LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

October 3, 2022

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Governor Newsom Takes Final Action on 2022 Legislation
Friday was the Constitutional deadline for Governor Newsom to sign or veto any bills sent to his desk as the 2021-22 Legislative Session concluded in the final days of August. While most of CCA’s priority bills have been settled for weeks, Governor Newsom last week did sign three priority bills lobbied by CCA over the past year.

On Tuesday, the Governor’s office announced that Newsom had signed AB 211 (Committee on Budget) and SB 926 (Dodd).

AB 211, the Public Resources Budget Trailer Bill, contains significant provisions relating to wildfire prevention and drought resilience – including nearly $49 million directed to “activities that support immediate drought response, critical data collection, and agriculture.” AB 211 also incorporates (and expands upon) the operative provisions of CCA-supported AB 267 (Valladares). Specifically, the bill extends through January 1, 2028 a California Environmental Quality Act exemption for fuel reduction projects undertaken on federal lands which have already been analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act.

CCA-supported SB 926 creates and operationalizes the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund, initially funded by $20 million set aside in the FY 2021-22 Budget. If a prescribed fire escapes containment and damages persons or property, the Claims Fund will allow the individual or property-owner to be reimbursed by the State for those damages (rather than seeking restitution from a prescribed fire practitioner or the landowner upon whose land the prescribed fire was set). The legislation builds on last year’s CCA-sponsored SB 332 (Dodd), which shielded prescribed burners and landowners from liability for costs incurred by Cal Fire in the event the agency must suppress an escaped fire. Together, these bills remove a significant disincentive to the application of “good fire,” as liability concerns often staid burners’ and landowners’ hands.

On Friday, the Governor’s Office announced the signing of AB 558 (Nazarian), the Child Nutrition Act of 2022. CCA had initially opposed AB 558, which would have incentivized plant-based foods over conventional offerings (including meat and dairy products) in school meals. CCA was successful in amending the plant-based meal incentives out of the bill, however, allowing the Association to support AB 558 – which now only allows a non-school aged sibling of an enrolled student to receive a school breakfast or morning snack.

Listen to today’s episode of Sorting Pen “Sorting through CCA’s success in this legislative session” at calcattlemen.org/podcast for a recap on CCA’s legislative successes. For a more thorough recap of CCA’s 2022 legislative engagement, see the November edition of California Cattleman.

SWRCB Updates Curtailments on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta River Watershed
Within the Sacramento River watershed, curtailments remain on the Putah Creek subwatershed with a priority date of 1924 or later.

As reported in previous Legislative Bulletin updates, all appropriative water rights within the San Joaquin River watershed have been curtailed with a priority date of 1900 or later. Additionally, water rights within the Merced River subwatershed with a priority date of 1859 or later, in the Mokelumne River subwatershed with a priority date of 1890 or later and in the Fresno River subwatershed with a priority date of 1855 or later are curtailed. All appropriative and riparian water rights within the Chowchilla River subwatershed remain curtailed.

For questions about curtailment and suspension notices or how to comply, please contact the Rancher Technical Assistance Program at (916) 409-6902 or rtap@wrstrat.com.

View Workshop Recording Carbon Sequestration on Monterey County Rangelands: Ranching is part of the climate change solution!
Held on Sept. 22 in Salinas, the workshop was put on to inform the Monterey County Climate Action Plan. Guest speakers included, Toby O’Green and Frank Mitloehner from UC Davis and Lynn Huntsinger from UC Berkeley. To view the workshop click here.

Ninth Circuit Overturns Lower Court Decision Vacating ESA Reforms
Last month, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order overturning a lower court’s order which had vacated a trio of Trump-era Endangered Species Act reforms. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling means that the Trump-Era regulatory reforms remain in effect. That said, the Biden Administration last year signaled its intent to rescind and replace the rules, and may move forward to rescind the reforms via the administrative rulemaking process.

For more information, see last week’s edition of Legislative Bulletin.

LAST CHANCE: CCA Internship Applications Due Oct. 10  
Applications for the 2022 CCA/CCW Convention Internship are due Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Selected interns will help run CCA’s tradeshow booth, onsite registration and other behind the scenes tasks at the event, they will also get to attend select meetings of interest, general sessions and the tradeshow with complimentary lodging and registration. Additionally, the interns will get to interact with CCA leadership and staff, as well as industry leaders at the best attended meeting of the year. To apply please send a resume and cover letter to Maureen LaGrande at maureen@calcattlemen.org by Monday, October 10, 2022, at 11:59pm PST. Applicant must be a young, regular or feeder member of the California Cattlemen’s Association and must be a current undergraduate, master, school of law or veterinary student attending or enrolled in a junior college, four-year college, university or law school (high school students are not eligible). Learn more about the event at calcattlemen.org/convention2022.

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