BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE on AGRICULTURE
Senator Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
BILL NO: AB 2402 HEARING: 06/17/14
AUTHOR: Buchanan FISCAL: Yes
VERSION: 05/23/14 CONSULTANT: Anne Megaro
Noxious weed management.
SUMMARY :
This bill would redistribute the proportional allocation of
funds from the Noxious Weed Management Account to be used for
specific activities, such as weed control and research, and to
the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to
carry out provisions of noxious weed management.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW :
Existing law defines "noxious weed" to mean any species of plant
that is destructive and difficult to control or eradicate, as
identified by the secretary of CDFA.
CDFA is responsible for administering and implementing noxious
weed management in cooperation with the secretary of Natural
Resources Agency. Existing law creates the Noxious Weed
Management Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture
Fund to be used and allocated for specific activities, such as
weed control and research, and to CDFA to carry out provisions
of noxious weed management.
Existing law 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.
Existing law requires CDFA 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.
AB 2402 - Page 2
PROPOSED LAW :
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 CDFA where proposals shall be
evaluated based on strategic importance for the
eradication of high-priority weeds.
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 CDFA 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.
4. Adds "increase water supply and flow" to the list of
goals required of a county agricultural commissioner's
noxious weeds control program.
5. Makes technical changes.
AB 2402 - Page 3
COMMENTS :
Need for this bill: 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."
Action plan: In 2005, the California Noxious and Invasive Weed
Action Plan was published through coordinating efforts by CDFA
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.
Fund status: 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.
Opposition concerns: The one individual in opposition is
concerned with the environmental impact of using herbicides and
prescribed burns to destroy non-native plants on public lands
and is further concerned that public monies would be used to
support a seemingly endless battle to control non-native plants.
RELATED 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 CDFA.
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.
AB 2402 - Page 4
AB 1168 (Frusetta), Chapter 961, Statutes of 2000. Designates
CDFA as the lead department in noxious weed management, creates
the Noxious Weed Management Account within the Department of
Food and Agriculture 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.
PRIOR ACTIONS :
Assembly Floor 78-0
Assembly Appropriations 16-0
Assembly Agriculture 7-0
AB 2402 - Page 5
SUPPORT :
California Invasive Plant Council (Sponsor)
Alameda County Farm Bureau
American River Natural History Association
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
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
AB 2402 - Page 6
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
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
AB 2402 - Page 7
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
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
13 Individuals
OPPOSITION :
1 Individual
AB 2402 - Page 8