“efficiency, Oversight & Trust: Advisory Committees and Boards to

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors share an insufficient number of clerks making it difficult for them to keep up with the intricacies of government, leading to poor direction, poor oversight and missed deadlines. Response: Partially Agree The Clerk of the Board’s team operates under the direct supervision of the Board of Supervisors. The Clerk of the Board’s team is dedicated to meeting statutory deadlines for meeting agenda postings and Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) filings. These are the most critical tasks and priorities for staff in addition to 2 managing a workload for the Board of Supervisors in addition to meeting all mandated responsibilities of the Clerk of the Board’s Office.

Some of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors’ advisory boards, commissions, and committees have met sporadically, if at all, leading to a breakdown in communication. Response: Partially Agree The Clerk of the Board’s staff communicates and works with Humboldt County’s advisory boards and commissions to provide Brown Act training and onboarding services for newly appointed members. Additionally, staff collects all annual FPPC Form 700 filings from every member of each advisory board, commission and committee as required. Staff works with each advisory board and commission to keep updated rosters. It is required that advisory boards and commissions notify the Clerk of the Board when changes occur to their membership roster, and the Clerk of the Board acknowledges that communication with staff when members of a county board, committee or commission resign or step away from service can be delayed at times. Some advisory boards, committees and commissions are also laxed in providing agendas and minutes for meetings to the Clerk of the Board for timely positing to the county’s website, however this does not constitute a “breakdown in communication.”

Local tribal governments and other underrepresented community members are not represented in many of the 2023 Board of Supervisors committees. This leads to a lack of representation for a sizable community population. Response: Partially Agree The county acknowledges that when inequitable access to opportunities exists, communities experience disparate outcomes. That being said, the County of Humboldt always encourages any qualified individual to apply for an open seat on a county advisory board, committee or commission. It is not uncommon for counties across the state to have challenges finding qualified applicants to apply for volunteer positions on advisory boards, committees and commissions. This includes applicants from all populations including members of local Tribes and historically underrepresented communities. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is committed to supporting diversity, equity and inclusion within its workforce, policy, committees and the community.

The relationship and responsibilities of the Audit Committee to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is uncertain and could lead to budgetary problems. Response: Partially Agree The primary function of the Humboldt County Audit and Finance Committee is certain. The committee has the 3 responsibility to assist the Board of Supervisors in its oversight of the integrity of the county’s financial statements, the systems of internal controls, the qualifications and independence of the county’s external auditor and the performance of the county’s corrective action plans. Voting members of this committee include two members of the Board of Supervisors, one representative of Humboldt County special districts or schools and two Humboldt County residents all of whom are selected by the Board of Supervisors on an annual basis. Advisory staff include the Humboldt County Administrative Officer, Auditor-Controller and Treasurer-Tax Collector. Regarding the budgetary topic raised by the Grand Jury, the Audit Committee has the authority to retain outside counsel, experts and other advisors as the committee may deem appropriate in its sole discretion, as stated in its charter. This committee also has the sole authority to approve related fees and retention terms, subject to a maximum annual commitment of $50,000. Board of Supervisors approval is required for fees to an outside counsel, expert or other advisor if fees are expected to exceed this amount. This amount is intended to be in addition to expenses related to Independent Auditors or other auditors as detailed in Section IV.A.1. of the Audit Committee Charter. Approving related fees and retention terms (again, those in excess of the aforementioned $50,000) must be done first by majority vote of the Audit Committee, then would move to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. The Humboldt County Auditor -Controller has noted that this sole authority could lead to potentially unbudgeted activities, however it is unlikely that this will occur since the Auditor-Controller and County Administrative Officer, who are responsible for oversight and preparation of the county’s budget, act as advisory staff to this committee. In addition, two members of the Board of Supervisors serve as voting members of the committee. It should also be noted that staff in the Clerk of the Board’s Office and the Auditor- Controller’s Office are working in partnership to schedule quarterly meetings of the Audit Committee.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has limited ability to hold various committees accountable for missing mandated reports. Thus, key agenda items may be delayed or missed altogether, with resident services impacted. Response: Partially Agree Excluding boards or committees created and mandated by state law, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has the authority to review advisory board, committee and commission charters and make recommendations and/or relative changes to ensure compliance with locally mandated and annual reporting requirements, including disbandment of the advisory body if warranted. Additionally, each year the Clerk of the Board brings an agenda item to the Board of Supervisors with the current list of boards, commissions and committees to which the Board members makes appointments. At this time the Board is provided with recommendations of the advisory bodies that can be removed or ended. This is also the time when the Board may direct staff to provide updates on any of the advisory bodies. The Board of Supervisors receives a quarterly report with vacancies and potential vacancies on said advisory bodies per the Board rules. This demonstrates an increased amount of attention to meeting mandated reports. 4

Missed mandated committee reports and meetings cause disruption to employees working in a process already understaffed and overworked. Response: Partially Agree The county agrees that missed mandated reports may cause disruptions to staff. As previously mentioned, excluding boards or committees created and mandated by state law, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has the authority to review advisory board, committee and commission charters and make recommendations and/or relative changes to ensure compliance with mandated reporting requirements.

The lack of a permanent, full-time grant writing position leads to Humboldt County missing out on potential funding. Response: Agree

We could find no evidence that the Disaster Council has met since the adoption of the Humboldt County Emergency Operation Plan in 2015, leading to no guidance for updating emergency planning, coordination, or response. Response: Disagree The Disaster Council has met since the adoption of the county’s Emergency Operations Plan. The last meeting took place on May 25, 2018. It should be noted that the Disaster Council is a planning body; it reviews disaster plans, provides input on them, and approves them before recommending adoption by the Board. It is not a body that is active during emergencies. Since the Disaster Council’s last meeting, the County of Humboldt has experienced several emergency activations including, but not limited to, Power Safety Shutdown (PSPS) events, the COVID-19 pandemic, many fires, and most recently, the Dec. 20, 2022 earthquake and 2022-2023 winter storms. The Disaster Council does not meet during active incidents. When an emergency is declared, it has been the practice of the county’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) to form an incident policy group, whose focus is to provide