Posts By: Matthew Allen

Governor Gavin Newsom Signs AB 2183, Guts Secret Ballot Process for Farmworkers

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 28 signed AB 2183, gutting the secret ballot process for farmworkers and submitting misleading “clarifying language” that is supposed to ensure worker protections. After a photo op staged at the Capitol, Newsom’s office distributed a press release explaining why the governor signed the current year’s bill with the caveat that ...

Governor Newsom Vetoes California H-2A Bill

Governor Newsom has vetoed AB 857 (by Assemblymember Ash Kalra and sponsored by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLA)).  The bill was a reintroduction of SB 1102 (by Senator Monning) which was vetoed in 2020 and would have created the California Legal Rights Disclosure Act for H-2A Farmworkers. If passed, AB 857 would have ...

California and Sustainable Pest Management

I pondered this article as I was putting out ant bait stations in my yard to help control an impending invasion of our home. Thankfully, the stations worked perfectly, and the “emergency” was avoided. This got me to thinking more about the future of crop protection in California and what specific challenges lie ahead for ...