On October 21, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry convened a markup to consider the Fix Our Forests Act (S.1462 | one pager). The measure passed out of committee on a vote of 18 to 5, with Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Cory Booker...
A court filing submitted Monday, October 20, in a federal court in San Francisco revealed that the Department of the Interior plans to lay off 2,050 employees across 89 offices, including 272 positions within the National Park Service (NPS). The layoffs were set to...
Glenn County’s only hospital, Glenn Medical Center, closed its doors on September 30 after losing a federal designation critical to its financial survival. The closure has left thousands of residents without nearby emergency care and sparked bipartisan efforts in...
Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties. Andrew “Dru” Alejandre, of Corning, has been appointed Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission. Alejandre has been Tribal Liaison at Emic...
RCRC press releases and related news clips about RCRC and our member counties. Please note that a subscription may be required to read some external publications. Keeping Water Affordable in California – Public Policy Institute of California Water agencies all...
This week, RCRC President and CEO Patrick Blacklock presented $115,200 to ten Modoc County nonprofits at the Modoc County Board of Supervisors meeting. The funds were raised by rural community and business leaders from across the state, during RCRC’s County...
On October 13, the Governor took action on the measures that remained on his desk for consideration. Of the 917 bills sent to the Governor’s desk during this legislative year, 794 were signed, and 123 vetoed. Of those measures, RCRC-sponsored Assembly Bill 993...
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced upcoming public forums for PG&E customers to share feedback on the utility’s proposed 2027 General Rate Case (GRC). PG&E is seeking an 8 percent increase in revenues—approximately $1.24 billion...
On October 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued policy guidance directing regional offices to work with local, state, Tribal, and federal partners to remove barriers in State Implementation Plans (SIPs) that discourage prescribed fires. In the...
The federal government shutdown continues with no agreement in sight. On Thursday this week, the Senate once again did not advance the House-passed stopgap funding bill. The House remains out of session, at the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson. Negotiations over...
RCRC press releases and related news clips about RCRC and our member counties. Please note that a subscription may be required to read some external publications. What’s at Stake in Proposition 50? – Public Policy Institute of California This November Californians...
The federal government remains shut down with no agreement in sight. The Senate has yet to advance a stopgap funding bill. Without a significant change in stance from either party, and with no compromise on the horizon, the upper chamber is expected to continue voting...
Last week, RCRC expressed support for a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Jim Costa (CA-21, D-Fresno) and Representative Blake Moore (UT-1), which would create a commission to provide recommendations to help advance Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and...
On October 6, Governor Newsom signed AB 531 (Rogers, D-Santa Rosa), which expands the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) AB 205 opt-in-permitting program to include smaller geothermal energy projects under 50MW. In doing so, the law allows project developers to...
On October 7, RCRC submitted comments on CalRecycle’s latest draft regulations seeking to implement the SB 54 single use packaging law. SB 54 (Allen) of 2022 requires manufacturers of single use packaging and food service ware to take responsibility for the...
On September 18, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a Proposed Decision that would effectively end the state’s BioMAT program on December 31, 2025. BioMAT is the outgrowth of Senate Bill 1122 (Rubio) of 2012, which requires the CPUC to establish...
Last week, RCRC joined a new rulemaking at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to examine the telecommunications emergency preparedness and network resiliency program. This existing program includes 72-hour backup power requirements as well as network...
On October 7, the U.S. Senate confirmed a package of en bloc nominations by a vote of 51–47. The bloc of over 100 nominees included John W. Busterud, who will serve as Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Land and Emergency...
RCRC press releases and related news clips about RCRC and our member counties. Please note that a subscription may be required to read some external publications. Why Prop 50 Threatens Rural Representation – AgNet West Proposition 50 has emerged as one of the most...
The federal government shut down on October 1, 2025, at 12:01 a.m., following the rejection of H.R. 5371 in the U.S. Senate. Federal agencies have begun implementing contingency plans, due to a lapse in appropriations. While essential services such as Social Security...
On October 1, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 993 (Hadwick), co-sponsored by RCRC and the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators. AB 993 expands eligibility for CalEPA’s Rural Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Reimbursement program to...
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) announced the opening of the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions with $15 million available for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Local jurisdictions can be awarded up to $75,000 for...
On September 29, the U.S. Senators of California, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, announced a trio of bipartisan, bicameral bills to promote Tribal management of over 2,000 acres of land in California. The bills would transfer federal land to the Yuhaaviatam of San...
On September 30, Representative Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), Representative Troy Balderson (R-OH-12), and Representative Doris Matsui (D-West Sacramento) led a bipartisan coalition of 70 Members of Congress to urge House and Senate leadership to extend telehealth...
RCRC press releases and related news clips about RCRC and our member counties. Please note that a subscription may be required to read some external publications. Supervisors updated on highs, lows of ARPA broadband investment – Daily Republic Solano County is...
RCRC wishes to thank the participants of the 2025 Annual Meeting, our generous sponsors, and the expert panelists, industry insiders, and our keynote speaker who, together, made this a memorable event. This year, over 325 participants, including representatives from...
The Circular Action Alliance will kick off its California Consultation Series to engage with California cities, counties, and stakeholders to inform its implementation of the SB 54 single use packaging law. Circular Action Alliance was selected by CalRecycle to serve...
On September 23, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released proposed regulations updating its existing Landfill Methane Regulation (LRM). The release begins the formal regulatory process. Written comments must be submitted by November 10th and CARB will hold...
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $200 million in grant funding for 58 community wildfire resilience projects across the nation. This funding includes nearly $25 million for projects in California, most of which are in RCRC member...
This week, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-Bakersfield) introduced the Water Infrastructure Resiliency Act (H.R. 5513), in partnership with Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01). This bipartisan bill aims to empower communities to modernize their water management systems by...
Sarah Dukett
Senior Policy Advocate
Leigh Kammerich
Senior Policy Advocate
John Kennedy
Senior Policy Advocate
Staci Heaton
Senior Policy Advocate
Tracy Rhine
Senior Policy Advocate
Eric Will
Policy Advocate
Mary-Ann Warmerdam
Senior Vice President Governmental Affairs