My Recent Activities
As this week contained the fifth Tuesday of the month, there was neither a regular Board of Supervisors Meeting nor a Yuba Water Agency Board meeting. However, we did have a Special Board of Supervisors meeting related to property negotiations (agenda). I attended a Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Transportation Committee Meeting (agenda). I’m honored to chair that committee this year and we discussed several important regional transportation topics, including: unmet transit needs findings, a regional funding found framework, and federal funding grant prioritization methodology. I also had a Yuba Sutter Economic Development Corporation (YSEDC) board of directors meeting but was unable to attend due to a conflict with a Yuba Water Agency related meeting.
Additional meetings on my calendar included meeting with a constituent to talk about Yuba Water Agency, an agenda review for the SACOG transportation committee, an agenda review for the Yuba Water Agency, a Yuba Water Chair/Vice-Chair breakfast, an RCRC Roadway Infrastructure Ad Hoc Committee, and a community input meeting for the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan. At the RCRC committee, several rural county supervisors brought up policy concerts related to the State and transportation infrastructure. My concern is the growing opposition at the State level to fund capacity-increasing projects. Projects like the East Wheatland Expressway and the Goldfileds Parkway are critical for growing counties like Yuba. Both projects are important for congestion mitigation and emergency evacuation and the the East Wheatland Expressway is also important to national defense and Yuba’s ability to help the State meet it’s new housing goals.
Tuesday evening was the Yuba Sutter Candidate Forum at the Yuba County Government Center. The forum featured candidates in contested races for Yuba County Supervisor, Sutter County Supervisor, and Yuba Water Agency. (each forum is linked to a live stream recording on YouTube). I also attended a Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce Lunch Mob at Rolling Stone Pizza on Tuesday.
Looking ahead to this week
This week is a Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors meeting. A few highlights from the agenda include the purchase of some property near Colgate and the consideration of a staff recommendation to staff to limit the Community Impact Grant and Loan Program’s March 2024 application window to only a few grant categories. The staff report for the agenda item summarizes that since June of 2021, Yuba Water has approved $52.4M in community impact grants, $57.2M in loans, and $34.2M in grants to Yuba County, primarily to leverage additional state and federal dollars. I also have a Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority (TRLIA) meeting on Tuesday and one of the items on the agenda is to approve four encroachment permit applications with the Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB) for the Climate Resiliency Project, a project to ensure levees protecting Linda, Olivehurst, Arboga, and Plumas Lake exceed a 300-year level of protection.
Additional meetings on my calendar include a Northern California Water Association (NCWA) special board meeting to review 2024 priorities, a Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Strategic Planning Meeting to approve board rules and discuss opportunities and challenges in the year ahead, and a touch-base with Yuba County Public Works on several things they are working on for me on behalf of constituents. I also plan to attend a community meeting on Wednesday evening hosted by PLESD on Measures VWX at Riverside at 6 pm and a PLESD board meeting on Thursday at the District Office at 6 pm to discuss the same thing. Also on Wednesday, I’ll join Councilmember Teeter and the City Manager from the City of Wheatland for a tour of Beale AFB.
On Friday morning I head to DC for the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2024 Legislative Conference. On Saturday, I’ll spend all day in a NACo Telecommunications and Technology Committee (T&T) Policy Steering Committee Meeting, In addition to informational sessions at the conference (including how to get funding from future service transportation legislation and the inflation reduction act), I’ll participate in Rural Action Caucus, Western Region, and California Caucus meetings. Finally, while in DC I’m trying to meet with Congrasmen LaMalfa and Kiley about several items of importance to Yuba County.
Announcements
- Yuba County is looking for community input on our Local Road Safety Plan; learn more at yubacountysafetyplan.com
- Do you walk or bicycle in Olivehurst, Linda, or Plumas Lake? If so, the County wants to hear from you at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L5HDNLR
- The North Valley Rail Strategic Plan, which includes a station in Plumas Lake, was recently released. Review the plan and find information about providing comments at northvalleyrail.org
- The Yuba Sheriff Department’s Citizens Academy is taking signups for the next 12-week session. The academy teaches residents about the sheriff’s department. Learn more and sign up at sheriff.co.yuba.ca.us
*Picture is a collage of various things from my week: Chairing the SACOG Transportation Committee meeting; volunteering with WUHSD board members Ryan Bellflower and Greg Forest to judge the impromptu speech contest at the Future Business Leaders of America; two shots of a beautiful sunrise in Plumas Lake; and hanging out with Supervisor Messick and others at the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce Lunch Mob at Rolling Stone Pizza.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you!
