The Lake County/City Area Planning Council (APC) is the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for the Lake County region. The RTPA was established in 1972 by a Joint Powers Agreement after the Transportation Development Act (TDA) was passed. The Council consists of eight members – two board members from the Lake County Board of Supervisors, two council members from the City of Lakeport, two council members from the City of Clearlake, and two at large citizen members appointed by the Board of Supervisors.

Initially, the duties of the RTPAs were to administer TDA locally, which was to ensure appropriate local transportation choices were made with the 1/4 cent of the State sales tax. Over the years, RTPA duties have gradually expanded. In 1997, Senate Bill 45 became law and further increased the duties and responsibilities of the RTPAs relative to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP is a five-year list of transportation projects which is approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC).

Lake APC also manages the call boxes in Lake County by administering the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) program. Funds to administer the program are received through an annual registration fee of one dollar per registered vehicle paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles.