Memorandum
Date: January 14, 2025
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Subject: Consideration of Request for Board Direction Regarding the County of Lake Serving as Lead Applicant for the California Dept. of Conservation’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program Grant Preapplication
Executive Summary: Community Development Staff has been approached by the Resource Conservation District with a request to serve as Lead Agency for the above listed grant. Tasks proposed include the following:
1. Grant administration
2. "State of the ag" report - GIS mapping of Important Farmland in Lake County and identification of areas facing high risk of conversion to other uses; and Economic analysis of the agricultural sector
3. Broad community engagement - Emphasis on Tribal engagement; Support for continuing to convene ag stakeholders group (building directly on December 2024 meeting)
4. Integration with County CDD planning efforts - Building on General Plan/CAP; and Developing planning guidelines and/or other document to steer future implementation
5. Evaluation of incentivizing tools for ag land conservation: easements, Williamson Act, support with transitions in cropping systems, etc. - Utilization of a carbon sequestration quantification method for measuring and monetizing greenhouse gas reductions in the ag sector; and Demonstrate capacity for carbon-smart practices to offset emissions from other economic sectors over a designated timespan
Eligible Applicants include: Counties, cities, local area formation commissions (LAFCOs), councils of government, municipal planning organizations, regional transportation planning agencies, groundwater sustainability agencies, special districts with land use or transportation planning authority, and Federally recognized California Native American tribe or a non-Federally recognized California Native American tribe that is on the contact list maintained by the Native American Heritage Commission are eligible to apply.
Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) may apply if they team up with one of the Applicants listed above. Lake County’s RCD approached LAFCO but they were not able to serve as Lead Applicant. There are ongoing conversations with both Community Development and the Agriculture Department to see if either department would be the best fit to serve as Lead Applicant. A Preapplication letter is required no later than January 31, 2025. The agency identified as Lead Applicant must enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the RCD if the grant funds are approved. This MOU would assign to the Lead Applicant the fiscal management of the grant, and regular report submission to the Grantor, with RCD assuming responsibility for the majority of the grant activities and production of grant deliverables.
Staff requests Board direction on whether the County of Lake should serve as Lead Applicant for this grant preapplication letter, and which department would be the best fit for Lead Applicant.
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Recommended Action: Staff requests Board direction on whether the County of Lake should serve as Lead Applicant for this grant preapplication letter, and which department would be the best fit for Lead Applicant.