California Farmland Protection Conference

The American Farmland Trust and the Napa County Farm Bureau are co-sponsoring a one-day, statewide conference on farmland conservation on Friday, August 2, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Napa. This community forum, titled “California Farmland Protection: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” will showcase farmland preservation successes, identify threats to land conservation, and create opportunities for government and community action. The lineup of speakers is headlined by California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger, Secretary of Food & Agriculture Karen Ross and Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird. Program and registration details are available on the Napa Farm Bureau’s website. Space is limited to 200 participants.

Fairs

SB 741 (Cannella) – Support
As Amended May 28, 2013

SB 741, by Senator Anthony Cannella, would amend existing law governing the operation, oversight, and funding of the network of California fairs. According to the author, this bill is intended to help District Agricultural Associations deal with the new reality facing the network of California fairs as they exist today without state funding. Specifically, the bill does several things, including: consolidates specific revenues generated by racing associations and fairs; provides that monies within the Fair & Exposition (F&E) Fund be used for specific purposes; requires the Secretary of Food & Agriculture to annually project the available monies in the F&E Fund, and to advise the Joint Committee on Fairs, Allocation and Classification; and, provides that all fairs only pay a share of costs directly related to personnel administration and no other state agency administrative costs, except for services rendered pursuant to specific contracts entered into with other state agencies, among other things. This bill has been referred to the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. 

In addition, the State Board of Food and Agriculture met recently in Sacramento to discuss the status of local fairs. The Board was given an informational update by several speakers, including Stephen Chambers, Western Fairs Association; Becky Bailey-Findley, California Fair Services Authority; Christopher Korby, California Authority of Racing Fairs; Rick Pickering, California Exposition & State Fair; Tim Fennell, Del Mar Fairgrounds; Dannette DePaul, Modoc District Fair; and representatives from the Fresno, Dixon, and Calaveras fairs. The Board took no action. 

Solid Waste

SB 804 (Lara) – Support
As proposed to be amended

SB 804, by Senator Ricardo Lara, is the CSAC, Los Angeles County co-sponsored bill dealing with solid waste conversion technology (CT). SB 804 was heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on July 1, 2013 and received unanimous support. It is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on August 13, 2013. The author, CSAC and LA County have agreed to accept the amendments proposed by the Assembly Natural Resources consultant which would take SB 804 back to the May 8, 2013 version of the bill. This version treats anaerobic digestion in the same manner as composting for the purpose of permitting and sitting processes, and does not specifically define anaerobic digestion. CSAC and LA County have agreed to these amendments to allow additional time to work with Cal Recycle to deal with implementation issues that have the potential to effect existing regulations and permits associated with anaerobic digestion. 

Generally, SB 804 bill would take a step forward in advancing CTs in California by adding them to the definition of biomass in statute. Current law defines “biomass conversion” as the controlled combustion of organic materials–such as wood, lawn and garden clippings, agricultural waste, leaves, tree pruning as well as non-recyclable paper–when separated from other solid waste and used for producing electricity or heat. This bill would simply include CTs to the biomass definition, allowing for cleaner and more efficient technologies to be used in the biomass process. Finally, CSAC and LA County will continue to hold stakeholder conversations on the bill focusing on the advancement of CTs and their permitting and siting pathway as it moves through Assembly. If you would like more information, please contact Cara Martinson.