AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA
24
Almond Facts
MAY | JUNE 2016
Agricultural
Council of California
EMILY ROONEY,
President
Legislation Abounds During
Springtime in the Capitol
Ag Council is Giving You a Voice in the Process
This spring season is hectic in Sacramento and legislation is prolific. Hundreds of bills moved through policy
committees this spring and are pending in the fiscal committees where they will either be held in committee or
move forward to either the Assembly or Senate floor. Ag Council is highly engaged on issues ranging from labor
to water and working to give a strong voice to our members in order to protect their future in California.
AB 2757 (Gonzalez)
Ag Overtime Wage Requirements
Of great interest to
Blue Diamond
Growers, and many Ag
Council members, is the ag overtime wage bill, AB 2757
(Gonzalez). Ag Council ardently opposes AB 2757 and
continues to work with a coalition to build and sustain
opposition to the bill in the Assembly. Our main focus
is to boost opposition among the moderate Democrats,
demonstrating that with the new $15 minimum wage law
in California, this legislation would saddle agriculture
with additional economic difficulties. Simply put, this
legislation would further the competitive disadvantages of
doing business in California.
As background, AB 2757 would phase in a new overtime
wage law for agricultural workers over the course of four
years culminating in a requirement to pay overtime in
California after eight hours in one day or 40 hours in a
week by the year 2020.
California law already requires overtime pay for agricultural
workers after 10 hours in one day and 60 hours in a week.
The existing law provides the flexibility that farmers and
employees need given the variable nature of farming.
AB 2757 is on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee due to its fiscal impact. We encourage
legislators to ask Assembly leadership to hold the
bill on
suspense, so that it does not move forward.
OTHER KEY BILLS
In addition to AB 2757, our advocacy efforts in the State
Capitol include the following bills. A full list of bills we are
engaged in can be found at: www/agcouncil.org/hot-topics.
SB 1383 (Lara)
Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
Bill mandates a 40 percent reduction of methane, a 40
percent reduction of hydrofluorocarbon gases and a 50
percent reduction of black carbon (includes diesel) below
2013 levels by 2030.
POSITION:
Opposed
STATUS:
On suspense, where bills with significant fiscal
impacts are held in the Senate Committee
on Appropriations.
SB 1317 (Wolk) Groundwater
Requires local entities to create a process to issue conditional
use permits for the development of groundwater extraction
in high or medium priority basins. SB 1317 mandates
additional requirements to the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA) and undermines the local control
element critical to the implementation of SGMA.
POSITION:
Opposed
STATUS:
On suspense in the Senate Committee
on Appropriations.
