Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week discussed pending litigation in the state Legislature.

Supervisor Vice Chairman Richard Forster reported from a recent board meeting of the Regional Council of Rural Counties, now known as the Rural County Representatives of California.

Forster said RCRC discussed legislation that is bad for rural counties. He said AB2345 to create a “California Fairs Network Commission” was seeking to transition away from state money for fairs. Forster said Amador County Fair CEO Troy Bowers told him “this is already off the table,” and instead, there is a move to put county fairs under the auspices of the California State Fair system.

The Western Fairs Association and California Fairs Alliance were backing Senate Bill 1454, by Senator Doug LaMalfa. WFA reported that LaMalfa’s “bill authorizes the creation of an eight-character personalized license plate and directs the proceeds from the additional fees paid for these plates to California fairs, state parks and the Williamson Act.” The bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee April 27 and is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

RCRC also opposed AB1897 “Land Use: General Plan: Healthy Food Element” bill which bill “would require the addition of a new ‘healthy food’ element” to city or county “General Plans” to “increase access to healthy affordable food,” according to RCRC legislative advocate, Kathy Mannion, who wrote: “While RCRC certainly supports access to healthy affordable food, RCRC must oppose the addition of a healthy food element as a required element of the General Plan.” She said the bill goes “well beyond what the General Plan is designed to do,” would be expensive, and “the issue is best dealt with by other means.”

RCRC also opposed Sen. Christine Kehoe’s SB1241 to require that counties amend their “general plan safety element requirements for State Responsibility Areas and very high fire hazard severity zones.” It also attempts to extend state environmental law to apply to State Responsibility Areas (SRAs).

Forster said Kehoe has been “putting together bad language on SRAs” for years, including some that was vetoed. He said it is “not real good for the counties with SRAs.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli said at a recent California State Fire Association district meeting in Napa, he heard that if the Governor gets his way with SRA fees, some money would go back to fire districts, though the speaker did not know to which department it would go.

Supervisor John Plasse said it could be given to Cal-Fire; and Forster said it could be given to Fire Safe Councils. He said the State Fire Safe Council supported the SRA fire fees, but local councils did not. ¶ Forster said some former county supervisors are making legislation that is harmful to cities and counties. Plasse said he had a petition in his office to go to a part-time Legislature.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.