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County details Lithium Valley funding sources, spending and remaining allocations
Summary
County staff provided a multi-million-dollar accounting of Lithium Valley funding—explaining SB 125 and a $10 million state appropriation, listing external grants and noting $1.19 million expended and about $8.81 million remaining in the specific-plan allocation as of June 30, 2026.
County Executive Office staff summarized years of state, federal and private funding tied to the county'led Lithium Valley effort and walked supervisors through what has been spent and what remains available.
The presentation identified several funding streams, including grants to educational institutions and a $5 million allocation from Senate Bill 125. "SB 125 appropriated $5,000,000 from the California State General Fund for allocation to the county of Imperial," the presenter said, and described how SB 125 money is split by purpose, including planning and analysis and an ombudsperson position.
Staff also described a separate $10 million appropriation administered by GO-Biz for infrastructure and planning. The presenter told the board that of that $10 million plan, $1,191,271.75 had been expended as of June 30, 2026, leaving $8,808,728.25 available for the county'approved spending plan.
The report named several outside investments and grant awards the county has pursued or received: an $80 million state commitment for a San Diego State University STEM campus in Brawley, $1,700,000 to Imperial Valley Community College from the U.S. Department of Energy for workforce programs, and $500,000 to UC Riverside from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to support a regional cleantech strategy consortium. County staff also summarized community-engagement contracts and tribal consultation funds allocated from SB 125 and related spending plans.
Board members pressed staff on common questions raised by the public, including why travel and promotion expenses appear in some logs and why certain invoice descriptions were abbreviated. Staff said some apparent errors were accounting entries later corrected, and explained that journal-entry abbreviations and an earlier $175,000 debit that should have been $17,500 had been corrected in records released under public records requests.
The presentation concluded with a reminder: the lithium extraction excise tax established under SB 125 would only generate revenue if commercial lithium extraction occurs; until projects are approved and built, the county will not receive that tax income.
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