Legislation Details

File #: 2026-1013   
Type: Consent Calendar Item Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 9/2/2026 In control: Board of Supervisors District 1
On agenda: 10/6/2026 Final action:
Title: Disbursement of Fiscal Year 26-27 First District Community Investment Fund Grant Awards
Department or Agency Name(s): Board of Supervisors
Attachments: 1. Summary Report, 2. Sample Community Investment Fund Grant Agreement

To: Board of Supervisors                                          

Department or Agency Name(s): Board of Supervisors

Staff Name and Phone Number: Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo, 707-565-2241

Vote Requirement: Majority

Supervisorial District(s): First

 

Title:

Title

Disbursement of Fiscal Year 26-27 First District Community Investment Fund Grant Awards

 

End

Recommended Action:

Recommended action

A)                     Approve Community Investment Fund grant awards and authorize the County Executive, or designee, to execute an agreement with the following entities: Career Technical Education Foundation Sonoma County, $1,000; Museum of Sonoma County, $1,000; LandPaths, $500; Children's Museum of Sonoma County, $500; People4Parks (Windsor Parks and Recreation Foundation), $500; Latino Service Providers (two grants), $3,500; Infinite Learning and Resource Center, $500; Buck Institute for Research on Aging, $500; The Living Room Center, $1,000; Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay, $3,000; Listening for a Change, $1,000; First Responders Resiliency, Inc., $1,000; Sonoma County Women in Law, $1,000; Centro Laboral de Graton, $1,000; La Luz Center, $2,500; LIME Foundation, $1,000; Sonoma Splash, $2,000; Sonoma Family Meal, $5,000; Santa Rosa Quilt Guild, $500; Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, $2,000; Railroad Square Music Festival, $500; Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, $1,000; Santa Rosa Urban Arts Partnership, $250, Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, $2,000; Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association, $500; Sonoma County Pride, $1,000; and Sonoma Valley Grange, $20,000.

B)                     Authorize the allocation of $10,000 for the support of the Springs and North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Councils.

C)                     Authorize the County Executive, or designee, to amend these agreements to lengthen the time schedules and make minor modifications to the allowed uses that do not increase the amount awarded under the agreements.

D)                     Make a finding that the proposed expenditures are necessary to meet the social needs of the population of the County pursuant to Government Code Section 26227.

(First District)

 

end

 

Executive Summary:

The Board established the Local Events, Organizations, and District Priorities category to fund local events and programs that will support businesses, culture, and organizations that provide a benefit to the community, or to award funding to County Departments to fulfill Supervisorial District priorities. Events and organizations may make requests throughout the year to one or more Supervisorial Districts.

 

The First District has reviewed the applications and recommends the following FY 26-27 grant awards:

1)                     Career Technical Education Foundation Sonoma County to support the Path to Purpose paid internship program, grant award of $1,000.

2)                     Museum of Sonoma County to support the Second Saturdays program that opens its doors to families and low-income visitors, grant award of $1,000.

3)                     LandPaths to support the Harvest Festival/Festival de la Cosecha at Bayer Farm, grant award of $500.

4)                     Children's Museum of Sonoma County to support the Access for All initiative offering discounted admission for low-income families, grant award of $500.

5)                     People4Parks (Windsor Parks and Recreation Foundation) to support the “Water Is Life” mural, grant award of $500.

6)                     Latino Service Providers to support the Promotores Profesionales Internship Program, grant award of $1,000.

7)                     Latino Service Providers to support Las Monarcas SinCuenta, a public art installation commemorating the 50th anniversary of Running Fence, grant award of $2,500.

8)                     Infinite Learning and Resource Center to support Exploradores en SoCo outdoor education, conservation, and career-exploration outings, grant award of $500.

9)                     Buck Institute for Research on Aging to support North Bay Science Discovery Day, grant award of $500.

10)                     The Living Room Center to support the Loving the Living Room fundraising gala benefiting women and children experiencing homelessness, grant award of $1,000.

11)                     Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay to support organizational transition planning for an executive director and administrative assistant, grant award of $3,000.

12)                     Listening for a Change to support its online oral history curriculum and preservation of 600 Sonoma County interviews, grant award of $1,000.

13)                     First Responders Resiliency, Inc. to support trauma, chronic-stress, and burnout-prevention training for first responders and community-serving professionals, grant award of $1,000.

14)                     Sonoma County Women in Law to support the Community Advocacy Scholarship for law students, grant award of $1,000.

15)                     Centro Laboral de Graton to support Community Power in Action and the ALMAS domestic-worker program, grant award of $1,000.

16)                     La Luz Center to support Immigrant Support Services for low-income Latino families, grant award of $2,500.

17)                     LIME Foundation to support the Believe in the Dream: Lasso the Dream fundraising gala, grant award of $1,000.

18)                     Sonoma Splash to support Adult Swim Programs at the only public pool in the First District, grant award of $2,000.

19)                     Sonoma Family Meal to support the Knife's Edge annual fundraising event benefiting food access and culinary job training, grant award of $5,000.

20)                     Santa Rosa Quilt Guild to support the Community Quilts Program, grant award of $500.

21)                     Sonoma Valley Education Foundation to support the Sonoma Valley Student Wellness Initiative, grant award of $2,000.

22)                     Railroad Square Music Festival to support the 10th Annual Railroad Square Music Festival, grant award of $500.

23)                     Luther Burbank Center for the Arts to support the 17th Annual Fiesta de Independencia, grant award of $1,000.

24)                     Santa Rosa Urban Arts Partnership to support the Bike Zines art project at the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition (SCBC) Pedal Fest, grant award of $250.

25)                     Sonoma Valley Community Health Center to support the Sonoma Valley Back to School Health Fair, grant award of $2,000.

26)                     Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association to support financial-access programming for youth soccer, grant award of $500.

27)                     Sonoma County Pride to support their annual Sonoma County Pride LGBTQ+ Festival and Parade, grant award of $1,000.

28)                     Sonoma Valley Grange to support the Springs Community Kitchen equipment upgrade, grant award of $20,000.

 

The First District also recommends the following allocations to support ongoing costs associated with the Springs and North Valley Municipal Advisory Councils:

1)                     Springs Municipal Advisory Council, allocation of $5,000.

2)                     North Valley Municipal Advisory Council, allocation of $5,000.

 

Activities performed utilizing Community Investment Program funds provide public benefits that serve important community needs under Government Code Section 26227.

 

Discussion:

Transient Occupancy Tax Funding

The Sonoma County Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT or Hotel Bed Tax) was established in 1965 and is authorized under State Revenue and Taxation Code Section 7280. TOT, a general tax, is currently levied at a rate of 12%, a rate established in 2016 by the voter-approved Measure L. TOT revenue is allocated 25% to the General Fund; 50% to the Community Investment Fund; and 25% to the Measure L Fund.

 

Community Investment Fund Program and Policy

The Community Investment Fund Program, established in 1986 as the Advertising and Promotions Program, allocates a portion of the Transient Occupancy Tax to encourage economic development, community engagement, and culture in the County through a variety of grant award and funding avenues. The program provides grants to community-based organizations for a wide range of activities including economic development, community and countywide events, and advertising and promoting the county as a visitor destination with the goal of advancing economic growth through tourism. Additionally, the program provides grants to address impacts on safety due to tourism and to enhance community services throughout the county. The program provides funding to the Regional Parks Department, the Economic Development Collaborative, and additional county activities. Community Investment Funds are allocated per the Community Investment Fund Policy (https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/county-administrators-office/community-investment-fund-program/community-investment-program-policy).

 

District Priorities Category

The District Priorities funding category provides funds to events, organizations, and Supervisorial District priorities. Funding may be distributed through grants or assigned to County departments. The funds available in this category include $100,000 for each supervisorial district ($500,000 total) from the Community Investment Fund and 10% of Measure L revenue to be allocated to each supervisorial district proportionate to the amount of Transient Occupancy Tax collected within the district in the previous fiscal year. Unused funds will be accounted for and available for use in future years. Organizations may make their requests directly to each Supervisorial District.

 

Funds in this category may be used for activities such as safety improvements, environmental impact mitigation, public safety, and other tourism mitigation activities, such as parking enforcement. Funds may be used for projects that benefit the community, or to support organizations that coordinate community improvements, such as the Municipal Advisory Councils. The Board may award funding to County Departments or to Supervisorial Districts to complete priority projects. Funding may be used to cover salary and benefit costs associated with changed or additional staff, and other costs associated with added staffing such as office space.

 

Funds will be distributed upon approval of these award(s) by the Board of Supervisors and execution of the Community Investment Fund grant agreement by the entity. The agreement(s) will be executed by the County Executive, or designee. The agreements require the County seal on promotional materials produced using the grant award.

 

Because a project may require modification as the work/project may not be completed within the fiscal year, an extension of time or modification of allowed uses for the organization to complete the project may be necessary. Therefore, it is recommended that the County Executive, or designee, be authorized to amend the contracts to lengthen the time schedules and make minor modifications to the allowed uses that do not increase the amount awarded under the agreement.

 

​Pursuant to Government Code Section 26227, the Board of Supervisors may fund programs deemed by the Board to be necessary to meet the social needs of the population of the county, including but not limited to, the areas of health, law enforcement, public safety, rehabilitation, welfare, education, and legal services. Staff is recommending that the Board find that the activities performed utilizing Community Investment Program Funds provide public benefits that serve important community needs under Government Code Section 26227.

 

Strategic Plan:

N/A

Racial Equity:

 

Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?

No

 

Prior Board Actions:

None for FY 26-27

 

Fiscal Summary

 Expenditures

FY26-27 Adopted

FY27-28 Projected

FY28-29 Projected

Budgeted Expenses

$64,250

 

 

Additional Appropriation Requested

 

 

 

Total Expenditures

$64,250

 

 

Funding Sources

 

 

 

General Fund/WA GF

 

 

 

State/Federal

 

 

 

Fees/Other

 

 

 

Use of Fund Balance

$64,250

 

 

General Fund Contingencies

 

 

 

Total Sources

$64,250

 

 

 

Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:

Community Investment Funds are included in the FY 26-27 budget.

 

Staffing Impacts:

 

 

 

Position Title (Payroll Classification)

Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step)

Additions (Number)

Deletions (Number)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):

N/A

 

Attachments:

Sample Community Investment Fund Grant Agreement

 

Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:

None