Lake County supervisors authorize interim funding and state advocacy after mussel-prevention grant denied

Lake County supervisors voted unanimously to approve interim funding and state-level advocacy after the county’s 2025 quagga and zebra mussel prevention grant application was denied.

At the board’s meeting, Pawan Upadhyay, Lake County Water Resources Director, told supervisors the county’s application to the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways — a request for $399,520 to support the Clear Lake Mussel Prevention Project — was denied because of a clerical oversight. Staff filed a formal appeal on July 24, 2025, and asked the board to authorize additional steps while the appeal is pending.

The action matters because ramp monitors and other prevention work are the county’s primary defenses against invasive mussels. Upadhyay said suspension of monitoring would raise the risk of quagga and zebra mussel introduction to Clear Lake, which could “significantly alter lake ecology,” damage infrastructure and recreational uses, and harm fisheries that are important to the county’s economy.

The board authorized three principal measures: affirming continuation of the formal appeal process; authorizing letters to Governor Gavin Newsom, State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry urging state intervention; and authorizing county staff to partner with the county’s state legislative and regulatory advocacy firm to press the Division of Boating and Waterways to reconsider its decision.

On funding, staff said the Water Resources Department has about $13,000 in inspection-sticker revenue but needs a larger interim allocation to keep ramp monitoring operating. Staff recommended drawing $266,445.86 from an available cannabis fund balance dedicated to water resources, planning and code enforcement, plus $75,000 from economic-development–focused cannabis funds, for a total of $341,445.86 in interim funding. During debate, supervisors asked staff to split the total evenly between two cannabis subaccounts so planning and code enforcement would retain access to funds; the board amended the resolution so the $341,445.86 was recorded as two halves of $170,722.93 and approved the budget amendment 5-0.

Public comment supported the board’s actions. Ansel Palma Dow, executive director of the Lake County Land Trust and a former invasive-species program coordinator in water resources, told the board that “ramp monitoring staff are … most often the first line of defense” against invasive mussels and urged the board to prioritize funding for those positions. He also recommended referencing the county’s 2024 Clear Lake Integrated Preparedness and Resilience Plan for Invasive Mussel Management in advocacy documents and cautioned the board that the Division of Boating and Waterways’ grant program does not fund golden mussel response, advice the board asked staff and its lobbyists to consider when finalizing letters.

Supervisors debated whether to include references to golden mussels — a related but distinct threat that has been detected elsewhere in the state — in the letters to state leaders. Staff said the formal appeal submitted to the Division of Boating and Waterways did not mention golden mussels; the board directed staff to remove or refine references to golden mussels in the formal letters if doing so would risk disqualifying the appeal, but to continue coordinating with lobbyists on final language. The board also authorized the water resources director and the county administrative officer to cosign a staff-level letter and approved sending a board-level letter; after a procedural motion the board voted to have the full board sign the letter package and approved sending it 5-0.

The board also authorized staff to partner with the county’s state advocacy firm (identified in meeting materials as Nielsen Merksamer) to support outreach to state decision-makers. Supervisors asked staff to seek options for backfilling any cannabis funds used, including potential carryover funds and other grant sources.

Upadhyay and other staff noted longer-term prevention options discussed previously, including a permanent decontamination or “dip” station proposed for a new park at Highway 20 and Route 53. Staff said they will continue to seek grant funding and to try to fill gaps from other sources if the appeal does not secure the requested award.

Votes at a glance - Affirm continuation of formal appeal process: passed 5-0. - Authorize letter(s) to Governor Newsom and legislative leaders (staff- and board-level letters) and authorize full-board signatures: passed 5-0. - Authorize county staff to partner with state advocacy firm Nielsen Merksamer for outreach to the Division of Boating and Waterways: passed (board recorded approval; vote recorded as carried). - Adopt resolution amending FY 2025–26 recommended budget to move $341,445.86 in cannabis funds for interim mussel-prevention work and add specified accounts: passed 5-0 (resolution as amended; recitals adjusted to two equal amounts of $170,722.93).

The board’s actions provide short-term funding and a coordinated advocacy push while staff await a response to the formal appeal and continue to pursue other grant and programmatic options to sustain ramp monitoring and related invasive-mussel prevention work at Clear Lake.