Petition to Reinstate Free Staging for Santa Barbara Equine Assistance and Evacuation Team

Equine Evac provides a free service with no paid staff 365 days a year. Now Earl Warren Showgrounds wants to charge them for it! Please sign our petition. For more information, click HERE https://www.sbequineevac.org/

In April the 19th DAA (Earl Warren Showgrounds) presented Equine Evac with a contract requiring a payment of $600/month rental of space to "store" its equipment. Equine Evac stages a command center and communications trailer in standing operational readiness. Equine Evac's equipment is not considered to be in dormant storage. The 19th DAA (Earl Warren Showgrounds) is an emergency community resiliency center. They should not charge a not-for-profit partner in the Earl Warren Showgrounds mission of being a community emergency resiliency center.

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Petition to Reinstate Free Staging for Santa Barbara Equine Assistance and Evacuation Team

RE: Large Animal Evacuation Resources at Earl Warren Showgrounds,19th District Agricultural Association, an emergency resiliency center.

TO: Michael Flores, Deputy Secretary CA Fairs & Expositions; Hyrum Eastman, Director County-State Liaison for Emergency Management Programs; Ben Sprague CEO 19th DAA (Earl Warren Showgrounds) ; Luis Esparza President, Board of Directors 19th District Agricultural Association, (19th DAA); Tory Milazzo, Director 19th DAA; Colin Greene, Director 19th DAA; Cecilia Tavera, Director19th DAA; Michael Medel, Director 19th DAA; Teresa McWilliams, Director19th DAA; Miguel Avila, Director19th DAA

PETITION:

Whereas:  The 19th District Agricultural Association (19th DAA) manages the Earl Warren Showgrounds whose mission statement states it is an emergency resilience center; and

Whereas: Earl Warren Showgrounds is the only location in southern Santa Barbara County with capacity to provide housing for horses and other large animals during a major wildfire evacuation or other emergency; and.

Whereas: The non-profit Santa Barbara Equine Assistance and Evacuation Team (Equine Evac) has provided a critical and free service to the community by transporting, housing and caring for evacuated large animals at Earl Warren Showgrounds during evacuations for the past 35 years; and

Whereas Equine Evac has transported, housed and cared for average of 221 animals in each of 25 incidents over the past 35 years; and

Whereas it is essential that Equine Evac maintain its communications trailer and supply container at the Earl Warren Showgrounds to quickly provide for the effective, safe transport, care and housing of large animals during emergencies; and

Whereas Earl Warren Showgrounds has never previously charged Equine Evac any fee for staging its ready response equipment at the Showgrounds; and 

Whereas the management of Earl Warren Showgrounds has recently announced that it plans to charge Equine Evac $600 per month for staging its equipment at the showground's property, despite the long history of an essential free service that Equine Evac has provided to the public and to partnering public safety agencies; and

Whereas a fee of $600 per month puts an undue financial burden on Equine Evac, a non-profit organization;

We, the undersigned are asking Earl Warren Showgrounds management and Board to reinstate free access and appropriate space for continuous staging of Equine Evac's essential equipment at the Earl Warren Showgrounds.