3:09:40] should probably have like a list

[3:09:42] of approved vetted, you know,

[3:09:45] competitively bid vendors that

[3:09:49] the board office can choose

[3:09:52] from, and that anybody that

[3:09:53] wants to be added to that list

[3:09:54] should have to go through the

[3:09:56] same protocol and process. It

[3:09:59] shouldn't be just like here's

[3:09:59] the vendor for the board,

[3:10:01] especially for people coming in.

[3:10:03] we don't know anything. We all

[3:10:04] know a lot more now than I ever

[3:10:06] knew when I first got here. As

[3:10:08] the 360 clinic, I also think we

[3:10:11] should still consider looking

[3:10:12] into this. And I'll say this, I

[3:10:15] had been hearing about this in

[3:10:16] the community, actually,

[3:10:18] supervisor nguyen, then senator

[3:10:20] nguyen and I spoke about this in

[3:10:22] 2022. And I spoke to the then

[3:10:26] ceo about it. I spoke to the

[3:10:29] then healthcare agency director

[3:10:31] about it, and was basically told

[3:10:35] there's nothing to see here,

[3:10:39] right. And then in january of

[3:10:42] 2025, I brought this up again

[3:10:44] because there was some news that

[3:10:47] came out regarding this

[3:10:49] particular business entity.

[3:10:51] and, again, there was nothing to

[3:10:54] see here. So at some point

[3:10:57] we've got to figure out why we

[3:10:59] don't see what's actually there.

[3:11:02] and so I'm not sure how to fix

[3:11:04] that, but this forensic you ad

[3:11:07] thought we've done now reveals

[3:11:09] there is something to see and

[3:11:10] maybe we should have seen it

[3:11:11] sooner. And so that's something

[3:11:12] that we should look into. And

[3:11:16] that goes to the issue also of,

[3:11:20] during this time period, 2021 to

[3:11:24] 2022/23 time period, multiple

[3:11:31] city managers, multiple

[3:11:32] community leaders, staff,

[3:11:36] nonprofit executives would

[3:11:38] contact me and complain about

[3:11:41] what they were concerned were

[3:11:44] maybe unethical dealings.

[3:11:45] that's all we thought it was at

[3:11:47] that time. Maybe unethical, not

[3:11:48] necessarily realizing it rises

[3:11:50] to the level of criminal

[3:11:53] violations. And so we did not

[3:11:58] have a good -- since we had the

[3:12:01] fraud hotline people could call.

[3:12:03] but it didn't seem to work.

[3:12:06] we -- people would elevate their

[3:12:09] complaint through the chain of

[3:12:11] command. It didn't seem to

[3:12:13] work. So what's to say that all

[3:12:16] these new protocols that we have

[3:12:17] to now will work? What is it

[3:12:21] that will make them work?

[3:12:22] because when you have somebody

[3:12:25] who is the head of a nonprofit

[3:12:26] calling a county supervisor,

[3:12:28] crying on the phone, concerned

[3:12:30] that she's going to be in

[3:12:32] violation of law somehow by

[3:12:34] following a director of another

[3:12:36] county supervisor and there's

[3:12:40] nothing we can do about it, I

[3:12:41] mean, what else do we need to do

[3:12:43] to make sure that when a county

[3:12:47] staff member or a community

[3:12:49] member or a contractor of the

[3:12:51] county makes an official

[3:12:54] complaint, that it actually gets

[3:12:57] investigated by an objective

[3:13:01] third party?

[3:13:02] I think that's where there

[3:13:06] wasn't that happening then. And

[3:13:08] the fact that you're an

[3:13:10] objective third party, so you're

[3:13:11] not -- you're just looking at

[3:13:13] everything objectively, and now

[3:13:15] we're discovering things that

[3:13:16] probably we all thought were

[3:13:17] there but we didn't have any

[3:13:19] proof. So I don't know if you

[3:13:21] could answer that question, and

[3:13:23] then I have another question.

[3:13:24] >>speaker: I think there's a few

[3:13:25] things as far as the

[3:13:26] effectiveness of a fraud hotline

[3:13:28] go, and some of it comes down to

[3:13:31] resources. Some of it comes

[3:13:32] down to the structure and making

[3:13:36] sure there's clear protocols.

[3:13:38] so if an hr-related allegation

[3:13:42] comes in that it's not

[3:13:43] investigated by somebody who is

[3:13:46] the -- in hr that is the

[3:13:48] supervisor of that particular

[3:13:49] group, you know, making sure

[3:13:51] there's -- based on the nature

[3:13:53] of the allegation, who is going

[3:13:55] to be the lead on investigating

[3:13:56] it, there needs to be awareness

[3:13:59] as far as what information is

[3:14:01] going to be required to be

[3:14:03] submitted and collected so that

[3:14:05] there is sufficient -- I think a

[3:14:07] lot of times what we see is the

[3:14:09] people who are investigating the

[3:14:10] information from a hotline, they

[3:14:13] don't have enough information

[3:14:14] submitted, and the person is not

[3:14:16] providing their contact

[3:14:18] information to speak to them,

[3:14:19] and so they don't have anyway of

[3:14:20] getting in touch with them, and

[3:14:21] they have nothing else to go on,

[3:14:23] and then that becomes an

[3:14:24] unsubstantiated, you know,

[3:14:26] claim. So I think there's a few

[3:14:27] things that could make it more

[3:14:29] effective. But, you know, I

[3:14:32] think it has to be something

[3:14:33] that is a focus point for

[3:14:35] making those changes and

[3:14:37] improvements in the hotline

[3:14:39] process.

[3:14:40] >>speaker: so one of the

[3:14:41] complaints that I received

[3:14:42] during this relevant time period

[3:14:45] was that the healthcare agency

[3:14:48] that -- the then healthcare

[3:14:50] agency director was contacting

[3:14:51] the santa ana unified school

[3:14:52] district and requiring that they

[3:14:57] employ 360 clinic instead of the

[3:15:02] even thought had competitively

[3:15:04] bid for that contract or had

[3:15:07] been selected. I'm not too

[3:15:09] informed about the process. But

[3:15:11] the santa ana unified school

[3:15:12] district had picked a different

[3:15:14] vendor, and then the healthcare

[3:15:17] agency director, according to

[3:15:19] this complaint, complained and

[3:15:22] said, no, you have to pick 360

[3:15:24] clinic. Did you investigate

[3:15:25] that issue?

[3:15:27] >>speaker: not specifically. We

[3:15:28] looked at all of the emails

[3:15:31] related to 360 clinic, and I

[3:15:33] think there may have been some

[3:15:35] emails where other entities

[3:15:38] would ask about how it went with

[3:15:40] your covid testing and the

[3:15:42] vendor that you used. But we

[3:15:43] didn't see any emails related

[3:15:45] to, you know, directives or

[3:15:48] advocate for 360 clinic to

[3:15:51] receive a contract at another

[3:15:52] government entity or public

[3:15:53] institution.

[3:15:54] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: okay.

[3:15:55] so --

[3:15:57] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: okay.

[3:15:57] so I think this is really

[3:15:58] helpful, and I think we all can

[3:16:00] agree that it was valuable, and

[3:16:02] thank you supervisor sarmiento

[3:16:04] for pushing us to make -- you

[3:16:04] know, do the full audit. In

[3:16:07] 2024/25, we, you know, we made a

[3:16:10] lot of reforms here at county.

[3:16:14] you commented on some of those.

[3:16:15] and those are intended to

[3:16:18] improve the procedures, the

[3:16:18] protocols, the transparency, the

[3:16:21] accountability, and oversight.

[3:16:24] we've implemented nearly all of

[3:16:26] your recommendations already,

[3:16:27] which is the good news, right.

[3:16:32] there's a few that we have not

[3:16:33] implemented. And they relate to

[3:16:37] things that -- I'm not sure we

[3:16:45] would know how to implement

[3:16:46] them. Recovery for 360

[3:16:50] unrecoverable claims. I agree

[3:16:52] that we must proceed to do that,

[3:16:54] and I believe that that is a

[3:16:56] litigation effort. I don't know

[3:16:58] how we do it otherwise. But

[3:17:00] hopefully someone will work on

[3:17:01] that. Referral of campaign

[3:17:04] contributions to former

[3:17:05] supervisor do. That is

[3:17:09] something that hopefully

[3:17:11] question direct staff to -- I

[3:17:14] suppose that would be directing

[3:17:15] mr. Page's office to refer that

[3:17:18] to the fppc. And it wouldn't

[3:17:21] just be related to supervisor

[3:17:24] do, because I think the mailer

[3:17:26] that supervisor nguyen was

[3:17:31] holding up -- you said "chief,"

[3:17:34] but I don't think you meant the

[3:17:35] chief we've been talking about.

[3:17:38] >>janet nguyen: yes. He had two

[3:17:39] chief of staff.

[3:17:40] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: okay.

[3:17:41] so I think that we need to

[3:17:43] address that particular person

[3:17:44] as well. And then you

[3:17:47] indicated -- and then I -- so in

[3:17:51] preparation for today and for

[3:17:53] some other things that I'm

[3:17:54] working on, I went to the county

[3:17:56] website, and I was trying to

[3:17:57] find -- I was trying to pretend

[3:17:59] like I'm a resident or I'm a

[3:18:01] person that doesn't know what I

[3:18:02] know. How I do find this

[3:18:04] information on the coin's web

[3:18:05] night where is the transparency

[3:18:09] portal? How do I see what all

[3:18:11] the board offices have allocated

[3:18:14] in terms of their grants? How

[3:18:16] do I see the contracts? And I

[3:18:19] have to say -- and I don't know

[3:18:21] if you've found in, if you could

[3:18:23] comment on it -- it's very

[3:18:25] difficult. We do not have a

[3:18:27] good website that is current

[3:18:30] that allows everything to be

[3:18:32] centered into one location. And

[3:18:35] if it's there, it's not easily

[3:18:38] found. So you can comment on

[3:18:41] that? Did you discover that as

[3:18:42] well?

[3:18:43] >>speaker: yeah. And we -- I

[3:18:45] think I know what you're

[3:18:46] referring to. There's the

[3:18:48] transparency section that has

[3:18:49] some of the district

[3:18:50] discretionary funds. You know,

[3:18:54] I think generally speaking as

[3:18:55] far as navigating to certain

[3:18:57] documents, we've found that

[3:18:59] sometimes we would just start

[3:19:00] with -- you could do a search

[3:19:01] and get to it, but navigating

[3:19:03] within the website was, you

[3:19:05] know, not intuitive necessarily.

[3:19:07] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: yes.

[3:19:08] so part of what I would

[3:19:09] recommend for today is that we

[3:19:11] have whomever's responsible for

[3:19:15] our website create a

[3:19:16] transparency page that is more

[3:19:20] easily navigatable, I guess, and

[3:19:25] more intuitive. And then we

[3:19:26] also may want to consider

[3:19:30] requiring that the board use the

[3:19:32] in-house print shop instead of

[3:19:36] outsource printing, unless

[3:19:39] approved by the board, because I

[3:19:41] don't really see why we need to

[3:19:42] go outside of the in-house print

[3:19:43] shop. It's actually less

[3:19:45] expensive in normal

[3:19:46] circumstances. And it's our

[3:19:48] staff, and they do a good job.

[3:19:52] so I'm not sure why we wouldn't

[3:19:53] to require that unless it's

[3:19:57] approved by the board. And I

[3:20:00] had a question about a word you

[3:20:02] used. You talked about the word

[3:20:04] "constituents" being a campaign

[3:20:09] word, which that was a surprise

[3:20:12] me because I wouldn't have

[3:20:12] considered constituent its

[3:20:14] related to a campaign --

[3:20:17] constituents related to a

[3:20:17] campaign. When I use the word

[3:20:19] "constituents," it's because I

[3:20:22] want to include businesses and

[3:20:23] residents, and I want it to be

[3:20:25] one word instead of two or

[3:20:27] three. And so I'm not sure why

[3:20:29] that word -- I hope we don't

[3:20:31] adopt that word as a word

[3:20:33] that -- like a campaign word

[3:20:35] because I don't think that --

[3:20:37] I'm not sure about the rest of

[3:20:38] you, but I don't think of

[3:20:40] "constituents" as necessarily

[3:20:41] related to a campaign. That's

[3:20:43] just a shorter way of saying

[3:20:45] residents, businesses,

[3:20:46] nonprofits, all of the people

[3:20:48] and entities that we represent.

[3:20:51] >>speaker: yeah. I think it's

[3:20:53] probably -- yeah, semantics. I

[3:20:57] see your point, and I think what

[3:20:59] we were trying to distinguish is

[3:21:01] that there that have been a

[3:21:02] connotation -- and if there

[3:21:05] is -- there is some definitions

[3:21:07] that include a voting member of

[3:21:08] a constituent for a constituent

[3:21:11] which is slightly different than

[3:21:12] if you were to say a citizen or

[3:21:15] community member. But it is

[3:21:17] more of a connotation and I

[3:21:18] think we were really describing

[3:21:21] it as this festival and the

[3:21:24] mailers to constituents, you

[3:21:27] know, coupled with that there

[3:21:28] was former supervisor do's logo

[3:21:32] on the backdrop everything on

[3:21:34] the festival screens, that those

[3:21:39] festivals to some capacity

[3:21:42] served as campaign events in

[3:21:45] addition to community events.

[3:21:47] that was a long answering.

[3:21:48] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: but

[3:21:49] that wouldn't have to go through

[3:21:49] legal to get approved? I mean,

[3:21:51] we go through legal to get

[3:21:52] approved for everything, and the

[3:21:53] logos for all of us are on

[3:21:55] everything. So we would -- but

[3:21:56] from our office standpoint, I

[3:21:58] can only speak for us, we don't

[3:22:00] send anything out without

[3:22:02] getting it signed off on by

[3:22:05] james harman. And sometimes

[3:22:06] it's different -- 10 different

[3:22:09] back and forth drafts saying if

[3:22:10] you say d5, that's actually my

[3:22:12] name. It's not always

[3:22:14] intuitive, right. So I guess

[3:22:20] the law has rules that govern

[3:22:24] what is allowed by the

[3:22:26] supervisors. So I wouldn't want

[3:22:28] us to characterize something as

[3:22:31] campaign related if it's legal

[3:22:33] under our laws. Does that make

[3:22:36] sense?

[3:22:36] >>speaker: understood, yeah.

[3:22:37] and we did see situation where

[3:22:39] is mailers and logos were

[3:22:41] approved through counsel. I

[3:22:45] don't know if the -- every logo

[3:22:48] that was displayed, you know, on

[3:22:50] the festivals was necessarily

[3:22:52] approved or not. I couldn't

[3:22:54] speak to that. But, yeah, your

[3:22:56] point is taken though with the

[3:22:58] use of the word "constituent."

[3:23:00] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: I'm

[3:23:01] mostly concerned about the fact

[3:23:02] that money was being funneled to

[3:23:04] a particular organization that's

[3:23:07] a business entity, that's

[3:23:09] collecting money and people are

[3:23:11] getting charged, and it's

[3:23:12] collecting money, and then

[3:23:14] they're getting percentages on

[3:23:16] the back of the house that's not

[3:23:17] transparent and that's going to

[3:23:20] family members and friends, and

[3:23:22] we don't have any record of it,

[3:23:24] right. That I think is the

[3:23:25] bigger concern from -- in

[3:23:28] reviewing your information. So

[3:23:30] I thank you for identifying

[3:23:32] those issues and, yeah, it's odd

[3:23:36] to me that a entity would be

[3:23:39] collecting money. And it's an

[3:23:42] llc. It wasn't even a

[3:23:44] nonprofit -- but collecting

[3:23:46] money from different sponsors

[3:23:49] including other government

[3:23:51] agencies to fund something, and

[3:23:53] then getting a commission on

[3:23:55] that. That's very strange. And

[3:23:57] that shouldn't happen. Okay.

[3:23:59] that's pretty much all I had. I

[3:24:01] do think that some of these

[3:24:02] items have been addressed by us,

[3:24:08] and I am grateful that we did

[3:24:13] the deep dive and we now have

[3:24:17] other, I think, reforms that we

[3:24:19] might want to implement. So

[3:24:21] thank you.

[3:24:22] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:24:22] supervisor sarmiento.

[3:24:25] >>vincente sarmiento: yes, thank

[3:24:26] you, mr. Chair. , and thank you

[3:24:30] travis for the presentation of

[3:24:32] the power point. And aggie,

[3:24:35] thank you for having your team

[3:24:35] follow up on this. I know we

[3:24:38] started this discussion early on

[3:24:38] and we debated whether or not

[3:24:39] the investment was worth, you

[3:24:42] know, the product, work product

[3:24:45] that we're seeing here today. I

[3:24:46] think it was. I think in the

[3:24:48] end we'll be better for it

[3:24:49] because of what's been

[3:24:51] implemented, what we maybe can

[3:24:54] continue to work on. So I

[3:24:55] certainly believe there's value

[3:24:58] here in what was done. And I

[3:24:58] want to compliment you on your

[3:25:00] work and the weaver team on

[3:25:02] doing that. Obviously, we've

[3:25:04] lived with this a little bit

[3:25:06] longer here on this board

[3:25:07] because we've seen it even those

[3:25:10] supervisor that saw it from the

[3:25:11] time the pandemic was here and

[3:25:12] these sort of unique set of

[3:25:14] circumstances that may be

[3:25:18] allowed for facilitating the

[3:25:20] movement of money without the

[3:25:23] normal oversight. I know to

[3:25:28] supervisor nguyen's point, I

[3:25:30] know she's lived with it for a

[3:25:31] shorter time here. She's lived

[3:25:34] with it in the community seeing

[3:25:34] the impact and consequences of

[3:25:36] it. So I certainly want to make

[3:25:38] sure she has an ample amount of

[3:25:39] time, but a lot of what was said

[3:25:41] regarding just the scope of what

[3:25:43] you're looking at, not just in

[3:25:45] the disburse phase but in the

[3:25:48] subsequent phases really

[3:25:50] important. And I think when we

[3:25:51] talk about terminology, you

[3:25:52] know, what I'm really impressed

[3:25:54] with you reciting in your report

[3:25:56] and in the audit were terms like

[3:25:59] a culture, influence. And I

[3:26:04] assume you're talking about

[3:26:04] undue influence, obfuscate and

[3:26:09] steering of funds in one

[3:26:11] direction or another. So those

[3:26:13] are really elusive things to

[3:26:15] find, but I do think we needed

[3:26:17] somebody who was sort of

[3:26:22] external, objective, away from

[3:26:24] what we were seeing to look at

[3:26:27] this and take a very close soft

[3:26:29] forensic view of this. So I

[3:26:31] certainly appreciate that, and I

[3:26:33] do appreciate the ceo and her

[3:26:36] staff and aggie's team looking

[3:26:37] at some of what's already been

[3:26:40] implemented. I think we've gone

[3:26:42] a long way in talking about sole

[3:26:44] sourcing, improving on that

[3:26:46] familiar relationships and

[3:26:49] having work and contracts sent

[3:26:52] to them. So those are some easy

[3:26:54] things that can be done, and

[3:26:56] they're not -- you know, this is

[3:26:57] more intuitive, standardizing

[3:27:00] invoicing requirements. I think

[3:27:03] standardizing monitoring when it

[3:27:04] comes to federal contracts,

[3:27:06] doing additional training are

[3:27:07] those are not difficult to

[3:27:09] implement. I think what's

[3:27:10] difficult is going back to this

[3:27:12] culture that's referenced

[3:27:15] throughout the audit, and I

[3:27:16] don't want to pick on this

[3:27:18] county because we saw it, and I

[3:27:20] served -- everybody up here has

[3:27:25] served on other public agencies

[3:27:26] where you see the same

[3:27:27] systematic structural problem,

[3:27:29] right, where the elected

[3:27:32] officials have tremendous power,

[3:27:35] right. Some exert it in a very

[3:27:38] positive way, some exert it

[3:27:40] obviously in ways that can be

[3:27:42] criminal, and we saw that not

[3:27:44] just here, but we saw it in one

[3:27:45] of our cities in anaheim when

[3:27:48] the mayor used his influence to

[3:27:50] conduct himself in a corrupt and

[3:27:52] criminal way. And I've seen it

[3:27:54] throughout my career as an

[3:27:55] elected official, and those

[3:27:58] folks were just not caught.

[3:27:59] they were just more clever.

[3:28:00] they didn't leave the footprint

[3:28:03] that was left here. So I know

[3:28:04] that when I talk I hope I'm not

[3:28:06] being overly critical of the

[3:28:09] county of orange. I just think

[3:28:11] government has this problem

[3:28:13] where, you know, we have a very

[3:28:18] strong and balanced when we have

[3:28:22] an elected official speaking to

[3:28:22] a department manager, an

[3:28:23] executive or even a mid-level

[3:28:25] manager. And sometimes it

[3:28:26] becomes very difficult to, you

[3:28:30] know, balance that, right, and

[3:28:31] make sure that, you know, that

[3:28:34] staff person knows that they

[3:28:36] have rights. And I think to the

[3:28:38] point that was made, how do we,

[3:28:39] you know, create a good fraud

[3:28:42] hotline, whistle-blower

[3:28:43] protection where people feel

[3:28:45] that they're -- that their

[3:28:47] confidentiality will be

[3:28:48] protected. Because that really

[3:28:50] is the only layer of protection

[3:28:51] that we have to be able to find

[3:28:55] some of these things that you

[3:28:56] were looking for. And I want to

[3:28:57] draw your attention to something

[3:28:58] that wasn't mentioned in your

[3:29:07] audit and I saw an occr exchange

[3:29:11] and it was a low-level manager

[3:29:13] or a mid-level manager saying,

[3:29:15] when we were talking about this,

[3:29:16] they said I went to go visit the

[3:29:19] address that was listed on the

[3:29:20] warner wellness viet america

[3:29:23] society offices.

[3:29:24] and they said there's nobody

[3:29:25] there. It's vacant. And this

[3:29:30] is when the discussion was on

[3:29:31] the compliance side, is there

[3:29:32] someone we can speak to from the

[3:29:34] viet america society and warner

[3:29:38] wellness to be able to verify

[3:29:39] whether these meals were

[3:29:41] actually generated and sent and

[3:29:42] received by the seniors in that

[3:29:43] district. Once that email was

[3:29:45] sent, it kind of was

[3:29:52] unresponsive -- or

[3:29:54] under-responded to. I remember

[3:29:56] the former ceo came into my

[3:29:57] office because I asked him to,

[3:29:59] and I said, can you explain what

[3:30:01] happened with this request or

[3:30:02] with this inquiry that was made?

[3:30:07] because that was the first

[3:30:09] indication that I saw in writing

[3:30:11] that somebody was asking the

[3:30:13] question, you know, was there

[3:30:15] compliance with this contract?

[3:30:18] and I remembered the response,

[3:30:21] you know, graphically, which

[3:30:23] was, well, I checked with the

[3:30:27] supervisor's chief of staff, and

[3:30:29] he said that it was. That was

[3:30:31] the response. That was the

[3:30:34] verification. I'm not here to

[3:30:39] throw anybody under the bus but

[3:30:41] I think the point that's being

[3:30:45] made is maybe that people didn't

[3:30:47] work in concert but there were

[3:30:48] people that were trying to draw

[3:30:50] attention to this, and those in

[3:30:51] positions of more executive

[3:30:53] authority disregarded those,

[3:30:58] ignored those, didn't pay

[3:31:00] attention maybe because of that

[3:31:02] same fear and intimidation

[3:31:03] you're referencing in the audit,

[3:31:05] that supervisor do and his chief

[3:31:08] of staff exerted. But that is a

[3:31:09] fatal flaw in government. I

[3:31:14] think what's been said here

[3:31:16] before is you can't legislate

[3:31:18] good behavior. I agree. You

[3:31:19] can't. If someone wants to

[3:31:20] conduct themselves in a criminal

[3:31:23] way and be clever about it and

[3:31:25] be deceitful about it and be

[3:31:27] really good at it, they can.

[3:31:30] it's really hard to govern good

[3:31:32] legal behavior and ethical

[3:31:35] behavior. But one of the things

[3:31:37] I think we can do is we have

[3:31:40] this ethics officer and this

[3:31:43] ethics commission. I don't know

[3:31:44] what it does. It really doesn't

[3:31:47] do anything. I think it should

[3:31:48] have been front and center on

[3:31:50] this with, you know, alarms

[3:31:53] going off, look, this is what

[3:31:54] we're seeing. It's during an

[3:31:57] emergency, we get the conditions

[3:31:59] are irregular, and they're not,

[3:32:01] you know -- it's not a common

[3:32:03] moment. But that's what I think

[3:32:05] that role should have been used

[3:32:08] for at that time. So I don't

[3:32:10] know that's something that can

[3:32:12] be done. I do think that as we

[3:32:14] go through the matrix of

[3:32:19] corrective actions that we've

[3:32:20] taken, I just want to make sure

[3:32:21] that those are fully implemented

[3:32:23] and I know some are in progress,

[3:32:25] and so I certainly appreciate

[3:32:27] the updates and maybe madam ceo,

[3:32:31] we continue with, you know,

[3:32:32] providing updates and maybe

[3:32:34] gap-filling some of what was

[3:32:36] recommended in this audit. So I

[3:32:39] agree with, you know, the

[3:32:39] vice-chair on that and

[3:32:42] supervisor nguyen. I just think

[3:32:44] that, you know, there has to be

[3:32:46] some way where we encourage

[3:32:50] people to come forward because

[3:32:51] this certainly speaks to

[3:32:54] complete discouragement and

[3:32:55] abandonment of people trying to

[3:32:57] call attention to this and

[3:32:58] nothing being done. So I think

[3:33:02] extending the power of the

[3:33:03] ethics officer and its

[3:33:05] commission is something that we

[3:33:05] should consider. And I know

[3:33:07] they're governed by an

[3:33:08] ordinance, and that ordinance is

[3:33:10] really, really toothless, in my

[3:33:12] opinion. It doesn't -- you

[3:33:15] know, they're not allowed to do

[3:33:17] much, they don't have much

[3:33:18] authority, don't have much

[3:33:20] power, and that's something that

[3:33:21] we should revisit. And I think

[3:33:23] that we also may want to

[3:33:25] consider general transparency

[3:33:28] aboard -- at board offices and

[3:33:34] meetings that we entertain, and

[3:33:36] those should be made up.

[3:33:38] they're publically discoverable.

[3:33:40] if somebody asks for a public

[3:33:44] records act request, we should

[3:33:46] have toe demonstrate those. Who

[3:33:48] are we meeting with? Why? How

[3:33:51] long? How often? Those are

[3:33:52] some things that we can do,

[3:33:53] they're general sunshine

[3:33:54] provisions, something we should

[3:33:55] consider looking at. Do we post

[3:33:58] our public contracts? Are they

[3:33:59] readily accessible to the

[3:34:02] public? Again, to the point

[3:34:04] where, is it easily -- is it a

[3:34:08] web site that can be easily

[3:34:09] navigated by a layperson?

[3:34:11] probably not. We just need to

[3:34:14] get better at doing that.

[3:34:15] that's not something I 98 we're

[3:34:16] trying to hide. I just think

[3:34:18] it's more just practical

[3:34:20] challenges for people, an

[3:34:23] average person trying to find

[3:34:24] information. You know, county

[3:34:26] lobbyist registry, I think we

[3:34:29] have that.

[3:34:30] you know, we want to make sure

[3:34:32] that that's also something that

[3:34:33] is readily accessible. I just

[3:34:35] do think that we do have a

[3:34:39] opportunity here, and that's

[3:34:40] what we said at the very

[3:34:42] beginning. This crisis or this

[3:34:45] crime, however we want to

[3:34:47] describe it, gives us a window,

[3:34:48] gives us a moment where we can

[3:34:50] really make improvements to this

[3:34:52] county and be an example to

[3:34:54] others. And I do think that,

[3:34:56] you know, that's how I see it at

[3:34:58] this moment, that we can really

[3:35:00] improve things. I don't think

[3:35:02] we're going to be able to

[3:35:03] eliminate bad behavior or bad

[3:35:06] conduct, but we certainly can go

[3:35:07] a long way into making sure

[3:35:10] there's not complete deference

[3:35:12] to board office. And that's

[3:35:14] something that, to me, I've

[3:35:15] appreciated by our current ceo

[3:35:18] where she pushes back often and

[3:35:20] says, no, we have to go through

[3:35:22] these, and we go through an

[3:35:23] exchange. What I saw when I

[3:35:25] came in it was just the

[3:35:27] opposite, was complete deference

[3:35:29] to certain offices and not

[3:35:31] others. And so that's maybe a

[3:35:35] very difficult problem to solve.

[3:35:38] but, again, I just want to make

[3:35:40] sure we restore that

[3:35:42] responsibility that our

[3:35:43] employees have no matter how --

[3:35:46] you know, whether mid-level,

[3:35:49] low-level, to make sure that if

[3:35:50] they want to call attention to

[3:35:51] something, that it's going to be

[3:35:52] heard, that it's going to be

[3:35:54] received well. So, you know,

[3:35:57] those are sort of my, you know,

[3:36:00] comments on how we can maybe

[3:36:02] gap-fill what you said but also

[3:36:03] going a little bit further on

[3:36:06] making sure that we sunshine

[3:36:07] some of these things and we, you

[3:36:09] know, already disclose things

[3:36:11] that are discoverable. So, you

[3:36:15] know, thank you for doing the

[3:36:16] audit. I look forward to the

[3:36:17] next phases. But you can just,

[3:36:19] you know, quickly tell us what

[3:36:21] do you see in the next phase?

[3:36:25] >>speaker: with respect to phase

[3:36:26] 2, so we've already started

[3:36:28] looking at the vendor reviews

[3:36:29] for phase 2. We know that

[3:36:33] there's contracts and vendors

[3:36:35] that are, you know, also part of

[3:36:36] the district discretionary and

[3:36:39] selected through the districts.

[3:36:42] so we know that there's gonna

[3:36:44] be -- could be similar patterns.

[3:36:47] these are also ones that have,

[3:36:49] you know, emergency purchases,

[3:36:51] sole source procurements, some

[3:36:53] of the other risk factors that

[3:36:55] we see in phase 1. So I think

[3:36:57] that those are, you know, things

[3:36:58] that we're looking for and

[3:37:01] trying to identify the ones that

[3:37:01] we can dig deeper. Do you have

[3:37:09] any thoughts?

[3:37:11] >>speaker: the connections from

[3:37:13] phase 1 -- there is a connection

[3:37:16] sometimes between phase 1 when

[3:37:17] we saw to the phase 2. But we

[3:37:22] marked when we are doing phase

[3:37:26] 1, just that we need to look at

[3:37:28] phase 2 then.

[3:37:32] >>vincente sarmiento: so that's

[3:37:33] helpful. I think phase 2 will

[3:37:35] also hopefully give you an

[3:37:36] opportunity connect some dots,

[3:37:38] right. But if you can make an

[3:37:40] extra effort to look at

[3:37:41] communications, right, and that

[3:37:42] to me is really important. It's

[3:37:45] not to get anybody into trouble.

[3:37:46] it's just a spotlight. What

[3:37:48] happened, how did this occur?

[3:37:51] and I think it's important for

[3:37:53] those communications, whether

[3:37:55] they're text message

[3:37:57] communications, whether they're

[3:37:58] email correspondence staff

[3:38:03] trying to call attention to this

[3:38:05] or any other misuse of public

[3:38:07] funds. I think we have really

[3:38:09] ethical people that work in this

[3:38:11] county, and I'm sure somebody

[3:38:11] saw something. Because these

[3:38:13] are, you know, again, hundreds

[3:38:16] of contracts with, you know,

[3:38:18] hundreds of thousands of dollars

[3:38:19] involved. So I do believe that

[3:38:21] we need to track those

[3:38:23] communications down. I have --

[3:38:25] I saw this communication that

[3:38:26] I'm referring to that I messaged

[3:38:28] to our former ceo once, and it

[3:38:30] was -- it's now completely lost,

[3:38:33] like nobody can produce it. And

[3:38:35] I've asked for it several times.

[3:38:37] so I will work with you to make

[3:38:38] sure we identify that exchange

[3:38:42] and that email chain because

[3:38:45] it's important. It's indicative

[3:38:47] of what we may find more of.

[3:38:50] so, please, let's, you know --

[3:38:53] let's continue on with that, and

[3:38:55] I appreciate the work that

[3:38:55] you've done. Mr. Chair, those

[3:38:57] are my comments.

[3:38:58] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:38:58] you, we're back to supervisor

[3:39:00] nguyen.

[3:39:01] >>janet nguyen: thank you

[3:39:01] mr. Chair. Just a couple more

[3:39:04] directives. I know that while

[3:39:05] you're working on the 360 clinic

[3:39:09] issue, I think coordination with

[3:39:10] caloptima, because they were

[3:39:12] looking at it as well, sharing

[3:39:16] of, you know, documents between

[3:39:18] the two public agencies to see

[3:39:20] if there's others I think would

[3:39:22] be more helpful than not. They

[3:39:25] might have information that we

[3:39:25] don't already have. And, you

[3:39:27] know, also looking into, you

[3:39:29] know -- my understanding is the

[3:39:32] former chief of staff's wife's

[3:39:33] work with 360 clinic during that

[3:39:36] time. And that has not been

[3:39:39] mentioned. She got a

[3:39:40] contractor. They was their

[3:39:44] staffing, their hr director or

[3:39:47] something like that. As well as

[3:39:49] the consultant. So I think

[3:39:52] those kind of information --

[3:39:53] when she started, how did she

[3:39:55] get the contract and et cetera

[3:39:57] would be helpful because we had

[3:39:59] similar wish another contract

[3:40:00] with the county that she was

[3:40:01] given a contract that she did

[3:40:03] not provide work for. And so I

[3:40:06] think, you know, again, going

[3:40:08] back to with 360, getting

[3:40:10] information, maybe sharing

[3:40:11] information with caloptima and

[3:40:13] then going further and asking,

[3:40:16] you know, more in depth on to

[3:40:17] 360 and getting the feds and the

[3:40:24] ag and d.a. More involved. And

[3:40:25] also I wanted to touch on 2t

[3:40:28] media.

[3:40:30] you know, in your report, you

[3:40:32] spoke to them, and they said --

[3:40:34] you asked if they gave a

[3:40:37] campaign contribution to this

[3:40:38] former supervisor, and they said

[3:40:39] they did not. But the report

[3:40:40] says they did. So --

[3:40:44] >>speaker: the campaign finance

[3:40:46] report.

[3:40:46] >>janet nguyen: yeah. So I

[3:40:47] think that's also something that

[3:40:49] should be alerted to fppc

[3:40:51] because someone is not telling

[3:40:53] the truth or something happened,

[3:40:55] you know, that -- were they a

[3:40:57] phantom donor that -- you know,

[3:41:01] the former supervisor decided to

[3:41:02] put on there? Was it -- I hope

[3:41:04] they gave it in a check because

[3:41:06] you cannot give it in a check,

[3:41:08] and they gave like $8,100, the

[3:41:12] maximum. So I think those are

[3:41:13] the kind of information that

[3:41:15] should also be alerted to fppc

[3:41:18] because they can subpoena these

[3:41:19] documents that we might not be

[3:41:21] able to. But overall, I just

[3:41:22] wanted to close it and, you

[3:41:26] know, look, the first district

[3:41:28] residents has continuously been

[3:41:29] waiting and waiting. So, I

[3:41:31] mean, the seniors who were

[3:41:33] promised services never got it.

[3:41:34] the patients who needed care

[3:41:36] didn't get it. The veterans who

[3:41:37] also was hoping for a war

[3:41:40] memorial ended up a memorial

[3:41:45] that honored andrew do. His

[3:41:47] name was engraved perfectly but

[3:41:49] everybody else names weren't

[3:41:51] done yet or partially done. You

[3:41:53] know, as we move forward, I want

[3:41:55] to make sure, that you know, we

[3:41:57] don't just take these reports

[3:41:58] just to treated and file it. We

[3:42:01] want to take the next step, and

[3:42:03] I appreciate our procurement

[3:42:05] staff and the ceo for

[3:42:07] continuously looking at this and

[3:42:08] making sure that we have the

[3:42:10] process and procedure in place

[3:42:12] as we move forward. But we also

[3:42:14] need to continue to unearth and

[3:42:16] see what else did we miss. And

[3:42:19] so as we move forward, I just

[3:42:21] want to make sure that we get

[3:42:23] this concluded because that's

[3:42:24] what helps our district, my

[3:42:26] district in particular, that

[3:42:28] were, you know, what these were

[3:42:30] stolen from. And so, you know,

[3:42:32] again, appreciate your time

[3:42:35] didn't your patience for doing

[3:42:37] this. And if our office can be

[3:42:39] of any assistance, let us know,

[3:42:41] because I think there's a lot

[3:42:41] more, and I truly believe this

[3:42:44] is just the tip of the iceberg.

[3:42:45] thank you.

[3:42:46] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:42:46] you. Back to supervisor foley.

[3:42:48] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: thank

[3:42:48] you so much, just one add

[3:42:51] request, when you begin the

[3:42:53] process of the work on phase 2,

[3:42:56] it would be helpful for us when

[3:42:58] you report, okay, this -- we

[3:43:02] have a concern about this

[3:43:04] particular issue, however, this

[3:43:05] new protocol that was adopted

[3:43:10] will ensure that that doesn't

[3:43:10] happen in the future or we'll

[3:43:13] address that. So if you could

[3:43:17] make those connections between

[3:43:17] the reforms that we have set

[3:43:19] into place and into practice

[3:43:22] versus what was in place then.

[3:43:25] because I think that would be

[3:43:26] really helpful instead of us

[3:43:27] just having to say, oh, I think

[3:43:30] that one's already covered. If

[3:43:31] it could be in the report, that

[3:43:32] would be helpful.

[3:43:33] >>speaker: sure.

[3:43:34] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: thank

[3:43:34] you.

[3:43:35] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:43:35] you. I see no more queries on

[3:43:40] my screen. I do thank you for

[3:43:41] your work, and I thank all of

[3:43:43] our offices and we'll be

[3:43:47] available to help in any way

[3:43:48] that you would like. So this

[3:43:50] receive and file item. There's

[3:43:51] no action agendized to be taken.

[3:43:54] thank you for taking and waiting

[3:43:55] and being so patient. Now we

[3:43:58] are going to go right to item

[3:43:59] 11, we see our auditor

[3:44:03] controller patiently out in the

[3:44:05] audience. Madam clerk, item 11,

[3:44:07] please.

[3:44:09] >>clerk, robin stieler11. Under

[3:44:10] auditor-controller - approve

[3:44:11] amendment 1 to contract

[3:44:12] ma-003-23010066 with eide bailly

[3:44:12] llp for independent auditing and

[3:44:14] related services, term ending

[3:44:14] 4/30/26, ($134,200; cumulative

[3:44:15] total $1,982,436); and authorize

[3:44:16] county procurement officer or

[3:44:17] deputized designee to execute

[3:44:18] amendment.

[3:44:22] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[3:44:24] the item.

[3:44:25] >>don wagner: second.

[3:44:27] >>chair, doug chaffee: already,

[3:44:28] item is approved and thank you,

[3:44:29] auditor controller for being so

[3:44:31] patient, and I hope you enjoy

[3:44:33] the discussion that you

[3:44:34] witnessed.

[3:44:40] all right. Now, we have a

[3:44:47] number of other items, and so

[3:44:49] what is the pleasure of the

[3:44:51] board? Do you want to go to

[3:44:53] closed session? If anyone had a

[3:44:54] hot lunch, it's not going to be

[3:44:56] hot at this point. Closed

[3:44:58] session? A large number of

[3:45:00] items yet to do. So we will be

[3:45:02] back.

[3:45:03] >>speaker: mr. Chair, if I can,

[3:45:06] just really quickly before we go

[3:45:07] into closed session, on item

[3:45:09] no. 31c that was supervisor

[3:45:12] wagner's item, and I know we had

[3:45:13] a discussion about whether or

[3:45:14] not, you know, new legislation

[3:45:16] affects this, and I think, you

[3:45:18] know, now looking back on it,

[3:45:21] not having an opinion from the

[3:45:22] attorney general, which would be

[3:45:24] dispositive, not having alleged

[3:45:28] counsel opinion on, this I'm

[3:45:29] simply going to abstain on this

[3:45:32] as well. I see two of the

[3:45:33] foundations which I really care

[3:45:35] about that are in my district as

[3:45:37] well, jasper ray foundation and

[3:45:39] tustin public school foundation,

[3:45:41] which are completely solid, I

[3:45:42] don't want them to be

[3:45:44] misinterpreted by this really

[3:45:45] clumsy written legislation

[3:45:47] that's now complicated.

[3:45:51] >>chair, doug chaffee: we'll

[3:45:51] record your vote as an

[3:45:53] abstention on that item and it

[3:45:55] still carries with the three yes

[3:45:57] votes. Mad a clerk, would you

[3:45:58] read the closed-session items.

[3:46:00] >>clerk, robin stieler: cs-1.

[3:46:02] under county executive office -

[3:46:03] conference with labor negotiator

[3:46:04] pursuant to government code

[3:46:05] section 54957.6 agency

[3:46:06] negotiator: jamie newton, chief

[3:46:08] human resources officer

[3:46:09] employee organizations:

[3:46:12] association of orange county

[3:46:13] deputy sheriffs (aocds), orange

[3:46:15] county employees association

[3:46:18] (ocea), orange county attorneys

[3:46:20] association (ocaa) international

[3:46:21] union of operating engineers

[3:46:22] (iuoe), association of county

[3:46:24] law

[3:46:24] enforcement managers (aclem),

[3:46:25] american federation of state,

[3:46:26] county and municipal employees

[3:46:27] (afscme) orange county managers

[3:46:28] association (ocma), teamsters,

[3:46:31] and workers represented by

[3:46:34] united

[3:46:35] domestic workers of america

[3:46:36] (udwa) and other nonrepresented

[3:46:37] employees re: terms and

[3:46:39] conditions of employment. Scs2

[3:46:41] under county executive office -

[3:46:42] public employee appointment -

[3:46:43] pursuant to government code

[3:46:44] section 54957(b):

[3:46:46] title: director of office of

[3:46:48] independent review.

[3:46:51] scs3. County counsel -

[3:46:52] conference

[3:46:53] with legal counsel - existing

[3:46:54] litigation - pursuant to

[3:46:55] government code section

[3:46:57] 54956.9(d)(1):

[3:46:59] name of case: orange county

[3:47:00] flood

[3:47:02] control district v. Fico ch llc,

[3:47:03] et al., san bernardino superior

[3:47:04] court case no. Civsb2133824.

[3:47:05] scs4. County counsel -

[3:47:08] conference

[3:47:10] with legal counsel - existing

[3:47:11] litigation - pursuant to

[3:47:12] government code section

[3:47:13] 54956.9(d)(1):

[3:47:15] name of case: juan david

[3:47:17] veramancini, rodrigo torres

[3:47:18] marini v. County of orange,

[3:47:20] united states district court

[3:47:21] case

[3:47:21] no. 8:22-cv-01501-fws-jde

[3:47:22] scs5. County counsel -

[3:47:24] conference

[3:47:25] with legal counsel - anticipated

[3:47:26] litigation - significant

[3:47:26] exposure

[3:47:27] to litigation - pursuant to

[3:47:28] government code section

[3:47:29] 54956.9(d)(2):

[3:47:31] number of cases: multiple. Scs6

[3:47:35] county counsel - conference with

[3:47:38] legal counsel - existing

[3:47:39] litigation - pursuant to

[3:47:41] government code section

[3:47:42] 54956.9(d)(1): name of cases:

[3:47:43] clarisse magtoto v. County of

[3:47:44] orange, orange county superior

[3:47:45] court case no.

[3:47:47] 302022-01241335-cu-oe-cjc, amy

[3:47:47] tallakson v. County of orange,

[3:47:48] orange county superior court

[3:47:48] case

[3:47:49] no. 30-2022-01241346-cu-oe-cjc

[3:47:49] we have no requests to speak on

[3:47:51] the closed-session items.

[3:47:52] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:47:53] you, madam clerk, with that, we

[3:47:55] are adjourned to closed session.

[3:48:03] (closed session.)

[3:48:34] >>counsel, leon page: all

[3:48:37] right. So, pursuant

[3:48:39] to government code section

[3:48:40] 54957.6, 54957 subdivision b and

[3:48:41] 54956.9, the board met

[3:48:42] in closed session to discuss

[3:48:43] items on today's agenda:

[3:48:44] scs1 scs2 scs3 scs4 scs5

[3:48:47] and scs6.

[3:48:48] so, with respect to cs1, the

[3:48:49] board took no reportable

[3:48:50] action. With respect to

[3:48:51] scs2, the board took

[3:48:53] no reportable action.

[3:48:54] with respect to scs3, the board

[3:48:55] unanimously approved a proposed

[3:48:58] settlement in an amount

[3:48:59] not to exceed $10,535,000 to

[3:49:01] acquire flowage easement rights

[3:49:02] over various properties in san

[3:49:05] bernardino county identified as

[3:49:06] assessor parcel numbers

[3:49:07] 1027-121-38-39-40 and

[3:49:12] 41 in the matter of orange

[3:49:15] county flood control district

[3:49:16] versus fico chllc, at all. As

[3:49:17] part of today's approvals the

[3:49:18] board authorized and direct

[3:49:19] accounting council and outside

[3:49:20] counsel to file and execute all

[3:49:23] necessary documents. To

[3:49:24] accomplish this settlement.

[3:49:26] upon completion and execution of

[3:49:29] the settlement documents, the

[3:49:30] board authorized and direct the

[3:49:32] auditor controller to encumber

[3:49:34] payment to fico up to an amount

[3:49:36] of $3,779,000 in new money.

[3:49:37] payment of $2,415,548 is

[3:49:40] directed to be made by the

[3:49:42] auditor controller upon request

[3:49:43] within 30 days of entry

[3:49:44] of entry of judgment.

[3:49:45] upon grading, fico will request

[3:49:47] payment of the final $300,000

[3:49:48] that shall be released by the

[3:49:50] auditor controller at the

[3:49:51] request county counsel.

[3:49:53] if fico does not grade the

[3:49:55] remaining settlement of

[3:49:56] $1,363,452 shall be paid by

[3:49:58] march 1st 2030 and shall be

[3:50:00] released by the audit controller

[3:50:01] at the request of county

[3:50:02] counsel.

[3:50:04] when the settlement agreement is

[3:50:06] finalized, copies of the

[3:50:07] agreement will be made available

[3:50:07] through the office of county

[3:50:08] counsel. Any person who

[3:50:09] inquires.

[3:50:10] with respect to scs4, the board

[3:50:12] took no reportable action.

[3:50:13] with respect to scs5, the board

[3:50:14] unanimously approved a 2.5

[3:50:15] million dollar settlement of the

[3:50:17] claim submitted by the collins

[3:50:18] household and that's claimants

[3:50:19] robert and rebecca collins for

[3:50:20] economic and non-economic

[3:50:21] damages incurred as

[3:50:24] a result of the september

[3:50:26] 2024 airport fire. When the

[3:50:27] settlement agreement is

[3:50:28] finalized copies of the

[3:50:29] agreement will made available

[3:50:29] for the office of ceo risk

[3:50:30] management to any person who

[3:50:31] inquires.

[3:50:32] the board unanimously rejected

[3:50:34] the claims of forrest clark and

[3:50:35] glenn pearson.

[3:50:37] with respect to scs-6, on a vote

[3:50:39] of three to two, with chairman

[3:50:40] chafee, vice chair foley and

[3:50:41] supervisor sarmiento voting yes,

[3:50:41] and supervisor wagner and

[3:50:43] supervisor nguyen voting no.

[3:50:43] the board approved

[3:50:46] a $995,000 settlement

[3:50:48] with plaintiff clarice magtodo

[3:50:51] and a $988,000 settlement with

[3:50:52] plaintiff amy tallakson.

[3:50:55] both miss magtoto and miss

[3:50:57] tallakson alleged sexual

[3:50:59] harassment on the part of former

[3:51:02] senior assistant district

[3:51:03] attorney gary legalbo. The

[3:51:04] settlements approved today

[3:51:08] remains subject to the final

[3:51:08] approval others and

[3:51:09] when the settlements are

[3:51:09] finalized, copies of the

[3:51:10] agreements will be made

[3:51:11] available at the office of

[3:51:11] county counsel to any person who

[3:51:12] inquires.

[3:51:12] the board took no other

[3:51:13] reportable action in closed

[3:51:14] session today.

[3:51:14] then finally, with respect to

[3:51:17] the matter of jennifer kearns

[3:51:18] versus county of orange, which

[3:51:19] was considered by the board in

[3:51:20] close session on march 10th

[3:51:21] agenda item scs5, the plaintiff

[3:51:23] has accepted the board's $2.75

[3:51:24] million dollar offer to settle

[3:51:25] and also agreed to resign upon

[3:51:26] receipt of payment. The board

[3:51:29] had on march 10, 2026 approved

[3:51:32] the proposed settlement on a

[3:51:34] voter 3-2 with supervisor foley,

[3:51:35] supervisor sarmiento and wagner

[3:51:35] voting yes, and chairman chaffey

[3:51:36] and supervisor nguyen voting no.

[3:51:38] and that concludes my report.

[3:51:38] thank you, mr chairman.

[3:51:47] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:51:48] you. We were waiting for

[3:51:50] supervisor sarmiento, I told him

[3:51:54] 3:15. So, three more minutes.

[3:51:59] unless he arrives sooner.

[3:55:13] it's now 3:15, so calling the

[3:55:15] meeting back to order.

[3:55:15] on item 14 madam clerk

[3:55:16] will you please read item 14

[3:55:17] approve amendment 4 to extend

[3:55:19] contract ma-042-22010072 with hs

[3:55:20] govtech usa inc. For

[3:55:24] environmental health data

[3:55:25] management system, 7/1/26 -

[3:55:26] 6/30/28 ($609,393; cumulative

[3:55:26] total $1,898,506); renewable for

[3:55:27] one additional year; and

[3:55:28] authorize county procurement

[3:55:28] officer to execute amendment -

[3:55:29] all districts

[3:55:30] and we have no requests

[3:55:31] to speak on agenda item 14.

[3:55:32] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:55:33] it's an all district.

[3:55:34] moved and seconded. Any

[3:55:35] objection? No objection. Item

[3:55:36] carries. Passed.

[3:55:42] this would be 15 is next

[3:55:44] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:55:46] stieler: approve

[3:55:47] continuation of local

[3:55:47] health emergency by county's

[3:55:49] health officer issued on 9/20/24

[3:55:52] for trabuco canyon airport fire

[3:55:55] and affected areas to facilitate

[3:55:57] debris and ash removal as well

[3:55:59] as mitigation efforts to protect

[3:56:00] water wells; and set review to

[3:56:00] determine need for continuing

[3:56:02] local health emergency for

[3:56:04] 4/14/26, 9:30 a.m. And every 30

[3:56:06] days thereafter until terminated

[3:56:10] we have no request to speak on

[3:56:11] agenda item 15.

[3:56:12] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[3:56:14] the item.

[3:56:14] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:56:16] all district item.

[3:56:17] any objection? Approved.

[3:56:19] 16 please.

[3:56:21] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:56:22] stieler:

[3:56:23] acting as board of supervisors -

[3:56:24] authorize director or designee

[3:56:25] to utilize available funding

[3:56:27] ($3,990,800) for loan financing

[3:56:28] to partnership by jamboree

[3:56:29] housing corporation for

[3:56:31] development of costa mesa

[3:56:34] senior, 695 west 19th street,

[3:56:37] costa mesa; approve loan

[3:56:39] commitments and subordination at

[3:56:40] construction and permanent

[3:56:41] financing; authorize director or

[3:56:42] designee to subordinate

[3:56:43] additional senior debt and

[3:56:45] execute subordination agreements

[3:56:46] and related documents under

[3:56:47] certain conditions; authorize

[3:56:49] health care agency director or

[3:56:51] designee to execute services

[3:56:52] agreements and related documents

[3:56:54] under certain conditions for

[3:56:55] mental services act funding;

[3:56:59] acting as orange county housing

[3:57:01] authority - approve selection of

[3:57:02] costa mesa senior for

[3:57:04] utilization of up to 34 housing

[3:57:06] choice project-based vouchers;

[3:57:08] and authorize executive director

[3:57:09] of orange county housing

[3:57:11] authority or designee to execute

[3:57:12] related documents under certain

[3:57:13] conditions

[3:57:14] we have received one request to

[3:57:15] speak on agenda item 16. Please

[3:57:17] >>chair, doug chaffee: please

[3:57:18] call the speaker.

[3:57:19] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:57:20] stieler: paul hyack.

[3:57:22] >>chair, doug chaffee: I do not

[3:57:23] see him here.

[3:57:24] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:57:25] stieler: he's not present.

[3:57:27] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:57:28] we'll bring this back then to

[3:57:30] the board for consideration, the

[3:57:31] district five item.

[3:57:32] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:57:33] stieler:

[3:57:33] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[3:57:34] thank you, mr. Chairman I move

[3:57:35] this item. And will comment.

[3:57:38] this this is a major milestone

[3:57:40] for this development project

[3:57:44] started when I was mayor

[3:57:46] in costa mesa and it's taken

[3:57:49] seven, almost eight years, to

[3:57:51] get here. What's great is it's

[3:57:54] 70 units senior housing and 34

[3:57:56] of the units will be 30 ami.

[3:57:57] that's those project-based

[3:57:58] vouchers.

[3:58:01] and for those who don't know in

[3:58:04] the public, 30 ami means that a

[3:58:05] person can't make more than

[3:58:06] $35,550 dollars and then 34 will

[3:58:09] be at the 60,000 annually.

[3:58:14] this will have a dog wash, bike

[3:58:16] lockers, connection to the costa

[3:58:18] mesa senior center.

[3:58:20] it's being built right in the

[3:58:22] parking lot there and so I come

[3:58:23] in the county staff city costa

[3:58:24] mesa jamboree housing and the

[3:58:28] housing finance trust for the

[3:58:30] commitment to the project so

[3:58:31] that we can get some senior

[3:58:32] housing online. Thank you.

[3:58:34] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[3:58:35] you. Any objection? The item

[3:58:39] is approved. On to item 17.

[3:58:42] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:58:43] stieler: acting as the board of

[3:58:43] supervisors and orange county

[3:58:44] flood control district - approve

[3:58:45] contract ma-080-26010792 with

[3:58:47] pacific advanced civil

[3:58:48] engineering, inc. For consultant

[3:58:50] services to update orange county

[3:58:52] hydrology manual, three-year

[3:58:53] term ($1,672,150); and authorize

[3:58:54] county procurement officer or

[3:58:55] deputized designee to execute

[3:58:56] contract.

[3:58:58] and we have one request to speak

[3:58:59] on agenda item 17.

[3:59:01] >>chair, doug chaffee: please

[3:59:02] call the speaker.

[3:59:02] >>clerk of the board, robin

[3:59:03] stieler: brian k.

[3:59:11] >>speaker: happy day. So we're

[3:59:13] discussing the riverbeds the

[3:59:15] flood control maintaining these

[3:59:16] properties maintaining the

[3:59:18] waterways 10 years ago that I

[3:59:21] worked with shirley grindle and

[3:59:22] we got the county to stop

[3:59:24] doing what's called broadcast

[3:59:26] spraying of the river beds.

[3:59:28] they went from broadcast to

[3:59:30] target spraying.

[3:59:32] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[3:59:33] I'm sorry. Mr. Chairman, this

[3:59:34] is for the hydrology manual.

[3:59:35] nothing to do with spraying

[3:59:38] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[3:59:40] well, the river is hydrology.

[3:59:42] so, I'm not sure yet

[3:59:43] with the -- if you're connected

[3:59:45] or not.

[3:59:46] >>speaker: or not the idea is

[3:59:48] that in order to have the

[3:59:48] hydrology systems in place,

[3:59:49] you have to have people

[3:59:50] working in the riverbed.

[3:59:52] and these people are then

[3:59:53] exposed to the roundup.

[3:59:55] as we got the county under

[3:59:56] ms. Blackwood to stop using

[3:59:57] roundup. I think it was just

[4:00:02] in the last few months san

[4:00:03] clemente, san juan capistrano,

[4:00:06] and dana point, the riverbed

[4:00:08] sections were all sprayed with

[4:00:09] large amounts, I think three to

[4:00:10] five hundred gallons of roundup.

[4:00:13] now this implicates and causes

[4:00:15] safety issues for the employees

[4:00:18] of the county. Not to mention,

[4:00:19] the county already knows

[4:00:21] that roundup is unsafe. If you

[4:00:24] had a olympic-sized swimming

[4:00:26] pool, let's just say this room

[4:00:29] filled with water and you added

[4:00:30] about four to eight ounces of

[4:00:35] roundup to that water any woman

[4:00:38] or child who is contacted with

[4:00:39] that is now 10 to 20 times more

[4:00:42] likely to get brain cancer

[4:00:44] or breast cancer.

[4:00:48] so, I'm surprised that

[4:00:50] this board of supervisors would

[4:00:53] allow hundreds of gallons

[4:00:54] of roundup to be sprayed into

[4:00:57] the riverbed, that would then

[4:01:00] wash to the ocean and

[4:01:01] contaminate our beaches

[4:01:01] and cause children and women to

[4:01:03] experience breast cancer and

[4:01:04] brain cancer?

[4:01:06] what did you receive? What was

[4:01:13] the influence that inspired this

[4:01:15] county to use roundup, putting

[4:01:22] people's lives at risk?

[4:01:27] why would you put their families

[4:01:29] at risk? An issue we've already

[4:01:30] decided, roundup is known to be

[4:01:32] unsafe.

[4:01:32] they're paying millions

[4:01:36] of dollars in lawsuits. And

[4:01:38] what we have now are women and

[4:01:40] children who have breast cancer

[4:01:41] and are dying. We have

[4:01:42] children who have breast cancer

[4:01:45] or dying because we've sprayed

[4:01:46] roundup in our riverbed.

[4:01:52] these children are children of

[4:01:55] the workers who handle the

[4:02:00] hydrology systems.

[4:02:04] so what if you receive that's

[4:02:05] more important and more

[4:02:06] valuable.

[4:02:07] and thank you for looking

[4:02:08] at me. I'm surprised. I did

[4:02:08] not expect to see

[4:02:09] you look at me today, janet.

[4:02:10] all right. We'll, take into

[4:02:11] consideration. And hopefully

[4:02:12] you'll do better next time.

[4:02:13] happy day.

[4:02:13] >>chair, don chaffee: thank

[4:02:15] you, sir.

[4:02:16] all right. This is both a

[4:02:17] county and flood control item.

[4:02:18] it is an all district item.

[4:02:19] >>speaker: I'll move the item.

[4:02:23] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[4:02:24] objection? Item is approved.

[4:02:25] let's go on to 18 please.

[4:02:27] >>clerk, robin stieler:

[4:02:28] probation - approve amendment 3

[4:02:29] to renew contract

[4:02:29] ma-057-22011069 with waymakers

[4:02:30] for active recidivism reduction

[4:02:30] initiative via engagement

[4:02:31] services, 5/1/26 - 4/30/27

[4:02:32] ($329,882; cumulative total

[4:02:33] $1,649,410); and authorize

[4:02:33] county procurement officer or

[4:02:34] deputized designee to execute

[4:02:35] amendment.

[4:02:36] we have no request to speak on

[4:02:38] agenda item 18.

[4:02:41] >>chair, doug chaffee: item 18

[4:02:43] is an all-district item.

[4:02:46] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:02:47] the item.

[4:02:48] >>janet nguyen: second.

[4:02:50] >>chair, doug chaffee: no

[4:02:51] objection item is approved.

[4:02:52] item 19, please.

[4:02:52] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:02:53] stieler: under social services

[4:03:01] agency - approve increase of

[4:03:02] expenditures for services under

[4:03:02] individual contracts for family

[4:03:03] resource center services, family

[4:03:04] stabilization services and

[4:03:04] differential response-path one

[4:03:05] services, 7/1/25 - 6/30/28

[4:03:06] (aggregate total $1,983,334;

[4:03:06] cumulative aggregate total

[4:03:07] $19,983,334); and authorize

[4:03:08] county procurement officer or

[4:03:08] deputized designee to execute

[4:03:09] individual amendments with

[4:03:10] fifteen family resource centers

[4:03:10] no request to speak on agenda

[4:03:11] item 19.

[4:03:11] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:03:12] item 19 is an all district item

[4:03:14] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:03:15] move the item.

[4:03:16] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:03:17] moved and second.

[4:03:17] any comments?

[4:03:18] seeing none. No objection.

[4:03:19] item is approved.

[4:03:25] let's go on to item 20.

[4:03:27] >>clerk, robin stielr: under

[4:03:29] social services agency - approve

[4:03:30] amendment one to contracts with

[4:03:31] new alternatives inc olive crest

[4:03:33] and south coast children's

[4:03:37] society inc doing business as

[4:03:38] south coast community services

[4:03:39] for wraparound orange county

[4:03:40] direct services. Approve

[4:03:40] amendment 1 to contract with

[4:03:41] family support network for

[4:03:42] wraparound orange county direct

[4:03:43] services and authorized county

[4:03:43] procurement officer of deputized

[4:03:46] designee to accept claims made

[4:03:47] sexual misconduct liability

[4:03:50] insurance under certain

[4:03:52] conditions and execute

[4:03:53] amendments.

[4:03:56] we have no request to speak on

[4:03:56] agenda item 20.

[4:03:58] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:03:59] second.

[4:03:59] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:04:01] all-district item.

[4:04:02] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:04:03] sorry.

[4:04:04] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:04:10] and there's no objection

[4:04:11] the item is approved.

[4:04:12] on to 21 please.

[4:04:13] >>clerk, robin stieler: under

[4:04:14] social services - agency approve

[4:04:15] amendment 5 to contract with

[4:04:15] orangewood foundation for

[4:04:16] independent living program

[4:04:17] services and authorized county

[4:04:18] procurement officer or deputized

[4:04:18] designee to execute amendment.

[4:04:22] we have no request to speak on

[4:04:23] agenda item 21.

[4:04:25] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:04:27] all-district item.

[4:04:28] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:04:29] the item.

[4:04:29] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved

[4:04:30] and seconded. Any objection?

[4:04:31] seeing none. Item is approved.

[4:04:32] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:04:34] stieler: under social service

[4:04:35] agency - approve amendment one

[4:04:35] to memorandum of understanding

[4:04:36] with orange county

[4:04:38] superintendent of schools for

[4:04:38] educational support for foster

[4:04:39] youth and authorize county

[4:04:40] procurement officer or

[4:04:42] deputized designee to execute an

[4:04:44] amendment.

[4:04:46] we have no requests speak on

[4:04:48] agenda item 22.

[4:04:49] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:04:50] all-district item.

[4:04:50] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:04:51] second.

[4:04:52] >>chair, doug chaffee: we have

[4:04:53] seconded. Any objection?

[4:04:54] seeing none. Item is approved.

[4:04:56] let's go on to item 23 please.

[4:04:56] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:04:57] stieler:

[4:05:00] under executive officer -

[4:05:00] approve recommended positions

[4:05:01] on introduced or amended

[4:05:03] legislation and or consider

[4:05:04] other legislative subject

[4:05:05] matters.

[4:05:07] we have no requests to speak on

[4:05:07] agenda item 23.

[4:05:08] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:05:09] all-district item.

[4:05:10] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:05:10] stieler:

[4:05:12] thank you. Mr. Chairman?

[4:05:13] >>chair, doug chaffee: please

[4:05:13] go ahead.

[4:05:14] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:05:15] thank you. I just want

[4:05:17] to highlight a couple items.

[4:05:18] assembly bill 1830 by

[4:05:19] assemblywoman petrie norris

[4:05:20] is an ignition interlock

[4:05:23] devices item to address d and

[4:05:28] bill 76 by lowenthal

[4:05:30] is the parents accountability

[4:05:31] and child protection

[4:05:33] act for restrictions on online

[4:05:35] marketplaces as it relates

[4:05:38] to nitrous oxide and then

[4:05:39] senate bill 1314 minjavar

[4:05:43] another nitrous oxide bill

[4:05:47] regulating smoke shops locations

[4:05:49] hours of operation and

[4:05:52] the sale of nitrous

[4:05:52] oxide. So, really pleased

[4:05:54] to see that this issue is

[4:05:58] finally getting some traction in

[4:05:59] the states because it's

[4:06:00] an important issue.

[4:06:01] thank you. Move the item

[4:06:01] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:06:04] and has been seconded. Any

[4:06:06] any objection? Item is

[4:06:08] approved. Item 24, please.

[4:06:09] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:06:12] stieler: under county executive

[4:06:14] officer - contract with path for

[4:06:15] yale navigation center

[4:06:17] operations and services

[4:06:18] and authorized county

[4:06:19] procurement officer

[4:06:20] deputized designee to exercise

[4:06:21] cost contingency increase not to

[4:06:22] exceed 10 percent under certain

[4:06:23] conditions and execute

[4:06:26] contract we have no request to

[4:06:28] speak on agenda item 24

[4:06:31] >>chair, doug chaffee: 24 is a

[4:06:34] district two item.

[4:06:37] >>vincente sarmiento: I'll move

[4:06:38] the item with comment.

[4:06:40] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved

[4:06:41] and seconded. Supervisor

[4:06:42] nguyen?

[4:06:44] >>vincente sarmiento: thank you

[4:06:45] mr. Chair. I just wanted to

[4:06:46] thank staff for updating the

[4:06:50] performance metrics here. I

[4:06:52] know now path will be operating

[4:06:54] and managing both bridges in

[4:06:54] anaheim and yale in santa ana.

[4:06:57] so this is for the yale contract

[4:06:59] which is, you know, they've been

[4:07:00] they've been operating there. I

[4:07:02] mentioned at the prior board

[4:07:03] meeting the importance of

[4:07:04] tracking how many shelter

[4:07:05] residents are being connected to

[4:07:08] medi-cal given that many are

[4:07:08] likely county medi-cal,

[4:07:10] given that many are likely

[4:07:12] county medi-cal members.

[4:07:15] including this metric is

[4:07:19] an important step to ensure we

[4:07:22] are measuring health care

[4:07:23] coverage access, alongside

[4:07:24] housing outcomes which is

[4:07:25] critical for residents overall

[4:07:26] stability and well-being I look

[4:07:27] forward to seeing how this data

[4:07:28] informs program implementation

[4:07:29] helps guide strategies for

[4:07:30] connecting residents to

[4:07:31] essential health and housing

[4:07:32] services. So this isn't

[4:07:33] just congregate shelter. We're

[4:07:37] looking at you know housing

[4:07:40] options for them, but healthcare

[4:07:43] solutions as well. So I'm

[4:07:45] excited about this. I'm hoping

[4:07:49] that they that path can use

[4:07:50] economies of scale now that

[4:07:51] they're going to be working at

[4:07:53] both county shelters. I know

[4:07:55] that we have a new commissioner

[4:07:57] to the commission to address

[4:07:58] homelessness council, member

[4:07:59] benjamin vasquez, who is

[4:08:01] from santa ana. He's very

[4:08:01] interested in making sure that

[4:08:03] yale continues to be successful

[4:08:04] I know the city has their own

[4:08:05] shelter. So maybe there's some

[4:08:08] learned or shared thoughts that

[4:08:11] both shelters can work with

[4:08:12] and learn from each other

[4:08:14] so with that, mr. Chair, I move.

[4:08:14] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:08:17] supervisor nguyen?

[4:08:21] >>janet nguyen: thank you,.

[4:08:25] mr. Chairman. If I may? Some

[4:08:27] of my questions relate

[4:08:28] to 26 as well, mr. Chairman.

[4:08:30] but just -- I mean, I understand

[4:08:32] that path has owner to owner

[4:08:33] operator for yale since 2021 and

[4:08:40] then we're looking at a contract

[4:08:42] of 30 million dollars with 425

[4:08:43] -- 420 -- it's getting late --

[4:08:48] 125 emergency shelter beds which

[4:08:51] equates to 10 million a year

[4:08:52] that's 23,500 per bed. And if

[4:08:55] we're going to approve them

[4:08:59] to take over bridges, which

[4:09:01] is in a 60 million dollar

[4:09:02] contract with 200 beds, which is

[4:09:05] about 26,000 per bed. And I

[4:09:08] guess my question for staff is

[4:09:11] has path been effective

[4:09:13] in operating the yale navigation

[4:09:18] center since 2021?

[4:09:23] I have a few other ones too.

[4:09:26] okay. I'm trying to understand,

[4:09:31] like, what is our end goal with

[4:09:32] these shelters? Is our end goal

[4:09:34] getting them off the

[4:09:35] street? Getting them help,

[4:09:38] temporary housing? Getting them

[4:09:40] jobs? What is our end goal?

[4:09:42] because then we can walk

[4:09:43] backwards on how whether we

[4:09:44] are successful or not.

[4:09:49] >>doug beck: yeah, absolutely.

[4:09:52] mr. Chairman and honorable

[4:09:53] board. Doug beck,

[4:09:54] director of the office

[4:09:55] of care coordination.

[4:09:57] to the question about has

[4:09:58] path been successful at yale.

[4:10:02] in the most objective

[4:10:07] way we look at that through the

[4:10:10] outcomes or metrics that we

[4:10:15] outline in the asr and in

[4:10:18] the last, specifically, 24/25

[4:10:19] and you're initial data for

[4:10:23] 2025, 2026.

[4:10:26] they're hitting all of our

[4:10:28] outcome performance metrics.

[4:10:33] the one that they're

[4:10:34] challenged with is the

[4:10:35] percentage of individuals.

[4:10:37] going into permanent housing

[4:10:38] when they exit. That one is

[4:10:41] difficult because it is largely

[4:10:44] dictated by the market and the

[4:10:49] operator. Doesn't have as great

[4:10:52] of an impact on the market as

[4:10:54] we'd like them to. So we put

[4:10:58] that goal in there understanding

[4:11:01] that the market is -- that

[4:11:03] housing is highly dictated by

[4:11:04] the market, but continue to

[4:11:05] emphasize the importance that

[4:11:06] people need to be moving from

[4:11:08] the navigation center into

[4:11:09] permanent housing. We have an

[4:11:13] additional that's in the asr and

[4:11:15] that we measure, which gives us

[4:11:16] an understanding of if the

[4:11:18] operator is doing everything in

[4:11:20] their power to get the

[4:11:21] individual ready. And that's

[4:11:24] the metric related to if someone

[4:11:26] is on the coordinated entry

[4:11:28] system list. And path has hit

[4:11:35] that year over year. And I

[4:11:37] believe the expectation is,

[4:11:42] yeah, 85 percent and they've hit

[4:11:46] that. Operating as shelters is

[4:11:50] extremely challenging because

[4:11:52] the purpose of a shelter

[4:11:53] is to get folks into

[4:11:55] permanent housing

[4:11:56] and to be a vehicle out. And

[4:11:57] our metrics here measure

[4:11:58] that but then they've also

[4:12:00] been incredibly they've

[4:12:01] been very successful and

[4:12:03] have continued to improve

[4:12:04] on the way that they just

[4:12:05] maintain the building day

[4:12:07] in and day out providing a

[4:12:10] respectable space for people to

[4:12:16] live with integrity and then

[4:12:18] they've, you know look at them

[4:12:22] day to day on their good

[4:12:24] neighbor how they are in

[4:12:28] regards to ensuring that

[4:12:29] shelter is having a

[4:12:31] minimal impact on the

[4:12:33] neighbors and or a

[4:12:35] minimal negative impact on the

[4:12:36] neighbors and over

[4:12:38] the last year and a half two

[4:12:39] years we've heard

[4:12:41] very little in the terms of from

[4:12:45] complaints from our neighbors

[4:12:48] in and around the yale

[4:12:49] facility in regards to concerns

[4:12:50] about the you know

[4:12:52] impact to local neighborhood

[4:12:54] >>janet nguyen:

[4:12:56] and and and

[4:12:57] I appreciate that.

[4:12:58] I guess for me is looking at the

[4:13:00] matrix right is are we

[4:13:02] accomplishing what we need?

[4:13:05] are we more than in the past?

[4:13:07] are we moving people into jobs?

[4:13:09] are we moving people into

[4:13:10] permanent housing? What is the

[4:13:15] average the length of stay for

[4:13:18] the emergency shelter and how is

[4:13:21] that compared to the intent of

[4:13:23] design of the program.

[4:13:31] >>doug beck: so, I don't have

[4:13:31] the data in front of me,

[4:13:33] although I do have the data, and

[4:13:34] that's why I'll reference it

[4:13:36] here. The length of stay is

[4:13:39] longer than what was originally

[4:13:41] designed for.

[4:13:43] >>janet nguyen: what are we

[4:13:44] looking at?

[4:13:46] >>doug beck: length of stay is

[4:13:49] usually somewhere around,

[4:13:51] I believe, a year and a half to

[4:13:51] two years.

[4:13:53] >>janet nguyen: what were we --

[4:13:54] >>speaker: in an emergency

[4:13:56] shelter, I know the original

[4:13:58] design is no more than 6 to 9

[4:14:01] months. The difficult part is I

[4:14:03] have worked in many

[4:14:06] jurisdictions and that's the

[4:14:07] industry standard. But very few

[4:14:10] communities, or at least

[4:14:10] communities I have worked in,

[4:14:12] are able to hit that and that's

[4:14:14] due to lack of housing to move

[4:14:17] people on. The one thing that's

[4:14:19] very clear two things are clear

[4:14:25] people would still on the

[4:14:29] secrete where we found them.

[4:14:31] and second thing -- and I would

[4:14:33] have to come back to you on the

[4:14:34] exact specifics -- a very high

[4:14:38] majority of individuals that

[4:14:42] leave shelter, straight into

[4:14:44] permanent housing stay there and

[4:14:45] we do not receive them back our

[4:14:51] people stay at a rate

[4:14:54] successfully in their housing

[4:14:55] for at least one year,

[4:14:57] post-placement somewhere

[4:15:02] around 91 and 92 percent

[4:15:03] a year and then two years it's

[4:15:05] about people last in their

[4:15:08] shelter housing system-wide

[4:15:09] not just at our shelter

[4:15:09] 82 and 84 percent of the

[4:15:10] people that go into permanent

[4:15:11] housing in our system

[4:15:13] last at least two years

[4:15:16] and then in all fairness

[4:15:19] we don't have the

[4:15:21] metrics past that.

[4:15:22] >>janet nguyen:

[4:15:24] we should track them to see that

[4:15:28] we don't want to see it

[4:15:29] revolving door; right? We don't

[4:15:31] want to see them get into our

[4:15:33] system for a year year and

[4:15:35] a half get out versus getting

[4:15:36] permanent housing, get a job and

[4:15:38] then a year later come back, or

[4:15:40] two years later come back.

[4:15:41] because then something failed

[4:15:46] somewhere in the system.

[4:15:52] failed them and so I think

[4:15:54] we need to find the housing

[4:15:57] first approach is not working,

[4:15:58] has not worked. And so,

[4:15:59] we need more -- do

[4:16:00] -- should we duplicate

[4:16:01] these shelters all over

[4:16:03] the county instead? I'm --

[4:16:09] because, look till this day, I

[4:16:10] still hear it, right? And

[4:16:11] you've heard me.

[4:16:12] I'm preaching to the choir.

[4:16:13] whatever we're doing right now

[4:16:13] is not working in the

[4:16:14] eyes of the residents in our

[4:16:15] county. Because every day it

[4:16:16] doesn't look like it has

[4:16:18] decreased; it looked like it has

[4:16:18] increase. And obvious it

[4:16:21] varies, depends on the cities.

[4:16:26] some of my cities have done

[4:16:26] really well in reducing their

[4:16:29] numbers of homeless individuals,

[4:16:31] others count -- other cities

[4:16:31] have increased. And they're

[4:16:37] next to each other and they're

[4:16:39] actually far from each

[4:16:39] other too. So it's not like one

[4:16:40] moved into the other city next

[4:16:41] door and then that number goes

[4:16:44] up over there. And so I think

[4:16:45] that's where it's it's

[4:16:47] frustrating is that we're

[4:16:48] looking at spending 40 something

[4:16:50] million dollars here. And yet,

[4:16:51] you know, I don't know how we

[4:16:54] can account and say, hey for

[4:16:56] five years those individuals

[4:16:58] have permanent housing. I mean,

[4:16:59] obviously after five years, or

[4:17:01] three years, they should be

[4:17:02] committed. Should work out.

[4:17:07] >>doug beck: I do think the

[4:17:09] numbers are favorable. We can

[4:17:12] look at data to see how many

[4:17:14] people we have placed into

[4:17:16] permanent housing from bridges

[4:17:17] and yale. That have returned

[4:17:20] back to bridges and yale. And I

[4:17:22] think, you know, from my

[4:17:24] understanding, tha number is

[4:17:25] very low. But we can look into

[4:17:27] that and share that with the

[4:17:28] board if that's of interest.

[4:17:29] >>janet nguyen: yeah that would

[4:17:30] be helpful. And I think if this

[4:17:31] is other navigation centers

[4:17:35] around that the county is

[4:17:37] helping to fund, I think that

[4:17:38] would be helpful for us to see

[4:17:40] those numbers, as well.

[4:17:42] because if one is extremely

[4:17:44] successful, and if one isn't

[4:17:46] then we need to help more.

[4:17:48] thank you.

[4:17:51] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:17:52] supervisor sarmiento?

[4:17:54] >>vincente sarmiento: yes,

[4:17:55] thank you mr. Chairman. I just

[4:17:56] want to, you I think the

[4:17:57] question that the questions

[4:17:59] supervisors are asking are

[4:18:01] really important because they're

[4:18:02] fundamental and pro found at the

[4:18:03] same time like is this working.

[4:18:05] and I think we always want to --

[4:18:09] and I think it's beyond, sort

[4:18:11] of, the scope almost of you

[4:18:13] know, the item before you us

[4:18:15] because we're finding somebody

[4:18:17] to operate the shelter we were

[4:18:20] talking about at the commission

[4:18:22] to address homelessness was we

[4:18:24] have plenty of people who are at

[4:18:25] the shelter ready to leave so

[4:18:27] they're hitting the ces **3

[4:18:29] numbers and we just don't have

[4:18:31] the inventory to place them in

[4:18:34] in order to graduate into

[4:18:37] permanent supportive housing as

[4:18:41] an option, looking at how do we

[4:18:44] fund projects do hotel

[4:18:48] conversions invest in adus and

[4:18:50] these didn't things. I want to

[4:18:52] go back, what the supervisor

[4:18:56] said whatever we're doing isn't

[4:18:59] optimal. I don't think it's a

[4:19:02] function of us not doing

[4:19:04] anything wrong but we have to

[4:19:07] look at other options congregate

[4:19:10] shelters optimum 6 to 9 months

[4:19:13] and permanent supportive housing

[4:19:14] which costs 7 to 800,000 a unit

[4:19:21] labors and materials, and they

[4:19:22] cost 18 to 2 stand up a single

[4:19:25] unit those are at polar opposite

[4:19:28] of the spectrum of housing. So

[4:19:30] this missing gaping middle which

[4:19:32] is a transitional housing, which

[4:19:34] small scale housing could help

[4:19:36] solve, because they cost 60 to

[4:19:41] $100,000 a unit. They're small

[4:19:43] in size so they can be stood up

[4:19:47] in probably nor no more than six

[4:19:50] months and they're easy to put

[4:19:51] together and they're not

[4:19:53] long-term housing, they're

[4:19:54] temporary housing but that is

[4:19:55] that place that people can

[4:19:57] graduate from emergency shelters

[4:19:59] are into the transition from

[4:20:01] transitional into permanent

[4:20:02] supportive housing as permanent

[4:20:04] supportive housing is being

[4:20:05] built so it gives you at least

[4:20:07] this conveyance, I guess, of

[4:20:09] getting folks into those units

[4:20:12] that take a long time that are

[4:20:14] really expense 55. I'm glad

[4:20:16] we're looking at that. The

[4:20:17] other thing we're looking at is

[4:20:18] just prevention. The more we

[4:20:21] can prevent people from falling

[4:20:23] into homelessness and the ending

[4:20:25] up in one of our shelters that

[4:20:27] pays off in the long run because

[4:20:30] we don't have to put them in the

[4:20:31] whole cycle we can keep them

[4:20:33] housed and invest in that,

[4:20:35] that's a really good thing. I'm

[4:20:37] not savings this to abandon

[4:20:39] investment in permanent

[4:20:41] supportive housing I think we

[4:20:42] need to augment it with these

[4:20:44] other two things because you

[4:20:45] know as you know, the front door

[4:20:49] keeps getting full, the back

[4:20:51] door, the exit is really limited

[4:20:53] and you know we just don't have

[4:20:54] a lot of people or a lot of

[4:20:56] inventory to, you know, put

[4:21:00] people in those permanent

[4:21:01] supportive units. So, I just

[4:21:03] wanted to kind of fill that out.

[4:21:05] I think with path they're doing

[4:21:06] as well as they could, given

[4:21:09] that huge barrier, like getting

[4:21:14] people on to -- into units

[4:21:17] permanent supportive units so I

[4:21:20] don't -- you know, defend them

[4:21:22] nor -- kind of agnostic given

[4:21:25] what the limitations are and

[4:21:27] inventory available of housing

[4:21:29] but I do think we need to look

[4:21:31] at small scale option,

[4:21:32] prevention, and continue

[4:21:35] investing in perm enhancement

[4:21:37] supportive.

[4:21:39] >>speaker: all options outside

[4:21:40] of the shelter will make our

[4:21:42] shelters more successful. Yeah.

[4:21:49] >>chair, doug chaffee: vice

[4:21:49] chair foley.

[4:21:50] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:21:51] thank you mr. Chairman what I

[4:21:52] was really pleased about

[4:21:54] mr. Beck was when we tacked and

[4:21:56] when I read the report was to

[4:21:57] see that the past case managers

[4:22:03] are doing a good job of getting

[4:22:05] the residents in the shelter all

[4:22:08] paperwork everything teed up so

[4:22:10] that when a unit becomes

[4:22:11] available they're at the ready

[4:22:13] as you know we have had many

[4:22:14] meetings over the last couple of

[4:22:16] years where some of our housing

[4:22:18] providers have been complaining

[4:22:20] this we didn't have people ready

[4:22:21] to go and so then they would say

[4:22:23] hey we have a housing unit

[4:22:25] available and unfortunately

[4:22:28] they're not ready because they

[4:22:30] don't have, you know, a social

[4:22:33] security card or they didn't

[4:22:34] fill out some piece of paper or

[4:22:36] they don't have their pay stubs

[4:22:39] so now that we have path doing

[4:22:42] such a good job of getting -- I

[4:22:44] think what was of the number?

[4:22:46] more than 80% of the people are

[4:22:48] teed up and ready to go that's

[4:22:50] going help us to reduce the

[4:22:52] bottleneck if you will.

[4:22:54] additionally, as it relates to

[4:22:55] the shelters and to the progress

[4:22:57] we have made, look, we're always

[4:23:00] going to be challenged to do

[4:23:01] more and to do better. And I

[4:23:04] support that. But I remember

[4:23:07] six years ago, when I would dish

[4:23:10] was in a long trial, 28 day

[4:23:12] trial in the court hours and

[4:23:14] every day I would walk in with

[4:23:16] my client and walk through the

[4:23:18] courtyard of flags, and I would

[4:23:21] tell my clients just look

[4:23:24] straight ahead and hold your

[4:23:26] breath. Because you would walk

[4:23:28] through this area and it was

[4:23:29] just wreaking with vomit and

[4:23:34] urine and people were living in

[4:23:36] encamping right at the

[4:23:39] courthouse. That's not there

[4:23:40] anymore. I remember around that

[4:23:42] same time period, there were

[4:23:44] people living all up-and-down

[4:23:46] the riverbed. That's not

[4:23:48] happening anymore. I also

[4:23:51] remember when I was mayor of

[4:23:53] costa mesa you could not go to

[4:23:55] the park at the lion's park

[4:23:58] where we have one of our

[4:24:00] beautiful libraries, the donald

[4:24:02] -- library which is the county

[4:24:04] library, that's not happening

[4:24:05] anymore. Now do we still have

[4:24:07] pockets where people are trying

[4:24:08] to encamp? Yes we do. And we

[4:24:11] will continue to address that

[4:24:13] and continue to get out and give

[4:24:15] services and continue to get

[4:24:16] people into the shelters or into

[4:24:19] recuperative care or permanent

[4:24:21] supportive housing or maybe

[4:24:22] reconnect them with their

[4:24:24] families. But we have made a

[4:24:26] lot of progress in the system of

[4:24:27] care, and housing and focusing

[4:24:30] on housing, the housing first

[4:24:33] model, in my opinion, does work.

[4:24:36] because you cannot treat people

[4:24:39] who are struggling, who are

[4:24:43] under the influence, who have

[4:24:45] mental health issues, maybe they

[4:24:47] need medication, they're not

[4:24:48] stable. You county treat them

[4:24:51] consistently. You county care

[4:24:52] for them if they're not under

[4:24:55] roof. And housing first

[4:24:57] includes the shelter. You know,

[4:24:58] that is housing. And, so, from

[4:25:01] my perspective, it does work

[4:25:04] because we're able to treat

[4:25:05] people. We're able to get them

[4:25:08] all of the paperwork that they

[4:25:09] need. We're able to help them

[4:25:11] get to the next place if they're

[4:25:14] housed. And a shelter is a

[4:25:16] housing from the temporary time

[4:25:19] being. So, I really believe

[4:25:21] that path has made a lot of

[4:25:23] progress. When I was

[4:25:25] representing district two, you

[4:25:26] know, I was the one calling all

[4:25:27] the time complaining because the

[4:25:29] businesses around the area were

[4:25:32] complaining and there is a lot

[4:25:33] of progress that has been made

[4:25:35] to reduce the ancillary impact

[4:25:38] and ensure that we're good

[4:25:40] neighbors. So I'm fine to

[4:25:41] support this item. I will say,

[4:25:45] we can make all this progress.

[4:25:47] we can't control external

[4:25:49] factors, like funding cuts to

[4:25:53] health care, like, premium

[4:25:56] increases, cost of living

[4:25:59] increases. Gas increases. We

[4:26:01] can't control all of those

[4:26:03] external factors that contribute

[4:26:04] to why some people become

[4:26:07] homeless. So, we can only do

[4:26:08] what we have control over. And

[4:26:11] so, I think do think we're

[4:26:13] building out a system of care

[4:26:14] and building up permanent

[4:26:16] supportive housing and we're

[4:26:17] doing a good job. With that.

[4:26:18] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:26:19] you if I may make a few

[4:26:21] comments. As supervisor nguyen

[4:26:23] points out the cost is about

[4:26:26] 23,800 per year per bed, about,

[4:26:29] that was my calculation too.

[4:26:31] the concern is 93% of that money

[4:26:32] is coming out of our already

[4:26:34] stretched general fund. And,

[4:26:37] so, that leads back to something

[4:26:39] that works better called

[4:26:41] prevention, it's a fraction of

[4:26:43] the cost if we can do that, as

[4:26:45] some of our pilot programs are

[4:26:47] demonstrating keeping people out

[4:26:49] of the trauma in the first place

[4:26:52] is an aside benefit besides the

[4:26:56] cost maybe being 10 to 15% what

[4:27:00] it is to keep the person in the

[4:27:01] shelter for a year. I would

[4:27:02]

[4:27:05] neighbor policy that path must

[4:27:09] follow it's important we keep

[4:27:11] good relationships in the

[4:27:12] neighborhood and not have

[4:27:13] loitering or other trash thrown

[4:27:15] around, all that, then we also

[4:27:17] have county standards of care

[4:27:19] that they must follow as well.

[4:27:21] and they do a good job on that.

[4:27:23] so, one issue that I have is

[4:27:27] when we have people staying in

[4:27:29] the shelter, seems like forever

[4:27:31] sometimes, and then we have an

[4:27:34] affordable housing project that

[4:27:35] goes online. I'm wondering if

[4:27:38] we can't require that that new

[4:27:40] project that's going online,

[4:27:42] give some part of its available

[4:27:46] units to people who are already

[4:27:48] in a shelter. Do we have an

[4:27:49] ability to give the shelter

[4:27:52] population priority in some of

[4:27:54] these projects, irrespective of

[4:27:57] where that project may be

[4:27:58] located? I know the cities tend

[4:28:00] to upon to limit coming to a

[4:28:03] shelter, that they're in their

[4:28:06] city but we're providing

[4:28:08] funding. Can we come in here

[4:28:09] and help some of our people who

[4:28:11] are in the shelter get housing

[4:28:14] in a new project that's coming

[4:28:16] online.

[4:28:17] >>doug beck: we -- so many

[4:28:18] projects due to their funding

[4:28:20] require -- into the system for

[4:28:33] that coordinated system is

[4:28:35] orange continuum of care this

[4:28:38] is one priority given to folks

[4:28:40] that were in shelter, that

[4:28:42] priority has been taken away.

[4:28:47] one of the main reasons is it's

[4:28:50] that it was -- there were

[4:28:52] people, not a large amount, so

[4:28:54] most of the -- most of the

[4:28:57] revels from the go towards

[4:29:01] housing are from shelters high

[4:29:04] majority the reason is there is

[4:29:06] work that needs to be done in

[4:29:11] order to be ready to accept

[4:29:12] referral and housing one of the

[4:29:13] ways do that is working with a

[4:29:16] case manager this's where the

[4:29:18] shelter has a real advantage.

[4:29:20] there is a small subset of

[4:29:22] people on the street that we

[4:29:24] have been able to successfully

[4:29:26] house that have said if they're

[4:29:28] unemployment going into a

[4:29:29] shelter, specifically, some of

[4:29:31] our larger shelters but are

[4:29:34] willing to work with us, towards

[4:29:37] housing, but they just don't

[4:29:39] want to go into the shelter, we

[4:29:40] have been able to successful of

[4:29:42] house some of those folks. So,

[4:29:45] the challenge is there are a lot

[4:29:48] of competing needs or a lot of

[4:29:50] competing entities. Because

[4:29:56] they're, you know, coc would

[4:29:59] have to consider whether or not

[4:30:00] that would be specific to county

[4:30:02] shelters or specific to city

[4:30:04] shelter, or things to that

[4:30:06] nature. We have seen our

[4:30:09] quickest and most impactful time

[4:30:12] of getting people into housing

[4:30:14] through this policy of not

[4:30:17] having a specific requirement or

[4:30:20] a preference for shelter. Just

[4:30:22] because we don't -- and I'll

[4:30:24] state it again, just because we

[4:30:25] don't have that preference for

[4:30:27] shelter doesn't mean the high

[4:30:29] majority of people that go into

[4:30:30] and get selected for housing

[4:30:33] aren't from a shelter.

[4:30:35] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:30:35] you. You know, the problem with

[4:30:36] the people living at the shelter

[4:30:39] a year and a half two years

[4:30:42] there is no place to go I hope

[4:30:44] if we're funding some of these

[4:30:46] new affordable housing projects

[4:30:47] they may have first opportunity

[4:30:49] to qualifiy. That's where I

[4:30:50] think it would be a good way to

[4:30:52] go. Because part of the goal of

[4:30:54] the shelter care is to prepare

[4:30:55] them for housing.

[4:30:57] >>speaker: so, I should also

[4:30:58] clarify, the main criteria for

[4:31:02] prioritizing people is the

[4:31:04] length of homelessness so if

[4:31:08] someone has a long length of

[4:31:09] stay in the shelter they're

[4:31:11] going to be matched to an

[4:31:12] opportunity. So, yes, the goal

[4:31:15] is absolutely to move people as

[4:31:17] quickly through these shelters

[4:31:18] as possible.

[4:31:20] >>chair, doug chaffee: okay.

[4:31:20] well, you heard where I'm at.

[4:31:26] yeah.

[4:31:26] >>chair, doug chaffee:

[4:31:27] supervisor nguyen.

[4:31:28] >>janet nguyen: thank you

[4:31:29] mr. Chairman. What I'm hearing

[4:31:30] is prevention transitional

[4:31:32] housing is needed. What I'm

[4:31:34] also hearing is our emergency

[4:31:35] shelters are not delivering

[4:31:37] enough to self-sufficiency

[4:31:39] because you know how are

[4:31:42] becoming operating as a

[4:31:43] long-term transitional shelter.

[4:31:44] is that what I'm hearing?

[4:31:46] because it's not emergency

[4:31:50] shelter anymore. It is now a

[4:31:52] one-year, you know, two-year

[4:31:58] transitional housing.

[4:32:00] >>doug beck: that's one of the

[4:32:01] challenges is when we don't have

[4:32:03] somewhere to place someone, they

[4:32:05] sit longer. And now the

[4:32:07] function of the shelter changes

[4:32:10] from an immediate, you know, an

[4:32:14] emergency shelter, to your

[4:32:15] point, to almost means more of a

[4:32:19] transitional opportunity.

[4:32:20] >>janet nguyen: but it also,

[4:32:21] though, shows to -- I mean, at

[4:32:24] least to me, is that we -- if

[4:32:27] we're in an emerge shelter we're

[4:32:29] not really operating in terms of

[4:32:31] helping these individuals to

[4:32:33] get, you know, education, to get

[4:32:35] a job, other than, you know, it

[4:32:37] also depends on their job,

[4:32:40] right? You can move them into

[4:32:41] the next housing phase but what

[4:32:44] kind of housing are we talking

[4:32:45] about? Because if they're not

[4:32:47] able to keep a job or to get

[4:32:48] their kids in school to get a

[4:32:51] baby-sitter how are they going

[4:32:52] to move out even after that? I

[4:32:54] mean, what -- you know, auto a

[4:32:57] long-term goal. With what we

[4:32:59] currently have, it's just

[4:33:00] temporary -- literally just

[4:33:03] temporary should be temporary

[4:33:04] but it's becoming a very long

[4:33:07] temporary system.

[4:33:08] >>doug beck: yes. And we do

[4:33:09] have case managers there that

[4:33:11] help in those regards. And I

[4:33:12] would argue that is why one of

[4:33:14] the metrics we continue to have

[4:33:16] is exits into permanent housing.

[4:33:18] it's not exits into permanent

[4:33:21] supportive housing it's exits

[4:33:23] into permanent housing obviously

[4:33:25] supportive permanent housing

[4:33:27] includes that. The reason I

[4:33:28] state that is because we do work

[4:33:30] with path, closely, to ensure

[4:33:33] that the folks who are in our

[4:33:35] shelter are working towards the

[4:33:38] different options if they can

[4:33:40] work we're doing our best to

[4:33:42] link them with employment. If

[4:33:44] they could -- we have mental

[4:33:47] health subsidies programs in

[4:33:48] onsite and offsite. So that is

[4:33:50] one of the challenges is that

[4:33:53] people are staying longer, but

[4:33:55] with our model whether we like

[4:33:57] it or not does adapt to that.

[4:33:59] we have the case managers and

[4:34:01] that's their goal and focus.

[4:34:03] >>janet nguyen: and maybe next

[4:34:04] time you come back to give us an

[4:34:06] update on this program is to add

[4:34:07] in that data. Right? Is to add

[4:34:10] in to let us know okay 100 has

[4:34:12] shown up 100 has been in here

[4:34:14] since january 1st, ten of them

[4:34:17] have gone into permanent

[4:34:20] amendment jobs, making over this

[4:34:22] income. The -- you know, the

[4:34:25] other 25 are disabled, unable to

[4:34:30] work. The other one are over,

[4:34:32] you know, age, or whatever it

[4:34:35] is, I think -- then it helps us

[4:34:37] to know what population is

[4:34:39] coming in and which one is being

[4:34:41] helped more permanent which one

[4:34:44] isn't and maybe we shift our

[4:34:45] money into other opportunities

[4:34:47] if auto more seniors that are,

[4:34:50] end up in homelessness, what is

[4:34:52] that? Is it because of, you

[4:34:54] know, addiction? Mental health,

[4:34:57] or is it because of income? I

[4:35:01] think that would help us in how

[4:35:05] many families have children, how

[4:35:07] many don't, and what are the

[4:35:08] age, under 18. I think those

[4:35:11] kind of questions would help us

[4:35:12] or that data would assist us to,

[4:35:18] okay maybe we're fine where we

[4:35:19] are. But if there is an anomaly

[4:35:23] somewhere this's something we

[4:35:26] consider and pivot.

[4:35:28] >>chair, doug chaffee: I think

[4:35:29] we need to move on. We have got

[4:35:30] another similar item coming up

[4:35:32] soon we can do that. Can we

[4:35:36] just go to a little --

[4:35:38] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: one

[4:35:39] request. Mr. Beck can you

[4:35:41] forward to supervisor nguyen the

[4:35:43] link to the dashboard that has

[4:35:46] most of the information that she

[4:35:48] requested?

[4:35:50] >>speaker: may I?

[4:35:52] >>chair, doug chaffee: I

[4:35:53] believe we have a motion and

[4:35:53] second. Any objection? Motion

[4:35:58] carries and the item is

[4:35:59] approved. We go on to item 25.

[4:36:02] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:36:04] stieler: approve charge ready

[4:36:04] transport program participation

[4:36:07] agreements with southern

[4:36:08] california edison for deployment

[4:36:10] of make-ready electrical

[4:36:12] infrastructure and/or receipt of

[4:36:15] related rebates, term ending

[4:36:16] 12/31/26; authorize chief real

[4:36:16] estate officer or designees to

[4:36:18] execute agreements, easement

[4:36:19] deeds and amendments under

[4:36:20] certain conditions; and make

[4:36:21] california environmental quality

[4:36:22] act (ceqa) exemption findings

[4:36:24] under ceqa guidelines section

[4:36:26] 15301 - all districts no

[4:36:27] requests to speak on agenda item

[4:36:27] 25.

[4:36:28] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[4:36:28] district item.

[4:36:29] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:36:30] the item.

[4:36:30] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[4:36:31] objection? Item is approved.

[4:36:32] item 26 please?

[4:36:34] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:36:35] stieler: approve contract

[4:36:36] ma-017-26010918 with path for

[4:36:38] bridges at kraemer place shelter

[4:36:39] operations and services, 5/1/26

[4:36:40] - 6/30/29 ($15,993,179);

[4:36:42] renewable for two additional

[4:36:43] one-year terms; and authorize

[4:36:44] county procurement officer or

[4:36:45] deputized designee to exercise

[4:36:47] cost contingency increase not to

[4:36:48] exceed 10% under certain

[4:36:49] conditions and execute contract

[4:36:51] - district 4 no requests to

[4:36:53] speak on agenda item 26.

[4:36:54] >>chair, doug chaffee: district

[4:36:54] four item I'm going to approve

[4:36:58] it with some comments. Is there

[4:36:58] a second?

[4:36:59] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:37:00] second.

[4:37:00] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[4:37:01] other comments?

[4:37:03] this shelter site was selected

[4:37:05] subject by a combined effort of

[4:37:09] the cities of fullerton and

[4:37:11] anaheim that the county support

[4:37:13] both fullerton and anaheim to

[4:37:15] provide additional funding to

[4:37:19] acquire the site I was voted

[4:37:22] representative of the county at

[4:37:24] that time. It's an interesting

[4:37:25] site. It was not our first

[4:37:27] choice actually but it has

[4:37:29] worked. Nearby about half block

[4:37:32] away is a gentleman's club.

[4:37:34] used to be a piano store, and a

[4:37:36] bar is about a block away but it

[4:37:40] has worked well. One thing I

[4:37:43] would note it's more costly than

[4:37:45] the yale shelter on a per bed

[4:37:47] basis. I think it's older, and

[4:37:50] wasn't -- there would be --

[4:37:51] yeah, it was built at kind of

[4:37:54] took the benefit of some of what

[4:37:56] this shelter could have done

[4:37:58] better. And so you have a more

[4:38:00] efficient shelter at yale than

[4:38:02] you do at the kraemer place

[4:38:04] shelter. So it's my pleasure to

[4:38:05] move this item.

[4:38:06] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:38:07] second.

[4:38:08] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved

[4:38:09] and seconded. Any objection?

[4:38:11] okay. Is approved. Now we go

[4:38:15] on to item 27.

[4:38:15] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:38:16] stieler: uapprove amendment 1

[4:38:17] to contracts ma-017-23010733

[4:38:18] with fieldman, rolapp &

[4:38:19] associates and ma-017-23011310

[4:38:21] with csg advisors, inc for

[4:38:22] general public finance municipal

[4:38:24] advisory services, 4/10/26 -

[4:38:25] 4/9/28 ($200,000 each per year;

[4:38:26] cumulative total $1,000,000

[4:38:27] each); and authorize county

[4:38:27] procurement officer or deputized

[4:38:28] designee to execute amendments -

[4:38:31] all districts no request to

[4:38:32] speak on agenda item 27.

[4:38:35] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[4:38:36] district item.

[4:38:37] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:38:38] the item.

[4:38:39] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[4:38:39] objection? Item 27 is approved.

[4:38:41] 28 please.

[4:38:42] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:38:43] stieler: approve assignment,

[4:38:44] novation and consent agreement

[4:38:46] from stradling yocca carlson &

[4:38:49] rauth assigning to stradling

[4:38:51] yocca carlson & rauth llp;

[4:38:54] approve amendment 1 to contract

[4:38:55] ma-017-23010759 with stradling

[4:38:56] yocca carlson & rauth llp and

[4:38:57] amendment 2 to contract

[4:38:58] ma-017-23011183 with orrick

[4:38:59] herrington & sutcliffe llp for

[4:39:01] general public finance legal

[4:39:03] services, 4/11/26 - 4/10/28

[4:39:04] ($200,000 each per year;

[4:39:05] cumulative total $1,000,000

[4:39:05] each); and authorize county

[4:39:06] procurement officer or deputized

[4:39:07] designee to execute agreement

[4:39:07] and amendments - all districts

[4:39:09] no requests to speak on agenda

[4:39:10] item 28.

[4:39:12] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[4:39:12] district item.

[4:39:13] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:39:14] the item.

[4:39:14] >>chair, doug chaffee: any

[4:39:15] objection? Item is approved.

[4:39:17] item 29 has been continued. So

[4:39:20] now we come to item 30.

[4:39:23] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:39:24] stieler: county executive

[4:39:25] office - approve grant

[4:39:27] applications/awards submitted by

[4:39:28] district attorney and oc

[4:39:29] community resources in 3/24/26

[4:39:31] grant report and other actions

[4:39:33] as recommended - all districts

[4:39:34] no requests to speak on agenda

[4:39:35] item 30.

[4:39:36] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[4:39:37] district item.

[4:39:38] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:39:38] the item.

[4:39:39] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved

[4:39:41] and seconded. Any objection?

[4:39:43] item 30 is approved.

[4:39:45] item 31, please

[4:39:46] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:39:47] stieler: adopt resolution

[4:39:50] approving property tax exchange

[4:39:52] for annexation of gateway notch

[4:39:53] parcels to city of irvine -

[4:39:55] district 3 no requests to speak

[4:39:56] on agenda item 31.

[4:39:58] >>chair, doug chaffee: district

[4:39:58] three item.

[4:40:00] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: move

[4:40:01] the item.

[4:40:03] >>chair, doug chaffee: moved

[4:40:03] and seconded. Any objection?

[4:40:05] seeing none. It is approved.

[4:40:08] item 32 was our public hearing

[4:40:10] earlier on. So now we go to

[4:40:12] supplement 31a.

[4:40:15] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:40:16] stieler: chair chaffee - buena

[4:40:17] park library district board of

[4:40:17] trustees - appoint (rudy)

[4:40:18] rodolfo solorzano, buena park,

[4:40:21] to complete term ending 12/6/28

[4:40:25] no requests to speak on s31a is.

[4:40:28] >>chair, doug chaffee: I move

[4:40:28] the item.

[4:40:29] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:40:29] second is. Any objection? Item

[4:40:31] is approved.

[4:40:32] item supplement

[4:40:33] 31b please

[4:40:34] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:40:35] stieler: under supervisor

[4:40:36] nguyen supervisor nguyen -

[4:40:37] orange county cemetery district

[4:40:38] - appoint kelly ann rivers,

[4:40:39] huntington beach, for term

[4:40:40] ending 1/7/30

[4:40:42] >>chair, doug chaffee: did

[4:40:44] nguyen no objection item is

[4:40:47] aproved. I think that was all of

[4:40:49] the supplements madam clerk?

[4:40:52] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:40:53] stieler: yes. Yes.

[4:41:00] >>chair, doug chaffee: all

[4:41:01] right. Now we're coming on to

[4:41:04] our comment section. And we'll

[4:41:07] go to public comments. Madam

[4:41:09] clerk would you call the

[4:41:10] speakers?

[4:41:11] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:41:11] stieler: yes we received 12

[4:41:13] requests to speak I'll call

[4:41:14] three names at a time please

[4:41:15] line up behind the podium when

[4:41:16] your name is called. Steve

[4:41:18] rocco, moonheart and paul

[4:41:20] hyack.

[4:41:26] >>speaker: there are white lies

[4:41:28] and there are black lies.

[4:41:31] did you know that

[4:41:33] slavery is legal? It's right

[4:41:36] there in the constitution. Look

[4:41:39] it up. And abe lincoln got rid

[4:41:41] of slavery, he had an exception

[4:41:45] and that exception was

[4:41:50] prisoners. And if you're a

[4:41:53] prisoner, you're a slave if you

[4:41:56] think that's not relevant today,

[4:41:58] who do you think made your car

[4:42:00] license plate and fighting these

[4:42:02] forest fires? Big surprise.

[4:42:08] well, that leads us to today.

[4:42:11] this is still reconstruction.

[4:42:13] after the civil war, nobody

[4:42:14] paid a greater price for slavery

[4:42:15] than white folks. And they paid

[4:42:16] it in the -- well they paid it

[4:42:17] by soldiers, almost one million

[4:42:21] dead, almost 1 million. After

[4:42:24] the war they had their voting

[4:42:27] rights taken away and they were

[4:42:31] governed by scallywags and

[4:42:32] carpetbaggers and freed negro

[4:42:35] slaves.

[4:42:35] the big sin was, for white folks

[4:42:39] anyway, if you ever saw that

[4:42:40] mini series "roots" it begins

[4:42:44] with with a bunch of white folks

[4:42:45] and the jungles of africa

[4:42:48] looking for black folks to

[4:42:50] enslave. It's not true. As a

[4:42:52] matter of fact, black folks

[4:42:55] enslave black folks in tribal

[4:43:00] wars, and they were sold to

[4:43:02] arabs, arab merchants. And then

[4:43:11] they were sold you yankees. Did

[4:43:13] you know why yankees bought

[4:43:14] slaves? Because you got free

[4:43:17] land. The more slaves you had,

[4:43:18] the more you got free land. All

[4:43:19] this doesn't make white folks

[4:43:20] look very good. And we still

[4:43:20] have that strange notion that

[4:43:22] white folks who are responsible

[4:43:23] for slavery and they're the bad

[4:43:24] guys and all this other

[4:43:26] nonsense. And it comes to today

[4:43:32] white folks now becoming

[4:43:33] second-class citizens, not as

[4:43:37] good as, not as many opportunity

[4:43:39] as. And what has been

[4:43:39] weaponized is something which

[4:43:42] is pretty much close to

[4:43:44] a genocide or an extermination

[4:43:51] of the race. And that is

[4:43:54] illegals. You know it's against

[4:43:56] the law to be in the united

[4:44:00] states without a passport, and

[4:44:02] you could be charged with

[4:44:02] harboring. That's a

[4:44:03] misdemeanor. Catch you twice

[4:44:06] it's a felony. But for some

[4:44:07] strange reason, people think

[4:44:08] that, well you've been

[4:44:09] in prison and now you're let go

[4:44:10] and you're as good as anybody

[4:44:12] else. You're not an american.

[4:44:13] you're not an american.

[4:44:13] you shouldn't be here. That's

[4:44:14] what americans want. They want

[4:44:15] a robust deportation. They want

[4:44:23] you gone. They don't want

[4:44:26] homelessness. The solution to

[4:44:33] homelessness is get rid of the

[4:44:35] illegals.

[4:44:38] >>chair, doug chaffee: next

[4:44:38] speakers please.

[4:44:39] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:44:40] stieler: the next three

[4:44:41] speakers are felipe lopez, karla

[4:44:45] alvarado, and cher.

[4:44:56] >>speaker: good afternoon board

[4:44:56] of supervisors, miss foley, mr.

[4:44:57] chafee, mr. Sarmiento miss

[4:44:58] nguyen. My name is felipe

[4:44:58] lopez, ii. For 36 years I've

[4:44:59] lived in orange county. And I'm

[4:45:01] just here to give thanks and

[4:45:02] praise to the county board of

[4:45:05] supervisors. I love this

[4:45:06] county. I work here. I don't

[4:45:14] travel, which further anchors me

[4:45:19] here. I love being a resident

[4:45:21] of orange county. I currently

[4:45:22] work at path yale navigation

[4:45:25] center as overnight safety

[4:45:28] support associate is doing big

[4:45:31] things. Paths leadership is

[4:45:33] taking into consideration

[4:45:35] everything that you're saying.

[4:45:37] I just started working there and

[4:45:42] I've fallen in love with all

[4:45:43] things homelessness. I'm trying

[4:45:44] to learn everything so I can be

[4:45:46] a better citizen and help in

[4:45:47] any way I can. But really just

[4:45:48] want to give a shout out to all

[4:45:50] of you. Shout out to the

[4:45:51] sheriff's department. I know

[4:45:54] mr barnes gets a lot of heat but

[4:45:55] I know if I call 911, someone's

[4:46:02] coming. Someone's coming to

[4:46:02] help me.

[4:46:04] and so, many people, many

[4:46:04] citizens come and complain. I

[4:46:06] want to take a little bit of

[4:46:07] time and say thank you.

[4:46:08] especially to you, mr sarmiento,

[4:46:09] I can see that you're doing

[4:46:12] big work. I appreciate all the

[4:46:14] comments that you've said.

[4:46:16] you've been very involved. You

[4:46:19] responded to the 11 commenters

[4:46:22] that were here, and I have just

[4:46:24] been very impressed with you. I

[4:46:29] believe your future is big and I

[4:46:31] just want to say that. And also

[4:46:33] regarding your donated salary,

[4:46:35] wow. Big round of applause to

[4:46:37] you, sir. But to all of you for

[4:46:41] sitting back there, working

[4:46:43] behind the scenes to make us

[4:46:44] better, again, I love this

[4:46:50] county and thank you for being

[4:46:51] up there taking the heat and

[4:46:53] trying to be strong. Thank you

[4:46:55] to the staff here and appreciate

[4:47:12] you all. Thank you.

[4:47:12] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:47:13] you. May I have the next

[4:47:14] speaker, please.

[4:47:14] >>speaker: sorry. Good

[4:47:15] afternoon board members. My

[4:47:22] name is karla alvarado. I'm

[4:47:24] here representing the mobile

[4:47:25] home park in your county by the

[4:47:27] name of coach royal park owned

[4:47:35] by an out-of-state corporation,

[4:47:36] kingsley management. I'm here

[4:47:37] because there is ongoing crisis

[4:47:38] affecting us mobile homeowners

[4:47:38] in your county, one

[4:47:41] that is resulting the total loss

[4:47:43] of our home and the failure of

[4:47:44] the very system that was meant

[4:47:47] to protect us. This corporation

[4:47:49] is initiating evictions actions

[4:47:51] without without proper legal

[4:47:53] foundation, often pretextual,

[4:47:54] retaliatory and unsupported by

[4:47:55] legitimate violations, while

[4:48:01] simultaneously -- simultaneously

[4:48:03] interfering with homeowners'

[4:48:04] ability to lawfully sell our

[4:48:05] homes. Were being stripped

[4:48:11] from our homes and left with

[4:48:16] nothing. As a result, the

[4:48:20] homeowners are being stripped

[4:48:22] from their ownership rights and

[4:48:25] losing everything they worked

[4:48:26] for in america. This is not an

[4:48:28] isolated incident. There have

[4:48:30] been repeated complaints and

[4:48:31] hundreds of affected residents

[4:48:33] throughout the whole county,

[4:48:36] documented violations and years

[4:48:37] of notices to the appropriate

[4:48:38] agencies here there has been a

[4:48:39] failure to take meaningful

[4:48:40] enforcement action homeowners

[4:48:44] are being treated as tenants and

[4:48:47] classes are being used in ways

[4:48:50] that bypass protections

[4:48:53] significantly established under

[4:48:54] california law for mobile home

[4:48:56] residents the department of

[4:48:58] housing and community

[4:49:00] development was created to

[4:49:02] protect homeowners and address

[4:49:04] power imbalances. But its

[4:49:05] failure to act is allowing these

[4:49:05] imbalances to be exploited.

[4:49:06] the consequences are

[4:49:08] devastating. Families are

[4:49:09] losing everything and their

[4:49:11] stability, there are laws in

[4:49:13] place. There's funding in

[4:49:16] place. There are agencies that

[4:49:20] has to protect residents, yet --

[4:49:22] yet in practice those

[4:49:25] protections are not being

[4:49:26] enforced.

[4:49:27] this is not a housing issue --

[4:49:29] this is not just a housing

[4:49:31] issue, it's an accountability

[4:49:32] issue. It's an ongoing issue is

[4:49:34] impacting hard-working families

[4:49:36] vulnerable elderlies and minor

[4:49:39] children are affected violating

[4:49:41] a lot of loss you you our county

[4:49:43] does not stay silent and no one

[4:49:44] should have to live in fear.

[4:49:45] yet that is happening within our

[4:49:46] community. So today we're

[4:49:48] asking you guys what will this

[4:49:48] board do to ensure enforcement

[4:49:49] with the laws already in place?

[4:49:50] what oversight will you -- will

[4:49:54] be initiated to address, both,

[4:49:58] conduct of these corporations

[4:50:00] that are out of state and the

[4:50:03] failure of the agencies to act

[4:50:04] we're asking you to use your

[4:50:06] authority to protect our

[4:50:08] community and the very people

[4:50:09] that you were put in place to

[4:50:11] protect and ensure this

[4:50:12] does not continue. No one

[4:50:13] should lose their home because

[4:50:14] us because of the system

[4:50:16] designed to protect them has

[4:50:18] failed to act. Thank you.

[4:50:19] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:50:21] you ma'am.

[4:50:23] >>vincente sarmiento:

[4:50:24] mr. Speaker before we go on I

[4:50:25] want to say to the last

[4:50:26] speaker's point, karla is a

[4:50:28] constituent of mine in district

[4:50:30] two she's referring to a mobile

[4:50:34] home park called coach

[4:50:36] royal. There's been a lot of

[4:50:37] unnecessary harassment,

[4:50:39] hostility towards the mobile

[4:50:41] home park owners. So our

[4:50:42] office has been working with

[4:50:44] them. What was really

[4:50:47] egregious is that just two weeks

[4:50:48] ago one of the mobile

[4:50:49] home park residents her name was

[4:50:52] lucy pedraza committed suicide.

[4:50:54] and part of that had to do with

[4:50:57] the hostility and threats that

[4:51:01] she was receiving from the

[4:51:03] property managers they were

[4:51:06] threatening to call ice on her

[4:51:07] she was a legal resident. Her

[4:51:09] -- she was the only caretaker

[4:51:13] for her sister claudia, and now

[4:51:15] dr. Kelly has been really

[4:51:16] helpful. Have to give her a

[4:51:17] shout-out because she's now

[4:51:19] trying to find a caregiver for

[4:51:20] the sister. And so you know you

[4:51:24] know. It's a very unfortunate,

[4:51:24] really terrible condition

[4:51:25] there. But we don't have any

[4:51:26] jurisdiction as a county over

[4:51:32] that site. But I'm working

[4:51:33] with the city manager and

[4:51:35] council member hernandez,

[4:51:39] whose district this is. And

[4:51:39] we're trying to place all

[4:51:42] our efforts to support what

[4:51:42] they're doing. We're also

[4:51:44] -- but what I also see is this

[4:51:45] needs a legislative

[4:51:46] fix. So we're reaching out to

[4:51:49] senator umber's office because

[4:51:50] some of the residents want to

[4:51:51] sell their units but the consent

[4:51:53] is being unreasonably withheld

[4:51:54] by the property owners. So

[4:51:55] that's something that needs

[4:51:56] to be fixed in the law.

[4:52:00] you know, what happens is some

[4:52:03] of these mobile home park owners

[4:52:04] want to sell their units;

[4:52:06] property owner, you know,

[4:52:08] doesn't want to consent so

[4:52:09] they're limited to now just

[4:52:11] accepting a below market amount

[4:52:13] from people that the property

[4:52:17] owner will share. So, it is --

[4:52:21] it's very difficult. We have a

[4:52:23] meeting with the property owner

[4:52:24] coming up. So I'm going to try

[4:52:27] to compel and at least appeal

[4:52:29] to letting them know that they

[4:52:30] are now, you know, overstepping

[4:52:32] what they should be doing as

[4:52:38] property owners. But I just

[4:52:39] wanted to give the board just an

[4:52:40] update let them know that we're

[4:52:41] in contact with them and trying

[4:52:42] to provide as much support both

[4:52:44] you know on the mental health

[4:52:45] side. But ours also

[4:52:48] legislatively and making

[4:52:49] sure we're supporting the city

[4:52:50] and their efforts.

[4:52:53] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:52:54] you for your assistance in this

[4:52:55] matter.

[4:52:56] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:52:58] mr. Sarmiento?

[4:52:59] >>chair, doug chaffee: vice

[4:52:59] chair?

[4:53:00] >>v. Chair, katrina foley:

[4:53:00] supervisor sarmiento,

[4:53:03] are you working with gsmol?

[4:53:04] they're a manufactured home

[4:53:05] league and they do advocacy work

[4:53:07] and litigation. So you might

[4:53:08] want to reach out to them

[4:53:11] because they're a good advocate.

[4:53:12] >>vincente sarmiento: thank

[4:53:13] you.

[4:53:14] >>chair, doug chaffee: are

[4:53:14] there any more speakers?

[4:53:15] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:53:16] stieler: yes, we do. The next

[4:53:17] three speakers are elmer

[4:53:18] flores, greg aerosmith, and

[4:53:20] patty kabada.

[4:53:36] >>speaker:

[4:53:37] california brown act of 1953

[4:53:38] forcing local government

[4:53:40] agencies to be transparent

[4:53:42] with the taxpaying

[4:53:43] citizens. Focus I emailed this

[4:53:46] to be informed about government

[4:53:47] actions and decisions in

[4:53:49] conclusion the purpose of having

[4:53:51] orange county board of

[4:53:53] supervisors meetings are to

[4:53:55] involvement is in violation of

[4:53:57] the brown act and violates

[4:53:59] rights of speech chaffee took

[4:54:03] around, leon page replied back

[4:54:06] to my march 11th 2026 e-mail, my

[4:54:12] letter lacks merit with his

[4:54:14] further explanation and the body

[4:54:15] of his e-mail. Here's my follow

[4:54:18] up argument brown act 2003 page

[4:54:24] 19, section 1115d of the bagley

[4:54:26] keen act concerning state

[4:54:31] bodies. 1967 open meeting act

[4:54:34] is a california law that

[4:54:35] requires state agency meetings

[4:54:37] to be open to the public

[4:54:39] ensuring transparency and

[4:54:40] accountability in government. I

[4:54:42] asked ai if I can present the

[4:54:46] bagley keen open meeting act at

[4:54:48] a local government stetting.

[4:54:51] ai's response, yes you can

[4:54:52] present the bagley keene open

[4:54:54] meeting act at a local

[4:54:55] government setting as it's

[4:54:55] relevant to state agencies and

[4:54:59] regarding open meetings accords

[4:55:02] to the first amendment

[4:55:03] coalition. Formerly the bagley

[4:55:05] keen act specifically applies to

[4:55:08] state entities. Principles can

[4:55:09] be relevant in local government

[4:55:11] settings. This act is crucial

[4:55:13] for protecting citizen's rights

[4:55:15] to protect and be informed about

[4:55:18] decisions. In conclusion, the

[4:55:20] purpose of having orange county

[4:55:21] board of supervisors meetings

[4:55:21] are to increase transparency and

[4:55:23] involvement with the tax paying

[4:55:25] citizens. The meetings are not

[4:55:27] designed for the convenience of

[4:55:28] the public civil servants that

[4:55:31] receive financial compensation,

[4:55:32] health care, pension, et cetera

[4:55:33] from the tax paying citizens.

[4:55:35] the public civil servants keep

[4:55:39] on forgetting where his or her

[4:55:40] place is. Like you see analogy

[4:55:41] that a public civil servant, in

[4:55:42] general, is similar to an out

[4:55:43] out of control and spoiled

[4:55:44] teenager that has no respect

[4:55:46] under his or her parents roof.

[4:55:47] this was is an issue with the

[4:55:48] state of california and the

[4:55:49] local governments. I do look

[4:55:50] forward to seeing a change

[4:55:51] for the best interests of the

[4:55:52] taxpaying citizens in the near

[4:55:54] future.

[4:55:57] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[4:55:58] you, sir.

[4:55:59] next speaker, please.

[4:56:06] >>speaker: good afternoon

[4:56:11] board. I'm here to also ask you

[4:56:13] to please look into the

[4:56:14] situation that is happening with

[4:56:15] coach royal mobile home park. I

[4:56:18] would like to say thank you to

[4:56:19] supervisor vincente sarmiento

[4:56:22] for taking the time to invest

[4:56:25] into these residents. I would

[4:56:27] ask that all of you perhaps take

[4:56:29] time out of your day to look to

[4:56:31] see what is happening there.

[4:56:32] because we do have american

[4:56:35] citizens that live there. It's

[4:56:36] not just a mobile home park with

[4:56:41] undocumented residents. But I

[4:56:43] have a question. I would like

[4:56:45] to know if, what these

[4:56:46] residents, the undocumented ones

[4:56:47] are going through. Would that

[4:56:49] qualify for extortion? And if

[4:56:54] it is, does that allow these

[4:56:57] undocumented residents to apply

[4:56:59] for a new visa. Most of people

[4:57:01] are deeply afraid to speak up.

[4:57:07] if you took time out of your day

[4:57:09] to look and see the people that

[4:57:11] are being affected here, right

[4:57:12] in our county, you would see how

[4:57:13] detrimental it has been to many

[4:57:15] of them because people have been

[4:57:18] made homeless families with

[4:57:20] multiple children per household

[4:57:22] have been made homeless due to

[4:57:23] all this criminal and illegal

[4:57:25] activities in this mobile home

[4:57:27] park. Mind you, the same owners

[4:57:30] of that park own another mobile

[4:57:31] home park in the same street

[4:57:33] right down with hundreds of

[4:57:34] residents that are experiencing

[4:57:35] the same thing so you see this

[4:57:36] is a county problem it's not

[4:57:39] just a district problem.

[4:57:43] because all of these people

[4:57:46] reside within orange county

[4:57:49] so this is everyone's problem

[4:57:51] you to please use your

[4:57:52] resources.

[4:57:53] help, supervisor vincent

[4:57:58] sarmiento to allow these

[4:57:59] residents to be able to sell

[4:58:00] their homes without fear to be

[4:58:04] able to speak up without fear of

[4:58:05] having ice picking them up.

[4:58:06] and it's very unfortunate

[4:58:09] because every person that

[4:58:10] purchased their mobile home they

[4:58:12] worked for it. Nobody gave it

[4:58:14] to them. They didn't get a

[4:58:15] voucher for their mobile homes

[4:58:17] you have residents that were

[4:58:21] evicted after 15, 20 years of

[4:58:26] being residents there. That's

[4:58:27] criminal.

[4:58:28] so I ask and urge you, once

[4:58:29] again. I'm pleading with you to

[4:58:30] please reach out to these

[4:58:30] residents so that mother no

[4:58:34] other single mother makes an

[4:58:39] unfortunate decision to commit

[4:58:40] suicide. Because the mother

[4:58:43] that committed suicide was a

[4:58:47] working mother who worked very

[4:58:49] hard to purchase her home

[4:58:49] and her son found her dead in

[4:58:51] the tub from suicide.

[4:58:51] I would hope that we don't want

[4:58:52] that to happen again. Thank

[4:58:56] you.

[4:58:57] >>chair, doug chaffee. Thank

[4:58:57] you so much.

[4:58:58] >>clerk of the board, robin

[4:58:59] stieler: after elmer flores,

[4:59:00] the last three speakers are

[4:59:01] brian k, stephen mcnally and

[4:59:02] reeder.

[4:59:16] >>speaker: happy day. I'll

[4:59:22] touch on the mobile home park.

[4:59:23] sharon quirk silva had a lot

[4:59:24] of success working to stop

[4:59:26] rancho la paz from doing

[4:59:27] the same thing.

[4:59:30] it was about five years ago I

[4:59:32] saw a deputy slamming doors.

[4:59:37] I asked him why he did it.

[4:59:41] he bragged, he said, oh, I'm

[4:59:43] working graveyard and I'm pissed

[4:59:44] and I'm angry and I'm slamming

[4:59:44] doors.

[4:59:46] and then one of them broke.

[4:59:51] little of sharing with me that

[4:59:53] he broke a jail door, putting

[4:59:55] his life and his inmates life at

[4:59:57] risk, he learned. He learned

[5:00:01] that slamming a jail door isn't

[5:00:02] a good idea.

[5:00:05] and recently I was

[5:00:07] in jail, and it was about seven

[5:00:12] hours, maybe eight hours

[5:00:13] before I heard a jail door slam.

[5:00:14] and when that door was slammed,

[5:00:15] all the other deputies

[5:00:17] looked at the deputy

[5:00:18] who slammed the door like

[5:00:21] what's wrong with you? Don't

[5:00:23] you have any respect for your

[5:00:24] other deputies?

[5:00:27] you know, today

[5:00:28] janet nguyen talked about how

[5:00:30] she has trouble reaching

[5:00:31] out, and how other

[5:00:33] people within the

[5:00:34] county don't answer

[5:00:35] her messages.

[5:00:39] >>speaker: it's been about ten

[5:00:42] minutes not getting

[5:00:46] communications. You spent half

[5:00:47] an hour talking about problems

[5:00:48] with ice and issues with

[5:00:50] government.

[5:01:20] >>speaker: anaheim police shot

[5:01:22] and killed a man who had his

[5:01:24] hands up. Have you done

[5:01:26] anything to protect your

[5:01:27] constituents? I mean, you're

[5:01:28] doing the same things ice are

[5:01:31] doing. Anaheim police have

[5:01:34] killed just as many people as

[5:01:36] ice has. And you're asking for

[5:01:39] help. Janet is asking for help.

[5:01:45] katrina foley is asking for

[5:01:47] help. She actually doesn't

[5:01:49] understand -- she didn't

[5:01:51] understand the requirements for

[5:01:53] buying flyers and jackets. She

[5:01:55] spent a good five minutes

[5:01:57] talking about that today.

[5:01:58] that's why we have first

[5:02:03] amendment so we can come down

[5:02:05] here and tell you that you have

[5:02:06] made a mistake and that you can

[5:02:08] correct it. I don't know why

[5:02:09] janet thinks it's funny to

[5:02:12] ignore somebody and then

[5:02:14] complain about being ignored

[5:02:16] herself does that I make sense

[5:02:19] to anybody? Happy day.

[5:02:22] >>chair, doug chaffee: any more

[5:02:24] speakers?

[5:02:25] >>clerk of the board, robin

[5:02:26] stieler: and alley reeder.

[5:02:43] >>speaker: do not envy evil men

[5:02:46] do not desire to be with them

[5:02:48] for their heart studies

[5:02:50] destruction and their lips talk

[5:02:53] of trouble a house built through

[5:02:56] wisdom it is established by

[5:02:59] understanding and by knowledge

[5:03:00] will the chambers be filled with

[5:03:03] all pressures and pleasant

[5:03:06] riches, a wise man is strong yet

[5:03:08] a man of knowledge increases for

[5:03:12] wise counsel you will make war

[5:03:14] and to multitude of counselors

[5:03:17] there is safety wisdom is too

[5:03:19] high for a fellow he does not

[5:03:21] open his mouth in the gate he

[5:03:23] devices to do evil will be

[5:03:25] called a mischievous person the

[5:03:26] thought of the foolish is sin

[5:03:27] this corner is an abomination to

[5:03:32] men if you paint the day of

[5:03:34] adversity your strength is

[5:03:36] strength small if you refrain to

[5:03:39] deliver those who are drawn unto

[5:03:42] death are ready to be slain if

[5:03:44] you say behold we did not know

[5:03:46] it does not he who ponders the

[5:03:49] heart of considerate and he who

[5:03:51] keeps your soul does he know it

[5:03:53] and will he not rendered to

[5:03:57] every man according to his

[5:03:59] works. My son, eat honey

[5:04:01] because it is good and the

[5:04:03] honeycomb which is sweet to your

[5:04:04] palate so will the knowledge of

[5:04:06] wisdom be to your soul when you

[5:04:08] have found it then there will be

[5:04:10] a future in your expectation

[5:04:12] will not be cut off do not lie

[5:04:16] in wait oh wicked man against

[5:04:18] the dwelling of the righteous do

[5:04:20] not plunder his resting place

[5:04:23] for a righteous man falls seven

[5:04:25] times then rises up again do not

[5:04:27] rejoys when your enemy falls do

[5:04:30] not let your heart rejoice

[5:04:34] enthusiastically when he

[5:04:35] stumbles left the lord see it

[5:04:37] and displease him he would turn

[5:04:40] away his wrath from him do not

[5:04:43] fret yourself because of bad

[5:04:45] people do not envy the wicked

[5:04:47] for there will be no future for

[5:04:49] the bad one the lamp of the

[5:04:51] wicked will be put out my son

[5:04:53] revere in the lord the king do

[5:04:54] not meddle with those who are

[5:04:56] given to change for their cal

[5:04:58] amity will rise suddenly and who

[5:05:00] knows the ruin of them both

[5:05:06] these things also for the wise

[5:05:08] it is not good to have

[5:05:11] respective persons in judgment

[5:05:13] he says to the wicked you

[5:05:15] righteous the people will curse

[5:05:17] him nations will abhor him but

[5:05:21] to those who rebuke him will be

[5:05:22] delight and good blessings will

[5:05:24] come upon them, prepare your

[5:05:27] work outside and make ready for

[5:05:31] yourself in the field and

[5:05:33] afterwards build your house do

[5:05:35] not be witness against your

[5:05:38] neighbor without a cause or

[5:05:40] deceive with your lips do not

[5:05:42] say I shall do him as he has

[5:05:44] done for me.

[5:05:48] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[5:05:48] you.

[5:05:49] >>clerk of the board, robin

[5:05:49] stieler: no further speakers.

[5:05:50] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[5:05:55] you madam clerk now coming to

[5:05:59] board comments we start with our

[5:06:02] ceo, do you have any comments to

[5:06:04] make? Not at this time.

[5:06:07] supervisor nguyen?

[5:06:10] >>janet nguyen: thank you

[5:06:13] mr. Chairman I have a few I'm

[5:06:14] sorry I know time is getting

[5:06:17] late I'm going to try to breeze

[5:06:18] through this real quick last

[5:06:20] week I was part of organizing

[5:06:22] and helping a father in

[5:06:25] huntington beach who has been

[5:06:27] diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

[5:06:29] stage four last month one of the

[5:06:31] things that we did was when we

[5:06:33] fond out last friday a week

[5:06:35] before that that he has been

[5:06:40] taken off all treatments we got

[5:06:43] together contacted the school

[5:06:45] district, you know, the city of

[5:06:48] huntington beach, and we put on

[5:06:49] a graduation for his daughter.

[5:06:52] that was one of his wish that he

[5:06:55] gets to see her graduate and

[5:06:59] abby is, you know, it's abby cur

[5:07:02] win, her graduation, it was

[5:07:04] official, she actually did

[5:07:06] qualify to receive her

[5:07:09] graduation diploma, her dad was

[5:07:13] administrator at huntington

[5:07:16] beach union high school district

[5:07:18] a 20 year army veteran also

[5:07:20] coached a lot of youth sports in

[5:07:22] huntington beach baseball,

[5:07:23] football, soccer, basketball was

[5:07:25] also my son's coach as well and

[5:07:27] actually my son and his son have

[5:07:30] known each other since six

[5:07:32] months and you know he always

[5:07:33] made sure every student showed

[5:07:35] up for practice even that meant

[5:07:37] picking them up driving them

[5:07:40] home feeding them or you know

[5:07:41] making sure any roadblocks he

[5:07:44] assisted for over two decades in

[5:07:48] huntington beach I want you to

[5:07:49] know I want to highlight this

[5:07:51] because this is the human side

[5:07:53] of all of us that we forget how

[5:07:55] precious life is also how you

[5:07:58] put together 16 parents

[5:08:00] including myself my husband we

[5:08:02] can pour put something like this

[5:08:07] together but it's not just us

[5:08:08] it's as I mentioned this

[5:08:12] huntington beach school

[5:08:13] district, are the trustees

[5:08:15] principal, city of huntington

[5:08:18] beach police chief, huntington

[5:08:23] beach police association city

[5:08:24] manager we had our council

[5:08:26] members three of them went up

[5:08:28] there and has commit to working

[5:08:30] to put together a ben there to

[5:08:32] be named after him so he can

[5:08:33] always be there to see all the

[5:08:35] kids and families grow up in

[5:08:37] that same part that he's always

[5:08:41] been there, these are the

[5:08:43] kindness of things the last week

[5:08:45] and a half has been overwhelming

[5:08:52] but it's been gratifying to know

[5:08:55] that the community can come

[5:08:56] together like this. I also

[5:08:57] wanted to -- it's not just those

[5:09:02] that I just mentioned, people

[5:09:05] like code four, tons of

[5:09:07] restaurants came in, from claim

[5:09:09] jumper, masala, indian, and

[5:09:16] nepali cuisine, kitchen long

[5:09:22] board you name it they all came

[5:09:24] in and over 400 people showed up

[5:09:26] in a small park wasn't even

[5:09:30] advertised you know we just want

[5:09:32] to tell the crowe family we're

[5:09:35] here for them communities are

[5:09:36] here for them and I want to

[5:09:38] thank everybody for coming

[5:09:40] together.

[5:09:41] then on some county issues, I

[5:09:43] want to say thank you to pam

[5:09:45] from oc parks because that

[5:09:47] weekend we didn't know where to

[5:09:49] host this and we thought about

[5:09:50] the freedom hall, freedom park

[5:09:53] in monte square park is a

[5:09:56] possibility she picked up my

[5:09:57] call saturday morning just to

[5:09:59] try to help us navigate to see

[5:10:02] if it's possible but the family

[5:10:03] wanted him to be near home just

[5:10:06] in case pea needed to get back

[5:10:08] to the house quicker than go all

[5:10:11] the way to fountain valley but I

[5:10:13] want to thank pam for picking up

[5:10:14] my call when my deputy chief

[5:10:16] diane called her saturday

[5:10:18] morning. So, thank you, pam.

[5:10:19] and then just a few things. We

[5:10:25] hosted our community health care

[5:10:26] and social service expo this

[5:10:29] last weekend, wanted to thank oc

[5:10:32] parks, county agencies,

[5:10:34] non-profits, and lots of

[5:10:37] volunteers. The expo had a lot

[5:10:40] of health care services and many

[5:10:43] other agency that were there to

[5:10:45] assist. I want to thank tran

[5:10:49] our ssa director he was there, I

[5:10:52] want to thank cal-optima for

[5:10:54] also being a part of it and

[5:10:56] hosting. We had over know 700

[5:10:59] people attended services include

[5:11:01] medical, dental, vision,

[5:11:03] recorders office was there,

[5:11:06] legal aids, child support you

[5:11:08] name it, ssa assisted over 100

[5:11:11] people on their medi-cal and

[5:11:12] cal-fresh applications over 400

[5:11:14] people food items were provided

[5:11:17] 200 people were able to visit

[5:11:18] the dental clinic and we gave

[5:11:20] marriage license and also one

[5:11:22] dog was also adopted from oc

[5:11:25] animal care as well. Couple

[5:11:27] things we are hosting in our

[5:11:29] district coming up wanted to

[5:11:32] highlight if it any agencies or

[5:11:34] any businesses that would like

[5:11:35] to partner with our non-profit

[5:11:38] please let us know first our pet

[5:11:41] expo will be coming up in the

[5:11:43] district at city of huntington

[5:11:44] beach at central park west on

[5:11:47] april 25th as many of you know

[5:11:48] one of my priorities has been to

[5:11:50] help our animals at the shelter

[5:11:52] and two of our shelters local

[5:11:54] shelter managed by wags pet

[5:11:57] adoption will also be there to

[5:11:58] adopt thyself pets we start

[5:12:00] hosting these expos to bring

[5:12:02] animal awareness and bring the

[5:12:06] animal to the community so this

[5:12:08] will be free adoption city of

[5:12:11] huntington beach will waive the

[5:12:13] cat adoption fee county is

[5:12:16] waiving the dog adoption fee

[5:12:18] there will be vaccination clinic

[5:12:20] affordable services you know

[5:12:21] that would be like $15 for

[5:12:23] rabies shots, no appointments

[5:12:26] necessary we also have $50 off

[5:12:29] coupons for spay and neuter at

[5:12:31] low-cost golden state humane

[5:12:34] society animal hospital as well

[5:12:36] so if you are a pet business who

[5:12:39] would like to participate any

[5:12:41] non-profit county agency please

[5:12:42] let us know and contact my

[5:12:44] office. Next thing we're

[5:12:46] hosting coming up in april is

[5:12:48] our passport event our oc clerk

[5:12:51] recorder hew wynn april 11th

[5:12:59] from 9:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m. At

[5:13:01] garden grove courtyard center

[5:13:04] we're going to be providing

[5:13:06] assisting folks in the community

[5:13:07] who would like to come out and

[5:13:08] get their passport submit their

[5:13:10] application et cetera please

[5:13:11] reach tout my office. Thank you

[5:13:13] mr. Chairman

[5:13:15] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[5:13:16] you vice chair foley did you

[5:13:17] have a comment?

[5:13:19] >>v. Chair, katrina foley: yeah

[5:13:19] just real quickly, I want to

[5:13:21] give an update we did vote on

[5:13:23] supporting two items that relate

[5:13:27] to the nitrous oxide bills

[5:13:29] pending. The work is gaining

[5:13:31] momentum in sacramento, senator,

[5:13:33] umber has advanced sb 758

[5:13:36] targeting retail sales at smoke

[5:13:39] shops and similar outlets under

[5:13:44] blakespear sb 936 which the

[5:13:47] county cosponsor as well passed

[5:13:50] the committee on march 17th so

[5:13:52] both bills have got own out of

[5:13:54] the committee the bill will

[5:13:56] establish stronger statewide

[5:13:58] standard for restricting

[5:14:02] flavored and directly inhaleable

[5:14:04] nitrous oxide products this

[5:14:06] weekend. The reason why this is

[5:14:08] real you see the picture behind

[5:14:10] me maybe you have put it on the

[5:14:12] screen so this weekend a friend

[5:14:14] of mine stopped by just to pick

[5:14:16] up a soda at the local liquor

[5:14:18] store on his way to the 55

[5:14:20] freeway and to his surprise he

[5:14:22] saw this stack right next to the

[5:14:24] cashier with shelves stocked

[5:14:27] with nitrous oxide for purchase

[5:14:30] this properties a clear issue of

[5:14:33] enforcement and retailers being

[5:14:35] permitted to sell this product

[5:14:36] in open and then literally if

[5:14:40] you walk outside with one of

[5:14:41] these canisters, a police

[5:14:43] officer could arrest you for

[5:14:44] having possession of this

[5:14:52] canister. I know notices have

[5:14:53] gone out to the retailers to let

[5:14:56] them know that this is illegal

[5:14:57] and hopefully we can get some

[5:14:59] traction going on from

[5:15:01] prohibiting this in our

[5:15:02] community because it is a public

[5:15:03] health nuisance. And, so,

[5:15:05] moving on to orange county

[5:15:11] housing finance trust update.

[5:15:16] the trust in the last week and

[5:15:17] we hired a new fund and grant

[5:15:19] raiser to get private money into

[5:15:21] the trust to build workforce

[5:15:23] housing and have more

[5:15:24] flexibility with the dollars in

[5:15:25] the trust. But to give an

[5:15:28] update in 2025, the trust closed

[5:15:30] its first acquisition loan

[5:15:32] secured $3 million from

[5:15:33] congressman korea for mark's way

[5:15:37] project in orange completed ten

[5:15:39] permanent loan conversion closed

[5:15:40] three construction loans and

[5:15:42] celebrated seven grand openings

[5:15:44] across the county. Since 2018

[5:15:45] these efforts have helped create

[5:15:47] 10115 affordable homes and we

[5:15:50] have 1182 units in the pipeline

[5:15:53] so good work happening there.

[5:15:56] orange county housing authority

[5:15:57] also has been hard at work

[5:16:00] moving 475 households into the

[5:16:05] housing choice voucher program,

[5:16:07] and I want to really

[5:16:08] congratulate our team here at

[5:16:10] the county, because the state

[5:16:13] auditor has given us a really

[5:16:18] positive review in terms of how

[5:16:19] we handled our housing choice

[5:16:22] voucher lottery and we got a

[5:16:26] clear no negative findings. We

[5:16:30] -- it showed no deficiencies and

[5:16:33] that what I thought was a really

[5:16:35] incredible number was 97%

[5:16:40] acceptance rate. So, 97% of the

[5:16:42] people who applied for housing

[5:16:44] choice voucher were accepted.

[5:16:46] and 82% of the emergency housing

[5:16:51] voucher recipients have been

[5:16:53] housed. So, good work. Thank

[5:16:54] you to our housing team.

[5:16:57] next up we have some town halls

[5:17:00] coming up. We have -- gosh a

[5:17:03] lot of town halls rancho mission

[5:17:09] viejo town hall will be march

[5:17:10] 26th that's our senior supports

[5:17:12] town hall will be focused on

[5:17:15] senior scams trying to make sure

[5:17:17] the communities knows about some

[5:17:19] red flags to look for so they

[5:17:21] don't get scammed we also have

[5:17:23] our dana point harbor annual

[5:17:27] town hall with our oversight

[5:17:29] committee where we give update

[5:17:31] on revitalization of the harbor

[5:17:34] to answer questions joined by

[5:17:36] our oversight committee members

[5:17:38] as well as dana point harbor

[5:17:40] partners we'll have our e-bike

[5:17:41] safety town hall april 6th that

[5:17:43] will include a free bike helmet

[5:17:46] give away while supplies last

[5:17:49] hopefully you will join us then

[5:17:50] my final update is on our flood

[5:17:53] control improvements I want to

[5:17:54] thank our orange county public

[5:17:57] works staff and flood district

[5:17:59] staff for amazing work they do

[5:18:02] we continue to address the

[5:18:03] public safety issues related to

[5:18:05] people congregating in our flood

[5:18:07] channels or in our parks near

[5:18:09] flood channels so last year we

[5:18:11] launched this new program to

[5:18:12] install security cameras and

[5:18:14] increase patrols and add

[5:18:15] anticlimbing fencing in critical

[5:18:17] areas then oc public works has

[5:18:19] disposed more than 25,000 cubic

[5:18:21] yards of trash from our channels

[5:18:23] what does that mean? Think of

[5:18:27] seven olympic side size swimming

[5:18:34] pools, I don't know if they

[5:18:36] showed the picture but we have

[5:18:38] some before and after pictures

[5:18:39] thank you to public works staff

[5:18:41] for helping us keep things clean

[5:18:43] and safe. That's all I have

[5:18:45] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[5:18:46] you vice chair sarmiento any

[5:18:48] comments?

[5:18:52] >>vincente sarmiento: yes I

[5:18:53] have a few but will compress

[5:18:55] down to one it's actually a

[5:18:57] positive thing I love ending on

[5:18:58] something that's optimistic and

[5:19:00] positive so I want to give a

[5:19:02] huge congratulations to the

[5:19:03] modern day monarchs an

[5:19:05] incredible season there in the

[5:19:08] inaugural cif state soccer

[5:19:11] championships the boy's team

[5:19:13] came out on top with 21 victory

[5:19:15] over alvarez high school and

[5:19:18] right after that the girls team

[5:19:21] captured the d1 title with 2-0

[5:19:26] victory over bishop, this is

[5:19:29] more than just a championship

[5:19:32] it's a proud moment for santa

[5:19:34] ana and orange county modern day

[5:19:36] to host nationally ranked

[5:19:38] football teams basketball teams

[5:19:40] it does generate athletes that

[5:19:43] go into professional sports and

[5:19:47] now soccer will be one of them

[5:19:49] so on the eve of the world cup

[5:19:51] it's really a great moment for

[5:19:53] our community big shout out to

[5:19:55] players families school

[5:19:56] community and of course boys

[5:19:58] soccer and coach sean gaine and

[5:20:01] girls soccer coach maddie west

[5:20:03] their leadership dedication to

[5:20:04] all these student athletes

[5:20:05] really help them achieve

[5:20:07] something historic. I just want

[5:20:09] to give special mention to

[5:20:11] isaiah kovarubias macias. He

[5:20:13] was a young man on the soccer

[5:20:15] team, son of superior court

[5:20:17] judge elizabeth macias and cesar

[5:20:20] kovarubias, director of kennedy

[5:20:23] commission that focuses in

[5:20:25] affordable housing. So great

[5:20:28] family produced an incredible

[5:20:30] athlete but all the modern day

[5:20:32] monarchs and everybody in the

[5:20:34] community that loves soccer here

[5:20:36] in the county but it's a good

[5:20:39] moment for us to shine statewide

[5:20:41] hopefully with these teams will

[5:20:44] go far will compete nationally

[5:20:46] but that's my comment.

[5:20:50] >>chair, doug chaffee: thank

[5:20:51] you. If I may make my own

[5:20:53] comments I want to say thank you

[5:20:56] to the first county park

[5:20:59] department as well as orange

[5:21:00] county employees for helping

[5:21:02] out with our kids fishing derby

[5:21:04] at carbon canyon park last

[5:21:07] saturday march 15th at about 500

[5:21:09] people came out for a wonderful

[5:21:11] day the weather wasn't too bad

[5:21:13] which is good and we're now

[5:21:15] taking applications for our

[5:21:16] summer 2026 future leaders

[5:21:18] program applications are due by

[5:21:20] thursday april 9th and I urge

[5:21:26] people who are interested to get

[5:21:29] the application in, last year we

[5:21:32] were oversubscribed had to turn

[5:21:34] away a few people students who

[5:21:35] participate learned about

[5:21:36] leadership skills explore

[5:21:38] different career opportunities

[5:21:40] learn about county government we

[5:21:41] let them put on a mock board of

[5:21:45] supervisors meeting where each

[5:21:47] of them writes up an item they

[5:21:49] would like it see passed then

[5:21:51] sitting with their colleagues

[5:21:53] who are joining them on that

[5:21:55] board see if they can convince

[5:21:58] them to approve it so that's

[5:22:00] always an exercise we have

[5:22:05] coming up friday april 17th the

[5:22:12] children will be putting on a

[5:22:14] seminar in la harbor city hall

[5:22:16] which is built around an atrium

[5:22:19] as one of the most beautiful

[5:22:21] city halls that I know of shout

[5:22:23] out to la harbor make it

[5:22:26] available to us at no-cost they

[5:22:28] roll out the tables and chairs

[5:22:30] and audio visual no charge clean

[5:22:32] up for us we do provide the food

[5:22:34] so starts at 12:30 p.m. On that

[5:22:37] date then interest is a career

[5:22:40] fair we're going to put on we

[5:22:42] did last year in brea mall for

[5:22:46] far more people than we expected

[5:22:48] turned out because of where it

[5:22:50] was people coming through the

[5:22:51] mall had about 800 people turn

[5:22:54] out, they gave us some national

[5:22:58] publicity county for the career

[5:23:00] fair we did last year again will

[5:23:03] be doing another one tuesday

[5:23:09] april 21, '10 a.m. To 1:00 p.m.

[5:23:10] there will be a lot of employers

[5:23:12] out there you can look for a job

[5:23:15] we'll help you look for some

[5:23:17] online, write a résumé if you

[5:23:20] need that and you will be able

[5:23:22] to interview with a large number

[5:23:23] of employers and go shopping as

[5:23:26] well if you want then the second

[5:23:29] anniversary of the office of

[5:23:31] immigration and refugee affairs

[5:23:33] I had the wrong date it's

[5:23:36] actually april, we celebrating

[5:23:38] the second annual celebration of

[5:23:41] its creation with that I have

[5:23:42] nothing further is there any

[5:23:44] other thing for the good of the

[5:23:45] country? Do we have any?

[5:23:50] seeing no memorials. All right

[5:23:54] in this case I'm going to

[5:23:56] adjourn the meeting our next

[5:23:57] meeting will be right here

[5:24:02] beginning 9:30 a.m. April 14th

[5:24:04] we do our presentation

[5:24:08] recognizing worthy causes as

[5:24:10] nine we do our best to start at

[5:24:13] 9:30 we never quite make it

[5:24:15] seems more like ten that's our

[5:24:17] intent so with that in mind,

[5:24:19] we're adjourned. Thank you all.

[5:24:25] [adjourned]

Board Meeting

Agenda

Transcript