Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

I'm just waiting for one distinguished guest who sits here, and then we'll gavel down. Turn off. Okay. I'm going to call this Board of Supervisor meeting to order. The date is April 21, and the time is 06:33.

I'm going to ask everyone to please stand for a pledge of allegiance and then remain standing for an invocation by pastor Leticia Beasley Day from victory and praise of Modesto.

Good evening, chair, CEO, and members of our board of supervisors and our Stanislaus community, let us take this moment to center ourselves across faiths, traditions, and beliefs, recognizing our shared responsibility to serve with integrity, compassion, and justice. We call upon the divine, our creator of all, known by many names, God, Allah, Yahweh, source of life. And for me, I call upon Jesus who teaches us to love, to serve, and to care for the least among us. We pause to remember that leadership is not just authority but stewardship, a sacred trust to care for the well-being of every person in the county. We lift up those in our community who are burdened today, families facing insecurities, and those impacted in violence or fear.

Workers striving to make ends meet. Lord, I ask that you grant wisdom to these leaders, clarity in their decisions, courage to stand for what is right, and hearts that remain open to the needs of all people. Let this space be one where truth is spoken with grace, with where differences lead to deeper understanding, not division, and where every policy reflects the dignity and worth of every human being. Guide us in building a community where justice flows, compassion leads, and every person has the opportunity to belong and flourish. In the name of the creator and in the spirit of love, unity, and for me in Jesus' name, we offer this invocation.

Amen. Amen. And so it is so. Thank you. Thank

you so much, pastor. Tonight, you'll see that we're missing one up here, but he is joining us. Supervisor Graywall is joining us from the lobby at 404 South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, California. Because someone is off-site, we have to do roll call votes on all votes, individual roll call votes. Just letting the public know. Alright. We're going to move on to the presentation. It's Library Week in Stanislaus County and the librarian, Sarah Denton, will be presenting.

Thank you. And I'm joined today by Gabby Rojas who is going to be driving the presentation. So good evening, supervisors, Chair Chiesa, CEO Hayes, and Council Boes. This is National Library Week, and today is actually National Library Workers Day. So I want to start by recognizing some of the county library staff who have joined us tonight.

Thank you. There is nothing happening here that does not happen because of their work. So next slide. So as we always do, we include some quotes from our library users. And all of these are coming from this year's customer service surveys and comment forms. Not going to read them to you. Everybody can read them. Next slide. Stanislaus County Libraries serve as community hubs providing spaces for community engagement and collaboration. Next slide.

This past year more than 700,000 people visited a library in the county, and an overwhelming majority reported satisfaction with their experience. Respondents also indicated that the library adds value to their lives, that same large majority, which we're very proud of. Next slide. Looking ahead to next year, we're working on a number of facility projects. The Modesto and Keys Libraries are under construction now, and we are working on design work for an improved Waterford Library.

I will say we don't have funding for construction, but having that design work done will make it easier for us to jump when funding becomes available. These projects are all possible because of the BCSI funds that this board authorized in previous years. So thank you for that investment. We are squeezing value out of it as much as we can. Next slide.

The library supports the board's priority of lifelong learning through programs, collections and resources. Next slide. Collection circulation was down in fiscal year twenty twenty five. We assume that's due to the temporary closure of the Modesto Library, which does account for more than a third of our circulation normally. Many users have transitioned to other libraries, but clearly not everyone has.

Next. Similarly, program attendance has dropped significantly, again, because of the Modesto library closure. You see the largest decrease was in school age programs, and that's because a large portion of the programming that we do at the Modesto library is school field trips coming to the library. Survey data does indicate, however, that our programming, particularly in early childhood, is meeting learning goals, as 93% of parents attending early childhood programs report that they learned something to share with their children while in those programs. Next slide.

I do want to call out the success of the Express Library, which has performed well beyond our expectations. Circulation visit counts are very strong, and the Express Library is currently our sixth busiest branch by circulation. It's also our third busiest by visit. So we're getting a lot of foot traffic there. We do get a lot of compliments on the Express Library and I know I said I wasn't going to read the quotes out, but I really like this one.

All the personnel are nice and professional, reflecting patience and good vibes because we strive for good vibes at the library. Next slide. Looking forward, this year we'll be refreshing our summer reading programs, inviting everyone to discover summer at Stanislaus County Library. We're working with our school district partners to expand our student success card program, which provides access to the library's electronic resources for students with their school ID numbers. And the reopening of the Modesto Library will provide an opportunity for us to focus on makerspace programming.

Next slide. Lifelong learning is also supported by the technology access that the library provides. Next slide. Our computers and Wi Fi continue to be heavily used, and borrowing of e materials does remain strong. Our use of e magazines actually doubled in the last year, and we're still trying to figure out why. Next slide. In the next year, we will be transitioning to an updated integrated library system. We'll be increasing the Internet speed at our rural branches where we are some of the only high speed Wi Fi available. And finally, we'll be reinforcing cybersecurity and data protections throughout the system. Next slide.

Our final focus tonight is on the library as a cultural center. Next slide. Cultural resources we provide include the Discover and Go program, which makes museums across the state of California free for our cardholders. Dia de los Ninos is our county wide celebration of children that actually happens in April, celebrating children literacy and community. And then finally, our local author fair, which this year highlighted 50 local authors at the Salida libraries.

At the Salida library. Next slide. Looking into next year, we are strengthening our programs for adults and seniors. We'll be continuing our Youth Poet Laureate program. And we're very excited that Modesto Library will include space for community art exhibitions and displays. Next slide. So the Stanislaus Library continues to provide spaces, collections, and services to county residents. We strive to exceed community expectations and continue to serve as a critical community resource for our neighbors. Thank you. That's it.

So

first and foremost, if you have not visited the Salida Library recently, it is absolutely raging since Modesto has been closed down. I went out there, we met, and I was stunned at how many people in the middle of the day were were there on-site. If you haven't been to the Empire Library, truly a crown jewel for the community of Empire, it used to be in this long skinny lot and it moved over right by the school. It's a tremendous asset for that community. Then the Turlock Library, which were the two newest along with the list you just saw right there, three of them.

Oh, two of them being redone with one of them being designed. Again, we have to come up with money, but we're gonna come up with money. I know we are. And allowing all of us to come and do story time once a year because they don't want us to do it too often because we're really not that good at it and we scare children. But it is one of the most fulfilling things that I can do to go help people.

Government doesn't create jobs. We can pave the way by having good roads and we can, you know, have some water. We can do some of the infrastructure and we don't school children. That's what the school districts are for. But we, we have an opportunity here for early learning all the way through literally into your oxygenarian, your nineties.

I don't know what nineties and hundreds are, but it is truly for, you know, from when you're born to when you die, there's an opportunity to learn here. And so this is one of the ways that we're able to help out. So I am I'm very proud of what the library system has done, how it's an all for 1 eighth of a cent, and I would just tell you right now that's too cheap. So because we can provide so much more given the opportunity to pay more in sales tax. Okay.

The board of supervisors proclaiming the week of April 19 to the 2026 as Stanislaus County Library Week, I'll read just a couple of the whereases. Whereas the libraries build community by creating welcoming spaces and invite people of all backgrounds to explore, connect, and discover what brings them joy. And whereas libraries spark curiosity, creativity, and imagination, offering opportunities for individuals of all ages to discover passions and new possibilities that enrich their lives. And whereas libraries serve as a vibrant community hub where people can engage with knowledge, technology, culture, and one another in ways that inspire learning, well-being, and a sense of belonging. So there's lots more, but therefore be it resolved, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim April as Stanislaus County Library Week in conjunction with the National Library Week and encourage everyone to visit their local libraries, explore its resources, and discover the many ways that libraries help each person find their joy.

Library staff, come on up. Okay. So now we're going to move on to item number five, which is the public comment period. I'm going to acknowledge any written comments that we've had, and we do not have any yet. I've got speaker cards for folks, but I'm just acknowledging written comments.

Public comments are it's a time for those in the attendance to speak on items not already on today's agenda. Please state your name for the record and direct all comments towards the dais so it is fair for every speaker. Please keep your comments to five minutes. And the first speaker card I have is going to speak on correspondence. It's Kevin McLarty.

Welcome, Kevin.

Good evening, supervisors and Chairman Vito. I'm going to speak to you with respect to the situation with Del Monte leaving Modesto, that's the loss of hundreds of jobs. And it comes in the aftermath of the loss of the Campbell soup plant. It it it appears that Modesto is losing its or the Stanislaus County is losing its agricultural base. And it it's a very tragic situation.

And I in thinking about all of these people who are losing their jobs and actually picturing them going to the EDD office and filing their, you know, for unemployment. And then their unemployment runs out, and then they have to, you know, go back there again to try to get a a job. And, well, their their background is in the agricultural industry working in a cannery or working in a in a plant similar to Del Monte or Campbell Soup or, you know, some sort of an agricultural plant. And there are no jobs in that that profession. So now they either have to be retrained or they have to go on welfare or some other kind of public assistance because they're not trained in anything else.

And that affects the economy of the entire county because they don't have the money to, you know, buy a car. They don't have the money to buy homes. They don't have the money to buy lumber at American Lumber or Home Depot or whatever. It affects the entire economy of the entire county. And it further embellishes the fact that Stanislaus County is one of the poorest counties in California, And it's one of the reasons why it is one of the poorest counties.

So, also, we have a junior college that has gotten rid of all of it nearly all of its vocational training programs so that these people cannot go back to they cannot go to the junior college and get retrained in something else because nearly all of the vocational programs for adults have been have been eliminated. So what are these people gonna do? And so I'm wondering if maybe some of this has to do with the fact that Stanislaus County does not have a mission. It does not have a a a a mission statement. And maybe maybe if the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors were to adopt a mission statement and then try to adhere to that mission statement, maybe we would not get off focus so much.

And maybe when situations like this arise, maybe we would come up with some way that we could help out the plant that is going out of business, or maybe we could come up with some sort of a plan or something. I'm just wondering if it is there anything that could have been done to help Del Monte? Is there anything that we could have come up with? Could we have come up with some sort of a five year plan or something? Could we have done something to help them so that they could have stayed here?

And the same thing with Campbell Soup. I mean, we're just letting these plants leave, and all these jobs evaporate, and we're not doing anything about it. So, I would encourage the council to come up with a mission statement and, try to adhere to that mission statement. I also would encourage the council to work with Modesto Junior College in trying to come up with vocation programs, retraining for adults, so that, these people who are out of work can get retrained in something else. And they can become vibrant members of the community once again.

And instead of being on the unemployment relief programs and so forth. They can actually be working and making a making a a good substantial income. So I think that there's some things that that we need to think about and things that we need to do for the future of Mid Esteban in Stanislaus County. Thank you.

Thanks, Kevin.

Kevin. Sir, I just wanted to thank you for being with us this I wanted to also share with you that our that we at the leadership of the county share many of the sentiments that you spoke about this evening, very, very directly. And I if you don't mind, I did wanna point you to someone in the back who just on your way out, because there are a couple of things we're pretty passionate about. One of those is our mission statement. If they could just kind of talk to that.

And then also, Ms. Foster there, our workforce development director, she could not only share with you our mission statement, but also the work that that department is doing to support those individuals who have been impacted by some of these job losses that you mentioned. There's no magic wand that that can make those impacts go away, but we certainly work very, very hard to do the best we can. And then we also have other efforts underway to work on training programs for employees who are upskilling themselves. So a lot of that's in in place, and Modesto Junior College has been a very strong partner of ours in that effort. So I think there's a lot of work. We just don't talk about it often enough. So if you wouldn't mind, we'll share some of it with you. Thank you.

And thank you. And to the public, he was responding to a correspondence. We're required or businesses are required for mass layoffs or plant closures. It's called worker adjustment and retraining notification, a warn notice. And there are actually three of them on today's agenda, one of them from Del Monte, the other one from Sentinel Transportation, and from First Brands Group. And it could be a layoff of if you've been employed, I can't remember the exact, but I think if you've been employed six months of the last twelve months and you're gonna lay off more than 75 people, then you have to give a warrant notice to the county board of supervisors. So thank you very much, Kevin. Next up, I have Rhonda Allen, and will be followed by Lori Wolf.

Good evening, Board of Supervisors Chairman. My name is Rhonda Allen. I live in Modesto. I'm here tonight to talk about the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project. I've just learned that the board recently approved a cost sharing for funding of this dam that is to be wants to be built on Del Puerto Canyon.

I have not seen any public notifications about this plan to use county funds nor was has there been any public meetings regarding this proposal. I wonder how we can take action regarding these projects when we're not informed about them. Do we not also have a budget system in place that requires the use of taxpayer funds to be disclosed? This was an $18,000,000 cost sharing fund that I read. And since 2020, when I first learned about the Del Puerto Canyon project, which is sponsored by the Del Puerto Water District, there have been no public meetings to inform the public about the proposal.

The community has not had a chance to share their input. Many of the of the behind the scenes actions to promote the construction of this dam seem to be sneaky deals. Our county residents have already experienced a lack of faith and health funds are mismanaged by some of our county leaders in Stancog, MID, and I think accountability is certainly a concern when it comes to public trust regarding this dam. There are many residents of Patterson who are totally against this project for many reasons, partly because of the loss of recreational land close to their city, but also the loss of wildlife habitat and the concern that this dam would be built on a fault line, which if damaged during an earthquake would flood their community, obviously giving them many concerns. Patterson should have a voice in the construction of a dam in Del Puerto Canyon, as well as the other people in our county who use the canyon and wish to see it protected from development.

We are losing our natural spaces quickly, and soon wildlife will have no retreats, nowhere to go. There are many conservation minded folks who are currently working together to protect all of the Diablo Range, which Del Puerto Canyon is a part of, so that we can maintain corridors for wildlife to roam freely and where nature enthusiasts can experience the outdoors. There's actually a state initiative in place currently asking our counties and cities to do just that, create more wildlife corridors. And that's where our funds should be going. This reservoir project is intended to block off access to Del Perto Creek.

It will provide no recreational opportunities for fishing or other pursuits. No drinking water will result from this project. It is built to sell water to agribusiness South Of Madera County. We should not send or sell our water to other areas. We need to instead protect our local resources. In my opinion, this is a money grab. Well, I won't get into that too much tonight. But really nothing about this proposal makes much sense since it's a very small reservoir and it will benefit so few individuals. Why are we involved in this? Why should our residents support it?

Why are county funds being used to promote it? Have you looked at other sites for a water project? Have you done any analysis on the impacts of a proposed dam? Why are you giving it financial support if you've not done those things? $18,000,000. By the way, we have a county park called Frank Raines that is in Del Pero Canyon. It has a day use area in that area. There's a campground. They could all benefit from extra funds and it would help promote recreational opportunities for residents and for tourism to our county. These areas need some TLC.

They need improved signage, trail maps, wildlife informational posters, etcetera, to encourage better usage of our environmental resources. Let's focus on that. We have a county general plan, and that general plan has conservation goals for open space areas. Goal number one, encourage protection and preservation of natural and scenic areas throughout the county, which of course Del Provo Canyon is one of a few that we have. We don't have very many.

Goal number four, provide for open space recreational needs of the residents of the county. Goal number eight, preserve areas of national, state, regional, and local historical significance, which Del Puerto Canyon certainly has due to its Native American history. I would just say, lastly, let's focus on conservation to make Del Puerto Canyon an even better recreational area. Thank you.

Thanks, Rhonda. We're gonna have the CEO who's gonna make a quick statement.

Yeah. I I usually don't talk much during public comment, but I would like to provide a little more information here. And, miss Allen, thank you very much for being with us this evening and and and sharing the information that you provided. It did come to my attention over the last day that there was some information circulating in the community that suggested that the county has dedicated funding to this particular project, and I just wanna make a couple of statements to to clarify. First and foremost, the county has not dedicated any funding to this project nor has been requested to dedicate funding nor do we intend to dedicate any funding for this project.

And I think where maybe some of this information has come from is that since, 2019, the county has had in our ledge our our legislative platform, we've had some language in there that would allow, the county to support grant requests from other agencies. So if another agency, requested support for a grant, not county funds, but for federal or state grants, it would allow the board to do that to at least write a support letter. But a support letter does not commit any county funding, and there never was any pledge, near that. So I just wanted to be clear about that. Just also for those of you not familiar with the legislative platform, the legislative platform does not in any way authorize expenditures.

Any expenditures with the county do have to go through a robust budgeting process. They come here for public discussion and all those things that you mentioned. So, yes, if we were to if this board were to ever even consider something like that, we would have to agendize a public discussion on an item like this. But I do wanna reiterate, no such, discussion has been had about funding this project. Couple of other last points. I know there's been questions about the road that has come up and the the potential relocation of a road. If that did occur, it would have to be fully funded outside of the county's budget. So this is not something that the county would be funding. It'd have to be fully funded and supported outside of the county's local discretionary dollars. And I think that covers all the points that I wanted to make sure we covered this evening.

So thank you very much again for being here, miss Allen, and and also happy we have a team in the back who all learn more just about the project or the legislative platform, we're happy to talk further. Thank you.

Next up, have Lori Wolf followed by Alfonso Marez.

Welcome. Good evening, supervisors. My name is Lori Wolf. I live out in Kansas Avenue in Modesto, and I'm the secretary for the Wood Colony MAC. First, I'd just like to say thank you so much for helping us establish the MAC.

It's been a huge tool in keeping our community together, mobilizing people when we need to, getting things going and getting the word out. It's been very productive for us. And I just want to let you know I attended the City of Modesto comprehensive general plan update that was presented to the Planning Commission and the Modesto City Council. I think it was March 18. And it was the same presentation that they came out and did in Wood Colony and Salida and their other presentations in December.

And the same information was presented. I was just really surprised by the public comments that were made at the end of the meeting. There were, landowners who stood up and and practically begged the city of Modesto to bring them into this new plan that they've got going on. I hadn't planned on talking under public comment because I'm not very good at that. But there were names associated.

There's documents associated with that. There's maps in the minutes for that meeting. And I we're just hoping that the Board of Supervisors can support us in our plan to go forward and hopefully preserve farmland, the best farmland in the world. We've all talked that to death. But it's just important that we have a plan going forward that works for the city of Modesto, but also doesn't so we out there already have dogs.

We farm. We do this. We do that. We're part of agriculture. And when the city of Modesto paints it as an economic benefit to them to incorporate this land into their maps and into their city limits so that they can increase their bottom line and gain taxes, well, is great.

But what they're talking about is taking away our land, our jobs, everything we're doing, and so planning it with something that doesn't turn into exactly new jobs. It's just jobs that all benefit from that same land that is growing crops and and providing food and everything. So, you know, we we have a community. We have jobs. We contribute agriculturally, economically to our schools, everything else. And they make it sound like it's just a bunch of dirt out there that's available to do whatever they want to with. And that's not how I see it. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next up, Alfonso Mraz, followed by Lisa Brayton.

Good evening, Chairman and CEO and Supervisors. My name is Alfonso Moras. I'm a food truck owner and a food truck manufacturer licensed in California. In the past I've been to the Board of Supervisors with some requests and complaints in regards to the food truck operation in Modesto or Stanislaus County. In this location, I don't have any complaints or anything like that.

If anything, I want to thank the Department of Environmental Resources for the great deal of effort that they put into changing the mindset and the process that they're doing for permitting, new vendors to expedite their permits and their inspections. Years back, we used to submit plans and wait months to even get a response. Now it's within the regular times that are being responded to and approved. Just in the last month we were able to get three different businesses permitted thanks to this process that has been efficientized and I see a lot of effort from the supervisors and the director, Rob Kuslavi. They put in a great deal of effort into making this department a lot friendlier to the new vendors.

So I just wanted to thank them. Thank you, guys.

Thank you very much, Alfonso. So often we only hear the downside even if things are going good. That's the way they're supposed to go, right? But I appreciate it. And Rob, shout out to you for doing a good job. All right. Next up, Lisa Braden followed by Todd Heinrich.

Hi, Board of Supervisors Chairman. My name is Lisa Davicky Braden and I have lived in Wood Colony on Beckwith Road, considered the Beckwith Triangle for twenty five plus years. And here we go again with the city of Modesto coming after us and a land owner a land owner who will have you believe that Wood Colony only consists of 760 acres between Beckwith and Woodland. But if you know the history of Wood Colony, you would know that Evan Woods purchased 1,760 acres of land. And those 1,000 acres that the city doesn't think exists sits the Beckwith Triangle, the Wood Colony Cemetery, and the Wood Colony Brethren School, plus many family homes.

So we're here today to ask for your help. Development in Wood Colony will not only affect prime farmland that we will never get back, but the impact that it will have on the residents, our property values will forever be changed. We already deal with a horrific amount of traffic on a daily basis. So can you imagine commercial or industrial buildings in your neighborhood? I can't, but we are fighting someone with deep pockets that doesn't live in Wood Colony and doesn't care about how this will impact our lives. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next up, Todd, and then followed by Milt Treweiler.

Good evening, supervisors. I live in Wood Colony also, and I I don't feel like the city really listens to us. So the county is where we live, so we're coming to the county supervisors to talk to you guys. We we want your support. I I I feel like we have had your support, at least of some of you.

I don't know all of you. So I I feel like it's a it's a normal thing to come to you and talk to you about about what the city is planning on doing. Their proposal, is filled with some I'll I'll just address what they say is Wood Colony just real quick. They say what Wood Colony, what Lisa talked about is those original acres. But that doesn't take into consideration many other things that are in Wood Colony that were that were there, from the early early days.

So that the Wood Colony basically was established in with that buying in the early nineteen hundreds. Well, in nineteen o nine, they had the cemetery and the church, which is not in what they're calling Wood Colony. So they're not representing it correctly. They're representing it the way they wanna represent it. And then the way they're drawing their lines is, I would call it gerrymandering, but I'm not the right person.

They'll they'll follow a canal until it suits them to follow a road. And then the reason for that is obviously because that that cuts out houses that wouldn't vote for that when it if if and when it would have come down to that that point. I I I'm not sure I'm not sure what you can do, but we would just love to have your support as county people. That's what we're that's what we're asking for. That's it. Short and sweet.

Thank you, Todd. Next up, Milt Treewiler, followed by Joe Dooley.

Good evening, supervisors and staff. Milt Treewater. I'm a lifetime Stanislaus County resident, as you know. I have some thoughts and ideas to share with you tonight. Do we have a responsibility to our children and descendants, or are we here for some other reason? I mean, what is our purpose in life? Here are some questions for each one of you, including the staff of Stanislaus County. Are you driven by power for its own sake, or do you see your position and your job as a duty to better all community members in Stanislaus County? I have some more questions here. Is farmland in Stanislaus County just for the people who are alive today?

Again, I'm going back to our children and descendants. That's what farmland is for. Do the people who live do the people who live today have the right to squander the best farmland on Earth? Is Stanislaus County gonna squander the best farmland on the Earth? Do you believe that Stanislaus County farmland was created just so it could be destroyed by building housing on it and making it a bedroom community for the Bay Area?

We know in Stanislaus County, ag is the number one industry. That's what it is right here in Stanislaus County. So let's talk about it. In 1887, TID and MID formed the first two irrigation districts in the state of California. And what did we get from them? We got an irrigation district. That is a great advancement. No one else had thought about it or done it. The East Coast I mean, the East people in the East don't have irrigation districts. We have an irrigation district. Started in 1887. Our ancestors were looking out for us. Okay. Another question. What do we need to do to stay alive?

Well, you know, we need clean air to breathe. We need clean water to drink, and we need food to eat. Where does food come from? It comes from our best farmland in the world right here in Stanislaus County. What makes a farmland North Of Modesto, all around Ceres and Houston, in the and and North Of Turlock the best farmland in the world? The three reasons that we've talked about and I've talked about many times. The soil, the beautiful, deep soil that we have here. Sandy loam soil. You can't find it any better in the world. But even more important than the soil is the water.

We have Don Pedro Dam that I just talked about. Yesterday, the level of Don Pedro Dam was 89% of its capacity, and that's not including the storm that just went through here. I will bet you that on Tuesday of next week or this later this week, we're gonna be above 92 or 3% because of the storm that just went through here. That's unheard of. We've got this water for hundreds of years, hundreds of years. But if we don't have farmland, it's gonna be worthless. We need to keep this water. We need to keep this farmland open. It's not for development. What brought us out of the stone ages?

Well, you remember in your history, farming. Farming is what brought us out of the stone ages. Making this farmland into a food desert would be selfish, unethical, and a curse on our children and descendants. Good, honest politicians and good, honest public employees are defined by a firm commitment to integrity, placing the public welfare over your own personal gain. And that's what we have to do here.

Agriculture is the number one industry in this county. We've gotta just accept that as a reality because it is a reality. It's the best land in the in the on the earth in the world. And it's gonna be you council or you supervisors. It's gonna be the cities that are gonna be the ones that have to do the saving of this land.

And we're gonna have to just as someone had mentioned, maybe this needs to have its own designation that this land will never be touched for, you know, the next two hundred years because it knee it's needed for food. We don't need all this housing to house the people from the Bay Area. That's a worthless venture that serves no purpose except a few developers. This is craziness. We've got to put our thinking cap on. You have to put your thinking caps on because you're the ones who are making the decisions.

Thank you. Thank you. Joe Dooley followed by Julianne Phillips.

You have to pardon me, gentlemen. I've been pretty much busted up my whole life. I'm a farm boy. Grew up on farms. My dad had 40 acres of peaches. They're all gone now. They were taken over. Eminent domain was shoved down their throats. They took our home. They took our fam family's business and everything else.

What you're doing taking away wood colony is the same thing. These people have been doing this for generations, raising crops, feeding families, and applying good, honest labor for people who wanted to work. These people that you're supposed to be representing, you're only representing a small portion of it. Wood Colony has been there for generations. We don't need the kickbacks just to supply certain people with money and destroying farmland that will never be allowed to be anything but paved over concrete and asphalt.

These once you plant roads and these claptrap homes and apartments and places that are, for just small, businesses that don't even, put any kind of money into the economy. These people are trying to save their livelihoods, their homes, their families, and their businesses. I just wanna know one thing. Who's getting the kickbacks? Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next up we have Julian Phillips followed by Gavin Bruce.

Good evening supervisors. My name is Julian Phillips. I'm a district representative for senator Alvaro Gill. I'm here this evening to provide a brief legislative update. Over the past two weeks, the senator has moved six bills out of committee. Don't worry. I won't read them all verbatim to you. I'll just highlight a few that were exceptionally notable. First is SB eleven sixty two, which is our wildfire mitigation bill. That bill passed out of the senate natural resources and water committee.

That bill is going to require CAL FIRE and the water fire wildfire and forest resilience task force to look specifically at areas within the wild land and urban interface that are within the fair plan to look at mitigation efforts for vegetation and things like that to protect those landowners that are subject to the fair plan price increases and mitigate the risk for both the fair plan and the landowners. SB thirteen ninety seven, which is our human mountain lion conflict bill passed out of the senate natural resources committee and that bill directs California Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain, enhance and expand the human mountain lion conflict program with a clear focus on nonlethal deterrence and also educating landowners on proactive response in those situations. And then we also passed SB twelve thirty four out of the Senate judiciary committee that is our bill called Leo's law that would require the Department of Human Services to run a panel for drug testing that includes fentanyl when returning a minor child back into the care of their parents. One thing I also wanted to note that is particularly important to our community here is that year to date in quarter one, we have recovered $230,000 for our constituents from the employment development department.

These are individuals who are on paid family leave with newborn babies running down their savings because their claim hasn't been processed from EDD and they can't get a hold of somebody on unemployment who are getting their pink letters from the city of Modesto because they can't pay their bills and they can't get a hold of EDD and we are able to help recover their funds and also our folks on disability who are seeing bills come in and they can't work and bills are piling up. So we are we last year, we recovered $1,200,000 and we are on track to meet or exceed that this year.

I I think, Julian, didn't a a bill for J 59 turning it over the state made it out of committee also?

Yes, sir.

It did. And that's J 59 goes from Highway 120, kind of, not not to Jamestown, and it goes all the way down to Snelling, goes through three different counties, and they're running a bill to try and give it back to the state because if you ever drive J59, it's pretty good in sections and then you go to another county and it's bad. So it's a major fire route for wildfires. So, Senator is carrying the bill. Tell her thank you for getting it out of committee.

Well, thank you for your time this evening.

Very good. Next up is Gavin Bruce. And that's the last, the speaker cards that I actually have written. And then anyone else that wants to speak, you just come right on up after. Hi. Good evening. Hi,

Kevin. Thanks for the opportunity to speak tonight. I wanted to speak on a couple of things and hopefully without risk of of getting them muddled, I'll try to keep them coherent. There are a couple issues brought up tonight around Del Porto Canyon and the proposed dam out there as well as the development in or the the Modesto's Modesto general plan threats to Wood Colony and also to other other farming communities in our area. So I want to encourage you all and the county in general and all of our public entities here in our county to think about soil as infrastructure.

We're talking about a dam in Del Puerto Canyon that would cost millions and millions of dollars to build but then also in maintenance for water storage. And meanwhile, we have we have massive quantities of water storage capacity just right under our feet. The soils that are located outside of our communities and outside of our our cities are uniquely able and equipped to be able to recharge our our aquifers and our groundwater. As climate change continues and we get we get more and more periods of drought interspersed with with short periods of of a lot of rain like we saw a few years ago in the winter of was it twenty twenty one, twenty two, I think? As those when we're interspersed with those with those very wet years and our winters are warmer, that moisture is not going to fall as snow in the mountains.

It's all gonna come down the mountain at the same time. And so we want to be able to have ample areas of of arable soil to be able to recharge that groundwater back into our aquifers and use it as as water storage. And we can do that for a fraction of the cost of what it would cost to build Del Puerto Canyon. So I saw a thing. It was a report put together by Stanford University a number of years ago comparing the the water storage capacity of all of the surface water infrastructure across California versus the total water storage capacity of our aquifers and our groundwater.

And it was like not even close. The surface water storage capacity from infrastructure like dams was 50,000,000 acre feet. The storage water capacity of our aquifers and our groundwater was 1,300,000,000 with a b. So that's the capacity that we have. If we if we plan our cities in a in a smart way, I hear the city of Modesto, and I was at a meeting in this in in Riverbank, they were talking about the Riverwalk project, which by the way over there, in an hour and a half long public comment period, there was only one person who was for it.

Everybody else was against it. But in that meeting, Riverbank talked about how Modesto if we don't build this, Modesto's gonna take it. Modesto says during this general plan that if we don't build up there then Riverbank's gonna take it. So there's this fear mongering going on between our different cities and at stake is our farmland and our ability to be able to recharge our groundwater storage capacity and be able to be resilient with climate change and our coming warmer winters. So I just want to encourage you all to think about that and take that into consideration and figure out how we can all work together across all of our communities and think about how we can work together. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. That's the last speaker card I have. So if you want to speak, come on up. Anyone else who wants to speak, I'm going to ask you to get to at least an edge seat so we can keep this moving.

Good evening, board of supervisors. First, I just wanna say thank you for a moment of your time, allowing me to have a moment to speak. My name is Sevi Toscano, and I'm a resident of Patterson. And I just wanna speak very briefly on behalf of the Del Porto Canyon Reservoir Project. So after reviewing the project's own environmental documents, I have serious concerns about the adequacy of the analysis being used to support this project.

According to the partially recirculated draft EIR, impacts to biological resources including special status species, including riparian habitat, wetlands are classified as, and I quote, less than significant, end quote, with the conclusion that, quote, no mitigation is required, end quote. You can find that in the PRDEIR table one dash one page one dash nine. At the same time, the environmental impact statement confirms that the project area includes riparian woodland, riparian wetlands, seeps, seasonal wetlands, seasonal streams, and ponds. You could find that in the EIS section 3.4 page 3.4 dash one three. So the question is simple.

How can impacts to known ecological systems be declared insignificant and require no mitigation? In addition the project's environmental analysis states that a project that alters surface water flow patterns could indirectly affect downstream repair and vegetation or aquatic habitat by changing hydraulic regimes. You can find this in the PRDIR section three point four point three. That means the project itself acknowledges that changes to water flow can affect the downstream ecosystems. And yet, despite that acknowledgment, those same impacts are still classified as less than significant.

This raises concerns about whether the conclusions of the analysis are consistent with the conditions described in the same documents. Is not about opposing development. This is about making sure decisions are being made based on complete, accurate, and transparent information. Because once these impacts occur, they cannot be undone. At a minimum, a bare minimum, this project should be delayed until a complete, transparent, and fully supported environmental analysis is provided.

If the science is sound, it should withstand scrutiny. If the conclusions are correct, they should be supported clearly and consistently. And if they are not, then this community deserves the truth before any irreversible decisions are made. Thank you, and god bless you all.

Thank you very much for your comments.

Good evening. My name is Dave Stein, small farmer west of Modesto. My grandparents bought our farm in 1941. My dad bought it from them in '60. I bought it in 2004. These small farms, they're hard to hang on to. They're sacred ground. The Wood Colony area, wow, what a great place. What a what a loss that would be to see that go away. And if the city of Modesto is concerned about money, farming creates money, goes around to a lot of hands.

I pay somebody to take care of my little 10 acres of almonds. It's $4,000 an acre every year. Look at all the hands that goes through. Look how important that is. So, anyway, we need to hang on to Wood Colony, all these sacred little farms. I know you live out in the country. Anybody else live out in the country here? It's nice out there. Would you want a city built next to you? I think no.

And as far as habitat, talking about Del Puerto Canyon, if you get an airplane and fly up and down this valley, both sides of it, there's millions of acres of habitat. We're never gonna run out of habitat. We may run out of water, and we could run out of farm ground. Water's number one. Food's number two. Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

Alright. Anyone else for public comment? If there's anyone else behind him, if you could please move to the aisle.

Good evening, gentlemen. I don't wish to take a lot of your time. I've been in Modesto for over fifty years, and I've watched it grow. And, I know that cities do grow, and I know it's necessary if we wanna continue raising our standard of living. However, I stand in opposition to the development of Wood Colony.

I don't think that we understand how much the quality of life means to the residents of Modesto. We have a sanctuary right next door, which is Wood Colony. Apart from what it means agriculturally, it's something that we enjoy just because it's there. It's important. I wish you'd take that into consideration. Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much. Alright. Seeing no one else for public comment, I'm going to close the public comment period. And again, I'm going to remind you when we move on to the consent calendar, I'm going to remind everyone from here on out we're doing voice vote or roll call votes. Would any board member here like to pull any item? Supervisor Graywall, would you like to pull any item? I know he is there. Can't hear you, Manny. Okay. I am to try with him. Am going to take that as a no. Anyone in the audience want to comment on any of the consent calendar? Okay. Seeing none, I bring it back to the board for action.

Motion to approve. Second.

We have a motion? And Manny had a second. So roll. Second.

Yep, roll call vote.

District 1, Supervisor Bakhinded. Aye. District 3, Supervisor Withrow.

Yes.

District 4, Supervisor Graywall.

Aye.

District 5, Supervisor Chance Condit.

Aye.

District 2, Chairman Chiesa.

Aye. Motion carries five-zero. Thank you very much. Okay. Moving on to item number eight. There is no public hearing. Item eight is discussion item. Approval to amend an agreement with Modesto Junior College for the Summer Nursing externship program. I can't wait to hear. And Doris Foster will be presenting. Hi, Doris.

Good evening, chairman of the board, members of the board, CEO Hayes and county council both. Doris Foster with Workforce Development.

Doris, I'm gonna have you stop for one second. Sure. Just let's let everyone clear out. I told you I spent too much of my life listening to tractors. Yes. I need hearing aids. Okay. Good. Thank you.

I'm here to request an increase in our contract with Modesto Junior College for the summer nursing externship program. Where do I point?

There

we go. As way of a background, California Regional K 16 Education Collaborative Program helps California economy recover for the COVID nineteen pandemic while addressing long standing social and economic inequities in higher education and workforce participation. The program was made possible by $250,000,000 in appropriations to the Department of General Services. Workforce and Education Collaborative addresses systematic systemic barriers and bridges educational gaps for underrepresented students within our region. The focus needs to be on one or more of the following: Healthcare, education, business management, and engineering or computing.

The Northern California Valley region consists of Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin Counties, and they chose healthcare and education. And the Eastern Regional region, which consists of Amador, Calvaris, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Alpine, Inyo, Mono Counties, they chose health care and education. MJC, Modesto Junior College applied for both of the grants. And the reason that Modesto Junior College applied for the Sierra K-sixteen was they have a satellite office in Columbia College. The funding for the We Will, which is the San Joaquin, was awarded 18,100,000 in state funds.

Those funds, was created through a committee and infrastructure was created on how the funds should be spent. In May 2024, two rounds of grants totaled 14,600,000 in funding. Sierra K sixteen did three rounds of funding. The objective for both of them was to put together programming that included equity for all students, developing career pathways that cut through barriers and addressing silos that delayed entry into the workforce. Modesto Junior College applied for both and successfully received the We Will K 16 grant, which we then entered into a contract with them for a 199,999.

They, we started the program last summer and then this year they received the k 16 grant for 13,192 to do the exact same thing. And so that's why we're here is to ask for an extension on the contract to increase the contract amount. So for the program, nursing students are placed in summer externships. Modesto Junior College entered into agreement with workforce development to serve as the employer of record for nursing students to be placed in paid summer externships with local health care facilities. Students are receiving anywhere between twenty fifty four or a hundred eight hours of paid training.

They're being paid $21.70 an hour. This includes job shadowing or externships, and they are located at Doctors Medical Center, Emmanuel Medical Center, Memorial Medical Center, Mark Twain, and Advent. This program has really opened up a lot of doors for us, and we are now currently working with Modesto Junior College to create the same type of work work externships with our manufacturing in demand occupations. One of the things that was mentioned earlier was the warn notices and that there's three of them on our board for Del Monte, Sentinel Transportation and First Brand Group. So I'd like to take the opportunity to say, these are the types of programs that we're able to retrain them.

We receive dislocated worker funds. We're able to retrain individuals to put them into programs like this nursing program, into the manufacturing program. We have an ag program. We're able to pay for their training so that they can get skilled up or help them understand what transitional jobs there are. And so this is one of the programs that we're really excited to start with Modesto, Junior College in order to create these great programs for upskilling individuals in our community.

So the staff recommendations is to approve the first amendment of an agreement with Modesto Junior College for the provision of summer nursing externship program, extending the term period of this agreement through 09/01/2027 and increasing the not to exceed amount of the agreement from a 199,999 to 02/3192. And also to authorize the workforce development director or designee to sign amendments to the agreement with Modesto Junior College for the provision of the summer nursing externship program. And I'm open to any questions.

Do we have any questions of Doris? Supervisor Graywall, any questions of Doris? All right. Thank you. All right. So I'm going to acknowledge there aren't any written comments. I'm going go ahead and open the public comment period. Does anyone in the audience wish to speak on this item? Welcome back, Milt. I'm kind

of puzzled because it seems like there's a conflict of interest here or a conflict in what's being said because before this lady spoke, we were told that there weren't any vocational classes at MJC for people who have lost their jobs or who they have. And now we're saying that there are or we just need more money for them. So it just seems like a conflict. Is there jobs? I mean, MJC used to do a great job of teaching people skills and everything else.

I mean, I started there in 1963, and I went back and actually took business classes at night, and that's how I started my own business. And they were very, very helpful. And I'm just wondering, has that been stopped at MJC? I'm curious about that. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Yeah.

I'll provide a brief comment and ask Doris to supplement anything. There's quite a bit of vocational training available at Modesto Junior College, and we've been working with them on other partnerships in the community to further expand, and there are multiple examples of that as well. But, there MJC does offer vocational training. I've personally spoken with the current president and past president on this very topic about how we could better partner with them to expand opportunities, recognizing that in the today and and future workforce, not everybody will achieve a college degree, but, should be prepared to, earn a middle income. Go ahead, Doris. You can probably talk to some of the specific programs.

Jody, you're actually you're very correct. So what we have is called eligible training provider list, and Modesto Junior College is on our eligible training provider list, which allows us to pay for any types of training, for any individuals who want to upscale. Specifically, our dislocated workers are one of our priorities. If we feel that we do not have, enough funding for, let's say, Del Monte. So let's just use Del Monte as an example. We get called by the business. We go out. We meet with all the employees. We share all the programs that we have. We go out with the EDD to share anything on unemployment.

We create what's called a job fair hiring event where we bring a lot of other businesses with us. And Del Monte, we created a very large hiring event and people were able to get jobs right there on the spot. We did interviewing. We create this opportunity for people to get reskilled or get another job or find out about retiring if they're interested. We are in the process right now with Del Monte.

We have a list of 200 individuals who have shared that they're interested in retraining. We are in the process of calling them all individually, finding out what they're interested in, and getting them into that training. If we should feel that we do not have enough funding to do it, there is, additional funding at the state level. It's very simple for us to get those additional funds. So there's never an issue with enough funding.

We can get that. We can show that Del Monte has closed, has laid off over a thousand individuals, and we can get as much funding as we want, as we need, I should say, in order to fill those positions. Now, the other issue is, as Jodi was talking about Modesto Junior College, should there be a lot of individuals who are interested in, let's say, the nursing program or even an Ag program, what we would do is we would put a cohort together of individuals and we would pay for them to go through that training. One of the things that we're also doing, which is I believe one step better, individuals who have been working and now go to training have no source of income. So we really focus on doing an earn and learn program like an apprenticeship where they're, we put them at a job site where we do a work experience and then they go to MJC at the same time.

And they're also learning at the same time and they're able to apply that. We're currently doing a lot of programs right now with Volt, where we have individuals who are doing mechanical work at Volt and then also working for general services agency and making some funding and learning how that works. So we have a lot of different types of programs and a lot of different training opportunities that are available.

Thank you. Kevin?

Well, I'm very much encouraged by this information. I did not know that this program existed when I was up here earlier. However, I still have some questions pertaining to this. Okay. So let's say that we have these misplaced workers from Del Monte and let's say that they express an interest in going into this nursing externship program.

But let's say that they don't have the academic background in order to be successful in a nursing program. Maybe they don't have a strong math background or they don't have a strong science background or maybe they never finished high school and they don't have the academic skills in order to be successful in college, then, you know, I I I don't know what would be done for them in that in that situation. And and so my question is, are there other vocational programs other than this nursing externship that they can go into? I know that Modesto JC used to have a carpentry program for adults. I think it's terrible that they took that program away.

That would have been an excellent transitional program for a number of these people. They used to have a welding program. They used to have an electronics program. They're an, auto mechanics program. There are a number of things that they used to have, that would have been, you know, that would have provided opportunities for a lot of these people.

So what other opportunities are there vocation wise besides this externship nursing externship? And what accommodations are being made for the ones who perhaps don't have a strong academic background and who perhaps don't have the scientific or math background to be successful or may maybe they've never had anatomy or maybe they don't have the background and enough background to be successful in an anatomy class. So my concern is what happens to them. If if they don't succeed in these classes, then what happens to them? Are they just left out in left field somewhere or what?

So what other what other programs are are available besides the nursing externship? What if they're not successful in the nursing externship? And how do you prepare them academically if they don't have the academic background to be successful. Thank you.

Doris, before you come up and talk about Volt and some of those other ones, any other public comments? All right. Come on up pretty please.

With all the funding that we receive, we have measurables. And so one of our measurables is a skill gain measure and we have to make approximately 83%, which means we have to ensure that an individual will be successful before we put them through training and before we pay for it. So if someone doesn't have a GED or a high school diploma, we will put them through that type of education. The other issue that we run up against, especially even when we're talking with a lot of the Del Monte individuals who are laid off, is English as a second language. That's the bigger issue that we're working through.

And so we've been working with them. We have people on staff who speak different languages. We're able to do that. We're able to also test them in before they go to a training, we test them on math and reading and all those core things that they need in order to be successful. And for our youth program, we provide tutors to help them along the way.

And so we do everything that we possibly can to make an individual successful. I could probably stand up for her for a whole hour, but I know Jody's going to give But me the I'd like to also share one little additional thing that I'm very passionate about. So I started off my career at Workforce Development and then worked for the Chief Executive Office and then went back. And when I was first at Workforce Development, if somebody

Hold on, Manny. If If someone

someone came in and was interested in doing something like, that wasn't what we consider in demand, we would still put them through the training. We would, help them with the resume, interview skills, and we would wish them the best of luck. Since I've been back, that's not how we operate. We put individuals through in demand sectors that we know that they're going to have good paid jobs when they graduate. We struggle sometimes with individuals who are getting picked up while they're in school.

And we keep encouraging just finish school and then go to that employer. Because there is such a need for skilled individuals. So the in demand sectors are approved by workforce development board. We put together labor market information, and they are manufacturing, health, construction, egg, warehouse and logistics. We have training in each of those.

We have a strategic and initiative committee that takes a look at all of the in demand jobs and ensures that there is a training here in Stanislaus County where that individual can go. So if an individual came to us and said, we're interested in doing a job that is not going to training, that's not going to lead to a job, we will ask them to do research. We will coach them. We will work with them. The objective for us is to make sure that someone gets skilled up, finishes their training, and then of course gets employed. And I hope that answers your questions.

She is excited about her job still to this day, which is great. And the work with formerly incarcerated, it's not just we keep talking about one specific, but it's very, very broad. Okay. Any other public comment? Seeing no more public comment, I'm going to bring it back to the board for action.

Just real quick before we Yeah, just a couple of things, Doris. Thank you very much. Milt and Kevin, thank you guys for your comments too. You know, just just to reinforce what Doris is saying, I would say now more than ever, at least as long as I've been around, the push for vocational training is strong and stronger than it's ever been right now. And, you know, besides what we're doing here at Stanislaus County Workforce Development, we talked about Volt Institute, what they're doing out there also.

The trade unions have so many training programs. It's just great to see that that colleges doesn't have to be the answer for everybody. And there is such a need for these these these trained vocational training institutions that are out there and and and for these trained jobs that we're we're trying to help people get. So totally support this, of course, and all the other programs that you're doing out there, and all these other like we talked about Vault, the the labor unions, all these things of skilled labor that is is such a push right now, and we're we're right there trying to do everything we can to help with it. So thank you very much, and I totally support this.

Is that a motion?

That's a motion. Second.

Motion and second. We'll do a roll call. We're gonna do a roll call vote.

Manny's really anxious to vote. District 1, Supervisor Buck Condit. Aye. District 3, Supervisor Withrow.

Yes.

District 4, Supervisor Greenwall.

One of the guys took the initiative. He said, I don't. Hey, Manny, mute your phone again. Mute, mute, mute. Thank you.

District five, Supervisor Chance Condit. Aye. District 2, Chairman Chiesa.

Aye.

We got it. We're gonna say that was a five o vote. Right?

Yep. He's he's texting me. No. What the heck? He's having himself a ball. Okay. So thank you very much, Doris. Appreciate that. Okay. Move on to item nine, correspondence, acknowledge receipt of correspondence and refer as recommended on the agenda. Are there any Board of Supervisor reports? Supervisor? I'd just like to recognize the pastor for sticking out the whole meeting.

Oh. It didn't happen very often. Thank you.

Yeah. Great job. Yeah. Thank you very much. Supervisor Condor?

Just a quick report. We are having our annual ranchers meeting tomorrow at Frank Raines

Park in Del Porto Canyon. It's tomorrow at nine a. So looking forward to that.

It should be a good meeting.

Thank you very much. No one else? Okay. We're going to move on to legislative fiscal management report.

Thank you. Just a couple of items to mention this evening. One is I want to let the board and the public know we are working, to identify and bring a presentation to you related to impacts to what we recall HR one, which is federal legislation that had, impacts to Medicare and Medicaid, at the state and local levels. The reason I wanted to mention this under, today's legislative update is we have supported a request, from the California State Association of Counties to the state of California seeking state partnership to backfill some of these significant cost shifts that will occur to counties. So at at the statewide level, the request includes 1,900,000,000 in the upcoming year's budget and 4,500,000,000 in the following year.

So these are local impacts here to our health services agency, community services agency, and health services agency. And be aware that we'll be bringing a presentation so we can further identify and provide some of the details in the future. Also, mentioned it was briefly mentioned by the chair earlier that at the state level, we've also expressed support for SB thirteen thirty four, which would transition J 59 Slash La Grange Road into the state highway system. So this aligns the roadway responsibility with this regional function and would support goods movement, emergency response, long term infrastructure investment. This is the opportunity for us to bring the roadway into that state system without first requiring all improvements be would be done, which is obviously a financial barrier to the transition.

So we'll see where that goes from there, wanted to report out.

Thank

you. Thank you very much. Alright. Seeing none, deputy Carranza, deputy Estes, you for keeping us safe. Appreciate it all the time. Nothing else for the good of the order. This meeting is adjourned.