The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors last week discussed legislative priorities for the coming year and voted to move forward with a platform heavy on job growth, economic vitality and health and human services.
Supervisors Salud Carbajal, Doreen Farr, Steve Lavagnino and Janet Wolf voted for the platform, which contains more than 40 categories. Supervisor Peter Adam abstained after stating he supported less than half of the items.
The county has state and federal advocates who lobby legislators in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., on behalf of the county’s needs and priorities.
Scroll down to read this year’s legislative platform, which is a guiding document for lobbying and includes new categories such as groundwater management funding and the advancement of women and girls, which encompasses health equity and human trafficking.
A community sustainability category has been added to the document to look at affordability programs. Staff had determined that the county is the fifth-least affordable small housing market in the nation.
Another new item involves oil research and infrastructure, which would promote stronger enforcement of state and local regulations over pipelines and other oil industry equipment used in the county.
During the board’s discussion, Adam, representing the Fourth District, and Lavagnino, representing the Fifth District, raised concerns about approving the platform as a whole.
“It’s difficult as a board member to approve all of the items or none of them,” said Lavagnino, who took issue with nine of the items, including a climate action plan and oil research items.
Farr, representing the Third District, reminded Lavagnino that discussion has taken place at the board level on more controversial items, like vaccination and end of life issues.
“We do really try,” she said.
Carbajal, representing the First District, volunteered to step down from the board’s legislative committee, which works with the California State Association of Counties to further priorities. He made the gesture after Lavagnino expressed concern about the committee’s balance.
Carbajal and Farr currently serve on the committee, and the board will return on Feb. 2 to handle new appointments to the California State Association of Counties.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Proposed 2016 Legislative Platform for Santa Barbara County
