Government relations in the time of COVID-19

from June 2020 Adviser Magazine

Pest management benefits of implementing soil health practices

George Soares, Kahn, Soares and Conway, LLC

Mid-March 2020 was the equivalent of free-falling off a cliff. Suddenly the unknown was upon our lives in ways that virtually no one in America had experienced in their lifetime. COVID, shelter in place, social distancing, essential services, curbside waves, masks and more instantly became part of our vocabulary and conduct, and remains so as we move into the summer months.

State Government was no different. COVID hit like a thunderbolt. The State Legislature mostly shut down until early May. Thousands of bills, then pending hearings and votes, were put on hold and most are done for the year. Tax dollars are now in short supply and a long list of ideas to spend the states rainy day fund evaporated.

The Governor began operating by Executive Order—seldom used but deemed essential during the pandemic—and shut the state down except for essential services. No surprise that the exception included all aspects of agriculture, and with it came a temporary re-awaking of what our industry provides us all every day.

While there has been little thought about food security in recent decades—no shortage in the stores will do that—priorities shifted and we were essential again. People standing in lines for food, over-buying the basics, and stockpiling out of fear of the unknown became headline news. While never a good thing, this back to basics mentality temporarily renewed interest in such agrarian issues as the production, processing and delivery of food, fiber, ornamentals, flowers and a lot more that comprise this essential industry.

In the midst of all this, CAPCA has kept a watchful eye on the state regulatory process which historically has had a life of its own; each siloed agency grinding along often in defiance of good judgment and uncaring about the larger community in which we all exist. This message was recently delivered to the Governor in a pointed request by a coalition including CAPCA that all but essential (there is that word again) proposals be postponed to allow for more deliberation and opportunity for public input.

A letter along these same lines is being drafted by CAPCA and others as this article goes to print outlining numerous regulations and laws which will have negative economic impacts and greatly slow, if not stall, the industry’s economic recovery. CAPCA intends to widely distribute the letter within the Newsom Administration and the Legislature, and will be looking to its members to spread the message far and wide.

The Department of Pesticide Regulation too often fits the description of government overreach by elevating its actions to the level of a crusade to reshape its defined purpose and eliminate essential crop protection tools and offer little in the form of suitable replacements. As a result, PCAs face mounting challenges in recommending effective pest control and essential farmers ponder their future. █

NorCal and Sutter Buttes CAPCA Chapter members at the James Gallagher fundraiser on March 12, 2020 in Yuba City, CA. The two chapters each matched $1,000 to the PAC to support Assemblyman James Gallagher’s campaign.