Memorandum
Date: August 11, 2026
To: The Honorable Brad Rasmussen, Chari, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Bruno Sabatier, District 2 Supervisor
Subject: 11:00 A.M. - Consideration of re-activating Williamson Act in Lake County and Getting Feedback from Ag Advisory Council
Executive Summary:
The Lake County Food Policy Council is advising for the renewal of the Williamson Act in Lake County. As the Board’s appointee to the Food Policy Council, I am bringing this to the County as a discussion and consideration.
As of 2010, the State of California stopped helping counties, financially, for Williamson Act approved contracts for any reductions in property taxes. The Williamson Act was originally meant to support and preserve continued agricultural activities as well as open space conservation. Since the decision of the State to stop supporting counties financially, the Board of Supervisors in 2012 also decided to stop allowing new contracts under the Williamson Act. In 2016 a final review of the Williamson Contracts were finalized with contracts being discharged as they expired.
As of early 2026, there are still approximately 28,000 acres in Williamson Act contracts in Lake County. Agriculture currently is going through a rough patch with more than 2000 acres becoming inactive, with a large portion of those acres being wine grape production. Not all of these acres had Williamson contract.
The Food Policy Council is seeking, based on its approved Strategic Plan, to ensure that the future of Lake County agriculture is growing in its use of land for producing more food, but also that agriculture in general continues to thrive so that there is continued possibility of land being used in food production.
The Food Policy Council would like to see the County of Lake reactivate the Williamson Act via new contracts but prior to making a final decision it would also suggest getting advisement from the Ag Advisory Council as to its position on this subject.
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Recommended Action: Approve moving the topic of re-activating Williamson Act Contracts to the Ag Advisory Council for consideration and discussion.