The Barbed Wire - October 15, 2021

RCRC's 2021 Legislative Recap

On Saturday, October 9, 2021, one day ahead of the October 10 deadline to sign or veto bills, Governor Gavin Newsom took action on the remaining bills of the 2021 legislative year. In what some have described as a banner year for the California legislature, the Governor signed into law 92% of the bills that came across his desk. 

The Legislature is slated to return on January 3, 2021, and several measures remain in the legislature for further consideration/action in 2022. RCRC's Governmental Affairs team is continuing to work on those measures this autumn, as well as identifying new opportunities to move RCRC Board policy priorities forward.

To view legislation tracked by RCRC’s Government Affairs staff during the 2021 Legislative Session, and related letters, visit the easy-to-use RCRC Legislative Tracking Tool. 

 

Signed by the Governor

Agriculture

• AB 73 (Rivas) directs OSHA to develop an enforceable program for employers, including agricultural employers, to provide respirators or similar PPE for employees during wildfire events.

• AB 1103 (Dahle) authorizes county boards of supervisors, or other relevant entities, to establish a livestock pass program for entry into evacuation zones during disasters, as specified.
   

CPUC

• AB 14 (Aguiar-Curry) extends the ability of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collect monies to fund the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) and revises the methodology for the surcharge calculation. RCRC supported this measure.

• AB 1124 (Friedman) expands the definition of “solar energy system”  which is subject to only a ministerial review, to include facilities not installed on a building or structure on multiple properties. RCRC opposed this measure. (view veto request)

• SB 4 (Gonzalez) increases the maximum annual amount of funding the California Public Utilities Commission can collect for the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program and adds flexibility to CASF subaccount funding allocations. RCRC supported this measure. (view request for signature)

• SB 28 (Caballero) expands the authority of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collect data to enforce requirements for cable franchises and authorizes the CPUC to set customer service requirements for cable providers. RCRC supported this measure. (view request for signature)

Cannabis

• AB 1138 (Rubio) imposes a civil penalty on persons aiding and abetting unlicensed commercial cannabis activity of up to 3 times the amount of the license fee for each violation but in no case more than $30,000 for each violation. RCRC successfully amended the bill to include explicit anti-preemption language preserving local enforcement tools and help minimize preemption arguments based on the bill. 

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

• AB 177 (Committee on Budget), among other provisions, (1) repeals as of January 1, 2022, the authority to collect another round of specified criminal justice administrative fees upon conviction or arrest; (2) vacate all previously levied debt associated with these same fees on the effective date of the repeal; and (3) appropriate to counties $25 million in 2021-22 (for half-year implementation) and $50 million annually thereafter to backfill associated revenue losses.  RCRC along with UCC and CSAC, engaged extensively in policy conversation on court-related fine and fee reform since 2019 to ensure counties receive backfill to address the direct fiscal impacts to county governments resulting from the repeal of court fines and fees. RCRC supported AB 177 and submitted a request for signature to Governor Newsom.
   
• AB 586 (Bradford) was amended late in the session to make corrective changes to carry out the statewide decertification process for peace officers established in SB 2. RCRC previously submitted a letter of concern for the bill which would have eliminated an array of court related fees without county backfill. 
   
• SB 2 (Bradford) creates a statewide decertification process for peace officers by granting new powers to the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). The measure establishes processes for investigating and determining the fitness of a person to be a peace officer as well as for suspending or revoking the certification of officers founds to have engaged in serious misconduct.
   
• SB 16 (Skinner) expands the categories of police personnel records subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act and modify existing provisions regarding the release of records subject to disclosure. The measure specifies that records related to the use of excessive or unreasonable force must be sustained in order to be subject to disclosure and clarifies provisions around the attorney-client privilege. 

Elections

• AB 428 (Mayes) ensures that county Boards of Supervisors that are subject to a term limit are limited to no fewer than two terms and clarifies that county Boards of Supervisors are responsible for prescribing compensation for all county officers. RCRC supported AB 428 and submitted a request for signature to Governor Newsom.
   
• SB 594 (Glazer) makes various changes to state law governing candidate filing for the 2022 statewide primary election, redistricting in special districts following the 2020 census, and districting and redistricting for local governments. These changes are necessary to accommodate the delayed receipt of data from the United States Census Bureau and subsequent redistricting processes leading up to the 2022 elections. RCRC, along with UCC and CSAC, supported this measure and worked with legislative staff to ensure clarification on the ability for counties to adopt maps by resolution or ordinance, was included in SB 594. (view request for signature)

Energy and Utilities

• AB 33 (Ting) expands the Energy Commission’s State Energy Conservation Assistance Account to provide financial assistance to local governments, public institutions, and tribes to install energy storage systems and transportation electrification infrastructure.  RCRC supported AB 33. (view request for signature)

• AB 322 (Salas) requires the Energy Commission to consider bioenergy projects for biomass conversion when awarding funds under the Electric Program Investment Charge program.  RCRC supported AB 322. (view request for signature)

• AB 843 (Aguiar-Curry) allows Community Choice Aggregators to access the CPUC BioMAT program, which promotes small renewable bioenergy projects, including biomass and biogas.  Sponsored by Pioneer Community Energy, RCRC supported AB 843 as a way to spur the development of local biomass projects that can help achieve wildfire risk reduction goals. (view request for signature)

• SB 52 (Dodd) clarifies that deenergization events (also known as PSPS events) qualify as events for which a local emergency can be declared under the California Emergency Services Act.  RCRC strongly supported SB 52, which was sponsored by Napa County. (view request for signature)

• SB 533 (Stern) requires utilities to discuss in their Wildfire Mitigation Plans efforts to improve their electrical systems, focused on those areas and assets that have been deenergized the greatest number of times. RCRC supported SB 533.

Health and Human Services

• AB 640 (Cooley) is related to eligibility redeterminations for Extended Foster Care (EFC). The bill allows a county to do eligibility redeterminations to establish Title IV-E eligibility for many of these youth as they enter EFC, without any disruption in services or supports to these youth. RCRC supported AB 640 and submitted a request for signature to Governor Newsom.

Housing

• SB 9 (Atkins) requires ministerial approval of a housing development of no more than two units in a single-family zone and the subdivision of a parcel zoned for residential use into two parcels. RCRC had a support if amended position on the bill.

Labor/Pension

• SB 270 (Durazo) allows public employee unions to file an unfair labor practice charge before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against public employers that fail to fully or accurately disclose employee information to public employee unions. The bill also contains the ability for agencies to cure violations three times in twelve months and a recent amendment extends the period to remedy violations to 20 days. RCRC along with a coalition of public sector employees opposed SB 270. (view request for veto)

• SB 278 (Leyva) requires a public employee to cover the difference between a retiree’s pension and any subsequent reduction in the person’s post-retirement pay for circumstances in which CalPERS determines a portion of the compensation is “disallowed.”

Meetings

• AB 361 (Rivas), an RCRC-supported bill, authorizes a local agency to use teleconferencing without complying with the teleconferencing requirements imposed by the Ralph M. Brown Act when a legislative body of a local agency holds a meeting for the purpose of declaring or ratifying a local emergency. (view request for signature)

Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs

• AB 1344 (Arambula) exempts needle and syringe exchanges services from the California Environmental Quality Act.  RCRC vigorously opposed provisions of the bill exempting those programs and the illegal disposal of sharps waste from public nuisance.

Planning and Zoning

• AB 602 (Grayson) requires any county with a population of at least 250,000 or any city located therein, to conduct capital improvement planning. RCRC opposed this measure. (view request for veto)
   
• AB 970 (McCarty) creates a deemed approved permitting schedule for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. RCRC’s veto request can be viewed here.

Sales

• SB 264 (Min), an RCRC-opposed bill, prohibits the sale of firearms and firearm components at the Orange County Fair and Event Center. This bill was amended late from the previous version, which included all state property, most notably District Agriculture Associations-operated fairs. 

Solid and Hazardous Waste

• AB 246 (Quirk) allows the Contractors State Licensing Board to take disciplinary actions against a contractor who violates state or local laws prohibiting illegal dumping.

• AB 332 (ESTM) reestablishes a viable pathway for the alternative management and disposal of treated wood waste (TWW) in a landfill.  RCRC strongly supported AB 332 and worked with the state to establish a stop-gap solution to address TWW until enactment of AB 332.

• AB 1201 (Ting) improves labeling and quality of compostable products that enter the waste stream.  RCRC led local government efforts to support AB 1201, but ultimately opposed the bill when late amendments were added.  Those late changes unintentionally require CalRecycle to order the bifurcation of organic waste collection and processing systems if CalRecycle determines it is feasible to do so.  RCRC and others convinced the author to write a Letter to the Assembly Journal clarifying that this was not his intent and secured his commitment to introducing clean-up legislation to address this ambiguity in 2022.

• AB 1311 (Wood) provides CalRecycle with additional flexibility increase consumer access to beverage container redemption opportunities.  RCRC strongly supported and provided technical assistance on AB 1311, which was spurred by Humboldt County’s problems with beverage container redemption. (view request for signature)

• SB 158 (Budget and Fiscal Review) makes substantial changes to the governance of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), substantially increases various fees and taxes that fund DTSC and contaminated site cleanup, and improves the permitting and oversight of hazardous waste facilities.  SB 158 also included $822 million for hazardous site cleanups throughout the state.  RCRC opposed early versions of the bill and engaged vigorously with DTSC and the Legislature to remove provisions that would have substantially increased costs for local governments.  RCRC ultimately removed its opposition to the proposal.

• SB 619 (Laird) provides local governments with one additional year to come into compliance with SB 1383 organic waste recycling regulations without being subject to penalties by CalRecycle, if certain conditions are met.  Provisions providing flexibility for rural organic waste collection services were removed from the bill.  RCRC removed its support when the rural flexibility sections were removed from the bill.

Water

• SB 552 (Hertzberg) requires counties to establish a county drought task force on Jan. 1, 2022, and requires the county to establish a drought emergency response plan as a standalone planning document or integrated into an existing, relevant planning document.

Wildfire, Forest Resilience, and Natural Resources

• AB 9 (Wood) codifies the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program at the Department of Conservation, along with shifting oversight of several fire prevention programs from CAL FIRE to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Those programs include defensible space, general plan safety element review, establishment of fire hazard severity zones, and the Fire Prevention Grants Program. 

• AB 379 (Gallagher) authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife to enter into agreements with California native tribes to provide for the construction, management or maintenance of state-owned conservation lands.
   
• AB 431 (Patterson), an RCRC-supported bill, extends exemptions to January 1, 2026 from timber harvesting plan requirements for residents who are complying with state defensible space statute. (view request for signature)
   
• AB 804 (Dahle) requires the Director of Department of Fish and Wildlife to designate two days a year as a free hunting pass day. Currently law allows the director to designate up to two days.

• SB 456 (Laird), an RCRC-supported bill, requires the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force to develop an implementation plan for the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. The bill also requires the California Natural Resources Agency and CalEPA to report on the progress of the implementation plan annually to the Legislature. (view request for signature)

Zero-Emissions

• AB 1346 (Berman), accelerates regulations by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small off-road engines (SORE), such as lawn and garden equipment and portable generators. Signed by the Governor. RCRC’s veto request can be viewed here. 

 

Vetoed by the Governor

CPUC

• SB 556 (Dodd) requires streetlight poles and traffic signal poles owned by a local government or local publicly owned electric utility to be made available for the placement of small wireless facilities and outlines the rates and fees that may be imposed for this use of these poles. RCRC opposed this measure. (view request for veto)

Energy and Utilities

• AB 418 (Valladares) would have established a Community Power Resiliency Program through which the Office of Emergency Services will award grants counties, cities, special districts and tribal governments for energy resilience improvements. RCRC strongly supported AB 418 and helped to draft the bill, which was ultimately vetoed.

Meetings

• AB 339 (Lee and Garcia), an RCRC-opposed bill, would have required county boards of supervisors and city councils governing jurisdictions of at least 250,000 people to provide either a two-way telephonic or two-way internet-based option for members of the public to attend all open and public meetings. (view request for veto)

Sales

• SB 792 (Glazer), an RCRC-supported bill, would have required online retailers with annual online transactions more than $50 million to report for each local jurisdiction the gross receipts from the qualified sale of tangible personal property shipped or delivered to a purchaser in that jurisdiction.

Issues Remaining for Action in 2022

Bail Reform

• SB 262 (Hertzberg) would make various changes to the current cash bail system, including, among other provisions, requiring the Judicial Council to adopt a uniform statewide bail schedule. Senator Hertzberg remains committed to bail reform and has expressed his clear intent to pursue this measure in 2022.

Housing

• AB 989 (Gabriel) creates the Office of Housing Appeals that will conduct an appeals process for violations of the Housing Accountability Act (Act), and authorize a developer to appeal a local agency’s decision that resulted in the denial of a specified housing development project or subjected the project to conditions in violation of the Act.

Land Use and CEQA

• AB 1547 (Reyes) allows ARB to regulate indirect sources of air pollution, like those resulting from warehouses, and requires local governments to undertake many other actions to identify and address the potential environmental impacts of warehouse development projects.  RCRC opposes AB 1547, which remains in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

• SB 30 (Cortese) prohibits state agencies from designing or constructing a state facility that is connected to the natural gas grid and prohibits state agencies from funding projects for the construction of residential and nonresidential buildings that are connected to the natural gas grid.  RCRC opposes SB 30, which remains in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

• SB 37 (Cortese) would eliminate the ability to use a “common sense exemption” under CEQA for any projects undertaken at over 40,000 sites throughout the state that appear on the Cortese List of currently or formerly contaminated properties. SB 37 would instead allow specified types of projects to use either a statutory or categorical CEQA exemption is if certain circumstances are met.  RCRC strongly opposed earlier versions of the bill that would have added unnecessary costs, time, and complexity to a wide variety of routine maintenance projects at many local government facilities, but removed its opposition after extensive negotiations and modifications to the bill.  SB 37 remains on the Assembly Floor.

• SB 99 (Dodd) would have required the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop and implement a grant program for local governments to develop community energy resilience plans.  SB 99 stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

• SB 261 (Allen) would require ARB to adopt new greenhouse gas emission and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets for incorporation into the sustainable communities’ strategies prepared by the state’s 18 MPOs.  RCRC and many other local organizations oppose SB 261, which remains in Senate Transportation Committee.

Solid Waste and Recycling

• SB 38 (Wieckowski) replaces the existing Beverage Container Recycling Program (Bottle Bill) with a new recycling program administered by beverage container manufacturers and increases the CRV from $0.05 to $0.10 per container.  SB 38 also seeks to repeal the $10.5 million annually set aside for payments to cities and counties to address recycling and litter.  RCRC opposes SB 38 unless amended to address several pressing local concerns and the bill remains in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

• SB 54 (Allen) seeks to require manufacturers of single-use, disposable packaging and food service ware to ensure that those products sold, distributed, or imported into the state are either recyclable or compostable.  RCRC and other local governments Support in Concept SB 54.  The bill will be heavily amended in 2022 in an attempt to broker a deal between environmentalists, manufacturers, and local governments to withdraw a competing initiative from the November 2022 ballot.

Water

• AB 252 (R.Rivas) would establish a grant program at Department of Conservation for funding for alternative multi-benefit non-agricultural uses of agricultural-designated land.
   
• AB 350 (Villapudua) would direct Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a three-year program for providing SGMA technical assistance office, combined with implementation grants to GSAs managing critically over-drafted basins. 
   
• AB 1434 (Friedman) would accelerate the schedule, until 2030, for reduction in the maximum allowable daily amount of residential water usage.

Wildfire, Forest Resilience, and Natural Resources

• SB 396 (Dahle) seeks to facilitate utility removal of cut/felled trees at no expense to the property owner and clarify that utilities can access and remove material that may fall onto a power line and which is located outside of the boundaries of their easement. While sharing the author’s objectives, RCRC reluctantly opposed SB 396 because late amendments eliminated some landowner protections and increased wildfire risk after utility vegetation management. SB 396 is expected to be amended to address many stakeholder concerns in early 2022.

Workers Compensation

• SB 284 (Stern) would extend Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) workers' compensation presumption to State firefighters, public safety dispatchers, public safety telecommunicators, and emergency response communication employees and expand the list of peace officers who can claim the PTSD presumption. Public agencies, including RCRC, continue to be concerned with this measure and believe it is unnecessary to provide California employees fair access to the workers’ compensation system for psychiatric injuries. 

• SB 335 (Cortese) would fundamentally alter longstanding rules and timeframes for determining eligibility for workers’ compensation claims and move California outside of the mainstream compared to other states. RCRC, along with a collation of both public and private sector organizations, remain opposed. 

CARB Begins Formal Process to Phase Out New Gas-Powered Small Off-Road Engines

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has formally begun the regulatory process to phase out gas-powered Small Off-Road Engines (SORE), such as lawn and garden equipment and portable generators, and transition new engines to zero-emission equipment (ZEE). Recently, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 1346 (Berman) which requires CARB to adopt zero-emission rules by July 1, 2022. CARB’s proposed regulations would set emission standards for smog-forming pollutants to zero for new equipment beginning with Model Year 2024, except for portable generators, which will have stricter emissions standards beginning in 2024 with zero-emission requirements for new engines beginning with Model Year 2028. Stationary generators are not affected by these regulations. Furthermore, these regulations only apply to the purchase of new equipment; SORE equipment currently in use is not affected and will still be operational. 

On December 9, 2021 at 9:00am, CARB will conduct a public hearing at the CARB Board Meeting to receive public comments. For more information on the rulemaking, see here. Written comments must be received on or before November 29, 2021. For more information, please contact Staci Heaton or Leigh Kammerich. 

Senate Drought Hearing

Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on “The Status and Management of Drought in the Western U.S.”  During the hearing, Senators promoted the federal hurricane system’s performance in New Orleans during Hurricane Ida, but noted that other regions experienced devastation that is likely to worsen as climate change produces more intense and frequent storms.  Tanya Trujillo, the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, stated that “this administration is working every day to collaborate with states, Tribes, farmers, and communities impacted by drought and climate change to build and enhance regional resilience. No amount of funding can offset the severe shortfalls in precipitation being experienced this year across the American West…the department and state and local partners have planned for this by being proactive and fully using the tools we have.” Julie Ellingson, the Executive Vice President of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, discussed how “a significant portion of the 6 million acres burned this year are on federal land – lands that could have been better managed through the thinning of fine fuels. Federal agencies must take a lesson from livestock producers to make these landscapes resilient for long-term challenges like drought and wildfire, but also resilient for changing uses.”

Debt Limit Infrastructure Update

On Tuesday, the House voted to increase the debt limit by $480 billion, which is projected to allow the U.S. to meet its obligations through about December 3rd, the same day that the continuing resolution (CR) will expire. The Senate had previously come to an agreement last week before sending it to the lower chamber.  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has said that the short-term fix should allow Democrats enough time to address the debt limit in the reconciliation package.  However, Senate Democrats have dismissed that idea, which would be a complicated process that would also likely require them to increase the cap by a certain amount instead of suspending it for a period of time.  Some have floated nixing the filibuster for the debt ceiling vote, but Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) voiced his opposition to such a strategy earlier this week.  “Forget the filibuster, OK? We can prevent default ... there’s a way to do that. There’s a couple other tools that we have that we can use,” Senator Manchin told reporters.

House Panel Seeks Records on California Spill Company

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is seeking records on past violations and inspections related to Amplify Energy and its subsidiary Beta Offshore Operating Company, after involvement in California’s worst oil spill in almost three decades. Last week, lawmakers sent a letter to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, requesting information on past potential violations of federal law and the agencies’ inspections of the company’s infrastructure off the coast of Southern California.

BULLETIN BOARD

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

 

Cal OES Hazard Mitigation Summit Postponed to 2022

The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Hazard Mitigation Policy Summit, previously scheduled for November 3, 2021, has been postponed to early 2022. For the latest information, continue to visit the Cal OES, Mitigation Planning website.

 

Career Opportunity - Tehama County Seeks Chief Administrator

Tehama County is seeking a Chief Administrator who will proactively and energetically serve as a leader in carrying out Board policies, and who will be creative in bringing forth options to solve problems. The position closes November 30, 2021 at 5 p.m. View the recruitment flyer, and for more information click here.

 

GO-Biz Cannabis Equity Grants Available for Eligible Local Jurisdictions

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has announced $35 million is available in FY 2021-22 for eligible cities and counties to promote equity and eliminate barriers to populations and communities that were disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition. Local jurisdictions can be awarded up to $75,000 for assistance on cannabis equity program development, or up to $7 million for cannabis equity program applicants and licensees to gain entry to the state’s regulated cannabis marketplace. Grant applications must be received by December 13, 2021 and will be awarded no later than March 15, 2022. For more information on this grant and how to apply, see here. 
 

California Air Resources Board Offers Webinars on Regulatory Compliance Training

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is offering a variety of training webinars for regulatory compliance on issues affecting public fleets such as Off-Road Regulations, Truck and Bus Rules, and Diesel Truck Rules. 

The In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulation (Off-Road Regulation) requires fleet owners to report to CARB, label their off-road vehicles, and reduce emissions from older equipment.  This course provides detailed information to help fleet owners understand and comply with the Off-Road Regulation: 

Date:        December 9, 2021
Time:        1:00 p.m.
Webinar:   Register

The Compliance Overview: Truck & Bus Rule, Off-Road Regulation, and Portable Equipment course include the following topics:

Truck and Bus Regulation:

• Regulation Applicability
• Engine Model Year Schedule
• Exemptions & Extensions
• How to Report for Regulation Flexibilities
• Broker and Dispatcher Requirements
• DMV Registration

Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP):

• Regulation Applicability
• Program Updates

Advanced Clean Truck (ACT)

• Manufacturers ZEV Sales Requirements
• One-Time Reporting
• Future ZEV Rules

In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation:

• Regulation Applicability
• Requirements Currently in Effect
• Future Compliance Deadlines

Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP) & Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM):

• PERP Eligibility
• Program Requirements
• ATCM Program & Updates
• Enforcement & Inspections

Date:        December 16, 2021
Time:        1:00 p.m.
Webinar:   Register

CARB is also offering a new course to provide an overview of several new programs and they associated regulations that will help the state reach carbon neutrality:

Date:        October 26, 2021
Time:        1:00 p.m.
Webinar:   Register

Date:        November 11, 2021
Time:        1:00 p.m.
Webinar:   Register

 

FEMA Announces Application Period for 2021 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began accepting applications on September 30, 2021 for $1.16 billion in FY 2021 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants, providing localities the opportunity to receive Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) pre-disaster mitigation grants. These grants recognize the growing hazards of extreme weather events and the need for risk mitigation activities to promote climate adaptation and resilience. The financial assistance through the BRIC program may fund state and local government pre-disaster capability and capacity building activities, mitigation projects, and cover management costs.

FEMA informational webinars can be accessed here, and more information can be viewed here or at www.grants.gov. The FEMA application period closes on January 28, 2022. 

 

Access the State Grants Portal for a Multitude of Funding Opportunities

Billions of dollars are up for grabs to public agencies and other entities, including tribes and businesses. Grant seekers can access a centralized portal of grant and loan opportunities here, or sign up to receive new grant opportunities delivered straight to your inbox. 

KEEPING UP

Elena J. Duarte, of El Dorado Hills, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Uniform State Laws, where she has served since 2015. Duarte has served as an Associate Justice at the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District since 2010. She served as a Judge at the Sacramento County Superior Court from 2008 to 2010 and at the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2007 to 2008. Duarte earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Duarte is a Democrat.

Daniel Muallem, of Rocklin, has been appointed Deputy Secretary and Chief Counsel at the California Department of Veteran Affairs. Muallem has been Assistant Chief Counsel at the California Department of Veteran Affairs since 2019. He was Lead Senior False Claims Trial Attorney at the California Department of Insurance from 2018 to 2019. He was Deputy Attorney IV at the California Department of Transportation from 1997 to 2018. Muallem was Staff Counsel at the Fair Political Practices Commission from 1994 to 1997. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $191,880. Muallem is a Democrat.