BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 571
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 571 (Gatto)
As Introduced February 20, 2013
Majority vote
AGRICULTURE 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Eggman, Olsen, Atkins, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Dahle, Pan, Quirk, Yamada | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| | | |Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Hall, Ammiano, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, Weber |
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SUMMARY : Makes legislative findings and declarations that there is an
ongoing need for at least $5 million annually to combat citrus pest
and disease, and appropriates $5 million from the General Fund (GF) to
the Citrus Disease Management account (CDMA) in the California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations
Committee, this bill provides a one-time $5 million GF appropriation
that can be spent over multiple years.
COMMENTS : Citrus is a $2 billion industry in the State of California.
California produces 82% of the United States' fresh citrus and
directly employs more than 14,000 people. It contributes an
additional $1.2 billion in economic value to the state and supports
another 10,000 jobs.
In March of 2012, Huanglongbing (HLB) was found in a Los Angeles-area
backyard. HLB is a bacterial plant disease that destroys the
production, appearance and value of citrus trees, ruining the citrus.
HLB is spread mainly by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). To date,
there are no known controls for HLB other than removing and destroying
infected groves. After a 2005 discovery in Florida, it took only two
years for HLB to transmit to all 32 Florida citrus producing counties
and infect over half of the citrus tree in that state.
AB 281 (De Leon), Chapter 426, Statutes of 2009, allowed the citrus
producer to assess themselves to help combat the spread of HLB.
Citrus producers have contributed $15 million each year since AB 281
AB 571
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was passed and the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) spent
at least $10 million per year in the last three years to research,
detect and eradicate HLB and ACP in California.
With the threat HLB poses to California's Citrus producers, the author
states that allocating $5 million GF dollars to aid in research and
prevention of citrus diseases will help protect a major industry in
California. This bill will assist citrus producers, who are helping
fund the fight, in not falling victim to HLB.
The funds in CDMA are used in a similar fashion as another successful
program, the Pierce's Disease Control Program (PDCP), which used a
combination of producer, state and USDA funding to combat Pierce's
Disease and its main vector, the glassy winged sharpshooter. PDCP has
proven to be a good model for pest control programs, including
California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee (CCPDPC).
Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084
FN: 0000793