The Barbed Wire - October 6, 2017

October 6, 2017
Rural Community and Business Leaders Raise More Than $50,000 for Tehama County Charities
Connie Stewart Receives 2017 RCRC President’s Award
Supervisor Ron Hames Recognized for Efforts on Senate Bill 447
White House Requests $29 Billion for Disaster Relief
Federal Legislative Update
BULLETIN BOARD
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Rural Community and Business Leaders Raise More Than $50,000 for Tehama County Charities

The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) announced today that rural community and business leaders from across the state raised $52,370 for five Tehama County Charities at RCRC’s 2017 Annual Meeting.  Raised during the RCRC Basket Raffle Dinner late last month in El Dorado County, the funds will assist a multitude of countywide resource providers in their efforts to serve the residents of Tehama County.  Read More…

Connie Stewart Receives 2017 RCRC President’s Award

Presented during RCRC’s Annual Meeting each September, the RCRC President’s Award was born out of the desire to publicly acknowledge individuals that take the time to go above and beyond their everyday roles to further advance the cause of rural counties.  This year, RCRC President and CEO Greg Norton recognized Ms. Connie Stewart as the recipient of the 2017 RCRC President’s Award. 

Ms. Stewart serves as the Executive Director for the California Center on Rural Policy, located at Humboldt State University.  The mission of the CCRP is to inform policy, build community, and promote the health and well-being of rural people and environments.  In addition to her professional role with CCRP, Ms. Stewart served on the Arcata City Council from 1996 until 2004, including two years as mayor.  In addition, she served on the staff of former Assembly Member Patty Berg.  This diverse experience allows Ms. Stewart to be of great assistance to RCRC by bringing a perspective of rural issues, the State Legislature and local government together into one. 

There are two key public policy areas that Ms. Stewart brings much-needed expertise: rural health care, and the deployment of broadband to rural California.  Ms. Stewart fiercely highlights the deficiencies of the health care delivery system in rural America, and has joined RCRC to ensure that rural California does not get short-changed in funding for a variety of health care initiatives, including opioid addiction and maternal health.  She has also worked to ensure there is an adequate supply of professional providers.

On broadband deployment, Ms. Stewart remains RCRC’s go-to person for on-the-ground counsel to help see the deployment of technologies in rural California.  More importantly, she recognizes that these deployments must be methodical and not come at the expense of local government involvement.        

The RCRC President’s Award recognizes Ms. Stewart’s tireless efforts, collaborative spirit, and outstanding accomplishments that benefit rural California.

Supervisor Ron Hames Recognized for Efforts on Senate Bill 447

Last Friday, at the RCRC Board of Directors meeting in El Dorado County, Alpine County Supervisor Ron Hames was recognized for his efforts in the creation and passage of Senate Bill 447 (Nielsen) related to Assessment Appeals Boards.  SB 447 authorizes two or more counties to create Assessment Appeals Boards to hear taxpayer appeals.

SB 447 will help low-population counties to maximize the use of assessment appeals boards given the complex nature of developing the county’s property tax roll.  Many low-population counties appeals through the local Board of Equalization (comprised of the Board of Supervisors) because there are not enough residents that can be eligible to serve on an assessment appeals board.

Supervisor Hanes was instrumental in the crafting and lobbying of SB 447, and his efforts ultimately resulted in the successful passage of the legislation.  Paul A. Smith, RCRC Vice President of Governmental Affairs, presented Supervisor Hanes with a plaque to memorialize his endeavor, complete with the pen that Governor Brown used to sign the legislation into law.

White House Requests $29 Billion for Disaster Relief

This week, the Trump administration submitted a request for $29 billion in supplemental disaster aid for hurricane relief and wildfire suppression in western states.  The proposal could prove contentious, especially a provision that infuses $16 billion in debt relief for the National Flood Insurance Program, but the proposal will benefit from support from conservative members of Congress that represent devastated areas of Texas and Florida. 

The White House will seek $576.5 million for wildfire suppression funding while acknowledging the need for long-term reforms to wildfire funding and forest management policies.  Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate were briefed on the spending plan, which includes Office of Management and Budget recommendations to fix “fire-borrowing” in the U.S. Forest Service.

The White House formally submitted the request on Wednesday, and lawmakers promised to act quickly on the President’s disaster aid proposal.  House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey) said in a statement “My committee has already begun to move on this emergency funding request, and will put legislation forward as soon as possible.”  Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) urged Congress to “act swiftly.”  The emergency spending measures received praise from members of both parties; however, the Senate will be in recess next week and the House will take the following week off, delaying the likely approval until mid-October.

Federal Legislative Update

On Wednesday, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture (Committee) Representative Mike Conaway (R-Texas), held a business meeting to discuss legislative items submitted to the Committee for approval, including H.R. 2936 the “Resilient Federal Forests Act.”  The bill was criticized by Representative Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) for “running afoul” of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 

Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-Arizona) submitted multiple amendments to decrease the extent of the categorical exclusions under NEPA and ESA provided by H.R. 2936.  These amendments were not adopted by the Committee and were criticized by Republican members for defeating the purpose of the bill.  The Committee voted to advance H.R. 2936 after the bill was successfully amended by Vice Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania). Thompson’s amendments inserted provisions for research and development into innovative wood products as well as additional provisions to expedite forest management projects in the wake of catastrophic wildfires.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment convened a hearing entitled “Air Quality Impacts of Wildfires: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders.”  There have been almost 49,000 wildfires in the United States this year, destroying nearly 8.5 million acres, and the emissions from these fires have serious impacts on air quality. In discussing how to prevent catastrophic fires John Bailey, Professor at Oregon State University, said the solution is “to use active and sustainable forest management today, including fire as one of the tools, to help mitigate the effects of future fires.”  In addition, Knox Marshall, Vice President of Resources at Murphy Company, argued the best method for mitigating the scope of wildfires is to address the poor health of forests through active forest management.  Representative Greg Walden (R-Oregon), chairman of the full committee, attended the hearing on behalf of communities in Oregon suffering from poor air quality resulting from wildfires.  Walden called on Congress to reform forestry management and “fire borrowing” to grant the U.S. Forest Service the funding and legal tools required to mitigate the damage caused by wildfires.

BULLETIN BOARD

Imperial County Seeks County Executive Officer

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Public Forum: Managed Groundwater Recharge to Support Sustainable Water Management

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NOFA: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program

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California State Auditor Report: The Unexpected Complexity of the California WaterFix Project Has Resulted in Significant Cost Increases and Delays

Click here

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff. 

Assembly Bill 524 (Bigelow): Public Utilities: Fines and Settlements. Assembly Bill 524 Appropriates moneys resulting from specified citations relating to the 2015 Butte Fire to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to be expended for the Department's program known as the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and Tree Mortality Grant Program. Status:  AB 524 has been vetoed by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 560 (Salas): State Drinking Water Revolving Fund. Assembly Bill 560 would require the State Water Resources Control Board to provide a range of financing options to water system projects that serve severely disadvantaged communities. Status: AB 560 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Support

Assembly Bill 653 (Ridley-Thomas): Property Taxation: Exemption: Indian Tribes.  Assembly Bill 653 would exempt from taxation property owned in fee by a federally-recognized Native American tribe that is pursuing a fee-to-trust application.  Status: AB 653 is now a “two-year” bill and awaits consideration in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee.  RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 890 (Medina): Land Use: Planning and Zoning: Initiatives. Assembly 890 would require that the city council of a city or the board of supervisors of a county have exclusive authority to adopt or amend a document that converts any discretionary land use approval necessary for a project to ministerial approval to modify other land use or zoning designations. Status: AB 890 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Neutral

Assembly Bill 924 (Bonta): Indian Tribes: Commercial Cannabis Activity.  Assembly Bill 924 would authorize the Governor to enter into agreements concerning cannabis activities on lands of federally-recognized sovereign Indian tribes. Status: AB 924 awaits consideration in the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee.  RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 1250 (Jones-Sawyer): Counties and Cities: Personal Contract Services.  Assembly Bill 1250 would establish specific standards for the use of personal services contracts by counties.  Status: AB 1250 awaits consideration in the Senate Rules Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 1414 (Friedman): Solar Energy System Permits. Assembly Bill 1414 would set a hard cap on permitting fees for solar installations. Status:  AB 1414 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Oppose

Assembly Bill 1665 (Garcia, Eduardo): Telecommunications: Advanced Services Fund: AB 1665 would revise eligibility requirements for projects and project applicants for grants funded from the California Advanced Services Fund. Status: AB 1665 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Requesting Veto

Senate Bill 252 (Dodd): Well Permits. Senate Bill 252 relates to new well permits issued in critically over-drafted groundwater basins. Status:  SB 252 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Neutral

Senate Bill 568 (Lara): Primary Elections: Election Date.  Senate Bill 568 would permanently place the Presidential Primary Election and the Gubernatorial Primary Election in March.  Status: SB 568 has been signed into law by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Oppose

Senate Bill 649 (Hueso): Wireless Telecommunications Facilities.  Senate Bill 649 would amend an existing law which provides that a wireless telecommunications collocation facility is subject to a city or county discretionary permit and is required to comply with specified criteria. Status: SB 649 awaits the consideration of the Governor. RCRC Position: Requesting Veto