Sheriff Rod Mitchell, whose staff worked on the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) grant application with Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman's staff, took the request for approval to the board as an extra item on Tuesday.
The item arrived late, Mitchell told the board, because he got a call from Allman on May 24 notifying him of the possibility of applying jointly.
The topic wasn't listed on the agenda but the report was available in the board clerk's office on Friday.
The grant would provide $550,000 to support a partnership between the two counties on regional illicit marijuana eradication operations, Mitchell said. That is helpful on forest-related operations, when jurisdictional lines aren't always clear.
“This is a good opportunity for two counties to be working in partnership on marijuana eradication efforts,” he said.
Mitchell said the grant would fund a sergeant's position for both departments, as well as 30 percent of a prosecutor's position for Lake County and 40 percent for a Mendocino County prosecutor. Mitchell said Lake County already has 70 percent funding from another grant for the rest of that prosecutor position.
Supervisor Denise Rushing, who said she had only gotten the packet that morning, asked if the grant could be used for methamphetamine.
“This is specific to marijuana,” Mitchell replied.
Rushing wanted to know about methamphetamine grants, and Mitchell explained that in the last 18 months the board has approved three such grants, and his department has a full-time position through the state-funded Cal Met program.
“Sheriff Mitchell, I'm struggling with this grant application for a lot of reasons,” Rushing said.
She wasn't happy that the quick turnaround was limiting public comment.
Rushing said she really cared about the environmental devastation illegal grows were causing on public lands. She said that, according to the grant documents, surveillance begins early in the year and eradication doesn't happen until August or September, after the damage is done.
While sitting in Upper Lake you can watch trucks head up Elk Mountain Road with pallets of potting soil or loads of water for the illicit crops. “I would love for that to not be happening,” said Rushing.
Mitchell said he agreed with her. “This kind of grant allows us to have a full-time dedicated supervisor” focusing on that very issue.
Supervisor Rob Brown asked Rushing about her specific problems with the grant.
She replied that she didn't think the program would accomplish its goal. “It's not working.”
Later in the discussion Brown returned to Rushing's comment about the program's success. “That's an easy comment to just throw out there,” he said.
Rushing said she wanted to stop the devastation in the forest and the violence but, pointing to the grant's timeline, she said she was concerned about eradication taking place after the damage is done. Brown said other grants deal with earlier eradication, and that all parts of the season need to be addressed.
Mitchell said they would like to catch people earlier, especially when they're running supplies. “We may be able to run conspiracy cases,” he said, adding that overflights are meant to do that as well.
He referred to a case about two years ago in which a California Highway Patrol officer spotted people being dropped off on the Hopland Grade. As they were heading for their supply area they were caught.
Supervisor Jeff Smith said it doesn't matter if it's marijuana or tomatoes, if it's being grown illegally in the National Forest it needs to be stopped. He added that not a lot of tomatoes are protected by guns and that it was a no-brainer that they needed to move forward.
Mitchell said he had wanted to call in Deputy Steve Brooks to discuss the program, but at that time Brooks was in a helicopter over the National Forest.
Brown maintained that the illegal marijuana eradication effort is working, and that they can't stop pursuing it.
“We're not talking about the medical marijuana grows,” he said, contending that many people don't want them to approve the grants because they're hiding behind medical marijuana in order to cover illegal sales, including to children.
Rushing said she didn't want the board or the sheriff to think she doesn't believe they should enforce the laws in the National Forest. “I believe that our public has a lot to say about how these operational plans could work better,” she said.
She returned to her concern that growers be caught earlier in the process.
“Supervisor Rushing, you need to know that's under way,” Mitchell replied.
Board Chair Anthony Farrington noted that after 10 years of discussing the marijuana issue he was worn out.
Brown moved to approve the grant application, which the board approved 4-1, with Rushing voting no.
In other board news on Tuesday, supervisors approved a request from Lake County Environmental Health to use $40,000 the county received from a statewide Wal-Mart settlement as matching funds for a state-required department-wide software system upgrade.
Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski said Wal-Mart was sued for improper handling of hazardous waste products. While that didn't happen in Clearlake, it happened at other stores around the state.
The $27 million settlement was reached early last month, as Lake County News has reported.
Health Services Director Jim Brown said that with the state requiring the software system upgrade, “We thought this would be an ideal time, since we don't have the money just sitting there.”
Public Services Director Kim Clymire received approval to apply for $3.1 million in Nature Education Facility Program funds from the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006. The fund would be used for Mt. Konocti, Rodman Slough and Clark Island improvements.
Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger gave the board an update on work on emergency work issues on the Southeast Regional sewer system, which serves the city of Clearlake.
He said engineering and a design report have been completed and circulated for a temporary pump station and pipeline facilities for the system. They're now working on legal agreements for the required property easements.
The board also approved sending Water Resources Director Tom Smythe to Henderson, Nev., in November for the Floodplain Management Association’s annual conference and approved a list of Proposition 1B bond fund projects.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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