Tulare County adopts 2025–27 state and federal legislative platforms; adds local‑control language and highlights water, SNAP, valley‑fever priorities

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved updated 2025–2027 state and federal legislative platforms on a motion and second at a public meeting, adopting a one‑page executive summary and several substantive revisions intended to sharpen county advocacy.

"This is the first time you're gonna see some major changes to the design. We included an executive summary this year," said Israel, who presented the platforms on behalf of county staff, describing a consolidated layout intended to make the county’s top priorities easy to find by legislators and their staff. Israel identified water, workforce development related to groundwater sustainability implementation, and infrastructure as among the county’s stated priorities.

County staff said the new structure matches a single‑page executive summary to a larger, detailed platform so that callers and legislative staff can quickly find the county’s specific asks by policy area. The platform changes include removals and consolidations of items that staff said are already addressed or were duplicate asks, additions to oppose unfunded mandates that undermine local control, and new language asking for flexibility on the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets implementation for rural counties.

"We added a local control item to our previously existing unfunded mandates item to say that we would oppose any legislation that undermines what we do here at the county," Israel said. He also noted a federal priority to improve access to SNAP benefits for students who otherwise would qualify but are excluded by additional categorical requirements, and he urged inclusion of congressional attention to valley fever research and response after an earlier bill from former Congressman Duarte lost its sponsor.

Board members praised the new format and the executive summary. "I can already foresee agenda pushers saying we've removed items, but deletions do not mean we've abandoned those topics," said Supervisor Macquarie. Supervisor Townsend said the one‑page executive summary is practical in advocacy trips to Sacramento and federal offices, noting he carried a copy during recent outreach.

Supervisor Vanderpool emphasized water, farm‑to‑market roads and FEMA reimbursement timing as federal priorities, and raised the county’s interest in immigration issues affecting long‑term residents and DACA populations. The board also discussed county fleet electrification requirements under Advanced Clean Fleets and the practical challenges for a rural county with limited charging infrastructure. County staff answered that the county currently operates a very small number of electric vehicles and has limited charging stations but uses small electric carts in parks.

Several members of the public addressed the board during public comment. Maria Arvalo, a resident from the south county area, urged supervisors to refrain from supporting incentives that the commenter said increase dairy operations and place local communities at risk from air pollution. "Supporting the digesters is not a good priority because they contaminate the air that we breathe in these communities," Arvalo said. Ashley Vega, Tulare County policy advocate with Leadership Council, submitted a written comment and urged the county to consider environmental justice concerns and community priorities; Vega said data show incentives for dairy digesters can incentivize more cows and more manure, worsening impacts on nearby low‑income communities of color.

County staff noted a range of other additions and deletions to the platform: items removed where state or federal program changes resolved barriers (for example, adjustments in drinking water funding rules that allow fire‑flow upgrades in certain grants), consolidation of fines and fees asks, and a sharpened workforce development ask tied to anticipated SGMA implementation fallout for the agricultural labor market.

After public comment the board voted 5‑0 to approve the platforms as presented. The motion to approve was made by Supervisor Shuckling and seconded by Supervisor Makari; the vote was recorded as unanimous. County staff were authorized to publish the documents online, and the board gave the county administrator limited authority to submit letters of concern on fiscal impacts of specific bills without returning to the board for each letter.

County staff said the executive summary and detailed platforms will be published online with a QR code on printed materials for distribution to legislators and staff.