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

 

White House Infrastructure Webinars

The White House is holding webinars to “provide an in-depth look into the programs contained within each of the twelve major chapters in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook.” Register for the remaining webinars:

  • Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 4pm-5pm ET:  Safety Register Here
  • Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 4pm- 5pm ET:  Clean Energy and Power Register Here
  • Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 4pm-5pm ET:  Water Register Here
  • Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 4pm- 5pm ET:  Resilience Register Here
  • Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 4pm-5pm ET: Environmental Remediation Register Here
  • Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 4pm- 5pm ET: Broadband Register Here

 

Grant Funding Available for Behavioral Health Projects

On January 31, 2022, the California Departments of Health Care Services and Social Services released Requests for Applications (RFA’s) for funding for behavioral health “launch-ready” projects AND capital expansion projects, as follows: 

  • $518.5M from Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) for expanding or developing infrastructure for behavioral health services; and 

  • $570M from Community Care Expansion (CCE) program for capital expansion of adult and senior care facilities that serve Supplemental Security Income / State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) applicants and recipients, and other adults who are experiencing or at risk for homelessness. 

The RFA’s are due by March 31, 2022. These funds are open to counties, cities, tribal entities, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and private organizations whose projects reflect the state’s priorities. Additional information about the funding is available at the following locations by clicking on the respective links: 

 

Public Participation Invited To Review PG&E’s Next Rate Increase

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced upcoming public participation hearings to review and solicit input on PG&E’s 2023 General Rate Case application. Written public comments can also be made at any time here. These hearings will cover PG&E’s entire service territory, however, the March 10th hearing will focus on customers located in the San Joaquin Valley.

 WHEN:     Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 2pm and 6pm (San Joaquin Valley customer focus)
                  Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 2pm and 6pm

HOW:        1-800-857-1917. 
                  Passcode: 6032788# (English); 3799627# (Spanish). 
                  Press *1 to alert the operator you’d like to speak. 
                  To view live but not participate, please visit https://adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc/ at the times indicated.

 

Career Opportunities

County of Del Norte Seeks Deputy County Council

The County of Del Norte is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of Deputy County Council. The position closes March 4, 2022 at 5:00 PM. For additional information, see the job bulletin here.
 

USDOT Announces $1.5 Billion in Discretionary Grants Available for Local and Regional Infrastructure

The United States Department of Transportation released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program—originally created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as TIGER grants. RAISE grants can be used for a wide variety of projects and under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, RAISE expands the number of communities eligible for 100 percent federal share of funding, specifically those in rural communities, Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities. To determine if a project location is considered as a Historically Disadvantaged Community, please use the tool available here. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. EST on April 14, 2022, and selections, which are vigorously reviewed and selected based on merit, will be announced no later than August 12, 2022. 

 

USDA Offers Rural Communities Financial Assistance for Renewable Energy Projects 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the application window is now open for (competitive) Rural Energy Pilot Program grants. State, Local, Tribal and non-profit entities are eligible for up to $2 million over three years to support community-scale renewable energy projects in rural communities, with priority given to distressed and high-energy burden communities that spend a greater proportion on energy costs than the average U.S. household. Funds may be for planning, installing, equipping, and maintaining community scale distributed renewable energy technologies, systems and resources. For more information, see here. Letters of Intent are due on or before April 19, 2022, and completed applications are due no later than July 18, 2022.

 

California Air Resources Board 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 New Programs and Regulations course covers the requirements of existing regulations and then CARB's new regulatory programs that will eventually be in effect. The goals for this class are to cover the proposed program elements and elicit participation in the regulatory process.

Date:               March 31, 2022
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:        March 17, 2022
Time:        1:00 p.m.
Webinar:   Register

 

Registration Open for 2nd Annual Virtual Statewide Conference on Illegal Dumping

The 2nd Annual Virtual Statewide Conference on Illegal Dumping is happening April 19-21, 2022 The Conference will begin at 9:00 AM daily. This virtual conference is free to attend and designed for elected officials, city and county staff, public works agency employees, community based organizations, faith groups, community members and anyone interested in illegal dumping, community beautification or blight removal. Registration is now open! See here to register or for more information.

 

PG&E Safety Net Program – How to File a Claim 

If you are a residential customer who has gone without power for at least 48 hours because of severe storm conditions, you may qualify for an automatic payment under our Safety Net program. This program provides a payment of $25 - $100, which we pay automatically about 60 days following the storm outage.  However, you may submit a claim if you believe that PG&E caused a loss for which you should be compensated. You can make this type of claim using various methods, but online is the fastest way for it to be processed.  

View this message from PG&E for details. 

 

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.