Agenda - 02-05-2019 8-a - Minutes

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11 1 WHEREAS, fairness demands the protection and expansion of workers' right to organize as 2 well as a guarantee of high-paying, high-quality jobs with comprehensive benefits for all and 3 many other tenets of a Green New Deal effort as the mobilization to restore a safe climate is 4 launched; 5 6 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners 7 declares that a climate emergency threatens our county, region, state, nation, civilization, 8 humanity and the natural world; 9 10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners requests that 11 Representative David Price join with the growing number of his Congressional peers and 12 endorse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's resolution for a select committee on a Green New Deal. 13 14 This the 22nd Day of January 2019. 15 16 PUBLIC COMMENT: 17 18 Riley Ruske said 3 minutes is not nearly enough time to discuss this resolution, and the 19 Board of County Commissioners should hold several public hearings on this matter before 20 bringing it to a vote. He said these hearings should invite both supporters and opponents to 21 allow for open discussion and full information to the public. He said the Green New Deal is a 22 radical agenda hiding behind a concern about climate change, and is an effort to destroy our 23 democratic republic and its constitution, and replace them with a hybrid socialist/communist 24 bureaucracy, which is nothing to do with climate change. He said this would end rights and 25 freedoms. He said the agenda item abstract write up is grossly misleading. He said citizens 26 should not be fooled by this effort to turn the United States into a socialist/communist China, 27 North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, or Russia. He encouraged the Board to remember its oath to 28 protect and uphold the constitution, and voting in favor of this resolution would be a willful 29 abandonment of said oath. 30 Commissioner McKee asked, rhetorically, if the resulting costs from enacting this "deal" 31 could be identified. 32 Commissioner Price said there is a lot in this resolution, but in the end, Commissioner 33 Marcoplos is asking Congressman David Price to support the forming of a committee to look 34 into this Green New Deal. She said an affirmative vote this evening would not be equal to the 35 BOCC endorsing everything in this resolution. 36 Commissioner Marcoplos said the resolution says that these conditions are so pressing 37 that a committee is needed to enact the Green New Deal. 38 Commissioner Price said an affirmative vote for the resolution would acknowledge that 39 there is a climate change crisis and support the formation of a special task force to look into the 40 Green New Deal, but does not indicate that the Board is going to enact the Green New Deal. 41 Commissioner Greene said the Green New Deal is very complicated and has many 42 parts, including changing to the status of corporations, and would restore a lot of democracy. 43 She said it will cost money, and this resolution is asking David Price to support a select 44 committee on a Green New Deal. 45 Commissioner Greene referred to the cost, and asked if the counter thought is what will 46 it cost us if this is not done. She said it may be radical, but we are at a crisis point and 47 something must be done. 48 Commissioner Bedford said one of her concerns with the party platform is some of the 49 economic changes that are proposed to be made, but overall she agrees with Commissioner 50 Greene and Commissioner Price. She said wanted to know if anyone has talked with David