We appreciated receiving notice of this item on the agenda for today's meeting of the Board of Supervisors in Santa Maria. I was able to brief the Co-Chairs of the Highway 217 Review Committee, the Divisional Chair of the Academic Senate, as well as Chancellor Yang, upon his return last evening from the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm.

As I indicated to Supervisor Marshall in my letter of December 7 (copy attached), we are prepared to continue discussions with County and Goleta Old Town representatives. We are committed to reaching consensus on a solution that both meets local needs and does not downgrade Highway 217.