RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.
Senate Bill 167 (Skinner): Housing Accountability Act. Senate Bill 167 would make significant changes to the HAA with new terms and definitions; broaden the ability to sue local governments, and increases fines on local governments. The author has committed to taking amendments to address local government concerns. Status: SB 167 awaits action in the Assembly Local Government Committee. RCRC Position: Neutral
Senate Bill 265 (Berryhill): Disaster Relief. Senate Bill 265 provides that the state share for the removal of dead and dying trees in connection with the Governor's Proclamation of a State of Emergency issued on the specified date. Status: Awaits action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Senate Bill 506 (Nielsen): Streambed Alteration Agreements. Senate Bill 506 would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to update its Website to provide more useful information to landowners regarding streambed alteration agreements. Status: SB 506 awaits action on the Assembly Floor: Consent Calendar. RCRC Position: Support
Senate Bill 563 (Lara): Residential Wood Smoke. Senate Bill 563 would establish the Woodsmoke Reduction Program to replace old wood-burning stoves with cleaner and more efficient alternatives. Status: SB 563 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support
Senate Bill 577 (Dodd): Public Postsecondary Education: Community College. Senate Bill 577 would allow community college districts to offer a teacher credentialing program. Status: SB 577 awaits action in the Assembly Higher Education Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Senate Bill 623 (Monning): Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Senate Bill 623 would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. SB 623 would provide grants, loans, or services to assist those without access to safe and affordable drinking water. Status: SB awaits action in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose Unless Amended
Senate Bill 649 (Hueso): Wireless Telecommunications Facilities. Senate Bill 649 would amend an existing law which provides that a wireless telecommunications collocation facility is subject to a city or county discretionary permit and is required to comply with specified criteria. Status: Awaits action in the Assembly Communications & Conveyance Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
Assembly Bill 64 (Bonta): Cannabis: Medical and Nonmedical. Assembly Bill 64 would amend the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act. Status: AB 64 awaits action in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Comm. RCRC Position: Watch
Assembly Bill 84 (Mullin): Primary Elections: Election Date. Assembly Bill 84 would require the presidential primary election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. AB 84 would also require that the statewide direct primary election be held on that same day and consolidated with the presidential primary election during a presidential primary election year. Status: AB 84 awaits action in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
Assembly Bill 148 (Mathis): California Physician Corps Program: Practice Setting. Assembly Bill 148 would revise the definition of “practice setting” for the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program (Program) to include rural area clinics that have 30 percent of patients from medically underserved populations. Status: AB 148 awaits action in the Senate Health Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 174 (Bigelow): California Transportation Commission (CTC): Membership. Assembly Bill 174 would require that at least one voting member serving on the California Transportation Commission reside in a rural county with a population less than 100,000 individuals. Status: AB 174 awaits action in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 211 (Bigelow): State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fees. Assembly Bill 211 would require the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to provide an annual report to the Legislature which would itemize each expenditure on the State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention Fee indefinitely. Status: AB 211 awaits action in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 425 (Caballero): Timber Harvesting Plans: Exemptions: Temporary Roads. Assembly Bill 425 would expand the Forest Fire Prevention Pilot Project Exemption to allow the construction or reconstruction of temporary roads on slopes of 40 percent or less if certain conditions are met, including that a registered professional forester designates temporary road locations, associated class III watercourse crossings, and unstable areas, on specified maps. Status: AB 425 awaits action in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 524 (Bigelow): Personal Income Tax: Deduction: Remove Dead and Dying Trees. Assembly Bill 524 would allow a personal income tax deduction for expenses paid or incurred by a taxpayer in the taxable year in connection with the removal of a dead or dying tree on real property owned by the taxpayer. Status: AB 524 awaits action in the Assembly. Status: Support
Assembly Bill 560 (Salas): State Drinking Water Revolving Fund. Assembly Bill 560 would require the State Water Resources Control Board to provide a range of financing options to water system projects that serve severely disadvantaged communities. Status: AB 560 awaits action in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 653 (Ridley-Thomas): Property Taxation: Exemption: Indian Tribes. Assembly Bill 653 would exempt from taxation property owned in fee by a federally-recognized Native American tribe. Status: AB 653 awaits action in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
Assembly Bill 920 (Aguiar-Curry): Electricity: Integrated Resource Plans. Assembly Bill 920 would Requires the Public Utilities Commission, when reviewing a load-serving entity's integrated resource plan, to evaluate the mix of resources in the entity's portfolios to ensure balance. Status: AB 920 awaits action in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee. RCRC Position: Support
Assembly Bill 924 (Bonta): Indian Tribes: Commercial Cannabis Activity. Assembly Bill 924 would authorize the Governor to enter into agreements concerning cannabis activities on lands of federally-recognized sovereign Indian tribes. Status: AB 924 awaits action in the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
Assembly Bill 1066 (Aguiar-Curry): Public Works: Definition. Assembly Bill 1066 which would revise the definition of the term “demolition” as it relates to public works to include tree removal for the purposes of payment of prevailing wages. Status: AB 1066 awaits action in the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch
Assembly Bill 1250 (Jones-Sawyer): Counties and Cities: Personal Contract Services. Assembly Bill 1250 would establish specific standards for the use of personal services contracts by counties. Status: AB 1250 awaits action in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
Assembly Bill 1665 (Garcia, Eduardo): Telecommunications: Advanced Services Fund: AB 1665 would revise eligibility requirements for projects and project applicants for grants funded from the California Advanced Services Fund. Status: AB 1665 awaits action in the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose Unless Amended
Assembly Bill 1667 (Friedman): Agricultural Water Management. Assembly Bill 1667 would make permanent agricultural water conservation criteria established as part of the Governor’s response to the drought. Status: AB 1667 awaits action in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. RCRC Status: Oppose
