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Supervisors direct staff to pursue options after finding NOAA weather radio gaps in South Lake County
Summary
Supervisors asked staff to re‑engage federal and local partners and to bring the issue to the county disaster council after presentations showing South Lake County lacks NOAA weather radio coverage; staff will contact Congressman Thompson's office, OES will research coverage and costs, and a disaster council presentation was requested.
Supervisors discussed proposals to add a NOAA weather radio broadcast on Mount Saint Helena to address coverage gaps on South Lake County's south shore and Clear Lake area. Supervisor Owen and a co‑sponsor described a prior Middletown Rancheria grant that would have paid for equipment and three years of rent but left questions about ongoing rental costs — identified in conversation as roughly $16,000 per year — and who would pay thereafter.
County staff and emergency officials reviewed coverage maps from the National Weather Service and confirmed the South Lake area, including parts of Clear Lake and Clear Lake Oaks, has limited NOAA radio coverage. Office of Emergency Services staff said gaps in coverage also align with gaps in adjacent Colusa and Yolo counties on the public coverage maps. Chief Paul Duncan, representing local fire services, supported pursuing options and recommended OES produce a staff report with cost and technology options.
Supervisors expressed reluctance to commit county funds to a system they described as NOAA infrastructure, suggesting alternatives including seeking NOAA budget increases through congressional offices, pursuing FEMA grant opportunities tied to recent fires, negotiating discounted rental terms for mounting infrastructure and exploring other redundancy options (e.g., cell‑based alerts). "I'm not okay with just saying that we're going to pay for it right now," one supervisor said, adding that NOAA may be the appropriate entity to fund towers and equipment.
County staff confirmed they will have administrative staff (Matthew Rothstein) contact Congressman Mike Thompson's office to reopen conversations about funding and that Office of Emergency Services (Leah) will research technology, projected coverage from Mount Saint Helena and potential funding pathways; staff also agreed to present findings to the county disaster council for broader jurisdictional input. Supervisors directed staff to pursue those steps by consensus; no formal vote was taken.
