November General Election Ballot Measure Recommendations
With the general election less than a month away and vote-by-mail ballots arriving in mailboxes soon, Ag Council’s board of directors recently voted to take positions on three November ballot propositions. Ag Council urges our members and friends to consider the ballot recommendations below, and please help spread the word by forwarding this message to others.
YES ON PROPOSITION 3 – WATER BOND
Ag Council strongly urges members to vote in favor of Prop 3 on the general election ballot. Prop 3 provides $8.7 billion in significant public benefits throughout the state. It is a balanced measure to improve water supplies and create a more sustainable water future for agriculture, the environment, and the people of California.
If Prop 3 is approved, agricultural communities throughout the state benefit through the following funding (not a comprehensive list of all benefits):
Safe drinking water: $750 million for water system improvements for safe drinking water. This crucial funding helps address the state’s severe drinking water crisis affecting disadvantaged and low-income communities throughout California. Ensuring safe drinking water for all Californians is a core priority for Ag Council.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation: $640 million for competitive grants for projects to protect, enhance or improve supplies, such as new groundwater recharge projects.
Oroville Dam repair: $200 million to help pay for flood control facility repairs and lower financial pressure on State Water Project contractors.
Fisheries restoration: $700 million for fish habitat restoration in the Delta and its tributaries. The bond funds would assist in demonstrating that flows are not the only mechanism to restore fish populations and could ease pressure on those who receive water from the San Joaquin River and its tributaries.
Friant-Kern Canal restoration: $750 million to restore canal flow where subsidence has reduced capacity of the canal. Once the canal is restored, funds could be used to connect the California Aqueduct and the Friant Kern Canal via a pipeline or canal to best utilize excess flows in the Delta and San Joaquin River when natural surpluses are available.
Importantly, with the urban and rural investments, the water yield of the bond is a minimum of 1.5 million acre feet each year. Also, Prop 3 will produce enough new water to serve three million families in our growing state.
Prop 3 has support from hundreds of ag, water, business, conservation, environmental justice, labor and civic organizations.
California’s farmers produce safe, high quality food and achieve the most ambitious environmental and labor standards in the nation. To attain these goals and continue farming, it is critical that we pursue and support efforts to ensure a stable and secure water supply. Prop 3 does just that by making considerable investments in our water supply to lay a stronger foundation to help the agricultural community and our state thrive for years to come.
VOTE YES ON PROP 3.
VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 6 – GAS TAX REPEAL
Prop 6 repeals gas and diesel taxes and higher vehicle registration fees passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Brown in 2017 under SB 1. In addition to repealing those taxes and fees, Prop 6 mandates that the Legislature obtain voter approval to raise future gas and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees.
Currently, two-thirds of SB 1 revenues go toward highway, road, and bridge maintenance and repairs while one-third is provided to transit programs. The present law makes adjustments for inflation each year and—without the repeal—more than $50 billion in new revenues are anticipated from California drivers via SB 1 taxes and fees over the next decade.
Ag Council’s board voted to support Prop 6 to repeal the gas tax. Ag Council urges the state to utilize existing taxpayer dollars to address transportation needs, as well as improve efficiencies and better prioritize spending within the Department of Transportation.
VOTE YES ON PROP 6.
VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 12 – FARM ANIMAL HOUSING
Prop 12 bans the sale of products in California that do not meet new housing standards for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and calves raised for veal. Violations would be a misdemeanor, subject to a fine up to $1,000.
Under current law (Prop 2 passed by voters in 2008), animals must be able to stand up, lie down, turn around freely and fully extend limbs. After Prop 2, the number of eggs produced in California dropped by 35 percent—meaning fewer were locally produced. At the same time, the price of eggs increased by 33 percent.
Prop 12 establishes specific animal housing standards regarding the amount of space needed for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and veal calves. Products not meeting the new standards would be banned for sale in California.
Cage free housing is mandated under Prop 12 for egg-laying hens in California starting after December 31, 2021. However, the egg industry is already moving to meet the call from hundreds of food, retail, hospitality entities and others for cage free eggs by 2025. Prop 12 advances the timeline by three years. Since the stage is already set for egg-laying hens to be cage free, moving the date forward will likely only lead to a shortage of eggs and higher prices as Prop 2 did ten years ago.
The San Francisco Chronicle recommended that readers vote no on Prop 12 in a recent editorial stating, “the ballot box is not the place to regulate this aspect of California agriculture.” Ag Council agrees with this position.
VOTE NO ON PROP 12.