LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider approving an agreement to give a wage increase to In-Home Supportive Services workers, discuss a syringe exchange program that’s now distributing glass pipes for drug smoking and hold the third of its redistricting hearings.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 946 8496 5839, pass code 310792. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,94684965839#,,,,*310792#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
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At 9:20 a.m., the supervisors, sitting as the In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority Board of Directors, will consider a memorandum of understanding between the authority and SEIU Local 2015 Union.
Social Services Director Crystal Markytan’s report to the board said the agreement will be in effect from the date of final ratification by all parties to Dec. 31, 2023. The union ratified it on Oct. 15.
Markytan said it will increase base wages by $0.65 an hour and provide $5,000 per year to be used by IHSS workers, through SEIU, for training and $5,000 per year to be used for cleaning and safety supplies.
At 10:15 a.m., the board will discuss the county’s syringe exchange program and consider either establishing an urgency ordinance to temporarily halt it or a resolution to establish new guidelines for it.
In his report to the board, Chair Bruno Sabatier said he’s bringing the matter forward after it was discovered that, in addition to syringes, the program also is providing glass pipes for use in smoking drugs such as methamphetamine.
While the language of state rules for syringe exchange programs suggest that it’s an allowable activity if it’s deemed necessary by a local or state health department for preventing the spread of communicable diseases, Sabatier said this specific program is not sanctioned by the state but the county under a resolution, and the county hasn’t given that approval.
“Our law enforcement was not told prior to initiating this new exchange and our Statement of Understanding has been breached by adding activities that are not specifically allowed in the Syringe Exchange Program locally. Therefore no public comment was received on this new outreach and expansion of the program,” Sabatier wrote in his report.
Due to what he called “the breach of trust between the county, law enforcement, and the program coordinators,” Sabatier is asking the board to consider two options.
One is an urgency ordinance to put a 45-day pause on the program in order to discuss with stakeholders how it might continue.
The second, in consideration of what Sabatier said was Public Health staff’s concern about pausing the program, is a resolution that would allow for the syringe exchange program to continue.
“In this Resolution, all jurisdictions, cities, and Tribal Land would need to provide approvals of their own for this program to be allowed in their jurisdictions,” he wrote.
The resolution also requests that any changes to the original 2009 Statement of Understanding needs to be approved by the board, and it specifically restricts the exchange of glassware such as meth pipes.
Both the resolution and the urgency ordinance request staff return to the board at a later time to provide an annual report “as well as strategies on how to proceed with the program to ensure that outcomes and trust of the program from the public, law enforcement, and the Board of Supervisors can be regained,” Sabatier wrote.
At 6 p.m., the board will convene an evening session to present the draft maps for new supervisorial districts. The maps can be found here.
In an untimed item, the board will consider amending an urgency ordinance requiring all persons, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, wear face coverings in county facilities.
The proposed changes including having the masking mandate remain in effect when the COVID-19 case rate exceeds 10 per 100,000 and when the testing positivity rate exceeds 8% and both indicators have remained at or above said rates for a minimum of seven days.
Other untimed items of note include establishment of the Financial Oversight Committee, appointment of two board members to serve on an ad hoc committee to work on enhancements to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard and consideration of timeliness of the Earthways Foundation’s appeal of its property tax bill for the Lucerne Hotel due to the county’s assessing it for $8.5 million.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve Board of Supervisors meeting minutes for Aug. 17, Sept. 14 and Oct. 7.
5.2: Adopt resolution appointing directors of the Scotts Valley Water Conservation District Board in lieu of holding a general district election on Nov. 2, 2021.
5.3: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.4: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.5: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.6: Authorize the IT director to issue a purchase order to Zoom Video Communications Inc. for Zoom video conferencing licenses in the amount of $25,063.36.
5.7: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.8: Approve the continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.9: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in Response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.11: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the Lake County Health officer for the Cache fire.
5.12: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.13: Approve purchase orders for the purchase of two ¾-ton pickup trucks for the Central Garage Fleet, and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign the purchase order.
5.14: Approve memorandum of understanding between Social Services and Behavioral Health Services for CalWORKs mental health and substance abuse services in an amount that shall not exceed the California Department of Social Services allocation, from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.15: Approve contract between county of Lake and North Coast Opportunities Inc. for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Children in foster care, in an amount that shall not exceed the California Department of Social Services allocation, From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.16: Sitting as the board of directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District, adopt Quagga and Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention Grant Program FY 2020/2021 application and funding agreement resolution and approve Water Resources director as signature authorization to execute agreement.
5.17: Sitting as the board of directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District, a) waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of the goods or services, and b) approve agreement with Ramboll Consulting Engineering Group for AEM Survey Services not to exceed $50,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Approve Amendment No.1 of agreement with Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers (LCSE) and Stantec Consulting Services for the professional consulting services for Big Valley Groundwater Basin (5-015) Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Lake County, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: a) Presentation of Big Valley Groundwater Basin Sustainable Groundwater Management Act progress and b) call to action for review, input, recommendation and approval of the proposed Sustainable Management Criteria for the draft Big Valley GSP as recommended by the Big Valley GSP Advisory Committee.
6.3, 9:20 a.m.: Sitting as board of directors, In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority, consideration of memorandum of understanding between In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority and SEIU Local 2015 Union.
6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Consideration of a presentation by Sonoma Clean Power Chief Executive Officer Geof Syphers on a geothermal opportunity zone and invitation for Lake County to join.
6.5, 9:50 a.m.: Consideration of presentation by Caltrans regarding the Clean California Program and the Nov. 20 Bulky Item Free Dump Day in Lake County.
6.6, 10:15 a.m.: Consideration of either A) urgency ordinance establishing a moratorium on the syringe exchange program approved by Resolution 2008-42 for 45 days or B) resolution amending Resolution 2008-42 establishing new guidelines for the syringe exchange program.
6.7, 6 p.m.: Redistricting public hearing No. 3, draft maps presented.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of establishment of Financial Oversight Committee.
7.3: Consideration of ordinance amending Urgency Ordinance No. 3108 requiring all persons, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, wear face coverings in county facilities.
7.4: Consideration of proposed 2022 Board of Supervisors regular meeting calendar.
7.5: (a) Consideration first amendment to the agreement for professional services, epidemiologist services; and (b) consideration of appointment of two board members to serve on an ad hoc committee to work on enhancements to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard.
ASSESSMENT HEARING
8.1: Consideration of timeliness of Assessment Appeal 03-2020 through 10-2020 Earthways Foundation.
CLOSED SESSION
9.1: Public Employee Appointment Pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of Health Services director (b) appointment of Health Services director.
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Supervisors' agenda to include IHSS worker raises, proposed syringe program changes, redistricting hearing
- Elizabeth Larson
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