ADVOCACY REPORT
Advocacy Report
28
Almond Facts
JULY | AUGUST 2017
Budget Signing
Brings Changes
to California
Last month, Governor Brown signed the largest
budget in California history, a $183.2 billion
Budget Bill and a slew of budget trailer bills that
contain the statutory changes in law necessary
to accompany the appropriations. “This budget
provides money to repair our roads and bridges,
pay down debt, invest in schools, fund the earned
income tax credit and provide Medi-Cal health
care for millions of Californians,” Governor
Brown said upon signing.
The budget bill contains little of note in the Agriculture
arena, though it made major changes to the state’s
tax board, the Board of Equalization (BOE). Instead
of hearing tax appeal cases at the BOE, those duties
will be transferred to two new state agencies, the
Department of Tax and Fee Administration and the
Office of Tax Appeal.
The biggest deal struck thus far is an extension of Cap
and Trade. The industry, the Legislature, the Governor
and the environmental justice community came to an
agreement to extend the market based mechanism to
assist California in reaching the state’s greenhouse
gas emission reduction goals (40 percent below 1990
levels by 2030). Assembly Republicans signaled they
were willing to work with moderate Democrats, but the
real testament was in the Senate where there are more
liberal Democrats who support the environmental and
disadvantaged community advocates wanting direct
air quality improvements, and more conservative
Republicans who want just the opposite. Finding a
compromise had been a moving target, however a final
deal was made, requiring a 2/3 vote, and the legislature
passed the extension before the July 21 summer recess.
California Legislation
BDG advocacy team with industry association advocates
were able to kill or amend many problematic bills so far
this year, including legislation that would limit the use
of specific types of herbicides, mandate onerous date
labeling requirements, expand Ag Water Management
plans that would have required additional water use
measuring, and a prescriptive Cap and Trade extension
bill which would have placed new restrictions on air
pollutants, including possible limits on individual
industrial facilities and many others.
Actively Engaged
in Legislation
SB 252 (Dodd, Democrat-Napa): Water Wells
BDG’S advocacy team is still working to fight against this
bill which would require new water well permit applicants
in critically overdrafted groundwater basins (most Ag
basins) to provide additional data to their neighbors and
publicly notice any new well permit.
AB 450 (Chiu, Democrat-San Francisco):
Employment regulation: immigration
worksite enforcement actions
This bill penalizes employers who provide information
to federal immigration enforcement officers and requires
the employer to notify the Labor Commissioner should
they receive notice from federal authorities about an
employee.
The bill passed off the Assembly floor with the
following Democrats voting against it: Arambula, Gray,
Eggman, Grayson and Salas.
Our associations including Ag Council and the California
Chamber are opposed and our team is working on
amendments to decrease the burdens of the mandate and
penalties on the employee given the chances of the bill
continuing to move are high.
