Jul 03, 2025

Advocacy   |   CEQA/NEPA Legislature Passes New CEQA Bill, Includes Several New Exemptions

On June 30, the Legislature passed, and Governor Newsom signed, Senate Bill 131, which is a budget trailer bill that makes numerous changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Jul 03, 2025

Advocacy U.S. Senate Advances GOP Reconciliation Bill with Increased Rural Hospital Stabilization Fund

After an overnight vote-a-rama, the U.S. Senate narrowly advanced the budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50–50 tie early Tuesday morning.

Jul 03, 2025

Advocacy   |   Forest and Public Lands Stewardship Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Update

As reconciliation legislation moves toward final passage, attention is beginning to shift to other bipartisan priorities—including the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) reauthorization. 

Jun 20, 2025

Advocacy   |   Forest and Public Lands Stewardship U.S. Senate Version of Budget Bill Proposes Federal Land Sales Across California

Earlier this week, maps began to surface that showed at least 2 million acres of potential USDA Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands that could be liquidated as part of the Senate version of the “Big, Beautiful Budget Bill.” It has been rumored since

Jun 20, 2025

Advocacy   |   Solid Waste Management Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 28 (Schiavo) - Solid Waste Landfills: Subsurface Temperatures

Assembly Bill 28, authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Santa Clarita), seeks to create a temperature monitoring and reporting regime for landfills.  Specifically, AB 28 would require landfill operators to

Jun 20, 2025

Advocacy   |   Health Care and Social Services U.S. Senate Reconciliation Proposal Caps Provider Taxes, Threatening Rural Hospital Finances

On June 14, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released the text and section-by-section summary of its reconciliation proposal. The proposal includes Medicaid cuts that are significantly deeper

Jun 13, 2025

Advocacy Legislature Sends Budget to Governor's Desk Ahead of June 15th Deadline

On Friday, June 13, both houses of the Legislature passed the Budget Act of 2025 (Senate Bill 101), on a largely party line vote, following approximately four hours of floor discussion. The Budget Act now proceeds to the Governor’s desk for action. RCRC has prepared some key highlights of the 2025-26 Budget Package, by topic area, that may be of interest to California’s rural counties. View the highlights here.

To view RCRC’s earlier highlights of the Governor’s May Revise, find the Rural Rundown here. 

Jun 13, 2025

Advocacy   |   County Operations Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 690 (Schultz) - Criminal Procedure: Indigent Defense Compensation

RCRC, in coalition with our county partners, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 690, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank). This measure would create additional mandates for the provision of indigent defense services, resulting in increased cost pressures to counties statewide estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.  

Jun 13, 2025

Advocacy   |   Solid Waste Management RCRC Comments on New Round of CalRecycle Packaging Regulations

On May 16th, CalRecycle released revised draft regulations  implementing Senate Bill 54 (Allen, 2022) related to single use packaging and food service ware.  RCRC provided extensive comments on CalRecycle’s previous

Jun 13, 2025

Advocacy   |   Water and Wildlife State Launches Pilot Effort on Gray Wolf Management

Earlier this week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced a pilot effort in partnership with federal and local agencies to combat livestock depredations by gray wolves in