Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Lake County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with high priority
Quagga Mussel Prevention Program fees
The Watershed Protection District board was set to hear a pitch for raising sticker fees and adding a Special Event Lake Access permit to fund mussel prevention on Clear Lake. A dedicated funding source was also on the table.
Cross-connection control ordinances
Second readings were set for two ordinances requiring cross-connection control programs to keep contaminated water from flowing back into public drinking systems.
City Council Meeting Highlights
The Board was scheduled to interview candidates for County Administrative Officer in closed session — the county's top staff job.
CAO appointment interviews
The Board was scheduled to interview candidates for County Administrative Officer in closed session — the county's top staff job.
County Energy Policy Direction
A commenter urged the county to adopt an energy policy and moratorium on data centers, citing 161 years of contamination from the Sulphur Bank mine and a Press Democrat article on energy development interest in the county.
County Road Commissioner Appointment
The county hired a licensed civil engineer to sign off on in-house road projects at $250/hour (NCE) until a permanent Public Works director is hired. Only two firms applied — both existing county contractors — prompting a resident to question the lack of competition.
Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization Update
A resident says tenants have absorbed an extra $60 a month for four months while waiting for a rent stabilization ordinance, including a 94-year-old resident. She urged the Board to act before the increase becomes the norm.
Clover Creek sediment removal and Upper Lake levee safety
A $123,750 contract will clear sediment and vegetation from the Clover Creek diversion channel before winter storms. A resident warned that the levees' original soils engineering is deficient and the town could flood within 15 minutes to two hours of a levee failure, urging monitoring during high water.
CAO Governance Authority
The board publicly clarified what it expects from its county administrative officer — full vetting of budgets, immediate escalation of fiscal problems, and gatekeeping of agenda items. A proposal to hire an outside facilitator was floated but stalled over cost.
Broadband Infrastructure Programs
A telecom union organizer warned that subcontractors installing fiber along Soda Bay Road are working without proper traffic control and safety standards, endangering motorists and workers.
Cannabis Permit Revocations
A resident told the commission that several cannabis permits slated for revocation have been sitting unactioned for months. Staff confirmed one revocation has been initiated by the CDD director and will come before the commission before the end of the year, with others under assessment.
Budget Transparency on Consent Items
A resident pointed out that behavioral health contracts were approved without noting their budget impact, and asked the board to adopt a policy flagging anything that increases the budget and removing such items from consent.
South Shore behavioral health expansion
The county is lining up contracts for psychiatric hospitalization, a substance use disorder medical director, and residential mental health support — together potentially $3.35 million for fiscal year 2026-27. These services affect residents dealing with mental health and substance use crises.
Special District Election for Fire Protection Tax
On consent, the Board ordered a March 2, 2027 special district election so voters can decide a special property tax for fire protection and emergency medical response services.
Data center and geothermal energy development
Several speakers demanded a moratorium on data centers, pointing to a geothermal hydrogen project and pre-applications from EGX. Supervisor Crandell explained the Energy Ad Hoc Committee is holding off on a moratorium until a real permit application arrives, to avoid a gap when a two-year moratorium expires.
Lake Coco Farms commercial cannabis cultivation permit
The applicant is appealing the Planning Commission's denial of a major use permit for Lake Coco Farms on Hendricks Road in Lakeport. The Board's decision will determine whether the operation can proceed, with the associated mitigated negative declaration also at issue.
Behavioral Health Services Contracts
The county is lining up contracts for psychiatric hospitalization, a substance use disorder medical director, and residential mental health support — together potentially $3.35 million for fiscal year 2026-27. These services affect residents dealing with mental health and substance use crises.
Lake Pillsbury / FERC relicensing
The Board signed onto a coalition letter urging federal protection of Lake Pillsbury (4-1) and sent its own letter with all five supervisors' signatures (5-0), leveraging relationships with federal officials.
Rising employee health insurance costs
Supervisors heard that health premiums are rising sharply — the least expensive family plan will cost nearly $2,200 a month with a $6,000 deductible — and staff report employees are already leaving over costs. The Board asked HR to track departures and revisit funding and plan options starting in February.
South Main Street and Soda Bay Road corridor project
After roughly 30 years of planning, the Board approved plans and specs and authorized bid advertising, with a contract award deadline at the end of December to keep funding; the project bundles road, water, and undergrounding work with the City of Lakeport.
County Administrative Officer performance
Former Supervisor Rob Brown and others publicly criticized CAO Susan Parker ahead of her closed-session evaluation, citing fiscal missteps; a former county employee defended budget staff and blamed delays on the Auditor-Controller's office. No action was taken in open session.
Public Works hiring freeze waiver
The county picked its next Public Works Director — the job that runs roads, engineering, and county construction projects. Lars Ewing starts immediately.
7th Cycle Housing Element
The county adopted resolutions to seek state Prohousing designation and apply for incentive grant funds, along with a homeless encampment best-practices summary — groundwork for future housing and homelessness funding.
Middle Creek Restoration Project
The Board got a status update on the Middle Creek Restoration Project and discussed strategies for acquiring the property needed for it. How the county buys land here affects flooding reduction and long-term restoration around the project area.
Mental health and substance use funding expansion
The Board was scheduled to add roughly $4.9 million to the mental health budget and about $10 million to substance use disorder services, mostly Medi-Cal revenue, plus a $5.4 million contract for psychiatric services including telepsychiatry.
Clear Lake Watershed Co-Management with Koi Nation
The county and the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians will jointly manage the Clear Lake watershed under a memorandum of understanding. It's a milestone in shared stewardship of the lake that the whole county depends on.
Leadership Change at Community Development Department
The county's top planning and building official, Mireya Turner, was fired effective immediately, with CAO Susan Parker stepping in as interim director. This affects anyone dealing with permits, planning approvals, or code enforcement while leadership is in transition.
Lake County 2050 General Plan and Local Area Plans Update
The county's state-mandated housing plan — how Lake County will plan for its share of future housing — moved forward on first reading. It shapes where and how new homes can be built in the county for years to come.
Lake County Sanitation District Governance
The Board, acting as the LACOSAN board, confirmed how the sewer district is run and then set its interim governing board makeup — and picked a new second member on a 3-2 split. This affects who oversees sewer services and rates countywide.
Clear Lake Watershed Co-Management Agreement
Sitting as the Watershed Protection District, the board approved two fish and wildlife management contracts totaling $1.148 million.
Interim Public Health Officer appointment
The county needs a Public Health Officer and added this appointment to the agenda at the last minute. Whoever fills the seat leads public health programs and emergency health responses for county residents.
Commercial cannabis regulations overhaul
The long-running rewrite covers cultivation limits, reduced-canopy and opt-out rules, retail permitting, odor standards and background checks. The Board kept the 20-acre max, kept retail at minor use permit, and continued the hearing for a first reading on June 23.
Guenoc Valley development agreement
The Board finalized a development agreement for the large Guenoc Valley mixed-use project, locking in the terms between the county and the developer.
Fire Mitigation Fees Implementation
The Fire Safe Council and Community Risk Reduction Authority presented updates on 2024–25 and 2025 wildfire prevention activities — ongoing efforts to protect communities from fire.
Middletown Grange Road use permit appeal
Rancho Lake, LLC seeks a major use permit for 19.6 acres of outdoor cannabis canopy plus a self-transport distributor license on four parcels along Grange Road in Middletown. The hearing had been continued three times, with concerns raised in public comments about water, groundwater, and neighborhood impacts.
Four-Year Capital Improvement Plans
The county and LACOSAN laid out their project wish lists for the next four fiscal years — the roadmap for infrastructure spending on everything from facilities to sewer systems.
Pasta Farms 3 Appeal
The applicant behind Pasta Farms 3 is appealing the Planning Commission's denial of a major use permit for a cannabis project spanning ten parcels near Seigler Springs. The Board of Supervisors gets the final say.
LACOSAN Governance Restructuring
Two related items would reshape who sits on the sanitation district's governing board — the Kelseyville water district picking its representative, and a resolution of intent on an interim board composition.
Fire mitigation fee request — hearing continued again
Fire agencies want the county to implement fire mitigation fees with automatic inflation. The hearing — continued since April — got pushed once more to July 21.
Informal hiring freeze for general fund positions
The county is freezing hiring in all general-fund positions starting July 1 to shore up the budget. The CAO can still approve waivers for critical roles, but expect slower filling of county jobs.
T-Mobile monopine cell tower at 5017 Terrace Avenue, Lakeport
A proposed 150-foot fake-pine cell tower could improve mobile coverage in North Lakeport but change the viewshed on Terrace Avenue. The hearing packet includes a biological assessment, tribal comments, and public comment, plus a recent CPUC ruling.
Sewer Rate Studies for LACOSAN Systems
After roughly 16 years without a rate study, sewer users face a significant increase, softened from an initial 73% proposal to a smoothed 50% structure. Supervisors discussed consolidating small districts to level out costs countywide.
Behavioral Health funding and Encampment Resolution Fund grant
Behavioral Health asked for a deep-dive special meeting on its fiscal status, cash flow and pending revenue. It will be scheduled during the June 15-17 budget hearings.
Fire Mitigation Fees with Automatic Inflation
Fire agencies want the county to implement updated fire mitigation fees with automatic inflation. The hearing has now been continued three times, partly to fix math errors in the calculations that one supervisor says could overcharge or undercharge developers.
Global Interactive Solutions commercial cannabis cultivation permit
A proposed multi-stage commercial cannabis operation — outdoor and mixed-light cultivation plus a Type 13 distribution license — on Highway 53 in Clearlake. The environmental review, hydrology and drought plan, biological reports, and tribal and public comments were all part of the record, making this the meeting's most consequential item for the Clearlake area.
County liability insurance program (PRISM)
The county was scheduled to hear how rising casualty costs are driving up its liability insurance, and whether to give notice on its primary liability coverage with PRISM and amend the joint powers agreement. This affects what the county pays to protect itself from lawsuits.
Termination of Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Bernstein
The Board fired the county's top health official in closed session and immediately installed Dr. Anju Goel on an interim basis. Leadership of the county's public health response — from clinics to emergency proclamations — is now in transition.
Health Services Director Termination
The county's top public health leader was fired after a closed-session personnel discussion, with Assistant CAO Stephen Carter stepping in on an interim basis. Leadership stability in the Health Services Department is the open question for residents who rely on county public health programs.
Homelessness prevention funding
Up to $400,000 goes to Catholic Charities for homelessness prevention and diversion services through mid-2027, aiming to keep people from falling into homelessness in the first place.
Acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services
The county committed up to $500,000 to North Valley Behavioral Health for acute inpatient psychiatric care in fiscal year 2025–26 — a lifeline for residents in mental health crisis.