On March 12, California’s U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla joined Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden in introducing the Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act, which would expand the Smith River National Recreation Area by 58,000 acres....
On March 7, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced legislation introduced by California’s U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, which would formally recognize the reserved water rights of the Tule River Tribe and quantify the Tribe’s water right of...
On March 10, U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (D-Tulare) and Adam Gray (D-Madera) sent a letter urging President Trump and Governor Newsom to work together to address the long-term operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP). In efforts...
On March 12, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey), Kat Cammack (R-FL-03), Zoe Lofgren (D-Monterey), and Austin Scott (R-GA-08), announced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve access to...
On March 11, Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Riverside County) reintroduced the Ending Major Borderland Environmental Ruin from Wildfires (EMBER) Act, which would reduce the threat of wildfires along the southern border and protect the safety and mission of our Border...
On March 6, the Federally Integrated Species Health Act (FISH Act) was introduced by Representative Ken Calvert (R-Riverside County) in the 119th Congress. This measure seeks to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by transferring certain functions from the...
RCRC, in coalition with local government partners, is sponsoring Senate Bill 496, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado. This measure would provide more flexibility for local agencies implementing the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) mandate by ensuring disaster service...
RCRC, as part of a large coalition, strongly opposes Assembly 339, authored by Assembly Member Liz Ortega. This measure would require the governing body of a local public agency (non-school) to provide written notice to the employee organization no less than 120 days...
On March 1, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to stimulate U.S. timber production. The order directs the USDA, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop plans for eliminating delays in timber production,...
On March 3, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) experienced a significant leadership transition. Chief Randy Moore has retired after a tenure of four and a half decades with the Forest Service. Moore is succeeded by Tom Schultz, who has recently been appointed as the 21st...
On Wednesday, March 26, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is hosting a webinar bringing together state and local planning authorities and other industry leaders to discuss Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) permitting. GO-Biz is in...
On March 4, Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and ten other legislators sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) urging the CPUC to “extend and fully implement” the BioMAT program. The BioMAT program requires investor-owned...
On March 4, the Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform released its final report containing recommendations to reduce red tape and expedite housing, energy, water, and transportation projects. The Select Committee, chaired by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks...
On March 1, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a wildfire-related state of emergency to reduce regulatory barriers for wildfire risk reduction and community protection projects. In particular, the proclamation waives the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and...
On March 5, Congress Members Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte), Mike Thompson (D-Napa), Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), and Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) introduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation exempts from federal...
On March 4, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins delivered remarks to hundreds of local leaders at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington DC. There, she discussed rural prosperity, economic aid distribution, and the Farm...
RCRC is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 501, authored by Senator Benjamin Allen (D-Santa Monica) with the National Stewardship Action Council. This measure establishes an extended producer responsibility program for manufacturers of certain types of products that become...
Last week, RCRC delegates, including RCRC Chair, Modoc County Supervisor Geri Byrne; RCRC 1st Vice Chair, Mariposa County Supervisor Miles Menetrey; RCRC 2nd Vice Chair, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Bob Nelson; RCRC Immediate Past Chair, Monterey County Supervisor...
GSCA has successfully completed work across all 37 Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grants, serving 30 member counties and seven cities. This significant achievement culminates in the delivery of construction-ready network designs, approximately 40 miles of...
The Rural Advancement Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established to facilitate education and research on issues impacting rural California. Visit RAI’s website to learn more about the work and how it addresses rural challenges and opportunities. Home | RAI...
On Friday, February 21st, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) held an all-day workshop to consider changes to existing policies regarding the safety and reliability of electrical distribution systems. Factors such as aging infrastructure, climate-driven...
On Monday, Governor Newsom announced accountability measures for local jurisdictions to demonstrate results to continue receiving state homelessness funding. Communities that receive awards through the newest round of HHAP (Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention)...
On February 25, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and all Committee Democrats in a letter asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for details about...
On February 25, the U.S. House of Representatives passed their budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 14) by a vote of 217-215. This step will allow the reconciliation process to begin, a legislative procedure that only requires simple majorities from both chambers to enact...
On Thursday, February 27th, the Little Hoover Commission conducted the first of several hearings on electricity costs. At the hearing, Severin Borenstein from UC Berkeley and Matthew Freedman from The Utility Reform Network were joined by RCRC’s John Kennedy and...
RCRC is co-sponsoring Assembly Bill 993, authored by Assembly Member Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas) with the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators (on behalf of the CUPA Forum). This measure would expand eligibility for CalEPA’s Rural Certified...
This is the second installment of the RCRC Board Member Spotlight, a recurring feature of the Barbed Wire! The Board Member Spotlight is intended to familiarize subscribers with RCRC Board members, providing insights from their background in public service to their...
On February 20, at the direction of Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) initiated a review of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA). This review will help determine whether roughly $4 billion in taxpayer...
On February 13, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mazie Hirono (D-HI, and James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act (S. 602), bipartisan legislation to promote research on how grazing can support...
The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Reauthorization Act (S. 356/H.R. 1383) has been introduced in the 119th Congress amid pressure to act swiftly to avoid significant budget cuts or tax hikes. Attempts to pass SRS legislation in the 118th Congress failed, despite...
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