BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1175
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Date of Hearing: August 27, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Susan Talamantes Eggman, Chair
AB 1175 (Bocanegra) - As Amended: August 18, 2014
SUBJECT : Food and agriculture: cooperative agreements:
agricultural inspector associates.
SUMMARY : This bill prohibits the Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) from entering into cooperative agreements
with Los Angeles (LA) County for agricultural inspection
services unless not less than 75% of agricultural inspector
associates are afforded protections as permanent employees.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes the secretary of CDFA to enter into cooperative
agreements to carry out and enforce programs that promote and
enhance agriculture, combat invasive pests and diseases,
inspect poultry and meat, or other activities to administer
and enforce these provisions. Specifically, the secretary
enters into cooperative agreements with county agricultural
commissioners (CAC) to administer and enforce programs and
inspections on the local level.
2)Defines "counties of the first class" to be counties whose
populations exceed four million residents.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Committee on
Appropriations, would not have a direct fiscal impact to CDFA.
The bill could result in potential cost pressures to CDFA in the
low hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
COMMENTS : Current law authorizes CDFA to enter into cooperative
agreements with counties to carry out and enforce programs that,
among other things, combat invasive pests and diseases. CDFA
specifically contracts with CACs to administer and enforce local
programs and inspections.
CDFA's Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division is
responsible for the prevention and control of plant pests,
working cooperatively with CACs to accomplish these goals.
Depending on the specific requirements for pest monitoring,
trapping, and inspections, work is typically performed by the
AB 1175
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local CAC's staff, which includes aids, associates, and
inspectors.
In 2003-04, legislation was enacted which prohibited CDFA from
entering into cooperative agreements for agricultural
inspections with Los Angeles County (County) unless a minimum of
66% of all agricultural inspector aids were granted permanent
civil service status as a county employee. Prior to that
legislation, these employees were hired on a temporary basis to
work on year-long contracts with CDFA. The legislation
increased labor costs for the County, and state funds were
provided to aid this transition and reduce fiscal impact to the
County.
According to the author, this bill would ensure that
agricultural inspector aids would not lose their permanent
status when attempting to receive a promotion by going through a
year-long, temporary associate position. Furthermore, "Last
year, the County realized that agricultural inspector associates
are not eligible for the [promotional] exam because they are not
technically permanent employees. There is currently no process
for associates to be promoted, except at the discretion of the
Agricultural Commissioner. This has created a totally arbitrary
process for evaluating which employees should be promoted."
Those in opposition are concerned that this bill "would
eliminate the entry-level class in the Agricultural/Weights &
Measures Inspector series, and would preclude incumbents from:
1) gaining the necessary on-the-job-training; 2) meeting all
educational requirements; and 3) competing for permanent
inspector positions." Furthermore, this bill does not provide
the funding needed to mandate staffing with permanent employees,
and the increased staffing costs could preclude the Los Angeles
County Agricultural Commissioner from entering into agreements
to perform inspections for CDFA in the future.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
AFSCME, District Council 36
Opposition
County of Los Angeles
AB 1175
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Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916)
319-2084