News and Announcements

OUR ELEMENTAL ECONOMY: GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE FOR THE 3RD ANNUAL STATE OF THE REDWOOD COAST REGION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

Join us in person for The State of the Redwood Coast Region: Our Elemental Economy, the 3rd annual regional economic development summit. This year's conference will take place in person at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center on September 21-22. Though the window for Early Bird Registration has come and gone—General Admission Tickets are now available for $150! Visit www.aedc1.org/state-redwood-coast-region to learn more.

As the summit looms closer, it’s important to catch up on all the elements (pun intended) of this year’s event that make it so worthwhile to attend. The State of the Redwood Coast Region: Our Elemental Economy is a two-day economic summit designed to foster innovative thinking throughout our region of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties, as well as adjacent tribal lands.

Our goal is to identify shared economic opportunities and strengthen collaboration amongst our businesses, economic development professionals, and leaders. This year’s theme, Our Elemental Economy, evaluates the unique yet fundamental ways our environment shapes our region’s economy: How can Solidarity Economics, investment, and community development help us build a more equitable and resilient economy? What are the unique challenges faced by our region and how can we, as a community, address these challenges proactively rather than reactively?

An incredible lineup of keynote speakers includes a discussion of Solidarity Economics with the University of Southern California’s Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, Manuel Pastor, Entrepreneur, Minal Shankar, Senator Mike McGuire, Professor of Economics at Sonoma State University, Dr. Robert Eyler, as well as Director of Partnerships and Initiatives at the Center for Community Investment, Omar Tinajero and so much more!

AEDC director Susan Seaman shares her excitement about the potential of this year’s conference now that everyone can gather in person. “It’s a rare opportunity to have so many of our region’s professionals and leaders under one roof. It seems clear from the positive feedback of the last two years that this conference is pivotal to creating and fostering collaboration across counties.”

Come take part in the conversations that will spark innovation and change in our rural economy: whether you’re already brimming with ideas and questions, or simply looking to connect and learn with your fellow community leaders, the summit offers a unique opportunity to gather, network, and connect under one roof to help co-create a thriving economic future for our region.

Join us in the heart of Downtown Ukiah this September for a rare opportunity to connect and network with your fellow community leaders making an impact in our Redwood Coast Region. Visit the link below to register and secure your spot today.

Arcata Economic Development Corporation

Susan Seaman

(707) 798-6132 ext. 212

Susans@aedc1.org

FLOOR ALERT

SB 253 (Wiener) – OPPOSE

Will Have a Detrimental Impact on Small and Medium Sized Businesses

SB 253 will ask companies to track emissions not only for their California sites or products, but for every one of their suppliers around the world. Those small and medium-sized businesses do not have the resources or expertise to accurately measure their GHG emissions, leaving these companies without the contracts that enable them to grow and employ more workers. This will create inefficient supply chains that will burden small businesses and further add costs to California families.

Reporting Requirements Will Include Inherently Inaccurate Data

While an organization can account for emissions stemming from their direct operations, this becomes more challenging as we move further and further down the supply chain. This means that they will be reliant on proxy information rather than verifiable data. That proxy data will vary by sector, and by methodology. There will not be an “apples to apples” comparison that can be drawn from this information, rendering this data useless.

The Scope 3 Emissions Guidelines are a Moving Target

Due to the likelihood of double counting, assessing Scope 3 emissions data with any degree of accuracy is not yet possible. This is mainly due to the protocol’s reliance on secondary data, or industry averages, when calculating Scope 3 emissions. The SEC has an ongoing rulemaking assessing how best to untangle the embedded inaccuracies from Scope 3 reporting from actionable items and has yet to identify a path forward. These are complicated and burdensome reporting requirements for manufacturing companies that can have thousands of components as part of their supply chain.

Made Worse Out of Appropriations Committee

In addition to the large fines that companies will be subjected to if their reports are late or inaccurate, the Appropriations Committee lifted the cap on the filing fee that companies will have to pay to submit their reports. Companies could be charged tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to file reports with data filled with inaccurate data. SB 253 will not lead to increased transparency nor direct emissions reductions.

For these reasons and others, CalChamber and the organizations identified above must respectfully OPPOSE SB 253 (Wiener) and ask for a “NO” vote.

VOTE NO ON SB 253 (WIENER)

FLOOR ALERT – JOB KILLER

AB 524 (WICKS) DISCRIMINATION: MASSIVE EXPANSION OF

LAWSUITS

• AB 524 would create an extremely broad new protected class under FEHA:

employees with “family caregiver status.” This group would include any employee

who “contributes” to the care of any person of their choosing.

• This would encompass essentially every worker and creates an automatic

basis for an individual in that new classification to challenge any adverse

employment action, opening up a floodgate of litigation.

• Because whether an employee “contributes to the care” of another is a subjective

determination, the employer has no ability to dispute an employee designating

themselves as having family caregiver status. Any dispute would open the

employer up to costly litigation.

• A study regarding the cost of employee lawsuits estimated that the cost for a small

to mid-size employer to defend and settle a single plaintiff discrimination claim was

approximately $160,000. U.S. companies have a 10.5% chance of having an

employment charge filed against them. For California employers, that percentage

is 56.5%.

• As currently written, AB 524 will result in substantial increased litigation against

private employers and state agencies.

VOTE NO ON AB 524

FLOOR ALERT – JOB KILLER

SB 616 (GONZALEZ) PAID SICK DAYS

SMALL BUSINESS AMENDMENTS REQUESTED

• SB 616 would impose significant costs on businesses of every size by increasing the number of paid sick days employers are required to provide from 3 days to 5 days.

• Businesses in California that can afford to offer more than three days of sick leave are doing so, but many other employers simply cannot absorb that cost. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, many small businesses are “in survival mode” as they reel from the financial impacts of COVID-19 and rising inflation.

• Small businesses in particular are disproportionally impacted. California small businesses are already struggling to keep their doors open and simply cannot afford the increased cost of additional paid sick days.

• While one more paid benefit may not seem significant in isolation, this mandate must be viewed in the context of all of California’s other leaves and paid benefits. Despite the economic struggles that businesses have faced recently, the number of overlapping leaves has grown over the last few years and continues to grow.

• These mandated, increased labor costs will inevitably either be passed on to consumers as higher prices for goods and services, or force employers to reduce jobs or cut wages or other benefits.

• SB 616 also does not address existing problems with the usage of paid sick leave in California. Specifically, California law prohibits employers from ever asking for documentation, even though local ordinances such as in Los Angeles and San Diego allow employers to ask for reasonable documentation. Employers have discovered employees using paid sick leave for non-sick leave related purposes, but there is nothing they can do because otherwise they face an alleged violation for interfering with or discouraging the use of leave.

• SB 616 also continues to include requirements for the rail industry that is federally preempted under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act and should be removed.

• SB 616 should be amended to require employers with 50 or less employees to provide 3 days of paid sick leave and 2 days of unpaid, job-protected leave. SB 616 should also be amended to allow employers to ask for

ASSISTANT CITY ENGINEER II

FULL-TIME

SALARY: $64,257 - $78,178 Annually

APPLICATION: Please apply online by creating an account on www.governmentjobs.com

FINAL FILING DATE: Application Deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023

The purpose of this job description is to define the general character and scope of responsibilities for persons occupying this job classification. It is not intended to describe or list every duty or task for this classification.

DEFINITION: Under the general direction of the Public Works Director/City Engineer; performs a variety of technical office and field engineering work; performs basic-to-moderate design tasks; prepares portions of project documents; reviews and edits public works project specifications; conducts research and investigations; reviews encroachment permit, building permit, and subdivision plans and applications; performs public works inspections; performs surveying work; prepares engineering drawings using Computer-Aided-Design-Drafting (CADD); develops and maintains public works data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS,) Performs capacity analysis using city water and sewer models, provides supervision, instruction and direction to other engineering techs and assigned personnel; and does related work as required.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: High School diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or significant completion of coursework for bachelor’s degree in civil engineering is desired. Any combination of training and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the requisite knowledge and abilities would be four (4) years of civil engineering coursework, combined with a minimum of two (2) years responsible technical engineering or surveying work experience with another public agency or private engineering firm performing assignments similar to those described above.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Required to maintain a valid California Driver’s License throughout employment. Incumbent will participate in the DMV “Pull Program”.

• Employees must be at least 18 years of age to operate a City vehicle or personal vehicle for work-related purposes.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: Assists with the development of plans for capital improvement projects; reviews and comments on plans and specifications for capital improvement and land development projects; provides liaison with professional consultants working on capital improvement projects and/or public works contracts; prepares and processes contracts, change orders, and invoices for professional consultants; performs topographic field surveys; prepares maps, GIS and CADD drawings; performs public works inspections; processes and tracks contractors’ requests for payment on public works contracts (including review and processing of certified payrolls), performs research related to the development of plans; supplies data and information as requested and required by others; performs a variety of technical engineering field and office work; uses a computer to prepare construction plans and correspondence; completes water, sewer and storm drain capacity analysis, prepares neat, precise and accurate drawings and plans; assists in preparation and distribution of plans; performs other duties as assigned.

Apply Online and Find Complete Job Description at:

Governmentjobs.com • Friendlyfortuna.com

Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023

Rural Jobs Act, Which Would Provide $1 Billion in Additional NMTC Allocation, Introduced in House

Rep. Carol Miller, R-West Virginia, this week introduced the Rural Jobs Act in the House of Representatives. The bill would provide $1 billion of new markets tax credit (NMTC) allocation over the next two years for rural areas. The House version of the legislation’s text was not immediately available, but it is expected to be identical to a version introduced in the Senate in May. That legislation would provide $500 million per year in NMTC allocation for 2023 and 2024 for Rural Jobs Zones, which are NMTC-eligible census tracts in rural communities with fewer than 50,000 residents. At least $250 million of the $1 billion in allocation would be designated for persistent poverty counties and high out-migration rural counties.

The Novogradac New Markets Tax Credit Handbook is a definitive guide to the NMTC incentive, from application and financing to development and compliance.

Repowering Rural America with Clean Energy

By Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo

August 3, 2023

On May 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened two new programs to advance clean energy generation in rural areas using about $11 billion in funds allocated by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The two new programs, Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) and Empowering Rural America (New ERA), will be administered by USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and will support energy reliability and the resilience of rural energy systems in the face of increased wildfires and extreme weather events due to climate change. Combined with the $2 billion allocated to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), these programs represent the largest federal investment in rural areas since the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.

USDA has set a single funding window for both programs with a two-stage process. Eligible applicants can send Letters of Interest (LOIs) for the PACE program between July 10 and September 29. If their letters are approved, applicants will have 60 days to complete a full application, and awards will be announced through the end of 2025. Awardees will have until September 30, 2031, to deploy the funds awarded to zero-emission projects in rural areas.

The New ERA program LOI window runs from July 31 through August 29. As in the PACE program, eligible applicants must first send an LOI, which will be evaluated on a competitive basis using point-based selection criteria. Once selected, applicants will have 90 days to submit a full application for the funds sought. Awardees will have until September 30, 2031, to deploy the funds awarded to zero-emission projects in rural areas.

Established by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration through the Rural Electrification Act, rural electric cooperatives are the main beneficiaries of these programs. In the United States, 900 co-ops serve about 60 percent of the country’s landmass and power more than 40 million homes and businesses. As nonprofits and member-owned entities, co-ops are able to be creative in their funding and deployment mechanisms to best meet the needs of their customers.

Since the Rural Electrification Act was enacted, the Rural Utilities Service has been offering loans and grants to co-ops to electrify rural areas. These long-term and affordable loans helped co-ops develop power plants and transmission lines to bring power to rural households and businesses. The PACE and New ERA programs continue this tradition of supporting the electrification of rural areas, but with an emphasis on clean energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Rural electric cooperatives have made investments in renewable energy over the past decade, but about 28 percent of their electricity still came from coal in 2020—compared to 19 percent nationally—and one-third came from natural gas. Only 22 percent of co-op electricity came from renewable energy, including hydropower. Because cooperatives operate as nonprofit entities, many can’t make hefty upfront investments in new renewable infrastructure or offload expensive fossil fuel plants that are no longer economical. PACE and New ERA can help rural utilities make those upfront payments for clean energy projects and refinance the debt they hold on stranded fossil fuel power plants. These investments can help rural communities advance towards a net-zero future.

Both programs seek to increase clean energy adoption and resilience in disadvantaged rural communities previously left out of the clean energy economy. Potential applicants must explain how their projects would meet the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative, which seeks to ensure that 40 percent of the benefits from federal investments reach disadvantaged communities. Applicants can use the Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to determine if their project is located in a disadvantaged or distressed community. A disadvantaged community is one that has historically suffered from a combination of economic, health, and environmental burdens. These burdens include poverty, high unemployment, air and water pollution, presence of hazardous wastes, and a high incidence of asthma and heart disease

In addition to helping implement Justice40, applicants are expected to engage with their communities, invest in their local workforces; and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Both programs allow applicants to submit joint applications, which can help smaller organizations collaborate on putting together applications. Eligible applicants can apply for funding under PACE and New ERA, but not for the same project.

Office of Elections to Hold Voter’s Choice Act Public Hearing on Thursday, Aug. 17 to Review Draft Election Administration Plan

The Humboldt County Office of Elections will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17 regarding the County of Humboldt’s upcoming transition to the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) elections format.

Background

The County of Humboldt will soon be transitioning to the VCA elections format. Approved by California lawmakers in 2016, and established by Senate Bill 450, the VCA expands voters’ options for how, when and where they cast their ballots by:

• Mailing every voter a ballot

• Expanding in-person early voting

• Allowing voters to cast a ballot at any vote center within their county

• Providing secure ballot drop off locations throughout the county

Under California law the Office of Elections is required to submit an Election Administration Plan (EAP) that describes how the County of Humboldt will administer elections under the VCA. To meet the state’s requirements, the Office of Elections must engage the public on the draft EAP and gather feedback through the public hearing consultation process.

The County of Humboldt’s draft EAP can be reviewed at: humboldtgov.org/VotersChoiceAct

Public Hearing

The public hearing to discuss the draft EAP will take place on Thursday, Aug. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.at Arcata City Hall in the Council Chamber, located at 736 F St. in Arcata.

Community members are invited to attend and participate in person or on Zoom to give public comment. To attend the public hearing on Zoom, visit: https://tinyurl.com/HumCoEAP

For more information on how to make public comment during the meeting, please view the meeting agenda,.

The County of Humboldt is committed to providing equal access to all county programs, services and activities through the provision of accommodations for individuals with qualified disabilities as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). With 72 hours prior notice, a request for reasonable accommodation for this meeting can be made by calling (707) 445-7481.

Submit Public Comment Prior to the Meeting

Public comment on the draft EAP will be accepted prior to the public hearing until Wednesday, Aug. 16 at noon. Feedback can be submitted through the online submission form, by email at humboldt_elections@co.humboldt.ca.us or over the phone at (707) 445-7481. If you do not have access to email, please contact the Office of Elections at (707) 445-7481.

For more information, please contact the Humboldt County Office of Elections at humboldt_elections@co.humboldt.ca.us or call (707) 445-7481.

About the Humboldt County Office of Elections

The Humboldt County Office of Elections is committed to ensuring all eligible residents have an opportunity to exercise their right to vote; conducting elections in a fair, accurate, and efficient manner; and providing reliable information and the best possible service to voters, districts, candidates, and other interested parties.