BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2402|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2402
Author: Buchanan (D), et al.
Amended: 5/23/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE : 5-0, 6/17/14
AYES: Galgiani, Cannella, Berryhill, Lieu, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/28/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Noxious weed management
SOURCE : California Invasive Plant Council
DIGEST : This bill redistributes the proportional allocation
of funds from the Noxious Weed Management Account to be used for
specific activities, such as weed control and research, to the
Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA) to carry out provisions
of noxious weed management.
ANALYSIS : Existing law:
1.Defines "noxious weed" to mean any species of plant that is
destructive and difficult to control or eradicate, as
identified by the secretary of DFA. DFA is responsible for
administering and implementing noxious weed management in
cooperation with the Secretary of Natural Resources Agency.
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2.Creates the Noxious Weed Management Account within the DFA
Fund to be used and allocated for specific activities, such as
weed control and research, and to DFA to carry out provisions
of noxious weed management.
3.Requires that in order to be eligible to receive funds from
the Noxious Weed Management Account county agricultural
commissioners must develop and implement an aggressive control
program for noxious weeds that includes several goals relating
to the impact of weeds on crop and rangeland, maintenance and
fire control costs, biodiversity, and recreational and
aesthetic land values.
4.Requires DFA to form an oversight committee to monitor noxious
weed management. Committee membership includes
representatives of agricultural and forest products
industries, the California Exotic Pest Plant Council, research
institutions, wildlife conservation and environmental groups,
resource conservation districts, the general public, local
government, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
This bill:
1.Updates and findings and declarations regarding the impact of
invasive and noxious weeds. Estimates that the annual lost
crop and pasture productivity caused by noxious weeds is $25
billion nationwide, and the costs of controlling these weeds
is estimated at $9.6 billion.
2.Finds that over 2,000 populations of high-priority weed
infestations have been eradicated since 2000, where
organizations have leveraged $3 of additional support for
every $1 from the state.
3.Redistributes the percentages of funds within the Noxious Weed
Management Account to be used for certain activities:
A. Reduces from 80% to 60% the proportion of monies to be
made available for the control and abatement of noxious and
invasive weeds. Requires these funds to be distributed
through a grant program administered by DFA where proposals
shall be evaluated based on strategic importance for the
eradication of high-priority weeds.
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B. Increases from 10% to 20% the proportion of monies to be
made available for research.
C. Increases from 10% to 20% the proportion of monies to be
made available to DFA to carry out these provisions,
develop noxious weed control strategies, seek new
biological control agents, conduct private and public
workshops, and appoint a noxious weed coordinator and
mapping specialist to assist in weed inventory, mapping,
and control strategies.
1.Adds "increase water supply and flow" to the list of goals
required of a county agricultural commissioner's noxious weeds
control program.
2.Makes technical changes.
Background
In 2005, the California Noxious and Invasive Weed Action Plan
was published through coordinating efforts by DFA and the
California Invasive Weed Awareness Coalition and with
participation from stakeholders attending a 2003 California
Noxious and Invasive Weed Summit. Shortly after the summit, the
State Action Plan was developed to include 10 basic elements
including prevention, exclusion, early detection, eradication,
management, research, and funding, among others.
The Noxious Weed Management Account is currently inactive and
historically only collected monies from the General Fund. Most
supporters, if not all, were specifically in support of
appropriating monies to this account and stated that these funds
leveraged a 3:1 match from other sources.
Prior Legislation
AB 2479 (Cogdill, Chapter 323, Statutes of 2006) increases from
5% to 10% the proportion of funds within the Noxious Weed
Management Account that shall be made available to DFA.
SB 1740 (Leslie, Chapter 315, Statutes of 2000) appropriates $5
million from the General Fund to the Noxious Weed Management
Account and requires county agricultural commissioners to submit
integrated weed management plans in order to receive funds.
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AB 1168 (Frusetta, Chapter 961, Statutes of 2000) designates DFA
as the lead department in noxious weed management, creates the
Noxious Weed Management Account within the DFA Fund,
appropriates $1.5 million of General Fund monies over three
years, and requires the establishment of an oversight committee.
When signing this bill, the governor reduced funding levels to
$200,000 per year, for a total of $600,000.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/14)
California Invasive Plant Council (source)
Alameda County Farm Bureau
American River Natural History Association
Association for California Water Agencies
Bay Area Open Space Council
Botanical Dimensions
Broom Education and Eradication Program
Butte County Agricultural Department
Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District
Butte County Weed Management Area
Cache Creek Conservancy
Calaveras Element of Central Sierra Partnership Against Weeds
California Association of Harbor Masters and Port Captains
California Association of Local Conservation Corps
California Association of Resource Conservation Districts
California Cattlemen's Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Forest Pest Council
California Native Grassland Association
California Native Plant Society
California Native Plant Society, Bristlecone Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands Section
California Native Plant Society, Kern Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Los Angeles/Santa Monica
Mountains Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Marin Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Mount Lassen Chapter
California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter
California Native Plant Society, Yerba Buena Chapter
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California Yacht Brokers Association
Caltrans District 1
Campus Natural Reserve, University of California, Santa Cruz
Carson Water Subconservancy District
Center for Natural Lands Management
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Conservation Biology Institute
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
Contra Costa Water District
Council for Watershed Health
Creekside Center for Earth Observation (Creekside Science)
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Endangered Habitats Conservancy
Endangered Habitats League
Forester's Co-Op
Friends of Bidwell Park
Friends of Edgewood
Friends of Five Creeks
Garcia and Associates Natural and Cultural Resource Consultants
Golden Hour Restoration Institute
Hedgerow Farms
Humboldt County Department of Agriculture
Kelly-Thompson Ranch
Kern County Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards
Kern Weed Management Area
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Lake County Board of Supervisors
Lake County Fire Chiefs' Association
Lake County Fire Safe Council
Lake County Land Trust
Lower Sherman Island Duck Hunters Association
Madera County Department of Agriculture
Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Marin County Department of Agriculture
Marina Recreation Association
Mariposa County Department of Agriculture
Mariposa County Farm Bureau
Mattole Restoration Council
McKinleyville Land Trust
Mendocino County Department of Agriculture
Mid Klamath Watershed Council
Mill Valley StreamKeepers
Mojave Weed Management Area
Morro Bay National Estuary Program
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Mountains Restoration Trust
Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Natures Image, Inc.
Open Space Authority
Pacific Coast Seed, Inc.
Pepperwood Foundation
Placer County
Postdoctoral Scholars Association, University of California,
Davis
Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy
Redwood National Park
Resource Conservation District, Butte County
Resource Conservation District, Contra Costa
Resource Conservation District, Fall River
Resource Conservation District, Gold Ridge
Resource Conservation District, Marin
Resource Conservation District, Mojave Desert
Resource Conservation District, Monterey County
Resource Conservation District, Nevada County
Resource Conservation District, San Mateo County
Resource Conservation District, Santa Cruz County
Resource Conservation District, Tehachapi
Resource Conservation District, Tulare County
Resource Conservation District, Yolo County
Resource Conservation Partners
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
San Diego Habitat Conservancy
San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Save Mount Diablo
Sequoia Audubon Society
Sierra Club California
Sierra Watch
Siskiyou County Department of Agriculture
Site Stewardship Program, University of California, Santa Cruz
Small Wilderness Area Preservation
Solano County Weed Management Area
Solano Land Trust
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Sonoma Ecology Center
Sonoma Land Trust
Sustainable Conservation
The Garber Park Stewards
Tiessen & Waegell Ranch
Truckee River Watershed Council
Tulare County Farm Bureau
Tuolumne County Land Trust
Vieira Ranches
Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation
Weed Research and Information Center, University of California
Western Boaters Safety Group
Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "The Noxious
Weed Management Account has effectively treated and/or
eradicated thousands of acres of high priority weed infestations
since 2000. Not maintaining this investment allows top-priority
weed populations to spread and cause increased damage in the
future. Invasive weeds decrease water supply, and controlling
them should be part of the state's long term drought relief
strategy."
The California Farm Bureau writes in support stating that Weed
Management Account proved to be an efficient and effective
instrument for controlling the spread and impact of noxious
invasive weeds throughout the state and could be considered a
model program that was efficiently and successfully executed at
the state and local level.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/28/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A.
Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
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NO VOTE RECORDED: Frazier, Vacancy
JL:nl 7/2/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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