Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Okay, good morning, everyone. I'd like to call the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting to order. The date is July 14th. The time is 9.06, latest start time so far. I would ask everyone to please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and then remain standing for an invocation from Marvin Jacobo from City Ministry Networks.

Ready, salute.

I pledge allegiance

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you for standing. Please pray with me. Master, we do thank you for the privilege you give us to live in Stanislaus County, to thrive here, to grow here, to be engaged here, to show our love here by being involved in meetings and investing in people and empowering them. I thank you for the wisdom that you've given us the staff, board of supervisors, community members to bond together, to work together for the sake of everyone, everyone, that everyone would live here to be all that you have dreamed for them and all that they dream for themselves. I think of my mom who, man would be amazed at what her crazy kid has become. So thank you that you're doing that for all of us. Thank you for Vito and give him wisdom and the right words as he speaks now in the state of the county. Thanks for Jody and his leadership and all the others. And Lord, may this meeting be held in mutual respect and civility. In my Lord's name I pray, amen. Thank you.

Thanks, Marvin.

Good morning, everybody.

Today is a very exciting day.

as we welcome you to our annual presentation of the State of the County Address. And I'm just going to provide a few remarks as our chair makes his way down to the podium. So we're honored to have so many community leaders and distinguished guests with us this morning. I do want to recognize some of our elected officials that have joined us this morning. We really appreciate your participation today and also some of their elected official representatives. If I've missed anybody, I really apologize, but we try to keep the list right up until just a few moments ago. We're honored to have with us this morning, I want to start by recognizing our former Assemblywoman and Board of Supervisor Chair, Kristen Olsen, who's with us here this morning. Good morning, Kristen. Good morning. As well, right next to her, former Senator Anthony Cannella joining us. They may actually... a little bit later today. Thank you guys for being here. I want to recognize some of our county elected officials. We have Mandeep Dhillon. I saw Mandeep over here, our auditor controller. There's Mandeep. And Donna Riley. I saw Donna somewhere. There's Donna Riley, our treasure tax collector. And moving over to our public safety team, I see Jeff Leggero, our district attorney. And Sheriff Jeff Dirks, he's keeping us safe in the back right there. I see him. There you go. And I think Don Gagel walked in, our county assessor, right over there as well. And I think that was that list. Okay, some of our city partners and some of our very important partners at the city level. Mayor Amy Bublak is here from Turlock. There you are. Hi, Mayor. And Mayor Suze Wallen from the City of Modesto is here. Hi, Suze. And Mayor Javier Lopez from Ceres is with us this morning. Good morning, Javier. Some of our council members participating today are Council Member Erica Phillips from the City of Turlock. And our friend Jeremiah Williams from the City of Modesto is right over here. And Council Member Stacy Call from the City of Riverbank is right there as well. Okay. And we also have representatives from some of our other elected officials' office. I believe Lisa Montero-Moore is here representing Congressman Adam Gray. Oh, there he is. Thank you very much. Hi, Lisa. Thank you. And Narendra Bai on behalf of Senator Alvarado Gil is here. I see. Okay, there you are. Right there. And Abby Pendleton with Juana Alaniz's office. There. There you go. Very good. And do we have a representative, I think, from Tom McClintock's office? Congressman McClintock? Okay, good morning. Thank you for being here as well. Okay, and I think that concludes my list. If you're an elected official or a representative and I missed you, please feel free to raise your hand. I want to make sure I capture everybody. Wow, we got them all. That's amazing. Okay. So with all of that, I want to thank all of those distinguished guests and everyone here this morning for taking time to be with us. This is a special day for us here in Stanislaus County. And it is now my pleasure to introduce the chair of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, Vito Chiesa, who will deliver this year's State of the County Award.

Terry's always very reassuring to me. You're laughing, sucker. Well, good morning everyone. To my fellow board members, our elected officials, city leaders and community partners, county employees, volunteers, honored guests and everyone who cares deeply about Stanislaus County, welcome. It's truly an honor to stand before you once again to reflect on the state of the county. I'd like to begin by recognizing the people who make public service possible. Serving in a role that has never been about one person's commitment, it's a family commitment. Grateful to my wife, Jamie, my mom, Mary, and my son, Tao, is here. My daughter couldn't be here. but with their love and encouragement and unwavering support over the years. I'm also grateful for the families of our county employees, first responders, and public servants. Your support often happens quietly behind the scenes, but it makes this work possible. Thank you. And that begins, brings me to something a little more personal. Every morning before the meetings begin and the emails start arriving, I go for a long walk as the sun comes up. It's become part of my daily routine. As a farmer, I've always felt connected when I'm outside. There's something about being close to the land that has a way of clearing your mind and putting things into perspective. Our chief executive officer, Jody Hayes, often says that perspective is one of the greatest currencies in leadership. Over the years, I've learned that perspective doesn't just change how we lead, it changes how we see every challenge in front of us. It reminds us that communities are living systems, always changing, always growing, always creating new opportunities to improve the lives of the people we serve. When the sun rises, it simply reminds us that every day is another opportunity. Another opportunity to listen, learn, and serve. I've had the privilege of serving on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors for nearly 18 years. During that time, I've attended thousands of meetings, community gatherings, worked through emergencies, made difficult decisions, and watched the county continue to grow and evolve. Over those years, one lesson has become clearer to me than any other. People still want the same basic things, safe communities, healthy families, good jobs and opportunities, reliable infrastructure, a government they can trust, and a community that they're proud to call home. That's what public service is really about. It's easy to become consumed by the 10% that still needs improvement or the challenges that we haven't solved yet. But if we all focus on, if that's all we focus on, we lose sight of the extraordinary progress represented by the other 90%. Today isn't about saying we've finished the job, it's about recognizing how far we've come while never losing sight of the work still ahead. It's about thanking the people who made the progress possible and reminding ourselves that what we can accomplish when we work together. because no meaningful accomplishment I've witnessed while serving on this board happened because of one person or one elected official had all the answers. It took people choosing partnership over division, community over credit, and service over politics. Today, I'd like to share a few stories that remind me of what's possible when we choose to work together. Some are about people, some are about places, some are about partnerships. Together, they tell the story of a community that continues to move forward because we choose to move forward together. One of the things I've come to appreciate most over the years is that county government quietly becomes part of people's lives every single day. From the day a child is born through every season of life and into your sunset years, county employees are there. Most people never know their names. They simply know someone was there when they needed help. More than 5,000 county employees come to work every day with one purpose, to serve. Our greatest assets leave the building every evening and they choose to come back the next morning. Think about that. Every day they choose to come back to serve our community. That's something none of us should ever take for granted. Many spend their careers preventing problems the public never even realized existed. That's the quiet work that keeps a community running. One of my favorite traditions each year is recognizing our county's unsung heroes. They don't seek recognition. In fact, they would probably rather avoid it, but their stories remind us of what public service truly looks like. Our first unsung hero is Denise Munoz from our treasure tax collector's office. A new homeowner contacted our office with a question about their property taxes. Denise discovered the taxes had already been paid, but something didn't seem right. After extensive research and efforts to personally contact the previous owner, she discovered the taxes had been paid on the wrong property by mistake. While we find mistakes and correct them every day, some are harder to detect and fix than others. In this case, Denise acted more like a detective in the sheriff's department than her usual job as an account clerk. Sorry. That extra effort and determination made sure that nearly $2,500 payment was credited to the correct property and the individuals involved were made whole. That's stewardship. That's integrity. That's the kind of public service that earns trust. Our second unsung hero is Stephanie Bazan, our Department of Child Support Services. Every day, Stephanie helps connect children and families with the financial support they depend on. Last year alone, the department collected and distributed more than $57 million to local families. Those dollars help put food on the table, keep a roof overhead, and support children throughout our community. Stephanie's commitment to children doesn't end there. She also helps lead one of my favorite community events, the annual Kids Connect Community Celebration and Backpack Giveaway during Child Support Awareness Month. This year's event is Saturday, August 1st at Modesto Junior College's East Campus. County departments, schools, nonprofits, volunteers, and generous donors come together. with one goal, helping children begin the school year prepared, confident, and ready to succeed. If you're looking for a way to help, I hope you'll consider donating or volunteering or helping spread the word. Year after year, Stephanie and her colleagues exceed every expectation, creating an event that makes a lasting difference in the lives of local families and reflects the very best in public service. Last year, 64 community partners came together to make it all possible. 2,341 children and family members were served, and that's what happens when a community comes together to create opportunities for children and families to thrive. The same commitment was on display when thousands of local seniors suddenly found themselves navigating major Medicare changes last year. Our health insurance counseling and advocacy program, better known as HICAP, and its dedicated counselors and volunteers stepped forward. They hosted community forums, met one-on-one with residents, answered questions, and helped people make informed decisions during uncertain times. County employees don't do all of this work alone. Last year, nearly 300 volunteers donated more than 26,000 hours of service across seven county departments. That's neighbors helping neighbors. This year, I'd also like to recognize a member of the community whose commitment to service is truly extraordinary. Houston Fire Protection District Captain Bob Bentcourt. Captain Bentcourt devoted 50 years to serving the Houston community as a volunteer fire department. That's five decades. Bob carried the radio everywhere he went. The radio sounded, he stopped what he was doing, he answered the call, even if it meant leaving work in the middle of the day. You can't measure that kind of commitment in hours alone. That's a lifetime of service. To Denise, Stephanie, our high cap counselors, Captain Betancourt and our volunteers, and every county employee who quietly serves this community every day, thank you. Community isn't built on government alone. It's built by people who see a need and choose to help. That's how we build community. If perspective helps us understand where we've been, it also reminds us that we have the responsibility to think about where we're going. As a farmer, that's a lesson I've known my entire life. You plant seeds knowing someone else might enjoy the harvest. Leadership isn't all that different. Some of the most important decisions we make won't just benefit us today, they'll benefit the people who come after. A few years ago, Stanislaus County received $107 million through the American Rescue Plan Act. a once in a lifetime opportunity to make transformational investments in our community. We could have viewed those dollars as temporary funding. Instead, we treated them as seed money, investing in projects that would continue benefiting this community long after the federal dollars were gone. We asked ourselves one simple question. How can we invest in a better future for our working families? The question became the blueprint for every major investment we made. Some of those investments are easy to see. Others quietly improve lives every single day. But one of them was planted with the future in mind. The vision became Stanislaus 2030, our public-private economic development partnership. Built with input from more than 200 community leaders, it focuses on expanding access to middle-class jobs, recognizing too many hardworking families are still struggling to get ahead. Our version of economic development goes well beyond just trying to recruit new employers to our region. It means investing in training systems that prepare our workforce for the changing demands of existing industries of today and tomorrow. It means setting a goal for Stanislaus County to be the best place in California to start and grow a new business. And for my And for many parents, it recognizes that participating in our economy starts with providing options for safe and affordable health care. Child care. That's good. Stanislaus 2030 taught us that child care is an economic development issue. That's why we partnered with First Five of Stanislaus to bring Nurture Child Care model to our community. This program helps aspiring entrepreneurs open licensed home-based child care businesses while expanding access to quality child care. As a result of ARPA investment, Nurture Child Care has generated 105 new child care businesses right here in Stanislaus County, opening 840 permanent licensed child care spaces for local families. Approximately half of these new businesses are Spanish-speaking, recognizing the tremendous diversity of our local workforce. Think about what that means. We're giving parents opportunities to work, helping entrepreneurs build successful small businesses, helping employers find the workforce they need, and giving more children a strong start in life. That's what innovative economic development looks like. The work is far from finished, and I want to thank and congratulate the entrepreneurs that have stepped up to open the new childcare businesses across Stanislaus County, along with the team at Nurture for their leadership in moving this forward. Another investment helping shape our future is our partnership with Beam Circular. A few years ago, most people had never heard of bio-industrial manufacturing or the bio-circular economy. Through our work with Stanislaus 2030 and extensive data research with the Brookings Institution, we recognize Stanislaus County is uniquely positioned to lead the rapidly emerging sector, this rapidly emerging sector of the economy. Through our partnership with Beam Circular, we're turning agricultural byproducts like nut shells, orchard wood, food processing byproducts, and other biomass into new products, new businesses, and good paying jobs. Today, more than 120 public and private partners are working together across the northern San Joaquin Valley, supporting startups, helping businesses innovate, increasing our workforce training, and advancing agricultural innovation. That's the future we're building together, a future where agriculture and innovation don't compete with one another, they strengthen one another. Our early investments helped launch the initiative with an ambitious goal to establish Stanislaus County as the nation's premier hub for the emerging bioeconomy and ultimately a global leader. It's a bold vision, but meaningful progress begins with bold aspirations. The county pledged $10 million to anchor this vision in our community. $35 million of additional funding have already been generated, 13 million of which is from private investments. We are thrilled that the recent announcement that BEAM expects to open the initial phase of their new California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus right here in Stanislaus County. It won't be home to just one company. It will be a shared innovation campus where entrepreneurs, startup companies, researchers, manufacturers, and students can work side by side to turn their promising ideas into successful businesses. By helping bridge the gap between research and commercial manufacturing, the campus will give innovators access to shared facilities, technical expertise, and the resources they need to grow. That's the kind of investment that will keep paying dividends. Some investments strengthen our economy. Others strengthen our neighborhoods, people call home. One of the investments I'm most proud of has been our work with Stanislaus County's urban pockets and county communities. These are neighborhoods that have been surrounded by growing cities for decades, yet many lack the infrastructure needed for future annexation and the enhanced municipal services that come with it. The timing of the city annexations may not be ours to decide, but preparing those neighborhoods for the future absolutely is. For too long, many simply waited, waited for sidewalks, safer streets, storm drainage, reliable water infrastructure, street lighting, the kinds of basic improvements many communities take for granted. By combining American Rescue Plan funds with state and local investment, We're finally beginning to see that change. Projects in Park Lawn, Topeka Santa Fe, Riverdale Park Tract, Colorado Rouse, and Kenwood Star are improving the quality of many people's lives while laying the foundation for a stronger, safer neighborhoods and the opportunity to enhance municipal services in the future. That's more than an infrastructure project. It's a promise kept. On Wednesday, August 12th, we will celebrate another milestone with the groundbreaking of the Kenwood Star Neighborhood Improvement Project, and I hope you'll join us as we mark another step forward for the Kenwood Star community. If investing in tomorrow is about vision, partnership is how we're going to make it happen. They happened because people came together around a common purpose. Transportation is one of the best examples. Roads don't stop at city limits and neither do the opportunities they create. Measure L changed what was possible. Many decades ago, no. Nearly a decade ago, the voters of Stanislaus County made the decision to invest in themselves. Combined with state and federal transportation funding, it opened up a world of opportunities. Suddenly we weren't just maintaining roads, we could compete for major transportation investments, we could leverage local dollars into much larger state and federal funding. State Route 132 is a perfect example. The vision for this project began generations ago. The right-of-way was acquired in the 1960s. For decades, the vision existed, the need existed, but the funding didn't. Measure-All helped change that. Today, phase one is complete, with phase two being fully funded moving forward under Caltrans leadership. Some projects simply are too important to give up on. This is one of them. The North County Quarter tells a similar story. It's one of the largest transportation investments in our county's history and has been on the books for over 50 years. When it's complete, it will improve safety, reduce congestion, facilitate the movement of goods and services, and better connect communities throughout the region. Projects like this happen because many organizations decide they're worth building together. I'd especially like to recognize our former public works director, Matt Machado, and our current public works director, Dave Lehman, whose vision, leadership, and persistence helped turn decades of planning into projects that are improving lives throughout Stanislaus County. Projects like this remind us of why regional partnerships matter. I'd like to recognize StanCOG, Stanislaus Council of Governments, and the many local, state, and federal partners that helped turn long-range plans into real projects. This past year wasn't easy for StanCOG. There were lessons to learn, and the criticism was warranted, but strong organizations don't let challenges define them. They listen, they learn, they improve, and then they keep moving forward. I believe that STANDCOG is doing exactly that under the leadership of our chair, Buck Condit, at the COG. There's a clear path forward and I believe that we're well positioned to continue success. The same spirit of regional collaboration can be seen in the creation of Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority. It was bringing four separate transit agencies into one. Our region now has a more coordinated, more efficient, and more connected transit system. Our bridges are another example of what partnership can accomplish. Whether it's the Hills Ferry Bridge, where we partnered with Merced County, or the Seventh Street Bridge, which we're partnering with the City of Modesto, the bridge improvements throughout Stanislaus County are taking advantage of all the funding opportunities we can to modernize infrastructure that will serve our community for decades to come. Speaking of the 7th Street Bridge, I'd like to take a moment to remember the late City Councilwoman Jenny Knoyer. She was such a staunch transportation advocate and deeply passionate about this project. Infrastructure matters. But the reason we invest in infrastructure has always been people. Stanislaus County is home to 41 community and neighborhood parks, along with five regional parks that welcome residents, visitors from throughout the Central Valley. These aren't just places to picnic, play ball or cool off in the summer. They're places where families make memories that last lifetimes. This year marks a new chapter in the county recreation as our longstanding agreement with Woodward Reservoir comes to an end. We're looking ahead at an exciting new opportunity through our partnership with the Turlock Irrigation District and California State Parks. We're preparing to welcome families back to Turlock Lake next summer. Together, we're working towards reopening the day use area with significant improvements that will allow another generation of families to enjoy fishing, swimming, picnicking, and making memories together. I'd especially like to thank retired Sheriff Les Weidman and Turlock Irrigation District Michael France for recognizing the opportunity and helping champion the partnership that made this possible. That's what we can accomplish when agencies work together. Libraries are another investment in our future, but they're so much more than books. They're places where children discover a love of reading, where students find a quiet place to learn, and job seekers build new skills, and lifelong learners continue investing in themselves. For more than 30 years, the people of Stanislaus County have repeatedly renewed their commitment to our libraries through the dedicated one-eighth cent sales tax. Today, we're seeing the results of that investment. We've completed major renovations at the Turlock and Slidell Libraries, rebuilt the Empire Library, relocated the Keys Library, and are now designing a new library in Waterford. the renovated Modesto Library is expected to open in October. In the meantime, the Modesto Express Library at 10 Street Plaza right outside these doors has become a wonderful resource for downtown residents, workers, and visitors while construction continues. I hope you'll stop by and check it out on your way home because every visit to a library is an investment in yourself. Not every story is measured the same way. Some are measured over time. Perspective matters. Sometimes it's easy to focus on the 10 percent that still needs improvement and overlook the extraordinary progress represented by the other 90 percent. Our animal services agency is a good example. When I joined the board Pet overpopulation was one of the biggest challenges facing our community. Our old shelter simply wasn't equipped to meet the needs. The opening of our new current shelter in 2011 marked the beginning of a new chapter. Since then, we've transformed the way animal services are delivered in Stanislaus County. The results can be seen here. Over the past 15 years, we've dramatically reduced the number of animals entering our shelter that ultimately require euthanasia. One of the most significant improvements I've witnessed during my time on this board. None of this happens without animal services employees, our member cities, rescue organizations, volunteers, foster families, and veterinarian partners. Your compassion and partnership continue to improve the lives of animals throughout the county. Like communities across the country, we continue to face challenges, including limited veterinary resources and pet over your population. But we've made real progress and we're committed to making even more. One of the greatest responsibilities we share is caring for the people during times of their most difficult times of their lives. Whether someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, struggling with addiction or searching for stable housing, they deserve more than a temporary solution. They deserve the opportunity to recover and rebuild their lives. For decades, behavioral health services has often operated in separate systems. Today, we're building something different, a more connected, responsive, compassionate system of care. California behavioral health transformation is the most significant modernization of the public behavioral health system in decades. Here in Stanislaus County, we're embracing that opportunity. We're bringing behavioral health substance use treatment, housing, and recovery services together into one coordinated strategy. Because recovery isn't just about treating illness, it's about helping people rebuild their lives, and we're also expanding access to care. The Hope Forward Children's Behavioral Health Campus developed through a partnership between Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Merced Counties. will give children and families throughout our region access to specialized behavioral health services much closer to home. Because loved ones aren't visitors to recovery, they're essential partners in healing. And through our new START program, we're creating a single front door for substance use treatment, making it easier for individuals and families to connect with care when they need it most. And we're continuing to strengthen our community-based crisis response system, helping more people receive treatment in the community whenever it's safe and appropriate. We're also making our largest investment to date in housing for the individual living with serious mental illness and substance use disorder. Because treatment isn't only part of recovery, stable housing, supportive services and strong community partnerships all play an important role in helping people achieve lasting stability. Some of the most encouraging progress I've seen has come through the partnership between the behavioral health team, the superior court, the sheriff's department, district attorney, public defender, probation, and many others. I've never seen the partners working more closely together, hand in glove. They're identifying people earlier, connecting them with care sooner, and whenever appropriate, helping them receive treatment instead of remaining in the justice system. Those efforts are making a real difference. Over the past two years, the incompetent to stand trial determinations have decreased by more than 20%. Fewer people require admission to state hospitals, state penalties have declined, and most importantly, people and families are getting the help they need sooner. Just as we're investing in healthier communities, we're also protecting one of the resources that have always defined Stanislaus County, our ag heritage. Ag has always been our foundation, long before many of our neighborhoods, our business parks, our transportation corridors, there were families working this land. Those roots continue to shape who we are today. In fact, seven of our 10 major manufacturing employers in Stanislaus County are directly tied to agriculture or food processing. Ag supports thousands of jobs, strengthens local businesses, and sustains generations of family farms. Protecting agriculture also means protecting one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Here in the San Joaquin Valley, we help produce a quarter of the nation's food, including 40% of the fruits, nuts, and other table foods. Stanislaus County agriculture generated $3.1 billion in production last year, ranking us among the top agricultural counties in America. Protecting an economy like that requires constant vigilance through pest detection and exclusion, responding to invasive threats like the golden mussel, and monitoring pests like glassy-winged sharpshooters. Our Ag Commissioner and the dedicated staff work every day to protect farms and businesses and families that depend on agriculture. Most of the work happens quietly, long before most people ever know there was a real threat. That's exactly how prevention and exclusion should work. Sometimes people assume agriculture and the environmental stewardship are competing priorities. I don't believe they are. In fact, our ag community has become one of our greatest environmental partners. Over the years, our farmers have faced new regulations, new expectations, new challenges, and they've adapted. They've embraced the new technology, investing in cleaner equipment, and continued finding better ways to farm. You know, I have a pretty simple eye test. Most mornings when I head out for my walk, I look towards the coastal mountains. 25 years ago, this picture would have looked very different. I couldn't see the mountains as clearly as I can today. Now, the clearer the view, the better I know we're doing. And the data backs that up. Over the past several decades, air quality in our valley has improved dramatically. Just look at our ozone improvement over time. That progress didn't happen by accident. It happened because farmers, the air district, businesses, public agencies chose innovation, partnership, and continuous improvement. The work isn't finished, it never is, but it's important to recognize how far we've come, even as we continue working towards where we want to be. Before I close, If you'll indulge me, I want to share one final story. In the past 18 years, I made dozens of trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. I met with leaders from both parties. I've seen government at its best, and unfortunately, I've also seen times when people simply stop working together. Today, it seems that happens far too often. And when government stops working together, it's not the politicians who pay the price, it's the people. That's something we have to change because local governments have always taught me it shouldn't be about the party. It should always be about serving people. No story illustrates this better than something called negative bailout. Most people remember the good side of Proposition 13 going back to 1978, lower taxes. Those lower taxes have created budget deficits throughout California, including here in Stanislaus County. The state passed new laws after Proposition 13 intended to bail out some of the deficit counties, which sounded like something we would support. Unfortunately for us, the formulas used in that process had the opposite effect. And for Stanislaus County and a few other counties, we lost even more property tax. This unintended consequence of state legislation became known as negative bailout. Stanislaus was the largest county impacted by negative bailout and starting in 1982, our community was forced to divert millions in property taxes out of the county's general fund. It's hard to comprehend how this even happened. A state bill intended to help counties actually did the exact opposite for a few select counties. While the impacts for other counties, smaller counties, were estimated at less than 50,000 a year, our impact grew over the years and measured in the millions. Everyone knew it was a problem. Republicans knew it, Democrats knew it, county leaders knew it, our legislative delegation knew it. Over the years, bill after bill was introduced. Some made it to the governor's desk, others fell short along the way, but people kept trying, but the problem remained. Then we stopped asking, whose issue is this? And we started asking, how do we solve it together? That's when something remarkable happened. Republicans and Democrats, county officials, city leaders, state legislators, Department of Finance and the governor's office, people who don't always agree, came together around one simple idea. The problem needed to be fixed, and now it was time to get it done. I'm especially honored to have a few of those people who helped make this happen today with us. I'm gonna point out right here, I need you to stand up, Kristen Olsen and Anthony Cannella. And so, stay, remain standing for a second. Lisa Montero-Moore is here representing Congressman Adam Gray, but he was Assemblymember Adam Gray at the time. And then there was Kathleen Galgiani. So we had four of our five representatives, two Republican, two Democrats, who decided to prioritize this. And of course, it took the Department of Finance, Michael Cohen, Diane Cummings, and then the governor was on board. He understood this. But I'm off script right now for a second. You'll hear what the impact was. And for people to sit down together and just say, this is what's right, that's what needs to be done. So thank you very much. Because of your persistence, because you were willing to put community ahead of politics and solutions ahead, we finally fixed a problem that existed for more than 30 years and ultimately cost our community an estimated $70 million. Beginning in fiscal year 2015, 2016, Stanislaus County finally began seeing the benefits of that work. The legislative fix that ended the annual negative bailout redirected our local property tax dollars back to the county's general fund. The first year alone increased county revenues close to $8 million. Those weren't simply dollars, they became investments in our community. They contributed to unprecedented growth in our public safety departments, expanding services in unincorporated areas like Salida. They helped reopen Bonita Pool and invest millions in our local parks. They supported improvements to the Turlock and Modesto libraries and libraries throughout the county. They strengthened support for our local fire district. They allowed us flexibility to negotiate new tax sharing agreements with our cities, increasing city revenues by approximately $12 million over the last four years, along with countless other improvements that benefited families across Dennis Lewis County. More importantly, every community benefited, our cities benefited, our residents benefited, everybody won. That partnership made it possible. The people who serve don't wake up in the morning thinking life as a Republican or a Democrat. They wake up as parents, neighbors, workers, business owners, people who simply want safe communities, good opportunities, and a better future for our children. They deserve leaders who are willing to work together on their behalf. When we put service ahead of politics, community ahead of ideology, and people ahead of partisanship, there's very little Stanislaus County cannot accomplish together. Tomorrow morning, before the meetings begin, before the phones start ringing, before the emails start arriving, the sun will rise over Stanislaus County again. And just like it has every minute before, it will remind us that every day brings another opportunity. Another opportunity to listen, another opportunity to learn, another opportunity to serve. It always happens. Serving the people of Stanislaus County has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Thank you for your trust and friendship and for everything each and every one of you do every day to make Stanislaus County a place worthy of calling home. Our community is guided by a simple mission. We build community and I'm proud to be doing it with you. Thank you. Before moving on, I'd like to briefly highlight the new ways the public can participate in county government. The Board of Supervisors continue to offer multiple ways for residents to engage in today's public meeting. including participating by telephone, attending in person, or submitting written comments in advance. Those attending in person can register to speak electronically by scanning a QR code displayed in chambers or by visiting join.standcounty.com or by submitting the public comment cards as they have been our practice. Agendas are now published in both English and Spanish. The modifications are designed to reduce barriers to participation and make it easier for everyone to stay informed, engaged, and involved. We appreciate your patience as we continue fine-tuning new tools and resources. Soon the county will continue expanding public awareness through the multilingual outreach, digital communications, community organizations, and other local partners so more residents know how to participate in board meetings. Before we begin public comment, I'd also like to note another procedural change. Going forward, County Council will read any closed session items into the record before public comment. At this time, I'm gonna ask County Council to read the closed session agenda items into the record.

Thank you. Before I read the closed session items, we do have an item too late for the closed session agenda, need to have the board consider. We need to add a closed session item, Conference with Real Property Negotiators, Pursuit of Government Code Section 54956.9, I'm sorry, nine, five, four, nine, five, six point eight. Uh, the property are, uh, is multiple county owned parcels located at the Woodward Reservoir. The negotiators are Jewel Warr and myself. The negotiating party is South San Joaquin Irrigation District and under negotiation is both terms of payment and price. The staff recommendation is Pursuant to Government Code Section 549.54.2, Subdivision B2, find that there's a need to take immediate action to add closed session matter, conference with the real property negotiators, as I just read. And the need for action came to the attention of the county subsequent to the release of the July 14, 2026 Board of Supervisors agenda as specified in Subdivision A of the Government Code Section. That would be, we need to take these staff recommendations as two different votes. And then the second one would be to authorize placing the conference with real property negotiators on the agenda. Okay, so it'll require two different votes.

And first, do I open it up for public comment? Yes. Anyone for public comment on this issue, adding it to the closed session agenda? Seeing none, we'll look back to the board. The first question is, is there a need to take immediate action? We have a motion.

Motion to approve. Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries 5-0. On to the second component. Authorize it to be placed on the agenda.

Motion to approve. Second.

Motion is second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries 5-0 again. Thank you very much. Now you're going to read into the record.

Yes. We have two items to consider. First is conference with legal counsel, existing litigation pursuant to government code section 54956.9 subdivision D1. One case, Ryan Brady versus Stanislaus County et al. That's in the Stanislaus County Superior Court and the case number is 24-007-449. The second one is the one we just added and that is conference with real property negotiators. Negotiations pursuant to government code section 54956.8. The property is multiple county owned parcels located at Woodward Reservoir and the county negotiators are Jewel Warren and myself. And the negotiating party is South San Juan Canyon Irrigation District and under negotiation is both terms of payment and price appropriate for public comment.

Any public comment on any items on the closed session? Okay, seeing that, I just want to explain really quickly why we're doing this. You're going to see this done over and over because of 707, which is the online that allows you to do public or do comments online. If there's a technical glitch, there are certain requirements of how long we have to be down, meaning we can't have a board meeting here. By reading this into the record, it allows us to go and do the county's business that we would be doing after the meeting. We could do it for that allotted amount of time. So we're going to start reading into the record at the beginning of meetings just to ensure we can continue to do county business if technology fails us. All right. So now we're going to move on to the public comment period. All right. We do have a public comment.

We have a written comment.

Okay. So we do have one written comment today from Mr. Brad, and it has to do with Tombs Road speed limit changes, and it will be a part of the record. I do not read it in the record? No. No, I don't. Okay, thank you. I'm sorry. I just acknowledged we received it. We'll now begin the public comment period. This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the board on matters that are not already on today's agenda as well as any closed session items that have just been announced. When the clerk calls your name or phone number, please state your name for the record, direct your comments to the board, to the chair, and to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be heard, please limit your remarks to five minutes unless a different time limit is announced for special circumstances. The clerk is going to alternate between calling speakers and those who are in the chambers and those who are calling in. Let's get started. I'm turning it over to the clerk.

Thank you and to acknowledge there are no callers in the queue for telephonic participation. The first in chambers is Melissa Sandoval.

Welcome, Melissa. Show them the poster. Just stand right here and show the poster. Yeah, like this. Okay. My name is Melissa Sandoval. Standing next to me is my 68-year-old father, Robert Sandoval. We are the last residents left that live on Roselle Avenue in front of the new Riverbank Sister City sign near the intersection of Claribel 219 Highway. We are slowly and brutally getting pushed out by our family in the county over the North County Corridor Project. While today's supposed to be the day to celebrate the county's success, my father and I will be going on seven months now as of July 23rd, 2026, since we haven't had any running water. Even after I spoke in front of all of you on February 3rd, but yet not one person cared or had a backbone to say what's happening to us was wrong. Just like back in June of last year, I explained how there is a big conflict of interest to you, Mr. Buck Condit, with my family and the tax assessor of this county, preventing us to fix or sell the property. I showed you a timeline of evidence regarding the flooding and neglect that has occurred since the last widening project, but the only thing that you had to say to us is that sorry about that. I don't know where your calls wait. While continuing more project, leaving us here as our ground is breaking, I have been contacting Public Works for the cities of Modesto, Riverbank, and Stanislaus County since they decided to build over the old roads, bearing and not extending existing drainage pipelines. My question is for you, Mr. Condit, and Public Works, Mr. Lehman. Why is it that it took me to create social media for you guys to do the jobs you were elected and paid to do? Why doesn't our voice and what happened to us matter to any of you? Don't you guys understand we have nothing left and nowhere to go? What happened to us was a violation of our civil rights and an act of criminal negligence. Who holds accountability when people like you and others in this room, even our own family that hold a higher power are too busy playing the game, playing game, pointing fingers at each other to see what it's doing to my dad and I who are both disabled and suffering. No residents should have to be left behind to dig their own way out because you guys have failed to do your job responsibly. Why didn't we receive the help we were entitled to? Where did all the money go if there hasn't been any drain system or any maintenance You guys neglected Roselle and Clarabelle so severely over the years that you barely picked up the 45 mile per hour speed limit sign in one of our trenches near the intersection where you installed new poles for the current project. Instead of helping us, Riverbank of Stanislaus County thought it was more important slapping a Riverbank sister city sign in the same ditch we built trenches in making us Riverbank for more revenue when we were always considered Modesto Stanislaus County jurisdiction, not even informing us. We lost some mail, couldn't get my dad's Crohn's medication delivered, and even had my Social Security paperwork delayed due to not receiving anything. Technically, our address still doesn't even exist in the system, and at times our phone still has to be pinged to be located. We are constantly left in the dark. Another example, Riverbank Planning Commission held a live public hearing but purposely muted the whole thing when it had to do with important new infrastructure happening right in front of our home, extending all the way to Modesto and county jurisdiction. One week later, an announcement was made from Riverbank that growth is inevitable and they'll be moving forward with building more homes and apartments even after the people voiced against this, wanting a vote. But Riverbank still said no behind our backs. We are starting to realize people that hold a higher power like our family and yourselves thinks it's okay to treat us like we are nothing because we are nobody compared to any of you or them. I'm here today to look at all of you in the face and ask, why did you do this to us? If this was your plan to push us out, why didn't you just tell us to leave a long time ago and could have saved us the pain and heartache? Why didn't... Why did you make us suffer so brutally to where we have nothing? Nothing here is fixable in my child home. I grew up now, needs to be condemned. My father and I who are both disabled from getting hit head on in the same intersection have nowhere to go, nothing left. This is all we knew. And we're supposed to just leave with these type of memories. I can't even fix anything here because of my family. I can't rely any of you due to conflict of interest to do the right thing. We have no home left or even to go to. We can't even get Gilton to pick up our trash because our lines is too low. We have no help here and nobody seems to care. At least you guys could have done was provide a new trailer, but you provided nothing but lies and broken promises. The only thing Many of you are worried about is maintaining and protecting a certain image. You were elected to represent people like us who are suffering and have no voice but still continue to fail to put people like us first while only protecting yourselves from bad publicity.

How... Go ahead and finish your thought.

Good, good. Good job. Let's get out of here.

Hey, Melissa, I was going to ask about the water.

I haven't had any water.

Are you on a domestic well or do you have hookup from the city?

I'm on a well.

You're on a well. Did you ask Riverbank? Because you're located in Riverbank, right? Yeah. Did you ask them if they could provide hookup, a water hookup?

Nobody provided anything. They just told us to wait for an update. as you guys broke more ground for more projects near my home. You guys even toured right in front of my home as I held a sign saying we didn't have no water. You guys don't seem to care. Nobody seems to care. Our house is ruined. We're living inhumane, uninhabitable conditions and nobody cares. I showed you the proof, but people are scared to go against people like Dawn and my family. I have no voice. I still have rights, but yet you guys don't give me the rights that we deserve. I've showed you everything.

Well, we will ask river bank way and we wasn't offered.

Appreciate it. Yeah.

All the water went into our well. You can see your truck right there as the water was going into our well. And instead of coming back, you guys left us there. And the funding that was supposed to go to the residents in need, it went to sister cities. It didn't go to us. But I'll leave because it's bad publicity and you guys don't want to hear the truth.

The next speaker is Brian Abbott.

Welcome, Brian.

OK. Good afternoon, almost. Anyway, it's problems like that where we don't work with our community. We've got the same problem. You turn around and you get this grant money. And you say, well, we get it because we're going to build more affordable homes. And we get it for these houses and these tracks and everything. So it pushes more money into our economy and everything. But then it actually jacks up the prices on the other people that live here. Because when you make a more affordable home on a smaller lot, you're still selling that smaller home for $500,000. So then what happens is it goes back to the other lots that are bigger, the older lots. And then they say, well, now we can jack the price of that up. This is what pushes people out. You're wanting this grant money to build these developments. But then when you look at the original format of a city like we should have done a long time ago, and I'll tell you the same thing, and Han tried to say it, we need revenue brought in different places than just looking for corporations to help us get our revenue. Because this is ridiculous, you know? Our friggin' parks and recreation could be big, but yet it's all little and all we do is talk about the little lakes. In actuality, we should have a revenue coming in right here, convention centers. We should have works of art. We should turn around and have tractor shows. We should be having boat shows. We should have concerts and everything else. But we don't seem to have it because we couldn't figure out the gateway. Just build the gateway to Modesto. Now, now we're trying to say, okay, Bill Lyons is going to move out here to Beckwith, but we're still, we miss that one little part, which makes it very easy because the sewage line runs down basically Carpenter Road now and then Brinks. Now we've got a short distance to put a sewer line in. And so that way we could tie Salida in with it. We could tie that other little corridor. We can't just leave these little islands out here because this is what happens. People like that, they wind up hurt. People like me that has a spot. I wind up hurt. The county turns around and he builds these little lots in agricultural zone and they call it A210. So now we're stuck in A210 even though they developed the little lots in the beginning because Salida meant secure a living in a distant area. That's what it meant, Salida. And the whole deal is when you bring the sewer lines in and the water lines in, it's really affordable. We're going to be spending $128 million on that overpass, and we need to put it in so it crosses over Beckwith. So it heads towards Salida to the old Golden State. We need to tie Salida in. infrastructure needs to be done. But we reach way out there to the farmland instead of building along our corridor. It's polluted. We've got cars backing up, so you know the pollution's higher then. If we want to save farmland, let's try to save the farmland that's further out. Let's work our corridor the way it's supposed to be managed. And don't just leave us out, because I have a warehouse that's on the opposite side of Beckwith. It's that little corner, and I've waited 50 years for it to change. Nothing's changed, and now they're going to come all the way up to Beckwith, and then they're going to stop. That's where it's going to end. Now you just abandon those people in between there. And there's no reason for this because you have a school and you have cemeteries. It is not agriculture. It does not need spraying. It doesn't need anything. It's just a little frigging island that you're just going to leave there, which is going to hurt me and it's going to hurt the other ones that are on these small lots. And you guys have the right to do this. You could join forces and change that zoning anytime you want. You could fast track this, that this could happen in a year and a half. And nobody can tell me any different than it wouldn't. So I just don't understand why you're not doing it when you've had people come in and businesses like Han come in and he frigging tried to tell you, this is how you make a city. This is how you grow. You have a gateway. You have entertainment. You build up your parks and recreation. You're not going to build it up just because they go to a lake in the summertime. You need winter entertainment. That means you need a convention center where you can throw this stuff. You can have boat shows, tractor shows. You can show our new robotics, how we're educating our kids. You know, and we could get guys that write code and build robotics. And we're in the manufacturing. Our tractors are getting so far advanced that we're just stepping back, letting it happen without us being involved in it. I mean, we have tractors now that don't use anything. They got laser. They kill weeds by laser. You pull it through, that burns them out. got infrared that kills the bugs so farming has changed a lot but we need to train our kids and we need to expose them and the only way we're going to expose them is let's have like a normal city does convention centers a stadium you know and stop the little islands out there that make people hurt like what happened here thanks brian okay

Next speaker for public comment is John Mataka. He's also registered to speak on another item, but this is public comment.

Good morning, John. Good morning. I'm here today just to share some of my experiences with pesticide drift. You know, several months ago, I was coming from Stockton, coming near my house, and I was they were spraying almonds, and they hit my car and my window and I came home and I reported it to the Ag Commissioner and filed a report and they investigated it and they needed more, they couldn't quite figure out the exact area so they asked me to go out with one of the workers to identify it. So I did and at that time I guess somebody took a picture of me with the worker and the next thing you know I get a phone call at my home saying, is this John Mataka? Did you report a drift? I said, yes, I did. And I said, how did you get my number? And he said, well, you're not hard to find. And I thought, okay. And then he says, how can we take care of this? You know, like something out of a Godfather movie or something. So I said, you know, that's it, I hung up. So I reported that to the Ag Commissioner and I guess she spoke with a gentleman and told him that if he contacted me again that she would contact the Sheriff's Department. That was one incident, okay, and that was referred to the state. The second incident happened about Week and a half ago at my house. It was in the backyard went out early in the morning Really bad smell in the front yard the same thing Excuse me. It was that evening. It was evening. It was uh, it was 8 o'clock at night I take that back went outside in the back. It was a bad smell and then at 10 o'clock I went out in the front. It was the same thing So I filed a report my wife filed a report and I guess another person in Grayson filed a report So they came out They took some samplings because I guess there were so many reports. And then what happened was the lady got a brown shopping bag and wanted to take some foliage from my front yard. I said, well, why are you taking foliage from my front yard? The backyard is where it was the strongest. So she went to a plum tree I got in the back and filled up a bag with leaves, I guess, in case the state asked to do some process to find out if the chemical was in there or whatever. Now, today, it happened, it was again, I went out, my wife went out at 6 o'clock in the morning to turn water on in the backyard, smelled like rage real bad in the back, went in the front, it was the same thing, filed another report with the Ag Commissioner. I do have to give the Ag Commissioner credit that she sends people out, she investigates. When the incident came where I had the phone call at my house, the state said she did everything that she could do considering the situation. But I'm bringing this to your attention because I realize I live in a right to farm area and I realize that realizing that pesticide drift is illegal. If it drifts anywhere except in the area that it's supposed to be at, it's considered illegal by the Department of Pesticide Regulation. So we also have a right to go out in our yard and not have to smell all that insecticide and pesticides that are applied. So I'm just bringing this to the attention because in Patterson, even at the school, not just to put the farmers on blast, But because I know a lot of the farmers use these companies now to do their spraying and stuff instead of their own workers. But it even happened at the Patterson School District where one of their employees used some pesticides and children got sick. you know, workers got sick, but they took action and they're, you know, doing what they need to come in compliance because that was a violation of state law too. So I'm just bringing this to the attention so that, you know, something needs to be addressed and they need to figure out a better way of applying these things when people aren't up and, you know, moving around in the area. Thank you for your time. Thank you, John.

The final comment card that I have for this period is from Catherine Borges.

Hey, Catherine.

Hello, Vito. I'm dropping off this request and its length prohibits my reading it into public comment. I have to admit I'm not sorry I was out of town during the April 28th, 2026 Modesto City Council meeting as it would have been an utter waste of time. The slimy tactics of that bought and paid for council blow my mind. They send notice of the general plan update on the agenda at 4.58 p.m. on a Friday. They switch maps from the ones that they supposedly did their due diligence with at Salida and Wood Colony Max. They hold a private special planning commission meeting. and are holding a public scoping meeting tomorrow online only. There's not much more they could do to limit public participation, legally do. As a Salida resident, they don't care what I, nor the 14,000 people of Salida, nor the over 3,000 people of Wood Colony have to say anyways. They don't view us as neighbors and they do not treat us like the human beings that we are. As Ken Carlson reported in the Modesto Bee, their votes have been bought and that is enough to curtail any shred of humanity they might have left. To quote the current chair of Salida Mac, Karen Gourney, we will fight tooth and nail. This can be the hard way or a slightly difficult way depending upon you. I am here to inform you that Salida is going to petition the county for a community service district and if Modesto is not going to preserve the high quality farmland of our neighbor wood colony then Salida will. Folded into our CSD is wood colony as wait, folded into our CSD as wood colony as our farmland mitigated greenbelt. When land is developed in Salida, farmland will be mitigated in wood colony. This provides for no minimum on acreage like the farmland trusts that require a minimum of 440 acres. Modesto cannot be trusted. We have learned from a former city employee that Modesto is using the land around the Jennings Treatment Plant for ag mitigation. I have put in a PRA to Modesto and the former employee has told me they're willing to verify this information to Supervisor Withrow. So the slightly less difficult way for Salida is if you create the CSD. If you want to go the harder route, so be it. Those greedy puppets are not getting one inch of Salida's land. Also in this document are the issues surrounding two EIRs being conducted on Salida community plan lands. Case presidents of Save Terra versus City of West Hollywood found an agency may not commit itself to a project before completing CEQA review. This brings me to the minutes from your workshop in Houston. I inquired to Salida Mac as to whether the county's efforts to put a Central Valley circular facility in Salida to recycle paper and cardboard has been brought to Salida Mac and they replied it has not. The words efforts make it sound like it's not definite and I would suggest It is brought to Salida Mac as soon as possible before spending more funding on something that may not be compatible to the community. Please address at Salida Mac the environmental impacts of such a facility in Salida. You can model it on the cardboard and paper recycling business that I frequent, American Recycling on Morgan Road, which has burned down twice in recent memory. I am assuming you don't intend to place a facility near schools and homes? As Supervisor Chiesa said in his speech, communities are living systems. Stanislaus County has a vision PDF online that includes values that each person matters. And the county works every day to build people's trust. That is exactly what Salida and Wood Colony need right now, that we matter and can trust you.

Thank you very much. That was the last speaker card. Does anyone from the audience? Welcome, Bianca.

I have my kids here. Good morning. Bianca Lopez with Valley Improvement Projects and also the Latino Community Roundtable president. I wasn't going to come because I have my kids here, but I forced them to come just down the street from VIP office because I heard some of the public comments as I was watching online. And I wanted to just say that I support anything that you all can do for the family in Riverbank, Modesto area. I believe Sabrina was a speaker with her dad requesting assistance. It is very unfortunate that her own supervisor isn't supporting and that it seems like the city of Riverbank and the county are just doing this thing, like go talk to them. No, you go talk to them. Somebody needs to support and get answers for them. I don't know if you've lived without running water for at least a day. It is terrible. So even the public who's watching and reviewing her post on social media would also like some questions answered. Second, Mr. Motaka shared an incident that happened last year where his identity was revealed during an investigation of pesticide drift and then was I guess, harassed by the farmer. Even though some of you all think he's a good person, which I'm sure he is, it was one of your Board of Supervisors, and I won't say their name. It was one of your Board of Supervisors who...

I just want to say it was me.

Okay.

Great.

Thank you.

We looked at the picture, and I go, oh, that's John Matakis.

I saw the pictures. So Mr. Boss, I don't know if you can help make sure that your Board of Supervisors are not violating people's rights, especially when we are doing an investigation. It is the person's right to be able to make a report without being called out and identified. And that is a violation of people's rights. So Mr. Baas, I am working with the state to make sure that that is corrected with the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Department of Justice. So I hope that we can come to a resolution. Either you pass some kind of training for your Board of Supervisors to make sure that they know that we have rights and that our rights cannot be violated in that way. Pesticide drift is a serious incident that occurs often in Grayson. And I just want to also mention that smelling the pesticide is a drift. If I smelled it, that means particulates came into my nose. And I was able to smell it because of that. So I wanted to also just clarify that. And I hope that the county can work to help farmers Access sustainable practices through funding. If you all have access to grants, helping farmers to be able to grow with or through regenerative agriculture would be very helpful to especially communities that are right near the farmers, also the schools. Vegetative barriers are an opportunity. This is one of the things that Valley Improvement Projects does also work on. And then I do have a comment about another item on the agenda that I'm not going to be able to stay here for, but as the Latino community round table president, I asked for the community forum for the sheriff's report. to be in a community where disadvantaged communities or Latino communities live, not just at the Board of Supervisors meetings because we don't come here, we don't feel comfortable here, and that there is adequate interpretation and notice and outreach. And if you need some assistance identifying some locations for that, we look forward to help assisting. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Anyone else in the audience? Public comment? All right. Seeing no one. I'm going to go ahead and close the public comment period. Before moving on to the consent calendar, would any board member like to pull any items? I do have three items that have been pulled, B1, B8, and C1. Would anyone else in the audience wish to pull any item, comment on it? Yeah, I've got yours. Yeah, your C1. Okay. Seeing none, we will take a motion to accept the calendar minus B1, B8, C1.

Motion to approve all items other than B1, B8, and C1. Second that.

Motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries 5-0. Thank you. John Mataka, B1. And B1 is the approval to set the date for September 1st, meaning to receive the report from the Sheriff's Department, just what Bianca had spoken about.

Yes, thank you. John Mataka, Grayson Neighborhood Council, Valley Improvement Projects. I, too, want to second the issue that Ms. Lopez said about having the report from Sheriff Dirksy at a community that is affected, directly affected by this report and by immigration issues. People, I've been to several of these reports here in this chambers right here. I could count how many people were here on my one hand. People aren't coming here and I think that's partly due because it's a government building. I think that having it at the Westside Collaborative or in South Modesto or in the airport district at a community setting would be much more beneficial with the interpretation And you know provided to where people can come and the other thing I would say is that 9 in the morning You know, that's why you don't see a lot of people here is unless you're retired You can't come at 9 o'clock in the morning You know, and I know children are out of school now, but that means that they're home with their with one of their parents so I think that if this meeting does happen it needs to be an evening meeting at least at 530 and to where people have a chance to come and participate after work, and at least one of the parents can watch their children while the other one goes. Okay, thank you very much.

Didn't we, John, sorry, didn't we used to, I know that when this first came out, when it was first passed, that the sheriff would go and do presentations. I know we used to do them at the King Kennedy Center. I know we've had a couple of them there.

I've done it in Westside Ministries in the evening. We have done some. So it just has to be a request probably from the board member because Jeff has always been more than accommodating in Turlock.

When I asked him so yes, maybe we can ask John. Okay.

Yeah, and I really would like to see it in Modesto In one of the disadvantaged communities in South Modesto Airport District or the west side of Modesto. All right. Thank you.

Thank you very much You want to speak on B1?

Yeah, sorry. I didn't realize it was going to come up so quick. Again, Bianca Lopez. Two things. So, yes, in the evening, Spanish interpretation, and then is there anybody else that can do the presentation that isn't in uniform? Obviously, you know, showing up in uniform is... Also, intimidating to community members, people who are affected by immigration. Issues are not going to feel comfortable going to where the sheriffs are if we know that they are collaborating with ICE, which has already been identified here in the county, and I can share those stories with you all. I have a question. I'm wondering if that report will also include any information about the DA communicating with ICE, or is this just the sheriff's department? And if so, or if not, I would like to request that additional information if it's not already going to be part of it. I would appreciate that information.

So I'm going to ask because I can't answer that question. But it's funny, the DA is sitting right back there. And maybe you can just have a quick conversation sidebar on that. And then we'll talk to the sheriff about doing some of the outreach.

Thank you. And I just want to make sure that you guys are aware that, you know, showing up in uniform is also frightening for community members. And we'd appreciate multiple community meetings. We don't all just live in, you know, Modesto or Turlock, but a series of those workshops. And like I said, VIP and the Stanislaus Community Roundtable is willing to support with the outreach. Thanks.

Perfect. Thank you. We're going to do item B8, Ron McMurtry. B8 is the approval of the agreement with Oracle of America, continued licensing with the PeopleSoft application.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, Ron McMurtry here. Just kind of observing the tentacles of Oracle here. I assume this PeopleSoft program is adequate and satisfactory to the Board. But I have a few questions. I know the supervisors are more adequate, more briefed in detail that the public doesn't get. But I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping CIO McLaughlin could answer or someone else appropriate. I'm kind of curious about the bidding process. At what time do you decide whether you continue with the software or go with another company's software? There's no suggestion of that's just a renewal. So do we do it every, what, three years or, you know, I want to know that. and consequences for data breaches, whether it's a hack or by whatever means that private information is accidentally released. Is there compensation or some penalty to Oracle for allowing that to happen? Thank you.

There's a CrowdStrike problem if there's a data breach.

Good morning, Chairman, members of the board, CEO Hayes, County Council Bowes. My name is Ronnie Merritt. I'm the Associate Director of IT Central. So Ron, your questions regarding the bidding process. So that was your first question. So the way the county approaches the bidding process is we go through a competitively bid process. So we follow all of the procedures in place and we work closely with our general services agency. Regarding the the system itself and how it works within the county. We partner closely with the HR department and the departments that work, that use the PeopleSoft system. And we're always open to having the conversation as far as what systems meet their business needs and how the IT department can support that. So Ron, I hope that answers your question as far as the bidding process goes. And then regarding data breaches, and I just want to appreciate You're bringing this up, so my background is in cybersecurity and it's very close to me. So I do take data privacy, cybersecurity and privacy very seriously. So regarding data breaches is we work with all of our vendors to put sort of the breach notifications and the data protections in place to ensure that the county's information is protected and that's something I take very seriously and I'm happy to have a side conversation with you on how we do that if needed and I just want to make sure I address both of your questions or please let me know if there's anything else.

You did, thank you.

I don't have a card on me.

Okay, we're going to move on to C1, Milt Treeweiler.

Good morning, Chair, staff, board members, community members, Milt Treeweiler, I'm a lifetime Stanislaus County resident. What is the most important responsibility we have as adults? The most important responsibility we have is to see that our children and our descendants have a future. That is what our goal is. That is what your goal must be, to see that our children and descendants have a future. Does this consent item C1 accomplish that goal? I don't think so. The reason I don't think so is because, I'm gonna read just part of this. The developer, LGI Homes Incorporated, the subdivider, has requested to enter into a subdivision improvement agreement with Stanislaus County to record the final map prior to the completion and acceptance of the subdivision improvements in accordance with Stanislaus County code. Obviously, they're following code, but is the code the correct way to do it? You're giving these people the right to do all the work. How in the world are you going to assure that these improvements, how are you going to guarantee that these improvements were actually made? I've done this around my area, and they say all the light poles are in. All the light poles are not in. In other words, how are you going to guarantee your only concern happens to be the developers? And people have been mentioning that over and over again. You are so, I hate to say it, but it's just the way I see it, the way the county sees it. You're not working for the people, you are working for the developers. That's what you're doing. The Building Industry Association practically owns Stanislaus County. Next. This is not sustainable, and I'll tell you why this project is not sustainable. It's not sustainable because, without an assessment district, without creating an assessment district, I don't know if that's a lawful in the county, that I haven't answered, but I do know that cities have assessment districts. And those assessment districts are what take care of the roads in 25 years. It takes care of the problems. You can actually put sidewalks in there, you can put lighting in there, you can put a lot of issues in the assessment districts. So then the developers And the people who are buying these houses are the ones who actually pay for this, not the county. And let me read what I see here. The applicant has paid the applicable county fees and has made a deposit with the Department of Public Works for the inspection of said improvements. The cost of maintenance for the street sweeping and the maintenance of the storm drain systems, the drain basin, landscaping, sidewalks, Street scapes will be funded by CS number 21 and the work will be performed by Turlock by Turlock by Stanislaus County staff Okay, here we go. The county is paying for the developers work for the people who live there you talk about these these Open areas that are not developed the Stanislaus County that you can't take care of and Now is the time to plan for it. We didn't have that plan in the 50s and the 60s, the 70s, the 80s. Now you know it's a problem. Now you know you can't upgrade these places because you don't have an assessment district. So the people who are using the property, using the people who are there are paying for it. That's what it needs to be. It should not be the citizens of Stanislaus County, the citizens of Turlock, the citizens of Modesto, It should be the people who are there in that area. They must be in an assessment district so that they are paying for this. Assessment districts work very well in the cities. They should work very well in the county. I'm not sure why we're not doing that. This is why we have the county islands. Yes, the county islands. You're trying to take them now. You're trying to fix them up now. If you had assessment districts, you can never catch up with this. You're not planning for the future. You are not planning for your children and descendants. We must start doing that. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I think you're going to be happy, Milt, when you hear the answer. And I want to thank my mom and my son for sticking around when they didn't want to. Thank you.

Good morning Chair Chiesa, Board of Supervisors, CO Hayes, County Council Bows. There is a CSA out there and it's reliable and it's a current CSA and they're going to annex to it and per the board item they'll be the citizens that will move into Hoffman Ranch in the future will pay just like everybody else in Daener, they're going to pay for the storm drainage, street sweeping and other and the park basin that's associated with it. And the improvements are fully bonded, which are also listed in this. And it's my understanding, Tom, if I'm not wrong, this is a non-discretionary item. The applicant has met all the requirements and it's We have to approve it.

Is a CSD, community service district, the same as an assessment district?

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah, county service area 21.

It's different and they're going to pay for all of their upgrades and upkeep into the future the same as what Mr. Trevelyer was talking about. Right.

And this has already been identified in the Denair community services plan and it's kind of infill development there in Denair.

All right. Thank you for the clarification. You're welcome. All right. Seeing no one else that wants to speak on this item, we have B1, B8, and C1. Do we have a motion?

Motion to approve. Second.

Motion on B1, B8, C1. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries 5-0. Thank you very much. Have no public hearings. We're gonna move on to item number seven, which is discussion item approval to adopt plans and specifications for the Laird Regional Park parking lot project. Award the construction agreement to Hensley Paving and General Engineering. Dave Lehman and Tara Chumley will be reporting.

Good morning, Chairman Chiesa, Supervisors, CEO Hayes, Council Bows. I'm Tara Chenley, the Director of Parks and Recreation, and with me today is David Lehman, our Public Works Director. Today we're here to seek approval to adopt plans and specifications for the Laird Regional Park parking lot project and award the construction agreement, approve the use of public facility fees and related items. Laird Park is located on West Grayson Road just west of Shiloh Road and is one of five Stanislaus County's regional parks. It covers 97 acres of land and 30 of which have been developed for recreation. It's along the San Joaquin River and this regional park offers fishing access, playground, picnic areas, barbecues, reservable picnic shelter, soccer field, and more. On the slide are pictures of the current parking area. The 2018 Parks and Recreation Master Plan identified improvements for Laird Park to better serve residents and visitors. One of the most critical recommendations was the addition of a parking area and paved entrance roadway. Adding a parking lot is the first step in transforming Laird into a community asset and regional destination.

Nice. Thank you, Tara. This is the exhibit that shows the improvements that we're going to be performing out there. The shaded area, the access road is getting repaved, two inches of asphalt over the whole thing. And then we're building a new parking lot there in that kind of right corner there. Next slide. And here's a detail of the lot. It's 273 new parking stalls, including ADA stalls, drainage swales, fencing, landscaping, solar lighting, and pavement rehabilitation for the existing park access road. It's gonna look really good when we're done. And you can see I put an exclamation point after 12. 12 bidders on a project is remarkable for a parking lot. And you can look. Bay Cities is building the North County Corridor, and they put in a bid on this. That is really good. And Hensley's Paving and General Engineering, the apparent low bidder, This is what they do. I'm glad they got it. This is their wheelhouse. The engineer's estimate was $1.2 million, and it came in $263,486 under engineer's estimate. The basis of determining the lowest bid was the base bid amount, not including the bid alternatives, and we're recommending that we award alts one and two. Bid alternate number one includes asphalt paving for the park access road that is in poor condition, which will be really nice. And bid alternate two includes the landscape planning surrounding the new parking area.

So the project costs total almost 2 million. That includes design, engineering, construction, contingencies, lighting improvements, and various department costs. The project's funded with building community service investment funds, regional park public facility fees, and existing parks capital project funds. If approved, this project will bring significant new investment for parking, accessibility improvements, and future growth, highlighting Laird's Park importance as a major regional asset serving the Stanislaus County community. And with that, staff recommends that the board approve the plans and specifications for the parking lot project, authorize the public works director to act as the project manager, award a contract to Hensley's Paving and General Engineering, and authorized project manager to execute a contract in the amount of $1.3 million. Authorized project manager to execute change orders not to exceed 10% and approve the use of public facility fees approved by the committee on May 21st, 2026. direct the auditor controller to increase estimated revenue and appropriations for the parking lot capital project budget, and authorize the project manager to take any appropriate action necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of these recommendations. For updates on our projects and events, please visit our website and follow us on social media. The staff are available for any questions you may have. Thank you.

So I love that the bid is substantially under the engineer's estimate, which means that people must be getting hungry, because I see there's lots of bids under the engineer's estimate. Or we need new engineers. I'm just kidding. 270 some parking spots. That seems like a lot. That's a big parking lot. Is there the need for that many or are we expecting the potential for growth?

We get requests on occasion for companies to come have their company picnics and barbecues out at Laird Park. There's a potential for festivals to be out there. I believe that parking size will be sufficient to accommodate them.

Yeah. Just real quick. Thank you, guys, for the presentation. So the parking lot's going to be over on the east side, it looks like. And so I'm just wondering about the, you know, so in the future, you know, we've got that three-way stop there, I guess really a four-way stop, three-way stop there. Right now, how does that coordinate with regard to, so all the parking's going to be right there, and then we're going to eventually, I guess, get a light there? I'm looking at Dave. Sorry, Terry, this is not your problem.

Yeah.

How's that going to work?

I think with both entries being paved and renewed, I think that's going to give people options. I don't think there's going to be a lot of traffic coming in. Usually if there was an event and traffic's going out, then people are going to find the quickest way and probably use both driveways. If necessary in the future, we could do a... left-hand turn lane in possibly in the future on Grayson Road if demand is there. I don't think it'll be there for a while, though.

And there is a light, I guess, eventually it's going to happen there, right?

Grayson and Shiloh.

Yeah, right there.

And that's, I think, down a little further to the east.

Okay. All right, that's good. So good. So you guys have, anyway, we can deal with that if we have to. Gophers? Sorry, Tara.

Gophers and squirrels are in all of our parks.

Unfortunately, I have to hear this on Sunday night dinners every time my relatives, my in-laws go by there. As we talked about, I know you guys are working on it. They're eating the sprinklers is what it sounds like.

Yes, they like to chew on things. Our staff are diligently working on fixing the sprinklers.

Okay. Okay. Thank you. Just wanted to bring that up.

You want to tell them why your in-laws have a right to complain?

Yeah, so at one point, back in the day when everything crashed and burned back in the Great Recession, remember we were shutting, we just didn't have the ability to service our parks, and that one just went to kind of hell in a handbasket really quickly. And we were able to get my... one of my brother-in-laws stepped up and took over the maintenance of that park. And Jim Demartini at the time was involved in that too. And so we were able to revive that park and get it all going again and now to see it. And that's why I hear it from them is now they see it, the grass all turning brown.

They put in the sprinkler system. They leveled the ground.

They did everything. Just totally, just really revived that park and got it going again. Yeah. And got the kids playing soccer there again, and everything was going great.

And now it's just... Yeah, the other impacts, which was significant, is when the park flooded. What was that, in 23, when we had that rainy season? Mm-hmm. It became Laird Lake. And as the water receded, it left significant sediment on top of the controllers and the sprinklers. So over the last couple of years, our staff have been working to get all those replaced. So the the gophers and the squirrels chewing on everything right now is a new issue. But I was just out there on Friday and it does look a lot greener today. Okay.

Perfect. So you're on it. You're telling me you're on it. We're on it. Very good. Thanks, Tara.

Thank you. Any other questions? All right. Open it up for the audience. This is a good thing. All right. Bring it back to the board for action. Move to approve.

Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion, again, carries 5-0. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. We're going to move on to Board of Supervisor Reports. Dr. Wright. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. I have to give a huge shout out to Carissa Lucas, Jody Hayes, Kiana Garcia, who works in my office, Markel Rocha, and G. I love G. For all of their help on State of the County, it is not possible for me... to write anything more than one-syllable words or two-syllable words and really have ideas and people who can put pen to paper and come up with it. It's so much appreciated for their hard effort, hard working effort. I will tell you I received an email from one of them this morning at 3.40 a.m. with the latest edits that we had talked about, just so you know. So team sport, but some people go above and beyond. All right, I'm gonna go on to legislative fiscal management report.

Nothing to report this morning.

Nothing to report. And do we have a closed session?

Yep, we just adjourned. It's already been announced. All right.

I thought I didn't miss anything. We're adjourned to closed session. Oh, deputy, I pulled your thing down. Bonsalves? You know, it's so funny because I'm looking, my glasses, Gonzales, yeah, with a G. I don't know why that looks like a B to me. Hey, thank you again for your overwatch of us and taking care of us. Appreciate it. All right, we're adjourned to closed session.