The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided against adopting a legislative advocacy protocol that would have formalized the process of selecting board members to advocate on the county’s behalf in state and federal matters.

The board’s procedural action does not affect the county’s position in supporting or opposing state and federal legislation, nor does it mean that these issues will not receive county attention. It only applies to the process of selecting board members to spearhead the county’s position on these matters. The proposed protocol would have also provided some guidance on how the board corresponds with state and federal elected officials as a group.

The county’s 2025–2026 Federal and State Legislative Priorities document identifies more than 100 positions on a wide range of state and federal legislative matters. Two items listed on page 8 under “Federal Agency Matters” are “Air Traffic Control Tower Staffing Issues for non-federal Towers” and “Mather Airport Instrument Landing System (ILS).”

There is no publication date on the document but file data suggests it was completed in early 2025. It is not clear if the aviation issues outlined in the report have since been resolved. 

According to the document, the non-federal control towers at Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) and Mather Airport (MHR) have experienced “ATC Zero” conditions. Pilots shift to standard non-towered traffic procedures when the control tower is not staffed.

On the Mather ILS, the document states that the Department of Airports’ maintenance provider retired and no certified replacement vendor has been found, “leaving the system unsupported at this time.”

The document adds that planned upgrades will leave Sacramento International Airport (SMF) as “the only airport owning/maintaining a Cat III system” in the county. An Instrument Landing System guides aircraft to the runway in low visibility weather, with Category III being the most precise for the lowest visibility conditions. Tule fog blanketed the Sacramento region from Nov. 24 to Dec. 9, 2025, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Other aviation positions in the document include opposing mandates requiring airports to take on functions that are or should be the domain of state and federal governments, and supporting state efforts to redirect aviation fuel tax revenue to airport and aviation purposes in accordance with FAA policy on the use of airport revenue.

County Executive David Villanueva reminded the board that the county’s 2025–2026 Federal and State Legislative Priorities document will come before it again in January.