RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff. Click “Read More” to access information related to the current status of legislation impacting California’s rural counties.
AB 34 (Bonta): Medical Cannabis Regulation and Enforcement. Assembly Bill 34 would establish a statewide regulatory, licensing, and enforcement framework for medical marijuana for medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation, transportation, and manufacturing of medical marijuana and products containing medical marijuana. Status: AB 34 gained passage in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch
AB 46 (Lackey): Controlled Substances. Assembly Bill 46 would restore the criminal penalties for possession of “date rape” substances (commonly referred to as GHB) that were in place prior to the passage of Proposition 47. Status: AB 46 was placed on the Assembly Appropriations Suspense Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 243 (Wood): Medical Marijuana Cultivation. Assembly Bill 243 would address various factors concerning the cultivation of medical marijuana, including environmental health and enforcement issues. Status: AB 243 gained passage in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 247 (Waldron): Animal Control Officers. Assembly Bill 247 would require animal control officers to complete a course in the exercise of powers of arrest/serving warrants as well as require continuing education requirements. Status: AB 247 is on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Concerns
AB 266 (Cooley): Medical Marijuana. Assembly Bill 266 would establish a statewide regulatory, licensing, and enforcement framework for medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation, transportation, and manufacturing of medical marijuana and products containing medical marijuana. Status: AB 266 gained passage in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch
AB 288 (Holden): Public Schools: College and Career Access Pathways. Assembly Bill 288 would establish the Career Access Pathways Act and expand access to concurrent enrollment programs for students by allowing college courses to be offered on high school campuses. Status: AB 288 gained passage in the Assembly Education Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 325 (Wood): Community Development Block Grant Program: Funds. Assembly Bill 325 would require the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to respond to completed Community Development Block Grant applications within 60 days, and if the applicant is denied by the state agency, requires HCD to list the reasons for denial and what steps need to be taken for approval. Status: AB 325 gained passage in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 590 (Dahle): Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Assembly Bill 590 would establish the Biomass State Cost Share Account within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Status: AB 590 gained passage in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 889 (Chang): Concurrent Enrollment in School and Community Colleges. Assembly Bill 889 would allow students to concurrently enroll in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses at the community college level provided certain requirements are met. AB 889 will open up more options for rural high school students who choose to study within the STEM fields, allowing them greater access to educational opportunities and helping to strengthen California’s technology workforce. Status: AB 889 gained passed in the Assembly Education Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1104 (Rodriguez): Search Warrants. Assembly Bill 1104 would provide clarification regarding existing search warrant authority involving the possession of controlled substances. Status: AB 1104 gained passage in the Assembly Public Safety Committee and on the Assembly Floor. The bill awaits committee assignment in the Senate. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1142 (Gray): Mining and Geology. Assembly Bill 1142 would require enhanced training of local government personnel through the development of a curriculum by the State Geologist to include inspection techniques, proper use of the inspection form, and calculation for financial assurances. RCRC supports provisions that improve the certainty, quality, and accuracy of annual inspections and financial assurances. Status: AB 1142 gained passage in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1262 (Wood): Telecommunications: Universal Service. Assembly Bill 1262 would transfer $5 million collected for the California Advanced Services Fund from the Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan Account to the Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Account to support regional broadband deployment and expansion. Status: AB 1262 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1315 (Alejo): Public Contracts: Water Pollution Prevention Plans: Delegation. Assembly Bill 1315 would prohibit a public entity from delegating to a contractor the development of a plan to prevent or reduce water pollution or runoff on a public works project. The bill would also prohibit a public entity from requiring a contractor on a public works contract that includes compliance with a plan to assume responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of a plan developed by the entity. Status: AB 1315 gained passage in the Assembly Local Government Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 1347 (Chiu): Public Contracts Claims. Assembly Bill 1347 would mandate a new claims resolution process that would require non-binding mediation to resolve a dispute on all public contracts. Status: AB 1347 gained passage in the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee and awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 1390 (Alejo): Groundwater: Adjudication. Assembly Bill 1390 would streamline procedures used in a legal action to obtain a basin-wide adjudication of groundwater rights. Among the issues of concern to counties is that the bill makes counties automatic parties to the adjudication regardless of whether the county has an interest in the adjudication action or not, and the requirement that notice of the adjudication action and form answer be distributed via property tax bills. Status: AB 1390 gained passage in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. RCRC Position: Concerns
SB 16 (Beall): Transportation Funding. Senate Bill 16 would increase various fees and taxes associated with a variety of transportation-related funding sources to raise approximately $3 - $5 billion in overall funding for the state and local transportation system. Status: SB 16 gained passage in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee and was re-referred to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. RCRC Position: Watch
SB 191 (Block): School Transportation: Apportionments. Senate Bill 191 would increase state allocations for school transportation funding over a seven year period from the 2015-16 through the 2021-22 fiscal years. Status: SB 191 was placed on the Senate Appropriations Suspense File. RCRC Position: Support
SB 208 (Lara): Integrated Regional Water Management Plan: Advanced Payment. Senate Bill 208 would establish a process that would require the state agency administering the Integrated Regional Water Management grant funding to provide 50 percent of the funding in advance if the project proponent is a non-profit organization or a disadvantaged community, or the project would benefit a disadvantaged community and the grant for the project is less than one million dollars. Status: SB 208 was placed on the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File. RCRC Position: Support
SB 239 (Hertzberg): Local Services: Contracts: Fire Protection Services. Senate Bill 239 would require a local agency to enter into a written agreement for the performance of new or extended services pursuant to a fire protection reorganization contract with each affected public agency and recognized fire protection employee organization prior to submitting to the local LAFCO a resolution of application and a plan for services. Status: SB 239 gained passage in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 513 (Beall): Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program. Senate Bill 513 would help reduce air pollution by making revisions to the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program and the local AB 923 incentives programs. Status: SB 513 gained passage in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
SB 643 (McGuire): Medical Marijuana. Senate Bill 643 would establish a state regulatory and licensing framework for medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation, transportation, and manufacturing of medical marijuana and products containing medical marijuana. Status: SB 643 gained passage in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee and awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch