MINUTES

August 27, 2007 at The Meadows, Solvang

President Jim Raggio called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All present recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States. Congratulations were extended to Bob Wyckoff and Susan Warnstrom, the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce Man and Woman of the Year. It was noted Kamil Azoury is the President of CASA. Attendees introduced themselves.

Approval of Minutes: Motion, second, unanimous, to approve the Minutes of July 23, 2007 as presented.

Treasurer’s Report: Chuck Arnold reported the checking account balance is $4,378.23 and the savings balance is $3,410.72, for a total of $7,788.95. Chuck Arnold suggested that no dues be collected next year due to the balance in the treasury.

MOTION, second, that there be no dues charged next year. Motion passed with 2 dissenting votes.

2008 Slate for Chapter Officers: The proposed Chapter Board and Officers for 2008 are: President, Charlie Blair; Vice-President, Larry Meyer; Secretary, Cathy Schlottmann; Treasurer, Thomas Gibbons; Immediate Past President, Jim Raggio; 1^st District, Craig Murray; 2^nd District, Jack Cunningham; 3^rd District, John Fox; 4^th District, Susan Warnstrom; 5^th District, Darryl Souza; At-large, George Emerson; At-large, Bob Wyckoff; At-large, Tony Fox, At-large, Larry Wilson; Legal Counsel, Thomas Stone. The election will be during the October meeting.

President Raggio noted nominations for annual awards are due this Friday.

LAFCo Update: John Fox said the coastal communities’ annexation to the Carpinteria Sanitary District was approved. The annual CaLAFCo conference starts tomorrow. The next LAFCo meeting will be September 6, 2007.

Legislative Update: George Emerson said opposition letters are being requested to SB 619, which would reduce contract retention from 10% to 5%. Information is available about pending eminent domain reform.

Old Business: None.

New Business: Tom Gibbons reported that County Flood Control is taking input on the impacts of the Zaca fire, which will impact almost every watershed in this county, including sedimentation and water quality issues into the future. All are urged to call Tom Fayram to submit their comments.

Guest Speaker: Jim Brown, Santa Barbara County Sheriff: Sheriff Brown took office January 2007, serving as Lompoc Police Chief from 1995-2006. His duties include sheriff for the unincorporated county plus the cities of Buellton, Solvang, Goleta, and Carpinteria, custodian of the County jail, coroner, marshal for the county court system, search and rescue, plus specialized units including aviation, and a dive team. The 5 points of his campaign were: reunite a divided organization, which has resolved itself; fight gangs and drugs in the community, noting the DARE program is reinstituted and overlaps with life schools; resolve jail overcrowding, which is being studied by a blue ribbon commission of 20 people that will make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors; improve the Sheriff’s Council, which will evolve into a philanthropic foundation; and improve recruitment and retention, with 10 deputies and 5 corrections positions being filled.

Sheriff Brown asked special districts to keep an open mind about hiring those released from the jail/prison system. The Sheriff’s Department budget is set by the Board of Supervisors, and there are 725 employees, of which 325 are law enforcement, 200 in corrections, and 200 in support positions.

Sheriff Brown said that the five main reasons for incarceration are domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, homelessness, and the number 1 reason is gangs. There are 2,000 documented gang members in the county, with some families being muti-generational gang members. AB 900 has money earmarked for re-entry facilities to house prisoners locally during their last year.

Adjournment: President Raggio adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. The next monthly Chapter meeting will be Monday, August 24^th at The Meadows Restaurant, Solvang, California. The speaker will be Andy Caldwell.

Cathy Schlottmann