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.
Utilities lobby for shield from wildfire costs – Los Angeles Times
According to slides recently presented to a group of state senators, utilities are asking for a permanent cap to limit their corporate liability for a fire where they are found to have acted negligently or imprudently.
California lawmakers weigh who should pay for wildfires – Abridged (PBS/KVIE)
California Assembly members questioned utility executives, insurance experts, consumer advocates and others in recent hearings on who should pay for wildfire destruction. The deliberations follow a failed deal between the Assembly, Senate and Governor Gavin Newsom on new regulations on the issue.
FCC Moves to Block California From Demanding Proof Copper Replacements Work – Tech Times
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on October 30, 2026, circulated a draft preemption order that would eliminate California’s legal authority to require carriers to verify that wireless or fiber replacements actually work before retiring copper telephone networks — stripping the state’s most direct consumer protection in a forced technology transition that leaves elderly, rural, and medically dependent residents with no fallback if the replacement fails.
Plan for California’s largest reservoir in 50 years wins approval – San Francisco Chronicle
Construction of California’s largest reservoir in half a century, Sites Reservoir, could begin next summer after state water regulators gave the project the go-ahead Wednesday, a rare breakthrough for big water infrastructure.
See Also: State Water Board Approves Water Right for Sites Reservoir – Northern California Water
California’s plastic law will cut far less single-use plastic than expected – Los Angeles Times
CalRecycle has picked the number that decides how much plastic California has to cut under the state’s 2022 landmark plastic law, and it is low. It’s just one-third of what the state estimated in a 2024 report, and 20% lower than an initial number the industry announced in June.
State fights Trump administration’s attempt to lift ban on disposable camping propane canisters – The San Francisco Chronicle
California is going to court to defend its plan to prohibit sales of single-use propane canisters that fuel campers’ stoves, a ban that the Trump administration derides as part of the state’s “climate scam.”