CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

March. 2, 2026

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The Facts About CCA-Supported AB 1421 (Wilson)
In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of misinformation circulating about CCA-supported AB 1421 (Wilson), a bill which would require the California Transportation Commission to “prepare research and recommendations related to a road user charge or a mileage-based fee system.” To be clear, the legislation does not authorize any new taxes or fees.

To correct the record, here are the facts about the proposed Legislation:

• California is likely to face a $31 billion shortfall in roadway maintenance funding over the next decade as gas tax revenues decline due to improvements in fuel efficiency and increased adoption of electric vehicles.
• Electric vehicle owners pay only $118/year for a “road improvement fee.” Meanwhile, owners of gas-powered vehicles pay on average $300/year in gas taxes – with rural residents and agricultural producers taking a much greater hit.
• Without legislative change, rural roadways could rapidly deteriorate, or lawmakers could even seek to further increase the gas tax to bridge the revenue gap.
• AB 1421 does not establish any new taxes or fees. It merely authorizes additional research into road use fees. Additionally, the bill mandates extensive stakeholder consultation, including from “transportation user groups.”
• CCA will strongly oppose any future legislative or regulatory measures which propose increased taxes or fees for agricultural producers and rural drivers.
• Should future road use fee proposals materialize, they are not inherently threatening to agricultural producers – such fees could simply require electric vehicle owners to pay their fair share for road maintenance, for instance.

For additional information about AB 1421, including additional perspective from CCA, see today’s story about the bill in CalMatters.

Governor Newsom Initiates Development of 2028 California Water Plan
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he is initiating a multi-year effort to develop the 2028 California Water Plan “to modernize statewide water planning in response to climate-driven extremes and long-term water reliability challenges.”

The California Water Plan is updated every five years, but legislation signed into law last year mandated several new requirements for the 2028 iteration of the Plan. Most notably, it requires the Department of Water Resources to establish an “interim planning target” of increasing the state’s water capacity by 9 million acre-feet by 2040 to offset a projected water supply reduction resulting from “hotter and drier weather conditions.”

Sites Reservoir would get the state roughly one-sixth of the way to the new target. Last Tuesday, the Chair of the California Water Commission issued a request that the State Water Resources Control Board expedite a water permit for the Sites Project Authority to ensure that the storage project is not further delayed.

Development of the 2028 California Water Plan will formally kick off next month, when the Department of Water Resources will convene an advisory committee. For additional information, see Governor Newsom’s press release. You can read the 2023 California Water Plan here.

Fish & Game Commission Lists Central Coast and Southern California Populations of Mountain Lions as Threatened Under CESA
The California Fish and Game Commission voted last month to list a distinct population segment of mountain lions in the Central Coast and Southern California as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act, despite CCA’s strong opposition. Fortunately, CDFW has suggested that listing will not impact ranchers’ ability to obtain depredation take permits for the animals as required under Proposition 117. Nevertheless, CCA has significant concerns regarding CDFW’s “three strike” policy for issuing take permits in the Central Coast and Southern California, and will continue advocating for significant amendments to state policies regarding take of depredating mountain lions. For more information, see the February 17 edition of California Cattleman Weekly or the March edition of the California Cattleman magazine.

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CCA in the News

What California’s new mountain lion protections mean for ranchers Agri-Pulse “CCA Vice President Kirk Wilbur argued mountain lion populations have been stable since voters approved special protections under Proposition 117 in 1990 and argued a listing would deviate from the will of those voters.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

Beef Prices are at an all-time high. New budget-friendly cuts are meeting demand. Bloomberg “Many Americans are coping in their own way with the rising cost of beef- and yet they’re mostly unwilling to give up red meat altogether. Even though prices are at an all-time high, with beef and veal costs up 15% in January from a year earlier, US consumers are nonetheless projected in 2026 to eat the most beef per capita in more than 15 years, estimates from the US Department of Agriculture show.” Read the entire article here.

Watch: Sierra County homeowner captures wolf on camera near Loyalton KRCA 3 “Mike Lint, a homeowner in Sierra County, captured footage of a wolf roaming around his property near Loyalton. Wolves have recently appeared in Sierra County, causing concern among ranchers due to their impact on livestock, killing dozens of cattle in 2025.” Read the full story here.

Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time Los Angeles Times “The virus is better known in the U.S. for sweeping through the nation’s dairy herds, where it infected dozens of dairy workers, millions of cows, and thousands of wild, feral and domestic mammals. It’s also been found in wild birds and killed millions of commercial chickens, geese and ducks.” Click here to read more.