Measure A

Mark Funkhouser, Carson Link, and Eric Melsheimer Appointed to Fill Three Vacancies on the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee

September 16, 2021

Mark Bradley, Geoffrey Slaff, and Dennis Story re-appointed to four-year terms on the oversight committee responsible for the accountability of the expenditure of an estimated $1 billion of Measure A, voter-mandated, high priority transportation projects and programs.

Santa Barbara, Calif. – Mark Funkhouser (Santa Maria), Carson Link (Lompoc), and Eric Melsheimer (Orcutt) were appointed to fill three vacancies along with the re-appointment of Mark Bradley (Santa Barbara), Geoffrey Slaff (Montecito), and Dennis Story (Goleta) to serve on the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Board of Directors. Each appointee will serve a four-year term that will conclude September 2025.

“The six community leaders appointed to the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee will continue impactful work and important accountability over the next four years,” said Holly Sierra, chair of SBCAG board of directors. “I am confident in their leadership for the oversight of voter mandates that fund more than $1 billion in regional transportation initiatives in our communities.”

An open, competitive recruitment process occurred in July and August to fill three vacancies for north county and “at-large” positions on the oversight committee.

“I was impressed with the quality and enthusiasm of applicants who were willing to dedicate their time and talents to fill vacancies of north county and “at-large” positions on the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee,” said Bob Nelson, chair of SBCAG north county subregional committee. “The priorities of North County residents will be well-served by the caliber of experience of Mark Funkhouser, Carson Link, and Eric Melsheimer.”

Mark Funkhouser, the director of Sustainability/Custodial Services for the Chumash Casino Resort, leads the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ green initiatives. His main areas of focus throughout his 18-year career with the tribe have been eliminating waste, improving energy efficiency and reducing overall resource consumption. Mark’s proudest professional moment occurred in 2019 when the Chumash Casino Resort became the first casino in the world to earn TRUE Zero Waste certification from Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI). The resort diverts more than 90 percent of its waste stream from local landfills.

Carson Link, the district representative for Senator Monique Limón, is a Lompoc native and community advocate. Professionally, he is focused on transportation related issues and is often traveling from Lompoc throughout Santa Barbara County. Link previously worked for United Way coordinating outreach to the Central Coast’s homeless population.

Eric Melsheimer, the chief executive officer of Melfred Borzall, a Santa Maria company which designs and manufactures tools for underground construction. He is a 25-year resident of Orcutt and is active on the Orcutt Union School District Measure G Citizens Oversight Committee, community ambassador with Allan Hancock College. He is an engineer with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The Measure A Investment Plan and Ordinance provides an estimated $140 million in matching funds to make local and U.S. highway 101 multimodal improvements from Santa Barbara to Mussel Shoals. The plan also provides an estimated $455 million each in North County and South Coast for transportation projects and programs to build safer walking and bike routes to schools, increase senior and disabled accessibility to public transit, increase options for carpool and vanpool programs as well as local street improvements such as pothole repairs and synchronized traffic signals.

The next meeting of the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee will take place on Thursday, October 21 that will include the annual review of the Measure A audit.

More information about Measure A is available on the measure’s website at www.measurea.net.

About Measure A

On November 4, 2008, Measure A was approved in Santa Barbara county with 79% voter support, a one-half of one percent (1/2%) sales tax for transportation projects and programs over 30 years. Measure A is administered by Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and it is estimated to provide more than $1 billion of local investment in transportation projects and programs through 2040.

The voter-approved Measure A Ordinance created the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee “…to help ensure accountability to voters regarding the expenditure of funds and to assist the … [SBCAG Board of Directors] in ensuring that all provisions, requirements and voter mandates specified in the Investment Plan and Ordinance are properly carried out.” The ordinance requires the appointment of an 11-member committee by the SBCAG Board of Directors. Four members are nominated by the North County Subregional Committee, four members are nominated by the South Coast Subregional Committee, and the remaining three are “at-large” appointments.