SB 1354, as amended, Galgiani. Agricultural pest control: Asian citrus psyllid: Huanglongbing.
Under existing law, the Department of Food and Agriculture has various duties relating to the prevention and control of damage caused by citrus pests and diseases. The Legislature has expressed a finding and declaration that the citrus killing diseases, Huanglongbing, citrus leprosis, citrus variegated chlorosis, and citrus canker, and the associated vectors present a clear and present danger to California’s citrus industry, as well as to other commodities and plant life.
This bill would require the department, upon the appropriation of funds for that purpose, to support specified research activities relating to the Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing. The bill would also require the department, upon the appropriation of funds for that purpose, to work with county agricultural commissioners, pest control advisors, researchers, the Citrus Research Board, or any or all of them, to establish a process for voluntary tracking of best practices for managing Asian citrus psyllid-infested and Huanglongbing-infected groves, as specified.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 5913.5 is added to the Food and
2Agricultural Code, to read:
(a) The department shall, upon the appropriation of
4funds for that purpose, support research activities relating to the
5Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing. These activitiesbegin delete shallend deletebegin insert mayend insert
6 include, butbegin insert areend insert not necessarilybegin delete beend delete limited to, all of the following:
7(1) Finding a cure, suppression tactic, or both, for the bacterium
8that causes
Huanglongbing.
9(2) Development of early detection techniques to identify
10diseasedbegin delete trees,end deletebegin insert treesend insert to determine if they arebegin delete treatable, andend deletebegin insert treatable
11and,end insert if they are not treatable, to eliminate them to protect
12neighboring trees from the disease.
13(3) Development of resistant rootstocks, scions, or psyllids.
14(4) Improved psyllid trapping and control methods.
15(5) Expanded biological control availability for the Asian citrus
16psyllid in priority areas where there is a reasonable expectation of
17success.
18(6) New horticultural methods to maximize crop production in
19the presence of Huanglongbing.
20(7) Support for new and existing containment research facilities
21for projects investigating Huanglongbing.
22(b) The department shall also, upon the appropriation of funds
23for that purpose, work with county agricultural commissioners,
24pest control advisors, researchers, the Citrus Research Board, or
25any or all of them, to establish a process for voluntary tracking of
26best practices for managing Asian citrus psyllid-infested and
27Huanglongbing-infected
groves. The information collected shall
28be used to establish recommended management protocols based
29on best available science and treatment outcomes.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
31immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
32the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
33immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
P3 1Due to the rapid infestation of the Asian citrus psyllid and
2increasing Huanglongbing detections, this act is needed to provide
3immediate help to prevent this invasive pest and disease from
4destroying residential and commercial California citrus trees, and
5it is therefore necessary that this act take effect immediately.
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