To: Board of Supervisors
From: Agricultural Commissioner
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of Cooperative Agreement No. 20-0506-020-SF Sudden Oak Mortality Regulatory Program Contract in the Amount of $19,477.41
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve Cooperative Agreement No. 20-0506-020-SF known as the Sudden Oak Mortality Regulatory Program contract with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA);
2. Authorize the Chair to sign the original agreement, and direct the Clerk of the Board to return the signed agreement to the Agricultural Commissioner’s office for further processing; and
3. Grant a waiver from the provisions of the Nuclear Free Ordinance
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
CDFA
DISCUSSION:
The request for a waiver from the provisions of the Nuclear Free Ordinance is requested since the State of California will not modify its cooperative agreements to accommodate local ordinances. The Agricultural Commissioner’s Office receives annual subventions from CDFA to offset the local costs of enforcing certain state-mandated programs. Cooperative Agreement No. 20-0506-020-SF provides funding to Humboldt County for the Sudden Oak Mortality Regulatory Program.
First identified in the mid-1990s, Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a disease of oak trees caused by an invasive plant pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum. SOD currently occurs in coastal California counties from Monterey to Humboldt and in a small portion of southwest Oregon. Since its identification, the SOD pathogen is estimated to have killed millions of oak and tanoak trees. In addition to oaks, more than 100 other plant species are susceptible to the pathogen, but most suffer only minor damage limited to leaf spots or twig dieback. There are currently more than 120 plants regulated as hosts for SOD, many of which are important to the wood products and plant horticulture industries.
To facilitate commerce for these industries, Humboldt County through the SOD Regulatory Program provides a process that permits the movement of plants and plant products subject to state and federal SOD quarantines. Through the mechanism of compliance agreements between plant products producers and the Agriculture Department, staff conduct regular intensive visual inspections of host species and collect plant samples annually for laboratory testing. The SOD program ensures that nursery stock, wood products, green waste and compost produced in Humboldt County are not responsible for artificially spreading the SOD pathogen. The entire scope of work conducted by Humboldt County to ensure producer compliance with SOD quarantines includes; quarantine enforcement, eradication, trace-forward/trace-back investigations, communication with industry, and training.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no net cost to Humboldt County for the SOD regulatory program. All costs for personnel, mileage and supplies will be reimbursed by the agreement. Cooperative Agreement No. 20-0506-020-SF provides $19,477.41 for agriculture department activities related to the SOD regulatory program from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The department’s previously adopted budget for fiscal year 2020-21 (budget unit 1100-261) included these revenues in anticipation of this agreement, therefore no supplemental budget accompanies this request, and therefore there is no additional impact to the General Fund. All costs associated with the SOD Regulatory Program are billed to CDFA on a monthly basis and payment is made in arrears to Humboldt County. This agreement is late coming to your Board for approval as it was received from CDFA on Sept. 2, 2020.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by enforcing laws and regulations to protect residents Click here to type another item(s) from the Strategic Framework, or leave as a period.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
CDFA
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board discretion
ATTACHMENTS:
One complete Cooperative Agreement No. 20-0506-020-SF
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: Click or tap here to enter text.
Meeting of: Click or tap here to enter text.
File No.: Click or tap here to enter text.