The Barbed Wire - May 21, 2021

State Relaunches Forest Task Force Under New Name, New Mission

On Thursday, the state relaunched the former Forest Management Task Force with a new set of goals guided by the Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resilience Action Plan released in January. Rechristened as the Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resilience Task Force, the newly reorganized team has been streamlined and will be guided by an Executive Committee that spans all levels of government, including RCRC Chair Supervisor Stacy Corless, Mono County among its membership.

The Task Force has been refocused on implementing the 99 tasks included in the Action Plan, which range from wildfire fuels treatment to forest restoration to community fire hardening to biomass utilization to recreation and tourism opportunities on forests and wildlands. The meeting signaled the first of planned quarterly meetings by the Task Force, with regional meetings being scheduled for community participation and input in between.

For more information, visit the California Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resilience Task Force website here.
 

PG&E Provides Additional Information on Impact of New PSPS Criteria on Projected Size and Frequency of Future PSPS Events

On Thursday, PG&E submitted a detailed response to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) outlining how its proposed Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) criteria may impact the size and frequency of PSPS events across their service territory.

PG&E has been under intense pressure from U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup, who is overseeing PG&E’s criminal probation, to dramatically reduce the risk of utility-caused wildfire, including through expanded use of PSPS events to prevent these wildfire ignitions from electrical equipment.  While Judge Alsup recently backed away from requiring PG&E to take specific actions to deenergize power lines that are at risk of being struck by nearby trees, PG&E is using its discretion to revise criteria it uses to determine when power lines should be shut down to give greater consideration to tree overstrike risk.  
                                                             
The CPUC requested more granular information about the specific impacts that these new criteria would have in communities across the state, including how many more events counties may experience and how many more customers may be impacted in those counties.  Among the most significant projections, PG&E notes that the new criteria could result in:

• Butte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Yuba Counties experiencing an additional 1.9 to 2.5 PSPS events per year.
• Amador, Calaveras, Humboldt, Lake, Madera, Napa, Plumas, Sonoma, Trinity, and Tuolumne Counties experiencing an additional 1 to 1.7 PSPS events per year.
• Trinity County experiencing a 59% increase in average PSPS event duration.
• Shasta and Tehama Counties experiencing a 39-42% increase in average PSPS event duration.
• Contra Costa, Mariposa, Mendocino, and Sierra Counties experiencing a 20%-29% increase in average PSPS event duration.
• Contra Costa, Shasta, and Trinity Counties experiencing a 108% to 149% increase in the average number of customers impacted by a PSPS event. 
• Humboldt and Mendocino Counties experiencing a 69% to 82% increase in the average number of customers impacted by a PSPS event.
• Amador, Calaveras, Monterey, Nevada, Plumas, and Tuolumne Counties experiencing a 20%-36% increase in the average number of customers impacted by a PSPS event. 

For more information on PG&E’s PSPS criteria or CPUC’s de-energization rulemakings, please contact John Kennedy or Leigh Kammerich by email or call (916) 447-4806.

Bill of the Week: AB 537 (Quirk) - Communications: Wireless Telecommunications and Broadband Facilities

In a joint letter last month, the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), Urban Counties of California (UCC), California State Association of Counties (CSAC), and the American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA), expressed the position of “Oppose Unless Amended” to AB 537, which is intended to expedite wireless telecommunications facility permitting.

Authored by Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D- Hayward), AB 537 attempts to expedite the siting of wireless facilities by establishing additional limitations on local government permit application review with confusing processing timeframes and unclear impacts. Specifically, the proposed language provides that when a telecommunication siting application is deemed approved, “all necessary permits shall be deemed issued,” which creates a new construct that could make it more difficult for local agencies to address deficiencies related to health and safety requirements. This is especially concerning in the public right-of-way where pedestrians and automotive traffic intermix, requiring thorough mitigation planning.

While in its current form AB 537 is ambiguous and problematic, RCRC and our partners continue to seek a mutually agreeable compromise that will appropriately expediate deployment of high-speed internet service to California’s unserved and underserved communities.

The joint letter may be viewed here. For additional information, contact Tracy Rhine by email or call 916-447-4806.

Hometown California Gets Up Close with Rich Gordon, California Forestry Association President and CEO

On the newest episode of Hometown California, Paul A. Smith sits down for an up-close interview with Rich Gordon, President and CEO of the California Forestry Association (soon-to-be retired).

Aside from being at the CA Forestry Association, Mr. Gordon has a long history of service in California. Learn what sparked his interest in getting involved with public education and public policy making, when he ran (and won) a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Education—his first elected position. After 13 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, find out why Rich still describes it as "the best electoral job in California." Find out what motivated him to become President of one of RCRC’s sister organizations, the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), and hear about highlights of his leadership years.Listen to hear about how Rich fell in love with rural California, went on to serve in the California State Assembly, and so much more. His fascinating journey, from his first elected position nearly 20 years ago to his current role, will give you a glimpse of how his experiences have impacted Rich Gordon's understanding of California’s rural counties. Listen now.

Senator Dianne Feinstein on Wildfires in California

On Wednesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein laid out her plan to introduce her Wildfire Emergency Act next week. The bill would fund wildfire mitigation projects, harden critical infrastructure against wildfires, and bolster wildfire workforce development. In particular, the bill would include critical elements to reduce the potential for future fires and protect California’s infrastructure from the fires that do occur.

Additionally, last week Senator Feinstein announced that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to assess the hiring and retention of federal firefighters at the five agencies responsible for wildland fire management. Senator Feinstein, along with Senator Alex Padilla, requested this review in an April 27^th letterand urged the GAO to review the current job series and pay scale of the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior.

At the state level, RCRC remains engaged on its 2021 Fire Prevention and Response Packagewith advocacy efforts designed to help increase the pace and scale of forest management, restoration, and wildfire prevention in California.To read more about the Package, please see a previous Barbed Wire article here

Register Today! RCRC Presents a Live Webinar - Resources for Local Governments, Hosted by California Treasurer Fiona Ma

RCRC is pleased to present a webinar hosted by California Treasurer Fiona Ma entitled Resources for Local Governments. The webinar is scheduled to occur on Wednesday, May 26th at 10:00 a.m.

Treasurer Ma has identified programs within the Treasurer’s Office that offer both direct and indirect benefits to local governments. Indirect benefits include those programs that provide financial resources and/or tax credits to businesses in your communities, thus reducing the cost of operations and encouraging capital investment and job creation in local communities.Treasurer Ma will be joined by professional staff from each of the programs presented. There will be an opportunity for Q&A as the webinar unfolds.

Local Agency Investment Fund Program

The Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) Program offers local agencies the opportunity to participate in a major portfolio using the investment expertise of the Treasurer’s Office – at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

Director Kristin Szakaly-Moore and LAIF Administrator Christina Sarron will discuss the benefits of and recent changes to the LAIF Program.

California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA)

The Authority has a number of programs that work collaboratively with public and private partners to provide innovative and effective financing solutions for California’s renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced transportation and manufacturing industries.

David Gibbs, Program Manager of the California Hub for Energy Efficiency Financing will present the Small Business Energy Efficiency Financing Program which provides financing options for energy efficiency retrofits for small-to-medium businesses.

Xee Moua with the Sales and Use Tax Exclusion Program will discuss the tax benefits for equipment purchases that promote alternative energy and advanced transportation companies in your communities.

Gabrielle Stevenson from the California Pollution Control Finance Authority will discuss the low-cost innovative financing solutions targeting California businesses and environmental industries, as well as the California Capital Access Program (CalCAP) which encourages financial institutions to make loans to small businesses.

CalSavers

CalSavers is California’s new retirement savings program created for the millions of Californians who do not have a way to save at their job. CalSavers was created by legislation passed in 2016 requiring California employers that do not already sponsor a retirement plan to participate in CalSavers – an automatic enrollment individual retirement account (IRA) with no employer fees and employers are not fiduciaries. For California workers, enrollment is easy, investing is simple, and accounts are portable.

Jonathan Herrera from CalSavers will present this program.

Register now and join RCRC and Treasurer Fiona Ma for this informative overview of programs that can benefit your community and the businesses that call it home.

Water Legislation

Last week, Representative Jim Costa (D-Fresno) introduced two bills to address California water supply and water quality goals: 

• H.R. 3023, the Restoring Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Eligibility Act — a bipartisan bill also introduced by Representative John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) — would amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to clarify that federally-owned infrastructure managed and operated by non-federal entities, such as the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority, are eligible for WIFIA financing.
   
• H.R. 3022, which is co-sponsored by Representatives Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), would allow necessary improvements to the Redbank and Fancher Creek water projects in Fresno County.  The improvements would help capture up to 15,000-acre feet of water each year and recharge underground aquifers. 

Additionally, last week Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee introduced legislation to invest in Clean Water Infrastructure.  The Wastewater Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2021 (bill text | section-by-section summary) would authorize $14 billion over the next five years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides loan financing and assistance for communities for a range of water infrastructure projects.  That is significantly less than the $40 billion over the next five years under the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021, introduced by the Committee’s Democrats in March.  The GOP bill is in line with the wastewater portion of the bipartisan water infrastructure legislation (S. 914) the Senate passed in April, which would authorize $35 billion for both drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.  The House T&I Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) said earlier this week he hopes to markup the Democrats water bill soon.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Bill to Spur High-Speed Broadband Projects in Rural Communities

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Missouri) introduced the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, which removes hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants, including last-mile efforts that often delay rural broadband deployment.  It also ensures that local communities can partner with the private sector in carrying out broadband projects and gives communities more flexibility in complying with their funding match requirements.

Governor Extends Price Gouging Protections for Communities Impacted by 2020 Wildfires

On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order extending protections against price gouging for a number of counties that are still recovering from devastating wildfires in August and September of 2020. The counties include Butte, Napa, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Fresno, Lassen, Mendocino, Monterey, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Trinity and Tulare. California's price gouging law prohibits raising prices by more than 10% on housing, gas, food and other essential supplies. The Governor's newly signed order extends those protections through September 22, 2021, as those communities continue to recover and rebuild after the fires. The full text of the Governor’s Executive Order can be read here.

Bill To Federally Legalize Marijuana Filed by GOP Lawmakers

Last week, Representatives Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) and Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced the Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act which would federally legalize marijuana while also providing specific protections for cannabis banking. Under the bill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of the Treasury would be required to issue cannabis regulations—modeled on those for alcohol—within a year. Notably, the bill lacks social justice provisions to repair the past harms of the war on drugs, provisions that have been emphasized as key inclusions in current Democrat proposals for federal marijuana legislation.

BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

“Coyote in the Urban Environment” Webinar

The California Fish and Game Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife are conducting a “Coyote in the Urban Environment” webinar on Friday, May 28, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. In the workshop, topics of statewide significance will be discussed specific to community-level coyote management plans, outreach, and education strategies to help address potential conflict. For more information, visit the California Fish and Game Commission website here.

Register here!

International Shipments, Payments, & Protecting Your Brand: A Webinar for Rural and Native American Firms

On May 26, the U.S. Commercial Service (CS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, will be holding the third and final webinar in the spring 2021 series focused on global digital marketing/sales strategies, for rural and Native American organizations. This free webinar will focus on international shipments, payments, & protecting your brand. For more information, see here.
 
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Time: 12:00-1:30pm Pacific
Register here

Alpine County Seeks Assistant Auditor-Controller

The County of Alpine is seeking an Assistant Auditor-Controller.  The position is open until filled. To apply or for additional information, visit the Alpine County website here.

State Water Board Awarding O&M Grants To Disadvantaged Public Drinking Water Systems

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is soliciting letters of interest from public agencies, public water systems or nonprofit organizations to award a total of $27.5 million from uncommitted Proposition 68 funds for disadvantaged communities (DACs) treatment of contaminated groundwater. Specifically, operations and maintenance (O&M) costs are eligible for DAC water systems over a period of three to five years, including (but not limited to) permitting, monitoring and reporting, chemicals, and/or plant operator labor. Letters of interest are due to the SWRCB’s Division of Financial Assistance by July 12, 2021. For more information, see here.

CSAC and RCRC Redistricting Webinar Series Now Available for Viewing

This spring, CSAC and RCRC teamed up to bring you a 2021 Redistricting Webinar Series, breaking down all you need to know about redistricting for your county.Participants received insights beneficial for developing an effective timeline, gathering public input, methods of line drawing, understanding the legal requirements, and so much more. View the recorded presentations and download the slides here.

Forest Stewardship Workshop

The University of California Cooperative Extension is offering training opportunities to help landowners develop sustainable plans to improve and protect their forest lands.

• Online every Tuesday, (6-7:30pm) starting June 1, 2021 through July 27, 2021, and in-person, Saturday, June 26th in Sonoma County

For more information, see here.

Access the State Grants Portal for a Multitude of Funding Opportunities

Billions of dollars are up for grabs to public agencies and other entities, including tribes and businesses. Grant seekers can access a centralized portal of grant and loan opportunities here, or sign up to receive new grant opportunities delivered straight to your inbox. 

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ASSISTANCE

Resource pages, deadline extensions, and available programs to assist communities impacted by COVID-19.

Coronavirus Relief Available from the Small Business Administration

The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering several coronavirus relief options to help alleviate the financial hardships resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19). The programs have received an overwhelming number of applications from businesses, so be sure to check the SBA website for the latest updates on the status of these programs.

• The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees by temporarily expanding the traditional SBA 7(a) loan program. After initial funding was quickly depleted, the program received an infusion of an additional $310 billion, allowing the SBA to resume the program on April 27, 2020. Be sure to check the SBA website for the most recent information on the application process and availability of funds.
• The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Emergency Advance provides up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties.
• SBA Express Bridge Loans can be used to bridge the gap for businesses while applying for a direct SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan; small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
• SBA Debt Relief provides a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are interested in programs for other disasters, the SBA Disaster Loan Assistance portal is available here.

Economic Development Resources for Communities and Businesses Impacted by the Coronavirus

The California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) has assembled resources for communities and business impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The page will be continually evolving as new resources become available. To go directly to the CALED resources, click here.

Use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds for Infectious Disease Response

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds may be used for a range of eligible activities that prevent and respond to the spread of infectious diseases such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Check out the Quick Guide to CDBG Eligible Activities to Support Infectious Disease Response for guidance and additional information.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) County Resource Page Available

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), RCRC’s local government partner, continues to provide excellent up-to-date state and federal information to counties on this ever-changing pandemic event.  We encourage visiting CSAC’s COVID-19 resource page, which contains vital links to all CSAC COVID-19 advocacy letters and resources.  CSAC’s staff continues to work around the clock to update activities so that all of California’s counties can remain properly informed.

LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATE

Information related to the current status of legislation and regulations impacting California’s rural counties.

Assembly Bill 1 (C. Garcia): Hazardous Waste: Assembly Bill 1 establishes several new governance, policy, and fiscal reforms to improve the Department of Toxic Substances Control, including significantly increasing several fees and repealing several important local government fee exemptions. Status: AB 1 awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor (Third Reading File). RCRC Status: Concerns

Assembly Bill 14 (Aguiar-Curry): Communications: broadband services: California Advanced Services Fund: Assembly Bill 14 establishes the State Department of Education in state government and vests the department with specified powers and duties relating to the state’s public-school system. This bill would authorize local educational agencies to report to the department their pupils’ estimated needs for computing devices and internet connectivity adequate for at-home learning. Status: AB 14 awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor.   RCRC Status: Pending

Assembly Bill 246 (Quirk) Contractors: disciplinary actions. Assembly Bill 246 allows the Contractors State Licensing Board to take disciplinary actions against a contractor who violates state or local laws prohibiting illegal dumping.  Status: AB 246 awaits consideration in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 318 (Levine): Hazardous waste. Assembly Bill 318 requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to provide guidance to certified unified program agencies on how to characterize green waste under hazardous waste control laws.  Status:  AB 318 is awaiting consideration on the Assembly Floor (Third Reading File). RCRC Status:  Watch

 Assembly Bill 322 (Salas): Energy: Electric Program Investment Charge program: Requires the Energy Commission to consider bioenergy projects for biomass conversion when awarding funds under the Electric Program Investment Charge program. Status: AB 322 is awaiting referral by the Senate Rules Committee.  RCRC Status: Support    

 Assembly Bill 332 (ESTM): Hazardous waste: treated wood waste: Reestablishes a statutory pathway for the alternative management and disposal of treated wood waste in a landfill.  Status:  AB 332 is awaiting referral by the Senate Rules Committee.  RCRC Status:  Support

Assembly Bill 819 (Levine) California Environmental Quality Act: notices and documents: electronic filing and posting.  Requires lead agencies to post California Environmental Quality Act notices and documents on their internet websites and to submit CEQA documents to the State Clearinghouse in electronic form.  Status: AB 819 awaits consideration by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. RCRC Status: Watch

Assembly Bill 843 (Aguiar-Curry): California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program: renewable feed-in tariff: Allows Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) to access the CPUC BioMAT program that provides funding for renewable bioenergy electricity projects, including biomass and biogas. Status: AB 843 awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor (Third Reading File). RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 1139 (Gonzalez) Net Energy Metering.  Assembly Bill 1139 seeks to replace the existing net energy metering NEM tariff for rooftop solar with a new tariff under which utilities will pay the owners of rooftop solar far less for the energy produced by those systems.  AB 1139 seeks to address substantial cost shifting between solar and non-solar utility customers, but in doing so will substantially increase electrical bills for solar customers.  The bill also deems all rooftop solar projects to be “public works” projects for which prevailing wages must be paid.  Status: AB 1139 awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor.  RCRC Status:  Watch.

Assembly Bill 1154 (Patterson) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: egress route projects: fire safety. Exempts from the California Environmental Quality Act egress route projects undertaken by a public agency and that are recommended by the Board of Forestry to improve fire safety of an existing subdivision.  Status: AB 1154 is a two-year bill. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 1311 (Wood) Recycling: beverage containers: certified recycling centers. Makes modest changes to the Beverage Container Recycling Act to increase consumer access to redemption opportunities. Status: AB 1311 awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor (Third Read File). RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 1344 (Arambula) State Department of Public Health: Needle and Syringe Exchange Services.  Exempts needle and syringe exchanges services from the California Environmental Quality Act.  Status: AB 1344 awaits referral by the Senate Rules Committee. RCRC Status: Neutral 

Assembly Bill 1403 (Levine) Emergency Services. Assembly Bill 1403 clarifies that deenergization events (also known as PSPS events) qualify as events for which a state of emergency or local emergency can be declared under the California Emergency Services Act. Status: AB 1403 awaits referral by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 1454 (Bloom) Beverage Container and Litter Reduction Act.  Assembly Bill 1454 makes several changes to the Beverage Container Recycling Program, including creation of a new $25,000 startup loan for the creation of new recycling centers in unserved or underserved areas.  Status: AB 1454 Awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor (Third Read File).  RCRC Status: Support if Amended

Senate Bill 4 (Gonzalez): Communications: California Advanced Services Fund. Senate Bill 4 would modernize and increase the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) by exploring ways to facilitate streamlining of local land use approvals and construction permit processes for projects related to broadband infrastructure deployment and connectivity. Status: SB 4 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 37 (Cortese) California Environmental Quality Act Exemption.  Senate Bill 37 eliminates the ability to use a “common sense exemption” under the California Environmental Quality Act for any projects undertaken at over 40,000 sites throughout the state that appear on the Cortese List of currently or formerly contaminated properties.  The bill will require discretionary projects with no environmental impact at those locations (including many local corp yards, fire stations, airports, etc.) to undergo an initial assessment and prepare a negative declaration.  Status:  SB 37 awaits referral by the Assembly Rules Committee.  RCRC Status:  Oppose.

Senate Bill 38 (Wieckowski): Beverage Containers: Replaces the existing Beverage Container Recycling Program (Bottle Bill) with a new recycling program administered by beverage container manufacturers and increases the CRV from $0.05 to $0.10 per container if the state fails to achieve specified recycling rates.  Repeals the $10.5 million annually set aside for payments to cities and counties to address recycling and litter. Status: SB 38 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor (Third Read File). RCRC Status: Oppose Unless Amended

Senate Bill 52 (Dodd): State of Emergency: Power Outages. Senate Bill 52 clarifies that deenergization events (also known as PSPS events) qualify as events for which a local emergency can be declared under the California Emergency Services Act. Status: SB 52 awaits referral by the Assembly Emergency Management Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 54 (Allen) Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act.  SB 54 requires manufactures of single-use, disposable packaging, and food service ware to ensure that those products sold, distributed, or imported into the state are either recyclable or compostable.  Status: SB 54 is a two-year bill (Senate Inactive File). RCRC Status: Support in Concept.

Senate Bill 99 (Dodd): Community Energy Resilience Act of 2021. Senate Bill 99 requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop and implement a grant program for local governments to develop community energy resilience plans. Status: SB 99 awaits referral by the Assembly Rules Committee.  RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 207 (Dahle): Photovoltaic Recycling Advisory Group: Senate Bill 207 seeks to spur the recycling and reuse of solar photovoltaic panels by requiring an advisory group to make recommendations to ensure that, to the extent possible, all solar photovoltaic panels in the state are reused or recycled at the end of their lives in a safe and cost-effective manner. Status: SB 207 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor (Third Read File). RCRC Status:  Support

Senate Bill 244 (Archuleta): Lithium-ion batteries: illegal disposal: fire prevention: Senate Bill 244 seeks to prevent lithium-ion battery fires by requiring the state to develop training and best practices for the detection, safe handling, and suppression of fires that originate from discarded lithium-ion batteries in solid waste collection vehicles, transfer and processing stations, and disposal facilities.  Status: SB 244 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor (Consent Calendar). RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 261 (Allen) Regional Transportation Plans:  Sustainable Communities Strategies.  Requires the Air Resources Board (ARB) to adopt new greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets for incorporation into the sustainable communities’ strategies prepared by the state’s 18 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs).  Status: SB 261 is a two-year bill. RCRC Status: Oppose

Senate Bill 289 (Newman) Recycling: batteries and battery-embedded products. Requires producers of battery and battery-embedded products to create stewardship organizations and programs for the collection, transportation, and recycling of those products. Status: SB 289 was held the Senate Appropriations Committee.    RCRC Status:  Support

Senate Bill 341 (McGuire) Makes several changes to increase oversight and accountability of telecommunications service outages. Status: SB 341 awaits consideration in the Assembly Communications and Conveyance. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 533 (Stern) Electrical corporations: wildfire mitigation plans: deenergization events: microgrids. Requires utilities to discuss in their Wildfire Mitigation Plans efforts to improve their electrical systems, focused on those areas and assets that have been deenergized the greatest number of times.   Status: SB 533 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 619 (Laird) Organic waste: reduction regulations. Will seek to provide local governments with additional flexibility to achieve the state’s organic waste recycling requirements.  Status: SB 619 awaits referral by the Assembly Rules Committee. RCRC Status: Support