Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire | Federal Advocacy TORCH Act Introduced to Promote Healthy Forest ManagementOn January 3, the first day of the 119th Congress, Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte) introduced the Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards (TORCH) Act, which aims to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. The...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues | wildfire Bipartisan California Congressional Delegation Applauds President Biden’s Major Disaster Declaration for Los Angeles County FiresOn January 8, California’s U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in urging President Biden to grant Governor Gavin Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire RCRC Shares Perspective on Opportunities for State Permit ReformOn December 23, RCRC submitted extensive comments to the Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform, including several suggestions to improve the California Environmental Quality Act. In the letter, RCRC noted that local governments act as...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire U.S. Forest Service Withdraws "Old Growth" ProposalOn Tuesday, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) announced the withdrawal of the notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the National Old Growth Amendment, which was first released in draft...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire | state budget RCRC’s Rural Rundown of Governor Newsom’s 2025-26 Proposed BudgetOn Friday, January 10th, Governor Newsom released his Administration’s 2025-26 Proposed Budget. This proposal begins the budget development process between the Governor and Legislature; with the onus on lawmakers who must pass a budget by June 15th for the...
Jan 10, 2025
Barbed Wire RCRC Celebrates 2025 Officers and Honors Rural Leadership Award RecipientsRCRC gathered at its annual reception on Wednesday, January 8th, to celebrate the RCRC 2025 Officers and to honor the recipients of the 2024 Rural Leadership Awards. The Rural Leadership Awards are presented to two...
Dec 19, 2024
Barbed Wire | Special Feature Special Feature! Artificial Intelligence in Rural California Counties: Practical Steps for LeadersToday Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are no longer just futuristic concepts—they are reshaping how local governments operate. From theoretical ideas to practical solutions, tools like ChatGPT are enabling more efficient, impactful public service delivery. In...
Dec 19, 2024
Barbed Wire | GSCA GSCA - December 2024 UpdateRCRC-affiliated entity Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) has reached a significant milestone, receiving its first complete Low-Level Design package for the city of Gonzales in Monterey County. This package, developed using LATA Grant funding from...
Dec 19, 2024
Barbed Wire | ESJPA ESJPA - December 2024 UpdateThe Rural Counties’ Environmental Services Joint Powers Authority honored outgoing Chair, Siskiyou County Supervisor Michael Kobseff. Supervisor Kobseff has served as ESJPA’s Chair since 2013 and has guided the organization through several new mandates and...
Dec 19, 2024
Barbed Wire | federal issues California Representative Huffman Named Ranking Member of House Natural Resources CommitteeOn December 17th, Representative Jared Huffman (D-Del Norte) was announced as Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee for the 119th Congress. Representative Huffman has served on the House Natural Resources Committee for the...