Clearlake council authorizes short-term housing contract for Cash Fire victims

Clearlake City Council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to contract with North Coast Opportunities (NCO) to provide short-term housing assistance to residents displaced by the Cash Fire.

City Manager Flora told the council the emergency shelter had closed and that displaced residents had been moved to temporary accommodations while the city coordinates longer-term supports. “We’re expecting probably around 25 people to have the need for some type of short term housing,” Flora said, adding that the figure is preliminary and could rise as staff reach more residents.

The council heard preliminary cost estimates related to the incident. Flora reported the city’s current estimate of the impact on private property and city response is “about 14 and a half million with about 11,000,000 in cleanup and recovery costs,” excluding private property damage. He warned those numbers will be refined as damage assessments continue and Cal OES completes its review.

Flora recommended using up to $100,000 from the city’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund as a short-term bridge to provide roughly 30 days of housing assistance while the city pursues other resources and coordinates with relief partners. “I’m recommending that we use some of the funding in our low and moderate income housing fund for this short term purpose,” he said.

Public commenter Bart Levinson, a Valley Fire survivor, urged the council to approve the NCO contract and said the Continuum of Care reported a larger displaced count. “You guys said it was 25. The continuum of care said it’s a 47 new homeless people,” Levinson told the council, urging continued efforts to keep displaced residents in the community.

Councilmembers pressed staff on immediate infrastructure challenges. Flora said Cache Creek Mobile Home Park lost homes and its water system was destroyed and that a separate water line serving Creek Side mobile home park was damaged; the Lower Lake Water District had indicated it currently had no plan to repair that line. When asked for a repair estimate, staff said the water district suggested the cost “may be a couple of hundred thousand,” but that the exact work required remained unclear.

Staff also raised concerns about watershed and public-health risks from debris and runoff if there is significant rain. Flora said installing best-management practices and debris cleanup could cost at least $3,000,000 and that environmental health staff had reported “some level of asbestos throughout the entire burn area.”

After discussion, a councilmember moved to approve the resolution identified in the meeting as “20 20 one-forty 5,” authorizing the city manager to contract with North Coast Opportunities for short-term housing assistance; the motion passed by voice vote with all present councilmembers saying “Aye.”

Next steps include finalizing the contract with NCO, standing up the short-term assistance program, continuing damage assessments with Cal OES and state partners, and returning to council with updates and any requests for additional funding or formal actions.