LAKEPORT— On Tuesday the Lake County Board of Supervisors held their weekly meeting proclaiming June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Lake County with a heartfelt statement from Harold Riley and Joey Luiz, local KPFZ radio show hosts of “The Rainbow Report Hour.” Riley shared “I want to thank the board of supervisors so much for what they’re doing today, it gives me hope and empowers me to last a little bit longer.”
The board also heard from community development director Mireya Turner and code enforcement manager Marcus Beltramo who presented a consideration of agreement number BSCC 937-22 by and between the Board of State and Community Corrections and the County of Lake in the amount of $2,996,546, for cannabis code enforcement and comprehensive “WRAP” program services.
Beltramo explained that the county has received a grant of almost 3 million dollars to “officially combat illegal cannabis cultivation at a high level.” After approval they hoped to move forward with a “aggressive, comprehensive strategy” which according to Beltramo will require more organization of multiple agencies to in order to effectively eradicate un-permitted cannabis operations immediately.
Partial funds from this grant will be used to hire outside counsel and purchasing equipment but first there must be policies in place for these practices. Turner explained that this agreement and resolution will authorize and accept the grant while putting in motion the changes necessary for code enforcement. Any additional funds are used by Lake County Office of Education for a “WRAP” program that is designed to dissuade kids from using cannabis.
District 5 Supervisor and Chair Jessica Pyska said, “This is a really exciting grant. I don’t think we can give direction on those policies today but I look forward to bringing them back.” District Four Supervisor Michael Green noted “At some appropriate time in the future I would like to hear more from LCOE if only because WRAP services is a generic term that can apply to any number of programs being offered.” The board approved the agreement unanimously.
Cathy McCarthy from the Cobb Municipal Advisory Council presented an update of the council and its current ongoings. According to McCarthy they work closely together with several agencies to keep Cobb residents informed. McCarthy also explained their larger than normal budget of $70,133 in net assets and how it will help them continue their resource hub that began in 2019. Seven thousand dollars of this budget is designated for the annual Blackberry Festival which attracted approximately 3,000 people last year. McCarthy shared “The festival encourages our local businesses to create events in conjunction with the festival to create a community wide celebration of what Cobb has to offer.” The event also exposes the area improving the local economy. The council also provides a small business loan program made possible by grant funds geared towards helping business owners re-grow their businesses after catastrophic events.
The supervisors expressed their gratitude for hard work of these volunteers with District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon noting “It’s the volunteers, it’s the boots on the ground… it’s the public folks who set up when they need to step up.” More information is available at cobbareacouncil.org
The Lake County board of supervisors meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse and online via zoom. More information including minutes, agendas and video is available on the county website lakecountyca.gov
