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This week‚ Team Dahle was in Weaverville for a tour of forest‑health projects as well as the Trinity River Lumber mill‚ organized by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy as part of its board meeting.
While just outside the 1st Senate District‚ these forests and watersheds face many of the same challenges and wildfire risks as we face in the mountains further inland — and the waters of the Trinity River are a key component of the Central Valley Project‚ generating power‚ irrigating farms and supplying drinking water in the Sacramento Valley.
I appreciate the conservancy’s ongoing support for community‑based work to improve our landscapes’ resilience. At Thursday’s meeting‚ the board approved grants for several projects to reduce wildland fuels‚ as well as to support recreational improvements‚ in Butte‚ Tehama‚ Nevada and Placer counties.
Wolf Creek Watershed/Boston Ravine Corridor project – $720‚000 for the City of Grass Valley to treat 240 acres of heavily overgrown forests to protect homes and businesses in the city.
The Colby Mountain Recreation Project – $500‚000 to the Butte County Resource Conservation District to build four miles of new trail and a trailhead.
Van Norden Meadow Recreation Project in Nevada and Placer counties – $499‚950 to the South Yuba River Citizens League to improve trails and restore this heavily visited meadow.
Hidden Falls Regional Park Trails Expansion Project – $500‚000 to the Placer County Division of Parks‚ Trails‚ and Open Space for a trail from the park to the Big Hill Preserve‚ northwest of Auburn.
For more information‚ visit https://sierranevada.ca.gov/board‑meetings/.
Bill Supports Opportunity at College of the Siskiyous
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College of the Siskiyous‚ in Weed‚ is one of the smallest campuses in the California Community College system — though it boasts some of the best views. Like many rural colleges‚ it can struggle to enroll enough students to keep programs consistently running to serve local needs.
Growing enrollment and the capacity to better serve its region is the goal of Assembly Bill 1555‚ which I am co‑authoring with Assemblymember Heather Hadwick. I am excited to announce that it passed out of the Senate Education Committee yesterday and is continuing on the road toward becoming law.
Building on a model that has worked for other colleges serving border communities‚ AB 1555 would allow College of the Siskiyous to enroll students from neighboring counties in southern Oregon and let them pay in‑state tuition. Bringing these additional students on board will help the college sustain the critical higher‑education and workforce programs that are so critical to the economy at the top of the state‚ and it expands a tradition of interstate partnerships in higher education.
I am grateful for the support of the committee and the leadership of College of the Siskiyous in developing this plan.
CHIP Builds Path to Homeownership
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On Saturday‚ Team Dahle attended the CHIP Orland Park Estates Key Ceremony. This celebration recognized eight families who recently completed and moved into homes they helped build through the Community Housing Improvement Program’s Mutual Self‑Help Housing Program.
The Mutual Self‑Help Housing Program‚ supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture‚ provides working families with an affordable pathway to homeownership‚ with participants contributing labor toward the construction of their homes. Families typically invest about 30 hours of labor per week‚ reducing construction costs while building equity and achieving homeownership.
The ceremony marked the halfway point of development at Orland Park Estates. The eight families recognized were part of the fourth group to complete their homes and move into the subdivision‚ which will ultimately consist of 64 homes.
The program is possible through partnerships between USDA Rural Development and organizations such as CHIP. USDA awarded CHIP a $4.2 million grant on May 1 to support the construction of an additional 80 homes through the Mutual Self‑Help Housing Program.
Congratulations to the families who are building their piece of the American dream!
Head Start Helps Youngest Children Grow
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Last week my field representative based in Chico‚ Tasha Weaver‚ visited Northern California Child Development Inc. in Red Bluff‚ which serves children from newborn to age five through its Head Start and Early Head Start programs. She enjoyed a great tour with Tori Prest‚ NCCDI’s executive director; Jennifer Torres‚ engagement and operations manager; and Liz Vellutini‚ a board member and the Tehama County Department of Social Services CalWorks manager (pictured above).
NCCDI provides services to families across Tehama County‚ offering individualized educational and developmental opportunities for infants‚ toddlers‚ and preschool‑aged children in a nurturing setting. The organization places a strong emphasis on family engagement‚ providing free family events‚ educational workshops‚ parent conferences‚ low‑ or no‑cost counseling services‚ and specialized support for children with disabilities.
The organization’s Family Services department provides a safe and structured environment for supervised family visitation and other support services for families involved in the court system. This program plays an important role in helping families maintain connections while ensuring the safety and well‑being of children.
I appreciate everything NCCDI and similar providers around the region do to help provide a strong start in life for the youngest children.