Capitol Ag Day Celebrates and Educates

Capitol Ag Day Celebrates and Educates 

This Tuesday at the Capitol was one of my favorite events of the year – Ag Day.

Ag Day is an annual exposition that draws farm groups‚ university agriculture programs (including CSU Chico’s)‚ the district fairs from around the state‚ and youths. It’s about celebrating the amazing bounty of California and the people who grow it. It’s also about educating my urban colleagues — and that is most of them — about what happens out in the fields.

It’s easy to forget the importance of California’s farms‚ but they produce more than 400 different kinds of crops‚ including more than half the nations’ vegetables and three‑quarters of its fruit and nuts. In the Sacramento Valley‚ our growers are the state’s top producers of rice‚ but also walnuts‚ prunes‚ olives and kiwifruit‚ while our North State mountain pastures are some of the top producers of hay to keep livestock thriving for milk and meat. If you’re enjoying a diverse and healthy diet‚ you almost certainly have a California farmer to thank for it.

Farmers everywhere deal with weather‚ droughts‚ pests‚ equipment breakdowns and unpredictable markets. They’re tough. But the Legislature creates only‑in‑California challenges that are a serious burden when you sell commodities in global agricultural markets.

We need to support and protect California’s amazing farm economy. Thanks to all who came to Ag Day to tell the story of our state’s growers.

Bills Advance to Support Rural Nurses‚ Streamline Diesel Testing

It was also an exceptionally busy week of hearings as I presented multiple bills in the Transportation‚ Revenue and Tax‚ and Education committees.

I’m excited to share that Senate Bill 1102‚ a bill to provide a tax credit for nurses working in California’s rural hospitals‚ passed unanimously out of the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee. As Jo Campbell‚ the head of Hill Country Community Clinic in Shasta County‚ testified in support of the measure‚ there is a statewide workforce shortage in health care‚ but it’s most acute among rural providers. Concrete incentives to recruit and retain staff are a vital piece of the puzzle in ensuring patients in smaller communities have care available when they need it.

In the Transportation Committee‚ Senate Bill 1064‚ which will ease redundant new testing requirements on low‑use diesel vehicles under the CARB Clean Truck Check program‚ also moved forward. I am grateful for the bipartisan support from my colleagues for this commonsense regulatory relief.

I was disappointed that a school‑related bill‚ SB 1086‚ was voted down in the Education Committee‚ but I am not sorry to have started a conversation about how we can support parents who choose microschools and ensure the system works with them to meet their children’s needs. This a growing school option‚ and I was hoping to look ahead and resolve problems before they threaten to interrupt children’s education. Thanks to my witnesses from the California Policy Center and the California Microschool Collective for raising your voice. I will always do all I can in the Legislature to support parents’ educational choices.

Connecting with Local Leaders

This week I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with city leaders from around the North State as part of the California League of Cities’ advocacy day. Patrick Parrish and Curtis Bortle from the Susanville City Council and Casey Glaubman‚ the mayor of Mount Shasta‚ shared their views on pending legislation and how it would affect their small cities. It can never be repeated enough in Sacramento that one size does not fit all. That message means all the more coming from these locally elected leaders working every day to keep the streets paved and families safe in their small communities. I appreciate their taking the time to come to Sacramento and share their invaluable perspective. Seeking Solutions for Insurance Crisis  p> In many communities in the North State‚ the cost of property insurance — or in some cases the availability at any price — remains a crisis. It’s hurting property values‚ testing business viability‚ and adding to the cost of living burden that afflicts so many ordinary California families. I was pleased to spend some time this week with Zach Bay and Ryan Crosby‚ agents with State Farm in Redding and Chico‚ to hear their on‑the‑ground perspective about insurance availability and‚ critically‚ how it is affecting their clients – both homeowners and businesses. After the repeated major disasters of the past decade‚ insurance is a difficult and complex issue‚ but a vitally important one. I am committed to doing all we can in the Legislature to foster a healthy‚ competitive market that works for consumers and keeps insurers writing policies in California.