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Lake County board agrees to begin talks with City of Clear Lake on Lake O'San governance model
Summary
The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to authorize opening discussions with the City of Clear Lake about possible changes to the governance model for Lake O'San and approved a proposed delegation composition to conduct the talks.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 on Feb. 25 to authorize staff to open discussions with the City of Clear Lake about potential changes to the governance model for Lake O'San, and separately approved a delegation composition to carry those discussions forward.
The vote followed an agenda item introduced by Supervisor Sabatier, who said the request originates from an April 2024 City of Clear Lake resolution asking the county’s Lake O'San (Lake Osan) board to “open up discussions” about governance. Sabatier emphasized the request is to open dialogue, not to commit to a particular outcome, and cited recent sewage overflows near Highlands Harbor as part of the motivation for reviewing long-term structure.
City Manager Alan Flores and a Clear Lake mayoral representative attended and said they supported beginning talks. Special Districts Administrator Robin told the board staff could answer questions on ongoing operations and the district’s shared facilities. Vice Chair Rasmussen said she supported approving the request to start discussions.
Supervisors expressing caution raised concerns about representation and geographic equity. One supervisor said she did not see a county benefit and another warned against allowing the city to gain jurisdiction over areas such as Kelseyville or special district territories without detailed scoping. Board members discussed options for how to structure the dialogue, including resurrecting a former sewer advisory board or creating an ad hoc committee to collect budget and technical information before any governance changes were proposed.
On procedural questions, staff said the board’s actions would occur with the board sitting in its capacity as directors of the Lake O'San special district. Staff recommended involving the Special Districts director, county administrative staff for budgeting impacts and county counsel for legal review if the board chose to move forward. County administration said it could provide staff time but cautioned setting up a standing advisory committee would require additional staff resources and suggested starting discussions after July 1 to avoid current budget-season bandwidth constraints.
Motion and delegation outcome: The board first voted to initiate discussions with the City of Clear Lake; the motion passed 3–2. The board then approved a delegation composition to conduct the discussions composed of the District 1 and District 2 supervisors, Director Borre (Special Districts), and a representative from the CAO’s office; the board authorized the chair to confirm timing and implementation details and agreed the delegation should begin formal meetings after July 1 to reduce immediate staff impacts.
The board directed staff to return with options and any formal proposals that emerge from those discussions.
