Rural County group presents broadband, housing and forest-resiliency priorities to Merced supervisors

Craig Focarson, senior vice president of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), presented the organization’s annual strategic-plan update to the Merced County Board of Supervisors on June 10, outlining RCRC priorities across broadband, housing, wildfire resiliency and rural economic development.

"RCRC's main objective and goals is government affairs, economic development, business development, administration of finance," Focarson told the board, summarizing the organization's focus on member services for California's rural counties. He said RCRC helps rural jurisdictions access financing and programs private markets and larger associations may overlook.

Focarson described several affiliated programs. He said the Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) has helped provide mortgage financing and down-payment assistance for many households; he cited figures of more than $17 billion in mortgage financing and more than $14 million in down-payment assistance. He also described a GSFA program that uses 0% financing to help member-county employees buy homes and said the GSFA board approved $3 million for that program, with roughly $2 million already used in participating counties.

On broadband, Focarson said Golden State Connect Authority is pursuing an open-access, fiber-based model in partnership with Utopia Fiber, using state and federal grants plus a planned bond-backed financing structure. He said RCRC had secured roughly $185 million in grant funding and an additional $50 million for project development, and that the initiative aims to deliver gigabit-capable service to rural communities that currently have limited provider choice.

Focarson also described Golden State Natural Resources, an RCRC affiliate that works with the U.S. Forest Service to remove dead wood and other fuel from national forest lands and to develop local wood-processing facilities. He said the goal is to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk while generating usable product and revenue to sustain ongoing forest-resiliency work.

Why it matters: the RCRC represents rural counties’ collective interests before state and federal agencies. The programs Focarson described aim to increase housing affordability for county employees, expand broadband competition in underserved areas and fund forest-management projects that proponents say reduce fire risk.

What the board did: the presentation was informational. No county action, vote or funding decision was recorded during this meeting segment.

Ending: supervisors heard the RCRC strategic priorities and said they would review materials and consider coordination opportunities through existing county channels.