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YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS
FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY
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This week's eNews Includes:
CAWG News:
- Newsom's Veto Pen
- CAWG Priority Bill List Updates
- eAlert - CAWG Water Legislation Signed into Law
- CAWG PAC Dinner at Guantonios in Lodi - Oct. 24
- CAWG's October Issue of The Crush Newsletter
- Malcolm Media's Tree and Vine Expo
- Building Resilience to Economic Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Webinar
Industry News:
- GOP Selects Representative Steve Scalise as Speaker of the House Nominee
- California's Vigilance Pays Off: No Spotted Lanternfly in Annual Survey So Far
- Clear Lake Hitch Workshops
- Budget Uncertainty Promotes More Newsom Vetoes as CA Tax Deadline Nears
- Nat DiBuduo to be Honored at Whole Vine Festival
- SVB's Annual State of the Industry Survey
- 2022 Census of Agriculture Data Coming February 2024
Upcoming Events:
- Harvest Hospitality Vineyard Walk - Oct. 18
- Napa Valley Grapegrowers ROOTSTOCK Conference - Nov. 6-7
- CAWG Wine Reception and Dinner Celebrating Outgoing Chairman Tom Slater - Nov. 8
- New CA Laws for 2024: What Employers Need to Know Webinar - Dec. 12
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CAWG Member discount codes for the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium were sent this week. Registration and housing will open on October 17!
Please contact the CAWG office at (916) 379-8995 if you didn't receive your membership code.
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Newsom’s Veto Pen
As we approach the deadline at the end of the week for Governor Newsom to act on legislation, he may set a record for the highest percentage of bills vetoed in one year by a California governor of the same political party as the legislature. For example, Newsom has vetoed bills that would have extended new benefits to workers, created new worker safety standards, expanded leave programs, and much more. CAWG opposed many of these bills.
Some pundits view Newsom’s veto spree as being politically motivated. They claim Newsom is considering how these bills would be viewed on a national stage should Newsom run for president in 2024 or 2028. While there may be some truth in those analyses, Newsom has also been very straightforward for several months about his fiscal concerns.
He told the legislature that any legislation creating new costs for the State must identify the funding to cover those costs. The Department of Finance was very transparent about this by opposing legislation that did not provide funding.
Many lawmakers did not heed Newsom’s advice and instead sent him unfunded legislation anyway. Consequently, Newsom has a recurring message in many of his vetoes.
“The Legislature sent me bills outside of this budget process that, if all enacted, would add nearly $19 billion of unaccounted costs in the budget, of which $11 billion would be ongoing.
With our state facing continuing economic risk and revenue uncertainty, it is important to remain disciplined in considering bills with significant fiscal implications, such as this measure.”
Budget projections for the next three years show the state’s General Fund facing a deficit of up to $18 billion annually. By sending him 800 bills for his consideration at the end of the legislative year, the legislature was asking Newsom to increase that deficit to almost $30 billion. Political considerations aside, it is no wonder that so far this year, the governor has vetoed 20% of the bills that were plopped onto his desk.
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CAWG Priority Bill List Updates
Governor Newsom has until October 14 to decide on the fate of hundreds of pending assembly and senate bills sent to him from the Legislature. CAWG keeps an updated list of priority legislation on our website. So far, CAWG has had quite some successes with bills that reached the Governor’s desk.
Below are three of CAWG's priority legislation where the Governor’s action was in alignment with CAWG’s position on the bill and a fourth bill with potential implications on the future of autonomous agricultural equipment.
CAWG Sponsored Legislation:
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SB 659 (Ashby, D-Sacramento) – Increase Groundwater Recharge - Signed by Governor Newsom: CAWG and Regional Water Authority (Sacramento) co-sponsored this bill to push for increased focus on groundwater recharge as part of California’s long-term approach to creating a reliable supply of water for ag and all other water users. (See more below)
CAWG Supported Legislation:
CAWG Opposed Legislation:
Message from the Governor:
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AB 316 (Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters) – Vehicles: Self-Driving Semi Trucks - Vetoed by Governor Newsom: While CAWG did not have a position on this bill, Newsom’s veto message was encouraging for the future of ag tech. Newsom said we need to take “the right approach to safely test and deploy this evolving technology in California, while also addressing and mitigating any potential impacts to jobs.” This has been CAWG’s position on agricultural tech.
A full list of CAWG's Priority Legislation is available here.
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eAlert - CAWG Water Legislation Signed into Law
On Sunday, SB 659 (Ashby, D-Sacramento), a bill co-sponsored by CAWG, was signed into law by Governor Newsom. SB 659, The California Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023, puts California on a path to develop additional groundwater recharge opportunities that increase the replenishment of the state’s groundwater basins. CAWG issued an eAlert on Monday with more details about SB 659 and how this bill will lead toward a substantial increase in the amount of groundwater available for growers, and for all of California.
Read the full eAlert here.
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CAWG PAC Dinner at Guantonios in Lodi - Only 15 Spots Left!
Join the CAWG PAC and the CAWG Board on Tuesday, October 24, for an intimate family-style dinner and fundraiser at Guantonios, in Lodi. Space is limited! The evening will include a farm-to-fork specialty dinner menu paired with California wines.
Guantonios is a family-owned and operated restaurant focused on, and inspired by, the beauty that is Northern California agriculture.
Don't miss this opportunity to support the CAWG PAC and join us at one of Lodi's most popular restaurants.
Download the event flyer here.
For Sponsorship opportunities, contact Jenny Devine.
Register here.
Thank you, Sponsors!
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CAWG's October Issue of The Crush Newsletter
Last week, the October issue of The Crush Newsletter was released.
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
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Feature Story: Clean Grapevine Materials
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Federal Focus: Uncertainty Looms
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State Update: Making it Rain
- CAWG PAC Dinner at Guantonios in Lodi
- 2024 CAWG Grower of the Year
- 2024 CAWG Leader of the Year
- Nominations Open for the Rich Smith Award
- Federal Funding Opportunities Available
- Webinar Recording: News Grapevine Crop Insurance Program
- Outgoing Chairman Dinner
- Unified Wine and Grape Symposium Updates
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CAWG Associate Member Spotlight: Westside Equipment Company
Ads from Relation Insurance.
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Malcolm Media's Tree and Vine Expo
The annual Tree and Vine Expo will be held November 7 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock. This year's expo will include an industry trade show, State of the Almond, Pecan, Pistachio, Walnut & Wine Grape Industry presentations and seminars on Pesticide Regulatory Changes to Prepare For, Whole Orchard Recycling, AI Vineyard Management, Comparing Pomegranate Irrigation Requirements, Tree & Vine Disease Management, Vine & Rootstock Pairing, Navel Orangeworm & Vine Mealybug IPM, On-Farm Wildlife Management, and New & Upcoming Ag Legislation. Registration is free.
Michael Miiller, CAWG's Director of Government Relations, will provide the Ag Legislation Update at 11:30 AM. The full agenda is posted online.
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Building Resilience to Economic Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Webinar
The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank hosted a webinar in August to better understand the economic impacts of increasing wildfire smoke and their actions to build resilience to these impacts on businesses. The webinar included two panels with industry, small business, and community leaders who shared concrete examples of how wildfire smoke has impacted local economies. CAWG President Natalie Collins participated in the first panel. CAWG estimates that losses from smoke included hundreds of thousands of tons of unharvested grapes, valued at $601 million, with total industry losses exceeding $3.5 billion. She also described the emerging science of how grapes are changed by smoke, demonstrating that even vineyards unaffected by fires may suffer from smoke’s impacts.
The webinar, along with additional smoke data tools, are available online.
We simultaneously released a new version of our webpage with more local smoke data including a data tool that allows users to view their own county info and more metropolitan snapshots. Wildfire Smoke Disruptions: Local-Level Data Tools | San Francisco Fed (frbsf.org)
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GOP Selects Representative Steve Scalise as Speaker of the House Nominee
Yesterday, House Republicans voted to select Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) as their nominee for Speaker over Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Currently, Scalise serves as House Majority Leader, but it is unclear if he has the votes needed to be elected as the Speaker. Scalise can only lose four GOP votes and be elected as the Speaker. All democrats are expected to vote for Rep. Jefferies (D-NY), who has also been the House Minority Leader.
Until a Speaker is elected, the House is essentially frozen and unable to conduct any business, which is not ideal considering Isarel's war against Hamas.
Earlier this week, a few House Republicans, including Rep. John Duarte (R-Modesto) went on record calling for a bipartisan effort to re-instate McCarthy to help Israel.
The House has not yet announced when a vote for the Speaker will occur.
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California's Vigilance Pays Off: No Spotted Lanternfly in Annual Survey So Far
As a federal action plan is activated to slow the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF), California’s annual statewide survey confirmed there are no known established populations of the grapevine-loving pest in the state.
Annual surveying of high-risk areas has been a part of CDFA's defenses against SLF since 2020. State and county surveyors have searched more than 2,000 sites across the state, including ports, railyards, highway rest areas, and fairgrounds for the presence of SLF. This year alone, CDFA has visited 195 high-risk sites in 31 counties. The survey will cover 300 sites and is expected to finish at the end of October.
The public can also play a role! CDFA has great resources on what the SLF looks like in its various life stages. Free marketing materials, including a poster, flyer, brochure, and images, to use on websites, social media, and in newsletters, are available from the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board’s communications toolkit.
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Quote of the Week:
“It’s an investment. You may not get that case of wine sale this time, but it does open up the doors to bringing in a younger crowd. They will come back and tell other people. And I think some of the wineries get that, but it is a love-hate.”
Gary Ng, a Napa Valley travel consultant commenting on the resurgence of bachelorette parties at wineries.
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Clear Lake Hitch Workshops
The California Water Resources Control Board has developed a guidance document for the upcoming Clear Lake Hitch workshops. it is available on their Clear Lake Hitch Website.
They are hosting workshops for people to attend in person or virtually.
Workshop Information:
Thursday, October 19, 2023 – 5:30 p.m. (PDT)
In-Person Participation Only
Lake County Board of Supervisors Chambers
255 N Forbes St # 109, Lakeport, CA 95453
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 – 10:00 a.m. (PDT)
Remote Participation Only
Register at bit.ly/CLH_Oct24 to receive participation instructions.
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Budget Uncertainty Promotes More Newsom Vetoes as CA Tax Deadline Nears
As Governor Newsom's October 14 deadline draws near, people throughout the state are waiting to see how he handles the hundreds of bills waiting on his desk.
Newsom appears to be vetoing about 20 percent of bills passed by the Legislature this year, an unusually large amount. Cal Matters reports this week that many of Newsom’s veto messages contain the same language, lamenting that after the state dealt with a $30 billion budget deficit, the Legislature sent him measures that “would add nearly $19 billion of unaccounted costs in the budget.”
Income taxes constitute California's primary revenue source, and with the tax deadline being extended until October 15, due to the impact of last winter's storms, financial uncertainty looms surrounding the multibillion-dollar deficit. The 2023-24 state budget is built on the assumption that the state will collect $52.3 billion in taxes, but the reality is it could be much higher or lower and whatever happens this month, will set the stage for the next budget cycle.
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Nat DiBuduo to be Honored at Whole Vine Festival
As grape growers and consumers prepare to come together and celebrate the San Joaquin Valley grape industry at the Whole Vine Festival on the Fresno State Campus, festival organizers are pleased to announce that the inaugural Whole Vine Festival will be dedicated to longtime grape industry leader and former CAWG director, Nat DiBuduo.
DiBuduo has worked in the grape industry since his youth, growing up on his family’s table grape farm in the San Joaquin Valley. Over the years, DiBuduo has carried many roles and served on various Boards, supporting agriculture and the community. He spent 18 years as President of Allied Grape Growers, representing about 250,000 tons of the California grape crush. DiBuduo was recognized as CAWG's first Leader of the Year in 2021 for his positive contributions to the winegrape industry.
The Whole Vine Festival will take place on October 21-22, 2023. More information can be found on their website.
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SVB's Annual State of the Industry Survey
Each year, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) conducts a survey to gather and provide metrics, insights, and trends in the wine industry. All respondents who fully complete the survey will receive gratis survey results that include anonymized detailed responses, and summary analysis.
The survey results in aid in the State of the Wine Industry Report in January. SVB's survey is open now and will close on October 22.
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2022 Census of Agriculture Data Coming February 2024
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has concluded data collection for the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Ag census data inform decisions about policy, farm and conservation programs, infrastructure and rural development, research, education, and more.
The widely used ag census data will be available in February 2024 at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus and in NASS’s Quick Stats database at quickstats.nass.usda.gov. Learn more on NASS’s website and follow NASS on X @usda_nass for updates.
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Upcoming Events and Trainings | |
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Harvest Hospitality Vineyard Walk
Napa Valley Growers is hosting its Seasonal Vineyard Walk. Brittany Pederson, Director of Viticulture for Renteria Vineyard Management, will walk attendees through a Cabernet Sauvignon pick at the Renteria 360 Vineyard in Oakville and share insights about the 2023 harvest, the challenges growers face, the quality of the vintage, and more.
When and Where:
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October 18, 8:30 AM, Renteria 360 Vineyard, Napa
Register
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Napa Valley Grapegrowers ROOTSTOCK Conference
ROOTSTOCK is an end-of-harvest conference and an opportunity for industry colleagues to connect and hear from experts in the field. The primary focus of this year's conference will be on herbicides including the history of herbicide use in vineyards and agriculture, the public perception, the various forms of its use, alternatives offered, a case study, and regulatory plans that will take effect in the future.
When and Where:
- November 6-7, Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center
Register
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CAWG Wine Reception and Dinner Celebrating Outgoing Chairman Tom Slater
Join the CAWG Board of Directors as we gather for an evening of wine, food, networking, and camaraderie to celebrate the outstanding leadership and contributions of outgoing CAWG Chair Tom Slater and the six departing CAWG directors.
CAWG looks forward to a night of celebration, reflecting on Tom's unwavering commitment, leadership, and dedication to not only CAWG, but the entire winegrape industry.
A special thank you to Relation Insurance, NAU Country, and Farm Credit for their sponsorship of the dinner.
When and Where:
- November 8, Prelude Kitchen and Bar, Downtown Sacramento
RSVP
Questions? Email Jenny Devine.
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New CA Laws for 2024: What Employers Need to Know Webinar
Join CAWG and Fisher Phillips for a webinar providing a roundup of new state labor legislation, guidelines, and regulations that recently took effect or will take effect in January 2024.
Governor Newsom signed some significant labor and employment legislation with which California employers will need to comply. Learn how these changes may apply to your operation and how best to ensure compliance.
Presenting will be Brandon Kahoush and Collin Cook with Fisher & Phillips, LLP, along with Michael Miiller, CAWG’s Director of Government Relations.
When and Where:
Register
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