Agenda for the Next Board of Supervisors Meeting

1) HEARING – Consider recommendations regarding a response to the 2016-2017 Grand Jury Report: Youth Safety in Santa Maria, as follows:
(EST. TIME: 15 MIN.) 

On June 15, 2017, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury published a report entitled “Youth Safety in Santa Maria, Developing a New Strategy.” The Board will consider the proposed response to the report, adopt its preferred response and authorize the Board Chair to sign the response letter. The Board is required to respond in writing to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court by September 13, 2017.

 Actions for Consideration:

a) Consider and adopt the responses as the Board of Supervisors’ response to the 2016-2017 Grand Jury report entitled “Youth Safety in Santa Maria” and

b) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute a letter and forward the letter and responses to the Presiding Judge of Santa Barbara County Superior Court

2) HEARING – Consider recommendations regarding a response to the 2016-2017 Grand Jury Report: Public Safety Radio Coverage, as follows: 
(EST. TIME: 15 MIN.)

On June 19, 2017, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury published a report entitled “Public Safety Radio Coverage, Is Our Safety At Risk.” The Board will consider the proposed response to the report, adopt its preferred response and authorize the Board Chair to sign the response letter. The Board is required to respond in writing to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court by September 17, 2017.

Actions for Consideration:

a) Consider and adopt the responses as the Board of Supervisors’ response to the 2016-2017 Grand Jury report entitled “Public Safety Radio Coverage” and 

b) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute a letter and forward the letter and responses to the Presiding Judge of Santa Barbara County Superior Court. 

3) HEARING – Consider recommendations regarding Whittier Fire Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Report, as follows: 
(EST. TIME: 20 MIN.)

This item is on the agenda to provide an update from the United States Forest Service-Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) on the Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team report for the Whittier Fire. 

LPNF formed an interagency BAER team on July 25 to begin a burn area survey of the Whittier Fire that burned on federal, state and private lands in Santa Barbara County. The Whittier Fire started on July 8 and burned 18,430 acres and 53 structures. The cause of the fire is under investigation. While many wildfires cause little damage to the land and pose few issues, some fires create situations that require special efforts to prevent further catastrophic damage to fish, wildlife, infrastructure and people downstream after the fire is controlled or contained. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion, runoff may increase and cause flash flooding, sediments may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs, and endangered species and community water supplies may be at risk.

Actions for Consideration:

4.) HEARING – Consider the appeal filed by Rancho La Laguna LLC, and La Laguna Ranch Company, LLC of the Planning Commission’s May 31, 2017 denial of the Rancho La Laguna Tract Map and State Small Water System project, Case Nos. 06TRM-00000-00002/TM 14,709 and 16CUP-00000-00030, Assessor Parcel Nos. 133-080-026, 133-080-036, and a portion of 133-080-037 located at the intersection of Alisos Canyon and Foxen Canyon Roads, approximately 7.5 miles northeast of Los Alamos, Third and Fifth Districts, as follows: 

(EST. TIME: 1 HR, 30 MIN.)

The Rancho La Laguna Vesting Tentative Tract Map and State Small Water System project is a request to subdivide 3,951-acres of agriculturally zoned land (AG-II-100, 100-acre minimum lot size) into 13 legal lots ranging in size from 160-acres to 605-acres.  Each lot would have a residential development envelope (RDE) within which all future residential development would be confined, including residential accessory development.  Domestic water would be provided by a proposed State Small Water System.  The project was taken before the Planning Commission on January 25, 2017, March 29, 2017, April 26, 2017, and May 31, 2017.  On May 31, 2017, the Planning Commission denied approval of the project.  On June 9, 2017, the applicant submitted a timely appeal of the County Planning Commission’s decision to deny the project, and the project will be before your Board for de novo review and decision. 

The Subdivision Map Act states that hearings before an appeal board or legislative body shall be held within 30 days after the date of a request for a hearing is filed by the subdivider. (Cal. Gov. Code § 66452.5).  If there is no regular meeting of the legislative body within the next 30 days for which notice can be given pursuant to Gov. Code § 66451.3, the appeal may be heard at the next regular meeting for which notice can be given, or within 60 days from the date of the receipt of the request, whichever period is shorter.  (Id.)  Because there is no regular meeting of the legislative body within the next 30 days for which notice can be given, Planning and Development is requesting that the appeal be held at the next regular meeting for which notice can be given, which is July 11, 2017.  

At the July 11, 2017 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the item was continued to the next regular meeting of the Board in Santa Maria on August 29, 2017.

Actions for Consideration:

a) Deny the appeal, Case No. 17APL-00000-00004; 

b) Make the required findings for denial of the project, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings; and 

c) Determine that denial of the project (Case Nos. 06TRM-00000-00002/TM 14,709, 16CUP-00000-00030) is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15270; and 

d) Deny the project de novo (Case Nos. 06TRM-00000-00002/TM 14,709, 16CUP-00000-00030).