Lake County forms Disaster Relief Fund Committee to steer roughly $65,000 in donations

Lake County commissioners discussed forming a five-member Lake County Disaster Relief Fund Committee to distribute donations raised after a recent wildfire. County manager Candace Bridal and Gloria Perez, president of the Lake County Community Fund board, said the fund currently stands at about $65,000 with further donations expected from foundations and community fundraising efforts.

Under the proposed structure, voting membership would include two Lake County community members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners who are not elected officials or employees, one member appointed by the community fund board, one representative of a local nonprofit or community-based organization agreed by both boards, and one at-large Lake County resident jointly agreed upon. Participants discussed recruiting candidates (several names were proposed) and using an application or outreach process; staff suggested convening the committee by the second week of August and noted the committee expires in December. Staff also recommended hiring or designating a nonvoting liaison to help vet and verify needs and to use existing resources developed during the COVID response to evaluate unmet needs. No formal vote on final membership occurred at the session.