Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

Agriculture is one of the greatest economic engines in the State of California. We are both a national and world leader in agriculture innovation, including value added agriculture, family farms, organic farming, and the tremendous advances of technology and production in traditional agriculture. But there are a great number of issues pressing our agriculture industry today, and they play a central role in the lives of many of our citizens - our farmers, consumers, labor unions, farmworkers and their children. I look forward to continuing to be a stong voice for agriculture and a leader on these issues.

In my time in the State Legislature, I have worked to educate the legislature on the importance of agriculture, and to bring them up to speed on ag issues and the critical role it plays in our State's economy. I have participated in agriculture tours for years, broadening my own understanding of all facets of the industry, and I recently sponsored a tour where I brought legislators and growers together to share first-hand knowledge of the issues. As a member of the Assembly, and in response to the spinach crisis in 2006, I wrote legislation to create and fund a research project at the Western Institute for Food Safety to support best practices for food safety. The Governor liked the idea so well that the administration, by executive order adopted the plan. More recently, I successfully authored legislation to protect organic farmers from contaminated fertilizer products, by requiring that the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) conduct inspections to ensure that manufacturers of organic fertilizers abide by the rules.

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