Sierra Business Council

10/04/2026

EV access is about more than buying a car.

For rural California communities, making the transition to electric transportation can involve more than the vehicle itself.

Where will you charge?
How much will it cost?
Are there incentives available?
What other transportation options could help?

Access Clean California helps income-qualified Californians explore a range of clean-energy and transportation benefits in one place—including vehicle assistance, charging support, public transit, and e-bike programs.
That broader approach matters.

Creating a cleaner transportation system means thinking about the whole transportation picture and making sure people have access to the tools and resources they need.

Learn more and find programs you may qualify for at AccessCleanCA.org.

Find clean transportation rebates and grants you qualify for in California.

10/02/2026

Join local landowners, agencies, and fire resilience partners for a practical conversation about taking action on your property—and finding resources to help pay for it.

Thursday, October 8, 2026
5:30–7 pm
PCWA 5825 Sunset Drive, Foresthill, CA 95631

We’ll Cover:

- Funding: Explore grants, cost-share programs, and other funding opportunities for forest health and fuels reduction on your land.
- Treatment Options: Learn about mechanical treatments, hand crews, prescribed fire, cultural burning, and how to choose the right approach for your property.
- Priority Areas: See where Foresthill Divide wildfire resilience efforts are focused and how individual properties can contribute to community-scale protection.

This meeting is part of the Foresthill Divide Community Protection Plan, a collaborative effort to build a more inclusive, community-based approach to wildfire resilience.

RSVP:

Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:30–7:00 PM PCWA 5825 Sunset Drive, Foresthill, CA 95631 Join local landowners, agencies, and fire resilience partners for a practical conversation about taking action on your property—and finding resources to help pay for it. We’ll Cover: Funding: Explore grants, co...

09/28/2026

2026 Legislative Session Wraps: What It Means for Wildfire & Climate Resilience

The 2026-27 Legislative session ended on September 1 after a whirlwind final week of bills and budget decisions. SBC was closely following funding for climate, wildfire resilience, and land conservation after the Legislature punted decisions on those issues until the bitter end. While a last-minute proposal on wildfire liability was rejected by the Assembly, the Legislature ultimately partially restored funding for climate resilience through Proposition 4 and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—an important outcome for Sierra communities amid a challenging budget year.

The final budget includes $329.5 million for wildfire and forest resilience through Prop 4 and $118 million for wildfire prevention through GGRF. While these investments are an improvement over budget proposals we saw earlier in the year, wildfire resilience funding remains near historic lows, with no clear plan for sustained investment in future years.

Read more about the final budget, Prop 4 and GGRF allocations, and what’s next for wildfire and climate resilience in the Sierra here: https://www.sierrabusiness.org/archives/2026-legislative-session-what-it-means-for-wildfire-climate-resilience/

09/25/2026

Thinking about making the switch to cleaner transportation? There may be more help available than you think.

For many households, the cost of an electric or hybrid vehicle can feel like a major barrier. But California has programs designed to help income-qualified residents make the transition to cleaner transportation.

Access Clean California can help you find programs you may qualify for—including assistance with:

⚡ Buying or leasing an EV or hybrid
🔌 Installing a home EV charger
🚲 Purchasing an e-bike
🚌 Public transportation
☀️ Home solar
💰 Other clean-energy benefits

The Benefits Finder lets you enter your ZIP code and answer a few questions to see which programs may be available to you—and some benefits may be combined.

Clean transportation should be accessible to the communities who need it most.

Find out what you may qualify for at AccessCleanCA.org.

Find clean transportation rebates and grants you qualify for in California.

09/18/2026

Great report out on the California Natural Resource Agency’s Nature-Based Solutions Summit that happened in North Tahoe earlier this week! Sierra Business Council was represented at the summit by Emily Blackmer, our director of government affairs.

TAHOE CITY, Calif. – Regional leaders are returning to their fields with new knowledge and tools after the California Natural Resource Agency’s Nature-Based Solutions Summit at Granlibakken Tahoe on Thursday, Sept. 10, which covered the...

09/17/2026

Last chance to share your input!

Do you own a business? Work in Truckee? Rent or own a home?

The Town of Truckee's Energy Resilience Plan is looking at ways to strengthen our community during outages and emergencies. We want to hear about your experiences and priorities—at work and at home.

Your feedback will help shape the future. The survey closes September 30th.

📝 Take the survey in English here: www.townoftruckee.gov/956/Energy-Resilience-Plan
📝 Responda la encuesta en español aquí: www.townoftruckee.gov/Plan-de-Resiliencia

Keep Truckee Green

09/16/2026

Transportation is one piece of the larger picture when we talk about climate, community health, and resilience.

For Sierra communities, where driving is often essential and distances between homes, jobs, services, and communities can be significant, transitioning to cleaner transportation can help reduce pollution while supporting a more resilient future.

Programs like the Driving Clean Assistance Program have helped address one important piece of the puzzle: access.

Because a cleaner transportation system only works when people have the opportunity to participate in it.

Learn more:

Driving Clean Assistance ProgramDriving Clean Assistance Program DCAP is now accepting applications from income-qualified California residents including Native American and Indigenous communities across the state! View Rollout ScheduleClean Cars 4 […]

09/10/2026

09/08/2026

The Truckee Community Block Party is happening next week on Thursday, September 17!

Sierra Business Council will be there with a booth, and we’re excited to be joined by Jessica Morse and our partners at Delos and Greater Sierra Insurance to help local homeowners learn more about alternatives to the California FAIR Plan and explore additional insurance options.

Stop by our booth to connect with SBC and learn more about how we’re working with communities across the Sierra to build a more resilient, prosperous future—including:

🔥 Wildfire & Forest Resilience — helping communities reduce wildfire risk and strengthen the health and resilience of our forests.

⚡ Energy & Climate Solutions — advancing clean energy, energy resilience, and practical climate solutions for Sierra communities.

💼 Small Business & Economic Development — supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses, workforce development, and regional economic opportunity.

🏘️ Community Resilience — helping communities plan for housing, infrastructure, essential services, and the challenges of a changing climate.

🤝 Regional Collaboration — bringing together local governments, businesses, nonprofits, Tribal partners, and community leaders to turn shared priorities into action.

And while you're there, check out the many other organizations, food trucks, activities, and resources that will be part of this year's Block Party!

📅 September 17
📍 Downtown Truckee
⏰ 5-7pm

Bring the family, grab a friend, and come say hello. We’ll see you at the Truckee Community Block Party!

09/04/2026

Go Electric Truckee Tahoe, a program of SBC, is excited to be hosting a new class with course instructor Dan Perunko on Tuesday, October 13th in Truckee.

This class, which includes both classroom lectures and an on-site home tour, will support local contractors looking to broaden their expertise in building electrification in cold-climate, snowy mountain towns with heat pump space conditioning and water heaters.

The in-class portion will include hands-on learning opportunities including building and testing of linesets for leaks and a demonstration of the impacts of poorly installed ducts on airflow and power consumption of an actual air handler.

The Tahoe-area home tour will include viewing a house that has been retrofitted with heat pump technology by Dan's company, Balance Point Home Performance.

Register today! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUOBA-7Gyo6VzcmCVVkT6YNVfCBHyeWJDTC7mXYYGEgJgDRQ/viewform