Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture

Red or no red? Red activates your mic.

The other one turns it off.

So we want to see red. All right. 1:31, we'll go ahead and get started. Welcome everybody to Assembly Committee on Agriculture. This hearing here for June 21 and doesn't look like we do have quorum, but certainly want to welcome everybody to this hearing. And before we begin, I want to ensure that Members of the media public have access to our proceedings this afternoon.

This hearing will be streamed on the Assembly's website and Members of the public can share their comments and provide testimony here in person, which is Room 126 in our Capitol building. To quickly address some logistical items for this hearing, we have four bills on our agenda this afternoon that are under the consideration of this Committee.

One Bill is on our consent file, which is Senate Bill 780 Alvarado-Gil. Also file item number one, Senate Bill 547, Blakespear, will be heard for testimony only in this hearing. So there will be no vote on this Bill as it has been held and will be made a two-year Bill.

And so for all those who will be sharing their comments with us this afternoon, we ask that you please state your name and the organization you represent and if you support or oppose the Bill under our consideration. Any Member of the public may also submit written comments to our Committee through email. Emails may be sent to the address found on the Committee website, which is agri.committee@assembly.ca.gov. And so, certainly want to welcome my colleagues here this afternoon.

This afternoon will mark my last hearing as Chair. It has been a tremendous honor to serve in this capacity as Chair of Agriculture for the last three years. Represent the 29th Assembly District on the Central Coast, including the counties of San Benito, southern part of Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, and Monterey County, one of the most productive agricultural regions in our state. And so certainly want to take the moment to thank our Committee staff, Victor Francovich, Nicole Willis, for all of their work and incredible support throughout my time as Chair. I want to thank Stephen Jimenez, who staffs agriculture for us in our Capitol office.

I see Rita there, who's with our team in 2019, my first year, so she staffed agriculture as well. And I also want to thank my colleagues on this Committee who represent incredible regions when it comes to the importance of agriculture across California. It starts at the local level, starts at home in the San Joaquin Valley and Kern County.

It starts up north. Mr. Wood, who his district, which is the largest in the Assembly, spans an incredible range to the Oregon border just outside of Sacramento, so really appreciate all of support from Members and the colleagues, and certainly the one Member who has out-served me in my time on Agriculture is Reggie Jones-Sawyer from the City of Los Angeles. Urban agriculture is growing and thriving in California, and we have the right assembly member from an urban area on this Committee.

And so with that, we will wait to establish quorum. If we could make some calls and get Members of our- or our colleagues who serve on this Committee to be here, would be fantastic. But with that, we will wait for authors. I know that Senator Blakespear, who will be offering just a testimony, and she is walking through the door now. Senator Blakespear. So, as was mentioned, Senate Bill 547 will be heard this afternoon for testimony only. So, Senator, welcome to the Committee on Agriculture.

We are ready for your presentation and testimony.

And I appreciate. Thank you. Thank you to the Chair and colleagues for affording me the opportunity to present this bill for testimony only today. So just to frame what this bill does. So the goal of this bill is to help us address our affordable housing crisis in a way that is acceptable to local communities and puts the state in the middle of providing part of the solution. So just as a reminder about the urgency of the housing crisis.

So California is our fourth largest economy in the world, but we are home to 30% of the nation's unhoused population. We also have half of all of the unsheltered people in the entire United States here in California. And the state has estimated that we need to build 1.2 million affordable housing units in the next decade. With the current level of production, we are falling far behind in meeting this need.

And every unit that we fail to site and build is another person or household that we fail to safely and stably house. So really, what housing is is an issue of human suffering, and it's really incumbent upon us as public servants to find solutions for this. So this bill, SB 547, was seeking to expedite what is already a collaboration between the 22nd District Agricultural Association and the City of Del Mar to develop 61 units of affordable housing on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Now, this Del Mar Fairgrounds is over 300 acres in size, and the Del Mar Fairgrounds Board is already working with the City of Del Mar to site housing on their property. So this bill was aiming to help further that and put timelines around the negotiation so that things could move forward expeditiously. I've been working closely with the interested parties to ensure that SB 547 complements the ongoing efforts to move this project forward.

And I'm grateful for the willingness of people in Del Mar, the representatives as well as the Fair Board, to think outside the box and to problem solve about the need for affordable housing in this affluent coastal district. There is a scarcity of land in my district available for affordable housing, and the cost of property is very, very high. This creates two big obstacles to building affordable housing projects.

So, in May of this year, just last two months ago, the median home price in Del Mar was $3 million, which is over four times higher than California's state medium home price of $700,000. Del Mar needs to build only 113 affordable units, according to HCD, and they are building 52 of them on land that's outside of the fairgrounds property. But they are looking to reach a negotiation and build 61 units on up to two acres of fairgrounds property. So the fairgrounds is centrally located.

Of course, this would have to go through the Coastal Commission. It makes it an ideal location to site the housing on. And in addition, the fairgrounds is actually a full third of the City of Del Mar's property. So a full third of the small City of Del Mar is the actual fairgrounds.

So, with SB 547, I was seeking to move forward in the first step in a longer process to get more affordable housing built in the City of Del Mar and in my district as a whole to make sure that we get people housed. So with me today in support is Sean McReynolds. He's an advocate who's here on behalf of the City of Del Mar. And I would welcome you to say a few words and thank you again for coming.

Well, good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee. Sean McReynolds with Townsend Public Affairs, on behalf of the City of Del Mar, here to speak in strong support of this bill, and we thank the Senator for introducing it. SB 547 would codify an agreement between the City of Del Mar and the 22nd District Agricultural Association, otherwise known as the Del Mar Fairgrounds, for a 61 unit, 100% affordable housing project.

For several years, the City of Del Mar and the fairgrounds have been collaborating on a critical project to boost the city's housing stock and to contribute to the regional need for affordable housing. According to a recent affordable housing financial feasibility assessment that was done, there are two sites on the fairgrounds totaling 61 units that would yield the most financially feasible plan for an affordable housing project here.

And this project would also help the city meet its regional housing needs assessment obligations and comply with the guidance that it has received from the State Department of Housing and Community Development. And moreover, the proposed sites provides access to critically needed affordable housing units, which are close to jobs, transportation, parks, schools, medical and local government services.

The site has also been identified by the San Diego Association of Governments as a designated regional mobility hub in their 2021 regional plan, as well as supported by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer in San Diego County. And additionally, the Del Mar Fairgrounds account for, as the Senator described, for roughly one third of Del Mar's total land area.

Of course, with the shortage of other developable land and growing homelessness in the North San Diego County coastal area, it's crucial that we meet and support this common sense project so that it can take place on this very meager two acre parcel that's located on the fairgrounds. I believe this bill strongly aligns with not only the Governor's, but also with HCDs and the Legislature's position regarding affordable housing projects and issues facing the state. And I respectfully ask for your support. Thank you.

Okay. At this time, we are going to establish quorum. Madam Secretary.

Rivas? Here. Mathis? Here. Aguiar-Curry? Alanis? Connolly? Here. Flora? Here. Irwin? Jones-Sawyer? Present. Soria? Here. Villapudua? Here. Wood? Here.

Thank you. So we do have a quorum. And so with that, as we go back to, just a reminder for Members, file item one here, which is Senate Bill 547. We're only hearing some testimony on this bill. We will not be voting on the bill as it has been held. It will be a two year bill. And so is that the end of the presentation?

It is. I'm happy to answer any questions and then to close.

Sure. So we will open it up to the public for some public comments, and I like to do that prior to any questions that Members may have. So is there anyone in the audience that wishes to provide some comments in support or opposition to Senate Bill 547?

Thank you. Well, Taylor Roschen, on behalf of Western Fairs Association, I'll keep this brief today. We'd like to thank the Senator for her attention to affordable housing and the opportunities that DAAs can serve to host affordable housing sites, along with serving as their critical assets, which many of you know and you'll hear about in a secondary bill today. Western Fairs and the 22nd DAA share the Senator's interests and look forward to success on the 22nd DAA here shortly. Thank you.

Any other members of the public wish to provide comments and support our opposition? See none. I'll bring it back to this Committee. Any questions for Senator? Mr. Connolly?

Thank you, Chair. Welcome, Senator. Appreciate the thought behind this bill and the spirit in which you're bringing it forward. As communicated with your office, we do have a couple questions and concerns. Look forward to continuing to work through those. And it primarily involves the fact that I have a somewhat analogous situation in my district. There's a fairgrounds in Petaluma overseen by the Fair Board. The City of Petaluma is very engaged right now in leading the visioning around the future of the fairgrounds.

It could be a lot of potential uses. Very engaged public, as you may well imagine. I guess my hesitation here is, in that case at least, there's a fully baked local process. There's give and takes. Is housing in the mix? It could be maybe other uses with housing somewhere else in the community. This seems to be approach of the state coming in and dictating an agreement toward one result. Now, maybe that makes sense. And if this truly is a district bill, that's one of my questions.

Or just I'm hesitant to open the door to suggest that we're going to short circuit these in depth, kind of somewhat controversial at times, processes around local land use, which, frankly, include the fair as a local or Fair Board as a local actor as much as a state actor as well. So should the Legislature be dictating these kinds of agreements? Does it make the District Agricultural Association kind of. I don't know what the right word would even be.

But like a subservient partner in this proposition, I know you've taken some amendments on the bill to address concerns. However, the issues don't seem to be fully resolved. So is it kind of an ongoing conversation, and as I mentioned, yeah, just very concerned about short circuiting a local process that happens to be analogous in my district.

Yes. Thank you for posing that. I appreciate the opportunity to answer. So I also come from local government, having served as the mayor of my city for six years, and so I'm very aware of the need for and the importance of local control. And I think what I would say about this bill is that it's very narrowly tailored to reflect what's already happening between the two parties, and so it's not superseding or forcing upon the Fair Board something that they don't want to do. And the reason for it at all, because you're right, in a frictionless world, there could be two parties who just decide to do this.

But I think the reason for the bill is to create a support that's clear from the top, as this is state-owned land, and I represent this district as the state senator, and we would like to see this happen and also to put timelines around when things happen or don't happen. Because as we know, the analysis paralysis reality of talking endlessly and doing master planning in multiple waves that essentially has years and years passing without making progress on things is a reality.

Having a little bit of a push in a bill that's very modest because it's reflecting. It is not the actual lease terms. It's saying to them that they will get into lease terms by certain dates. And the actual site on the 300 acre parcel is not even chosen yet. So that is yet another decision. We all know that housing is most controversial when you know where it's going to be.

So on this very large property, the fact that that's not worked out yet is still a critical first step, but it's to move that along. And I think, I understand the concern about creating a new precedent or opening the door to a different process. And I guess what I would say to that is that because this is so narrowly tailored and does reflect the interests of the locals who are negotiating, that that is not just not going to happen, and that every member's board that they represent is highly unique in its placement, in the different uses around it.

And so this one is so centrally located, and it's in the coastal zone, it's in an affluent area, that making it clear that the state has this full support for housing, which is such a top crisis in this state, is something that's just really important to think. I think it's quite possible that this proceeds along without the bill, but it's also possible that it bumps along without any, as much momentum as it really could have.

And I think there's also a reality that housing, if HCD wasn't requiring any of this because of the housing element requirements, none of this would be happening. I mean, this is driven by the fact that the state requires cities to provide the zoning for housing that's affordable in every community. But the local control is you as a city get to decide where. And so this is that local control of, well, they think it should be at the fairgrounds, and the Fair Board is philosophically on board, but then it's just that push. Thank you.

Assembly Member Wood.

Yeah, first of all, thank you. I appreciate that. And actually, some of my concerns mirror my colleague's here. Every fairground, every fair board is different, as you rightly point out. But I do get concerned about a precedent. As you talk about local control, this is going above local control to push something. And I worry what that might mean in the future. So the assumption that fairgrounds are like somehow surplus property, that we can do what we want.

I don't know what, you're well intentioned what you want to do. I don't know what somebody else might want to do with our fairgrounds at some point. And so I'm a little reluctant to empower that through a process like this in our fairgrounds. And I've got five counties. I've got six, seven fairgrounds that I'm aware of. And we use them for its evacuation sites. They were vaccine clinics. They were staging areas for Cal Fire during our fires. The list goes on and on.

I'm not sure if someone would really want to live there under those circumstances knowing that 5000 Cal Fire firefighters might come roaming in when there's a fire. And that half that's, well, maybe it's 3000, I don't know, but a lot. It's a city, essentially. We also have livestock. We have a lot of things there. And so while it may seem maybe appropriate for Del Mar, I get concerned of what that is the camel's nose under the tent and what else might happen in the future to really usurp local control. And I come from local government too. Eight years as a City Council Member, four years on a planning commission. Yeah, I'm concerned.

And I hear all of those concerns and those uses were happening and do happen at the Del Mar Fairgrounds as well. We had a massive vaccination clinic. It's an evacuation place for people's horses. We have a huge fair which is going on right now, and a racetrack where horses are running. And I mean, it's a world famous racetrack.

But I guess what I would say is that if your locals, your local experiences, your local electives are not interested in housing there, and you're meeting housing obligations in other ways, that this wouldn't be something that would necessarily happen at your property. So it's not saying that all property is available. All fair property is available for housing, especially under any circumstance. It's not making it surplus.

What it's doing is it's just codifying what's already happening in a negotiation and putting some boundaries that are relatively modest around it to help it move forward. I do understand exactly what you're saying. I think the other thing I'll just mention is that the pandemic was a crisis that we addressed by setting up these clinics and doing a million other things with resources and our commitment to it. And homelessness is a crisis which we should be approaching with more urgency. And so to me, the idea that we would use state property where we could, where we had local buy in to address housing makes sense, and I would hope that we collectively could do more to push that goal.

And thank you for the question. Assembly Member Soria.

Thank you. And I think similarly, I'm grateful that you were able to answer some of the questions and the concerns that my colleagues here just highlighted, because similarly, I had some similar concerns. I did have one question, and then I want to make a comment, an additional question. So is it then, the reality that there are no other suitable lands or properties for the affordable housing to be built in this community?

That's a great question. So HCD will say that no city is ever built out because you can always go up. So I think the City of Del Mar would like to say they have no other possible places for this. But I do think that the reality is that because this is one third of the land, the jobs and the jobs are what are driving the housing number in the first place.

So jobs and transit stops were how in San Diego County, we allocated the arena numbers. The jobs are at the fairgrounds. Because other than that, it's basically suburban. It's homes. The fact that the housing would be for the jobs that are there, and it is a property that is already in use in a way that could be turned into something that would be... This is 100% affordable project. So this isn't large estates with one or two affordable units.

This would be 61 affordable housing units altogether, which is the type of thing the market can deliver. So I think the other alternative property is looking over the beach on the top of a bluff. It's very unstable, potentially. It's also very politically difficult. That's their second property if not this property. And it just is a far inferior product in terms of where to put a housing. This Del Mar Fairgrounds is right next to the freeway. It's centrally located in the whole county.

It is near transit stop as well. It's near commercial in another neighboring city, Solana Beach. So there are a lot of benefits to this property that just make it makes sense to have some type of housing development there, and they're doing their master planning, and it will include housing. So this is part of what they're thinking for the next decades moving forward. But that process is exceedingly slow and seems to just not lack the urgency it needs.

Thank you for answering that. And then just my comment that I wanted to make. So just because the bill doesn't move forward today with the vote doesn't mean that this can't happen. I just want to make sure that for the public that people understand that you locally can still do it. So us not taking action today doesn't prohibit the city to meet its goals and for you guys to move forward with the project. But I appreciate you guys presenting.

I'm looking forward to continue to have a continued discussion on this issue, because even though it's very specific to Del Mar, I do believe that there could be other unintended consequences as a whole for the state. I represent three fairgrounds in my district, and so looking at that and how that could then impact in some sort of way the future of those fairgrounds, for me is important. Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

I thank you for the question. Any other questions from Members of the Committee? Seeing none. Want to thank you for the testimony. I know this Committee will look forward to engaging with yourself and staff as we work to find a solution.

Yes. And I just want to say thank you so much for letting me do just informational only and to answer these questions and for your engagement in the topic. I really appreciate it.

Absolutely. Thank you, Senator. Have a good day. Yes. And so, since we do have quorum, is there a motion for our consent calendar? There's a motion by Assembly Member, second by Assembly Member Wood. Madam Secretary, if you can call the.

Roll on the consent calendar, which is SB 780. Alvarado-Gil. Rebus, aye. Rebus. I Mathis. Agrir. Curry. Alanice Connolly. Connolly. Aye. Flora. Flora. Aye. Erwin. Joan Sawyer.

Aye.

Joan Sawyer. Aye. Soria, aye. Soria Aye. Villapudua. Villapudua aye. Wood. Wood, aye.

That Bill or the consent Congress is approved. And so with that, we will move to file item number two, which is Senate Bill 624 by Senator Alvarado-Gil. Senator, welcome to Assembly Agriculture Committee. And this is your only Bill. The other one was on consent just got done. So please proceed when you are ready.

Thank you.

Motion by floor, second by.

I'll keep this brief. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity, Mr. Chair, of Members, to present Senate Bill 624, which speaks to the allocation of revenues to our fairs. I'd like to begin by accepting the Committee's amendment to add an urgency clause to this Bill. Our Bill 624 is a critical piece of legislation that will provide California's fairgrounds with the financial relief that they so desperately need. Fairs in California began in 1854, so they carry a very rich history in California, and they have grown to encompass 78 fairs statewide. The network of California fairs is composed of 52 District agricultural associations, or DAAS, 23 county fairs, two citrus fruit fairs, and the California Exposition and State Fair, the Cal Expo. This Bill would cap the California Department of Food and Agricultural's administrative costs associated with the allocation of funds generated by the Fairs and Exposition Fund at 2.5 million, or 5% of total funds, whichever is greater. Additionally, Senate Bill 624 would increase a percentage of the CDFA's budget dedicated to fairgrounds from 3/4 of 1% to 3.5%. Senate Bill 624 would increase funding available to fairs and limit those administrative costs. Now why is this important? Because this Bill would help provide reliable funding source to California's network of fares and offer needed financial support for projects involving public health and safety, infrastructure, deferred maintenance and emergency management. Here to assist and testify with me today is Becky Bartley of Sonoma County Fair and Mariposa County Supervisor Miles Menetrey.

Thank you, good afternoon and Chair Rivas. Very happy to be here. My name, as mentioned, is Becky Bartling. I am the CEO of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center, a proud Member of the Western Fairs Association and here in support of SB 624. For more than 75 years, California's fairgrounds were supported by the State General Fund. Since this support was eliminated in 2011, DAAS have had to pivot as well as county fairs, finding new opportunities to be financially sufficient. While some fairgrounds have fared better than others, most have had fiscal challenges and suffer from deferred maintenance while ironically becoming more necessary as frequent emergency resources. In 2017 to provide consistent funding, the Legislature approved AB 1499, which allows CDFA to retain three quarters of 1% of sales and use tax revenues generated on fairgrounds to be distributed to DAAs. While the limited 1499 resources have been helpful, the revenues are not nearly enough to be the statewide solution we need to help these fairgrounds and the state. SB 624 is the important next step for support by increasing the fair's share of tax revenues from zero .75% to 3.5%, providing funds to CDFA for their oversight role providing dedicated funds for technical assistance, training and professional development for managers and fairboards, and providing transparency on how these new funds are distributed to fairgrounds. In short, SB 624 delivers on the promises of AB 1499 to provide stable and adequate support to fairgrounds in California. For these reasons, we respectfully request an aye vote and I do want to make one note. In 2017, during the Horrible fires in Sonoma County, I was in a Cal Fires tent where there were 5000 individuals there with Assemblymember Wood who we spoke about this AB 1499, and he was in big support then. And I appreciate any support that you and the other Members can give to us in this new Bill.

Thank you for your comments and your testimony.

Thank you. Next we'll hear from Supervisor Mayor Pro County Supervisor Miles Menetrey.

Thank you, Senator. Good afternoon, Chairman Rivas and Committee Members. As stated, I am Miles Menetrey, Mariposa County Supervisor representing the fifth District, and I too, am here today. I'm on behalf of the Rural County Representatives of California, which advocates for 40 Member counties throughout the state. We appreciate your time today to discuss SB 624, an important financial and capacity building mechanism to help our fairs throughout the state. For Mariposa County, a population of 17,000, it is the heart of our community. High school football games, graduation ceremonies, fundraising events and emergency centers, fairgrounds provide an essential physical and social infrastructure. Mariposa County's Fair is a good example of what's been happening across the fair system. Before the 2012 state budget cuts, our fairgrounds received $250,000 annually. That amount was reduced to 46,000 per year. The situation has become so dire that our community has stepped up. The Friends of the Fairgrounds, a local nonprofit, was created in 2011. The Friends of the Fairgrounds, through fundraising events and community memberships, have raised just over a quarter $1.0 million since its inception for infrastructure, repairs and maintenance. The local Lions Club and Rotary Club also commit funding to needed repairs and upkeep of the fairgrounds, as well as local contractors offering their skills, materials and support. The Board of Supervisors, recognizing the importance of the facility to our community, has also committed its own General Fund Dollars when the request is made. We are excited by SB 624 and the prospect it brings to our communities by adjusting the fair's share of tax revenue generated by the fairgrounds. The Bill promotes the importance of fairs to the state and provides a fighting chance for communities burdened by the challenges of natural disasters, economic uncertainty and increased cost of living across the state. We appreciate this opportunity to begin enhancing this statewide net of local infrastructure for all Californians. We thank you for your time today. Respectfully ask an aye vote on this ongoing support for fairs, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you for your comments and testimony. There is no registered opposition for this Bill, and so at this time we'll open up for some public comment. Do we have Members of the audience that would like to register support or opposition for this legislation, which is again Senate Bill Six, two, four.

Thank you Mr. Chair and Members. Annalie Aiken on behalf of the Association of California Egg Farmers, California. Association of Wheat Growers, California Bean Chippers Association, California Grain and Feed Association, California Pear Growers Association, California Seed Association, California State Floral Association, and Pacific Egg and Poultry Association in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other Members wishing to express support? Opposition?

Good afternoon. Andrew Trigg, the CEO of the 17th District Agricultural Association, the Nevada County Fair, more commonly known as California's Most beautiful fairgrounds, and we're in support of this Bill.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. Rebecca Desmond. I'm the former division Director of affairs and Expositions at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, former District Agricultural Association manager at the 10 CAA, and I would offer support.

Thank you.

Sarah Cummings, President and CEO of Western Fares Association and the California Fairs alliance, in support.

Thank you. See no other Members of the public wishing to offer comments? Do we have Members of this Committee wishing to ask questions? Comments? See none. Would you like to close, Madam Senator?

Thank you. I respectfully ask for an aye vote, and thank you for your support.

Fantastic. So the motion on the Bill is do pass as amended, to Appropriations Committee. And that was a motion by Senator. By Assembly Member Flora, seconded by Villapudua. Madam Secretary, can you call the role.

On SB 624. Alvarado-Gill. Rivas, aye. Rivas aye. Mathis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis. Connolly. Connolly. aye. Flora Flora. aye. Irwin Irwin. aye. Jones-Sawyer. Jones-Sawyer. aye. Soria. Aye. Soria, aye. Villapudua. Aye. Villapudua. aye Wood. Wood, aye.

That Bill is out. And thank you, Senator.

Thank you so much.

So now we are just waiting for Senator Hurtado to arrive. We have Members, myself included, have to get to another Committee. So Senator Hurtado would be great if she popped in. Mr. Wood, would you like to present for Ms. Hertato?

No. In the absence of an author, just to make a couple point of personal privilege, if you're okay with that.

Sure.

I just want to say thank you for your leadership in this Committee. I know this is your last hearing. I know not all the Members were here when you spoke about that. But I just want to thank you once again for your strong, steady leadership period. We've had some interesting hearings, as when you have a chair.

But I also want to say what struck me from the very beginning, which has never happened for a chair of any other Committee, was the fact that you came to my district and you saw and spoke with representatives from the Farm Bureau in my district. And I know that was an interesting discussion, and I appreciate that. And as you go forward in your new role as speaker, as you will be sworn in on the 30th.

I know from experience you've taken that same approach in meeting with people going throughout the state and touring the state. And I'm excited for your next role. And I thank you for your steadfast leadership here on this Committee.

Thank you, Assembly Member. Appreciate it. It's the floor.

I'm confused. Are you going somewhere?

Hey, man, you're still going to see me every day? Every day now?

Kind of similar Wood's point. During COVID we held an event at my family's barn with our secretaries and you and our former colleagues Limon, Gray, Cunningham all joined us, and we had a great meeting. So if you are our speaker as well as you lead the AG Committee, we're in good hands. So we appreciate you.

Thanks, Heath. Appreciate it, man.

Also, just echo my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for not just your leadership, but your friendship. You've always been. Even today, you make the time to come visit, talk, and kind of hash out stuff that you think that might be important, not just for you, but for all of us. And I appreciate that. I appreciate that leadership.

So thank you. Thank you for what you've done. Thanks, family Member. Appreciate it. All right, so, Senator Hurtado, just another reminder for Senator Hurtado. We're waiting for a test. Senator Member Joan Sawyer, longest serving Member of Agriculture, Reggie Jones.

Sawyer, as the ranking Member of the Agricultural Committee, I also want to say as someone who's from an agricultural district that most people don't know about Exposition Park, it's always good to have someone come down and actually see what's going on in each of the districts. And I think you were hearing from each one here how important it is that you have a good understanding of what all of us face within our districts. And I know it wore you out going from district to district.

I mean, there's 79 of us to be able to work with. And so I look forward to what's going ahead, coming up ahead, because I think we're going to have a lot of fun.

Yeah. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for this.

Appreciate all the comments. That's great.

Are you calling Senator Hurtado again because you want it all to start? Well, I want to thank you, too, for your leadership on this Committee. In some ways, it was a natural fit, given how you grew up, your beginnings. But it was really quite something to spend a day with you out in Ventura County and know that I was one of many, many stops. You really took this assignment very seriously, and I know that as speaker, you are going to do the same.

So thank you for your service and thank you for your willingness to serve going forward.

Thank you, senator means a lot. And that reminds me of Jackie, I think missed a couple of votes. You want to do add ons?

Zero, sure.

Great.

On the consent calendar. Irwin? Irwin, aye.

If someone wants to present for the Senator on behalf of the Senator, I'm fine with that.

We don't care.

There is Senator Hurtado. We have been waiting for you, and we are excited you are here to testify and to present Senate Bill 701. This has no registered opposition. It's been motioned by Assemblymember Flora, seconded by Assemblymember Villapudua.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Committee Members. I'm here to present SB 701, and I plan on doing a whole, like, 20 minutes speech. I hear I'm the last person on the agenda here. But no, look, SB 701, it's a simple Bill, and it's a good intention Bill that looks to make the necessary updates to existing law regarding registration fees for wholesalers of fruits and vegetables, which will assist interested counties in Administration of their Food Safety Standardization Programs.

As we know, food security is a major concern of mine, and I know that it's a major concern for all of you as well. And many of you have heard about the frozen organic strawberries sold at popular stores across the US and here in California that have been recalled over a potential leak to an outbreak of Hepatitis A infections. That's very deadly infection there. We don't want those types of infections to spread. And so, that's really the reason behind SB 701.

It seeks to empower those who are doing what they can to ensure Californians are consuming safe and high quality fresh fruits and vegetables. But specifically, SB 701 expands authority to any interested county to adopt a registration fee program, updates the maximum fee allowed from 250 to 500 to assist in covering the operational cost associated with fruit and vegetable standardization inspections, and removes the requirement that limited the fees to one-third of the cost of the inspections conducted by county agricultural commissioners.

And I have one witness with me here today, Matt Siverling, representing the California Agricultural Commissioner and Sealers Association.

Thank you, Senator.

Mr. Chair, and Members, Matthew Siverling, on behalf of the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association. In the interest of time and without being repetitive, this Bill is about food safety. It's about food quality.

The standardization programs that the county ag commissioners run across the state, in the counties that are more invested into, like Los Angeles, ensure that the food that makes its way through the process all the way onto the plates of our constituents is safe and healthy and nutritious and consistent from the top of the state to the bottom. This Bill provides a local option for counties who are interested to, through the Board of Supervisors, adopt the fee and run a more robust program.

And we urge an aye vote. Thank you.

And thank you for that testimony. There is no registered opposition, so at this time, we'll open up for public comment. Do we have Members of the audience who would like to register support opposition to your Bill? Please?

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Elizabeth Espinosa, here today on behalf of the Board of Supervisors in the County of Ventura, in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. Taylor Roschen, on behalf of the California Fresh Food Association, in support.

Fantastic. Seeing no other comments, do any Members of this Committee have any questions? Comments? Seeing none. There has been a motion and a second. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. Motion is a due pass.

On SB 701, Hurtado. Motion due pass. [Roll call]

Okay with that, the Bill is out. Thank you, Senator. And at this moment, if we can go back and get those missing votes.

On the consent calendar. [Roll call]

And on SB 624. [Roll call]

Bill is out. 10-0. Okay. Okay, that's it. We stand adjourned. Thank you, everybody.