Government Affairs
Sierra Business Council’s Government & Community Affairs team advocates for the Sierra’s interests to elevate the issues that impact our communities and ensure the region’s value is recognized in legislative outcomes. We work with local, regional, and statewide partners to advocate for policies that enhance the communities, economy, and environment of the Sierra.
The Sierra Nevada is critical to the State of California.
Our priorities for the Sierra Nevada support the region’s contributions to the state, including water supply, air quality, carbon sequestration, and the economic impact of recreation and other industries.
Restoring funding to state programs that use nature-based solutions and conservation to build climate, wildfire, water, and community resilience is important not just for Sierra Nevada communities, but for all Californians.
Policy Priorities for the Sierra Nevada
California’s historic natural resources investments over the last two years have resulted in significant progress on climate adaptation and forest health goals. We can’t afford to stop now. Climate and natural resources-focused programs should be a legislative priority and must not bear an outsized burden in budget cuts and funding delays.
We urge Governor Newsom and legislative leaders to protect and sustain climate, wildfire, and forest resilience investments in the following programs:
- Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force: Landscape-level restoration grants through state conservancies, workforce development, fire prevention, and biomass solutions to support forest restoration and air quality goals
- Community Resilience: Adaptation and planning grants through the Office of Planning and Research and Strategic Growth Council
- 30×30/Nature-Based Solutions: Land conservation, biodiversity, and habitat connectivity through the Wildlife Conservation Board
What's at stake if we reduce investment in the Sierra?
Sierra resources critical to California are degraded and under threat.
- Unprecedented wildfire is hammering the Sierra. Fires are moving faster, burning larger areas, and burning at far higher severity – threatening the Sierra communities and ecosystems that the state depends on.
- Unhealthy overcrowded forests reduce natural carbon storage and increase the potential for extreme wildfires. Investing in forest and watershed restoration, forestry workforce development, and land conservation pays off, creating cleaner air, wildfire resilience, and water security for all Californians.
- Over 140,000 acres of meadows are degraded from past management, causing erosion, compromising downstream water infrastructure, increasing flood risk, and threatening the ability to sequester carbon in forests. Investing in our watersheds is critical to protecting the state’s water supply, providing wildlife habitat, and sustaining an economy based on outdoor recreation.
Get Involved: Sierra Consortium
The Sierra Consortium is a coalition of Sierra-based conservation and community sustainability organizations focused on helping California’s decision-makers recognize, understand, and act on policies affecting the region. Connect with us at policy@sierrabusiness.org.
The Sierra's forests and watersheds are in crisis.
Let's work together to build resilience.
The last three years have seen the largest wildfires in California’s history, burning over 1.5 million acres in the Sierra Nevada alone and causing public health emergencies and economic disruption across the state. Tree mortality continues to threaten forests across the range.
There is good news, though. Investments made by the state to ecologically thin forests and protect communities have made a difference by reducing the intensity of catastrophic fires. Through initiatives such as the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and 30×30, there are actionable plans to restore forests, protect communities, adapt to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Members of the Sierra Consortium stand by to partner with the state to implement these plans and create resilient communities and landscapes.
To join the Sierra Consortium and learn more, please contact policy@sierrabusiness.org.
Recent Advocacy Updates:
The Digital Divide – Bringing Broadband to Rural Sierra
Issues of inequity frequently hit our most vulnerable populations the hardest. We have witnessed this daily through the effects of climate change, racism, and mortality rates from COVID. Similarly, lack of access to broadband can disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged communities.
What Happens in the Sierra Doesn’t Stay in the Sierra: Why Advocacy Matters
I’d like to get something off of my chest: The Sierra Nevada does not receive its fair share of state funding. There, I’ve said it.
The region has historically been under-represented in state decisions about funding, especially for natural resource protection and management.
Join Us In Creating A More Resilient Sierra.
To learn more about this program, contact:
policy@sierrabusiness.org
530.582.4800