Apr 04, 2025

Advocacy Public Land Use for Housing a Key Issue in Nomination Hearing for DOI Deputy Secretary Pick Katherine MacGregor

On April 2, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Katherine MacGregor for the role of Deputy Secretary of the Interior. During the hearing

Apr 04, 2025

Advocacy   |   Community and Economic Development Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 Introduced in U.S. Senate

This week, Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Tina Smith (D-MN) reintroduced the Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 (one-pager | full text). This measure is designed to modernize Rural Housing Service programs

Apr 04, 2025

Advocacy   |   Water and Wildlife State to Increase Gray Wolf Management Efforts

Earlier this week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced increased efforts to manage the state’s gray wolf population, which has become robust and increasingly problematic

Apr 04, 2025

Advocacy   |   Air Quality Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 496 (Hurtado) – Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation: Appeals Advisory Committee: Exemptions

RCRC is sponsoring Senate Bill 496, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield), This measure creates additional pathways for local agency fleets to receive necessary exemptions under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations. To assist our advocacy efforts, RCRC requests that counties send letters of support

Mar 28, 2025

Advocacy   |   CEQA/NEPA Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 607 (Wiener) – California Environmental Quality Act

RCRC is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 607 (Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco) with Prosperity California, Housing Action Coalition, and the Bay Area Council. The bill includes several targeted reforms to refocus the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) on real environmental issues while preserving

Mar 28, 2025

Advocacy   |   Water and Wildlife Congressman LaMalfa Introduces Resolution to Repeal Longfin Smelt Listing in the ESA

On March 21, a group of California Congressmen introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the listing of the longfin smelt as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act

Mar 28, 2025

Advocacy   |   County Operations Letters Needed in Support of RCRC Sponsored AB 632 (Hart) - Local Ordinances: Administrative Fines or Penalties

RCRC sponsored Assembly Bill 632 (Hart), is heading to the Assembly Committee on Local Government on Wednesday, April 9. RCRC requests that counties send letters of support to the Assembly Committee on Local Government no later than Thursday, April 3^rd at 5:00 p.m.

Mar 21, 2025

Advocacy   |   Agriculture U.S. Senators Ask USDA to Reverse Canceled Local Food Purchases for Schools, Farmers 

This week, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) led a group of 31 Senators in a letter that voiced “serious concerns” about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancelation of food purchase programs across the United States. They noted

Mar 21, 2025

Advocacy   |   Community and Economic Development Joint Task Force to Target Underutilized Federal Land for Housing

This week, Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced the establishment of a Joint Task Force which will focus on using underutilized federal land suitable for housing

Mar 21, 2025

Advocacy   |   Community and Economic Development Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 470 (McKinnor)—Telephone Corporations: Carriers of Last Resort

RCRC opposes Assembly Bill 470, authored by Assembly Member Tina McKinnor. This measure would allow any Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) telephone service provider to abandon its obligations