Existing law authorizes, upon reasonable belief that a person is in unlawful possession of an agricultural commodity, as specified, the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, a county agricultural commissioner, or any peace officer to hold or seize the commodity and requires the commodity to be turned over to the custody of the commissioner. Existing law authorizes the commissioner if, for any reason, the commodity is not released to the rightful owner after being in the custody of the commissioner, as specified, to sell the commodity and hold all of the proceeds derived from the sale of the commodity for a period of not less than 6 months, during which time the lawful owner of the commodity may submit satisfactory proof of ownership and obtain possession of the proceeds. Existing law requires if, after retention of the proceeds for a period of at least 6 months, no demand is made or if proof of ownership is not supplied, the commissioner to deposit the proceeds of the sale of the commodity into the general fund of the county. This bill would require the commissioner to hold the proceeds of the sale of a commodity for at least 3 months, rather than 6 months, before depositing them into the general fund of the county.
Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors of any county to establish reasonable fees for the registration of any person advertising, soliciting, or operating as a pest control business and limits the registration fee of certain pest control businesses to the amount necessary to cover the costs of registration, not to exceed $25. This bill would raise the maximum total registration fee amount from $25 to $75 for a pest control business to register in its home county and to $50 to register in an additional county, as provided. Existing law authorizes county boards of supervisors to set fees for registration to cover the cost of registering pest control aircraft pilots and pest control advisers, and limits those fees to no more than $10 per year for a pilot who registers in person in the county in which they intend to work and for an adviser who registers in person in the county listed in the adviser's address on a specified license or the county of occupational choice, and no more than $5 per year for a pilot or adviser already registered in a county to register in an additional county, as provided. This bill would raise the maximum total registration fee amount for a pest control aircraft pilot and pest control adviser to register in their home county and in an additional county, as specified. Existing law requires certain licensed structural pest control operator qualifying managers and Structural Pest Control Board registered companies to register with the county agricultural commissioner before operating a structural pest control business in the county. Existing law authorizes county boards of supervisors to require a registration fee not to exceed the actual cost of processing the registration or $10, whichever is less. This bill would raise the maximum total registration fee amount for a Structural Pest Control Board registered company to register in its home county and in an additional county, as specified. Existing law prohibits certain licensed structural pest controller licensees, as provided, from conducting fumigations in any county unless that person has also registered for the current calendar year with the county agricultural commissioner in that county, as provided. Existing law requires the county boards of supervisors to set that registration fee and for that fee not to exceed the cost of processing the registration or $25, whichever is less. Existing law authorizes structural pest control operators and field representatives to be added during the year and limits the fee for adding those operators and field representatives to the actual cost of processing the registration or $10, whichever is less. This bill would raise the maximum total registration fee amount for a Structural Pest Control Board registered company to register in its home county and in an additional county, as specified.
Existing law creates the California Rice Commission with a prescribed membership and authorizes the commission, among other things, to promote the sale of rice, educate and instruct the wholesale and retail trade with respect to proper methods of handling and selling rice, and conduct scientific research. Existing law declares the California Rice Commission to be necessary for, among other things, carrying out the California rice industry's commitment to responsible stewardship and increasingly efficient cultural practices. This bill would additionally declare the commission to be necessary for maintaining a sufficient footprint of annual rice acreage to support the wildlife habitat objectives of the state.
This measure would call on the state's Representatives in Congress to continue to support investments in the federal Local Food for Schools and Child Care program and would call on the President of the United States to work with Congress to support family farmers who produce fresh, locally sourced food for school meals.
The Farmer Equity Act of 2017 requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to ensure the inclusion of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of food and agriculture laws, regulations, and policies and programs, as specified. Existing law defines socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as members of a socially disadvantaged group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. This bill would amend the definition of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to instead mean farmers and ranchers who experiences barriers to agricultural viability due to economic or structural factors, as demonstrated by meeting one or more specified criteria. The bill would also make conforming changes.
