Budget committees for both houses this week rejected a proposal by the governor to replace the pesticide mill assessment with a tiered system that penalizes toxicity. The Legislature would instead provide two years of bridge funding for new pesticide monitoring and outreach programs.
The committees also rejected the governor’s proposal to remove a budget line-item for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Instead, they offered to boost the division’s budget by $32 million. This would fill 120 positions for academic advisors and specialists and support extension programs.
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The Assembly committee also rejected the governor’s proposed Climate Catalyst Fund in his sustainable ag package, but chose to include the $50 million funding within the package.
The committees approved $776 million for the ag plan, with details to be determined in the final agreement between the two houses and governor. Other packages include:
- $3.9 billion for a ZEV package
- $3.7 billion for climate resilience
- $3.5 billion for water and drought resilience
- $1.5 billion for cap-and-trade spending
- $1 billion for wildfire prevention and resilience
