LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

January 29, 2024

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Assemblymember Bryan Proposes ‘Green Amendment’ to State Constitution
On Thursday, Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) filed ACA 16, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would declare, in full, that “The people shall have a right to clean air and water and a healthy environment.”

Similar “green amendments” have previously been enshrined in the Constitutions of Pennsylvania, Montana and New York; according to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, at least nine other states were considering green amendments as of last year.

It is unclear what effect the Constitutional amendment would have in California. A 2012 law, for instance, already establishes a state policy “that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.”

Montana’s green amendment received considerable attention last year when the organization Our Children’s Trust, representing 16 minor plaintiffs, successfully used the state’s Constitutional guarantee of “a clean and healthful environment” to challenge an amendment to the state’s environmental policy act which allowed state agencies to grant oil and gas permits without considering the potential climate impacts resulting from issuing the permits.

CCA will closely monitor ACA 16. The bill will need to pass both chambers of the legislature by a two-thirds vote no later than June to qualify for the November ballot.

New Name for Weekly E-Newsletter Legislative Bulletin Starting Next Week
Legislative Bulletin is getting a new name! Come Monday, Feb. 5, the weekly e-newsletter will hit inboxes with the title, California Cattleman Weekly. The name change is being made to reflect that the weekly e-neswletter includes an array of information, sources, news and legislative updates. Other than the new name, the weekly e-newsletter will have no change in content or delivery.

New Episode of Stories from California Cattle Country
A new episode of Stories from California Cattle Country, “On Fire: with Anthony Stornetta, Firefighter and Rancher in Santa Barbara County” is out now! To listen to the episode click here. Stories from California Cattle Country is produced by the California Cattlemen’s Foundation with support from the California Cattle Council.

Newsom Releases Proposed 2024-25 Budget
Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom released his Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. The Proposed Budget totals $291.5 billion with a projected budget deficit of $37.9 billion, which Newsom aims to address by drawing $13.1 billion from the state’s reserves, reducing existing budget allocations by $8.5 billion and delaying $5.1 billion in previously-appropriated funding. The Proposed Budget would cut approximately $2.9 billion in funding for climate programs but leaves prior appropriations for wildfire and forest resilience largely untouched. For more information on the Proposed Budget, see the January 15 edition of Legislative Bulletin and the February edition of the California Cattlemanmagazine.

CDFA and USDA Wildlife Services Release Draft Wildlife Management Analysis
The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California State Office of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services announced Friday that the agencies have completed a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the environmental impacts of the agencies’ wildlife damage management activities in California.  CCA is hopeful that the EIR/EIS will resolve California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) concerns that have spurred litigation in numerous California counties and resulted in some of those counties terminating their wildlife damage management program agreements with Wildlife Services. CCA will thoroughly review the draft environmental assessments and provide input to the agencies ahead of the March 12 comment deadline. For more information, see the January 15 edition of Legislative Bulletin.

Deadline Wednesday for CARB Clean Truck Check Reporting
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced that this Wednesday, January 31 is the deadline for vehicle owners subject to the Clean Truck Check regulation to report their vehicles to CARB’s Clean Truck Check database. The Clean Truck Check regulation – also known as the Heavy Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program – applies to nearly all non-gasoline vehicles (including diesel vehicles) with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or more which operate within California. Along with the reporting requirement, the regulation requires vehicle owners to pay a fee of $30 per reported vehicle. For more information about the Clean Truck Check program, see the January 2 edition ofLegislative Bulletin or CARB’s program webpage.

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CCA in the News

Unlike in Wyoming, California Ranchers Can’t Touch Wolves Cowboy State Daily “You can see a wolf attacking, killing and eating one of your calves. Not only could you not kill it, you could not injure it in any way,” Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattleman’s Association, told Cowboy State Daily.” To contine reading, click here.

Industry News

Defining Regenerative Agriculture Work Group Established California Department of Food and Agriculture “The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has established a Regenerative Agriculture Work Group to assist the State Board of Food and Agriculture in defining ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ for State Policies and Programs. The 13-member group represents a diversity of agricultural stakeholders and members of the State Board and [Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel].” To continue reading, click here.

Newsom proclaims State of Emergency in San Diego County Fox 5 San Diego “California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in San Diego County on Tuesday to aid recovery efforts following massive flooding from a winter storm.” To continue reading, click here.