Date: October 9, 2025
To: Planning Commission
From: Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Shannon Walk-Smith, Deputy Community Development Administrator
Subject: Presentation and Discussion of the Lake County Climate Adaptation Plan
Lake County experiences a range of climate-related hazards that significantly affect its communities, economy, and natural resources. Wildfires have burned over 70 percent of the county since 2015, while drought conditions periodically stress water supplies from Clear Lake and groundwater sources. Additionally, severe storms cause flooding and landslides, and extreme temperatures, agricultural pests and diseases, and degraded air quality create ongoing challenges for residents.
The County of Lake, City of Clearlake, and City of Lakeport are developing a Climate Adaptation Plan to address these issues and build community resilience countywide. Through the Planning for an Equitable Climate-Safe Lake project, funded by the California Adaptation Planning Grant Program (APGP), the plan will build on the Lake County Climate Vulnerability Analysis, <https://lakecounty2050.org/wp-content/uploads/LakeCounty_VA_Report_PublicDraft_April2025_Final.pdf> which identifies populations, infrastructure, and natural resources most susceptible to climate hazards. Vulnerable populations identified as priorities include people of color and immigrant communities, households in poverty, persons with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities, older adults, and persons experiencing homelessness. These populations face heightened risks from extreme temperatures, wildfire smoke, vector-borne diseases, and barriers to accessing healthcare, emergency services, and community resources during climate hazard events.
This Climate Adaptation Plan will use the Pillars of Landscape Resilience framework developed by the Lake County's Office of Climate Resiliency in 2022 to map out adaptation strategies. The framework addresses resilience through ten interconnected pillars: air quality, water security, wetland integrity, biodiversity conservation, forest resilience, carbon sequestration, fire dynamics, fire-adapted communities, economic diversity, and social and cultural well-being. The Climate Adaptation Plan will aim to reduce climate risks for all residents with focused attention on populations with higher vulnerability, strengthen infrastructure systems to maintain essential services during hazard events, and enhance the social and cultural well-being of vulnerable populations and community support systems.
CDD Staff are currently holding a series of meetings to gather input from the community to incorporate into the Climate Adaptation Plan. At the Planning Commission meeting, Staff will provide a presentation and offer questions for Planning Commission discussion (examples below). Public input on the questions is also welcomed.
Example Discussion Questions
1. What programs, services, or resources does your community provide to help vulnerable populations prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related hazards and emergencies?
2. How do climate hazards affect your community's ability to provide services? What challenges do you face in maintaining operations and reaching clients during extreme weather events, wildfires, or other emergencies?
3. What partnerships does your community have with emergency services, public health agencies, government agencies, and other community organizations to coordinate support during climate hazard events?
4. How does your community identify and reach the most vulnerable community members who may be disproportionately affected by climate hazards like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, or power outages?