Advocacy in Action: Legislation, diesel and wolves

Legislation

The governor finished acting on 27 bills that California Farm Bureau tracked this year. Twenty were signed, and seven were vetoed. Of the 16 bills Farm Bureau supported, 12 became law. Of the nine Farm Bureau opposed, three were vetoed, and six were signed.

The 12 bills that Farm Bureau supported and that became law were: 

• Assembly Bill 230, which extends the Pierce’s Disease Control Program indefinitely rather than letting it expire in 2031.  But it makes the extension inoperative if the California Department of Food and Agriculture finds that a referendum on continuing the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board did not receive a favorable vote. 

• Assembly Bill 706, which creates the Forest Organic Residue, Energy, and Safety Transformation program. Upon appropriation, it would use timber fund or Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund monies to maintain and expand biomass power generation and revitalize idle biomass facilities. 

• Assembly Bill 1663, which allows the agent of a property owner to submit a Joshua tree permit request and meet related requirements and removes the requirement that the request includes a signed attestation or certification. 

• Assembly Bill 1711, which directs fair-related funds to capital outlay for California fairs, covering public health, fire and life safety, emergency services, regulatory-compliance and maintenance projects at fairgrounds. Money deposited after Nov. 1 each year must be allocated within 90 days. 

• Assembly Bill 1808, which authorizes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to delegate to a city the authority to approve the taking of a western Joshua tree for commercial and industrial development projects. 

• Assembly Bill 1890, which directs the California Department of Housing and Community Development to award up to $500,000 a year in matching funds to the Napa County Housing Authority to keep meeting the housing needs of migrant and other farmworkers, with the program operative once the Legislature appropriates funding.

• Assembly Bill 2032, which exempts public or private water-supply operators that submit a control plan to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife from the restricted-species permit requirement for invasive mussels when doing maintenance, operational and research work. 

• Assembly Bill 2156, which designates March 31 as Farmworkers Day and requires the governor to proclaim it each year. 

• Assembly Bill 2700, which requires the California Public Utilities Commission to report by Jan. 1, 2028, on verified restitution shortfalls for victims of utility-caused wildfires that occurred before July 12, 2019, and to recommend ways utilities can close those shortfalls. 

• Senate Bill 881, which extends the state income tax credits for food bank donations to taxable years beginning before Jan. 1, 2032. 

• Senate Bill 1062, which requires CDFW to consider making Joshua tree fees proportionate to a project’s impact, including tiered fees by project type, size or other criteria. 

• Senate Bill 1085, which requires a city or county that receives a qualifying housing application to identify the public water systems involved and, within 15 days, ask each to confirm whether the project’s water demand was included in its urban water management plan. 

Diesel

As California diesel prices climb to record levels, California Farm Bureau raised the concerns of farmers and ranchers with state policymakers. It sent a letter to the chairs of the Assembly and Senate transportation committees urging immediate attention to the significant financial strain high diesel prices place on agricultural operations. (See related story, Diesel price spike increases financial stress for farmers).

Farm Bureau said it will continue providing member data, testimony and technical expertise as policymakers examine potential solutions to the state’s fuel-cost challenges. 

Wolf

The governor also signed into law Senate Bill 1135, which directs CDFW, upon appropriation, to create a Wildlife Coexistence Program with a statewide wildlife incident reporting tool and rename the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program as the California Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program. Farm Bureau took a neutral position.

The law provides compensation for confirmed or probable livestock losses and indirect losses such as reduced weight gain or lower conception rates. It also explicitly allows working livestock guardian dogs to pursue wolves while defending livestock. To qualify for loss payments in active wolf territory, ranchers must use nonlethal deterrents. 

At least half of the program’s overall funding must be directed toward providing producers with nonlethal tools and equipment, helping offset out-of-pocket costs. 

Reprint with credit to California Farm Bureau. For image use, email agalert@cfbf.com.

In this edition…

• View full issue
• 2026 Voter Guide
• Advocacy in Action: Legislation, diesel and wolves
• Roadless Rule has kept forests from being managed
• Farm Bureau team seeks solutions in D.C.
• Diesel price spike increases financial stress for farmers
• New date crop hits market as fruit goes 'mainstream'
• From the Fields: Ray Yeung, Yolo County farmer
• From the Fields: Joe Zanger, San Benito County farmer
• From the Fields: Blake Wilbur, Tulare County farmer
• From the Fields: Paul Vermeulen, Stanislaus County almond grower and huller
• Vineyards turn to UV-C light to fight powdery mildew
• Pumpkin growers target trends, Halloween demand
• Calls open for Agricultural Educator of the Year award
• How to effectively manage stored grain fire risks