Protecting public lands and ensuring affordable insurance for home and business owners were issues brought forward by Board of Supervisors Chair Heidi Hall and Supervisor Hardy Bullock at a recent national conference. 

From July 11 to 14, the supervisors attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference in Philadelphia.

Made up of thousands of members – county elected and professional officials – NACo serves as a powerful voice in federal policymaking and is a vital part of the nation’s intergovernmental system. 

Affordable Wildfire Insurance 

Hall and California State Association of Counties (CSAC) co-sponsored a policy platform change related to wildfire insurance, an issue she has passionately stood behind for years. 

 “The platform change was successfully adopted within the permanent platform and will guide NACo policy for years to come. Within the platform change, I proposed that NACo urge Congress and the administration to help protect stable, affordable insurance options for homes and businesses around the country,” said Hall, who presented the platform change at the Justice and Public Safety Committee at NACo. 

Key recommendations included promoting greater transparency in how insurers assess risk and determine coverage, expanding incentives (like tax credits) for homeowners and businesses to invest in disaster resilience and exploring federal solutions to make sure insurance options are available.

 “This means NACo can use its powerful national voice to work with Congress to make improvements on the insurance crisis issue. I am inspired by working with local leaders across the country to effect bigger change than we can make one county at a time,” Hall said. 

 Many residents in District 1 of Nevada County, which Hall represents, have been dropped by their insurance companies. Last summer, about 115 people attended a 90-minute town hall organized by Hall in response to concerns of her constituents. District 1 includes Nevada City and the unincorporated areas of Banner Mountain, Cascade Shores, Deer Creek and the Highway 174 corridor. 

 Hall’s efforts are ongoing. In April, she traveled to Sacramento to show support for a state senate bill aimed at ensuring homeowners and businesses have access to fair and affordable insurance. She testified for Senate Bill 616 which would create a commission to develop unified fire mitigation standards for all levels of government across the state. 

 “I am pleased that the bill passed the Senate and is currently being reviewed in the Assembly,” Hall said. 

Fighting for Public Lands 

Bullock brought forward a resolution to the public lands committee, a caucus of supervisors representing California who meet to discuss ways to improve the lives of people living in rural communities. 

Bullock’s public lands resolution was adopted, urging Congress to provide more federal funding and resources for efficient hiring practices to ensure adequate, sustainable staffing at federal land agencies that provide public recreation and safety. 

Four federal land management agencies – U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife – administer approximately 95% of all public lands in the United States. 

“These agencies face chronic staffing shortages compounded by large, nationally centralized human resource systems that hinder efficient hiring and onboarding, limit local recruitment and in some cases delay or prevent the timely employment of critical personnel such as seasonal workers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and specialized staff (i.e. archaeologists),” the resolution reads.  

 Bullock represents District 5, covering Eastern Nevada County and Truckee where recreation tourism is vital to the local economy. He understands firsthand how staffing shortages negatively impact public lands in Nevada County. 

“These positions are essential to the effective management, maintenance and security of public lands and the surrounding gateway communities that rely on them,” said Bullock. 

 Nevada County encompasses 958 square miles, of which approximately 70% is privately owned and 30% is public land.

NACo will bring the resolution forward to urge the current administration to review, evaluate and take necessary actions to improve federal hiring practices to ensure timely recruitment, reduce bureaucratic delays and empower local agencies with greater authority and accountability in the hiring process. In addition, NACo will recommend that the administration address the shortage of workforce housing by supporting the acquisition, leasing or appropriate use of federal lands to develop housing solutions, particularly in high-need areas.