Here is are our Talking Points and general information for BOTH mobilization items:

  1. Excessive Use of Force During Immigration Enforcement + County Funding for Humanitarian & Legal Support
  2. County Health Department Budget Rebalancing Plan + Health Access Taskforce & Transparency

PUBLIC COMMENT PREPARATION DOCUMENT

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – General Public Comment + Item 2

Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 9AM

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ BEFORE SPEAKING

Please read all talking points and suggested comments thoroughly.

If you do NOT have time to prepare a full comment, please use this simple unified message:

“I urge the Board to condemn excessive force during immigration enforcement, fund humanitarian and legal support for impacted families, and protect healthcare access by stopping transfers and layoffs and establishing a Health Access Taskforce.”

Your presence and voice matter.

📍 ATTENDING IN PERSON

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room
 Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administration Building
511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria, CA

  • Fill out a General Public Comment card for Item 1.
  • Fill out a separate card for Item 2 (County Health Department Budget Rebalancing Plan).
  • Sit with others speaking on these issues for visibility and solidarity.

805undocufund staff will be there to help with public comment registration.

ATTENDING VIRTUALLY

(Insert Zoom and phone details once the County posts the official agenda.)

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION ISSUES

This meeting includes TWO critical items impacting community safety, dignity, and access to care:

✦ ISSUE #1 – GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Excessive Use of Force During Immigration Enforcement Operations

MAIN COMMUNITY ASKS FOR SB COUNTY TO…

1. Condemn the excessive use of force

Including flash-bangs and aggressive tactics used during:

  • July – Glass House Farm, Carpinteria
  • Nov. 13 – Cambridge Way/Telephone, Orcutt (SB County jurisdiction)

Organizers, volunteers, youth, students, and an 805UndocuFund staff member were gassed and pushed without warning.

2. Demand transparency and accountability

Request a full after-action report from ICE, including: HSTF apprehends JJB Farms representative in California for alleged worker exploitation in visa fraud scheme | ICE

  • Objectives
  • Warrants
  • Chain of command
  • Justification for use of force
  • Detentions made
  • Demand that County Officials intervene so that victims of Human Trafficking be provided with pertinent protections
  • Underage children taken from Glass House Farms were never provided child trafficking protections.

3. Allocate County funding for humanitarian & legal support

805UndocuFund has provided:

  • $137,500 in emergency assistance
  • to 126 SB County families
  • with zero County support

We request County funding for:

  • Direct emergency financial assistance
  • Food, housing, and relocation support
  • Trauma and recovery services
  • Legal representation for removal-defense cases for community members in detention

Legal representation ensures families are not torn apart because they cannot afford an attorney.

ISSUE #1 – TALKING POINTS TOOL

Excessive Force & Public Safety

  • Flash-bangs used without warning endangered peaceful residents.
  • Students and youth organizers were gassed and knocked down.
  • This is unacceptable in Santa Barbara County.

ICE’s Ongoing Refusal to Provide Information

  • No transparency regarding warrants, targets, or purpose.

Community Trauma

  • Families lose income, suffer fear, and sometimes require relocation.

Nonprofits Carrying the Burden

  • Community groups are responding alone, with unsustainable demands.

County Responsibility

  • We ask the County to take leadership in safety, transparency, and funding support.

ISSUE #2 – ITEM 2 ON THE AGENDA

County Health Department HEARING – Budget Rebalancing Plan

Topic: Proposed transfers of vulnerable immigrant patients & potential layoffs at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

OUR MAIN ASKS FOR ITEM 2

1. Cancel all proposed patient transfers and layoffs permanently

  • No transfers of patients with “Unsatisfactory Immigration Status.”
  • No loss of medical staff who serve our most vulnerable communities.
  • Protect continuity of care and prevent trauma, confusion, and medical harm.

2. If the injunction is removed, move forward ONLY with a transparent, community-centered solution

  • The last time this issue appeared, the community only learned about it through The Independent, not the County.
  • This created fear, mistrust, and confusion among patients and partner organizations.
  • That process must never repeat itself.

3. Establish a Countywide Health Access Taskforce

We request a formal Health Access Taskforce composed of:

  • Community advocates
  • Labor unions
  • Public Health leadership
  • CenCal Health
  • Public Clinic representatives
  • Trusted frontline service organizations
  • Legal Council & other legal experts

4. Follow the State Leadership

The Taskforce must continue until ALL threats to healthcare access end.

This group must:

  • Review plans before implementation
  • Promote transparency
  • Protect immigrant patients
  • Monitor impacts
  • Co-create solutions that prevent discrimination and barriers to care

ISSUE #2 – TALKING POINTS TOOL

Transparency & Trust

  • The community should NEVER learn about potential patient transfers from a journalist.
  • Public Health must rebuild trust by engaging patients and advocates early.

Health Equity

  • Immigrant patients already face barriers; transferring them due to immigration status violates principles of equity.

Workforce Stability

  • Layoffs or staff cuts reduce access to care and destabilize entire clinics.

Community Safety

  • Healthcare disruption threatens the health of children, elders, disabled residents, undocumented workers, and entire neighborhoods.

Need for a Health Access Taskforce

  • A formal taskforce ensures that patients, unions, and communities are at the table, not excluded.

FINAL REMINDER

This meeting impacts:

  • community safety
  • family unity
  • health equity
  • public trust
  • access to essential healthcare

Speak from your lived experience and values.
We stand together to protect our community.