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, 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 re...
Click here for full text