The Barbed Wire - November 9, 2018

The Golden State’s Economy Shines Brighter When Rural California is Thriving

Rex Bohn, RCRC Chair, Humboldt County Supervisor

The resources, benefits, and opportunities of rural California are often overlooked, and the area underrepresented. While the Rural County Representatives of California’s (RCRC) 36 member counties represent a population larger than 24 states, it’s a challenge to be heard in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. The irony is that the entire state benefits when rural California is thriving.  Read More…

Destructive Camp Fire Continues to Rage Through Butte County

The wildfire known as the Camp Fire raged through the Paradise area in Butte County beginning early Thursday morning, destroying an unknown number of homes and threatening up to 15,000 structures.  The small community has been largely devastated by the fire, which rapidly grew from 1,000 acres on Thursday morning to 70,000 acres Friday morning due to high winds and dry conditions, and continues to spread through the county.  The Camp Fire now threatens the city of Chico with active evacuation warnings in place for several communities in the area and no hope for immediate containment.

Filling in for Governor Jerry Brown while he is out of State, Lieutenant Governor (and Governor-Elect) Gavin Newsom issued an emergency declaration for the wildfire as Acting Governor on Thursday.  Newsom also sent a letter to President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting a Presidential Emergency Declaration for immediate direct federal assistance for communities not only impacted by the Camp Fire, but also the Hill and Woolsey fires in Ventura County, the Nurse Fire in Solano County and several smaller fires in other counties, including Lassen and Mendocino.

The full text of Acting Governor Newsom’s Emergency Declaration can be accessed here

Acting Governor Newsom’s request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration can be accessed here

For up-to-date information on the Camp Fire and other wildfires around California, visit CAL FIRE’s fire incident website.

For the latest evacuation information, follow Butte County, the Butte County Sheriff’s Department, and the CAL FIRE Butte Unit on Twitter.

116th Congress Outlook

With the 2018 midterm elections concluded, the 116th Congress has begun to take shape.  Democrats took control of the House, and Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate.  Races in several of California’s House districts are still too close to call.  More gridlock is expected in a divided Congress, but there will be opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on rural issues such as the Farm Bill and rural broadband. 

Representative Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) will likely chair the House Agriculture Committee in the 116^th Congress where he is expected to scrap the House Republican version of the Farm Bill, and write his own. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) are more likely to reach an agreement with House Democrats over the Farm Bill’s nutrition title.  A House Democrat version of the bill is also expected to remove forest management reform language included in HR 2 that would reform environmental regulations to promote active forest management.  The language was opposed by environmentalists, and not expected to survive in Chairman Peterson’s version as a result.

Representative Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) is expected to Chair the Energy and Commerce Committee, prioritizing issues like health insurance and prescription drug prices.  However, the Energy and Commerce Committee also has jurisdiction over issues related to rural broadband.  Rural broadband is a top issue in Democrats’ “Better Deal” agenda for the 116^th Congress, which pledges to invest $40 billion in high-speed broadband deployment in underserved areas.  Republicans favor an approach to rural broadband that cuts environmental regulations and other red tape, but rural broadband is a bipartisan priority and a potential area for compromise.

Lame-Duck Session

The 115th Congress will begin its lame-duck session next week when legislators are expected to finalize federal spending for Fiscal 2019 and pass a Farm Bill extension before crop insurance programs begin to expire.  The House and Senate hope to pass a federal budget for Fiscal 2019 before the current stopgap spending measure expires on December 7, 2018. 

Several key appropriations packages remain unfinished, including a minibus package of Agriculture, Financial Services, Interior, Transportation-HUD, in addition to Homeland Security, Commerce-Justice-Science, and State-Foreign Operations.  The Trump Administration wants to attach funding for a border wall to the Homeland Security appropriations bill that would force Senate Democrats to filibuster the bill, threatening a government shutdown.

The Farm Bill Conference Committee continued to work through the recess on negotiations for a 2018 Farm Bill. The Committee still lacks a comprehensive framework for a negotiated bill, and the prospects of a new Farm Bill in the lame-duck are dim.  As the calendar creeps closer to January, Congress will pivot to consideration of a Farm Bill extension that would fund expiring programs.  House Democrats are expected to release a new Farm Bill proposal in the 116^th Congress, and a Farm Bill extension will buy Congress time for a fresh start to negotiations. 

THE RURAL RUNDOWN PODCAST

The Rural Rundown discusses the legislative and regulatory issues impacting California’s rural counties, featuring commentary and interviews from individuals committed to improving the quality of life in rural California. 

The Rural Rundown can be accessed here. 

BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

NOFA: CBDG Program for Non-Entitlement Jurisdictions

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Champion Provider Fellowship Application Period Opens

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NOFA: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Round 4

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