Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state has set aside 40 percent of vaccine doses for its most impacted communities and established a vaccine equity metric to increase vaccinations in those communities. The state aims to deliver a minimum of 2 million vaccine doses to these communities, in an effort to move counties ...
On Friday, April 2, 2021, the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Project released a joint statement on the presumption of a “Tier 1” shortage declaration on the Colorado River. A “Tier 1” shortage declared on the river will result in an additional 320,000 acre-feet cut, for a total of 520,000 acre-feet ...
AB 857, a California bill that would change the law by expanding the definition of “voluntary” and “mandated” travel time, passed off the Assembly Floor today and now heads to the Senate. AB 857 attempts to: add new situations whereby travel time would be required to be paid to H-2A employees; go well beyond existing ...
Yesterday, the latest UFW bill that erodes employees’ free choice and threatens employers’ due process rights (AB 616), passed out of the California State Assembly. AB 616 now heads to the Senate. AB 616 (Stone) is the latest incarnation of card check legislation, which undermines the secret ballot election process that has been at the ...
The California Legislature is currently in peak season as the Assembly and Senate rush to complete consideration of bills that were introduced in their respective houses. As a general rule, bills have to move out of their house of origin by June 4th in order for them to survive and continue through the legislative process. ...
Western Growers recently signed onto a letter urging California Governor Newsom to issue an executive order to conform workplace regulations with the Centers for Disease Control and California Department of Public Health guidelines. The letter stated that the suggested Executive Order should: Align the Cal/OSHA masking guidelines with the CDC Align the physical distance guidelines ...
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) now offers temporary special permits that increase the maximum overweight total up to 88,000 pounds for transportation of certain agricultural products. The permit applies only to overweight trucks hauling the following agricultural products: tomatoes, peaches, pears, grapes, onions, carrots, citrus, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, olives,…
The Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust is now offering incentive funding for electric forklifts, awarding up to $175,000 per forklift. Key Program Details Applies to forklifts with a lift capacity of 8,000 lbs or greater Applicants may be anywhere in California and in any use or sector Awards are up to $175,000 per forklift, with up ...
The Valley Air District Governing Board will expand a grant program to assist farmers in phasing out the open burning of woody waste thanks to $178.2 million in new state funding. Instead of open burning, the expansion of the Alternatives to Agricultural Open Burning grant program will fund San Joaquin Valley farmers to transition to ...
On Thursday, AB 616, which would erode farmworkers’ choice in whether or not to join a union and threaten employers’ due process rights, passed a floor vote in the California Senate. The final vote tally was 24 Ayes-11 Noes and 5 Abstentions. AB 616 will now go to the California Assembly for a concurrence vote. ...
The California State Legislature has passed AB 616—first in the Senate on August 26 and then in the Assembly yesterday with a final vote of 52 Ayes, 19 Noes and 8 Abstentions. The bill now heads to the desk of California Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 616 is the latest incarnation of card check legislation, which ...
The California Department of Transportation has announced two changes of relevance for Western Growers members in regards to the special permit on increased weight limits for the transportation of agricultural products. The special permit, which increases the maximum overweight total up to 88,000 pounds for transportation of certain agricultural products, will now include ALL “perishable…
AB 857, a California bill that would change the law by expanding the definition of “voluntary” and “mandated” travel time, has stalled in the Senate for this year. It is now a two-year bill. AB 857 attempts to: add new situations whereby travel time would be required to be paid to H-2A employees require employers ...
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is conducting public webinars to collect input on the design and development of a statewide system to provide notification in advance of pesticide applications. WHEN: • Tuesday, November 2, 2021, from 9-11:30 a.m. in English — with Spanish translation available • Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from ...
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to coordinate with the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to address state, national and global supply chain challenges. The executive order also directs state agencies to develop longer-term solutions that support port operations and goods movement for consideration in the…
Today, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted to approve the second readoption of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) with significant changes and updates. Once approved by the California Office of Administrative Law, the revised ETS will be in place from January 14 through April 14. The original ETS took effect on ...
AB 1400, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, failed yesterday to meet the deadline to pass out of the Assembly. The bill would have created the single-payer healthcare system in California under a program called CalCare. Western Growers was part of a large business coalition in strong opposition to this bill and was an early voice ...
California announced that starting March 1, masks will no longer be required for unvaccinated individuals, but will be strongly recommended for all individuals in most indoor settings. This guidance also applies to unvaccinated workers indoors; employers must still provide a face covering upon request of an employee. However, masks will still be required for everyone ...
AB 2183 (Stone) is the latest attempt by the United Farm Workers to implement card check legislation in California. This bill was introduced early in 2022 despite the veto of the previous bill on this subject, AB 616 (Stone), by Governor Newsom last year. AB 2183 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is ...
AB 2183 (Stone) is the latest attempt by the United Farm Workers to implement card check legislation in California. The bill was voted out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday and is now on the Assembly Floor. This bill was introduced early in 2022 despite the veto of the previous bill on this subject, AB ...