At the time of this writing, we are awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final action on the bills that have made it to his desk for either a signature or veto. We are crossing our fingers for a few additional vetoes of legislation that would impose unnecessary challenges for our growers. That said, it has still been a very successful legislative year for us. Western Growers has successfully helped to…
I’m writing this article in the middle of August 2024 and am amazed that this legislative year is already coming to an end. The years seem to be going by faster and faster, and the number of issues that our industry contends with continue to grow. That said, it’s been a very successful legislative year and I have great expectations that we can and will surmount new challenges as they…
I have written many times about union and labor activism in California and how their advocacy efforts have a very strong impact on legislative and regulatory activity. Likewise, I have also called out the tendency of our state government, especially at the agency level, to default to a risk avoidance strategy when dealing with everyday activities that play a critical role in helping us all…
The 2024 legislative year is already shaping up to be one of the most challenging years for advocacy. We are only in April at the time of this writing but the volume and breadth of bills that Western Growers is advocating for to help safeguard our members’ current and future operations is staggering. That process, coupled with the fact that the state is grappling with a projected $73 billion…
We are all familiar with the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s a catch-all phrase that attempts to capture the understanding that your time should be spent focusing on the truly important matters that need urgent resolution. A closer look at the usage of this phrase also infers that most tasks take time and that the outcome should be worth the effort given. It’s not an…
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has adopted new agricultural regulations for soil and foliar applications of neonicotinoid use. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, these regulations are intended to protect pollinators from the hazards associated with exposure to neonicotinoid pesticide products containing active ingredients: clothianidin dinotefuran imidacloprid …
At the time of this writing, the California Legislature has left town having completed the first year of their two-year legislative session. Those bills that successfully made their way through the legislative process are now sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk awaiting action via his signature or veto. He has until October 14 to do so. WG advocates are just as actively engaged in this final…
Scientific principles are not just important for doctors and researchers, they are also critically important - or should be - for California policymakers and the decisions that they are involved in creating. I spend a great portion of my day reading through bills to determine whether or not the provisions will have an impact, positive or negative, on Western Growers members. I’m fascinated by…
At the time of this writing, Gov. Gavin Newsom has submitted several budget bill proposals to the legislature that would streamline critical energy, water and transportation infrastructure projects in California. Following years of waiting on the construction of “approved” projects, the Administration has rightfully come to the conclusion that there are too many unnecessary delays in the…
At the time of this writing, we are well into the first year of this new two-year legislative session. WG staff have met with the new legislators, as well as their staff, and have been very busy advocating for and against proposals that will impact our membership. “Working the bills” has its own set of rules and rhythms. There’s a general order for assigning specific bills to specific…
Admittedly, I’m a light sleeper. This combined with the fact that I’m an avowed coffee drinker make for many nights that I’m left to my own quiet thoughts as my family peacefully drifts off to sleep. Although I realize that I need to get back to a regular sleep schedule, I’ve grown increasingly accustomed to this being a time for me to ponder legislation and regulations that are…
At the time of this writing, the 2022-2023 two-year legislative session has been called to order in Sacramento. This represents a changing of the guard from one formal legislative season to another and, this year, a sea of change in the number of new legislators who are coming to California’s capitol. In fact, approximately a quarter of the legislature is now made up of new faces. This is both…
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 113, which is the supplemental language that was negotiated with the Governor, the UFW, and the California Labor Federation prior to his signing of AB 2183, the card check bill. Agricultural employers were excluded from that discussion. AB 113 removes the mail-in voting option and labor-peace election procedures from the statute. Importantly, the card check,…
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is holding three public workshops to collect feedback and provide an update on the development of the statewide pesticide application system. The workshops will be held on Nov. 7, Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, 2022. The workshops are scheduled at the following times and locations; registration is not required ...
At the time of this writing, the 2022-2023 two-year legislative session has been called to order in Sacramento. This represents a changing of the guard from one formal legislative season to another and, this year, a sea of change in the number of new legislators who are coming to California’s capitol. In fact, approximately a ...
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a notice on June 2, 2015, that effective July 1, 2015, chlorpyrifos products labeled for production of an agricultural commodity will become California restricted materials. Applicators who wish to purchase, possess, or apply affected chlorpyrifos products will have to obtain a restricted materials permit from their County ...
The first year of the 2015-2016 California legislative session has advanced beyond the June 5th deadline for bills to be voted out of their house of origin. Several key labor and employment bills that WG has been actively lobbying are updated below. AB 67 (Gonzalez, D-San Diego) – Oppose: This bill would require employers to ...
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) recently released new regulations that place additional restrictions on the agricultural use of pesticides. These new regulations apply to applications that are made within ¼ mile of public schools or child day care facilities The restrictions apply Monday through Friday from the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 ...
The second year of the 2017-2018 California legislative session has advanced beyond the deadline for bills to be voted out of their house of origin. Listed below are several key labor and environmental bills that Western Growers has been actively lobbying this year. AB 1745 (Ting, D-San Francisco) – Oppose This bill would have placed ...
The California Legislature closed out the legislative year late last Friday. Governor Brown has until September 30th to sign or veto the bills that are now on his desk. Provided below is a brief list of some of the key bills that Western Growers has been lobbying on behalf of our members. AB 1913 (Kalra) ...