Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Bye. Thank you. Thank you.

Hey there! Want to make your voice heard at a Board of Supervisors meeting? We're all ears. Here's how you can get involved. First, hop online and look at the agendas. This will give you the scoop on what's coming up before the Board. Each agenda item includes a brief description of the issue, the recommendations, and potential impacts. If you need more detail, check out the detailed reports online. Those are called Board Letters. Then, decide if you want to speak at Tuesday's General Legislative Session or Wednesday's Land Use Session. you'll have three opportunities to have your say. Let's start with non-agenda public comment. This is your chance to talk about things that aren't on the agenda, but try and keep your topic related to county government. For non-agenda public comments, you can speak at either the Tuesday or Wednesday session, but not both. So pick your day accordingly. And keep in mind, the board can't act on the spot. They'll refer your comments to the chief administrative officer who will look into the issue. Last thing, the board will hear from the first 10 speakers, five in person and five by phone at the beginning of the session. Then all the remaining speakers will get their chance to speak after the discussion items. During the consent agenda, the board handles a bunch of routine items with one vote. If you want to comment on an item, keep it simple. For example, I'm John Doe, speaking on item five, and I agree with approving the contract. Discussion items are the main event where the board debates before making a decision. Want to speak at one of the meetings? It's really easy. Just hop online and fill out a quick request form at publiccomment.sandiegocounty.gov. Pick the meeting you're interested in, hit the register button, then fill in your details. Make sure to include a phone number if you plan on speaking by phone. Prefer speaking at the podium in the board chamber? No problem. Just pick the in-person option. After that, just check off the agenda items you want to talk about and let them know you're for, against, or neutral on them. Hit register and you're good to go. A confirmation email will land in your inbox to wrap it up. If you're speaking by phone, the email will include the instructions for how to dial in. Be sure to submit your request early. Once public comment begins on the agenda item, we can't take any more requests to speak. And if you have documents, hand them to the deputy clerk when it's your turn to speak at the podium. Now, you get two minutes to speak, but if lots of people want to talk, it might get cut to one minute. So, you might want to consider writing two sets of comments. One for two minutes, another one for one. That way, if time's cut, you won't be scrambling. There's also a countdown clock at the podium to keep you on track. Once you're at the podium, stay on topic. Stick to the current agenda item. If you stray off topic, you might get a gentle nudge to get back to the point. Keep your comments related to the agenda item's recommendations because that's what the board is relying on to make a decision. Also, speak directly to the board. They're the ones making the decision. When your time's up, it's up. Overstaying might mean getting muted or even asked to leave. Now for some ground rules. For safety, keep aisles and doorways clear. If there isn't a seat, head across the hall to room 302 or the fourth floor balcony to watch the meeting. Respect is huge. Everyone should feel heard. That means you, other speakers, and the board of supervisors. Disruptive behavior gets one warning, and after that, a deputy sheriff might show you the door. So let's keep it respectful. Your voice matters, and we want to hear from you. Remember, we're all here to make a difference.

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone.

I will now call the May 19th, 2026 San Diego County Board of Supervisors regular meeting, fire protection district meeting and flood control district meeting to order. Before we begin with today's business, I do have a few few comments. Yesterday, the Islamic Center of San Diego, San Diego, located in my district, endured an unthinkable act of violence that no community should ever face. This horrific attack claimed the lives of three community members and left hundreds more shaken, traumatized and grieving. No neighborhood, no place of worship and no family should ever have to endure such fear or heartbreak. Sadly, tragedies like this are occurring in places our residents have always believed to be safe, from schools and community centers to houses of worship. And they are happening far too often. Each incident shatters a sense of security that should be guaranteed to every person in our community. I want to say to my Muslim community, I stand with you. You deserve to worship, learn, and gather in peace, free from fear, violence, and intimidation. I would also like to thank the first responders from the city of San Diego and partners from the county and all other partnering agencies for your swift, coordinated response to this heinous crime. Your dedication to protecting our community, conducting a thorough investigation, and safely reuniting children with their families is deeply appreciated. Ultimately, we cannot allow these acts of violence to become normalized or accepted as a part of daily life. We must continue pushing for meaningful solutions in prevention and standing against all forms of hatred and violence. And at this time, we'll take a moment of silence for the lives lost at the Islamic Center of San Diego yesterday. OK, thank you so much, everyone. We will now move forward to our tribal acknowledgment. We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the land that we call home. These are communities in the San Diego region that faced unjust conditions and circumstances related to the environments in which they live. The tribal nations of the San Diego region are an example of one community that has historically faced such injustices. We acknowledge the harmony that exists between the land, nature, and its original peoples who have since endured displacement, persecution, and systemic oppression. We pay our respects to the unceded territory and homelands of the 18 tribal nations in our region, the most in any county in the United States, from four cultural groups, the Kumeyaay, de Guiño, de Licinio, de Copiño, and the Kaua'i. We aspire to learn from indigenous traditional knowledge and experiences in undoing the injustices of the past. Okay, and before Andrew calls the roll for today's session, I would like to read a statement from Chair Lawson Reamer's team. And the statement reads as such. Chair Lawson-Reimer just gave birth early to a beautiful baby girl due to a potentially serious medical complication. Her health is good and the baby is also healthy. The chair is currently in the hospital and we anticipate a rapid recovery for both mama and baby. And she will be absent from today's meeting.

Andrew, please call the roll. Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp. And with that, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp will serve as Acting Chair until Chair Lawson-Riemer returns. With that, Supervisor Anderson? Here. Supervisor Desmond? Here. Chair Pro Temegheri?

Here.

And Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp?

Here. This time we will have Reverend Marcella Salgado Solorio from the San Diego United Youth Collective deliver the invocation and Paul Forney will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand for the invocation and the pledge.

Buenos dias, good morning supervisors and members of our San Diego community. I invite you into a moment of reflection and grounding. great source of love and light, known by many names and present among all people. We come together today seeking wisdom, compassion, and unity in a time when so many in our communities are carrying grief, fear, and uncertainty. We ask for hearts that are open to one another and for the courage to stand together against hatred and division. We lift up Imam Taha Hassani, the families impacted yesterday, and the community of the Islamic Center of San Diego following the violence that targeted their sacred space. We grieve alongside our Muslim neighbors and stand united in rejecting hatred, fear, and violence in all of its forms. Remind us that places of worship, of learning, and communal gathering should always be places of peace, belonging, learning, and safety. Strengthen us as a community to choose compassion over division, solidarity over silence, and love of neighbor above all else. Grant these leaders wisdom and courage today as they make decisions that impact the lives of so many across our county. Help them lead with integrity, humility, and a deep commitment to justice and the common good. guide all of us to care for the vulnerable, protect those targeted by hate, welcome the stranger, and recognize the sacred worth of everyone and every person, regardless of faith, identity, background, or circumstance. soften our hearts where they may have hardened, expand our vision beyond ourselves, and may San Diego be a place where communities come together not in fear but in healing, not in hatred but in hope. May peace guide us, may compassion ground us, and may love of neighbor shape all that we do. Amen.

Good morning. Please join me in the pledge by placing your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,

Thank you. We will now proceed with proclamations. The first proclamation will be given by myself and Chair Lawson-Reamer honoring Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Month. Accepting the proclamation will be Chris Kate and Bennett Pagy. Everybody come up.

Yes, yes.

Come on up, come on up. It gives me time to get myself together. All right. Good morning again, everyone. It is such an honor for me to be here and to recognize and celebrate Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with you today. Don't worry. We're going to take a lot of pictures afterwards. So don't worry about it. You know, if it were me, my knees would be bad, so I don't want that to happen to you. I specifically want to thank all the organizations who joined us here today, representing and reminding us that the AANHPI community is not a monolith, but a vibrant collection of distinct cultures and stories. Your work is invaluable in uplifting and ensuring AANHPI community voices are heard and it reflects the profound contributions of this community and the contributions that you have made to the County of San Diego through education, arts and culture, healthcare, civic engagement, and economic development. The AANHPI community is healthy and flourishing, especially in neighborhoods like Paradise Hills, Bay Terraces, Linda Vista, Little Saigon and City Heights, and the Convoy District in Kearney Mesa. Today, I am honored to especially recognize the Convoy District, for its tremendous and transformative impact on our region. The Convoy District sits on what was once Camp Kearney, a major U.S. Army installation during World War I and II. As military operations wound down, the area transitioned into industrial and commercial uses and eventually grew into the celebrated cultural destination it is now. It is now a place alive with economic activity, artistic, creativity, and dynamic urban development, beautifully reflecting the depth and diversity of ANHPI heritage. This weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in the Convoy District Walking Tour, thanks Kathleen, where I met small business owners who shared heartfelt stories of their multi-generational family-run establishments. Their stories are a testament to the strength, resilience, and deep sense of pride that define the AANHPI community. The two speakers joining us today, Chris Kate and Bennett Pagey, were instrumental in shaping the identity of the Convoy District and elevating it to one of the largest Pan-Asian business districts in the United States. But before I invite them to speak, please allow me to formally honor May as AANHPI month. With that, the last line of the proclamation reads, there it is right there, being proclaimed by all the members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on this 19th day of May 2026. We all commend the Convoy District Partnership Incorporated for their outstanding service, leadership, and commitment to the citizens of San Diego County and do hereby declare May to be Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout San Diego County.

Thank you, Supervisor Montgomery-Stepp. It's been a while since I've done one of these. But I want to thank you so much for your support and your recognition. As you said, the Asian community is not a monolith. And the Convoy District is definitely representative of that. And what came out of the Convoy District, what you see today, is organic. It was not planned. It was out of necessity. And our small business owners coming together and seeing this community and wanting to be there and have this community be vibrant and thrive. And the sign that is there now A lot of hard work, a lot of determination, a long time coming is representative of that. And we know that San Diego is a community of neighborhoods, and all of our great neighborhoods have that iconic landmark sign, that gateway sign that celebrates our community. And I want to thank you, Supervisor Montgomery-Stepp, for supporting the ability to have that sign as well, too. And you're supportive of our API-owned businesses going back. through the COVID years and the challenges of that, you were very instrumental and supportive of supporting our minority-owned businesses, especially the Asian businesses in the convoy district during a very difficult time. So the convoy signs representative, that's Bennett, who you'll hear from. Him and his team did an amazing job in having that sign be there. If you haven't gone there to celebrate it and to see it, I encourage you to do so, especially in the evening time when it's lit up. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's something that I'm very proud that our community has and recognizes the great vibrancy that our community represents, especially in the convoy district. So with that, I'll turn it over to Bennett.

There it is, there it is. I'm going to, I wrote down my notes because I want to give you the maximum amount of content in the next one or two minutes, right? So I want to first thank County Supervisor Monica McCormick-Restep and the supervisors for this gracious invitation. We're truly honored to receive this opportunity. I'm going to start with love for the Asian Business Association Board led by Jason Pagio. The asian avengers dream team the staff I always that's what i've been calling them for the last two years for leading and managing this project And of course this project would not have ever been possible without the collaboration of the city and the county the vision of mayor todd gloria Our former council member chris kate his tremendous leadership council member kent lee and the rest of our city and county staff are making this dream a funded reality Convoy is an Asian vacation. There are over 200 Asian-owned businesses and restaurants there. Ramen, pho, pancit, chow mein, pad si yu, noodles are our love language. So the letters on the convoy sign were inspired by one big beautiful bowl of design noodles. Do you see it? Design is culture made visible. Design is identity. Design speaks, and this sign shouts. It says, this is us, loud, proud, and tasty. We're not playing small. We're not copying Little Italy or Barrio Logan or the Gaslamp Quarter. We are convoy, baby. Whereas their district signs go from sidewalk to sidewalk, ours reaches for the sky because we're the only cultures with vertical writing, vertical letters that seem to be magically stacked and balanced like those rocks at the beach or in the Zen Rock Garden. So that makes the sign unique and authentic to us. A truly one-of-a-kind sign for a one-of-a-kind community. And look closely. Each letter is wrapped in art from the Asian Pacific Islander world. Filipino weaving, Japanese prints, Vietnamese textures. It's got patterns from China, South Korea, Guam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Hmong, and Hawaii. It's basically love letters from 14 Asian Pacific Islander cultures. Each cultural pattern comes with a story on the website convoysign.com. So this isn't just a sign. This is architecture with attitude. This sign is smart, beautiful, and proud. And I'm talking Asian smart, Asian beautiful, and Asian proud. But this isn't about being flashy. It's about being seen. It's about claiming space. It's about saying we're not just part of San Diego, we helped build San Diego. The sign says we are united, not in sameness, but in solidarity. A mosaic of stories, cultures, noodles, unified by love and hustle, and the entrepreneurial spirit that defines Convoy and our AAPI community. Before I go, as a relatively new executive director of the American Institute of Architects here in San Diego, I'm gonna mention, you're all invited, that we're hosting the largest design and architectural conference in the country here in San Diego in just three weeks. This June 10th through the 13th at the Convention Center, we've lined up 350 sessions, 287 speakers, 55 architect-led tours, 20 open studios, and nearly 100 social and networking events plus the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction trade show with over 600 exhibitors. Cheers.

Thank you.

We'll use this one and put it in the middle. Because that one has another.

Thank you. Why don't you make sure you can see. You just lay them right there and we'll...

I think we have lays for the supervisors as well, so. Okay, now let's, as we have exiting, we have a couple more, about four more proclamations, so let's move along. Our second proclamation will be given by myself and Supervisor Anderson, and this is honoring ALS Awareness Month. And accepting the proclamation will be Brandi Wiegand.

Good morning, everyone. Today we honor and recognize ALS Awareness Month. ALS is a progressive neo-degenerative disease that leads to loss of movement, speech, and breathing that affects over 5,000 families in our nation. Dedicating May as ALS Awareness Month, we aim to draw attention to the challenges courageous enduring by those living with this disease and highlight the necessity to continue research and advocacy for more support. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Charlene Costa for reaching out to our office. Her initiative in requesting this proclamation and her willingness to share insight and information about ALS has deepened our understanding of this condition so we may better serve those impacted and those families impacted by it. We also want to thank ALS San Diego for their unwavering dedication to provide valuable resources, services, and hope to countless patients and family impacted by ALS. I want to thank you all for your incredible work. Now it is my pleasure to introduce our acting chair and the best vice chair on this board, Montgomery Stebb, Supervisor Montgomery Stebb.

Thank you, Supervisor Anderson. Good morning again, everyone. I'm honored to be here today alongside my colleague, Supervisor Anderson, recognizing May as ALS Awareness Month. The burden of ALS is heavy on both patients and family members. To put that into perspective, I will share this fact. According to the ALS Association, every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from it. However, we cannot lose hope. While there is no cure yet, understanding ALS is an important first step toward getting the right care and the right support. The ALS community has made strides in advocating for those impacted with ALS. This includes accelerating the discovery of new treatments through more clinical trials, leading efforts to create and secure funding for the National ALS Registry and Biorepository, advocating for policy to eliminate the two-year waiting period before people living with ALS receive Medicare benefits due to disability. We all have a role to play in supporting people and raising awareness about the challenges faced by people with ALS and their families. It is my honor on behalf of the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors to prevent this proclamation to ALS San Diego in recognition of your dedication to providing compassionate care and support to those affected by ALS and strengthening community connections throughout San Diego County. And it reads, be it proclaimed by Chair Tara Lawson-Reimer and all members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on May 2026 that they commend ALS San Diego for their outstanding service, leadership, and commitment to the residents of San Diego County and do hereby declare this month to be ALS Awareness Month throughout San Diego County. Brandy, please. We can clap for that. That's a good thing. Thank you.

Vice chair Montgomery and supervisor Anderson thank you so much for this opportunity to share a little bit about our very small but powerful community ALS as you've heard is a rare disease and unfortunately we still have the responsibility of serving about 250 people living with ALS here in the San Diego community in addition to all of their families. From the time you're diagnosed until the time you pass, the typical life expectancy is two to five years. And so there's a lot of need that comes in a really short amount of time. Typically, that is at a cost of about $250,000 a year. Through the generosity of the San Diego community, we are an organization that provides services free of charge to all of those individuals. Whether it is a support group, attending clinic, providing durable medical equipment, or walking alongside them to do a home assessment to identify how we can keep them in their homes for as long as possible, for as safely as possible, your dollars are put into action right here. So every single dollar that's raised in San Diego stays in San Diego to serve those 250 family members, individuals living with ALS and their families. I want to thank you for allowing us to share about our organization, to bring awareness to this disease. And if you are around on May 27th next week, you can join us at the Padre game for Lou Gehrig Day as we celebrate with about 30 of our favorite people as we ring the mission bell and bring awareness there as well. Go Padres. Thank you.

Okay, the third proclamation will be given by Chair Pro Tem Aguirre and Supervisor Anderson honoring Emergency Medical Services Week and accepting the proclamation will be Paul Forney.

Good morning. Thank you for having us. Appreciate that.

Thank you for your service. Thank you. Hi. Thank you again for being here. Hi, supervisor. Good to see you guys.

Good morning again, everybody. Today I'm honored to recognize National EMS Week and the dedicated emergency medical professionals who tirelessly serve and protect our communities and save lives every day. I'd first like to thank Paul Forney, Regional Director of AMR San Diego, and his staff for their excellent work in providing critical emergency services throughout our region. National EMS Week serves as an important recognition of the critical role these professionals play in upholding the health of our communities. EMS professionals work under some of the most demanding conditions, delivering consistent response regardless of weather or time of day, oftentimes, in fact most times, in high stress and unpredictable environments. These courageous individuals demonstrate remarkable resilience and unshakable dedication to the communities that they serve. Three years ago, I advocated for a third ambulance for Ramona in my district. This was highly requested by constituents and I'm so proud of our Board of Supervisors for making it happen so that more constituents had better coverage in the unincorporated regions. So I'm especially grateful to the EMS personnel that serve Ramona in the surrounding unincorporated communities with more coverage, and ambulances than ever before. Thank you for your amazing life-saving work. And now I'd like to turn it over to our esteemed chair pro tem, Supervisor Aguirre, who's the best pro tem on this board.

Thank you, Supervisor Anderson. I'm proud to recognize National EMS Week and honor the dedicated emergency medical services professionals and providers who serve our communities with courage, compassion, and extraordinary skill. EMS professionals make the decision to enter lifesaving work knowing they will often meet people on the worst day of their lives. In moments of crisis and uncertainty, they provide not only urgent medical assistance, but also reassurance, comfort, and hope to patients and their families. Today, we recognize the many individuals who make up our EMS system, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, dispatchers, firefighters, law enforcement personnel, pre-hospital and emergency nurses, emergency physicians, educators, administrators, and essential support staff. We also recognize the extraordinary commitment of both career and volunteer EMS professionals who devote countless hours to specialized training and continuing education to strengthen their life-saving skills, clinical expertise, and compassionate care. Together, they work tirelessly and collaboratively to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our communities. I'm especially proud to highlight the growing number of EMS professionals emerging from District 1, where our community colleges, vocational schools, and public libraries have stepped up to create meaningful workforce pathways into this vital profession. Through education, training opportunities, and strong community partnerships, these institutions are helping prepare the next generation of lifesavers who will continue serving and protecting our region for years to come. To all EMS professionals, thank you. Thank you, thank you for stepping into this important role and working tirelessly on behalf of our community. Your dedication, sacrifice, and service do not go unnoticed, and we are deeply grateful for all that you do. I now have the privilege of reading the last paragraph of the proclamation. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by Chair Tara Lawson-Reimer and all members of San Diego County Board of Supervisors on this 19th day of May 2026 that we commend emergency medical service professionals for their outstanding service, leadership, and commitment to the citizens of San Diego County and do hereby declare May 17th to 23 to be National Emergency Medical Services Week throughout San Diego County. Please help me thank them.

Well, thank you very much. On behalf of AMR and EMS professionals across San Diego County, thank you for this proclamation recognizing EMS Week 2026. It is truly an honor to stand here representing the men and women who answer the call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This year's national theme, improving outcomes together, captures something that we see every day in this country, that no one does this work alone. Every emergency response is the result of coordination across an entire system from 911 dispatchers who guide callers through critical moments, fire department and law enforcement who provide immediate support to us on scene, hospitals and health care partners who continue the care that we start, and the county whose leadership and investment make the entire system possible. Together, we form a continuum of care that begins the moment a call is placed and often determines the outcome long before a patient reaches the hospital. For our paramedics and EMTs, this work is not just clinical. It's deeply human. It's comforting a family member in crisis, stabilizing a patient in uncertain conditions, and bringing calm to moments that are anything but. And importantly, EMS Week is also a reminder that improving outcomes isn't just about what happens on scene. It's about the continued partnership, innovation, and shared responsibility across all of us in this room and beyond. So today, as we recognize EMS professionals, we also recognize the county's commitment to public safety and coordinated care. The partnership is what allows us to deliver the highest level of care to the communities that we serve. So to our first responder partners and to our EMS clinicians, thank you for your commitment, your professionalism, and your compassion every single day. And to the board, thank you for your continued support of EMS in our communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. The fourth proclamation will be given by Chair Pro Tem Aguirre, honoring mothers with a message. Accepting the proclamation will be Beverly Bravo.

Thank you for being here.

Today, I am honored to recognize Mothers with a Message and to welcome Bevelyn Bravo and everybody who's behind me, whose leadership has helped turn personal loss and lived experience into a powerful force for healing, prevention, and peace. Mothers with a Message began from a deeply personal place, from mothers who understood grief in a way no family should ever have to understand it. But what makes this group so extraordinary is what they chose to do with that pain. They chose to stand with other families going through the worst of circumstances. They chose to mentor young people through their life altering decisions. They chose to work toward healing, accountability, and violence prevention so that other families may be spared that same heartbreak. Through presentations and grief groups in schools, prisons, diversion programs, and community spaces, Mothers with a Message helps people understand the real human cost of violence. And that is more relevant than ever, based on what we saw yesterday. You all bring a message that is honest, powerful, and deeply needed. A message about consequences, but also about redemption and the possibility of change. Your work with law enforcement through community walk and knocks, your collaboration with the district attorney's office, and your support for families and victims shows what true community-centered public safety can look like. It is not only about responding after harm occurs. It is about prevention, trust, relationship building, and making sure families are not left to carry their pain alone. And through events like Season of Peace, Holiday of Hope, Peace in the Park, and the Cold Case Cruise, Mothers with a Message continues to support spaces for remembrance, connection, and healing. On behalf of the County of San Diego, I want to thank you Bev, Alejandra, Tracy, everybody behind me, and every mother and parent who is part of Mothers with a Message. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reminding us that even in the shadow of loss, our deepest humanity is found in compassion, in the courage to care, to heal, and to keep reaching for peace. With that, I am proud to present this proclamation to you. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by Chair Tara Lawson-Reimer and all members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on this 19th day of May 2026 that we commend Mothers with a Message for their outstanding service, leadership, compassion, and commitment to families and communities throughout San Diego County and do hereby declare this day to be Mothers with a Message Day throughout San Diego County.

Thank you everybody for being here. Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said it all, so I'm going to shorten my statement. We are just regular hardworking moms that were placed on this journey, but I want to thank all the moms who have joined us in sharing their stories. We know it's not an easy thing to do. I want to thank Supervisor Paloma Aguirre for recognizing us. believing in us, and bringing us out of the shadows so that we can support many more. As I responded yesterday to the tragic scene at the Islamic Center, I wondered about those youth and their mothers. Maybe they don't have or realize the services, resources, mentors, and other mothers they could have reached out to to possibly help their kids and prevent this from happening, which tells me we have much more work to do and families to reach. I want to thank God, my pastor, my community, my family, my dear friends that are here with me today, especially Jaime's siblings, precious Fofo Joe, my grandkids, and Jaime's daughter Nevaeh. Without you, I wouldn't have made it. Thank you.

Thank you. Good morning. A bittersweet moment here. The ability now to help our different families in the community. This is given placed on our hearts and our journey has not stopped. Unfortunately, this is the life that we live now and just helping our families here in the community as they go through the same things that we went through. We're here for them. This will never stop. Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Tracy Swalpert, and I want to say it's a pleasure to serve the community. I also have been through violence, loss, and serving the community is what my compassion is, and thank you.

Thank you.

Okay. Okay.

Family, let's go. Come on, let's take a picture. Go like that. We got this.

There you go, Lawrence. You get to be tall, huh, Lawrence?

You look to be tall, yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

You got Lawrence kind of all over the middle real quick.

Thank you.

OK, thank you so very much. We have one more, so we have one more proclamation. So thank you, community members. Our fifth and final proclamation will be given by Supervisor Desmond honoring Casa de Amparo. Accepting the proclamation will be Catherine M. Karp. Everyone, I'm sorry, we have one more. So if we could exit the chambers so that that final proclamation can get its due recognition. Thank you.

Hey, good to see you.

How you doing? Oh, thanks for making a trip down here.

Of course.

Yeah. Hey. Hi. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. How's it going?

Hey, congratulations.

Yeah. Last time I was here. You were what? I was getting married.

Oh, really?

Oh, up front here? Oh, nice.

Oh, wow. I could have watched your wedding from my window there. All right. All right. Well, Carrie's here. My wife's here. Oh, no, this is Carrie. Another Carrie. Okay, my wife, Carrie. Another Carrie, yeah. I think she's in my office. Oh, you're Carrie. Yeah, she's flying out later today. Yeah, yeah. But with an I. Okay, I'm a Y. Yeah, I know. Many ways. Well, good morning, everyone. I'm here today in welcoming Kathy Carpe. She is the CEO of the Casa de Amparo in San Marcos and along with her incredible team here today. It's my honor to present this special proclamation recognizing that May as fast, I'm sorry, May as Foster Care Awareness Month and celebrating the compassionate, life-changing work of Casa de Amparo over many years. Unfortunately, too many young people aging out of the foster system face homelessness, incarceration, or instability without the support and guidance they deserve and in many cases still need. For five decades, Casa de Amparo has been a lifeline for vulnerable children and families providing safety, healing, hope, and opportunity. and through trauma-informed programs, transitional housing, outpatient care, and expanded mental health services, Casa de Amparo continues to meet children meet children's needs where they are and help them build brighter futures. They have a new psychiatric residential treatment facility in San Marcos which represents another major step towards addressing the urgent mental health needs of youth across our region. Additionally, the transitional housing program provides housing, skills training, and services for youth that have transitioned out of the foster care system and helping them set the stage for a successful future. To the staff, the volunteers, the foster families, and to the donors and the advocates of Casa de Amparo, it's a big, huge family. that contributes and works and and and uh... make sure casa de amparo is successful i want to say thank you for all your compassionate your leadership and the unwavering commitment to the children in need not just in north county but all throughout all of san diego county so on behalf of the county of san diego we proudly present this proclamation right here Hold that, please. Okay. This proclamation and recognition of Foster Care Awareness Month and an appreciation of Casa de Amparo for their exemplifying the highest ideals of public service and for all you do in the community. So therefore, be it proclaimed by all the members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on this 19th day of May, 2026, that we commend Casa de Amparo for their outstanding service, their leadership, and commitment to the citizens of San Diego County, and do hereby declare this day to be Casa de Amparo Day throughout San Diego County. Can we give them a hand?

Thank you.

So Kathy, would you like to make a few remarks? Thank you.

Thank you Supervisor Desmond and to all of the Board of Supervisors for this incredible honor today. But most of all thank you for bringing to light these foster kids who quite often sit in darkness for years. I wanted to introduce some of our team members. I have Aaron Gospodarek here today, our Chief Strategy Officer. Ms. Carrie Ford, President of our Board and the Chief Operating Officer of Kaiser Permanente, and Heather Jenkins, our Chief Development Officer. Thank you for joining me here today. At Casa de Amparo, we often say we are a place to heal, grow, and thrive. And this morning, I want you to really picture what that means. It means a young woman who has been sleeping in her car now has her own bed, her own key, and a safe place to come home to because we just opened our new federally funded transitional living program in San Marcos in March. It means a young person who has experienced deep trauma can finally sit with a therapist on our campus and begin to process what they've been carrying because we are expanding access to mental health care in ways we never have before. and it means that very soon a child in crisis who today might be sent hours away from everything they know will be able to stay right here in our community to receive intensive care because we are building a psychiatric residential treatment facility on our campus which will be opening in early 2028. This is what a continuum of care looks like. It's not just one program. It's making sure that no matter where a young person is on their journey, there is a place for them to land and someone there to help them heal. But the truth is, none of this happens on its own. It happens because people like you choose to care. You choose to show up. You choose to say, yes, these young people matter. Thank you for recognizing Casa de Amparo and our good work this morning. And I want to let the community know there are plenty of ways to get involved at Casa de Amparo. Please visit our website at casadeamparo.org, volunteer, donate funds, or join us at our upcoming golf tournament on June 12th at Rancho Bernardo Inn. Have a great rest of your day, and thank you again, Supervisor Desmond, for this incredible honor.

You deserve it. Thank you.

OK, thank you so much to all the supervisors and congratulations to all of those who were honored today. We appreciate the work you do in the community. So before we move forward, I want to take a moment to address some House rules. Public engagement is the cornerstone of transparent and accountable government. And these Board of Supervisors meetings are one of the primary venues where all San Diegans can make their voices heard. The county is committed to a work environment that is free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, including sexual, racial, religious, age, disability, or any other form of discrimination or harassment. Under the board's rules, speakers are not allowed to use loud, shouting, threatening, impertinent, slanderous, profane, or abusive language to any member of the board, staff, or the general public. Additionally, all remarks and questions must remain on topic during the duration of your speaking time and must be addressed to the board and not to county staff. Any speaker who engages in comments that break these rules will be issued a warning. After one warning, you will be asked to leave the chambers for the rest of the meeting. Finally, speakers threatening violence may be reported to law enforcement and removed from the meeting. This is a space for community engagement, deliberation, and progress, not for harassment, violence, and hate. We will now proceed to non-agenda public communication. This is an opportunity for the public to address the board on subject matters within the board's jurisdiction, but not an item on the meeting agenda. The only action that the board may take is a referral to the chief administrative officer. Under the board's rules, speakers can only speak once per meeting for non-agenda public communication, either at today's general legislative session or tomorrow's land use legislative session, but not both sessions. Speakers may select which session to address the board at their own convenience. To better facilitate the meeting for non-agenda public comment, we will have five speakers in person, five speakers by phone. To ensure fairness, the first five in-person speakers for non-agenda public comment will now be randomly selected. The rest of non-agenda public comment will be heard at the close of today's session. Additionally, in accordance with board rules, in order to ensure timely completion of today's agenda for any discussion item with 10 or more speakers, individuals will have one minute to share their opinion at the chair's discretion. A reminder that according to Rule 4A, members of the public that are non-English speaking and need interpretation assistance will get twice the allotted time for their comments. And a final reminder, according to the board's rules of procedures, audience members shall not whistle, clap, stomp feet, or anything that disrupts the proceedings. If you disrupt the meeting, you'll be given one warning. After that, one warning. If you disrupt the meeting again, you will be directed to leave the chamber for the remainder of the meeting.

Okay. Andrew, please call the speakers. Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery's staff. We have 20 requests to speak on matters not listed on the agenda, 10 individuals in person, and 10 requesting to speak by phone. For those that requested to speak by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers, and we'll now randomly select the first five speakers in person. All the remaining speakers will be heard at the conclusion of today's session. As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. You will have two minutes to address the board, and I'll ask you to begin by stating your name for the audio record. I'd like to invite forward the first three individuals, Oliver Twist, Cesar Javier, Kenia, and they'll be followed by Suzanne Boston and allegedly Audra. If I've called your name, please come forward.

I would like to have my wife to read our message to our elected officials.

Cesar Javier, unfortunately under the board's rules, you cannot... Under the board's rules, you cannot yield your time to another individual. Since you have requested to speak, it'll be your opportunity.

Can I go back to my original time, sir? Thank you. We have been voicing our health and safety issue on Nextdoor's toxic generating ceramic skin, and no one No one gave their proclamation, declaration, not even a hand to abate and or move this emitting facility to a safer place. We have proclaimed the convoy business. We have proclaimed the health providers. We have proclaimed everybody seem to be your work. because you appreciate it and you wanted people to know it. What we dream and ask is to seek help from heaven. That this environmental issue which causes diseases, death, Madame Aguirre knows this. And there is ongoing sick and dying victims of Tijuana River Valley issue. Why can't we proclaim these survivors? They must be a strong San Diegans by heart and by soul. Just only for you, not to ignore, not to neglect. District one supervisor mom, let's do something. You have spent money from our pocket to celebrate you as the winner of District 1. Filipino supported you. Councillor Yamani of National City campaigned for you. Behind her, we campaigned for you because we expect solution to our issue. Madam Steve forgot us. It's only the brave Filipino stop gave us the air purifier, but not to tell anyone. Thank you. Thank you.

As the next speaker is coming forward, I understand allegedly Audra would like to speak this afternoon or tomorrow, so I'll call the fifth speaker will be Ralph Koek.

Hi, good morning. Oliver Twist, aka Mary Davis, and I'm here with a compliment, a concern, and a final call to action. And I'm speaking as much to the audience as the supervisors, but I will start out with the supervisors. And I want to tell you my experience up in LA County Board of Supervisors where I was disenfranchised. They had a disruption in the meeting. Their policy is to clear the entire chamber and force everybody into remote participation, which I had driven all the way up to LA and then I was disenfranchised by that. And as you'll hear from me later, remote participation is not the same. in-person participation. So I do want to compliment and bring attention to your policy which is to go across the room in the when it gets to that point and then you still bring us in one at a time in person and so I do commend you for that policy and I actually complimented you to LA County and use that as an example. Next, I want to also touch about the importance of 3D First Amendment expression. And you'll notice that I frequently have a hat. I wear a shirt to touch on my yay-boo and the clapping issue. I will bring graphics. I encourage all speakers to have devices. Not only does it make it more memorable, But, for example, my graphic here highlights how the county budget has grown 33 percent in five years. It's not sustainable. I've brought this to your attention for two years now. Please rein it in. Lastly, in defense of the First Amendment, many people are under the impression that it's just one right. It actually covers five rights, and I encourage everybody to know and embrace them. It's the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom of assembly to congregate together to see your representatives in person, and the right to petition your government. So kudos to the First Amendment, and thank you for what you do to support it. Thank you.

Next speaker, please. Of culture name please come forward Kenya Suzanne Boston and Ralph Koch.

Good morning and thank you for this opportunity to speak. My name is Suzanne Boston and I live in District 3. I had the privilege to work for the county for nearly 20 years. I'm here as a concerned constituent and as a conservator for my elderly aunt who is a Medi-Cal recipient. I recently went through the Medi-Cal renewal process for her at one of your county's family resource centers. I would like to share my experience so you are aware of how residents in your districts may be treated. I gave a public comment to your Social Services Advisory Board as well. I have experienced hostile in-person interactions with frontline Medi-Cal eligibility workers and security guards in those offices on multiple occasions in the last two years. These types of interactions can create barriers to care and can be trauma-inducing for some of our vulnerable populations. From the customer's perspective, some in-person visits can feel intimidating, confusing, stressful, punitive, and demeaning. I'd like to say the access call line was very good. When a county worker antagonizes a customer already on edge and already overwhelmed, it can create a potentially dangerous situation in that FRC for everyone in the lobby. For example, when I had a question on a form, one worker pointed to the form and said, can you read this? Read this. Read this to me. Another worker flipped the computer screen around to me and pointed at the screen trying to show me a certain form wasn't there, which in fact it was there. Because that worker's lack of training or incompetence, I drove the 44 mile round trip home to get information that I learned was already in the system. I hope the county can reevaluate how they are collecting customer feedback and how they are treating people. I acknowledge that hundreds of FRC workers do an excellent job every day. However, some workers need to drop the customer blaming and bully attitude. This is dangerous. Please help ensure the human side of the county's health and human services isn't lost in its efficiency. Thank you. Thank you for this.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

As the next speaker comes, sir, you can come on up now. I have a staff member coming to get your information.

May I start? Hello my name is Ralph Cook and I'm from coming from Valley Center Mr. Desmond's district to protest about something that's not on the agenda but will it's a planned development called Harmonia Estates which is planned for west of what's now Park Circle which is a planned development community where we bought a house in October seeking the tranquility greenness and fresh air of Valley Center while still having a nice new home in a planned community which has a 10 miles of hiking trails in it. we were shocked in april when we discovered that there had already been a plan to put a 67 home community on 45 acres right to the west of us and even more so when we were informed of this when we purchased our home most importantly they' re planning to put a paved driveway paving over we' re going to have the board access the hiking trails take down a 200-year-old oak behind us and have an emergency exit going right down what' s now a trail and that adds a lot of congestion in fire emergency in this very high fire risk area. This was planned sneakily and thrown upon us and we just don' t want this to happen so we asked the board to keep that in mind when it comes So thank you for listening to me.

Thank you. Next speaker, please. Kenya. Kenya. Okay. Thank you. We'll go ahead and call the next speaker on the list. Parita Javier.

Good morning. Saffron, Perita, Javier. Seniors, with existing medical condition and survival of ceramics kill toxicity, pioning the air we breathe since 1997 for Perita and 2012 for Cesar. The has hardest home business was located, instructed, operated, and subjected to alteration and conversion over the years maintaining or beginning 1984 in a residential zone dedicated community. We've formally reported the problem to lawful authority in June 2021 when the owner couple converted the fuel from wood to gas. It was the first test and the police came at 5 p.m. and advised us by the male officer that they cannot because it has permit. The lady police officer, moreover, declared after talking with the wife of owner and it's billed a whole and class your

We'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone.

Again, in accordance with the board's rules, we'll be hearing from the first five speakers. The remaining callers will be heard at the conclusion of today's session. When it is your turn to speak, you will be unmuted and you will hear a recording that will tell you to begin your comments. We'll begin with our first caller.

Although tolerance comes in all forms, tolerance of other cultures, customs, languages, communication styles, tolerance of different foods, climates. It includes realizing that clocks may be a bit different and allowing a bit of time before marking people late to work or for schoolwork. A biggie is tolerance of legal rights, like due process, free speech, the Brown Act, including listening and not cutting off that last sentence right at two minutes. If you want people to take it to the streets, you're doing a great job. A supervisor here once said, There is, quote, there is nothing that we appreciate more than folks participating in this process, unquote. So don't discourage us by picking and choosing which message or person is off topic or rude. Tolerance leads to, quote, not making false arguments based on fear, unquote, as Joel said. or not over-regulating things, as Nora Vargas once said. No expensive studies or new bureaucracies, please. Let's all be kind, a bit patient, and realize that one size does not fit all, and not manipulate statistics. You can't trust your own people, someone should resign or be fired. If we're not yet on topic or off topic, please give us the benefit of the doubt and accept what lessons you can learn. And please release public documents on time. You should listen, be patient with us, and be honored to have all our free advice. This is what the government is all about.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Good morning, board. My name is Kathleen Lippitt. Thank you for letting me speak. The current board majority tenures will end in June 2026. But the political maneuvering that they have engaged in set out to remove the local planning authority from unincorporated planning groups, unincorporated residents and their duly elected supervisors. And it's a public betrayal. Every divisive and disrespectful step taken to the final decision for all elements of the county's socially equitable cannabis program would be, by the board, majority alone. Unincorporated residents are not served when large-scale best projects, solar farms, wind turbines, and the unwanted predatory commercial marijuana industry businesses to push their unsafe, unwanted and environmentally destructive ordinance that will impact the lives of unincorporated residents, sensitive biologically diverse lands and wildlife for generations, if not in perpetuity. This board majority has no ties to unincorporated lands, no allegiance to its residents and no concerns for either the short or long-term damage they inflict upon them. Yet these projects will change the lives of those who move to unincorporated communities for the same qualities and features that are now being destroyed and taken away from them. The board majority does not live in the unincorporated communities. When they were elected, they promised to serve all county residents fairly and justly. Permitting these projects against the will of the people that they will impact is neither fair nor just. What this reminds me of is they do not appreciate unincorporated lands any more than I had a college roommate from Saudi Arabia, and she once asked me, why do you Americans care?

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

So today my heart is heavy. Local mosque is grieving after another act of violence. And while the public is told these tragedies are isolated incidences, more and more people are beginning to recognize the pattern. Fear, division, chaos, surveillance, distraction. I want to dedicate my non-agenda comment today to my friend Andrea Ebbing, who is currently sitting in jail after exposing what many of us believe are serious conflicts of interest surrounding District Attorney Summer Steffen and the corruption operating within this county. People are waking up to the reality that this system does not protect the public the way it claims to. It protects itself. And while citizens are increasingly monitored, tracked, censored, and psychologically manipulated into fearing one another, where is the real oversight on those in power? Where are the people constantly Why are the people constantly under surveillance, while politicians, lobbyists, agencies, and agencies operating behind closed doors with little accountability? Divide and conquer has always been the strategy. Keep the people afraid, fighting each other, keep them distracted, keep them exhausted. And while they are divided, establish a system that expands control. People should seriously start asking why so many policies being implemented implemented globally seem perfectly aligned with the United Nations agenda for the 21st century. Centralized control, behavioral monitoring, digital systems, increased dependency, and the slow erosion of individual sovereignty under the language of safety and sustainability. Ignorance and fear are how agendas are executed. But truth, courage, and public awareness are how people reclaim their power. The public is not asleep anymore, and no amount of intimidation, censorship, or retaliation will stop people from paying attention to what is happening in this county and across this country. Thank you.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Pam, well, first of all, congratulations to Tara and her sweet, innocent baby. Interesting, her situation proves a baby is delivered, not killed by abortion, to save the mother and baby. Hopefully, Mama will protect her two daughters from predators that may enter their lives by a dating site invitation. This morning, it was nice you honored mothers with a message, a group of loving mothers who suffered the loss of their child by violence. Funny and ironically, you're okay with mothers choosing violent death of their child by abortion. On another subject, one shooter from yesterday seems to have been trans. The women on this board push an agenda of darkness, danger, damage, and death. An agenda of lies that a child can change their sex and their life will be wonderful. Monica, Paloma, and yes, Queen Tara, you each are a joke to women and this county. Your character is questionable.

Thank you. And we'll hear from the final speaker this morning.

You do realize that you guys are going to have to answer some questions regarding taking a reasonable effort on making sure there's no fraud in the election, you know, making sure the right people are voting. We could go ahead and do that day before or after the election, after you certify it. You know the proof that I asked Tara to go ahead and provide? You know, I told her exactly where to look. Yeah, no, I decided to start filing paperwork. After Desmond, you know, Uncle Tom, goes ahead and determines that I am correct and the county of San Diego is not doing a reasonable effort on our election. You're going to have to make a change, and you're going to have to make a decision whether or not you certify that election. If you don't do that, I went ahead and submitted paperwork to tell you what my next step is after that. Oh, yeah, you guys are doing something with me, right? That makes my case a little stronger. Thank you very much for all your action. It was wonderful to work with you, and I'm glad, you know, before or after this election, coming up, you're going to go ahead and recognize how many third-party organizations have been committing fraud. Or how many illegal immigrants are voting and they'll have to immediately get deported. Ain't that fucking wonderful? I think it is. You wanted to play fucking stupid games and you're going to possibly, not guaranteed, deal with the consequences. Have a fucking good day, you fucking cunts. I mean, do you understand that I'm not playing anymore?

That's his first warning. Okay. All right.

What? I don't have a warning, bitch.

Okay. It's his second warning. No longer be hearing calls from him.

Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp. That concludes the request for non-agenda public communication this morning. Again, all the remaining speakers will be heard at the conclusion of today's session. Okay, thank you so much.

The next item of our agenda is the approval of the minutes, statements of proceedings for the general legislative session of May 5th and May 6th, and minutes for a concurrent special district meeting of the San Diego County Fire Protection District for May 5th, 2026. Is there a motion to approve the minutes?

So moved.

Okay, we have a motion by Chair Pro Tem and a second by Supervisor Desmond. Please vote.

Vice Chair Montgomery, step of the motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present. Voting aye.

Okay, thank you. Now we're going to the consent agenda. So we'll proceed with the formation of the consent agenda. That is items 1 through 22 and fire protection district item 1. All items on the consent agenda are routine and will be acted upon with one motion. Individuals will be able to comment on the consent agenda after the supervisors pull the items they would like for discussion. Would any of my colleagues like to pull any items for discussion? And we'll start with Chair Pro Tem McGarry or if you have comments on the item.

None to pull. I have a quick comment. We hear public comment.

You want it now or after public? Oh, okay. Okay. Gotcha. All right. Supervisor Anderson. Okay. Of course. Supervisor Desmond.

I have a comment first, and then I'll also move to approve the consent calendar. But I am going to be registering a no vote on item seven. This is on the county fire fees. I'm happy to support the county fire and everything they need, equipment, everything else for them to do their jobs. However, I'm going to be voting no specifically because this is an increase to the residential building permits. We're in a housing crisis and we need to act like it. Every cent counts as we work to increase the housing supply and to keep the cost down. Government many times is standing in the way of building more housing. It's about 45% of the cost of housing is government. And we need to do what we can to incentivize and streamline the building process rather than nickel and dime housing every step of the way. Housing is out of reach for the next generation. We need to stop the fee increases on housing. And for that reason, I'll be registering a no vote on item seven, but I'll move to approve the balance.

Okay, thank you very much. I'll go ahead and second that. And then we'll turn to a public comment as a reminder for the speakers. Your comments must be related to those items only on the consent agenda. Consent agenda is large today, so that shouldn't be a problem. But please refer your comments back to one of the 22 agenda items on the consent agenda.

Please proceed. Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery, staff. We have 16 requests to speak on items in the consent agenda, five in person and 11 requesting to speak by phone. Any individuals that requested to speak on the items in the consent agenda by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers. As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. You will have two minutes to address the board, and I'll ask you to begin by stating your name for the record. Also, when speaking, as the Vice Chair indicated, please identify which item or items on the consent agenda you are speaking about. I'll be calling you in groups of three, so I'll ask you to please listen for your name. I'd like to invite for the first three individuals, Cesar Javier, Amy Nunez, and allegedly Audra. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Thank you, Uncle Sam. Thank you for this representative democracy. We could only speak in summary, conceptually, sirs and mesdames, because it is really man-centered planning whether at the county, whether at the city independent political unit, or unincorporated cities, health is primordial. From conception to grave, it is the government's number one responsibility, which is humans' health and safety and survival. We know that. Everyone knows it, including children who has that intellectual capacity at their level. One example is the health issue in our community. From conception to grave, let us accept donations, philanthropists giving their material wealth. Let us also look into the rules and its implementation to achieve adequate, effective solutions. We haven't felt such an effort as far as we are concerned in our twilight years. Ms. Dames, sirs, and including the directors of the four departments of the county. We have been joining our advisory board, if only to find out how we could help. But, Ma'am Monica, you haven't approved yet my membership in the advisory board. Why?

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Again, I'm giving broad discretion over what you say, but this is public comment on a consent agenda. So please, please, please identify which item or items you're speaking to.

We'll go ahead and call the remaining speakers in person. Again, Amy Nunez, allegedly Adra, Ted Mansoor, and Dorian Golu. I've called your name. Please go forward and line up on the arrows. Thank you.

Good morning, supervisors. My name is Amy Nunez, and I am a undergrad student in UCSD, and I want to speak against expanding taxpayer-funded dental services for incarcerated individuals while so many hardworking residents can't even afford basic dental care themselves. Today, the average American medical insurance plan does not fully cover dental care. Most plans only cover the basics, and many families still pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for fillings, crowns, root canals, braces, and emergency dental procedures. Even purchasing separate dental insurance is expensive, and many plans still have waiting periods, annual limits, and high copays. Meanwhile, ordinary people in San Diego are delaying treatment because they simply cannot afford it. Seniors live with pain, students go into debt, working families ignore infections because they cannot pay a dentist. Many people cannot even get an appointment unless they have a strong private insurance. So the question becomes, why are taxpayers being asked to expand specialty dental services for incarcerated individuals before expanding access for law-abiding residents who are struggling every day? I understand that the basics health care and emergency treatment should exist in detention facilities, but this proposal goes beyond basic emergency care. and moves towards expanding specialty treatment funded by public dollars at a time when many taxpayers themselves cannot access those same services. Before prioritizing expanded dental contracts in jails, this county should focus on helping the average resident, low-income families, veterans, seniors, students, and working people who cannot afford dental care. Public resources are limited. The country's first responsibility should be the broader community paying into the system. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please. Come forward. Thank you.

Good morning. I'll be speaking on item 14. Good morning Acting Chair Montgomery Stepp and the honourable members of the San Diego Board of Supervisors. My name is Ted Monsoor and I am proud to stand before you today as the Vice President of the San Diego District Attorney Investigators Association and as a member of the negotiations team that worked on a tentative agreement being presented today. I want to begin by thanking the county's labor relations staff, Clint Abridgewich, county leadership, and the representatives of the association who dedicated countless hours to this process. Negotiations require professionalism, patience, and a willingness to work through difficult issues. and I believe that commitment was demonstrated throughout these discussions. District attorney investigators serve a unique and critical role within the criminal justice system. We are sworn peace officers tasked with protecting the public, supporting prosecutors, conducting complex criminal investigations, locating witnesses, assisting victims, and helping to ensure that justice is carried out fairly and professionally. Our investigators work cases involving violent crime, organized crime fraud, human trafficking, crimes against children, and many of the most serious and sensitive investigations in this county. The members of our association take immense pride in this responsibility. They work long hours, respond to critical incidents, testify in court, execute search warrants, and routinely make decisions in high-pressure situations that directly impact public safety. The expectations placed upon our investigators continue to grow, and the experience and professionalism required to perform this work cannot be overstated. The tentative agreement before you today reflects an understanding that retaining experienced investigators and remaining competitive in recruitment is essential to maintaining a level of service the public expects from the San Diego County District Attorney. Like many law enforcement agencies across California, we face increasing challenges in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. Institutional knowledge, investigative expertise, and leadership developed over the years of service are invaluable assets that cannot easily be replaced. On behalf of the San Diego District Attorney Investigators Association and the negotiation... Thank you. Next speaker, please.

You're welcome to come forward in any order. Thank you. I've called your name.

Hi, my name is Dorian Golu, and I'm helpful this time. I will make my case better. So just please imagine that you and your family are breathing poisonous gases every day, every night, with no exception, released by your neighbors, drug dealers, criminals who moved there a few years back. And they do this with impunity. Try to imagine. because they have high-ranking police officers who support them and protect them from any investigation whatsoever. Please imagine that an officer even left a threatening message on your phone saying, do not call the Sheriff's Department on these people. Try to imagine that that individual, his name is Lieutenant Bakouris, working for the dispatcher for the communication center. is telling you that you are lying, is telling you that it's not fair for the drug dealers next door to call the dispatcher on them. In the meantime, you should breed their poison. And you don't have to believe me. Here's the message she left.

If you have any questions, you're welcome to give us a call back. You're going to get me all night, and you're not going to speak with anyone.

Sir, could you pause that for a moment? We're going to just pause your time for just a moment. I'm just assuming you're speaking to the items that are about the sheriff. So item three and item five, item four. Is that accurate? Yes. Okay. Please make sure you refer your comments to that.

You can continue this time. I'm done? I expired? No? Okay. You can continue. Just just wanted to you could pull the microphone closer to you, please Yeah, I wanted to be as far as possible from this corrupt officer message Yes, so if you could please imagine that this type of fraud is going on in our great country if you could imagine that there is also a case of on you, criminal case created against, you know, based on a false arrest at your house because you called the dispatcher. And now there is a DA case based on that false arrest. So hopefully I was...

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Yes, no to all the racketeering you're going to be doing and the consent. First of all, the district attorney should not be getting any money for this insurance fraud programs when she's supposed to be here to ensure there's justice and protect the public, when in fact she is making criminals out of victims who are going and reporting crimes like Andrea Ebbing, who is in jail right now on a misdemeanor. though she was out on a felony, they put her in on a misdemeanor, and want to do a psych evaluation or a competency evaluation in there because she's been reporting crimes against Summer Stephan and her ex-drug rehab owner, Matthew Bruin. And because she did that, they put her in jail. So you can't trust that she's going to be doing anything but racketeering with that money. Now, the dental services at the facilities, that is terrifying to think about when they have already inadequate medical care at the jails. So I don't know why you would want to add a whole other level to that. They can't even deal with that. The rates for the county fire, I agree with Jim, because you guys shouldn't be putting that into building permits when you can't even ensure that you're not putting people in fire dangers. the Health and Human Services Agency and the Behavioral Health Services fees and charges and amending your administrative code. You need to amend that to make sure that no children are being drugged with psychotropic drugs or people and then you put them into, you know, other programs because they're drugged up. We just got a drugged up society. No wonder why all this crap is happening. And then with the registrar of voters in the office of the county council and these fees, first of all, the elections have been rigged. You guys refuse to acknowledge it and listen to Justin. And the registrar of voters cannot be trusted, so we shouldn't be giving increasing fees for that. And the county council traffics children. So, no, they shouldn't be getting any more money to do that. And you can't even ensure that this board is doing things legally. you actually don't even know what constitutional rights are and you engage in fraud, waste, and abuse.

Thank you. We'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. When it is your turn to speak, you will be unmuted and you will hear a recording that will tell you to begin your comments. We will start with our first caller.

Contracts via job order item 12 looks okay in principle, but since Amy Knox at the Harm Reduction Coalition you hired embezzled about $400,000 of county funds after doing so and serving time on an earlier job, we need positive assurance that these contracts will be audited for money discrepancies and deliverables. There have been too many extensions on housing contracts lately, by the way. There are no attachments which might explain this, so I oppose this as written. Nine, you want to cap the number of hospital beds for mentally ill patients. It will result in more abuse, like police shootings first, rather than putting the patient on the treatment list or just killing them off in jail. No special bed treatment needed anymore. What should happen is a lot more training in how police and judges should handle behavioral issues. The dental thing for the sheriff. Given the lack of medical care at the detention facilities, it is not hard to believe that the department ignored having a dentist on site for those who get punched in the mouth or worse. The board letter says expand services, but the jails never had. It's about time it did. Ensuring the bonds, 17. We just approved $40 million of bonds for these guys, vintage apartments. Sounds like a political handout in a recessionary time without adequate performance, the first bond series. Thank you.

We'll now hear from the next caller.

Thank you. Kathleen . I want to address the excessively long agenda for today. It's made unnecessarily far worse for the public because the public is forced to go through every item with a fine-tooth comb because they cannot trust the titles that are given, and they cannot trust the bureaucratic jargon that is used to probably cover up what is really trying, the goal of those items. One is item 24, that misrepresents and is not a fair assessment of what those changes are. 25 actually is more fair regarding the

Ms. Lippitt, we are gonna pause your time. Both of those are on the discussion agenda. I understand your concerns about a long agenda. We are discussing the consent agenda. So just please identify items on the consent agenda. Thank you so much.

That's what I was doing. So I was identifying item two and the agenda itself, which is consent. So item two was the dental services, endodontic dental services. It sounds like a great idea. It should be open to the public because as the previous stater mentioned, dental care is very, very expensive and difficult for the public to access. Yet we're going to be providing these services free to our prisoners. However, If they're made free for all the public, if they choose to access them, they should be able to. I wanted to address also the deletion of, I'm sorry, forfeiture. Again, it's so long that it really is difficult to navigate and know what's going on. Thank you for letting me speak.

Thank you. We'll now hear from the next caller.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, please go ahead.

Okay, thank you. So I'm speaking to items eight and 10 about behavioral health. And I'm here as a parent and a community member in support of continued investment in San Diego County's public health workforce and behavioral health infrastructure. The future of public health funding is an important opportunity to strengthen the systems that families rely on every day, especially behavioral health services for children, youth, and families who are struggling to access care. Too many families face long wait lists, fragmented systems, and difficulty finding timely mental health or substance use support close to home. Nationally, about 22% of children experience mental, emotional, or behavioral health challenges, yet many still do not receive effective early intervention services before problems escalate into crises. Strengthening the county's public health workforce helps build the capacity needed to respond earlier, coordinate care more effectively, and support families before they reach a breaking point. It also helps prepare our region for future public health emergencies and ongoing behavioral health needs that continue to affect communities across San Diego County. I especially appreciate the focus on supporting communities that have historically been left behind and ensuring the workforce reflects the diversity of the residents it serves. Families are better supported when services are culturally responsive, community-based, and easier to navigate. I also encourage continued investment in prevention. early intervention, and integrated behavioral health services that allow children and families to receive support in their homes and communities whenever possible, rather than waiting until involvement with crisis systems, child welfare, or juvenile justice becomes necessary. It's important that strong public health systems for the long well-being of families and neighborhoods. Investments like these help create healthier, safer, and more resilient communities for everyone. Thank you.

Thank you. For the record, that speaker is Madison Rapp. We'll now hear from the next caller.

Consuelo here. Okay. I wanted to address the consent. Okay. Items related to HHS, which I believe is 10 and 8. Behavioral health services fees and charges as well as, yeah, I just said the item 8. Okay, the public needs to start recognizing the cycle that keeps repeating itself over and over again. Government policies help create social instability, dependency, mental distress, economic hardship, addiction, division, and fear. And then government turns around and asks taxpayers to fund the solutions to the very problems government helped create in the first place. And it is always on our dime. The people are constantly forced to pay for the failures, negligence, corruption, and conflicts of interest operating within local government agencies. More funding, more programs, more studies, more band-aids, more bureaucracy. But when does it end? Where's accountability? At what point do the people stop and ask why these problems continue getting worse despite endless funding Endless funding streams supposedly designed to fix them because the system is not built to solve problems permanently. It's not. It really isn't. It is built to sustain itself permanently. And what we are witnessing now is becoming so outrageously obvious that many people can no longer ignore it. It feels inverted, a clown world where failures get rewarded with larger budgets while working families struggle more and more under the crushing financial pressure. Money gets thrown everywhere except toward addressing the root causes. Meanwhile, the public sinks deeper into debt, deeper into dependency, deeper into surveillance, deeper into fear. People should be asking why every crisis conveniently leads to more control, more funding requests, more data collection, more centralized systems. None of it exists in isolation. It's all aligned with the broad...

Thank you. We'll now hear from the next caller.

Good morning. My name is Becky Rapp, and I'd like to speak to items 22, 8, and 10. I'd like to address a letter from San Pasqual Union School District regarding the San Pasqual Academy that was buried in the consent communications under item 22. While San Pasqual Academy has a related agenda item before this board is item 35. This is not transparency, and the public deserves to clearly see and fully discuss a letter containing false accusations this serious. especially when it directly impacts the future of one of the most important foster youth programs in the county. It's unfortunate this letter was written and published in the manner it was because it prevents a very incomplete and inadequate picture of what truly takes place at San Pasqual Academy. These are young people who have experienced trauma, abuse, abandonment, instability, substance exposure, and generational cycles of incarceration and homelessness. Of course, they require extra attention and support. And that is precisely why San Pasqual Academy exists. What should be discussed are the success stories, the students who graduate, the young adults who go on to college careers, military service, stable housing, and productive lives because someone finally invested in them. The statistics don't lie. This letter deserves a full public rebuttal. The accusations being presented should be answered openly and honestly with data, outcomes, context, and testimony from former students and staff whose lives have been transformed. Our county truly wants to change the future. This is where the real work happens. Intervening early with vulnerable young people and helping stop the cycles of drug abuse, incarceration, and homelessness before they continue into another generation. San Pasqual Academy is one of the few programs this county can point to that is actually trying to turn those tides. Please stop treating it like a liability and start recognizing it as an investment in the future of San Diego County. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Pam, number two and four, it's like you're trying to get people into the jail so they can get their mouth repaired or they can get name brand items for enjoyment, to feel good, comfort and stress reduction. Limited dental services, no brand items. Okay, number seven is no, number eight, Well, perhaps you should be checking on the, or visiting the facilities in charge of care for the disabled and elderly residents of this county instead of worrying about the detention camps under federal jurisdiction. Let's see, nine is a no, 10 is a no, 11, what does it matter? The meeting starts when the latest person finally arrives. Let's see. It is a no. Number 15 is a no. Number 16, 17, 18, 20, they're all no's. So enough of this. Stop spending our money.

Okay, thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

It's truth, Monica. Thanks for admitting that this consent is way too long. And Jim, there is no housing crisis. California has a cost of living crisis that you guys have exacerbated. Item four, why are $4.2 million in brand new items needed for inmates? Why can't all generics suffice? Item five, the corrupt state of California overseeing massage parlors with a bureaucratic massage therapy council instead of law enforcement. No wonder there's so much human trafficking going on. I made almost $100 million spending only seven years, and the only health that's improved is the financial health of the contracted NGO profiteer. What fraud. I deny noted state and county crazies allowing criminals to get away with murder by claiming incompetency or diversion. The only reasons incompetency claims are going up is to escape responsibility. I wouldn't be surprised if Manuela claims incompetency in her next cases. Speaking of fascist fraudsters, spending $50 million on beds is just more state-enabled fraud that disempowers and creates more victims. Item 11, for the supervisor's calendar, I recommend canceling all future overstacked board agendas and meetings. This will help stop the evil that gives these torture chambers a horrible stench. Or maybe that's just the foul, ignorantly arrogant attitude that Manuela brings with her everywhere. And as well, where's the evidence that contracts worth more than $10 million should be streamlined? These corrupt state-derived tactics enable a corrupt county to award contracts not based on best price with our tax dollars, but on nonsense, valueless agendas that benefit their union campaign funders. It's 14 to 15, no to $100 bonuses, 6% salary increases, and 5% bonuses for people with 20 years of being a government cog, costing over $27.7 million. I maintain Wisconsin-based Debstone Health Foundation wants to build a $77 million recovery center across the street from Golden Hill Liquor Store. Really sounds like yet another NGO grift. Item 20, I only support increased fees if ROV will stop flipping votes and rigging elections, and if the clerk's office will stop withholding public records on those corrupt progressive union puppets like Manuela and her deadbeat dealio. You're being investigated, Nora 2.0.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Madam Chair.

Yes.

Just a point that according to our board rules and procedures, speakers have to address us, members of the board, not members of staff or their family members.

Yes, no, taken. And hopefully the public commenters hear that and I will listen intently for it as well.

Good morning, Board of Supervisors. Ann Riddle here. I called in to speak about Items 8, 10, and 22. And in the interest of time, I guess it'll be difficult to address them all, which really speaks to the issue of far too many consent items for the public to have a transparent opportunity to speak to the issues we know something about. I am very much acquainted with the item under question in one of the letters for item 22, San Pasqual Academy. There was one letter there that was probably very inaccurate. But what was missing is the letter there that supported the Santa Scala Academy. That doesn't seem fair. And that letter came from the San Diego County Board of Education. If ever a letter ought to be somewhere when the San Diego County Board of Education weighs in regarding one of their educational facilities. They say in their letter that they formally oppose the County of San Diego staff recommendation to begin a planned and phased wind down of the San Pasqual Academy. And they remind us in their letter that it has been a recipient of many educational awards and that it has protected the children of the County who could not find a place within its foster care system. So we have to ask why is one letter there another letter isn't and why isn't the letter over with the actual agenda item or it would make more sense. The optics of this situation aren't very great. And quickly speaking about item eight regarding the budget that increases the amount of funding available for the healthcare workforce. Yay to that. However, speaking as part of the county workforce in the past where I was a social worker, I hope that they receive the funding that they need. They are horrible. Thank you. We'll hear from the final caller.

Hi, this is Catherine Rhodes. Item 22, communications received, monthly periodic financial support. Report. Supervisor Gary, please help Cesar Javier. You have a new county attorney for toxic issues separate from the DA. Please have a meeting. Contact them. Help him, please. To my supervisor, Chair Lawson-Reamer, on a Voice of San Diego podcast, he stated he would agree to fund homeless issues, including keeping the Neil Good Day Center open if he could find a way. I have a county funding solution, fund number 66177, the county's 1992 Thunder City Redevelopment Agreement Trust Fund. This is the same funding solution used by former county supervisor Ron Roberts to build our beautiful waterfront park and parking structure you use every day. Since this project is complete, the annual $30 million in this fund is now being moved into the general fund instead of the 1992 agreement to help the poor in downtown. It's supposed to help the children, help in welfare for the homeless, mental health, drugs and alcohol rehab, misdemeanor and light felons in court. This money could be used to keep the Neil Goode Day Center open. There's 30 million a year that's supposed to go to help the downtown poor that Father Joe's would love to have. Please be a hero for us homeless advocates who are trying to find a way. This is a health and hepatitis A issue that can be solved. Mayor Todd Gloria has tried to close down the Neil Good Center several times in the last 20 years for the San Diego Police Department, which would be illegal. I would like to expand barracks at Liberty Station with tiny homes communities. And instead of just being overnight stays with people sleeping in their car, we could have people actually sleeping in tiny homes. We need a champion. If you were true of what you said on the Voice of San Diego podcast, we would love to show you a super easy way. Please contact...

Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp, that concludes public comment on the items in the consent agenda.

Thank you, Clerk. So before we go to Chair Pro Tem, I just want to clarify the record. Supervisor Desmond, my understanding of your motion was that you moved the entire consent agenda, but you are registering a no vote for item number seven. That is correct, yes. Okay, thank you. Thank you so much. Okay, Chair Pro Tem McGarry.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to speak very briefly to item 17, which is an item related to the California Municipal Finance Authority, where we must approve the issuance of bonds. In this particular case, we're raising the amount for a project from $40 to $65 million. I just want to say that the 707 by Vintage Project is located in the downtown region of my district, District 1. will be converted into an 18-story downtown office building into an affordable housing development with over 202 units for individuals and families. The development will also include on-site community spaces, wellness amenities, and supportive services showing that every resident, including people who live in affordable housing, deserves a home that offers stability, dignity, and the same quality of life found in any thriving neighborhood. Thank you very much. I'm happy to support that item.

Thank you. If there's no other discussion, then we can go ahead and vote.

Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp, that motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present voting aye. And noting for the record that Supervisor Desmond registered a no vote on item seven.

Yes, the record is clear. Okay, let's go on to our discussion items. And so I have a few updates here, so get your pens ready if you don't already know. We're going to note here that Chair Pro Tem McGarry has withdrawn item number 29, but we will still hear public comment on the withdrawal. We have a full agenda as we have heard for this session. So we're going to hear items 24, 25, 31, FL1, FP2, and 32 tomorrow to allow Supervisor Lawson- Manor Chair, I'm not withholding mine.

It's going today. And the reason why is we have speakers who are lined up. It's disrespectful and disenfranchises them. We have a lot of people. I'm not shifting mine. I need to have it heard today out of respect for the people that care about this issue.

Supervisor Anderson, with all due respect, I have had to take on this role as acting chair, and this is how the agenda will go.

Madam Chair, that's not fair to my constituents. That's not fair to the people here. Clerk of the Board, what are our options to override the chair? Because this is gaming the system, and it's wrong. You have time certain on your items. We ask for time certain. We ask for things the chair didn't allow us to do anything. In the last meeting we had, I asked for 24 hours to rehearse. It was not given to us. You guys can ramrod whatever you want through with your three votes, but ultimately... Nobody wants a king for a president or three queens for county leadership.

Well, we learn from the best, sir. So let's go to the clerk and see what your options are.

Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp. Under Rule 3B, the chair has the authority to take items out of sequential order and may deviate from the schedule. Under Rule 9, decision of the chairperson with respect to the interpretation, applicability, or enforcement of these rules may be overruled by a majority vote of the members present.

I'd like to make a motion to overrule the chair And this is because we have so many people they have asked to come speak It's been noticed we've gone through it. We've never done this with any other item We've always been respectful to our constituents and allowed them to participate. This is a deviation now I get on item 24 It's already had a hearing. It's on second reading. This would simply allow, and by the way, all because we hear it doesn't mean that it isn't going to go to a 2-2 vote. It doesn't mean it's going to pass, but our respect for the people. Now, I would be willing to compromise, allow it to be heard, and hold the vote over until tomorrow if you wish, but I don't think it's fair to all the speakers who want to speak. We've never done this before.

Clerk, do we need to have public comment on this motion?

I'll defer to County Council, but this is not an item that's on the agenda. This is a motion and vote that the Board can take under the Board's Rules of Procedure.

Okay. Any further discussion? You can go ahead and make the vote. Take the vote.

My yes is to hear it today.

Actually, for clarification, yes, is to override the decision of the acting chair.

I prefer to think of it as just hearing today.

No, you were very clear, sir, on the motion, and you also had derogatory things to say about your colleagues. So you were very clear. You can ride that all the way through. It's not a problem.

Vice Chair Montgomery, step that motion fails with Supervisor Anderson and Supervisor Desmond voting aye. with Chair Pro Temegiri and Vice Chair Montgomery's staff voting no. That motion fails due to the lack of affirmative votes.

And Chair, could you repeat the ones that were there?

Absolutely. I'll say it a couple of times. I apologize for reading those very fast. So item 29 has been withdrawn. Chair Pro Tem McGarry, that is her item. And as author, she has the ability to withdraw that item. But we still have to hear public comment on the withdrawal. So the items that are going tomorrow to ensure participants participation of the chair are items number 24, 25, 31, FL1, FP2, and 32. Today we're going to hear 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 29, 30, 33 and 34. And then tomorrow for San Pasqual Academy, we have a time certain at 9 00 AM. Okay. And then items 24, 25, 31, flood control district, item one, fire protection, item one, 32, and then the rest of our land use agenda. So that will be tomorrow. My hope is that we can do a closed session after our items today, but I will keep county council abreast of that once we get to lunchtime. Okay. So now let's go ahead and move forward with our discussion agenda on item number 23, notice public hearing and ordinance to amend section 448.1 to article, I can't read, read normal rule. I think that's article 25 of the San Diego County administrative code and section 21.1901 of the San Diego County code of regulatory ordinances relating to sheriff's office fees.

We'll now turn to public comment. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery. Staff, we have seven requests to speak on this item, two in person and five requesting to speak by phone. Also note for the record that we received one e-comment in opposition. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 23 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers. As your name is called, please come forward. You'll have two minutes to address the board. I'll ask you to begin by stating your name for the audio record. I'd like to invite forward Cesar Javier and allegedly Audra.

It's pretty exciting to watch that kind of stuff, Joel. I mean, and Monica, right? It's like, did you guys plan that out? No? I mean, great improv. I'm really impressed. I was wondering, where is this going to go? Especially when there's two and two, it's like, obviously it's going to fail. So, good job. You got it. You got it in there. You got to screw everyone over. All these people are upset. They can't even talk. So back to the subject, which is sheriff fees. It's a little concerning what these fees are going to be spent on. I'm wondering if it would be something like if a woman was assaulted by an officer in a building like this on tape with a bunch of witnesses, other sheriffs. If that would go to like an internal investigation to, you know, exonerate a sheriff, you know, or, you know, which encourages him to basically be proud of beating up this woman. It's interesting. He even admits to beating her up. Which is weird, because it's like, I thought, I mean, he was just doing his job and arresting me, right? Or her. Her. I'm not talking about myself. Just a woman. She happens to be Native American. But it's cool, because we're on that land, and we give acknowledgments to those kinds of things. But... Yeah, and then that woman has to see this man every time she comes into this building. And then he tells you, you're welcome for beating you up. So that's exciting. I'm wondering, is the money going to go towards something like that? I don't know. Or maybe to beating somebody else up. I'm not sure who it could be, but I mean, I could help select it if you'd like.

Thank you. Next speaker, please. Cesar Javier.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

On item 23, we could only say that money, money, money is vital. But it's not only money or fish that we have to receive or accept or dream about, but rather dream another resource, what we call public trust. Public trust. It's a very powerful resource where we could spend so much costly expense. I will give you an example. San Diegans at the border are willing and ready to help Donate $1 each. At an instance, we have millions. Donate a little time and labor, and we could clean the mess at the borders pollution issue. This is all about money, and we look forward, ma'am Maguire, that that resource, public trust, be our centerpiece. beginning this second, beginning this minute, beginning this hour, because if we lose it, we lost you. We lost you, your important resource in our survival. You hold the leadership. You hold the power. Did you ever thought of Budgeting one dollar to clean the mess Thank you Thank you.

We'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. We will start with our first caller Our first caller is Paul the bold your device might be muted And just one moment, Paul, we'll reconnect. Okay, Paul, we'll restart your time.

Some of these fees need to be reduced like a permanent amusement rides and go-kart sender's permit for $1,094. Not sure how these were calculated either. The attachments don't say. The table, the fee schedule needs to be reworked and an explanation for the fee increases over 13% attached. The other fee increases and deletions look okay. And I keep telling you that with a long agenda like today, you need to move the items and then you're going to move into the next day in advance so that you don't disenfranchise speakers. Thank you for restarting my time, Andrew. Thanks.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Hey there, Clerk Andrew. I got a question for you. How many minutes is it on this item? I need to double check. Two minutes. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Oh, I feel like I can relax. You know, it's so stressful just a minute ago. I'm relaxing now. So why were the sheriff's fees not in the over-stacked consent? Why couldn't they have been heard with all the other fee increases that occurred and were bundled together by Tara at the May 5th meeting? Remember that? That was fun. We had like five fees in one item. Oh, man. I'm not sure if Monica or Tara's worse. I don't know. I can't even tell today. Raising 28 fees, the biggest increase by up to 663%. Nothing to see here. Oh, no, no, no. It's kind of like what we just saw. Nope. We'll just pretend that never happened. $50 for a license for bingo. $570 to be a fortune teller. Is that to make sure nobody finds their missing bike in the basement of the Alamo? Somebody's got to have fun here. Why waive fees and IDs for taxi drivers, though? What's the public benefit there? Why would the taxi cab operator's fees increase by 93% on the flip side? I, however, support waiving all fees on the stupid concealed carry government nanny permission slips. Why not waive the fee to be a firearms dealer, too? Raising the permit to $790, a more than 45% increase, is nuts. And I have more requests. Law enforcement in general, can you just please arrest Monica Manuela and Tara in any order you prefer? No FC Queens, please. And the law says that mentioning an unknown name from public records is not the same as addressing a stack of what I'm talking to you, Manuela. I got you shaking in your boots today. It is wonderful. I'm feeling great. No corrupt county Queens. I hope you guys pass out from overstacking these agendas.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Okay. Good times. Okay. So I want to speak on the sheriff's office, these item and let's see. Because what this really translates to is the public continuing to pay for the very system that increasingly works against them. The people fund the uniforms, they fund the vehicles, they fund the buildings, they fund the surveillance, they fund the enforcement. And yet more and more citizens no longer feel protected by these agencies. Sad, guys, it's sad. Listen up, deputies. I'm talking to you. They feel watched by them, controlled by them, silenced by them. We are constantly told these systems exist for public safety, but many people are beginning to recognize that these institutions often protect power structures far more aggressively than they protect the actual public pain into them. And that should concern everyone. Seriously, even you, deputies. Especially when government transparency continues disappearing while enforcement and monitoring continue expanding, the public should not be treated like a revenue source to endlessly fund a machine that grows larger and larger, more intrusive and less accountable year after year. And people should seriously ask themselves, why does every crisis seem to result in more surveillance, more enforcement, more restrictions and more money demanded from us? the taxpayers because fear is profitable people control is profitable dependency is profitable meanwhile the working people carrying this county on their backs are expected to continue financing a system that many no longer trust and the people deserve accountability and you know what joel you can call me queen any day i don't find it derogatory at all If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, acts like a duck, it's a fucking duck. Three queens don't like being called out for the bullies they are. Bullies. I'm done.

Thank you. Vice Chair Montgomery, step back, concludes public comment on this item.

Okay, thank you so much, Clerk. Is there any discussion on this item? If not, I'll entertain a motion. Okay, we have a motion, Chair Pro Tems, and a second from Supervisor Desmond. No further discussion. We can go ahead and vote.

Vice Chair Montgomery, step that motion passes with all supervisors who are present voting aye. Okay.

Let's move on now to item number 26. This comes from Supervisor Lawson-Reamer. Because she's not here, I'll read a statement from her about her item. Okay. And this is, this is actually, let me turn to the clerk first because this is a four person item and I'm not sure. Oh, okay, here it is. Okay, we're going to move forward. So First 5 San Diego uses dedicated tobacco tax revenue to fund early childhood programs for children prenatal through age 5. Due to declining tobacco tax revenue, First 5 has faced an ongoing funding shortfall. Today's action authorizes $4.3 million in bridge funding from available funds in the Tobacco Securitization Fund to prevent service cuts to children under First Five San Diego, sustaining those services through the next fiscal year, at which point First Five's long-term sustainable funding strategy will be fully implemented. And so that's just an overview of the item. We can go ahead and turn it over to public comment.

Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp. For item 26, we have 27 speakers, 14 in person and 13 requesting to speak by phone. Also note for the record that we received 70 e-comments, 63 in support and one neutral. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 26 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers. As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. Because there are 10 or more speakers on this item, you'll have one minute to address the board, and I'll ask you to begin by stating your name for the audio record. We'll be calling you in groups of three, so I'll ask you to please listen for your name. I'd like to invite forward the first three individuals, Aaron Brennan-Burke, Rick Richardson, and Claudia Gastelum. If I've called your name, please come forward. And you can come forward in any order. Thank you.

Good morning, Acting Chair Montgomery-Stepp and Supervisors. My name is Rick Richardson. I have the privilege of serving as President and CEO of Child Development Associates, known as CDA, as well as a Commissioner on the San Diego County First Five Commission. I'm speaking in strong support of Item 26, the proposed Bridge Funding for Healthy Development Services, a lifeline for thousands of young children and families across our county. HDS provides essential developmental screenings, speech and behavioral therapies, and parent education for families with young children from birth to five years old. As a commissioner for First 5 San Diego, I have seen firsthand the transformative impact these services have. For example, 95% of children who complete developmental treatment make improvements. And without this bridge funding, the HDS program would be reduced by approximately 38% and over 3,300 children and families would lose access.

Thank you. Next speaker please.

Good morning, my name is Claudia Gastelum with Family Health Centers of San Diego. I respectfully request that the County Board of Supervisors support Healthy Development Services with $4.3 million in bridge funding. Over 10,000 children rely on these services and bridge funding will keep the program intact until contracts can catch up and additional revenue is identified. HDS changes lives by providing developmental treatment, parent coaching, and coordinated care so children can build the skills they need to thrive at home, in school, and in life. Utilizing the tobacco special revenue fund to bridge this gap ensures children birth to five get their fair share of county revenue and services. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you. I'd like to invite forward three additional speakers, Lucilia Portela, Cesar Javier, and Sarah Blake. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Hello, my name is Lucilia Portela, a physical therapist with Family Health Centers of San Diego and Children First Collective. I respectfully urge the County Board of Supervisors to support healthy development services with $4.4 million in bridge funding. More than 10,000 children rely on these services, children whose developmental needs cannot wait. Without this funding, we risk delaying critical support during the most important years of a child's life, when early intervention has the greatest impact. HCS identifies concerns early, connects families to care, and coordinates treatment plans that can change a child's trajectory. For many families, this is the difference between struggling in silence and receiving support they need. When we invest in early development, we strengthen families, improve long-term outcomes, and reduce future costs. Using the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to bridge this gap ensures your youngest children receive support when it matters most. I urge you to continue supporting this vital program. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Funding. Funding. Funding. We do not know even what are the programs under this particular 26 item, supporting children, families through funding. Funding. From conception to grave, may we ask you, elected officials, which one is priority here? Children's health and safety? People in the twilight years like us? Or people who will be laid to rest? How much funding do you want to approve today? We are not here to compete with you, sirs, mess dames, but rather extend our little intelligence to help you, to help one another. Thank you.

Thank you. As the next speaker is approaching the podium, we'll call three additional speakers. Vera Diana Herrera, Abby Beleza-Tepley, and Kirstie Pfeiffer. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Hi, my name is Sarah Blake. I'm from District 2, and I'm in support of agenda item number 26. I ask that the County Board of Supervisors support healthy development services with 4.3 million in bridge funding. There are significant health, social, and economic benefits to children, their families, and society when children's developmental needs are met. The two-generational approach of HDS is equally as important to its impact and success. By including parent coaching alongside treatment, HDS is not only equipping a young child with what they need to be successful, but their caregiver as well. First 5 San Diego programs contribute to and absolutely enhance sustainability in the areas of child and family well-being, the environment, and the economy. Utilizing the tobacco special revenue fund to bridge this funding gap helps ensure that young children are getting their fair share of county revenue and services. By continuing to fund these valuable early child development services today, the county will avoid other more costly services in the future. Please vote yes on agenda item number 26. Our future depends on it.

Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

My name is Abby. I'm also a resident of District 2, and I respectfully request the County Board of Supervisors support the Healthy Development Services bridge funding to keep our programs whole until our contracts can catch up and additional revenue is identified. Just this weekend, my friend told me about her daughter's speech and behavioral struggles and how her pediatrician referred them to HDS when she was just three and a half. through the services provided at hds that little girl who we once could only understand maybe 20% of what she is speaking is now eight speaking clearly thriving and even volunteering to speak in front of her whole school at just eight years old. Hds gave her more than just services it gave her the confidence to be able to move through life. This is just one story. Thousands of children and families rely on these services, services that provide lifelong skills for our community. Utilizing this fund ensures children and families get the investment they deserve.

Thank you.

Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'd like to invite three additional speakers, allegedly Audra Shelby Gomez and Tara Milbrand.

Hello, I am Kirstie Pfeiffer. I'm a resident of District 2 and a staff member of the local chapter of the AAP. And I'm going to read on behalf of one of our members, Dr. Marcia Spitzer, who could not be here today. I' m a pediatrician who has worked at family health centers of san diego for almost 25 years and who served on the executive board of the local chapter of the american academy of pediatrics for a decade. Most of my patients reside in the Every day in my clinic, I care for young patients with developmental and behavioral concerns, many of whom have benefited through services through HDS. The screening and support provided through HDS is as important to my patients' health as are growth charts and immunizations. My patients cannot speak for themselves and are counting on you to make decisions that allow bridge funding for programs vital to their health and well-being. I strongly encourage the board to vote yes.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

My name is Shelby Gomez and I'm with the YMCA of San Diego County and Children First Collective. I'm asking for your support to tap into the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to make sure 10,000 kids don't lose access to the developmental and behavioral supports that can set them on the path towards lifelong thriving. I believe that you all care deeply about our children and you know that investing into their thriving and their bright futures is critical to weaving a stronger community tapestry for everyone. Healthy Development Services does just that. 95% of children who complete HDS developmental treatment make improvements. Research has shown that these early interventions make an outsized impact by adjusting a child's trajectory quickly and more efficiently than later interventions can. I ask that you support HDS with $4.3 million in bridge funding from the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to keep this program whole until contracts can catch up and additional revenue is identified. Please help our young children get a fair share of county revenue and services.

Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'll invite the remaining speakers in person. Tara Dominguez, Nathan McFarland, and Mayra Alvarez.

Hi, I'm Tara Milbrand, a resident of District 2, and I'm here with the local chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's First Collective. I asked the County Board of Supervisors to support healthy development services with $4.3 million in bridge funding. I've worked with the AAP for the last 20 years and have seen the difference that First 5 San Diego's healthy development services has made for families, offering free, high-quality developmental and behavioral screenings, treatment, and parent coaching. I work a lot with physicians and they tell me all the time how critical that this program is for them for their families that they're getting treatment not just screened and that doesn't happen everywhere around the country this is special in San Diego that we're a lot we can provide that treatment and I only wish we'd had this 26 years ago when my son was going through this and I my pediatrician didn't know what to do we didn't have a way to get screening or treatment and and he never got diagnosed with autism until he was 11 years old. Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Hello, my name is Tara Dominguez. I live and work in District 5, and I'm here to speak in support of bridge funding for healthy development services. HDS has been an essential partner in the referral pathway that pediatricians, Indian Health Council, school districts, public health nursing, military programs, and preschools have relied upon for the past 20 years. HDS also partners with parents, including them in all aspects of the plan of care. empowering them to advocate for their child. A disruption in these pathways will result in children falling through the cracks and a loss of potential intervention during this crucial window when support is most effective and least costly. With families already navigating the burdens of rising costs with basic needs, Ensuring HDS remains a fully funded resource to support children with a developmental or behavioral concern can be one less burden. We've witnessed the impact your support last year has made for countless families receiving these services. Continuing investment in these preventive services provides cost-saving benefits to education, child welfare, and health care later. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

My name is Nate McFarland and I'm a primary care physician practicing underserved medicine in San Diego for the last 23 years. I'm semi-retired now, which makes it possible for me to attend in support of HDS, but I know a lot of my colleagues will be stuck in clinic today. Thank you for this opportunity to represent this perspective. I think I speak for my colleagues when I say that HDS is not just helpful or important, HDS is essential. It is an integral part of our system of care in San Diego. In fact, it has become the standard of care for children with mild to moderate developmental delays that are identified in clinic through routine periodic screening. Especially in the underserved population, there are not really any viable alternatives, and nothing is waiting in the wings to fill in the gap if HDS is not available to continue these services. I'm thankful for all the previous support of this program. It's made practicing here much better, and I look forward for ongoing support of the program. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good morning, Chair and members of the board. My name is Mayra Alvarez. I'm president of the Children's Partnership, a statewide advocacy organization focused on advancing child health equity. I'm a resident of District 2, and I'm a newly appointed First 5 San Diego commissioner. I urge you to approve 4.3 million in bridge funding for healthy development services. Families across San Diego are living in fear. uncertainty, and economic stress. Children absorb all of it. And with devastating cuts to Medi-Cal coming and safety net programs right on the horizon, the pressure will only grow. The question isn't whether hard times are coming. They are. The question is whether San Diego's youngest children will be protected. For 20 years, HDS has delivered free screenings, treatment, and parent coaching to over 370,000 children in our area. And as you've heard, 95% show measurable improvement and 99% of parents report greater confidence. Using the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to bridge this gap is the right call, and I urge your support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good morning, my name is Erin Brennan Burke with Family Health Centers of San Diego. Our organization strongly supports using $4.3 million from the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund as bridge funding for HCS. Our organization is proud to deliver HDS in the Central and East regions, serving children and families at our sites in District 2 and 4. Over 10,000 kids rely on HDS, and we know these services work. As you've heard today, 95% of children that complete HDS developmental treatment make improvements, and 99% of families report that HDS improved their confidence in parenting. At a time when families in our community are already facing assessment delays and long wait lists for care, maintaining this full continuum of services is critical to ensuring that children can reach key developmental milestones. We urge you to keep this critical program whole until additional revenue is identified. As you know, our children are worth the investment. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Viridiana Herrera with Family Health Centers of San Diego and San Diego and Children's First Collective. I ask that the County Board of Supervisors please support healthy development services with 4.3 million in bridge funding. Over 10,000 kids rely on these wonderful services, and without it, families risk losing access to essential development and behavioral support. HDS work does matter, not just for the children served, but for the hope and stability it brings to the entire family unit. With your continued support, we can help families continue to move beyond survival towards healing, growth, and success. Utilizing the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to bridge this fund gap helps ensure that young children are getting their fair share of county's revenue and services. Thank you. First, thank you so much for your time and support.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

People versus funding, right? It's always funding over the people. This is disturbing because you guys use these programs after you rip families apart to put children through behavioral health therapy. So it's very, it's like cause and effect, right? Or whatever, you know, like we're going to create the issue, but we have a program for you. So no, you can't be trusted with children's development and parenting coaching. By children, people who have never had children. It's like the things you guys do is so disturbing. We spent a lot of money on it. That $4.3 million could go to a lot of good. And here it's going to go to continuing to traumatize children. So good job with that. I mean, and happy for people who, you know, love to immunize, whatever, children and give them autism. How cool is that? Don't you think that would stop if we quit? injecting children with bio weapons and stuff like that, but you guys always have something to make up for it.

Thank you. We'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. We'll start with our first caller.

You want to use $4.3 million of the tobacco securitization special revenue, TSREV, for the healthy development services, HCS program within first five commission group of programs to fill an anticipated budget gap. Yeah, the first five 2025 to 30 strategic plan suggests that it only needs about $2 million to keep funding at the 2025 level. The first five fiscal plan centers on the $4 million annual per partnership with the county's child and family well-being. as Andrea Ebbing and Evelyn Lopez are saying, is still pushing ahead with failed policy and dividing families without a legitimate reason. PSREP is only about 550. Thank you.

We'll hear from the next caller.

and I'm gonna piggyback off of what Paul just mentioned. So you're asking for $4.3 million and from the tobacco TSR, whatever revenue thing, and to fill the budget gap, the anticipated budget gap, yet the first five strategic plan appears that it could maintain with only needing $2 million. And that was from the 2025 to 30. funding levels that was like, yeah. So the obvious question becomes, where's the transparency on the difference? Because we, the taxpayers are expected to not just nod along while millions are more moved around with very, millions are moved around with very little public scrutiny or explanation. Wake up people. And that is exactly the problem. Too many agencies have grown comfortable operating with the assumption that the public is not paying attention. closely enough to ask difficult questions. Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Good morning, supervisors. My name is Becky Rapp, and I'm here in support of this funding request for healthy development services through First 5 San Diego, but concerned that the funds are coming from tobacco-related revenue. Tobacco products have caused enormous harm to public health for generations, and it is appropriate that these dollars help children receive early developmental benefits. and behavioral support during their most critical years of life and continue funding prevention efforts in these areas. Let's see, this is prevention in the truest sense, and it's important that we utilize these funds in addressing prevention and helping our youth. Thank you. Thank you.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Pam, first, why are thousands of babies and young children at risk of these delays and autism? Consider the childhood immunization schedule, the maternity vaccine recommendations, the poison injected into newborns on their date of birth. How many of you are willing to take these shots when most don't have anything to do with childhood illnesses? Prenatal stage through age five. Prenatal is before birth, during or relating to pregnancy. Why does this board value these prenatal humans, but not those barbarically murdered by abortion? The reason, 4.3 million. But God bless these children, they do need help. Hey, and careful, Monica, your lack of character is showing.

Okay, we'll hear from the next caller.

Hi, my name is Susan Arias with MAC and Children First Collective. I am asking the County Board of Supervisors to support healthy development services with 4.3 million in bridge funding. Over 10,000 children rely on these services, which have been important to MAC families who are able to access resources while waiting for IEP meetings and school district services that can take months to initiate. Bridge funding from Tobacco Special Revenue will ensure First Five San Diego and partners will be able to provide essential services for the children and families in our communities who need us the most. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hey, it's true. I wish this grew up board because you're all my inside jokes. I've been laughing nonstop. This item claiming that there's something wrong with children under five is just more evidence that there's something wrong with this board and its behavioral health obsession. The first five years are the most important years that parents do their job and raise their own child. Anything else is negligence. First five itself is a political organization engaged in grift. That's why they're having a so-called structural funding challenge. It's called not budgeting, overspending on wants versus needs. Why can't the well-funded public school indoctrination centers provide these services? Aren't they supposed to care for children? If anything, I'm going to blame those jokes of health-talking heads, Wilma Wonka Wooten and 2D Flat Nick Machione for the disaster that is the first five commissions. Those fallen corrupt entities did their multiple levels of damage and ran. This band-aid won't last, especially not with the county CPS agency behind it, who failed to stop child abuse like an 11-year-old Arabella McCormick's brutal death. Good luck finding your eyebrows, Manuela. Somebody said they burned off. I don't even know what that means.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Good morning, Ann Riddle. I have some concerns. Obviously, this is a good cause, anything that helps children under five. However, as you read what it's going to be used for, it sounds way more like administrative needs than it does any true services up front to young children. The actual first five program that's being alluded to is a very elaborate, expensive program, and this is just an assistance to it. Meanwhile, the money is coming from tobacco settlement fund money, federal money that comes to the state that's supposed to come to the counties. And it has a very serious, important purpose that we shouldn't forget as we're taking money away from it. It's to provide health care for those who have smoking-related illnesses, but most especially to fund youth anti-smoking programs. And I would suggest to you that our young people need these sort of no-smoking programs. We understand in our county— Thank you.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Hello, good morning chair and supervisors. My name is Athena and I'm speaking in support of item 26. Listen, I've worked closely with children and families throughout San Diego County and I've personally seen how important these kinds of services are. Early support and child development programs can make a huge difference before families can ever reach a crisis point. I found bridge funding like this is so important because families shouldn't have to lose access to care or support while programs for funding gaps to be resolved. Investing in children and families now creates healthier communities long term. I want everyone to understand how I appreciate the county continuing to prioritize prevention and support services, and I encourage you to support this item. Thank you very much to all of you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hi, I'm in support of item 26. My name is Erin Hogeboom. I'm director of San Diego for Every Child and co-lead of Children First Collective. My most important title is mom. I have a four-year-old who has no significant behavioral or mental health delays, and some days motherhood still feels hard. I imagine if he did have even mild to moderate behavioral health needs and I had nowhere to turn, motherhood would probably feel impossible. We can't let San Diego families suffer in silence while their children go without the very care we know how to give, and give extremely well, simply because the funding just wasn't there. These are our babies that we're talking about, and we hear constantly from childcare providers what a transformative difference it makes for their small businesses when they and the families they're serving have the sort of wraparound support that helps address and solve these early behavioral health cases. I urge you to vote aye to use the tobacco settlement revenue to bridge funding for HDS and provide this lifeline to thousands of families while we continue to identify long-term funding. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Kimberly Moline. Hi, my name is Kimberly Moline. I'm with San Diego for Every Child and Children First Collective. I ask that you support healthy development services with the $4.3 million in bridge funding. Over 10,000 kids rely on these services, and bridge funding will keep the program whole until contracts can catch up and additional revenue is identified. For the last 20 years, First 5 San Diego's HDS has been a lifeline for families offering free, high-quality developmental and behavioral screenings, treatment, and parent coaching. Utilizing the Tobacco Special Revenue Fund to bridge this funding gap helps ensure that young children are getting their fair share of county revenue and services. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the final caller.

Hector here. Hey, I just got to point out some racial hatred exposed today by the board member with the red jacket on. You got to let that racial hate out, man. There was a lot of, even in Tennessee, that one council person was, he had a big afro, that young black kid. He went up to that sheriff and he called him a boy. Hey, boy. And the sheriff just took it, man.

He took it like a... Sir, this is item number 26, supporting San Diego children and families through bridge funding for healthy development services. Please speak to the item. We're going to continue your time.

I'm all for giving the kids money. Give it to their parents. instead of the doctors and let the parents decide what to do with the money. They're probably pressed for time and then let them take it to their own doctor or their church and go that way. Keep the county out of it as much as you can. And then let's get the board of seven people instead of five people. Because it's so divisive, man. We need more representation on the board. And you guys got to also go more internet.

Thank you. Vice Chair Montgomery-Stupp, that concludes public comment on this item.

Okay. Thank you to everyone that commented on this item. Just want to say briefly before I turn it over to my colleagues that I do miss serving as chair of the first five commission. It's good to see a lot of familiar faces. I think there was some public comment about what is actually done, what is the programming. For healthy development services, they offer a comprehensive array of services for children from birth to age five, including developmental screenings, early speech, physical and occupational therapies, behavioral health treatment, and family coaching. These services are largely unavailable through Medi-Cal and private insurance. As we talk about filling the needs of people across the spectrum, this first five really is an example of that. But These services are essential for children experiencing developmental delays, and it's important that they get this care as soon as possible. When children do not receive treatment for developmental delays at an early age, it is more likely that they will face higher rates of poverty, incarceration, and chronic disease. So this really is early investment. is an investment, I think, for the county even moving forward. I'm happy to support this item today and also happy to move the item. Then I will ask if I have any colleagues that have comments, questions. Chair Pro Tem.

Thank you Madam Chair. I'm happy to second and I'll just say this is for me a no-brainer. I have personally met many families that struggle with development early developmental issues and challenges and especially for working families it's so incredibly challenging for them to find the right type of support to be able to fund the support because people are working and that is just really challenging for these parents that face this situation in their family members so i think that supporting healthy development services ensures that every child in san diego has a chance to thrive and attain optimal optimal academic social and health outcomes so i'm happy to support this item and i hope my colleagues do as well okay i don't i don't see anyone else so we can go ahead and take a vote

Vice Chair Montgomery, step that motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present, voting aye.

Okay, and thank you very, very much. And I have to be fair, so no clapping. That was in the rules. You can do this, but no clapping. So I got to be fair. Okay, thank you so much. Good to see everyone. Let's go. I'm sorry. Oh, Supervisor Anderson, please.

Madam Chair, I stand in solidarity with all the voices that were denied their opportunity to speak. I'll return when they have their voice heard.

Okay. Have a wonderful day. It's a beautiful day out there. Oops, sorry, let's go on to item number 27. This is standing up for San Diego's research and innovation economy by supporting SB 895. This is also an item coming from Supervisor Lawson-Reimer, so I'll just read her statement. San Diego is home to one of the leading biomedical research and life sciences hub in the country. supported in large part by federal research funding through agencies like NIH and NSF. The current federal administration has proposed cuts to that funding. Today's action directs the CAO to express the county's support for SB 895, a state bill that would authorize up to $23 billion in general obligation bonds subject to voter approval to fund biomedical, environmental, agricultural, and clean energy research at the state level. And so Let's go to public comment and we'll turn back over to the board for deliberation.

Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp. We have 14 requests to speak on this item, seven in person and seven requesting to speak by phone. Also know for the record that we received one e-comment without a position. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 27 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers. As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. You will have one minute to address the board since there are 10 or more speakers on this item. I'll call you in groups of three, so I'll ask you to please listen for your name. I'd like to invite forward the first three individuals, Cesar Javier, Dania Palmer, and allegedly Audra. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Cesar and Purita, we have been doing research five years ago when we formally voiced our community concern. And this is what we found out. You are with the city of San Diego. And we found out that we have unseen enemy, environmental hazards. The thing we touch, the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the community where we are in. We found out that these are the causes, and we would like you Let us watch and research what will become of the grace of God giving birth to a child from Ma'am Rimmer, a governing board of the APCD. Thank you.

Thank you. More to come. Next speaker, please. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'll invite three additional speakers. Hector Chavez, Vikram Pal Singh, and Oliver Twist.

Talk about drama today. Oh my gosh, did Joel just say he's going to take off for the rest of the... You guys could do it too. Let's all do it. Oh my gosh, that would be awesome. I mean, we're paying you to do nothing anyway. It's like take a vacation. So this is interesting. Do we realize that Scott Weiner is a pedophile? He has sex with children. Does that not bother anybody? It's so weird that it doesn't. It's crazy that we have people like this bringing stuff for healthcare. That is terrifying to think about pharmaceuticals and treatments being given at a discount. I mean, is it like, are they gonna go, we're gonna give you a lobotomy and then we'll go ahead and put like a brain AI chip in there so that we can just have our little worker bees doing whatever we want? I mean, he probably programmed it for people to have sex with children. So, I mean, I don't know. It's like when you're doing those things, It's pretty crazy, especially when there's like so much child porn being distributed throughout our nation.

Next speaker, please.

Hi. Good morning. Good morning. Oliver Twist here. And the euphemistic title, Standing Up for San Diego's Research and Innovation Economy, I did appreciate you candidly pointing out that it is a $23 billion bond. And that's a billion with a B, more expansion of government. California has not been a good steward of our money. The money for the bullet train fiasco could have funded this many times over. So do not come to people in an affordability crisis and ask. I'm asking you not to support this, aside from anything from Scott Wiener should never be supported. Lastly, I will use my remaining time to stand up for my disenfranchised friend from San Ysidro, her first time in chamber today. She was disenfranchised. She's a working mother. And her kids were in school. She used the opportunity. You forced her to come back. She was disenfranchised. And I will take that warning if you care to give it. Thank you so much.

Thank you. I'd like to invite forward the remaining speaker in person, Isadora Echenique. I've called her name. Please go forward.

Dear members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, my name is Isidore Chenique. I am a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, and I am here to support SB 895. My lab research focuses on studying harmful algal blooms of the Scripps Pier and also studying the norovirus outbreaks and quantification from the Tijuana River to the coast of San Diego. These events are seriously affecting the water quality of the coast of San Diego and also our access to clean and safe water, resulting both in environmental and public health crisis. These blooms could cost about $50 million to the U.S. economy each year through damaging public health, fisheries, and coastal recreation. Our lab funding relies mostly on NSF and NASA grants and our collaboration with the NOAA. This plays fundamental roles on keeping our science moving and then .

Thank you. Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'll call the remaining speakers in person. Come forward. Denia Palmer and Vikram Pal Singh.

Hi, my name is Hector Chavez. I am a research and public service professional at UC San Diego in the Department of OB-GYN and Reproductive Sciences. I'm calling in favor of item 27 supporting SB 895. My research focuses on understanding the causes of preeclampsia and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy occurring in as many as 8% of pregnancies nationally and contributing to 15% of maternal deaths annually. As you all know, San Diego is one of the biggest biotech research centers in the world. Among the US metro areas, it's ranked third in the venture capital funding for biotech research annually. In the most recent analysis of the health of San Diego regional economy in Q4 of 2025, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation issued a dire warning for the future of life science research in San Diego, saying newly NIH-funded projects key to developing long-term commercialization opportunities in the life sciences industries fell. Investing in research is investing in the future of San Diego economy. That is why San Diego County should endorse SB 895.

Thank you Thank you Well now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. We'll start with our first caller

Paul, the bold. Anything the winter dog guy pushes is likely to be a scam or political posturing. This gives $23 billion to research when the state already has a huge deficit. The amount reminds me of the $24 billion the state gave for housing that went missing, and then the voters still have to approve it. Of course, no poll is cited to show that the county actually supports SB 895. And after all this, it is up to the state what to fund according to its priority list. So San Diego County might actually not see the funding it expects or needs. The 23 billion, the board letter mentions it's all state bonds, taxpayer money, paying the cost of paying back the principal with interest. The actual sales are not sure to provide.

Thank you. Hear from the next caller.

Hey, it's true. How can I take any of these items seriously when you guys don't take anything seriously? How many Trump TDS items is there allowed to introduce at every meeting? Is that our only excuse to support blowing through the county's budget? All the billionaire money flowing through the Scripps, Rady, Salk, UCSD is disgusting. They keep building with zero traffic mitigation and zero environmental protection. Just have secret labs for Epstein eugenics and the old wealth that's still running the show, relying on foreign students who will not question harmful research to Americans. Look at how many things Scripps has their name on. Talk about buying the county. Yet Tara brags about foreign investment. Happy to sell out our country, typical communist. No to any more union grifts with UAW. No to any more big pharma toxins coming out of these labs. No to more NGO grift via state foundation with $23 billion in bond debt. Better rig that election because nobody in their right mind would vote pervert Scott Wiener's SBA 95. And for more debt when the state is already $20 billion in debt. Let the SOX groups and previous billionaires fund their own disgusting pet projects.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hi, my name is Avelia. I'm a graduate student at UCSD in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, researching methods that enable autonomous spacecraft navigation. I'm calling in favor of item 27, federal funding cuts of hurt research in all departments across the UC system, mine included. My colleagues and I work on developing innovative ways to support everyday Americans, from the electrical power grid to the turbines on planes that land our airport each day. So I urge you all to stand up for research in San Diego by supporting SB 895 and voting yes on this item.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hello, my name is Dr. Silvio Woodkin. I'm calling on behalf of UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health to strongly support Agenda Item 27. San Diego is recognized worldwide as a leading hub for biomedical research, healthcare, innovation, and life sciences advancements. We are a magnet for talent in an engine of research innovation and economic growth through workforce development and private-public partnerships that give thousands of jobs across the San Diego region. Our life science ecosystem has been built over from Alzheimer's to cardiovascular, liver, and infectious diseases while increasing behavioral health. Federal research funding has been vital in sustaining San Diego's innovation economy. In fiscal year 2025 alone, UC San Diego received $877 million in federal research awards.

Thank you. And now we'll hear from the final caller.

Hi, hello to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. I'm calling in favor of item 27. My name is Sreevita Ganpati, and I'm a neuroscientist working at the University of California, San Diego. I'm part of our union 4811, which represents 60,000 higher education workers within the state of California. Me and my colleagues study neurodevelopmental disorders, and I don't know if you all know that 15% of children in the US have disorders ranging from autism to ADHD. Like many of my colleagues, I have dedicated my entire life to research, and we do this to have an impact on society, to come up with cures and treatments for so many disorders that debilitate our lives. And we're facing a time of unprecedented cuts in federal funding to life-saving and vital research that impacts all of us. Me and our colleagues have trained for decades, and we are losing funding, our jobs, and the ability to actually contribute to society. So I urge the Board of Supervisors

Thank you. We had one more caller join the queue. We'll hear from the final caller.

Okay. Consuelo here. And, yeah, I'm sorry, lady, but there are already cures, but they're just not lucrative, okay? Solutions aren't lucrative. They just – come on. Get with the program, sister. Okay. So – Yeah, once again, the public is being sold another vision of endless investment, endless expansion, endless funding, endless promises that somehow never seem to translate into actual stability for everyday people. It's always money, programs, data collection, technology dependency, taxpayer funding flowing into systems that the average person has very little oversight into. Meanwhile, basic infrastructure, affordability, transparency, and public trust continue collapsing around us. At some point, people need to ask themselves, who truly benefits from all of this, quote, unquote, innovation? because working families are struggling more than ever, while government and institutional systems continue growing larger, more expensive, and more invasive. People keep throwing their hands up and trusting systems that repeatedly fail.

Thank you. And Vice Chair Montgomery stepped. That concludes public comment on this item.

Okay, thank you. Any discussion from my colleagues? Motion? You're taking a motion at this time? I'm happy to move. Okay, I'll second. If there's no further discussion, we can go ahead and vote.

Vice Chair Montgomery, step that motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present voting aye.

Okay. Thank you very much. Now let's, let's do this. We're going to do item 28 and then we can take a lunch after that. That's okay with you all. All right. Item 28 is a new healthcare partnership to deliver homeless services and save millions in County taxpayer dollars. I will just have a few remarks for this one and then we'll go ahead on to public comment. So while we cannot control funds lost from both the federal and state government, we can control how responsibly we steward public resources and protect the services our residents depend upon. Through the work of the Sustainable Fiscal Planning Subcommittee, Supervisor Lawson-Reimer and I are committed to continuously finding smart and effective ways to cut costs for our taxpayers. This item is part of a broader effort by the county and the Sustainable Fiscal Planning Subcommittee to identify efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities before any service reductions are considered necessary. an effort that has already begun to see savings through modernizing county communications technology, centralizing space management, and updating county fleet operations. Today, we're doing the same thing with how we fund homeless outreach. For years, counties paid for homeless outreach primarily with taxpayer dollars, general purpose revenue, but changes to Medi-Cal under CalAIM are changing the way healthcare is funded. Under this new system, our county's homeless outreach team can actually bill for the work that we are already doing housing navigation, case management, and getting people off the streets and into stable housing. The county's Office of Homeless Solutions is a team of social workers, analysts, and specialists who conduct homeless outreach, case management, and housing referrals across the region. Since launching in 2021, OHS has spearheaded outreach and street case management in the unincorporated communities and region wide in partnership with the local cities through OHS regional homeless services. An estimated 90% of OHS clients are Medi-Cal eligible. This is the same population the healthcare system is now tasked with supporting through CalAIM. The OHS Regional Homeless Services Team carries an estimated annual budget of approximately $7.1 million, costs that have historically been funded primarily by county taxpayers, but by contracting with managed care plans, the county can now build the health care system for services our social workers are already delivering and use that revenue to offset costs. In 2027, we project up to $5.6 million a year in Medi-Cal revenue, potentially covering 78% of our homeless outreach work that was traditionally reliant upon GPR. The more money we can save through this partnership, the more money we can keep for other services that people count on from the county, and particularly in the unincorporated areas. We will continue to find creative and innovative ways to save on costs while we prepare for the impacts of HR1, Thank you, and I hope to receive my support from colleagues today, and we will go to public comment in return to board members for deliberation.

Thank you, Vice Chair Montgomery-Stark. We have 12 requests to speak on this item, two in person and 10 requesting to speak by phone. Also note that we received two e-comments in opposition. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 28 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in-person speakers. I'd like to invite forward Cesar Javier and allegedly Audra. You'll have one minute to address the board since there are 10 or more speakers on this item. I'll ask you to begin by stating your name. Thank you.

Cesar and Purita, at our twilight years, the owner of the business, Ceramics Manufacturing, would like us to be homeless. They declared that the city is polluted by everyone. The city is polluted. Go to the countryside for your clean air. Unfair, unjust to seniors with medical existing condition. Mom, step, you were with the city many years and We tell you our research product, Mum Imperial Beach Mayor, Mum Aguirre, partnership. How did you partner with the county when we do not have a dedicated department for health and human services? And now we are discussing partnership for economy.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

A big question.

Talk about business. How cool is it to make revenue off of Medi-Cal? That's cool, right? Because it's doing business. Just like homelessness is a business. It's so great. I love it. You know, whoever thought of this stuff is so smart. Because you guys pretend to provide stuff. Because, I mean, how great is that Office of Homeless Solutions doing? We're getting more homeless. It's doing great, right? And then we just get more programs to put them in so we can get our revenue. I mean, we cannot, like, lose the money that we could off of these people. We really have to, you know, make them as sick as possible so that they need to go sign up for Medi-Cal. You know, all of these things help the racket go round. So I just really feel like, you know... them in a place like tent city oh we've already done that right and you guys are you know contracting with dreams for change so more people are going to suffer and die from that and be raped but at least we'll have this program to help them good job we'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone we'll start with our first caller

This idea is creating maturity. The board letter says today's action directs the chief administrative officer to expand the CalAIM pilot across the full OHS regional homeless services team. This pilot is designed to help counties build the building infrastructure, data systems, and staff training. So it seems that it does not ramp up actual homeless services. The letter continues, every dollar the health care system contributes to this work is a dollar the county can direct toward other services. That isn't correct. The program requires a 50% match, which would be which would offset some of the money the county wants to pay. So the, you know, the essential... Thank you.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Hi, Supervisors. My name is Madison, and I'm here to support this healthcare partnership and to emphasize one critical point. Homelessness response must include systems should help fund the work that prevents expensive emergency care and crisis response later. That is exactly what prevention does. Every person we keep from falling deeper into addiction, behavioral health crisis, or chronic homelessness represents not only a human success story, but also significant taxpayer savings. Outreach, case management, housing navigation, and supportive services work recovery support, care services, and early behavioral health intervention before someone ends up in the ER, jail, or on the street long term. We need more innovative solutions that save both lives and taxpayer dollars. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Consuelo, no on item 28 because funding housing and behavioral health services through Medi-Cal will bankrupt our health care system, which is already going bankrupt from illegal immigration and unlimited billing for children as they are ripped from their families against their will. No on 28, bankrupting Medi-Cal as the Federal Reserve causes inflation, which is the main cause of homelessness. No on 28. as in every increasingly population, are systematically impoverished, then medicated against their will. This and housing, all subsidized by taxpayers, until all private property is slowly transferred to the state. This freaking tyranny is unsustainable. Item 28 is just another United Nations Agenda 21 plan to bring about global corporate rule against our sovereignty. Wake up.

Okay, thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Regarding the 2026 point in time count per KPBS published May 1st, 2026, On January 29th, staff and volunteers recorded 9,803 people experiencing homelessness throughout the county. That's down by 102 people compared with last year. Nothing is working. This is the same game plan, different title. No resolution or going to keep the money flowing to the county and the NGOs. This board never saves money. It just moves it around. This board must be transparent now. How many dollars have been spent to mitigate homelessness versus the number of affordable housing units that are occupied versus the number of drug addicts rehabbed and now living a full life off the streets? This is absurd. Stop pretending. Stop gaslighting. Stop lying. You don't want anything to do with improving homelessness. You need homelessness.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

It's true. Saving millions in county tax pay dollars from Tara and Monica, that's hilarious. Tell me another joke. State grants come from the entire state residents' tax dollars. They're not free money, as MIA Joel would say. And saving millions on homeless services? Too much. Monica's the one who pushed dropping $11 million aluminum shafts into Lemon Grove onto a $1 million temporary state property with an operating cost of $4 million a year. Why don't you guys modernize your selective reality? Throwing addicts into taxpayer-funded box units does not solve their emotional crises, addictions, reunite them with lost family, nor prepare them for a job-focused, responsible life. The reality is that every city needs rehab centers that the county has failed to build because the county is obsessed with keeping addicts on drug-to-profit from the homelessness and NGO industrial complex. Joel Terramamola owning multiple homes makes for an out-of-touch corrupt board that needs to stop engaging in Medi-Cal fraud by exploiting homeless people. Your managed care plan is not going to rake in the millions terrorists think, as the state is going to cut the funding as soon as they're forced to balance the budget, which you guys can't do either.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hello, this is Athena Meno again, and I'm speaking in support of item 28. As someone who has worked around vulnerable populations in our community, I've seen how connected homelessness, mental health, and healthcare really are. Too many people are still falling through the cracks just to navigate multiple systems just to get basic support. So I support creating stronger partnerships that make services more coordinated, accessible, and effective. Not only does this help people get the care and stability they need, but it also creates better long-term outcomes for the community as a whole. Addressing homelessness requires real collaboration and long-term solutions, and I appreciate the county taking steps in that direction. I urge you all to support this item. Thank you very much.

Thank you. We'll hear from the final caller.

Good afternoon, supervisors. John Brady with lived experience advisors calling asking you to support this item. Housing is health care and we need to start looking at it this way. Unfortunately, for the 600 or so folks that died last year on our streets, we are too late. We need to update our requirements for CalAIM here locally. It is too complicated. We've allowed insurers to determine what services they want to provide and so determining at the ER level or at any level what programs they qualify for is too much of a challenge. I also recommend that we assign ownership or responsibility for individual homeless people to agencies and rate them based on their ability to get those folks off the streets. Thank you.

Thank you. Vice Chair Montgomery-Stepp, that concludes public comment on this item.

Thank you so much. I will go ahead and move the item and ask if my colleagues have comments or any discussion on the item. Okay. Yes, Chair Pro Temigiri.

Thank you, Chair. Given the county's fiscal constraints, expanding CalAIM billing is a strategic way to shift eligible costs to the healthcare system without reducing the services residents depend on. Homelessness outreach, case management, and housing navigation are direct interventions that affect health stability and crisis utilization. CalAIM gives the county a stronger framework to fund that work through the systems that benefit from it. As implementation moves forward, we should evaluate success beyond reimbursement. A year from now, we should be able to see whether this model improved housing placements, service engagement, emergency room utilization and reduced recidivism rates. Finally, as Medi-Cal eligibility and reimbursement rules evolve, we need to ensure non-Medi-Cal clients remain connected to services. We must remain focused on strengthening the funding model while protecting access for every one of our on-house neighbors. I want to thank you and Chair Tara Lawson-Reamer for bringing this item forward, and I'm happy to support it.

Okay, thank you so much, Supervisor Desmond.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair, Vice Chair. whatever you are today, all the above. I want to say thank you very much for you and our Chair Lawson-Reamer for bringing this item forward. You know, it sounds like a good plan to help focus on the homeless population and saving the taxpayers' dollars. We've got to focus on treatment and care, and I'm happy to support today.

Thank you. Okay. If there is no further discussion, we can vote.

Vice Chair Montgomery stepped that motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present voting aye.

Okay, thank you. We can go ahead and break for lunch at this time. Let's get back at 1.15 and then a little less than an hour and get to item number 29. Thank you. Oh, well, we still have to take public comment. Yeah, we have to take public comment on the withdrawal. So we'll do that when we come back. Okay, see everyone at 1.15. Thank you.

Board is in recess to 1.15.