Over the past week, the Legislature acted on several budget-related bills, including two “budget bills junior” and a handful of budget trailer bills. The measures introduced and acted upon, collectively reflect an agreement between Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate...
On Thursday, June 13 (ahead of the constitutional deadline of June 15th to pass a balanced budget for the next fiscal year) the Legislature passed the Budget Act of 2024 (Assembly Bill 107), as well as two additional budget related bills, Senate Bill 154 (Suspension...
On May 14th, finance letter proposals were submitted by the Administration to the chairpersons of the budget committees in each house. These proposals provided additional insight and detail into Governor Newsom’s 2024 May Revision released on Friday, May 10,...
On Friday, May 10th, Governor Newson released his Administration’s May Revision of the 2024-25 state budget. This revision is the next step in the State’s budget negotiations with lawmakers, who must pass a budget by June 15 for the July 1 start of the 2023-2024...
On Wednesday, January 10th, Governor Newson released his Administration’s 2024-25 Proposed Budget. This proposal begins the budget development process between the Governor and Legislature; with the onus on lawmakers who must pass a budget by June 15th for the July...
On April 2, U.S. Representatives David Valadao (R-Kings County) and Salud Carbajal (D-San Luis Obispo County) reintroduced the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act. This bipartisan legislation would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve the removal of hazardous trees...
On April 2, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Katherine MacGregor for the role of Deputy Secretary of the Interior. During the hearing, Ms. MacGregor discussed the federal government’s role in using public lands...
This week, Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Tina Smith (D-MN) reintroduced the Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 (one-pager | full text). This measure is designed to modernize Rural Housing Service programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by...
Earlier this week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced increased efforts to manage the state’s gray wolf population, which has become robust and increasingly problematic since the first wolves began migrating from Oregon in 2011. The...
RCRC is sponsoring Senate Bill 496, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield), This measure creates additional pathways for local agency fleets to receive necessary exemptions under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Fleets...
RCRC is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 607 (Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco) with Prosperity California, Housing Action Coalition, and the Bay Area Council. The bill includes several targeted reforms to refocus the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) on real...
On March 21, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution, along with Representatives Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield), Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), and David Valadao (R-Hanford), to repeal the Biden Administration’s listing of the...
RCRC sponsored Assembly Bill 632 (Hart), is heading to the Assembly Committee on Local Government on Wednesday, April 9. RCRC is asking for support letters from our counties to help bolster our advocacy efforts. This measure would enhance local enforcement mechanisms...
This is the third 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...
This week, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) led a group of 31 Senators in a letter that voiced “serious concerns” about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancelation of food purchase programs across the United States. They noted that the cancelation will have harmful...
This week, Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced the establishment of a Joint Task Force which will focus on using underutilized federal land suitable for housing with the aim to increase...
RCRC opposes Assembly Bill 470, authored by Assembly Member Tina McKinnor. This measure would allow any Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) telephone service provider to abandon its obligations to provide reliable and affordable access to basic telephone service in an...
On March 12, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that EPA will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to review the definition of “Waters of the United States.” The agencies will ensure that a revised definition...
On Friday, March 7, Governor Newsom withdrew CalRecycle’s long-anticipated SB 54 regulations, which were expected to be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for final approval before the deadline to finalize regulations under the Administrative Procedure...
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...
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