Legislative Program Committee - County of Santa Barbara - 10/05/26

The County of Santa Barbara Legislative Program Committee met on October 5, 2026, to review federal and state legislative developments and begin updating the county’s 2027 legislative platform. The federal update focused on prospects for FY2027 appropriations and the annual defense authorization bill, proposed changes to federal grant guidelines, and county priorities including the Water Resources Development Act and FEMA reform. The state update covered emergency preparations for a potential El Niño event and an executive order on AI safety. The committee also discussed platform proposals addressing housing, workforce retraining, energy and climate, biodiversity and the roadless rule, emergency alerting, and other county priorities.

The committee reviewed a list of funding priorities and discussed removing projects that had already received funding, keeping the list focused while allowing a varied set of projects for grant and legislative opportunities. Examples included $2 million in state funding for the Orcutt Community Center, $3 million in state funding for the IC complex, and state funding plus a potential federal earmark for a mobile dental vehicle, which was removed from the list as potentially overfunded. Members also discussed funding needs for the Northern Branch Jail’s outdoor space and an unbuilt fire station in western Goleta; no contract awards or purchasing decisions were identified. The committee approved the September 14 minutes and voted to receive and file the state report. The 2027 platform update remained under discussion, with no final approval recorded.