November 27, 2024

The Agriculture, Environment, & Natural Resources (AENR) Policy Committee met at CSAC’s 130^th Annual Meeting. The Committee is Chaired by Supervisor Heidi Hall, Nevada County and Vice-Chairs Supervisor Jessica Pyska, Lake County and Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue, Butte County.

Throughout the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, CSAC has informed you about vital legislative developments. With Governor Newsom’s final actions now complete, CSAC has been publishing articles highlighting new laws and vetoed bills in each policy area. This week, we focus on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, covering the impact of newly-enacted legislation on water, organic waste, emergency management, and more.

September 12, 2024

June 13, 2024

On Friday, June 14 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST, the National Association of Counties (NACo) will host a webinar on the current state of negotiations on the federal Farm Bill.

June 6, 2024

March 14, 2024

January 25, 2024

October 19, 2023

Throughout the year, CSAC has kept you apprised of the status of significant legislation. Now that Governor Newsom has determined final actions on the remaining measures, CSAC will publish a series of articles to spotlight new laws of interest and impact in each policy area. This week, the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources (AENR) policy area provides information on new laws impacting agriculture, water, energy, emergency management, wildfires, cannabis and coastal issues.

October 5, 2023

Efforts to implement SB 1383, which aims to reduce organic waste across the state, are well underway. This Fall, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) opened another round of applications for the SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program. Counties are eligible to receive funding to assist with regulation requirements associated with SB 1383, such as: capacity planning, collection, edible food recovery, education and outreach, enforcement and inspection, program evaluation/gap analysis, procurement requirements, and record keeping.

September 14, 2023

On Friday, September 1, CSAC visited Merced and Stanislaus Counties for a tour hosted by Supervisors Daron McDaniels, Scott Silveira, and Vito Chiesa to learn about regional projects making an impact in their community. The tour was attended by CSAC leadership and staff as well as Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Chair Chris Howard and Vice Chair Heidi Hall, CSAC First Vice President Bruce Gibson and CSAC Second Vice President Jeff Griffiths.

August 31, 2023

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) is currently conducting a public review and comment period of the 2023 California State Emergency Plan (SEP) Coordinating Draft.

The 2023 SEP Coordinating Draft is a strategic level document that describes California’s overall emergency management system. The plan is written to support emergency managers and responders at all levels of government and is updated on a five-year cycle. During this cycle, significant updates to the 2023 SEP include:

August 3, 2023

June 15, 2023

June 8, 2023

CSAC, in collaboration with RCRC, has been meeting with PG&E on a regular basis to receive updates on their strategies to mitigate service disruptions to customers. These meetings bring together key PG&E  staff to hear what counties are experiencing locally, and discuss plans to address issues.

May 11, 2023

The California Energy Commission recently released a report on the different permitting options for offshore wind energy facilities off the California coast currently being considered as part of the state’s offshore wind strategic plan.

Of California’s 58 counties, 19 border the Pacific Ocean. Depending on the location of proposed offshore wind development areas, several counties could be involved in permitting some portion of an offshore wind development project.

April 20, 2023

April 6, 2023

March 30, 2023

February 16, 2023

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) has released guidelines for the newly established Local Retail Grant Program. Counties that currently do not have a cannabis retail licensing program, and have plans to develop one, are eligible to receive grant funding. 

February 2, 2023

On Tuesday, January 31, Governor Newsom signed a proclamation terminating 26 open states of emergency dating back to 2017. These include various fires, prior storms and other incidents including the mpox (formerly referred to as monkeypox) emergency proclaimed in August of last year, coinciding with the termination of the federal public health emergency on mpox.

January 26, 2023

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) offers funding opportunities authorized by legislation to assist public and private entities in the management of waste.

The following grant opportunities are currently open and will be closing in February:

January 19, 2023

January 12, 2023

CSAC continues to monitor and engage on the continued parade of storms and atmospheric rivers affecting all 58 counties that started before the start of the new year. Major impacts are affecting counties—from coastal and river flooding to roadway damage, levee failures and school closures. Widespread precipitation is still expected through the rest of this week and into next week. Statewide rain and heavy mountain snow are also expected.