Pest control: Pierce’s disease

The law maintains assessment-supported funding, research, and local control efforts against Pierce’s disease, its insect vectors, and other pests or diseases designated by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. It replaces the prior 2031 sunset with a process that can end the program if affected producers do not support it.

What the law does ​

• Renames the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board as the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board.
• Continues the Pierce’s Disease Control Program, industry assessments, and use of the Pierce’s Disease Management Account beyond the former March 1, 2031 expiration.
• Requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to hold public hearings by June 30, 2030, and at least every five years thereafter to review whether the board should continue.
• Requires a referendum if the secretary finds substantial opposition among affected producers; sets producer-and-assessment-weighted vote thresholds for continuation.
• Allows board-recommended research contracts with qualified nonprofit scientific bodies for Pierce’s disease and other designated pests and diseases.
• Expands the advisory task force and annual public reporting to cover other designated pests and diseases.
• Ends the board after an unsuccessful referendum and phases out the broader control program and advisory task force over the following five years.

Who it affects ​

• California winegrape growers, processors, cooperatives, and other persons paying the grape assessment.
• The Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board, its advisory task force, and nonprofit agricultural research organizations.
• Local public entities receiving state funds for Pierce’s disease work plans.

Context ​

Pierce’s disease can harm grapevines, and the program also addresses its vectors, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter.

Breakdown ​

Extending Pierce’s Disease Program ​

This bill keeps the Pierce’s Disease Control Program and related account in effect without a set end date. The program and account can continue funding work against Pierce’s disease, its carriers such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and certain other designated pests and diseases. The provisions may become inoperative on a specified date if the Secretary of Food and Agriculture finds that a required referendum does not support continuing the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board provisions.

Key takeaways

• The bill removes the March 1, 2031 sunset date for the Pierce’s Disease Control Program and related account provisions.
• It allows the existing account to continue supporting efforts to combat Pierce’s disease and its vectors, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
• The provisions can still become inoperative on a specified date if a required referendum does not favor continuing the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board provisions.
• Because the bill extends a partially continuously appropriated fund, it makes an appropriation.

Winegrape Pest Board Continuation ​

The bill renames the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board as the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board. It removes the board program’s scheduled 2031 expiration and instead requires periodic public review, with a referendum if the Secretary of Food and Agriculture makes the required finding. The bill also continues the grape-processor assessments that fund the program, resulting in an appropriation from the continuously appropriated fund.

Key takeaways

• The board will be renamed the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board.
• The board and related program provisions will no longer automatically end on March 1, 2031.
• The Secretary of Food and Agriculture must hold one or more public hearings by June 30, 2030, and at least every five years after that, to consider whether the provisions should continue.
• If the secretary makes the specified finding after a hearing, the secretary must hold a referendum on continuing the board.
• If the referendum does not receive the required favorable vote, the board will end on March 1 following the calendar year of the referendum.
• The bill continues grape-processor assessments deposited into the continuously appropriated Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, which makes an appropriation.

Expanded Pierce’s Disease Task Force ​

The bill expands the Pierce’s disease advisory task force’s role to include advising the Secretary of Food and Agriculture on other designated pests and diseases. It also removes the March 1, 2031 end date, allowing the task force to continue indefinitely unless the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board stops operating.

Key takeaways

• The task force must advise on designated pests and diseases in addition to Pierce’s disease.
• The bill eliminates the task force’s scheduled March 1, 2031 expiration date.
• The task force may continue operating indefinitely.
• The task force becomes inoperative if the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board is discontinued.

Public Access Findings ​

The bill makes formal legislative findings to support its limits on public access to certain government meetings or records. These findings state that the limits are needed to protect the interest identified by the bill.

Key takeaways

• The bill includes the findings required when a law limits public access to government meetings or records.
• The findings are intended to explain the interest protected by the access limitation and why protection is needed.
• This part does not itself describe any additional access rule; it supplies the required justification for the bill's limitation.