This week Team Dahle joined an interagency site visit in Sierra Valley‚ where ranchers including Paul Roen described the extraordinarily difficult summer livestock owners faced last summer as gray wolves killed nearly 100 domestic animals. That’s more livestock losses in one valley in California than the entire states of Montana and Wyoming faced last year.
The tour included California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot‚ Fish and Wildlife Director Meghan Hertel‚ Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross‚ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Paul Souza‚ and other state and federal agency leaders.
I appreciate their taking the time to see the valley and hear from locals directly‚ learning about wolves’ impact on livestock‚ but also game herds and even forestry projects – as well as their commitment to providing new tools to prevent livestock conflicts so a bloody summer like 2025 is not repeated in Sierra Valley or elsewhere in California.
One breakthrough was the signing of an agreement between the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher to authorize the sheriff to do more to work with ranchers to protect livestock – a model the state hopes to copy in other counties. The wildlife agencies are also working on permits for more aggressive non‑lethal hazing by ranchers.
The constraints of the federal and state Endangered Species Acts have made dealing with wolves especially difficult – and painful for those losing livestock. This is a year when the state must make meaningful progress; the status quo is not remotely sustainable.
Test‑Streamlining Bill Passes Senate
If you own a diesel vehicle covered by a low‑use exemption – i.e.‚ driven less than 1‚000 miles per year – you’ve already dealt with the frustration of new rules for emissions testing multiple times a year under the Air Resources Board’s Clean Truck Check program. It’s absurd to drive or haul these vehicles – often especially farm or logging equipment – for testing twice a year. In some cases driving to the smog center is more miles than they’d see in normal use.
I’m pleased to share that my bill to reduce the frequency of this testing has passed the Senate and is now being heard in the Assembly.
Senate Bill 1064 does not reduce the emissions standard for these vehicles‚ but it does cut the time and expense of redundant testing. The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support‚ and I am grateful that common sense has prevailed and businesses are winning a small dose of relief.
Have Bill Questions? LegInfo has Answers
Last week marked an important step in the legislative year – the "house of origin" deadline. Senate bills must have cleared the Senate‚ and Assembly bills the Assembly‚ to remain under consideration for this year. Bills that got over that hurdle are now being heard in committees in the other house.
It’s when debate becomes more serious and many important bills are in the news for the first time. If you hear about a bill that you love – or hate – and would like to learn more about it‚ one excellent public resource is the California Legislative Information website.
LegInfo allows anyone to read the text of a bill‚ find out where it stands in the legislative process‚ read plain‑English analyses‚ and learn who voted for and against it.
You can also create an account to get alerts about a specific bill as it moves through the process‚ and share your own thoughts with the author.
You can always contact my offices directly‚ and I encourage you to do that. My team is happy to answer questions and research legislation if they don’t already know the answers‚ and what constituents have to say about bills is the most important factor in weighing my own votes.
But if you want to do your own research‚ LegInfo is a powerful tool.
Traveling I‑5? Plan for Delays
If you are in Shasta or Tehama counties – or planning to pass through for a trip – Caltrans warns that bridge repairs on Interstate 5 are expected to cause major delays for the next several weekends‚ especially Saturdays.
The work starts tonight and will continue for the next four weekends. It’s expected to be finished June 19 – 21‚ but if needed could continue into the last weekend of June.
This could be especially disruptive for summer travelers‚ and there are no simple detours. Try to plan your drives around the repairs if possible. More information is available from Caltrans here.