BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 571
Page 1
GOVERNOR'S VETO
AB 571 (Gatto)
As Introduced February 20, 2013
2/3 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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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(May 28, 2013) |SENATE: |39-0 |(September 9, |
| | | | | |2013) |
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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 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,
AB 571
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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 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).
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE :
This bill would appropriate $5 million annually from
the General Fund to the Department of Food and
Agriculture to support research and programs to combat
citrus disease and vectors in California.
While I am acutely aware of the devastating effects of
the Asian citrus psyllid and its vector Huanglongbing,
this program has mostly been funded by the citrus
industry and the federal government. If the current
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support is inadequate, let's review our options during
the budget process.
Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916)
319-2084
FN: 0002906