A number of Supervisors from California counties made the trek to Washington, DC for the inauguration, including RCRC Chair, Supervisor Geri Byrne (Modoc County) and Second Vice-Chair, Bob Nelson (Santa Barbara County). Extending their stay to focus on RCRC county issues, the two Officers met with Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale); the Office of Representative David Valadao (R-Hanford); and John Veale, Executive Director of the Congressional Western Caucus. RCRC priorities discussed in those meetings covered a variety of topics, including the urgency of securing funding for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) programs; challenges facing rural hospitals; the importance of the Farm Bill; and challenges of water management and conservation.
The full contingent of RCRC Officers will be returning to our nation’s capital in February when they will meet with dozens of Agency personnel and members of Congress over several days during RCRC’s annual Officers Fly-In, prior to attending the Legislative Conference of the National Association of Counties.
For more information, please contact Mary-Ann Warmerdam, RCRC Senior Vice President for Government Affairs.