On December 3, 2025, a group of 89 Congressmembers sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to House Leadership urging swift consideration of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 (SRS). RCRC-member counties and other rural counties across the nation...
Join us on December 15th for an exclusive webinar providing details on implementing the new labor noticing rules for public contracting established by AB 339. Hosted by RCRC in partnership with the California State Association of Counties, League of California Cities,...
On December 3, 2025, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a package of seven broadband-related bills aimed at accelerating deployment of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program established under the Bipartisan...
On November 25, the Department of the Interior issued Secretary’s Order 3446 directing the Bureau of Reclamation to implement changes to construction contracting and project management processes for federally funded facilities across 17 Western states. The order...
The RCRC Board of Directors will hold a Breakfast Session on Wednesday, December 10th at 8:00 a.m., where Professor Alan Murray, Vice Chair for Academic Personnel at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), will present key findings from the Rural...
Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties. Patrick Deedon, of Shasta County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Shasta County Superior Court. Deedon has been a Partner at Maire & Deedon since 2013...
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. Western governors gathered in Arizona focus on rising electricity demand driven by AI data...
The Barbed Wire will be on hiatus, November 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will return Friday, December 5th with the latest legislative and regulatory news impacting California’s rural...
On November 17, RCRC, along with the League of California Cities, and the California State Association of Counties, submitted joint comments on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireline Deployment Notice of Information...
On November 18, 2025, RCRC wrote a letter to U.S. House leadership, urging the swift consideration of the Secure Rural Schools Act (S. 356). This bipartisan measure was approved by the Senate on June 18, 2025, and has since been stalled in the House. Also this week,...
On November 20, the Air Resources Board (ARB) considered and “approved” updates to the state’s Landfill Methane Regulation, which seeks to reduce landfill emissions and enable to earlier detection and mitigation of subsurface temperature events. At the hearing, RCRC...
On November 17, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle announced a proposed rule that would establish a clear definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the...
On November 19, the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced four proposed rules to restore Endangered Species Act regulations to their 2019 and 2020 framework. The proposals, two of which were issued in coordination with the Department of...
On November 19, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) introduced the Determination of NEPA Adequacy Streamlining Act. This bill would streamline the approval process to advance essential water, transportation, energy, infrastructure, and flood-control projects by allowing...
A monthly update regarding the important work of RCRC’s affiliate entities, providing innovative services for the benefit of rural communities. GSNR/GSFA Modoc National Forest Project Receives NEPA Approval On November 7, 2025, the Forest Supervisor for the...
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. AT&T wants to axe landlines in California. Here’s who may be hurt – CalMatters AT&T’s...
On November 10th, RCRC submitted formal comments to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on its proposed updates to the Landfill Methane Regulation. RCRC joined a broad industry and local government coalition letter (available here) and also submitted its own...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced it will not move forward with a national recovery plan for gray wolves, stating in a November 3 finding that the species should not remain federally protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Gray wolves...
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. How California officials started killing endangered gray wolves – The San Francisco Chronicle With...
On October 13, 2025, Governor Newsom completed final action on bills sent to him by the Legislature for the year. Of the 917 bills sent to his desk, the Governor signed 794 and vetoed 123. RCRC’s Legislative Digest is a thorough guide to significant bills...
Join RCRC on December 15th for an exclusive webinar for county employees, providing “need to know” details about recent Brown Act changes within SB 707 (Durazo). Hosted by RCRC in partnership with the California State Association of Counties, Urban...
On November 3rd, RCRC formally opposed the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Proposed Decision that would terminate the state’s BioMAT program on December 31, 2025. The BioMAT program requires the CPUC to establish a new feed-in-tariff program for small...
The Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight body, released a report on the high costs of electricity in California and made several policy recommendations to address high energy prices. Unfortunately, the Little Hoover Commission’s report does...
On Tuesday, more than 600 experts and thought leaders in the wildfire mitigation space convened in San Francisco to discuss policies, technologies and strategies to further address California’s catastrophic wildfire issue. The Red Sky Summit, hosted by the...
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits lapsed in many states over the weekend for the first time in the program’s 60-year history, as the federal government shutdown continues. However, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) planned to...
On November 5, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to consider the “Nomination of Glen Smith to serve as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development”. In his testimony, Mr. Smith outlined what he considers three core...
Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties. Steven Orihuela, of Bishop, has been appointed to the 18th District Agricultural Association Eastern Sierra Tri County Fair Board. Orihuela has been Tribal Chairman at...
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. For rural Californians, unreliable power has become the norm – High Country News RCRC’s...
On November 4, 2025, California will hold a Statewide Special Election to determine the fate of Proposition 50. Remember to vote, either in person or by mail to make your voice heard. At the September meeting of the RCRC Board of Directors, the board received a...
The Federal shutdown continues with no clear pathway to resolution, as Senate Democrats left town Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes in the House for the fifth straight week, in an effort to put pressure on Senate Democrats to accept the House-passed...
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