In the final days of legislative activity, a bill – SB 295 (Hurtado) – was amended to include “commodities,” and the measure would prevent the use of data derived from pricing algorithms to make business decisions. Such data is utilized by ag cooperatives, bargaining associations, marketing orders and commissions to stay competitive. Ag Council was involved in attempts to amend the measure to address concerns, but the amendments were rejected. As a result, our association and others opposed the measure. The bill failed to pass during a vote in the Assembly.
Ultra-processed food (UPF)
Ag Council has been highly involved in the UPF bill, AB 1264 (Gabriel), on behalf of our members. More recently, Governor Newsom’s staff worked with the author of AB 1264 to amend the measure to specifically apply to food served in schools during the school day, which narrows its application. The governor also changed the entity with regulatory authority to implement the bill from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Exclusions secured by Ag Council and others remain in the bill, and other definitions were amended by the governor and CDPH. Please go to the Learn More link for more details.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)
Unfortunately, successful agricultural programs that significantly lower emissions were not included in the final GGRF allocations approved by the Legislature. Ag Council will continue to advocate for this important funding going forward because it is widely utilized by our members. We appreciate the legislators who have already publicly raised the lack of funding from GGRF for the agricultural community as an issue, including Senator Caballero, Assemblymember Irwin and Assemblymember Soria.
Multiple ag and water-related programs that are part of the Proposition 4 climate bond were allocated funding in a budget measure, including Healthy Soils, the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, and groundwater projects. Use the Learn More link for further details.
Bills approved by the Legislature are pending Governor Newsom’s consideration, and he has until October 12 to sign or veto measures. Click HERE for a more comprehensive legislative overview.