On Thursday, November 14th, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced that his office had sent the final version of his proposed regulations on catastrophe modeling for insurance ratemaking to the state Office of Administrative Law for approval....
On Tuesday November 12th, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act (S. 2581). This bipartisan measure, reintroduced in 2024 by Senators Crapo (R-ID), Wyden (D-OR), Risch (R-ID), and Merkley (D-OR), would reauthorize...
On November 13th, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the appointment of 18 new members and reappointment of 6 members to the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. The FRRCC...
On November 8th, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published proposed updates to strengthen conservation and management of greater sage-grouse habitat on public lands in 10 Western states, including...
On November 7th, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) indicated that he had “just been assured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that it would release the [2023 Salmon Fishery Disaster Relief] funds to the...
Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties.
Monica Hunter, of Los Osos, has been reappointed to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, where she has served since 2005. Hunter has been Chief Researcher at YTK since 2018. She was a Director of Research at PAST Foundation from 2007 to 2018. Hunter was Central Coast Watershed Program Manager at the Planning and Conservation League Foundation from 2004 to 2012. She was an Instructor in the Social Sciences Department at Napa Valley College in 2003. Hunter was a Research Assistant at the California SeaGrant Marine Advisory Program from 2000 to 2003. She was a Researcher at University of California, Santa Cruz in 2001. Hunter was a Consultant at Morro Bay Estuary Program in 2000. She is a Board Trustee at the Planning and Conservation League Foundation. Hunter earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Anthropology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from UCLA, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television, and Film from California State University, Long Beach. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Hunter is a Democrat.
Seth Judd, of Napa, has been appointed Medical Director of Napa State Hospital at the Department of State Hospitals. Judd has served in several positions at the Department of State Hospitals since 2018, including Chief of Psychiatry, Senior Psychiatric Supervisor, and Senior Forensic Psychiatrist Specialist. Judd has been owner and psychiatrist at Personal Psychiatry and Forensic Consulting Inc. since 2021, and a psychiatrist at Liberty Healthcare/Maguire Correctional Facility since 2018. He was a Forensic Psychiatry Fellow at University of South Carolina School of Medicine from 2017 to 2018. Judd was a Psychiatrist at South Carolina Department of Corrections from 2017 to 2018. He was Medical Staff at Integrative Wellness, LLC from 2016 to 2017. He was Medical Staff at Valle Vista Health System from 2015 to 2017. He was a Resident Physician at Indiana University School of Medicine from 2013 to 2017. Judd earned his Doctor of Osteopathy from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences from Midwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brandeis University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $448,716. Judd is registered with no party preference.
Vivian Perez, of Holtville, has been reappointed to the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board, where she has served since 2021. Perez has been Project Director at Equus Workforce Solutions since 2023, Executive Director at Raizes since 2022, and Professor at University of Phoenix since 2011. She was Health Services Manager at Planned Parenthood from 2016 to 2022. Perez was a Provider Network Consultant at Fresenius Health Partners from 2016 to 2017. She was Consulting Director at Communicate Care Alliance, Inc. from 2002 to 2015. Perez earned a Master of Public Administration degree from San Diego State University (SDSU) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from SDSU. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Perez is a Democrat.
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.
Forest thinning is a necessary strategy for mitigating catastrophic wildfires | Opinion – The Mountain Democrat
RCRC Board Member, El Dorado County Supervisor Lori Parlin, and California Forestry Association President, Matt Dias, authored a commentary in The Mountain Democrat highlighting how dense forests harm forest health, heighten tree mortality, and worsen wildfires and smoke in California. They advocate for forest resiliency initiatives, like RCRC’s Golden State Natural Resources, to improve forest health, generate jobs, and build community-based wildfire resilience.
Tulare County breaks ground on rural broadband project – Mid Valley Times
Comcast California and Tulare County officials recently broke ground on a transformative broadband project set to bring high-speed internet to 6,200 previously unserved homes across rural Tulare County.
California’s Floodplains at the Heart of Landmark Agreement: State and Federal Agencies Unite to Address Climate Resilience Through Landscape-Scale Investment – California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Federal and State of California government agencies, overseeing water, agriculture, fish and wildlife, public lands and flood control, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration on landscape-scale, multi-beneficial floodplain water projects in the Sacramento River Basin.