Sheriff Brian Martin took the request from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security’s request to the board as an extra item on Tuesday morning.
Martin’s report to the board included a letter to all California sheriffs, police chiefs and law enforcement executives from Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci and Donald O’Keefe, chief of the Cal OES law enforcement branch.
In the letter, Ghilarducci and O’Keefe explained that the state has been closely monitoring the ongoing situation in Ukraine and has been in constant contact with the Ukrainian Consulate in San Francisco.
The state also is working closely with the philanthropic community and nongovernmental organizations “on organizing and providing humanitarian assistance and commodities for individuals and families remaining in Ukraine and for refugees fleeing Ukraine into surrounding countries,” they reported.
The letter said the Ukrainian Consulate has specifically requested from the state the donation of ballistic helmets and vests, and other tactical safety equipment such as goggles and gloves.
“The intent of the Ukrainian Government is to provide this equipment to individuals simply as an additional layer of safety,” said Ghilarducci and O’Keefe.
They said this effort and other humanitarian assistance from California is being coordinated and facilitated by Cal OES and the California National Guard.
Supervisor Tina Scott said people are dying and so moved to add it to the agenda.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, who had concerns that the item didn’t meet the requirements of an extra item, voted no, and with Supervisor Moke Simon absent, the motion initially failed, as four votes were needed to add the extra item.
County Counsel Anita Grant asked Martin about the urgency of the item and whether Cal OES was asking for buy-in in order to arrange a shipment of the items, and he said yes. Martin also stated there were more than 400 dead and more than 1.5 million people evacuated.
“The nature of it speaks to the urgency of it,” said Martin.
The board went on to reconsider adding the request to the agenda, which passed unanimously, and then approved adding the item to the agenda, with Sabatier changing his vote to pass the motion.
Scott then moved to approve the surplus of the equipment as requested by Cal OES, which the board approved 4-0.
It was not reported on Tuesday how much surplus equipment from Lake County will be donated to help the people of Ukraine.
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