Speakers Continued from Page 15
on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, she said, adding that some water users have presented voluntary agreements that include a combination of unim- paired flows and habitat restoration. In discussing actions by the California Legislature this year, Johansson told members he expects many new bills related to water, including for fund- ing water infrastructure, streamlin- ing permitting and addressing SGMA
challenges. But other legislation seeks to dismantle the state’s water rights sys- tem, he added. “Some want to do away with how we appropriate water in this state, a danger- ous proposition for us and a dangerous proposition for Californians,” Johansson said. “Our success and our ability to come through a drought, as painful as it was and with the hurt we may have had, we kept order in the state because we knew where the water should go and
who was in line to get the water.” As Kounalakis discussed educa- tion, Imperial County farmer Ronnie Leimgruber endorsed making greater in- vestments in technical education. “We don’t have the technical expertise that we’re going to need with driverless tractors, electronic tractors, electronic thinning machines and harvesting ma- chines,” Leimgruber said. “As a farmer, we can’t even work on these tractors anymore. We need to really encourage and prop up the trade schools because there is going to be a big shortage in the near future.” Kounalakis agreed, suggesting that the Farm Bureau identify jobs that would benefit agriculture. She said efforts could involve connecting with community colleges and California State University about building programs to fit the need. Johansson mentioned the state’s 2023- 24 proposed budget, which is project- ed to have a shortfall after two years of budget surpluses. He recalled the 2019 budget included large cuts to agricultural education programs. “A shortfall usually means a lot of cuts and also means a lot of cuts to programs that we depend on to comply with regu- lations,” he said. The state budget shortfall is expected to exceed $30 billion. The actual figure should be known when a revision of the proposed budget is released in May. (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
She said the state remains in a groundwater deficit and recognized that local agencies are working to achieve sustainability in aquifers as required by the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The state water board, she said, is reviewing rejected plans for six groundwater basins and will develop recommendations. The water board also continues work
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16 Ag Alert April 5, 2023
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