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County delegation scores wins in Sacramento; Assembly and Senate adjourn after late deals
Summary
County advocacy staff and outside advocates briefed the board on the 2025 California legislative session and developments that affect Humboldt County, including budget and policy outcomes, energy and wildfire funding measures, canceled and signed bills of local interest, and outlook for 2026 priorities.
County legislative advocates briefed the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 about outcomes from the most recent legislative session, priorities the county pursued and what the county should expect in the coming year.
Karen Lang and Clifton Wilson of the county's Sacramento advocacy team summarized the end-of-session activity: lawmakers adjourned after late "three-party" negotiations (Assembly, Senate, governor) that required holding bills in print until deals were finalized. Advocates said the governor has signed dozens of bills this year and that hundreds remain on his desk for signature or veto.
The presentation highlighted several items of direct local interest: allocations for behavioral-health triage center planning and a youth facility; an allocation to support a McKinleyville incorporation feasibility analysis; action on cannabis tax relief that will affect Humboldt producers; a bill to clarify on-farm animal disposal and composting that passed and will assist local livestock operators; and work on maintaining telephone service access and the "carrier of last resort" concept that would have allowed some phone companies to withdraw service without mitigations.
Advocates also discussed the wildfire-recovery fund that will be replenished through a legislative package: a portion of the roughly $18 billion deal will be supplied through ratepayer charges and other state allocations to stabilize the insurance market and maintain recovery funds.
Board members asked about pending open-meeting and teleconferencing legislation (Senate Bill 707 and related proposals) and the need for cleanup language to address unfunded mandates and translation or technology costs for smaller local agencies and special districts. County advocates said they expect cleanup legislation in January and urged continued local input.
Supervisor comments emphasized support for line items secured for Humboldt County, including funding for youth behavioral-health facilities, and interest in continuing coordination on rural broadband, grid and energy-infrastructure funding tied to a new regional-grid effort. The board voted to receive and file the legislative report.
