The Barbed Wire - May 4, 2018

May 4, 2018
Key Legislative Budget Committee Discusses State PILT
RCRC and NHF Distribute Laptops to Butte County Foster Youth
Placer County Unveils @TheGrounds
2018 Farm Bill Update
Rural Broadband
RCRC Launches Podcast – Subscribe to The Rural Rundown!!!
Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 1912 (Rodriguez) – OPPOSE
California State Library Recognizes Tuolumne County
THE RURAL RUNDOWN PODCAST
BULLETIN BOARD
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
REGULATORY UPDATE

Key Legislative Budget Committee Discusses State PILT

This week, the conversation around the State Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program was given a bit of life with the leadership of Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg).  Using the budget process, Senator McGuire requested the Senate Budget Subcommittee on State Administration and General Government reinstate the State’s obligation to remit State PILT payments to the 36 State PILT counties.  

In 2015, the State Budget included language in the Fish and Game Code that changed a decades long commitment from a mandatory payment to a permissive one.  Senator McGuire has been tireless in seeking to return the Fish and Game Code to, once again, require the State to remit these payments, as evident in this letter.

RCRC supported this effort, and joined in the presentation of the proposal to the Subcommittee for consideration.  While no vote was taken (none was expected), the Subcommittee expressed some sympathy for the request.  The request will be forwarded and considered as the state budget process moves forward with an anticipated passage of a package on June 15th.

RCRC and NHF Distribute Laptops to Butte County Foster Youth

On Tuesday, Supervisor Doug Teeter (Butte) joined representatives from RCRC, National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. (NHF) and iFoster at the Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services’ 4th Annual Graduation Celebration for the Class of 2018.  Following the event, more than 75 eligible foster youth and former foster youth aged 16-21 in Butte County will be receiving laptops, courtesy of RCRC and NHF’s joint $400,000 statewide contribution to iFoster’s 1 Laptop Program for Foster Youth.  

In late 2017, RCRC and NHF’s Boards of Directors each approved providing $200,000 to support the 1 Laptop Program.  Through this one-time contribution, more than 1,100 eligible foster youth and former foster youth in care will receive laptops within RCRC’s 35 member counties, including more than 75 in Butte County.

“Our foster youth deserve the tools that help open the doors of opportunity and information,” said Supervisor Teeter.  “It is a honor to serve with 34 rural county Supervisors who unanimously voted to team up with iFoster in providing a computer to each of them.”

The 1 Laptop Program is run by iFoster, a national non-profit serving the child welfare community, including formal foster care, guardianship, informal kinship care, transition-age youth (16-24) and probation.  iFoster’s mission is to ensure that every child growing up outside of their biological home has the resources they need to become independent adults and to have access to opportunities to reach their full potential.  The 1 Laptop Program is designed for foster youth and former foster youth ages 16-21.

Details on the RCRC/NHF partnership and contribution to California’s foster youth can be accessed here.  Details on iFoster can be accessed here.

Placer County Unveils @TheGrounds

On Tuesday, RCRC Delegate and Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes joined California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, and Placer Valley Tourism at the official unveiling of @TheGrounds in Roseville.  @TheGrounds is a collaboration between Placer Valley Tourism and Placer County to rejuvenate the Placer County Fairgrounds, expanding upon event capabilities into the winter months.  

The Placer County Fairgrounds has been in disrepair for the last several years. Placer County is fortunate to be able to partner with Placer Valley Tourism to have the fairgrounds become a year around events center and a destination point. We envision a large scale Farmer’s Market , the continuation and enhancement  of the Junior Livestock Auction, outdoor playing fields, and a quality conference center. It will be exciting to watch the growth of the @Grounds in the next few years.

Placer Valley Tourism was formed in 2004 as a Business Improvement Area to improve the health of the lodging industry primarily through increasing room sales and rates.  Over the years, the organization has transformed itself so that it is not only able to attract and assist events to come to Roseville, Rocklin, and Lincoln, but now has the capacity to help improve tourism oriented facilities.

Detailed information on @TheGrounds can be accessed here.

2018 Farm Bill Update

Congress is in recess this week, but Congressional staff members remain hard at work to meet the September deadline to reauthorize the Farm Bill.  House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) is expected to bring the House of Representatives’ version of the 2018 Farm Bill to the House Floor for a vote the week of May 14th, but an ongoing fight over the amendment process might delay Representative Conaway’s timeline.  

House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Colin Peterson (D-Minnesota) is urging his colleagues to withhold amendments because the Republican-backed bill is “unfixable,” but conservative House members, such as Representative Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina), are lobbying the House Rules Committee to allow an open amendment process.  Conservative Republicans want to submit amendments to reduce spending across multiple titles of the Bill, but Representative Conaway argues any amendments that alter the food stamp program, farm subsidies, or crop insurance will undermine the Bill.  

Last month, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) hinted at a mid-May timeline for introducing the Senate’s version of a Farm Bill.  Senator Roberts is working with his ranking member, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), to produce a more bi-partisan effort that is more likely to resemble the final text of the 2018 Farm Bill.

Rural Broadband

On Sunday, T-Mobile announced it will acquire Sprint in a blockbuster telecommunications deal with dramatic implications for broadband deployment in rural America.  The company CEO’s are selling the deal as a win for rural America, and argue the newly-formed company will bring more jobs and more broadband to less-populated regions.  

Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is planning to release new spectrum licensing rules that will impact the rural broadband landscape.  New licensing rules are an opportunity for the FCC to give rural communities more self-determination when it comes to broadband deployment.  Rural providers are lobbying the FCC to adopt a spectrum policy that will lower barriers to entry for small local broadband players in the market place.  The nationwide providers (Verizon and AT&T) are able to function as a monopoly in many rural areas, and have little incentive to increase access for rural consumers. These monopolies benefit from FCC spectrum regulations that benefit large carriers.  A coalition of rural providers, the Wireless Internet Service Providers, recently sent a letter to the FCC urging the agency to adopt spectrum policy that promotes more competition for providers in rural America.

RCRC Launches Podcast – Subscribe to The Rural Rundown!!!

Have you heard?  RCRC has launched its own podcast!  The Rural Rundown discusses the legislative and regulatory issues impacting California’s rural counties, featuring commentary and interviews from individuals committed to improving the quality of life in rural California. In this episode, we'll be talking about RCRC's April Board of Directors Meeting, which was held in beautiful Humboldt County April 25-26, 2018.  

Justin Caporusso, RCRC's Director of External Affairs is joined by Rex Bohn, RCRC's 2018 Chair and Humboldt County Supervisor, Julie Kreitzer, Owner of the Golden Gait Mercantile in Ferndale (Humboldt County), and Paul A. Smith, RCRC's Vice President of Governmental Affairs.

The Rural Rundown can be accessed here, or wherever you get your Podcasts. 

Be sure to subscribe, and rate and review The Rural Rundown!

Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 1912 (Rodriguez) – OPPOSE

RCRC has officially opposed Assembly Bill 1912 by Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona).  AB 1912 seeks to apply joint several liabilities to all parties – both current and former – involved in a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) agreement.  

Current law establishes various public agency retirement systems where each system provide defined pension benefits to public employees based on age, service credit, and amount of final compensation. The partnership between two or more local or state agencies allows JPAs to jointly address public needs and provide services by combining resources and reducing costs. JPAs are particularly useful for rural counties, as they allow for economies of scale and regional solutions for our communities.

AB 1912, among other provisions, specifies that if an agency to an existing or future JPA participates in a public retirement system, all parties, both current and former to the agreement, would be jointly and severally liable for all obligations to the retirement system.  By applying joint several liability, debts would rise dramatically, and in many cases will exceed a county’s annual revenue. AB 1912 could have dire financial consequences for California’s rural counties that are already struggling to meet spiraling pension obligations.  AB 1912 would open the door to significant liability on local governments, threaten the ability to use JPAs, and put hundreds JPAs over their debt limit.

Mr. Smith’s opposition letter can be accessed here.  Mr. Smith can be reached at (916) 447-4806 or psmith@rcrcnet.org.

California State Library Recognizes Tuolumne County

The California History Section of the California State Library has named Tuolumne County as “county of the month” for May.  This award recognizes organizations involved in county-level cultural preservation and outreach, as well as the varied county history resources available to researchers at the State Library.  

Formed in 1850, Tuolumne County is home to many historic mining operations, Columbia Historic State Park, and water-ski friendly reservoirs and much more.

The County of the Month program commenced last August in an effort to honor the work of local governments and historical societies in promoting and preserving the past. 

The California History Section’s collections can be accessed here.  The Tuolumne County Research Guide can be accessed here.  

THE RURAL RUNDOWN PODCAST

The Rural Rundown discusses the legislative and regulatory issues impacting California’s rural counties, featuring commentary and interviews from individuals committed to improving the quality of life in rural California. 

The Rural Rundown can be accessed here, or wherever you get your Podcasts.

BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Spring Conference

Click here

$30 Million in Grants Available to Local Governments and Law Enforcement to Reduce Illegal Sales of Tobacco

Click here

$135 Million Available for Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER) Program

Click here

Fiscal Year 2018 Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity

Click here

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.  

Assembly Bill 924 (Bonta): Indian Tribes: Commercial Cannabis Activity.  Assembly Bill 924 would authorize the Governor to enter into agreements concerning cannabis activities on lands of federally-recognized sovereign Indian tribes. Status: AB 924 awaits consideration in the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee.  RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 986 (Gallagher): Hunting and Sport Fishing Licenses.  Assembly Bill 986 would revise the duration of sport fishing licenses, and provide Veterans with a reduced-fee sport fishing license.  Status: AB 986 awaits consideration in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 1250 (Jones-Sawyer): Counties and Cities: Personal Contract Services.  Assembly Bill 1250 would establish specific standards for the use of personal services contracts by counties.  Status: AB 1250 awaits consideration in the Senate Rules Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 1772 (Aguiar-Curry): Fire Insurance Indemnity. Assembly Bill 1772 would extend the minimum limit during which an insured may collect the full replacement cost of a loss relating to a state of emergency to 36 months. Status:  AB 1722 awaits action in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 1800 (Levine): Fire Insurance. Assembly Bill 1800 relates to existing law which prohibits a fire insurance policy from limiting or denying payment of the replacement cost of property in the event the insured decides to rebuild or replace the property at a location other than the insured premises. Qualifies that prohibition by making it applicable in addition to any extended replacement cost coverage purchased by the insured and in addition to any increase in policy limits. Status: AB 1800 awaits action in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 1875 (Wood): Residential Property Insurance.  Assembly Bill 1875 would require an insurer to offer extended replacement cost coverage when issuing or renewing a policy of residential property insurance, and requires the insurer to disclose the premium costs for extended replacement cost coverage. Status: AB 1875 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 1919 (Wood): Price Gouging: State of Emergency. Assembly Bill 1919 would make it a misdemeanor, upon proclamation or declaration of an emergency to increase the monthly rental price advertised, offered or charged for residential housing to an existing or prospective tenant by more than a specified percentage or greater than the rental price advertised, offered, or charged within 30 days immediately prior to the date of the proclamation or disaster. Status: AB 1919 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 1954 (Patterson): Timber Harvest Plans: Exemption: Flammable Materials. Assembly Bill 1954 would delete the inoperative date of an exemption from some or all provisions of the Forest Practices Act of 1973 concerning a person engaged in specified forest management activities. Status: AB 1954 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2050 (Caballero): Small System Water Authority Act of 2018.  Assembly Bill 2050 would create the Small System Water Authority Act of 2018 and state legislative findings and declarations relating to authorizing the creation of small system water authorities that will have powers to absorb, improve, and competently operate noncompliant public water systems. Defines various terms and requires a change in organization to be carried out as set forth in the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000. Status: AB 2050 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2069 (Bonta): Medical Cannabis: Employment Discrimination. Assembly Bill 2069 would provide worker protections to patients using medical cannabis outside of the workplace and not during work hours. Exempts employers whose workers are in safety sensitive positions subject to federal drug testing mandates. Status: AB 2069 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 2166 (Caballero): California Farm Bill: agricultural technology. Assembly Bill 2166 would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to create a user-friendly navigational link on its Internet Web site that provides farmers and other members of the agricultural industry comprehensive information about regulatory requirements of, and guidance to, operating and managing a farm. Status:  AB 2166 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status:  Watch

Assembly Bill 2348 (Aguiar-Curry): Winter-Flooded Rice: Incentives. Assembly Bill 2348 would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would provide an incentive to farmers to maintain winter-flooded rice. Status:  AB 2348 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2447 (Reyes): California Environmental Quality Act: Land Use. Assembly Bill 2447 would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to publish a list of subject land uses and a map that identifies disadvantaged communities and areas within 1/2 mile radius of the disadvantaged communities. Requires a lead agency to provide certain notices to owners and occupants of property located within one-half mile of any parcel or parcels, and to any schools located within one mile of any parcel or parcels, involving a subject land use. Status: AB 2447 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 2518 (Aguiar-Curry): Innovative Forest Products and Mass Timber. Assembly Bill 2518 would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in collaboration with the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, to explore markets, including export markets, for milling, development, and expansion of innovative forest products and mass timber, that require consistence with the state's climate objectives on forest lands. Status: AB 2518 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2551 (Wood): Forest and Wildland Health Improvement. Assembly Bill 2551 would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention to establish, implement, and administer the Forest and Wildland Health Improvement and Fire Prevention Program, which is intended to promote forest and wildland health, restoration, and resilience, and improve fire prevention and preparedness throughout the state. Status: AB 2551 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2594 (Friedman): Fire Insurance. Assembly Bill 2594 would revise the standard forms of policy and extend the period in which to bring suit to 24 months after the inception of the loss if the loss is related to a state of emergency, as specified. Status: AB 2594 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2645 (Patterson): Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Forestry and Fire. Assembly Bill 2645 would appropriate a specified amount from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund annually to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for purposes of fire prevention activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Status: AB 2645 awaits consideration in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2649 (Arambula): Groundwater Recharge. AB 2649 would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to increase groundwater recharge. Status: AB 2649 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2670 (Kiley): Fish and Wildlife: Community Conservation Act. Assembly Bill 2670 would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would amend the Fish and Game Code relating to natural community conservation planning. Status:  AB 2670 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch

Assembly Bill 2672 (Patterson): California Global Warming Solutions Act. Assembly Bill 2672 would require the State Board in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to annually submit a specified report to the legislature that includes among other things, an estimate of the annual emissions of greenhouse gases associated with wildfires in the state that have burned 10000 acres or more and a direct comparison of that estimate to the emissions of greenhouse gases offset by the state board's applicable regulatory programs. Status:  AB 2672 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2717 (Lackey): Cannabis: Local Control: City Responsibility for County. Assembly Bill 2717 would require a city to assume from the county complete responsibility for any regulatory function relating to licensees located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the city. Status:  AB 2717 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support/Sponsor

Assembly Bill 2727 (Flora): Personal Income Taxes: Volunteer Firefighters. Assembly Bill 2727 would authorize a tax credit for costs incurred by volunteer firefighters during the taxable year for expenses incurred for training and equipment. Status: AB 2727 was placed on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support/Sponsor

Assembly Bill 2842 (Bigelow): Wood Products. Assembly Bill 2842 would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to work with state academic institutions and certification organizations to perform additional product testing that accelerates the development, use, or commercialization of new wood products, as provided. Requires the commission to work with local planning offices, developers, and architects to consider the feasibility of expanding the use of wood and mass timber in California buildings. Status: AB 2842 awaits action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2966 (Aguiar-Curry): Disaster Relief. Assembly Bill 2966 would provide that the state share for the removal of dead and dying trees in connection with the Governor’s proclamation of a state emergency issued on a specific date is no more than 90 percent of total state eligible costs. Status: AB 2966 was referred to the Assembly Appropriations suspense file. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 2975 (Friedman): Wild Scenic Rivers. Assembly Bill 2975 would take action to remove or delist any river or segment of a river in California that is included in the national wild and scenic rivers system and not in the state wild and scenic rivers system, requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, after holding a public hearing on the issue, to take any necessary action to add the river or segment of a river to the state wild and scenic rivers system and to classify that river or segment of a river. Status: AB 2975 awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Pending

Assembly Bill 3036 (Cooley): Solid Waste: Definition. Assembly Bill 3036 would exclude from the State Integrated Waste Management Act's definition of solid waste byproducts from processing food, if those byproducts meet certain conditions, including, among others, that the byproducts are intended for use as animal feed. Status: AB 3036 awaits action in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Pending

Assembly Bill 3178 (Rubio): Integrated Waste Management Plans: Source Reduction. Assembly Bill 3178 would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to consider whether the absence or loss of a market for recyclable materials necessitated the disposal of those materials as a temporary measure to avoid a public health threat when evaluating a jurisdiction’s compliance with AB 939 diversion goals. Status: AB 3178 was amended in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 452 (Glazer): The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. Senate Bill 452 is considered the bottle bill “short term fix” and is intended to increase recycling opportunities. SB 452 proposes to return processing payments to 2015 levels and extends plastic recycling market development incentives. SB 452 would also limit take back responsibility for dealers in unserved zones to 24 containers per day, temporarily relieve dealers by suspending the take-back obligation in zones that became unserved due to a recycling center closure until December 2021, and provides additional handling fees in rural areas annually for three years, among other provisions. Status:  SB 452 awaits consideration in the Assembly Rules Committee. RCRC Position: Pending

Senate Bill 623 (Monning): Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund.  Senate Bill 623 would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund.  SB 623 would provide grants, loans, or services to assist those without access to safe and affordable drinking water. Status: SB 623 awaits consideration in the Assembly Rules Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 824 (Lara): Insurance: Nonrenewal.  Senate Bill 824 would express the intent of the Legislature to clarify that the provisions described concerning cancellation of structural insurance policies is applicable to all insured properties located within a county for which a state of emergency has been declared. SB 824 prohibits nonrenewal of the policies under specified circumstances. Status: SB 824 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 894 (Dodd): Property Insurance. Senate Bill 894 would require an insurer, in the case of a total loss to the primary insured structure under a policy of residential property insurance, to offer to renew the policy. Increases the minimum coverage for additional living expenses in the case of a loss related to a declared state of emergency. Requires an insurer who decides not to offer to renew a policy after the expiration of that period to report the decision to not offer to renew the policy to the Insurance Commissioner. Status: SB 894 awaits action in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 897 (McGuire): Residential Property Insurance: Wildfires. Senate Bill 897 would specify that additional living expense coverage under a residential insurance policy shall include all reasonable expenses incurred by the insured in order to maintain a comparable standard of living and would provide a list of expenses that shall be covered. Authorizes an insured to collect, in lieu of additional living expenses, the fair rental value of the dwelling that has suffered a loss. Status: SB 897 awaits action in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 917 (Jackson): Insurance Policies. Senate Bill 917 would provide that insurance policies that do not cover the peril of landslide shall not exclude coverage for any loss or damage attributable to a landslide if the landslide resulting in loss or damage was proximately caused by another covered peril, as provided.  Status: SB 917 awaits action in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 919 (Dodd): Water Resources: Stream Gages. Senate Bill 919 would require the Department of Water Resources to develop a plan to deploy a network of stream gages that includes a determination of funding needs and opportunities for reactivating existing gages. Requires the Department to prioritize the deployment of stream gages based upon gaps in the existing system of gages and specified considerations. Status: SB 919 awaits action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.  RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 998 (Dodd): Water Shutoffs: Urban and Community Water Systems. Senate Bill 998 would require an urban and community water system as a public water system that supplies water to more than 200 service connections, to have a written policy on residential service shutoff available in specified languages of the people residing in its service area. Requires certain aspect to be available on its system web site and be provided annually to customers in writing. Status: Senate Bill 998 awaits action in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support if Amended

Senate Bill 1079 (Monning): Forest Resources: Fire Prevention Grant Fees. Senate Bill 1079 would relate to existing laws authorizing the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to provide grants to entities, including, but not limited to, private or nongovernmental entities, Native American tribes, or local, state, and federal public agencies, for the implementation and administration of projects and programs to improve forest health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Authorizes the Director to authorize advance payments to a nonprofit organization, a special district, or a Native American tribe. Status: SB 1079 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 1215 (Hertzberg): Drinking Water Systems and Sewer Systems: Consolidation. Senate Bill 1215 would authorize the State Water Resources Control Board to set timeline and performance measures to facilitate completion of extension of service of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Authorizes ordered consolidation with a receiving sewer system for, or extension of sewer service to, a disadvantaged community under specified circumstances. Status: SB 1215 awaits action in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Pending/Concerns

Senate Bill 1222 (Stone): Use of Vacuum or Suction Dredge Equipment. SB 1222 would provide, under permits issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and by regulations of the State Water Resources Control Board or a California regional water quality control board, for specified activities, that the use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment means the use of any equipment that removes minerals and water in conjunction to process and recover minerals. Status: SB 1222 was held in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. RCRC Position: Support

Senate Bill 1277 (Hueso): Salton Sea: Governance. Senate Bill 1277 would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create a governance and administrative structure to manage the day-to-day implementation of the Salton Sea Management Program. Status: SB 1277 awaits consideration in the Senate Rules Committee. RCRC Position: Watch

Senate Concurrent Resolution 133 (Berryhill): Senator David E. Cogdill, Sr., Memorial Highway. Senate Concurrent Resolution 133 would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 395 in the County of Mono as the Senator David E. Cogdill, Sr., Memorial Highway. Status: SCR 133 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support

REGULATORY UPDATE

RCRC members are encouraged to submit comments on regulatory matters to state and federal regulatory bodies, and to provide a copy to RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.  

Possible Revision of Metallic Mine Backfill Regulations.  Pertaining to the performance standards for backfilling lands disturbed by open pit surface mining operation for metallic minerals Agency:  State Mining and Geology Board  Status:  The notice of pre-Rulemaking was released April 23rd, 2018.   A workshop is scheduled for May 9th in Riverside.  Comments are due by May 15th.  Additional information and draft regulations can be accessed here.  RCRC Comments:  Staff is seeking input from member counties.  RCRC Advocate: Mary Pitto mpitto@rcrcnet.org

Senate Bill 1383 Organics Diversion from Landfills Informal Draft RegulationsSenate Bill 1383 (Lara, 2016) established methane emissions reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) from various California sectors.  SB 1383 included goals of reducing organics from landfills by 50 percent in 2020 and 75 percent by 2025 from 2014 levels.  CalRecycle is in the process of developing regulations to implement SB 1383.   Agency: Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery Status:  The first draft regulatory language was released October 25, 2017.  CalRecycle released the second informal draft of the organics diversion from landfills regulations on May 1, 2018.   Workshops are scheduled for May 7th in Carlsbad and May 8th in Sacramento.  Comments are due by May 16th.  Additional information and draft regulations can be accessed here.  RCRC Comments:  Staff previous comments can be accessed here.  Staff is seeking input from member counties on the new draft.  RCRC Advocate: Mary Pitto mpitto@rcrcnet.org