RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.
AB 1705 (Williams): Public Contracts: Payment. AB 1705 would prematurely extend the sunset provision on retention limitations, placing limited resources for schools, hospitals, parks, fire houses, and various other public infrastructure at risk. Status: Gained passage in the Senate and Assembly, and awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 1867 (Patterson): Forestry. AB 1867 would allow landowners to sell timber removed during the course of defensible space vegetation management work up to 150 feet on each side of a legally permitted structure. Status: Gained passage in the Senate, and awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1948 (Mullin) Counties: Qualification for Office: AB 1948 would impose minimum training/education requirements for those elected to the office of County Treasurer/Tax Collector. The bill was amended to address RCRC and other local government organization’s concerns. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: No Position
AB 2052 (Gonzalez) Workers’ Compensation: AB 2052 would expand eligibility for special workers’ compensation benefits that are limited in current law to only specific categories of peace officers. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 2142 (Chesbro): Timber Harvesting Plans. AB 2142 would extend the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption pilot project, as created by AB 744 of 2013, to include additional areas of the state that have significant fire hazard risks. Status: Gained passage in the Senate, and awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2151 (Wagner): Counties: Search and Rescue: Costs. AB 2151 would authorize a county to seek reimbursement for costs incurred for any extraordinary methods used in search and rescue operations from a resident within their jurisdiction. Status: Gained passage in the Senate and Assembly, and awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2184 (Chesbro): Forest Restoration Grants. AB 2184 would have authorized funding from the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund to be used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to provide grants to remediate former marijuana growing operations. Status: Failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2328 (Perez): California Corps: AB 2328 would establish the California AmeriCorps to be administered by California Volunteers and operate under the existing federal AmeriCorps program guidelines. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2363 (Dahle): Electricity Procurement. AB 2363 would require the development of integration adders so that the Commission may accurately consider the full costs and benefits of the various technologies in its renewable portfolio standard decision-making. Status: Gained passage in the Senate and Assembly, and awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2378 (Perea): Workers Compensation: AB 2378 would increase workers’ compensation costs for state and local governments by allowing for an extra year of temporary disability benefits for public safety officers. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 2413 (Perez): Office of Farm to Fork. AB 2413 would create the Office of Farm to Fork under the direction of the Department of Food and Agriculture and would require the office to identify communities in both rural and urban areas that lack access to healthy food. Status: Gained passage in the Senate, and awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2490 (Eggman): District Agricultural Associations: AB 2490 would addresses various reforms to the governance structure of operating local fairs/fairgrounds. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2616 (Skinner): Workers Compensation: AB 2616 would extend a rebuttable presumption under our state’s workers’ compensation law to acute care hospital workers who contract methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infection. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 498 (Lara) Solid Waste: Biomass Conversion: SB 498 would help facilitate the development of cleaner and more efficient technologies in California for converting biomass materials to renewable energy. Status: Gained final passage in both houses of the Legislature and now awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support
SB 1399 (Galgiani): Agricultural Seed: County Seed Enforcement Subventions. SB 1399 would extend the sunset date of the seed enforcement subvention program through July 1, 2019. The subvention program, funded by the seed industry, provides counties with a source of revenue to cover a portion of their costs for enforcing the California Seed Law. Status: Gained passage in the Senate and Assembly, and awaits the Governor’s consideration. RCRC Position: Support