Copy and paste this for a pre-made response.

 I have many concerns with the Report for Comprehensive Fee Study Update 2026, which I have summarized. NBS is recommending an average 173% increase in fees to the Body Art Program, and two additional new fees. These proposed fees will make Santa Clara County (SCC) the most expensive county to tattoo in the greater Bay Area. The comparative survey in Appendix B.1 page 44 is a gross misrepresentation of the truth and demonstrates the lack of due diligence from both NBS and the Department of Environmental Health in checking the fee schedules of local Bay Area counties. (e.g. the report states that there is “no comparison” with Contra Costa for an annual Body Art Practitioner license, when the Contra Costa fee schedule is readily available. And the report states that there is no comparison to Sonoma county, when their fee schedule shows that a Body Art Practitioner license is $157) Using the current 2025 SCC fee schedule, the average cost of an annual Body Art Practitioner license in the Bay Area is $180. NBS is recommending that SCC increase the Body Art Practitioner fee from $180 to $290 in 2026. These proposed fees are onerous, which will overly burden and negatively impact the vibrant and diverse body art community of Santa Clara County.

Based on the fact that the vendor’s recommendations are based on flawed information, is the Department of Environment Health going to do a more comprehensive research on the Body Art Program to ensure that changes are not made based on poor recommendations? The DEH has not done its due diligence to the Body Art community to ensure that fees are aligned with the standard in the regional industry throughout the Bay Area. This report has created a sense of bad faith in explaining how the proposed increased and additional fees will protect public health, expand services provided to the Body Art Program, and protect the industry itself beyond simply the full recuperation of the DEH operation costs.