Jun 13, 2025
Barbed Wire | Weekly News Clips Weekly News Clips - The Barbed Wire - June 13, 2025RCRC 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.
Jun 06, 2025
Barbed Wire | grants CalAssist Mortgage Fund Established to Provide Grants to Homeowners Impacted by Recent DisastersOn June 5th, Governor Newsom announced the CalAssist Mortgage Fund, which will be launching on June 12th to provide grants up to $20,000 to homeowners whose homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable in recent fires, floods, and other disasters. This new disaster mortgage relief program
Jun 06, 2025
Barbed Wire | Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: Assembly Bill 1337 (Ward) - Information Practices Act of 1977RCRC, along with a coalition of other public agency stakeholders, strongly opposes Assembly Bill 1337, authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego). This measure would impose significant costs and liability on state and local governments and jeopardize essential service delivery
Jun 06, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Transportation Secretary Releases Report Finding No Viable Path Forward for California High-Speed Rail ProjectOne June 4, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Compliance Review Report, which found that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)’s high speed rail project is in default of the terms of its federal grant awards. The detailed report
Jun 06, 2025
Barbed Wire | Keeping Up Keeping Up - The Barbed Wire - June 6, 2025 EditionAnnouncements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties. Jonathon Porter, of Tulare, has been appointed to the 24th District Agricultural Association Tulare County Fair Board. Porter has been a Risk Management Consultant...
May 30, 2025
Barbed Wire RCRC Recommends Larger GGRF Investments to Address Significant Challenges Faced by Rural CommunitiesOn May 29th, RCRC submitted comments to the Senate Budget Committee regarding proposed allocations in the reauthorization of the Cap-and-Trade program. The funding provided by the program thus far has been vital to rural communities, while at the same time
May 30, 2025
Barbed Wire | Bill of the Week Bill of the Week: AB 1156 (Wicks) Williamson Act: Solar-Use EasementsAssembly Bill 1156, authored by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks (D, Oakland), seeks to update a law allowing solar use easements on Williamson Act lands, thereby putting unproductive farmland to use for renewable energy generation. RCRC has removed its opposition to the bill and now supports the measure
May 30, 2025
Barbed Wire $800 Million Available in New Prop 1 GrantsOn May 30th, the Department of Health Care Services announced the opening of the application for grants for the second round of Proposition 1 Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Bond funding. The Unmet Needs Request for Applications (RFA) represents the final round
May 30, 2025
Barbed Wire Congressional Recess and What Lies AheadBefore leaving Washington D.C. for Memorial Day recess, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation package by a vote of 215-214. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will face additional scrutiny when Congress returns next week
May 30, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations UpdateLast week, U.S. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) released a schedule to markup all 12 Fiscal Year 2026 (FY ’26) spending bills over the next 10 weeks of June and July, with the goal of completing all markups before the August recess