Aug 29, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Fix Our Forests Act

RCRC strongly supports the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471/S. 1462), which is co-sponsored by 21 members of California’s Congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. This measure would provide pathways

Aug 22, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 632 (Hart) – Local Ordinances: Administrative Fines or Penalties

Assembly Bill 632, sponsored by RCRC and authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), seeks to strengthen local enforcement mechanisms for state

Aug 15, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 340 (Ahrens) – Public Employee Communications

RCRC, in coalition with our public agency partners, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 340, authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Cupertino). This measure seeks to broadly expand confidential communication protections by barring a public employer from

Jul 11, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 531 – Geothermal Project Permitting

Assembly Bill 531, authored by Assembly Member Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa), seeks to usurp local land use authority for smaller geothermal energy projects under 50MW by allowing developers to bypass local governments and seek approval through the California Energy Commission’s AB 205 opt-in permitting process. 

Jul 03, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 769 - The Golden State Infrastructure Corporation Act

Senate Bill 769, authored by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced), seeks to establish the Golden State Infrastructure Corporation within the State Treasurer’s Office to offer flexible financing solutions for infrastructure projects throughout California. 

Jun 20, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 28 (Schiavo) - Solid Waste Landfills: Subsurface Temperatures

Assembly Bill 28, authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Santa Clarita), seeks to create a temperature monitoring and reporting regime for landfills.  Specifically, AB 28 would require landfill operators to

Jun 13, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 690 (Schultz) - Criminal Procedure: Indigent Defense Compensation

RCRC, in coalition with our county partners, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 690, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank). This measure would create additional mandates for the provision of indigent defense services, resulting in increased cost pressures to counties statewide estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.  

Jun 06, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 1337 (Ward) - Information Practices Act of 1977

RCRC, along with a coalition of other public agency stakeholders, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 1337, authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego). This measure would impose significant costs and liability on state and local governments and jeopardize essential service delivery

May 30, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Bill of the Week:  AB 1156 (Wicks) Williamson Act: Solar-Use Easements

Assembly Bill 1156, authored by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks (D, Oakland), seeks to update a law allowing solar use easements on Williamson Act lands, thereby putting unproductive farmland to use for renewable energy generation. RCRC has removed its opposition to the bill and now supports the measure

May 23, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   Bill of the Week Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees Act on Nearly 1,100 Bills

In simultaneous hearings Friday, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees took action on nearly 1,100 bills on their respective suspense files. Measures with cost impacts over the committee-designated Suspense File threshold faced one of three possible outcomes