Residents ask board to investigate $166,000 ‘Cleared for Cheer’ airport event; questions raised about outreach and records

Multiple Oceano residents asked the Board of Supervisors to investigate a December airport event known as "Cleared for Cheer," alleging poor community outreach and the misuse of approximately $166,527 in public funds.

April Durie (Oceano resident) told the board the Department of Airports was funded to provide outreach to Oceano but that most proposed community activities in the outreach plan (farmers market, cleanup day, inclusive events) were never completed. "We are not benefiting to have this egregious waste of a $166,000 for a 3‑hour event," Durie said, and she said local stakeholder groups were not consulted.

Julie Tacker pressed for a formal investigation and cited timeline questions: she said the event flyer in staff materials appears to have been dated Nov. 10, 2025, while board funding approval came Nov. 18, 2025. "If the staff report had included a plan and an expense report of what the intention of that event was going to be and what it was going to cost, I think you would have taken pause," Tacker said. She asked the board to include staff time in any accounting of the event’s total cost.

Board members acknowledged the complaint in the meeting and earlier mention of the formal complaint in the agenda materials; no formal investigative action or vote was recorded in the excerpt. Supervisors indicated staff should look into concerns and that the board had been made aware of the complaint. Public speakers requested that the county provide a full accounting of event expenditures, including vendor invoices and staff labor time, and to ensure public records are promptly released in the future.

At present the allegations remain public requests for an investigation and account reconciliation; the board did not announce a formal independent review during the meeting excerpt.

Next steps: residents asked for a full investigation and accounting of the event (including vendor invoices and staff labor costs) and for prompt release of public records; the board acknowledged the complaint and asked staff to follow up.