{"id":18367,"date":"2023-09-08T07:37:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T14:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calcanstaging.kinsta.cloud\/?p=18367"},"modified":"2023-09-07T21:47:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T04:47:54","slug":"legislative-update-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/legislative-update-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Novedades legislativas: avanzan los proyectos de ley sobre el pastoreo obligatorio y el uso compartido de maquinaria agr\u00edcola, y se mantiene el bono de resistencia alimentaria y agr\u00edcola junto con otros bonos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two of CalCAN\u2019s 2023 sponsored bills cleared a key hurdle last week: the Appropriations Committees. The third bill, which proposes a food and farm bond, was made a two-year bill alongside other climate-related bond measures being considered.<\/span><\/p>\n

For context, the Senate Appropriations and Assembly Appropriations Committees review bills that meet certain criteria regarding projected fiscal impact, which includes the vast majority of introduced bills. These bills are placed on the Appropriations Committees\u2019 \u201cSuspense File\u201d and their fates are read aloud during \u201cSuspense\u201d hearings that take place twice a year in May and in August. On average, three-quarters of bills that are placed on the Suspense File in August are passed, according to <\/span>Chris Micheli<\/span><\/a>, a veteran lobbyist. The remainder of the bills are either held in committee (i.e. dead) or made into \u201c2-year bills,\u201d meaning they can be considered in the second year of the legislative session.<\/span><\/p>\n

CalCAN-Sponsored Bills: AB 552, SB 675 & AB 408<\/b><\/h2>\n

AB 552<\/b><\/a>, authored by Assemblymember Bennett (D-Ventura), passed out of Senate Appropriations with 5 ayes and 2 noes. AB 552 is CalCAN and <\/span>CAFF’s<\/span><\/a> co-sponsored bill to create a farm equipment sharing program. AB 552 would create a new program at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to fund equipment sharing programs. These programs would allow farmers to borrow or lease high-value equipment from regional agricultural centers that purchase and maintain equipment for health soil practices, on-farm conservation practices, storage, and processing. Furthermore, the program would support training for farmers on new and innovative small-farm equipment and safety and maintenance. To learn more about equipment sharing, see our previous <\/span>entrada del blog<\/span><\/a> highlighting the work of the California Plowshares equipment sharing program in Southern California.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Almond farmer Christine Gemperle, Assemblymember Steve Bennett and CalCAN Staff Anna Larson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to help craft pathways for small and mid-scale farmers to run more sustainable operations. Being one of the leading costs for farmers, California\u2019s support for the expansion of regional tool sharing cooperatives will help farmers pool resources and save money. Thank you to our co-sponsors, CalCAN and CAFF, for your advocacy and testimonies highlighting the need for AB 552.\u201d – Assemblymember Bennett<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

AB 552 is now on the Senate floor, where it needs a majority vote to pass. If the bill moves forward, we will be advocating for funding for this program through several avenues next year, including through a potential climate bond for the November 2024 ballot, and look forward to working with CDFA and Assemblymember Bennett to secure funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"prescribed<\/p>\n

SB 675<\/b><\/a>, authored by Senator Monique Lim\u00f3n (D-Santa Barbara), passed out of Assembly Appropriations with 15 ayes and zero noes. SB 675 increases support for prescribed grazing as an ecological wildfire solution by integrating prescribed grazing outreach, infrastructure, local and regional planning, and best management practices within two existing wildfire prevention grant programs. The bill would also direct the State\u2019s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force to develop a plan by 2025 to expand the use of prescribed grazing to support the state\u2019s efforts to increase the pace and scale of wildfire and forest resilience activities and strengthen the protection of communities and reduce their fire risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful to see SB 675 move on in the legislative process. As climate change continues to bring harsher weather to our doorstep, we must keep all options on the table to mitigate the spread of wildfire, including natural mitigation efforts like prescribed grazing. Ecological grazing has been shown to reduce fire fuels, create fire barriers, and have positive impacts on our environment. After the unprecedented weather episodes we have seen since the beginning of the year, firefighters and emergency personnel deserve every tool necessary to help them protect our communities.\u201d – Senator Lim\u00f3n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

SB 675 is now on the Assembly floor, where it needs a majority vote to pass.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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AB 408<\/b><\/a>, a bond measure authored by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), was made a two-year bill by the Senate Appropriations Committee. All bond bills, except for the mental health bond (AB 531, Irwin) were held for negotiations next year. AB 408 proposes a $3.7 billion bond for the November 2024 ballot to invest in creating a more equitable and climate resilient food and farming system. CalCAN is one of the co-sponsors of the bond bill along with 17 other organizations in the <\/span>Coalici\u00f3n para la Resiliencia Alimentaria y Agr\u00edcola<\/span><\/a>, a diverse group of organizations working across a number of sectors including food access, environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, labor, and public health.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Asm Lori Wilson Photo Credit: Agri-Pulse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bond investments would help create a more equitable and resilient food system with proposed funding across four pillars:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Sustainable agriculture<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Farmworker well-being<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Healthy, sustainable food access<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Regional food infrastructure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    CalCAN and the Food and Farm Resilience Coalition will continue to advocate for these investments as bond negotiations continue into next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Fates of Other Bills Supported by CalCAN<\/b><\/h2>\n

    In addition to our three CalCAN-sponsored bills, CalCAN supported thirteen other bills this year. Ten of the thirteen bills were voted on by the Appropriations Committees last week. Their outcomes and next steps are as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Passed and Heading to the Senate Floor:<\/b><\/h4>\n