Memorandum
Date: August 5, 2025
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Shannon Walker-Smith, Deputy Community Development Administrator
Marcus Beltramo, Code Enforcement Manager
Damien Marks, Staff Services Analyst
Subject: Presentation of Community Development - CalRecylce Illegal Disposal Grant Activities and Results
Executive Summary: In July 2024, the Community Development Department received a grant award from CalRecycle for $250,000 clean up and combat the illegal dumping of trash and hazardous waste throughout Lake County. The Community Development Department proposed the clean-up of 50 properties (private and roadway adjacent) and Free Dump Days to help the community dispose of trash, appliances, tires, mattresses at locations that were convenient to the residents.
Staff worked community by community, following code enforcement processes toward abatement of properties identified, and proceeding with free dump days in the same communities. In Fiscal Year 2024/25, Staff completed abatements in Nice, and began the abatement process for Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks, which are now pending. These communities were prioritized based on their increased level of difficulty of access to either of the two county dumps in Clearlake or Lakeport, for financial reasons or lack of transportation.
The Community Development Department identified limited grant funds that could be dedicated to hosting these Free Dump Days and researched the best ways to make meaningful impacts to help residents have a fresh start and a clean neighborhood free of blight. Due to the limited amount of funds available and the large amount of trash expected to be collected we reached out to the exclusive vendor identified in the franchise agreement for dumpster rentals in the county, Waste Connections. The estimated cost and restrictions would have prevented CDD from achieving the goals set forth by the grant. Because of this, we reached out to our local contractors already under contract to perform work for the Code Enforcement Division and with the necessary equipment to provide the full service we required. 360 Junk removal & Hauling was the only contractor with the dump trailers, staff, and availability to meet our demands and maintain cost effectiveness, while complying with the terms of the franchise agreement.
The Free Dump Days were a huge success. With the help of residents, community volunteers including Americorps, ERTH (East region Town Hall), WRTH (West region Town Hall), SWIM (Solano Women In Medicine), Lake County Crushers Football Team, and County of Lake staff we collected 688.73 tons (1,377,460 lbs.) of trash, metal and appliances, 1,058 tires, 168 mattresses, 39 propane tanks and brought it to the landfills to be properly dumped or recycled at Lake County facilities. The Nice Fire House, Lucerne Castle, and Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge all graciously donated the use of their property to hold the events.
Through the six events hosted, two in Nice, two in Lucerne, and two in Clearlake Oaks we have exhausted the grant funds currently designated to Free Dump Days. The grant will run through June of 2026, performing abatement of properties identified in the grant, and developing a structure for ongoing activities to discourage illegal dumping into the future past the grant term.
Moving forward, CDD will continue to perform abatements throughout the county to complete the cleanup of the grant designated properties, develop educational materials to help inform the public of the advantages of keeping our neighborhoods and hills clear of illegal dumping, and install gates and cameras to combat illegal dumping in areas with repeated illegal dumping. During the public survey period for the Lake County 2050 Project, strong public support was shown for both enhanced enforcement of county codes for illegal dumping, as well as providing continued support for residents who may experience ongoing challenges to managing their household waste. The Community Development Department remains committed to securing future opportunities for Community Dump Days
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