Mono County adopts 2025 legislative platform, adds language on insurance access and seeks federal funding

The Mono County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 approved the county's 2025 Federal and State Legislative Platform with amendments after a presentation by Jeremiah Van Auken of the Ferguson Group and comments from county staff and supervisors.

CAO Sandra Mobley summarized staff edits that emphasize housing diversity, forest-health and wildfire prevention, infrastructure (including wastewater and drinking water), and public-safety matters such as cybersecurity and search-and-rescue funding. Jeremiah Van Auken presented additional language proposed by the Ferguson Group that would add county support for legislation to expand access to home and fire insurance and three related disaster-response bullet points: federally available fire insurance modeled on the National Flood Insurance Program; protections against cancellation of existing homeowner policies; and opposition to insurer cancellations.

Van Auken also reported that the county's congressional delegation submitted several funding requests; he said $1,000,000 for evacuation and emergency-response routes was included in a House FY25 transportation and housing bill (pending final action in both chambers). He said the county had also submitted a legislative language request for a U.S. Forest Service waterline extension at the Bridgeport housing complex that was included as legislative language in an Interior and Environment appropriations bill (rather than a direct funding line), and that requests for EMS station modifications were not funded in FY25 but may be resubmitted for FY26.

Supervisors proposed editorial and substantive adjustments. Supervisor McFarland urged broader phrasing for the insurance language, saying it should ensure insurance "becomes and remains available to all individuals" rather than limiting access to "hazardous areas" so the policy covers renters and businesses as well as homeowners. Other supervisors recommended elevating disaster-response language, clarifying population and contact information on the platform documents, and adding explicit language about public-facility needs on leased federal lands (for example, the June Lake Park and Community Center parcel).

After discussion, the board moved, seconded and approved the legislative platform with the noted amendments on a 5-0 vote. Staff and the Ferguson Group will incorporate supervisors' edits and publish the updated platform and continue federal advocacy, including coordination for an upcoming visit to Washington, D.C.