ADVOCACY REPORT
26
Almond Facts
MAY | JUNE 2017
Advocacy Report
California is not turning back.
Not now, not ever.
At the conclusion of his State of the State address
earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown said,
“California is not turning back. Not now, not
ever.” Truer words have never been spoken.
With President Donald Trump in the White
House, the Democratic supermajority in the
California State Legislature is holding firm to
its progressive roots. Out of the gate in 2017, the
Legislature passed a $52 billion transportation
infrastructure package raising gas and diesel
taxes, as well as vehicle registration fees, and
legislators are now considering measures to
reauthorize the cap and trade program, among
the approximately 2,000 other bills.
“Not turning back” means legislators and the governor
continue to pursue policies reflecting the perspective of our
large and diverse state, where 95 percent of the 39 million
Californians live in urban areas, far away from our farms
and ranches. And, as we are keenly aware, their viewpoint
does not always comport with the realities of agricultural
businesses and the family farm. Consequently, some ideas
can be detrimental to us as an agricultural community.
We are proud that California is the leading agricultural-
producing state in the nation with over 400 commodities
grown and produced in our state, including
Blue Diamond
almonds. California food is produced under rigorous
regulations to ensure food safety, reduce environmental
impacts, carefully manage pesticide use, protect the health
of workers and provide the highest farm wages in the nation.
What happens, though, when laws and regulations create a
climate in which it is too difficult to conduct business?
It is our belief the many of the laws coming out of
Sacramento are developed with the best of intentions,
even if the final implications are sometimes negative. If
most of the laws are well intended, it is up to us to build a
future for our industry that continues to move us forward.
Undoubtedly, it is difficult to create this vision when
you are naturally in a defensive posture. However, it is
imperative for our industry to do what it does best – be
innovative and creative – in building a new future for
agriculture in a state that is “Not turning back. Not now,
not ever.”
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
An overview of some of the measures Ag Council is
engaged in at this time is provided below.
Buy American Requirement in Schools
SB 730 (Pan)
Establishes actions the California Department of
Education must take to monitor compliance with and
enforcement of the Buy American requirement in the
school lunch and breakfast programs in California. Ag
Council is sponsoring this measure.
POSITION:
Support
Climate Change – Cap & Trade Measures
Given the governor has a goal to pass a cap and trade
reauthorization bill by a two-thirds vote this year, Ag
Council is engaged in discussions in order to help seek the
best possible outcome. We have not yet taken a position
on all of the cap and trade bills since conversations are
ongoing at this time.
SB 775 (Wieckowski)
Reauthorizes the cap and trade program through 2030.
It establishes both a price floor and a price ceiling for
auction credits, eliminates free allowances, abolishes
the ability to bank credits, and ends offsets. SB 775, as
written, would be detrimental to agriculture in the cap
and trade program.
EMILY ROONEY,
President, Agricultural Council of California
