Thread by @AndyHS

February 12, 2019 Fresno County Board of Supervisors! Beautiful sunrise this morning! Among Agenda items are Voter’s Choice Act to modernize elections & increase voter participation; Excepting $9 million for Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP);Board Appointments to Commissions

Chief Probation Officer Haines leads invocation and flag salute. Proclaim February 2019 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Fresno County presented byNicole Linder from Marjoree Mason Center. Teen level is higher than within adults. Emphasis on prevention rather than build

-ing more Shelters. Moving on to next Resolution honoring the Fresno State Bulldogs’ Football Program for its achievements in 2018. (12 wins!!) DE Patrick Belany and TE Colin Ridgering(sp.) and Athletic Director Toomey speak on opportunities Fresno State provides to them.

Consent item 39Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Authorized Signatories Form, as an approved signatory; and, a retroactive Agreement with the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for the HEAP grant,

, effective December 28, 2018 through October 31, 2021 ($9,501,363). @LincolnSeward Magsig mentions City of Fresno has decided to do their portion of HEAP separately. County funnels money thru COC. This funding comes from State. Ten year plan renewed with state requirements

City of Fresno will do it their own procurement but can City prescribe to COC directly? This has delayed the funding getting into street. This is a one time funding (for now). COC gets $17 million, City $3 million. Magsig asks how can we encourage City/COC work together.

Staff Delfino says we are six months behind and need to get going. He can’t speak for City but Delfino still thinks COC is doing well. He needs to know what State will require for monitoring COC. Won’t know until State does budget later. Quintero asks how COC decides which

community organizations get funded? An independent panel will Vet much like an RFP (request for proposal). Approved 4-0.
Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Brandi Orth presenting item to Consider and advise the County Clerk/Registrar of Voters on options related to

related to the Voter’s Choice Act to modernize elections and expand voter participation. Ballot Equipment works but harder and harder to find spare parts. Vote by mail has increased greatly. Voter’s Choice Act allows VCA authorizes a county to automatically mail every voter a

a ballot, provide additional secure ballot drop-off boxes located throughout the County and to establish neighborhood Voting Assistance Centers, replacing multiple polling locations, that are accessible and open for four to ten days prior to the election. Concurrently the Fresno

Concurrently the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters is completing a Request for Proposal process for a new voting system, which will be brought to your Board later this year. The Department has HAVA (Help America Vote Act), Prop. 41 State grant money and Voting Systems

Replacement Grant funds for improvements to the election process. The initial implementation of the California Voter’s Choice Act will include additional outreach costs to alert voters to the changes. For the long term it is anticipated that election costs will be reduced if the

Voters Choice Act is fully implemented 1Make no changes in the voting process. Continue to utilize the traditional polling place model at this time.
2Implement the Voters Choice Act for the March 2020 election by mailing ballots to every voter;
operating approximately 50

Voting Assistance Centers (10 to 4 days plus ). Supervisor Pacheco asks about costs v traditional ? Orth says it will be cheaper. Pacheco wants to see cost comparison especially with minimum wage increase and competition for workers. He doesn’t think the 1/3 who don’t got to poll

this won’t encourage them. He thinks “voting harvesting” used in last election may be abused. How do we do special election? Orth says it would still be Voter Act Model but scaled down. @BuddySupervisor Mendes asks how this will but down on provisional ballots? Orth says 7 Days

spent on counting provisional ballots. Voters often lose their opportunity to vote in City elections if they cast their vote in polling station other than their own. This will allow them to now vote as all ballots are available under Voter’s Act. Pacheco likes being able to

vote in City elections no matter which poll station they go to that day. Wonders about staffing on weekends? Convenient but staffing costs. Pacheco asks that request for how many come to these community meetings. Orth says yes. Outreach is email blast were sent out to groups

parties, elected members, Twitter and asks people to share it. Quintero says Familia Vota is a good one as well as Unions. Building Healthy Communities often feel they are not notified and wants to be sure they are indeed invited . @FresnoBHC Public: Elizabeth Shields for League

of Women Voters says this has helped with costs and increased voter outreach. Magsig says today is solely to hear about this Voter’s Act and after these Community Meetings Orth will come back to this Board for vote. Mendes says Orth is by far the least partisan Clerk in State.

Moving on to next item: CAO Jean Rousseau would like a joint meeting with City of Fresno. City is enthusiastic about meeting. Mendes would like to have full five members. He feels City likes to do “Seinfeld stuff all about nothing”. County is all about doing things and not show-

boating. Magsig and Pacheco would like to wait until Fall. Pacheco would like to talk about Homelessness issue with City. Moving on: Fresno County Employees’s Retirement Association would like to hire Retirement Investment Officer. Staff says if we can save just 1/10 of one per

cent on investments this hire will be worth it. Item 11: hire much needed IT retiree Lori Fleenor part time. It is an important but old software system. Approved: Item 12: Adopt partial cancellation of Ag Land Conservation Filed by Ceres Ranch. Board has made the five findings.

Approved 4-0. Supervisors Comments: Quintero: Local Attorney Donald Glaswood oases Away. He was part of famous “Fresno Bee 4” case. Pacheco has joint meeting with city of Fresno in ad hoc form. Asks CAO to provide notes from that meeting. Magsig: Mentions H Donald Carr’s father

in law of CAO Rousseau passed away and gives his condolences. Magsig also mentions lack of storage for our recent rain fall and snow pack. State needs to spend money for above and subsurface storage. Mendes predicts Kings River will be in release mode soon due to excess runoff.

Behavioral Health Board
DISTRICT 1 – Pierre Saint-Fleur (Consumer/Family/Public Interest), Debbie Xiong (Family/Public Interest), 
Jacqueline Hampton (Consumer/Family/Public Interest)
DISTRICT 2 – Sandra L. Williams (Family/Public Interest), Linda Ferrari (Family/Public Interest

DISTRICT 5 – Kylene Hashimoto (Consumer/Public Interest), Bobby Robert Bliatout (Family/Public Interest), 
04/06/15 4 04/06/15 4 04/01/18 5 
02/17/18 
At-Large 
Iris P. Medina (Consumer/Family/Public Interest)

Public Comment Portion: Michelle Borges of SEIU Homecare would like to discuss with Supervisors a pay raise. Supervisors going to Closed Session. I will catch up on some info on the Voter’s Act from earlier now.

The Department has HAVA (Help America Vote Act), Prop. 41 State grant money and Voting Systems Replacement Grant funds for improvements to the election process. The initial implementation of the California Voter’s Choice Act will include additional outreach costs to alert voters

to the changes. For the long term it is anticipated that election costs will be reduced if the Voters Choice Act is fully implemented. 1Make no changes in the voting process. Continue to utilize the traditional polling place model at this time.
2Implement the Voters Choice

Act and voter education. 3. Continue to utilize the traditional polling places and mail ballots to those voters who request them while beginning a transition to the Voters Choice Act by providing a small number of Voting Assistance Centers for several days before election day

and installing some additional drop boxes. In addition, study the changes by forming a Community Elections Advisory Committee to fully explore the Voters Choice Act and assist the County Clerk in voter outreach and determining voter opinions related to these potential changes

In Five counties (Napa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Nevada and Madera) took advantage of this and Madera) took advantage of this optional opportunity. Beginning January 1, 2020 this optional opportunity is now available to all counties. 
•Since 2006, a large number of voters have

The voter could, at their leisure, research and vote the ballot at their home. The voter can return their voted ballot by mailing, depositing in a ballot drop box, Voting Assistance Center or main Elections office; or authorizing another individual to return their ballot.

Voters would not be restricted to vote in person only at their specifically assigned polling location. Approximately 50 Voting Assistance Centers would be located throughout Fresno County and every voter could avail themselves of the services at any Voting Assistance Center.

It might be the one closest to where they work, or shop or visit friends or family.
•-  Voting Assistance Centers would be located after analysis of the 14 points listed in the bill, such as 0089 

areas with historically low vote by mail usage; population centers; languag

usage; population centers; language minority communities; voters with disabilities; low rates of household vehicle ownership, etc. 
•-  The Voting Assistance Centers would be open for multiple days. Approximately 9 Voting Assistance Centers would be open for 10 days,

including election day (countywide) and approximately 40 additional Voting Assistance Centers would be open for 4 days, including election day (countywide).
•-  Locked drop boxes (approximately 30 countywide) convenient to voters where they shop, work or play, available 29

in advance of election.
•-  Requires community outreach, advertising, working with all stakeholders, culminating in the creation of an Election Administration Plan which must be approved by the Secretary of State’s office. End of Thread! Have a good day!

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