Farm Bureau at work California Farm Bureau’s government affairs team is at the Capitol, advocating for farmers, ranchers and agriculture’s future. Here are some key issues Farm Bureau is focused on this week.
State budget On Jan. 10, California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a summary of his proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This upcom- ing fiscal year will face significant econom- ic headwinds, topped by an initial $22.5 billion deficit that has the potential to in- crease by the time the May budget revision comes around. Many programs in the state Department of Food and Agriculture were subject to changes and funding re- ductions. The January proposal protects 90% of General Fund investments from 2021-22 and 2022-23 for departmental programs. Some programs with funding reductions include: • State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program: $40 million reduction, leaving $70 million for the next solicitation. • Healthy Soils Program: $15 mil- lion reduction, leaving $70 million for the next solicitation. • Pollinator Habitat Program: $15 million reduction for 2022-23, leaving $15 million from the previous 2021-22 solicitation. Programs that remain fully funded include: • Farm to School Incubator : $90 million. • Water efficiency Technical Assistance: $20 million. • Livestock Methane Reduction Program: $48 million. Separately, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board has requested $1.1 mil- lion in the budget for three attorneys and three field examiners to implement Assembly Bill 2183, the agricultural union organizing legislation signed by Newsom last year. Water resources The 2021 and 2022 Budget Acts com- mitted $8.7 billion over multiple years to support drought resilience and re- sponse designed to help communi- ties and fish and wildlife avoid nega- tive impacts due to extreme drought, while continuing to advance projects
Wildfires In response to the significant health, en- vironmental and economic impacts from wildfires, the 2023-24 budget maintains $2.7 billion (97%) of funding to advance critical investments in forest health and fire prevention to address the risk of cat- astrophic wildfires and provide resources for fire protection and response.
and programs that prepare the state to be more resilient to future droughts and floods. The 2023-24 budget maintains $8.6 bil- lion (98%) of previously committed fund- ing to minimize the immediate economic and environmental damage from the cur- rent drought and support hundreds of local water projects to prepare for future
droughts and increase drought resiliency. The budget includes $194 million in General Fund reductions across vari- ous programs. It also includes new in- vestments to continue supporting the state’s drought response, accelerate implementation of the water supply strategy, and increase flood prepared- ness and response.
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January 18, 2023 Ag Alert 17
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