Solano Supervisors Confront Federal, State Budget Risks as Farmers Demand District 4 Representation

The Solano County Board of Supervisors spent the bulk of its June 2 meeting absorbing a sweeping federal and state legislative briefing that laid bare the county's financial exposure — from HR1-driven insurance losses and FEMA overhauls to a gas tax hike taking effect in weeks — while frustrated farmers from the county's unrepresented District 4 pleaded for relief from permit fees they say are killing local food production.

• Counties brace for massive costs if HR1 strips insurance from undocumented residents; Assembly backs emergency Medi-Cal as a stopgap
• Three Solano federal earmark requests totaling over $3.8M advance through House and Senate appropriations
• House passes Build America 250 Act with historic bridge funding and expanded local transportation grants
• Farmers call permit fees a barrier to local food, with one operator hit with $42,500 in charges on a 10-acre farm
• District 4 vacancy draws sharp public criticism from agricultural constituents who say they have no voice at the county
• Board ratifies two-year labor deal with Teamsters Local 150 attorneys, leaving one bargaining unit unresolved

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Counties Face Financial Cliff From Federal Insurance Losses

Why it matters: If Congress passes HR1 and strips health insurance from undocumented residents, counties become the payer of last resort for medically indigent adults — a potentially enormous unfunded burden on local budgets.

Where things stand: State legislative advocate Karen Lange delivered a lengthy briefing covering the state budget, gas taxes, AT&T's planned copper line abandonment, and the looming HR1 threat. The Assembly's budget product includes the "PATH" proposal, which would fund emergency-scope-only Medi-Cal for populations losing coverage under HR1.

"What we did see yesterday, which was good news, was the Assembly wants to fund emergency scope only medical for this population, which is actually a huge help to you because it means that they're not coming back to you," said Karen Lange, state legislative advocate.

Lange cautioned that the state budget has ballooned dramatically — "When I first started as an advocate, the state budget was about $72 billion. And just three years later, it's $350 billion" — propped up partly by anticipated IPOs from major AI companies, including Anthropic, which announced its IPO that morning. The Legislative Analyst's Office has warned that this one-time revenue cannot sustain ongoing programs.

The other side: The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration sent its letter raising the gas tax another 2 cents effective July 1, bringing it to 63.4 cents per gallon. Chair Monica Brown did not mince words.

"I cannot believe that they're gonna raise even if it's just two friggin cents on gas right now. Who the h thought of that one?" said Chair Brown, Supervisor, District 2.

Lange also flagged that AT&T is moving under federal law to abandon copper phone lines in California within approximately one year — "Your constituents have probably already received letters if they are receiving their phone service by copper phone line" — a development that could leave rural residents without reliable service.

Other state-level items on the Board's radar include proposed cuts to In-Home Supportive Services that the Legislature is resisting, a Governor's housing trailer bill that would prohibit developer impact fees for communities receiving state housing subsidies, and a November 2026 ballot that could feature a $25 billion revolving housing fund (or a scaled-down $5 billion legislative bond), ACA 13 matching vote thresholds, a voter ID initiative, and healthcare clinic spending caps. June 25 is the deadline for ballot decisions.

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Solano Lands $1.5M in Federal Earmarks, Eyes Historic Bridge Funding

Why it matters: Federal formula funding for bridges and roads could flow directly to county-owned infrastructure under the proposed Build America 250 Act, and Solano has three earmark requests already moving through the appropriations process.

Where things stand: Rachel Mackey and Hassan Sursour of Paragon Government Relations briefed the Board on the federal landscape. Three Solano County earmark requests are in play: $772,000 for the Office of Emergency Services Mobile Command Center (in the House CJS bill via Rep. Garamendi), $772,000 for the Stormwater Design Initiative (in the House Interior bill via Garamendi), and Sen. Padilla's $2.3 million request for the First Five community resource building (Senate HUD bill status pending).

"I just cannot emphasize enough how awesome it is that Solano County has three requests in play right now in the House and Senate through the appropriations process," said Rachel Mackey, federal advocate, Paragon Government Relations.

On reconciliation, Mackey noted the first package stalled over the President's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" settlement. A third reconciliation package cutting Medicaid and SNAP is looking increasingly unlikely — "With the holdup they have now, it honestly is looking less and less likely like they will have the time or the political consensus that they would need to do that."

Bridge Funding and Transportation

The House Transportation Committee passed the Build America 250 Act (62-2), which Sursour called the biggest county win in the bill.

"It's really the biggest county win in the bill, and that's on bridge funding. The bill would provide a big chunk of funding for the bridge formula program and actually pair that with a larger dedicated set-aside for locally owned bridges," said Hassan Sursour, federal advocate, Paragon Government Relations.

The bill also expands the Surface Transportation Block Grant program and proposes a $130–$150 annual EV registration fee. The House also passed a housing affordability package with White House support; the Senate has yet to take it up.

FEMA Reform and Farm Bill

The FEMA Reform Council released its final report favoring "locally executed, federally supported" disaster response with parametric models replacing per-capita damage assessments. Sursour explained the shift would mean faster payments — "Rather than the county having to submit projects for reimbursement and then waiting years and years for funding to be approved, FEMA would provide states with an upfront payment, which would come within 30 days of that disaster declaration" — though the parametric approach may not fully capture actual damage. A new public dashboard will track county disaster reimbursements. Bob Fenton, a Region 9 career staffer, is now acting FEMA administrator.

On the farm bill, the House passed a "skinny" version that does not address CalFresh cost shifts. Senate Democrats, including Sens. Padilla and Schiff, say they will block any farm bill without a delay of those cost shifts. A USDA specialty crop assistance program ($1.625 billion) opened with an Aug. 7 deadline.

Decisions: Informational item; no action taken. Board members will continue advocacy through CSAC and federal channels.

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Farmers Demand District 4 Representation and Permit Fee Relief

Why it matters: With Supervisor John M. Vasquez absent and no voting representative for District 4, agricultural constituents say they are being shut out of county decisions that directly threaten their livelihoods.

Where things stand: Multiple public commenters used the general comment period to deliver pointed criticism of the Board. Gaul Coley, president of the Pleasants Valley Ag Association, described a farmer who was the sole local food provider to the Rio Vista farmers market being told by the county they could not sell due to permit noncompliance — later revealed to be a "clerical error" resolved only after escalation to Rep. Mike Thompson's office.

"I need to come back to my community knowing that we are going to have representation not tomorrow, but today. We have no one in District 4 to speak to. We have no one," said Gaul Coley, president, Pleasants Valley Ag Association.

Coley called for an immediate appointment to the vacant seat and a comprehensive overhaul of rural residential zoning to allow small-acreage farmers to operate without excessive red tape. He cited water, battery energy storage siting, agritourism, fire district consolidation, and the I-80/505 industrial corridor as issues demanding District 4 input.

Ben Lyons of Lockwood Acres reinforced the message with specific numbers.

"I got levied with a $42,500 permit fees for items that I'm doing in a farm by-right community to produce food," said Ben Lyons, farmer, Lockwood Acres.

Lyons described the fees as applying to greenhouses, sea containers, and shade structures built from recycled materials on a 10-acre operation. He said the county's valuations were arbitrary and reported that the Department of Resource Management is meeting with District 4 staff without any elected representation from the district present.

What's next: No formal action was taken. The District 4 vacancy and agricultural permitting concerns remain unresolved.

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Board Ratifies Two-Year Deal With County Attorneys

Why it matters: With this ratification, only one county bargaining unit remains without a successor agreement, signaling near-completion of Solano County's labor negotiation cycle.

Where things stand: HR Director Nyjer Edwards presented the tentative agreement with Teamsters Local 150, Unit 1 (Attorneys). The MOU runs from June 2, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2028, and includes a pay parity side letter — matching any additional compensation given to the one remaining outstanding union — and a wage reopener for 2028, consistent with other recently ratified county agreements.

Decisions: Approved 4-0 (For: Brown, James, Williams, Mashburn; Absent: Vasquez).

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Board Celebrates Filipino Heritage, Mock Trial Team

The Board opened with two resolutions honoring community milestones.

Vice Chair Cassandra James, Supervisor, District 1, presented a resolution recognizing June 2026 as Philippine Cultural Month, marking the 80th anniversary of the Filipino Community of Solano County Inc. (founded 1946) and the 40th annual Vallejo Pista Sanayon Festival, scheduled for June 6 at the Mare Island Coal Sheds. Filipino Community President Annie Frias Ramos and Vice Chair Mary Medina spoke, with Medina noting that Filipino service members continue the community's legacy through Travis Air Force Base. The festival draws over 10,000 visitors. Approved 4-0 (Vasquez absent).

Supervisor James also read a resolution honoring the Mare Island Technology Academy mock trial team for reaching the California State finals a third consecutive year — the only mock trial program in Solano County. Judge Kelly Trujillo of the Superior Court of Solano County praised the students' talent, having coached them at the Vallejo courthouse on Saturdays alongside Judges Nesperos and Healy. Christopher Jacob, Vallejo City Attorney and MIT alumnus, captured the team's spirit: "If there's one word that I can use to describe the students, it's bravery. Despite knowing that they will compete with better-resourced schools, they come prepared, they come willing to do better, and they have done better." Parent and volunteer Shannon Lujan spoke about the program's community-strengthening impact. Approved 4-0 (Vasquez absent).

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Minor Items

• Employee of the Month: Associate planner Erik Hagström was recognized for leading the county's battery energy storage systems ordinance, which received national recognition as a planning case study. Director of Resource Management James Fiesick noted Hagström joined the county as a Civic Spark fellow. Assistant Director Misty Kallreiter called him the department's "rising star."
• Consent calendar (Items 4–11) approved 4-0: FY2026/27 GANN appropriations limit ($975M countywide), 10-year radio tower site agreements with Dixon and Rio Vista, eProbation cloud migration to AWS GovCloud ($210,000), Medi-Cal County Inmate Program participation through June 2029, Green Valley Open Space assessment public hearing set for July 28, and reappointments of Steve Dodini (Cemetery District) and Kay Cayler (Planning Commission, District 4).
• Special districts consent (Items 12–13) approved 4-0: $118,000 appropriation transfer for Montezuma Fire Protection District (vehicle maintenance and overtime, partially offset by $78,906 in state OES reimbursements) and $125,000 for Suisun Fire Protection District (mutual aid deployment costs, partially offset by $66,401 in OES reimbursements).
• Closed session (Item 16) on labor negotiations was removed from the agenda.
• Solano County Fair (June 11–14): Joseph Joyce, Solano County Fair president, invited the Board and public, described the fair's junior agriculture and livestock auction program, and noted efforts to secure Tesoro fine money for building restoration.
• UC Cooperative Extension: Karen Warburton, new area director for Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo counties, introduced herself and promoted upcoming Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver events.
• Election irregularities: A public commenter raised allegations of irregularities in Suisun City council elections.
• Supervisor reports: Vice Chair James reported on the CSAC legislative conference, where she raised unfunded mandate flexibility before the Health and Human Services Committee, and described progress toward establishing a human trafficking task force in Solano County ahead of the World Cup. Supervisor Mitch Mashburn delivered an in memoriam tribute to community volunteer Susie Stocking. Supervisor Wanda Williams offered an in memoriam tribute to Norma Jean Singleton Richardson.
• Chair Brown reminded the public: "Do not put your ballot in the mailbox because it will not be stamped June 2nd and it won't be counted." Ballots should be delivered to county drop-off locations.