LAKEPORT— The Lake County board of supervisors made a proclamation commending county counsel Anita Grant for her 31 Years of Service. They also considered an update to the advisory board application and began discussions regarding the formation of a fishery to combat the extinction of the Clearlake Hitch.
Grant was commended for her 31 years of service to this county as she exits the position and enters retirement. Grant was presented a plaque and many members of the community expressed their admiration and gratitude for Grant and her accomplishments. Grant served as county counsel for the past 17 years with Tuesday being her last public day at the council chambers with the supervisors. Grant jokingly shared “Thank you all, it’s been my honor to serve the board both present and past, you couldn’t ask for a better job, most days.”
The board also considered an updated advisory board application as it had not been updated in 14 years. The proposed updated version eliminated the questions regarding a person’s criminal history. District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier entertained the possibility of limiting the question to convictions within the past five years, while District 4 Supervisor Michael Green said, “Assault with a deadly weapon five or 10 years ago is still assault with a deadly weapon.” The board directed staff to return next week with alterations to the question which had been removed from the application form.
Scott DeLeon Director of Water Resources alongside Marina Deligiannis, deputy director of Water Resources presented on the first steps of creating a fishery program. Deligiannis explained the importance of reaching out to neighboring counties and agencies for their expertise in this area as there are successful programs close by.
According to Deligiannis, in order to create such a program the department would need initial funding of $1 million with a “long term sustainable funding source”, additional funding for correlating departments, four additional staff members including a biologist, technician and two field employees, and lastly the expansion of their offices and purchasing of equipment.
Deleon added, “We’re full with tasks. We’re short on funding, to add a program it’s going to be a challenge.” District 5 Supervisor and Board Chair Jessica Pyska asked, “Conceptually what would the fishery program look like?” Deligiannis responded, “There’s great examples with Sonoma County Water and other programs, why reinvent the wheel? I would look at those and I would like to invite other interested communities to that table.” Supervisor Sabatier said, “We often times want to take that responsibility of the lake and the creeks but I don’t see Yolo ever being involved and we need to get them involved.” District 3 Supervisor Eddie Crandell said, “I think this fishery and the partnerships with tribes will be very helpful as well, this is a good presentation and it coincides with the proclamation. (An earlier proclamation of an emergency situation regarding the hitch).”
After much discussion regarding necessary conversations with the aligned state departments, the board directed the department to continue these discussions with interconnected departments and further explore the structure of the fishery program.
More information including minutes, agendas and video are available on the county website lakecountyca.gov.
