To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Brad Elliott, 707-547-1060
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Resolution to Apply for Cybersecurity Grant
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution designating the Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager, Assistant General Managers, and Director of Engineering, on behalf of the Sonoma County Water Agency, to execute for and on behalf of Sonoma County Water Agency any actions necessary for the purpose of obtaining and utilizing financial assistance provided by the federal Department of Homeland Security and subgranted through the State of California for the FY22/FY23 State & Local Cybersecurity Grants for Local & Tribal Governments Program.
end
Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Water Agency has been selected to receive funding for improvements to its cybersecurity systems from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services FY22/FY23 State & Local Cybersecurity Grants Program. The $250,000 grant will allow Sonoma Water to review and upgrade its cybersecurity intrusion systems. Expenses incurred between December 1, 2024 and December 31, 2026 are eligible for reimbursement.
Discussion:
Background
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the “Act”) of 2021, Congress established the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which established the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), appropriating $1 billion nationwide to be awarded over four years. This federal grant program is jointly administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
As the State Administrative Agency, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) will administer the funds pursuant to California’s SLCGP allocation. The Act requires the funds to be allocated according to a state cybersecurity plan developed by a cybersecurity planning committee.
California’s Cybersecurity Plan was approved by FEMA and CISA. Disbursement of SLCGP funds is awaiting approval of individual projects named in the plan, and funds will be released to California per-project as those projects are approved by FEMA and CISA. The SLCGP will:
• Provide state/territorial, local, and tribal governments with resources to address cybersecurity risks and threats to information systems, improve the security of critical infrastructure and resilience of the services provided by those entities.
• Support efforts to implement cyber governance and planning, assess and evaluate systems and capabilities, mitigate prioritized issues, and build a cybersecurity workforce.
On December 24, 2024, Sonoma Water was notified by Cal OES that its proposal had been selected to receive funding through the SLCGP Program. On February 4, 2025, Sonoma Water was notified that the application was available, and a resolution is required for approval of the application.
Cybersecurity Improvement Plan
Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) plans to enhance its intrusion prevention systems by phasing out outdated, unsupported solutions and improving its monitoring and centralized logging functions. These upgrades align with the best cybersecurity practices outlined in the California SLCGP Cybersecurity Plan.
The existing systems currently lack the ability to filter, monitor, or block HTTP/S web-application traffic. With the introduction of log aggregation and monitoring, Sonoma Water will be able to respond more efficiently to both operational and cybersecurity incidents, eliminating the need to manually review individual system logs.
The proposed project includes three phases. The first phase will engage a consultant to conduct a thorough review of existing systems and architecture. The consultant will present its findings and recommendations to Sonoma Water. Based upon the findings, Sonoma Water will identify, procure, implement, and test replacement systems. Sonoma Water will conduct a federally compliant competitive selection process to identify and select a qualified consultant and will ensure that subsequent procurement of goods and services also comply with federal regulations. The second phase of the project will conduct an in-place upgrade of existing end-of-life firewall with a next-generation firewall and installation of improved endpoint security. The third and final phase of the project will implement a monitoring platform with centralized log aggregation.
County of Sonoma Strategic Plan:
N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment
This item directly supports Sonoma Water’s Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following goal, strategy, and action item.
Goal: 4. Emergency Preparedness - Build organizational resilience and ensure effective emergency response to extreme weather events, disasters, and security risks.
Strategy: 4.2 Enhance and maintain effective cybersecurity practices.
Action Item: 4.2.2 Conduct cybersecurity vulnerability assessments and maintain an active cyber threat assessment program to adapt to increased threats.
Sonoma Water plans to upgrade its intrusion prevention systems by discontinuing the use of unsupported systems and enhancing its monitoring and centralized logging capabilities, both of which are recognized as cybersecurity best practices in the California SLCGP Cybersecurity Plan. The current solutions in place are unable to filter, monitor, or block HTTP/S web-application traffic. By enabling log aggregation and monitoring, Sonoma Water will be better equipped to respond effectively to operational and cybersecurity incidents without the need to manually access individual system logs.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$ 190,825 |
$ 263,033 |
$ 34,152 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$ 190,825 |
$ 263,033 |
$ 34,152 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
$ 28,561 |
$ 178,508 |
$ 30,941 |
|
State/Federal |
$ 162,264 |
$ 84,525 |
$ 3,211 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$ 190,825 |
$ 263,033 |
$ 34,152 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The budgeted amount of $190,825 is available from FY 2024/2025 appropriations for the General fund. Offsetting revenue in the amount of $162,264 will come from California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). FY 2025/2026 and FY 2026/2027 appropriations will be budgeted for in those fiscal years.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Cal OES Notification of Subrecipient Allocation