Remarks by Steve Lavagnino
57 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
“And then you just go back and forth with the applicant and work it through?”
“All right, Supervisor Lavagnino. Thank you. My question's more for staff. So I know what happens when somebody doesn't pay property tax. You know, we have something that we can attach to, and it's a long process, but I never understood, what happens, and not just a rental, but let's say we had a hotel or something that just quit paying TOT. What is the recourse, and is it laid out in statute? Or has that ever happened? I mean, I know it happens on rentals.”
“Okay. So there's nothing, we've been through this before. So the ordinance is pretty cut and dried. There is no grace period. There's no...”
“Yeah, I was going to make the same point, and also that it's just a fairness issue to all the others that are, you know, I feel I've been, I've gotten behind the eight ball before just on IRS stuff, and it's no fun. Once you get into that web, it's difficult to get yourself out. But this is a fairness issue to everybody else that is paying their TOT on time. And I just want to give a shout out to the staff as well, that this is... this is kind of what we're expecting from that office is that it's not easy and obviously it's not fun to do these track downs. But as I said, this is one of the…”
“So first off, I think you're a TV show basically. I mean, you guys should be. And shout out to the kids back there. It's not easy sitting in here and being quiet. And I know my grandkids wouldn't be able to do that. So you're doing something right for sure. Yeah, this is, to me, it's completely different than the items that we've been hearing before where people are in the business of short-term rentals and not being there present. And I get the whole ag ordinance. So I'm looking for a path of how to fix this. I do see on your website that you do have the TOT detailed out now. And so, but…”
“PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO USE THAT TERM, BUT QUID PRO QUO. BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOU. AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE WE LISTEN TO PLANNING DEVELOPMENT ALL THE TIME AND PND IS ALWAYS ABOUT GETTING US COMPLIANCE, RIGHT? not putting somebody out of business, but trying to figure out a way to get to yes, but that's not the way the ordinance is written. And so we either follow the ordinance or we kind of use our own brains and kind of what people elected us to do and not just, I just don't think every time you just got to go exactly, when it doesn't make sense. And to me, this one doesn't make sense. It…”
“Or do we set a precedent if we make a determination one way or the other?”
“it doesn't matter what happened last time to me. Every appeal to me is different depending on what the circumstances are or what the evidence is. I mean, we had two today that were TOT appeals. One to me was so cut and dry and easy to determine. And this one's obviously completely different. So if the next person comes in and says, well, I don't wanna pay my taxes, you better have a freaking story as good as this one because you're gonna pay that that's just the way it is so um maybe people see it different so i i'm gonna make a motion and we'll see where this goes but i'm gonna request that…”
“Well, I mean, I want to do it as soon as possible so we can bury this and get it done with. But I mean, what I'm kind of requesting is just for County Council and staff to come up with some options for us that say, this is not a gift to public funds, but you could use 990. Or maybe we've looked with public health and there's a way that they would pay the tax. But then the next year we have a contract for $50,000 or something or $40,000 for nutrition education at the farm, something like that. What kind of program is out there? I just don't know what's available right now. And my preference…”
“Well, you're the chair, you set the schedule.”
“My only, and I don't think anybody's here from public health, but my request is that we would look at one of the options would be the taxes paid, and then we look at some sort of granting, structure with the work that they're doing already that benefits us through public health. We have a whole nutrition assistance department. So if they're providing the funding from the tax and then public health grants them the money back over the next year to do the work that they're already doing, I don't know. I just think that's an option to look at.”
“So just curious, so we're talking about if a private comes in here, but if the federal government comes in and says we want to build this detention facility, it doesn't matter if it's sound or whatever it is, correct?”
“So I don't really know the Gilroy one. I know there's a lot of empty prisons in the Central Valley that were like for-profit prisons that were kind of closed down by the state that are now empty. Is Gilroy a whole new build?”
“I'm just curious why they weren't going there.”
“I was just trying to bring up the stat because I agree with you. And you know, we've done a lot. We've been trying to do a lot. But the reality is the way this is gonna change is people have to vote. That's the way this country works. And we just had an election in Santa Maria. It was embarrassing. I will call out every person in Santa Maria. It's embarrassing. the lack of participation at the polls. Put some of that on me. I'm trying to get people to vote. But when you have, first off, you only have about 40% of people that are registered to vote. And then out of that, 20%, 25% of those…”
“So I encourage everybody in November, do your duty. Get out there and vote. You know, others might say that, well, they're afraid to go to the polls because that's where there might be activity around. We all have a mail-in ballot, you know, and you can go take care of it and be safe. And it was very, very, very discouraged. At the time where I think more people need to be involved in the process, fewer decided that it was important anymore. So just a little service announcement to get out there and vote in November. For whoever you like, I don't care, just vote.”
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I just want to say thanks. I mean, it is a, what you said, deliberate decision. I don't know what the impetus for that was at this present time, but I appreciate it.”
“We have seen, I'd say over the last seven to ten years, so many more South County based organizations that are really investing a lot more into the North County. It's not just the population, it's the need. It's looking at all of us as one county, one future. It's looking at a broad scope. And when that happens, it needs to be applauded.”
“Outstanding job. Really appreciate it. And now when I'm buying a ticket, I'll feel even better, right?”
“I'm on for $500 right now. Think that might be a”
“since I've been here, don't think I've ever seen a package come that was this aggressive as far as I mean, let's just put it on this scale. Francis Romero I know. Called in and and wanted us to move this and thought it was a great thing. She's probably the last person that's ever gonna come in and say anything positive about PND. So I get the the hesitancy and the but”
“Okay. I, for one, appreciate it. I'm glad we're moving in the right direction. I mean, when I read this report, was like, dude, this is what we've been talking about for twenty years. So so maybe it is.”
“I've never seen it come as a staff report with recommendations. Maybe there's always direction from the dais, and that's the problem is we were directing from the dais without a board majority to try to make this happen. But, you know, these things aren't North or South, Republican or Democrat. Somebody trying to build a house or put a pool in or a shed, it means it's it's important to them. So Yeah.”
“I think the fact that everybody's kinda shared the pain along the way now is gotten us to the point where I think everybody sees that something needs to be done, and it was I'm more hopeful and positive. Hopefully it happens.”
“I'm two just because so two is non appealable, though. But it's basically, it's you guys doing the review and taking the neighbor out of it. And see, that's key to me because I think I don't think I've ever been in an appealable situation with a single family home that made sense when we got through the whole thing and you guys had run it through the wringer. So I think removing the appeal process on a single family dwelling is the way to go. Supervisor Hartman?”