Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting - October 9, 2024
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Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting - October 9, 2024
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors convened on October 9, 2024. Note: The transcript header states the meeting occurred on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, conflicting with the provided timestamp. The board addressed a range of issues including a large consent calendar, the annual crop and livestock report, behavioral health funding, a hemp product ordinance, homeless services outcomes, and the inmate welfare fund. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Approved items 2–47 unanimously. Key items included: an ordinance waiving reading on payment of leave balances for employees moving to the Sacramento Area Sewer District; an ordinance for the Metro Air Park public facilities credit program; a license agreement with the Sacramento Valley Conservancy for Camp Pollock land; and a resolution accepting a $251,000 donation from the estate of Varen Judah Pierce for animal control services.
- Supervisor questions clarified that the Camp Pollock license agreement does not change homeless encampment enforcement. Supervisor thanked DOT for the El Camino/Kent Drive traffic signal project supporting the new Catherine Johnson Middle School.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Eight off-agenda public comments addressed election integrity. Speakers, including representatives of "New California State," presented positions demanding audit-verified elections, voter ID, hand-counted paper ballots, and limited mail-in voting. They argued the state's AB 969 was an unconstitutional urgency statute and that county election practices violate HAVA and civil rights. One speaker called on the board to safeguard elections and take action. Another cited Oregon's 1,259 non-citizen voter registrations and asked the county to prevent similar errors. Another speaker criticized the registrar's hiring oath and pledging process.
- During the crop report, public commenter Sandy asked about the relationship between pest traps and pesticide overexposure.
- Faith Delotti of Breakthrough Sacramento testified in support of the hemp ordinance, displaying high-potency THC gummies and describing minors' ease of purchase; she urged passage.
Discussion Items
- Item 48 – 2023 Crop and Livestock Report: Agricultural Commissioner Chris Flores presented. The gross production value was $584 million; wine grapes were highest at $204 million (up 8%), pears $55 million, market milk $46 million. Processing tomatoes rebounded 64% to 273,000 tons; alfalfa prices fell nearly 40%. Deputies reported 356 pesticide inspections, 53 investigations, and 498 permits; 23,369 weighing/measuring devices inspected.
- Item 52 – BH Connect Opt-In: Behavioral Health Director Ryan Quist requested approval to opt into the California BH Connect demonstration project, projecting ~$100 million in federal revenue over five years (~$23 million/year). The action added 20 FTE positions and $2.3 million for community health workers. It is expected to be self-funding with no new general fund dollars. Board members expressed support; the motion passed unanimously.
- Item 49 – Tobacco Securitization Corporation: Approved prior meeting minutes and FY 2024-25 budget (increase of $9,000, up 8.7%); received audited FY 2023-24 financial report. Passed unanimously.
- Item 50 – CSA No. 1 Benefit Change Public Hearing: For the 5232 Fair Oaks Boulevard parcel split, the board held a public hearing. One ballot was received in favor (100%) of changing parcel one to the enhanced street and safety light category with an assessment of $62.50 (from $2.56). Approved unanimously.
- Item 51 – Intoxicating Hemp Ordinance: The board introduced an ordinance prohibiting the sale or manufacture of hemp products with more than 0.3% THC. Finance Director Chad Rindi explained the state emergency regulations apply to wholesalers, leaving a retail gap. Supervisor Hume moved to increase penalties to $2,500 / $5,000 / $10,000 (maximum allowed); accepted as a friendly amendment. Passed unanimously, with adoption continued to October 22, 2024.
- Item 53 – Homeless Outcome Report: Emily Halkin and Sherry Green presented. Outreach teams enrolled 995 individuals and helped 256 exit unsheltered homelessness in the first six months of 2024, with over 25,000 service touches. HART made 757 referrals with an 80% link rate. The county allocated ~$220 million to homelessness last fiscal year (up from $172 million). New public dashboards were launched. No public comment; report received.
- Item 54 – Inmate Welfare Fund Annual Report: Matt Warren presented FY 2023-24 results: revenues of $10.6 million, expenditures of $11.9 million, and a fund balance of $14.8 million. Upcoming purchases include lock upgrades and a narcotics analyzer. Report received.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent calendar unanimously.
- Received the 2023 Crop and Livestock Report.
- Approved the BH Connect opt-in agreement, 20 FTE positions, and appropriation adjustments.
- Approved Tobacco Securitization Corporation items.
- Approved the CSA benefit category change.
- Introduced the hemp ordinance with increased penalties and continued it to October 22, 2024.
- Received homeless and inmate welfare reports.
- Approved this month's appointments, including Miguel Galvan to the South Sacramento Area Community Planning Advisory Council; many other appointments were continued.
- Directed County Counsel to prepare a one-page response addressing election integrity claims raised in public comments.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Welcome to the Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Would the clerk please call the roll? Yes, good morning. Supervisor Cernan. Here. Desmond Frost here, Hume. Eric Kennedy. Here. And you have a quorum. This meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is live and recorded with closed captioning. It is it is cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems. It is also live streamed at Metro14 Live.sackCounty.gov and can be heard on KUBU Radio 96.5 FM. Today's meeting will be repeated Friday, October 11th at 6 p.m. on Channel 14. This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14. The Board of Supervisors fosters public engagement during the meeting and encourages public participation, civility, and use of courteous language. The board does not condone the use of profanity, vulgar language, gestures, or other inappropriate behavior, including personal attacks or threats directed towards any meeting participant. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Each speaker will be given two minutes to make a public comment and are limited to making one comment per agenda or off agenda item. Please be mindful of the public comment procedures to avoid being interrupted while making your comment. Comments made by the public during Board of Supervisors meetings may include information that could be inaccurate or misleading, particularly concerning topics related to public health, voter registrations, and elections. The County of Sacramento does not endorse or validate the accuracy of public statements made during these open public forums. The recordings are shared to provide transparency and access to proceedings of public meetings. To make a comment in person, please fill out a speaker request form and hand it to clerk staff. The chairperson will open public comments for each agenda or off agenda item and direct the clerk to call the name of each speaker. When the clerk calls your name, please come to the podium and make your comment. If a speaker is unavailable to make a comment prior to the closing of public comments, the speaker waives their request to speak, and the clerk will file the speaker request form in the record. The clerk will manage the timer and allow each speaker two minutes to make a comment. You may also send written comments by email to board clerk at SAT County.gov, and your comments will be routed to the board and filed in the record. If you need an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act or from medical or other reasons, please see clerk staff for assistance or contact the clerk's office at 916-8745451 or by email at Board Clerk at SAC County.gov. Thank you in advance for your courtesy and understanding of the meeting procedures. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Would you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? Liberty and Justice. First item, please. Public comments relating to matters not on the posted agenda, and we do have eight requests. I'm gonna bring them up. Our first speaker is Tammy. Hi. I am here with New California State, and as an American citizen, as a California resident, and a part of we the people, each one of those is super important to me. And I wanted to ask for today, if I understand it right, we get only once every two weeks that we can speak as a public comment, and it's a 30-minute limit, and then only two minutes per person. So in that time, um, would you look while we are sharing? It's the way I was raised to show respect when somebody is communicating something to me that I look, and I know that's no guarantee that someone's listening, but it's an indication that there's some connection that we have. So that's my request for today that you all would look as we speak. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Pardon me. Good morning.
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