Governor to Act on Key Legislation for Farms, Ranches
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A hectic week for the state Legislature ended with welcome news for California farmers and ranchers—Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he intends to veto Senate Bill 1, which sought to preserve existing California environmental and labor standards from federal changes initiated by the Trump administration.
Water-related provisions of the bill proved problematic for farmers, ranchers and water agencies. For example, SB 1 would apply the California Endangered Species Act to the federally operated Central Valley Project. That provision threatened negotiations to establish voluntary settlement agreements concerning water flows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems into the delta.
In a statement, Newsom said that though he supports the goals of SB 1, the bill does not "provide the state with any new authority to push back against the Trump administration's environmental policies and it limits the state's ability to rely upon the best available science to protect our environment."
The bill—carried by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego—cleared both houses of the Legislature shortly before it adjourned for the year early Saturday.
Click here to read the entire article reprinted from the California Farm Bureau's Ag Alert publication.
