With last week’s legislative deadline, lawmakers have set their priorities for the 2024 session. Some bills are familiar retreads of previous legislation, while others provide a new twist to ongoing issues.
Legislators have filed more than 2,000 bills, and so far about 100 of those could have implications for agriculture—though the number is likely to grow as spot bills get fleshed out with more details and tactics like gut and amend and trailer bills will present new policy proposals later in the session.
Labor, water and pesticide issues are often top of mind for farmers and the new bills reflect those priorities as well.
The most prominent labor bill is a proposal to provide unemployment pay for striking workers. Senator Anthony Portantino of Burbank first pitched the idea late in the session last year in the wake of several protracted strikes. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the measure, however, citing economic costs and the state’s $20 billion debt for its unemployment insurance fund. Portantino has not said how he plans to address the governor’s fiscal concerns—particularly as the state grapples with a deepening budget deficit and financial impacts will weigh heavily into veto decisions.
More specific to agriculture, several bills center on farmworker protections. Sen. Steve Padilla of San Diego wants to guarantee farmworkers paid sick leave when wildfire smoke, heat or flooding cause work delays, while Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil of Jackson wants to better assess the health and economic impacts of wildfire smoke on communities.
With heat-related illnesses in agriculture, Sen. Dave Cortese of San Jose is hoping to expedite state investigations. The bill, sponsored by United Farm Workers, rides a wave of criticism over perceived lags in labor enforcement at state agencies.
“By ensuring timely compensation and medical treatment in times of need, we create a safer environment for our farming workforce,” said Cortese in a statement.
Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San JoseOther measures focus on rebuttable presumptions in farm labor contracts, expanding the size of farmworker housing facilities and easing agricultural overtime rules for small businesses, which is a proposal from Assemblymember James Gallagher of Yuba City.
The Assembly minority leader is also considering a third attempt at boosting relief dollars for agricultural businesses recovering from the recent drought and subsequent floods.
Other noteworthy water bills involve the impacts of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and lingering concerns over water rights with capturing excess flood flows for recharge.
Republican Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield is looking to make is easier to cancel Williamson Act contracts for conservation easements in order to accelerate solar development in the San Joaquin Valley. Along that vein, Asm. Joaquin Arambula of Fresno hopes to expedite those cancellations.
Streamlining environmental permits for recharge projects remains a priority in the Legislature as well, with a new bill by Asm. Esmeralda Soria of Fresno. In the other chamber, Sen. Anna Caballero is attempting to clarify when a river hits flood status and diversions no longer require a water right.
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As legal battles escalate over SGMA, Senate Agriculture Chair Melissa Hurtado is putting pressure on groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs). She has filed a measure that would require GSAs to disclose their financial interests related to groundwater.
While the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) implements aggressive new rules for neonicotinoids and other products, lawmakers are looking to carve out their own priorities. Asm. Laura Friedman of Glendale has found success in legislation limiting the use of rodenticides to save mountain lions. She is following up on that with a bill to ban the use of second-generation anticoagulants within 5,000 feet of wildlife habitat areas.
Friedman has also stuck to her battle against the use of chlorpyrifos in granular forms. She is pushing DPR to publicly post quarterly reports on the use.
Another lawmaker reviving previous challenges is Asm. Damon Connolly of San Rafael. Farms near schools would face increased reporting rules and enforcement standards under his new bill. Connolly took heat from agricultural groups last year for reappropriating integrated pest management (IPM) to ban use of the controversial herbicide glyphosate along roadways. Asm. Ash Kalra of San Jose, a fellow Bay Area progressive, could steer off such debates with his bill to clarify that IPM does incorporate chemical tools.
Also riding on the success of previous legislation is the California Farm Bureau. The trade group is sponsoring a bill that would make drones eligible for clean air grants. The governor signed a farm bureau-backed bill last year that eases training requirements for pesticide drone operators.
Climate incentives, on the other hand, are a continuing source of contention for dairy digesters. Sen. Henry Stern, who once chaired the Natural Resources and Water Committee, is proposing to single out methane in state code as separate from natural gas and cut methane out of funding that is derived from surcharges on utility bills.
The same methane regulation that has propelled the adoption of dairy digesters is posing problems for landfills, which are struggling to meet the SB 1383 mandate. New legislation would ease some of the burden for smaller facilities and make a rural exemption permanent.
High energy costs are a rising concern among lawmakers this year. A coalition of Democrats has come together to fight a proposal at the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that would apply an income-based fixed charge to electric bills. Upset with California’s skyrocketing rates, Asm. Joe Patterson of Rocklin pushing to slash bills by a third. Connolly, meanwhile, is harnessing the ire of his constituents over the CPUC rolling back net energy metering incentives for rooftop solar. His bill would restore those incentives and likely the on-farm subset of the program as well.
Other bills to watch:
- With devastating fruit fly outbreaks, California Citrus Mutual is urging lawmakers to set a goal for combating invasive species.
- Republican Asm. Devon Mathis of Visalia wants to go further, by fining those who break quarantines.
- Both Mathis and Hurtado are concerned over outside entities buying up farmland.
- Lawmakers are targeting plastic bags, bottles and cups in new bans.
- Asm. Steve Bennett of Ventura is again pushing for cooperatives to share farm equipment.
- Asm. Chris Ward of San Diego wants to boost the international marketing presence of the governor’s business development office, particularly in promoting agriculture.
- Asm. Isaac Bryan of Los Angeles has filed a constitutional amendment declaring the right to clean air, water and a healthy environment for all.
- Alvarado-Gil seeks to exempt agritourism from liabilities for any injuries.
- Sen. Monique Limón of Santa Barbara hopes to dedicate a portion of cap-and-trade revenues to supporting composting and promoting healthy soils.
- Asm. Mia Bonta of Alameda is proposing new standards for mobile farmers’ markets.
- And the love for agave as a drought-tolerant elixir keeps growing.
What did I miss? Let me know what bills you’re watching in the Legislature: brad@agri-pulse.com.
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