County outlines $250,000 CalRecycle plan to clean 42 illegal-dump sites; residents press for stronger prevention

Lake County staff on Tuesday told the Board of Supervisors they have begun rolling out a $250,000 CalRecycle grant to abate illegal dumping at 42 previously identified sites around the county and to fund prevention and public-education work.

Community Development Deputy Administrator Shannon Walker Smith and Code Enforcement Manager Marcus Beltramo said the grant will pay for cleanups, targeted prevention measures such as signage or barriers, and a public-information campaign to reduce repeat dumping. The grant also allocates staffing support for county code enforcement.

“We wrote this grant, and it was awarded,” Walker Smith told the board. “We have identified through that grant application 42 sites that we will be abating between now and June 30, 2026.”

Beltramo described the program’s operational approach: code enforcement will issue notices to identified property owners where required, follow abatement procedures and pursue liens when appropriate. He said most of the sites are vacant lots in isolated subdivisions where repeated dumping is common.

“Again, these are properties we have been aware of, but we just didn’t have the resources, the money and the time to actually get these cleaned up,” Beltramo said. “These are in all essence the worst of the worst.”

The presentation prompted sustained public comment from residents who have documented decades of recurring dumps in the Nice/Clear Lake area and elsewhere. Community members urged the county to pair cleanups with stronger preventive measures, including periodic free “dump days,” on-site debris boxes at difficult-to-reach locations, better coordination with Caltrans and the state, and use of cameras or locked gates at repetitive dump sites.

“I have a Google map of 70 sites around the Clear Lake Gardens area that is interactive,” said resident Dave Hendrick, who testified during public comment and supplied photographs to the board. “I can share it with you. These piles are everywhere.”

Beltramo and other staff said the grant contains a modest prevention budget and that the county would be selective in deploying prevention measures where they are likely to have the most effect. Staff also said they are coordinating with CalRecycle and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) when water-quality or habitat impacts are found; they have begun referring certain pollution cases to CDFW.

The speakers also addressed fines and enforcement tools. Staff said administrative fines and lien processes are part of the response and that any program income from abatements funded by the grant will be handled consistent with grant rules; some recovered funds must be applied to the grant funder under CalRecycle rules.

Beltramo said the county has seen some early results with administrative enforcement: in a small number of recent cases, the imposition of fines prompted property owners to act to clean up their parcels.

Residents and supervisors also discussed physical access controls. Supervisor Sabatier urged staff to test prevention pilots such as locked gates at fire access points, license-plate–reading cameras or paired camera systems to capture video evidence that could support prosecution of dumpers caught in the act.

“We need to really catch these folks,” Sabatier said. “We’re always being reactive. Prevention is where we haven’t succeeded.”

Staff said the county will begin abating the first set of “niche” sites immediately and will bring back further progress reports. Several community members and county staff asked for continued partnership with volunteer groups, additional cleanups and exploration of free-dump events to reduce the incentive to dump illegally.

No board action was required for the presentation; staff said abatement work would proceed under the CalRecycle grant and that further updates would be provided as work proceeds.