The Barbed Wire - June 12, 2020

Bi-Partisan Legislation Promises Direct Federal Aid for Smaller Counties

Last week, Representative Paul Cook (R-San Bernardino) introduced the Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act (H.R. 7090), allowing every county to receive direct federal assistance amidst the coronavirus and reauthorizing the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program for five years.

Co-sponsored by Representative Salud O. Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte), and Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey), the bi-partisan legislation would provide a $1 million base to each and every county and allocate funds above the $1 million base relative to the overall population of each county. Furthermore, the legislation provides much-needed flexible aid, which can be spent on a wide range of purposes, including backfilling revenue losses as well as efforts to respond to the outbreak and address other budget shortfalls.

In addition, the Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act would authorize the federal PILT program in Fiscal Year 2021 through Fiscal Year 2026. The federal PILT program is vital for many of California’s counties, particularly rural counties that contain significant federal land, where these funds are a sizeable share of the county’s general fund budget and are used to provide critical services. Unfortunately, many counties have had to use general fund dollars to support COVID-19 pandemic responses.

RCRC strongly supports this legislation which reauthorizes PILT to counties, and ensures that counties will receive significant funding to address the outbreak as well as recover once the public health emergency has passed. Read RCRC’s letter of support here. Anticipating that these provisions may be incorporated into another coronavirus relief package rather than continue as a stand-alone piece of legislation, RCRC staff will be working through our federal advocates and our partners at the National Association of Counties to ensure a second round of federal funding – directly dedicated to low-population counties - is enacted.

Bill of the Week: AB 2421 (Quirk) - Telecommunications Streamlining Permits

RCRC has offered its support for the recently-amended Assembly Bill 2421 authored by Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D- Hayward). AB 2421 would set forth a streamlined local permitting process for siting back-up power generators on macro cellular tower sites through January 1, 2024.

Specifically, AB 2421 provides that siting an emergency standby generator that meets specified standards, proposed at an existing permitted macro cell tower site, is subject only to a ministerial permitting process. Additionally, a local agency that receives a permit application to install an emergency standby generator is required to approve or deny the application with 60 days of submittal of the application, or the application will be deemed approved.

The unprecedented number of public safety power shut off (PSPS) events in the 2019 wildfire season brought to the forefront the systemic infrastructure weaknesses that exist in both the electricity grid, and the telecommunication systems. Many communities, especially those in rural fire-prone areas, were left without a reliable means of communication in case of an emergency. RCRC believes the streamlined local permitting process will help telecommunication providers effectively and expeditiously deploy back-up power generation to cell towers to mitigate loss of wireless communication services during a power outage.

The recent amendment, suggested by RCRC and accepted by the author, would explicitly require, as a condition of permit approval, that a project must comply with all applicable laws. As amended, AB 2421 would maintain the ability of local governments to protect its residents by only approving projects that meet applicable health and safety standards. RCRC’s letter can be accessed here. For more information, please contact Tracy Rhine, RCRC Legislative Advocate, at (916) 447-4806 or trhine@rcrcnet.org.

CPUC Issues Report on 2019 PSPS Events

This week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a long-awaited report on 2019 public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) events and outlined a number of recommendations. While the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division’s (SED) report “provides an initial assessment” of utility notifications, communications, and mitigation actions, it does NOT evaluate the reasonableness of the utilities’ decisions to shut off power or their conduct during the PSPS events. The SED noted that such an evaluation would require a far more extensive inquiry than is currently available.

The SED noted that all investor-owned utilities (IOUs) ineffectively coordinated with public safety partners, inadequately considered access and functional needs (AFN) communities, and failed to comprehensively consider public safety risks caused by PSPS events.

The report makes the following recommendations for future CPUC PSPS guidelines:

• Clarify identification of public safety partners.
• Clarify when notices are required, rather than recommended, to be provided to public safety partners, critical facilities, and the general public.
• Require priority notification to transmission-level customers.
• Require utilities Emergency Operations Center staff to have emergency management experience or training.
• Require utilities to coordinate with local and tribal governments to proactively identify and share lists of medical baseline customers.
• Require utilities to develop partnerships with local organizations to improve outreach and assistance for AFN communities.
• Require coordination with locals to comprehensively identify critical facilities and infrastructure.
• Require coordination with local governments and community-based organizations to deploy community resource centers and mobile assistance vehicles.
• Require utilities to report on projects that improve situational awareness, including weather stations and high-resolution cameras.
• Allow public safety partners to opt out of some utility notifications.
• Increase and improve the information contained in utility post-PSPS event reports and improve their consistency across all utilities.

The SED report recognizes that utilities have room to improve efforts to minimize public impacts through CRCs, but somewhat troublingly, also urges the CPUC to recognize that resources to mitigate PSPS impacts were also provided by local governments. This comment fails to recognize that locals were often left with no alternative to dedicate resources to mitigate PSPS impacts because they were left with few other choices in the absence of utility mitigation efforts.

The report relies heavily on utility reports and comments made in CPUC proceedings by RCRC, CSAC, and the Joint Local Governments (Kern, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma Counties and the City of Santa Rosa). RCRC has been supportive of efforts to require the CPUC to evaluate last year’s PSPS events and determine the reasonableness of the utilities’ actions in initiating and implementing those events.

CPUC Issues Proposed Decision Requiring Wireless Companies to Increase PSPS Planning and Resilience

On June 11, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a Proposed Decision requiring wireless companies to take several actions to improve system planning and resiliency to maintain customer service during a PSPS event.

Last year’s late-October PSPS events had a devastating impact on communications networks, with 57% of cell towers losing power in Marin County, followed by 39% in Calaveras County and over 19% in each Humboldt, Lake, Napa, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma Counties. Those outages impaired the ability for many residents to receive emergency notifications and access 9-1-1 services and also frustrated local emergency response efforts.

In particular, the Proposed Decision requires wireless providers to:

• Submit emergency operations plans to the CPUC, CalOES, and local emergency response agencies and include plans for communicating with the public during disasters and outages impacting their networks.
• Adopt a 72-hour backup power requirement to maintain minimum service and coverage during a disaster or power outage in a high fire risk area.
• File a comprehensive communications resiliency plan that outlines how the provider will maintain a minimum level of service during a disaster or power outage, including through use of backup power, system redundancy, network hardening, temporary facilities, preparedness planning, etc.

The CPUC will formally consider this Proposed Decision at its July hearing. While this Proposed Decision only applies to wireless companies, the CPUC indicated that it will be adopting similar requirements on wireline communications providers in a subsequent proposal.

RCRC is a party to the CPUC’s Emergency Disaster Relief Program proceeding and urged the adoption of communications system resiliency improvements in comments filed on March 26. RCRC is similarly supporting Senate Bill 431 (McGuire), which would require telecommunication providers to have backup power systems for their infrastructure in high-fire threat areas. View RCRC’s support letter here.

California Transportation Infrastructure Projects Supported by SB 1 Funds

In 2017, the Legislature enacted the Road and Repair Accountability Act (Senate Bill 1- Beall), which addressed increased motor vehicle fees and taxes to improve state and local transportation needs. Through voter action, SB 1 funds are constitutionally protected so they can only be used for transportation. A collection of resource documents released last week by Transportation California highlight how state and local agencies are utilizing those funds to make road improvements. Transportation California reports that:

• 8,000 state and local transportation projects are already underway
• 68,000 jobs are supported annually
• $18 billion in economic activity is generated each year

For local information, Transportation California has prepared reports on the projects funded by SB 1 and compiled them by each of the State’s 80 Assembly Districts. A district-by-district report is available here.

RCRC lent its support for SB 1 as many RCRC member counties recognized the perilous condition of state and local road infrastructure and the need to rehabilitate transportation assets at that time in order to avoid dramatic cost increases in the future.

RCRC Joins Effort to Provide Funds for Drinkable Water in the Town of Paradise

On Monday, RCRC joined voices with a coalition of resource and labor advocacy groups to urge Governor Newsom to maintain the second year of funding for the Paradise Irrigation District (PID). This effort follows a funding allocation by the Newsom Administration in 2019 to restore water services in the aftermath of the Camp Fire of 2018 which devastated PID’s ability to provide water services in the Town of Paradise. The hard work of IBEW and its sister labor organizations has helped to ensure the second-year allocation is included in the Legislature’s current budget proposal. The vital funding must survive the difficult budget decisions ahead in the coming weeks as the Legislature and the Governor enact a State Budget for 2020-2021 by July 1.

PID provides clean drinking water to the homes and business within the Town of Paradise, located in Butte County. Due to the destruction of the Camp Fire, PID was unable to remain operational and the Town of Paradise was left without a drinkable water source. Last year, the Newsom Administration decided to allocate two years of backfill funding to PID to allow it to remain operational while it works on a long-term plan to become economically self-sufficient. Without the second year of funding, PID will need to declare bankruptcy and terminate many employees. Citing state budget difficulties during the May Revise, second-year funding was proposed to be eliminated. The collapse of PID would undermine the area’s recovery and would be disastrous for the Town of Paradise. Read the coalition letter here.

Congress Takes Steps to Fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Last week, Representative Joe Cunningham (D-South Carolina) and Representative TJ Cox (D-Kings) introduced the Great American Outdoors Act (H.R.7092), a bipartisan effort to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The second key component of the legislation provides nearly $20 billion to address priority repair needs in the National Park Service and other federal land management agencies. In March, President Trump called on Congress to send this legislation to his desk to be signed into law. Furthermore, he has recently called upon the U.S. Senate to pass this effort. The legislation has drawn the support of more than 900 organizations across the country, including local businesses, the recreation industry, veterans groups, conservation organizations, tourism and travel associations, sportsmen, and infrastructure groups. More importantly, earlier in the week, the U.S. Senate voted 80-17 to invoke cloture, thus limiting debate on the Senate’s version of the Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422) which enjoys broad bi-partisan support. This sets the stage for action on the Senate Floor to adopt this bill. It is expected that the House of Representatives will expedite the consideration of the Great American Outdoors Act in order to have the legislation on President Trump’s desk in July.

Senator Feinstein Prepares Legislation to Address Reform of the United States Postal Service

Senator Dianne Feinstein is currently in the process of crafting legislation that would authorize the United States Postal Service (USPS) to enter into agreements with any agency of a state, local, or tribal government to provide services at a USPS location if those services provide enhanced value to the public. Examples of services that would be included are: hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses; DMV services; land use applications; and recreation permits. The legislation is designed to benefit rural areas, particularly, those that do not have physical locations for state services but do have post office locations. RCRC has conveyed its support for this effort to reform the USPS (it continues to have financial challenges) that preserves access for rural communities. Read RCRC’s letter here.

Updated Railroad Safety App Available for Key County Personnel/Emergency Responders

Effective response in a railroad emergency depends on access to reliable, timely information. If the train conductor cannot be located, the AskRail mobile app gives first responders an alternative resource in the palm of their hand. By entering a railcar number in the mobile interface, key county emergency personnel can identify if a car or train is carrying hazardous material or other freight that poses a risk before determining how to safely respond to an incident.

Other features of the recently-updated AskRail app include:

• full integration with North American Class I railroads;
• a mapping feature to identify points of interest and isolation zones;
• access to the field guide to tank cars, providing the types and markings of tank cars that carry hazardous and non-hazardous materials;
• emergency contact information for all Class I Railroads and Amtrak; and
• a list of the top 125 hazardous materials to help hazmat managers and emergency responders design their training strategy.

The AskRail app, available for qualified emergency responders, is included as part of standard emergency responder training from Class I railroads, and railroads can offer the app to known emergency responders along their routes. To learn more about the AskRail app, visit the website here.

BULLETIN BOARD

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

COVID-Related Extensions Possible on CDBG Annual Performance Reports

On Monday, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced that the State Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for non-entitlement jurisdictions requires all CDBG Recipients to submit Annual Performance Reports (APRs) documenting any activity that occurred during fiscal year 2019/2020. The reporting period covers July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. APR documents must be completed and submitted via email to CDBG.Reports@hcd.ca.gov by Friday, July 31, 2020. If the deadline can’t be met due to circumstances caused by COVID-19, please email Francisco Arnaiz outlining the reasons for requesting an extension and the date you expect to submit the report. Additional details are available in the HCD announcement here.

Upcoming Hearing of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) to Adopt Changes to Affordable Housing Tax Credits in Fire Disaster Counties

On Wednesday, June 17th at 1pm, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) is expected to consider and adopt finalized regulation changes to Affordable Housing Tax Credits in fire disaster counties per federal legislation, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020. The final proposed regulations can be viewed here, and the CTCAC teleconference agenda with call in-details can be viewed here.

Previously, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced CTCAC’s intent to clarify the regulations to ensure these disaster tax credits are distributed to areas hardest hit by recent wildfires, see here. Last year, federal legislation from Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Napa) provided $100 million in affordable housing tax credits for California counties in 2017 and 2018 disaster areas. These funds are designed to assist rebuilding efforts in communities located in Butte, Lake, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Sonoma, Ventura and Yuba counties which suffered devastating losses due to the Camp Fire, Tubbs Fire, Thomas Fire, and Mendocino Complex Fire.

RCRC June Board Meeting Will Occur Virtually

The June meeting of the RCRC Board of Directors will occur over Zoom, rather than as a gathering in either Merced County or the offices of RCRC in Sacramento County. RCRC Chair, Supervisor Daron McDaniel of Merced County, made the announcement in a message to members of the RCRC Board of Directors in late May. This decision is a result of many factors, including State and Sacramento County public health orders, as counties progress through various stages of re-opening. At this time, RCRC staff and officers remain hopeful that the September Board of Directors meeting can be held in Merced County, likely to occur on September 17-18. RCRC staff, in consultation with RCRC leadership, will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Butte County Seeks Chief Administrative Officer

Butte County is recruiting for the position of Chief Administrative Officer. The filing deadline is July 20, 2020. To apply or for more information, see the announcement here.

Job Posting- Shasta County Director of Housing/Community Action Programs

The county of Shasta has extended the application deadline and is accepting applications through 5:00 PM on June 19, 2020 for the position of Director of Housing/Community Action Programs. Click here for details or to apply now.

Career Opportunity- SRTA Chief Fiscal Officer

Shasta Regional Transportation Agency (SRTA) is seeking a Chief Fiscal Officer. Position details are available here. The position is open until filled. See the SRTA website for updates and submission information.

Public Forums Announced for Southern California Edison’s Proposed Rate Increase on Electric Customers

Public Forums to discuss Southern California Edison’s 20.5% rate increase request with the California Public Utilities Commission has been scheduled to occur on Tuesday, June 30th and Wednesday, July 1st at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. each day. To participate and make public comments at that time, call 1-800-857-1917, passcode 1673482, or you may view the public meeting here. For the full public notice, see here.

CARB to Host an Air Regulatory Overview Webinar for Public Agencies in California

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will be hosting an Air Regulatory Overview webinar for public agencies on June 29, 2020.

This course is an overview of air regulations that public agencies in California have compliance requirements including:

• Idling Limitations;
• On-Road Public Fleet Regulation;
• In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation;
• Periodic Smoke Inspection Program; and
• Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP).

DATE:     June 29, 2020
TIME:     1:00 p.m.
WEBINAR:  Register

Governor’s Office of Planning and Research Holds Weekly Webinars to Answer Questions on New CEQA Process

Senate Bill 743 (Steinberg; 2013) requires a new process to analyze transportation impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to vehicle miles traveled (VMT); more information can be found here. In order to answer questions that may arise as implementation nears for this new CEQA metric, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is holding weekly “Office Hours” on a variety of topics from May 20^th to June 24^th. To view past events, including the discussion focusing on rural implementation, see OPR’s YouTube page here. Register for upcoming events here.

June 17, 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon
To Be Determined

June 24, 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon
To Be Determined

RCRC Annual Meeting in Napa County Cancelled

The RCRC Annual Meeting 2020 has been cancelled as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This meeting was scheduled to occur in Napa County this September. Several factors led to this difficult decision, most notably, current and future state and local government guidelines. Planning is underway to hold a future Annual Meeting in Napa – most likely in 2022 – in order to enjoy the beauty of the County as well as contribute to its economic recovery. More information on the return to Napa will be forthcoming after consideration and action by the RCRC Board of Directors.

PG&E Announces Weekly Public Webinars on Wildfire Safety and PSPS Mitigation Efforts

PG&E announced a schedule of public webinars at which it will provide information on local Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) and wildfire safety efforts, including how it will make PSPS events smaller in size and shorter in duration, efforts to install new grid technology and harden electrical infrastructure, and enhanced vegetation management activities.

Webinars will take place on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Webinars have taken place for Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Lassen, Marin, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, and Yuba Counties. Upcoming webinars are scheduled as follows:

• June 17 – Mendocino and Lake Counties (join webinar here)
• June 24 – Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties (join webinar here)
• July 1 – Humboldt, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties (join webinar here)
• July 8 – Glenn, Tehama, and Shasta Counties
• July 15 – Alpine, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Counties
• July 22 – Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties
• July 29 – San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Kern Counties
• August 5 – Tulare, Madera, and Fresno Counties

See a full schedule, find information to join a webinar by phone, or view past presentations here. Check back for links to future webinars.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ASSISTANCE

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

DWR Provides Tips for Holding Online Meetings to Address Groundwater Sustainability Plans

As Groundwater Sustainability Plans are being developed to meet the January 2022 deadline, several counties (and water agencies) have asked for advice for engaging stakeholders and interested parties through online resources. In response to community interest, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Sustainable Groundwater Management Office has put together examples, tips, and tactics to consider. The DWR tips are available here.

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 1071 (Limon): Climate Change: Agriculture: Agricultural Climate: Assembly Bill 1071 requires the council to provide guidance in the development of, and to coordinate the activities of member agencies of the council for, a grant program, known as the Agricultural Climate Adaptation Tools Program, as specified, to provide funding for activities that include development of specified planning tools for adapting to climate change and developing resiliency strategies in the agricultural sector, using the best available science. Status: AB 1071 has passed in the Assembly and awaits consideration in the Senate. RCRC Status: Watch

Assembly Bill 1958 (Cooper): State Plan of Flood Control: Facilities: Assembly Bill 1958 would protect critical flood protection infrastructure by bolstering the maintenance of levees throughout California. Status: AB 1958 awaits committee assignment by Senate Rules. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 2076 (Bigelow): Public Lands: Wildfire Prevention Strategy: Assembly Bill 2076 requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to develop and implement a wildfire prevention strategy for all property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation that is located within a high or a very high fire hazard severity zone. Requires the wildfire prevention strategy to outline the department's fire prevention goals. Status: AB 2076 awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 2421 (Quirk): Emergency Standby Generators: Assembly Bill 2421 requires local agencies to make the installation of an emergency standby generator within the physical footprint of a macro cell tower site that meets specified requirements a permitted use subject only to local agency administrative review. Status: AB 2421 awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 2459 (Bigelow): Alcoholic Beverage Licenses: County of Mariposa: Assembly Bill 2459 would authorize the Alcoholic Beverage Control to issue up to 10 additional new original on‑sale alcoholic beverage licenses to bona fide public eating places in Mariposa County that have a seating capacity for 50 or more persons.  Status: AB 2459 gained passage in the Assembly and now awaits consideration in the State Senate.  RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 2642 (Salas): Multi-benefit Land Conversion Incentive Program: Assembly Bill 2642 requires the Department of Conservation to establish and administer a program named the Multi-benefit Land Conversion Incentive Program for purposes of providing grants to groundwater sustainability agencies, or other specified entities designated by groundwater sustainability agencies, for the development or implementation of local programs supporting or facilitating multi-benefit land conversion at the basin scale. Status: AB 2642 held by Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Support.

Assembly Bill 3012 (Wood): Residential Property Insurance: Assembly Bill 3012 requires, for a total loss of a furnished residence related to a declared state of emergency, a residential property insurer to provide a payment for contents of no less than a certain percent of the policy limit without requiring an itemized claim. Requires a notice of nonrenewal for a policy to be accompanied by certain information, including information about the Home Insurance Finder and FAIR plan policies. Status: AB 3012 awaits consideration in the Assembly.  RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 3074 (Friedman): Fire Prevention: Wildfire Risk: Defensible Space: Assembly Bill 3074 Relates to defensible space. Requires more intense fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and to create an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure, as provided. Status: AB 3074 awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 3164 (Friedman): Fire Prevention: Wildland Urban Interface: Assembly Bill 3164 requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop a wildland urban interface wildfire risk model to determine the risk for a community or parcel within a local responsibility area or state responsibility the department to establish, and consult with, an advisory workgroup, with specified members, to develop the model. Requires the department to update the model and guidelines when fire hazard severity zones are revised. Status: AB 3164 awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Assembly Bill 3256 (Garcia): Bond Act: Assembly Bill 3256 Enacts the Economic Recovery, Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in a specified amount to finance projects for an economic recovery, wildfire prevention, safe drinking water, drought preparation, and flood protection program. Status: AB 3256 Assembly Rules Committee, pending referred to the Assembly Floor with Amendments. RCRC Status: Watch

Senate Bill 45 (Allen): Wildfire, Drought, and Flood Protection Bond Act 2020. Senate Bill 45 enacts the Wildfire, Drought, and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020, which, if approved by voters, authorizes the issuance of bonds to finance projects to restore fire damaged areas, reduce wildfire risk, create healthy forests and watersheds, reduce climate impacts on urban areas and vulnerable populations, protect water supply and water quality, protect rivers, lakes and streams, reduce flood risk, protect fish and wildlife from climate impacts, and protect coastal lands and resources. Status: SB 45 has passed out from the Senate and awaits consideration from the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 182 (Beth Jackson): Local Government: Planning and Zoning: Wildfires: SB 182 creates a structure of increased fire risk strategies to be used by local governments to plan and permit for housing development in a VHFRA, defined as state, local and locally designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). This bill adds reducing development pressure in VHFRA as an objective of the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) plan through considering allocating a lower portion of housing to a jurisdiction, if appropriate, due to the risk to life and safety to catastrophic wildfire. Status: SB 182 has passed out of the Senate and awaits consideration in the Assembly. RCRC Status:  Support

Senate Bill 431 (McGuire): Mobile Telephony Service Base Transceiver Station Tower:  Senate Bill 431 requires the commission, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, to develop and implement performance reliability standards for all mobile telephony service base transceiver station towers, commonly known as "cell towers," located within a commission-designated Tier 2 or Tier 3 High Fire Threat District. Status: SB 431 awaits consideration in the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 755 (Rubio): Insurance: Residential Property Insurance: Senate Bill 755 requires specified insurers who fail to renew or offer renewal of a policy of residential property insurance to make certain notifications to a policyholder regarding other options the policyholder may have, including information about the FAIR plan. Status: SB 755 passed in the Senate and awaits consideration from the Assembly. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 872 (Dodd): Residential Property Insurance: State of Emergency: Senate Bill 872 relates to actions taken during a state of emergency. Requires an insurer of residential property to provide extensions to collect the full replacement cost of an insured acting in good faith and with reasonable diligence encounters delays in approval for, or reconstruction of, the property that are beyond the insured's control. Requires coverage for loss of use relating to a state of emergency to be for a specified period, plus an extension, as specified. Status: SB 872 awaits consideration in the Senate. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 971 (Hertzberg): Small Water Supplier and Countywide Water Shortages: Senate Bill 971 requires a small water supplier to prepare and adopt a small water supplier water shortage contingency plan that consists of specified elements. Requires a small water supplier with a specified number of service connections to take specified actions related to water shortage planning and response. Requires small water suppliers to provide to the public and to report, the plan and specified water shortage planning information. Status: SB 971 will not be considered by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee this year due to the shortened legislative calendar. RCRC Status: Pending

Senate Bill 974 (Hurtado): California Environmental Quality Act: Water Systems: Senate Bill 974 exempts from CEQA certain projects that benefit a small community water system that primarily serves one or more disadvantaged communities or that benefit a non-transient noncommunity water system that serves a school that serves one or more disadvantaged communities, by improving the small community water system's or non-transient noncommunity water system's water quality, water supply, or water supply reliability, or by encouraging water conservation. Status: SB 974 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 1120 (Atkins): Subdivisions: Tentative Maps: Senate Bill 1120 amends the Planning and Zoning Law. Requires a proposed housing development containing two residential units to be considered ministerially, without discretionary review or hearing, in zones where allowable uses are limited to single family residential development. Requires ministerial approval of parcel map dividing a lot into two equal lots. Status: SB 1120 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Pending

Senate Bill 1130 (Gonzalez): Telecommunications: California Advanced Services Fund: Senate Bill 1130 make changes to the California Advanced Services Fund that would require broad band projects to provide high quality, future proof infrastructure to be eligible for state funding. Status: SB 1130 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 1347 (Galgiani): Veterinary Medicine: Authorized Care: Senate Bill 1347 Expands the types of veterinary care, animal shelter, employees can provide to include first aid, the administration of nonprescription vaccinations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and other activities pursuant to veterinarian writers protocol. Status: SB 1347 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Support

Senate Bill 1385 (Caballero): Local Planning: Housing: Commercial Zones: Senate Bill 1385 establishes the Neighborhood Home Act which would deem a housing development project an authorized use on a parcel that is zoned for office or retail commercial use under a local agency's zoning code or general plan. Status: SB 1385 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Pending

Senate Bill 1431 (Glazer): Property Taxation: Reassessment: Disaster Relief: Senate Bill 1431 expands existing law relating to the reassessment of property damaged or destroyed in an area or region subsequently proclaimed to be in a state of disaster. Specifies that damage includes a diminution in the value of property as a result of any law, order, or rule, or regulation of the state or locality providing tenant protections in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Status: SB 1431 awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Status: Oppose