The Barbed Wire - October 19, 2018

Proposition 3 is Good for Northern California

Doug Teeter, RCRC Water & Natural Resources Chair (Butte)

The Rural County Representatives of California, of which Butte County is a member, supports Proposition 3, the Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018, on the November ballot.  This citizens’ initiative provides us a unique opportunity to invest in projects that serve California rural communities, including Northern California. The Initiative provides funding for a variety of purposes, including forest and watershed improvements ($300 million), Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation ($640 million), flood plan implementation ($150 million) and agricultural land protection.  Read More…

President Trump Weighs in on California’s Forest Management

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump blamed California’s catastrophic wildfires on the state’s environmental laws, and threatened to withhold federal support for wildfire suppression if the state does not repeal its environmental regulations.  President Trump complained the federal government is paying “hundreds of billions of dollars” in wildfire relief “because of incompetence in California.”  

The outburst came shortly after a cabinet meeting where U.S Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue updated the President on the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) efforts to help combat wildfires in California and other western states.

Despite President Trump’s wildfire relief estimations, the federal government spent less than $3 billion in 2017 on wildfire suppression and relief activities.  Furthermore, while President Trump criticized California’s state forest policy, he failed to acknowledge that 20 percent of the state’s forest land is managed by USFS, and is where much of California’s recent wildfire activity and forest land management needs are most urgent.    This is the second time in recent months that President Trump has blamed California’s unprecedented wildfire season on the state’s environmental and forest management policies.

Rural Broadband Update

On October 23, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on a rule change that will restrict rural carrier’s access to spectrum needed to close the digital divide.  Rural counties across the country often rely on small local providers to offer broadband services where the large nationwide carriers refuse to provide coverage.  

Small carriers deliver high-speed internet to millions of rural Americans at an affordable rate in areas where nationwide carriers refuse to build networks.  Despite the important role these carriers play for rural broadband customers, the FCC will vote to restrict small carriers’ access to low-cost spectrum next week.

The Report and Order drafted by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will change the rules for the “Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service” (CBRS) program which provides affordable spectrum licenses for census tract areas.  These licenses are more beneficial to large rural counties because they enable local carriers to provide broadband to smaller population centers.  CTIA, a telecommunications trade association representing nationwide carriers and other stakeholders, petitioned the FCC to eliminate the census tract licenses because they interfere with larger networks. CTIA and T-Mobile proposed a “compromise” to the FCC to expand the license area from census tracts to counties. Critics argue nationwide carriers would abuse a county license by over-building in urban centers to meet their build-out requirements without adding service for under-served rural areas.

Rural advocates will intensify their political pressure in the days leading up to the FCC’s vote to encourage Members of Congress to speak out on their behalf.

The Rural Rundown Podcast: Breaking Down the 2018 Ballot Measures

California’s midterm election is November 6^th, and there are 11 statewide ballot measures for California voters to consider this year.  In this episode of The Rural Rundown, RCRC’s Justin Caporusso and Paul A. Smith discuss the upcoming midterm election, and the statewide ballot measures of particular interest to California’s rural counties.  Read More…

RCRC Promotes Arthur Wylene to General Counsel

Earlier this week, the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) announced the promotion of Arthur Wylene to General Counsel.  In his new role, Wylene will be responsible for providing counsel to RCRC and its affiliate entities on a variety of internal matters as well as continuing to provide legal analysis on proposed legislation and regulations.  Mr. Wylene previously served as RCRC Governmental Affairs Counsel.  Read More…

RCRC Visits Sonoma County

On Tuesday, RCRC staff visited Sonoma County to provide an organizational overview and present on RCRC’s key advocacy areas to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. 

Mary-Ann Warmerdam, RCRC Senior Legislative Advocate, and Tracy Rhine, RCRC Legislative Advocate, discussed advocacy efforts related to wildfire and forest management, water, housing and homelessness, broadband, Federal Farm Bill, and other state and federal efforts.  Craig Ferguson, RCRC Vice President, provided a brief overview of Golden State Finance Authority and National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. 

Sonoma County was recently added to the RCRC membership, bringing the total number of RCRC member counties to thirty-six. 

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.

California Forward and the California Economic Summit Promote “Elevate Rural CA”

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2018 California Economic Summit

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The U.S. Department of the Interior Seeks Public Comment on a Proposed Categorical Exclusion Under the National Environmental Policy Act for Certain Transfers of Title of Projects and Facilities from the Bureau of Reclamation to Qualifying Non-Federal Entities

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