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Board of Supervisors votes 3-2 in favor of COVID-19 measures
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is keeping its COVID-19 state of emergency, allowing for social distancing and remote hearings.
Although public commenters asked the board to remove the state of emergency, board members spent some time clarifying exactly what the emergency consideration covered: remote testimony and social distancing, not mask mandates.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. We just need a little more patience from people,” Supervisor Gregg Hart said. “No one is talking about extending the mask order indefinitely. It’s just going to require a little more patience … I think people will be really relieved when we get to that place, and it’s safe, and we can adjust our habits accordingly.”
The board approved the measure during Tuesday morning’s meeting 3-2. Supervisors Steve Lavagnino and Bob Nelson were the lone no votes.
Supervisor Lavagnino said this should be a period of transition that would lead to the removal of the emergency status.
But Supervisor Das Williams said what the board was considering Tuesday was “an operational question,” noting most of the speakers who asked the board to remove the emergency status did so via remote testimony.
Additionally, the board discussed the ground lease agreement for a DignityMoves Santa Barbara project at the county-owned property at 1016 Santa Barbara St. DignityMoves plans to provide 33 private rooms in temporary modular interim housing for people who are experiencing homelessness.
“Tackling homelessness is one of those things where the solutions always end up being more unpopular than the problem is,” said Supervisor Williams. “We have an operating agreement, and we’re going to keep the ship real tight. The urgency of making this project show the community that it can be done in a very functional way is what will open doors for solving the homeless problem — or at least greatly reducing it.”
Supervisor Nelson said he hoped to work with DignityMoves on projects in his district as well.
“I do believe these types of projects are our pathway forward to addressing the encampment situation we have in our community with people living in the streets,” he said.
The board unanimously approved the administrative agenda which included the DignityMoves ground lease agreement.
The board also unanimously approved the renaming of the county-owned El Colegio Property to Hedges House of Hope in memory of Father Jon-Stephen Hedges — a move that received thunderous applause.
The property is located at 6549 El Colegio Road and was acquired by the county to help people without housing during the COVID pandemic in November.
Operated by Good Samaritan Shelter, it serves 36 people in 18 rooms and provides public and behavioral health treatment, essential services and information about substance use disorder treatments.
Father Hedges was remembered as a passionate leader who worked to help those in the Santa Barbara community.
“My father would have loved to be continuing to be a part of this effort in the town that he called home,” Benjamin Hedges, his son, told the board.
email: kschallhorn@newspress.com.
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