Chris Lopez elected board chair; supervisors agree to publicized rotation for external appointments and create Measure AA oversight ad hoc

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 7 elected Supervisor Chris Lopez to serve as board chair and approved a pilot process to publicly document supervisors’ interest in external appointments to joint powers and other non-county entities.

Nominations and vote: The board moved and seconded a motion to make Chris Lopez chair and to appoint a vice chair; the motion carried. After the vote the board confirmed that it will use a two-step public process this year: supervisors will record their appointment preferences to non-county entities and the chair will present recommended appointments for board approval at the following meeting.

Why it matters: Historically the county’s appointment process was managed through the CAO’s office and then relayed to the chair. The board’s pilot seeks to increase transparency by having supervisors declare interests in public before the chair’s recommendations are made.

Process details and next steps: Assistant County Administrative Officer Nick Chulos briefed the board on the pilot. “Every year at the beginning of the calendar year, the board makes a number of appointments to standing committees of the board,” Chulos said. He said supervisors completed preference forms that staff compiled for the chair; the chair will return recommended appointments at the next meeting for a formal vote.

Consent calendar and pulled items: The board approved the consent calendar (items 20–52) unanimously after Supervisor Wendy Askew pulled item 30, a Department of Justice tobacco enforcement grant MOU, for comment. Askew asked staff to return with a Q1 update on enforcement activities and the coordination and use of tobacco enforcement funds across the Health Department, Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office. A member of the public asked about item 49, a minor subdivision; Housing and Community Development planner Craig Spencer clarified that “this is a line on a map … there won’t be any physical improvements as part of the subdivision. Any future development of those lots would come before us for a permit.”

Measure AA oversight ad hoc: The board agreed to create an ad hoc committee to develop a proposal for oversight of Measure AA — the local measure that is expected to generate roughly $29 million annually for unincorporated infrastructure — and to return to the board with a recommended oversight structure. The committee will remain open until staff reports back with options.

Closed session report: County counsel reported out at the meeting’s end that the board approved a tentative agreement with the Monterey County Patrol Association in closed session; the agreement was announced publicly upon report-out.

Vote summary (at a glance): - Election of board chair/vice chair: motion carried (unanimous). - Appointments (items 4–11): approved (unanimous). - Consent calendar (items 20–52): approved (unanimous); item 30 pulled for comment and follow-up; item 49 clarified as a minor subdivision with no immediate physical improvements. - Cannabis program strategic plan (item 14): approved (unanimous) — see separate article. - Closed-session report: tentative agreement with Patrol Association approved (board report-out).

Ending: The chair will return with recommended external appointments at the board’s next meeting; staff will bring a report and timeline for the Measure AA oversight ad hoc.