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 Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
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 CA Farm Bureau Friday Review SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
Governor Schwarzenegger's appointment of Cindy Tuck to Chair the California Air Resources
Board was rejected by the Senate Democrats along straight party lines with 14 “Aye” votes from
Republicans and 24 “No” votes from the Democrats. While acknowledging that she was without
question professional, qualified, sincere and of high integrity, Senate Democrats followed the
direction of their leadership and found a way to justify an even lower public image of their
performance. The Democrats compared her to a "race horse who always returns to form" in
reference to the fact that she once did the unspeakable; she actually worked for business people and
did her job well. What is more alarming is that a person of high caliber in private business, who is
willing to give up a higher paying job for public service, can't get confirmed. One has to wonder,
“Who would want to go into government?” The real story remains, the Legislature is dysfunctional
and until more competitive districts are created, we can expect more of the same actions that are a
disservice to the people of California.
Second Vice President Paul Wenger’s testimony was instrumental in getting AB 1011 (Barbara
Matthews, R-Tracy) approved in the Senate Agriculture Committee this week. This important
legislation will greatly reduce the cost of crop protection tools for California growers. After the
hearing, consensus was reached between the companies who manufacture branded and generic
versions of pesticides who have been intensely negotiating the intent of AB 1011.
AB 1011 will enable a new system that will insure a fair and open marketplace where the growers in
California will have the variety of new plant protection tools that the other 49 states are already able
to use. This balanced approach streamlines the Department of Pesticide Registration (DPR) process
and insures that manufacturers who have invested resources in this state to maintain California only
data requirements will receive a share of costs for producing that data.
Eliminating this additional authorization step will save DPR staff time and resources without
affecting its core mission of protecting public health and the environment. It will also accelerate
DPRs decision-making process on registration requests. This streamlining effort is very important to
the production agriculture community.
AB 1011 will also insure that retailers selling consumer products used on gardens and lawn start
paying their fair share of the pesticide mill assessment already paid by growers using the same
products. Bringing these retailers into compliance will bring significant revenues into DPR and
should reduce the pressure to increase the pesticide mill assessment to fund their regulatory
activities.
ACTION ALERT
Plans are for AB 1011 to leave the Senate and go back to the Assembly before it can go to the
Governor’s desk. Please contact your legislative representatives in both houses immediately on
the CFBF ACTION ALERT website (no later than September 8th to be safe) to let them know
of your support of AB 1011.

The Assembly unanimously concurred in the Senate amendments to AB 365 (Simon Salinas, D-
Salinas), which would establish greenhouse agriculture as a statutorily declared “agricultural use” in
the Williamson Act, and sent the bill to the governor. The bill was amended in the Senate to clarify
that a greenhouse is a structure covered with transparent or translucent materials to admit natural
light and control plant growing conditions. The bill also specifies that all floricultural and nursery
products cultivated within greenhouses shall be deemed equal to open field floricultural and nursery
products. According to the Assembly Floor Analysis on AB 365:
“Greenhouse farmers consider their agricultural operations to be a beneficial means
of cultivation for a variety of reasons, including production efficiency, quality, and
the ability to conserve input resources by using drip irrigation, hydroponics, and
recycled water. Because greenhouses are self contained and production occurs in
controlled environments, commodities grown within these structures meet the highest
levels of quality while minimizing environmental impacts. In today's global
marketplace, greenhouse farming affords year round commodity production at a
competitive price.”
ACTION ALERT
Even though there was only one dissenting vote (Senator Machado, D-Linden) in both the
Senate and Assembly, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research has raised eleventh
hour concerns. All county Farm Bureaus with greenhouse agriculture are, therefore,
encouraged to contact Governor Schwarzenegger on the CFBF ACTION ALERT website and
request his signature on AB 365.
Farm Bureau anticipates that the assembly will take up SB 646 and SB 820 (Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa
Monica) for a final vote next week during the last days of session.
SB 820 was amended on the Assembly Floor Friday September 2. While the amendment addresses
one Farm Bureau concern, which is loss of water rights, the bill still exposes California farmers and
ranchers to needless reporting requirements and costs as well as potential fines, without providing
any benefit to the State.
The assembly has yet to take up SB 646, which would increase regulations and fees on farm water
run of, without actually increasing the protection of the environment.
ACTION ALERT
Now is the critical time for farmers to contact their a members and express their opposition to
these bills. Please visit the CFBF ACTION ALERT website. http://capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/?style=D


 
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