To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma
Department or Agency Name(s): Board of Supervisors
Staff Name and Phone Number: Supervisor James Gore, (707) 565-2241
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Fourth and Fifth District
Title:
Title
Use of Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the County Executive or designee to execute community grant funding agreements totaling $1,200,000 in a form approved by County Counsel and for the term from October 27, 2026 through December 31, 2031, with the following municipalities and organizations:
i.) Russian River Watershed Association ($1,000,000), through the City of Ukiah as fiscal agent; and,
ii.) Russian River Regional Monitoring Program ($200,000), through the San Francisco Estuary Institute as fiscal agent.
B) Make a finding that the proposed expenditures are necessary to meet the social needs of the population of the County pursuant to California Government Code section 26227.
C) Adopt a Resolution authorizing budgetary adjustments to the FY 2026-27 adopted budget to increase expenditure appropriations in the Lytton Tribal Mitigation Fund to program a total amount of $1,200,000 for two project grants. (4/5 Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
This item seeks Board authorization to use $1,200,000 of Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds for two project grants as follows: $1,000,000 will be utilized by the Russian River Watershed Association for the development of regional governance and organizational development in the municipalities, sovereign tribes, counties, and special districts in the Russian River watershed; $200,000 will be utilized by the Russian River Regional Monitoring Program for geospatial planning and environmental monitoring, regulatory coordination, and implementation of the California Rapid Assessment Method.
Discussion:
Background:
The County of Sonoma executed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Lytton Rancheria of California in 2015 and amended on August 7, 2018. The agreement (MOA attached, Sections 7.2, 7.5.2, 7.8) describes a one-time payment of $6.1 million to the County to address potential offsite impacts of the development, including but not limited to impacts to parks, habitat, road impacts, in addition to administrative and consultant costs. Additionally, the Lytton Tribe makes annual payments to the County based on the assessed value of its trust property in-lieu of property tax payments.
The tribal contributions are allocated to the Lytton Tribal Mitigation Fund for future mitigation needs and may be used at the County’s discretion. The current Lytton Mitigation Fund balance is $1,206,326. The County has adopted the following financial policy with regard to mitigation funds: “Tribal Development Impact Mitigation Funds shall be accounted for separately, so that when budgeting, only those monies received in the current year shall be relied upon for financing costs in the coming budget. The Board of Supervisors shall make a determination, as new tribal developments occur, on the best uses of these funds to mitigate impacts and maintain the high quality of life in surrounding or affected communities.”
Recommendations:
Consistent with the Lytton MOA, projects which have used this fund balance in the past include parks, road and traffic improvements, partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College to enhance workforce development related to fire resilience and vegetation management, and Hanson Russian River Floodplain Restoration. In consultation with county staff and non-profit partners, District Four recommends the following allocations from the Lytton Tribal Mitigation Fund:
Russian River Watershed Association ($1,000,000) (through City of Ukiah):
The Russian River Watershed Association (RRWA) will utilize $1,000,000 of Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds to support regional governance work in the Russian River Watershed. The RRWA formed in 2003 as a regional coalition of eleven public entities including the County and Sonoma County Water Agency, as well as all nine incorporated Sonoma County municipalities. The County of Mendocino and City of Ukiah are also members. The RRWA operates under a Memorandum of Understating (MOU) with appointed representatives from each member jurisdiction. The MOU appoints the City of Ukiah to act as fiscal agent for RRWA.
RRWA’s stated mission is to “facilitate inter-agency partnerships across the Russian River watershed that promote stewardship of its resources.” The proposed work includes but is not limited to: the development of a regional watershed-wide governance model among the municipalities, sovereign tribal nations, counties, and special districts in the Russian River watershed; administrative coordination and legal counsel; insurance; strategic planning and program development; matching/leveraging additional funding sources and Russian River regional networks and planning initiatives; stakeholder outreach and participation incentives; regional convenings and educational events.
This project aligns with the Board’s adopted policy on use of Tribal development mitigation funds by improving environmental health, ecological indicators, water quality and flood risk reduction in the Russian River and improving the overall quality of life for Sonoma County residents in the area of the Russian River near the Lytton Trust Lands development and countywide. Due to the regional nature of the Russian River watershed’s geography, this item benefits the health and safety of Sonoma County residents by improving regional coordination on long term water supply and quality, flood reduction, ecological restoration, and environmental health and safety. This work also aligns with Russian River Floodplain Restoration goals, approved by the Board on April 22, 2025.
Russian River Regional Monitoring Program ($200,000) (through San Francisco Estuary Institute):
The Russian River Regional Monitoring Program will utilize $200,000 of Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds for geospatial planning and environmental monitoring, regulatory coordination, and implementation of the ‘Initial Coordinated 5-Year Monitoring Plan’ and California Rapid Assessment Method. The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) formed in 1993 as a 501(c)3 organization and environmental research institution. SFEI’s stated mission is “to deliver visionary science that empowers people and revitalizes nature in our communities.” SFEI is the fiscal agent and implementing entity of the Russian River Regional Monitoring Program (R3MP), which seeks to establish consistent watershed-wide monitoring of environmental health indicators and statistically-rigorous watershed condition assessments over a long term survey period.
This project aligns with the Board’s adopted policy on use of Tribal development mitigation funds by improving environmental health, ecological indicators, water quality and safety in the Russian River and improving the overall quality of life for Sonoma County residents.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
10/13/2026 - Board authorized the use of $950,000 in Lytton Mitigation funds for County departments and nonprofit environmental organizations
3/24/2026 - Board authorized the use of $2.275m in Lytton Mitigation funds for County departments and nonprofit environmental organizations.
9/24/2024 - Board authorized $50,000 in Lytton Mitigation funds for the Progressive Tribal Alliance towards enhancement of cultural education programs and historical trauma classes.
5/31/2024 - Board authorized the use of $750,000 of Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds as part of the FY 24/25 budget process SRJC fire resilience workforce and allocated to Regional Parks to support the Hanson Russian River Floodplain Restoration project - Tab 13 of the FY 24/25 Budget Hearing Materials.
4/16/2024 - Board authorized the County Administrator to use Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds and enter into a funding agreement for $50,000 with the Progressive Tribal Alliance for Native American arts festivals for three years.
9/1/2020 - Board authorized the use of $1,850,000 in Lytton Tribal Mitigation Funds for park improvements, roadway intersection improvements, and oak tree mitigation program.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY26-27 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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|
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|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$1,200,000 |
|
|
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Total Expenditures |
$1,200,000 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
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|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
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State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
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|
|
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Use of Fund Balance |
$1,200,000 |
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|
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General Fund Contingencies |
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|
|
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Total Sources |
$1,200,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
This item will utilize $1,200,000 of available fund balance from the Lytton Tribal Mitigation Fund for work that will begin in FY 26-27. The FY 26-27 projected available fund balance is $1,206,326 and the use of these funds for this purpose is within the parameters of this fund. The attached budget resolution only adds expenditure appropriations for expenses anticipated in FY 26-27, including two grant agreements totaling $1,200,000.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
A. Draft Agreement with City of Ukiah for Russian River Watershed Association
B. Draft Agreement with San Francisco Estuary Institute for the Russian River Regional Monitoring Program
C. Budget Resolution
D. Lytton MOA, 2015
E. MOA Amendment, 2018
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A