County outlines $250,000 CalRecycle illegal-dumping grant to abate 42 sites, begin public education

County staff presented details of a CalRecycle illegal-dumping abatement grant at the Jan. 7 meeting and described plans to abate 42 identified sites across Lake County.

Community Development Director Mireya Turner and code-enforcement staff said the state grant is worth $250,000 and includes money for abatement, prevention measures (barricades, signage, lighting) and public-education materials. Deputy administrator Shannon Walker Smith and Code Enforcement Manager Marcus Beltramo outlined an initial phase that will focus on properties in the Nice area and then proceed clockwise around Clear Lake.

Staff said about 25 percent of the code-enforcement program supervisor’s time will be grant-funded, and that the work will follow standard abatement procedures: property-owner notification, issuance of abatement notices, due process steps and, when necessary, court warrants and liens. Staff emphasized most targeted sites are vacant lots; a small number are longstanding abatement cases where the owner is known and the county will pursue recovery of abatement costs after cleanup.

The program also includes a public-education component: the county will produce PSAs and outreach to explain disposal options and how residents can report illegal dumping by phone. Staff said they will reassess sites if community cleanup efforts occur and will replace sites in the grant list if they are cleaned before county abatement.

Public comment at the meeting included an appeal to follow the county’s Aggregate Resource Management Plan when extracting gravel and to consider sourcing material from local levees and tributaries as feasible.

Ending Staff said abatement operations will begin shortly and that the grant-funded program will run through June 30, 2026; they emphasized continued tribal engagement and community outreach as part of the effort.