The Almond Alliance is lauding California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s inclusion of bee habitat projects and funding for growers in the revised budget proposal he unveiled recently.

The $267.8 billion budget that Newsom submitted on Friday, May 14 would include $213 million for an agricultural equipment incentive program, $150 million for the Alternatives to Agricultural Burning Incentive Program and $30 million in pollinator habitat funding, the organization notes.

Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua was elected in November 2020 to represent District 13 – composed of areas throughout Stockton, Tracy, Mountain House, Lodi, and Thornton – at the State Assembly. He was born and raised in Stockton and graduated from California State University, Sacramento.  

He previously served on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors for eight years and was the CEO of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 

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A bill in the Assembly that would encourage farmers to provide forage and habitat for pollinators through incentives grants is facing a key vote in the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

Assembly Bill 350 seeks to help farmers and ranchers navigate the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The SGMA assistance bill would provide funding for technical support for producers to help with compliance. Introduced by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, the bill is being sponsored by American Farmland Trust (AFT). The legislation was passed out of the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a unanimous vote and is being heard in the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee beginning April 26.

Following efforts from California legislators to call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency over the drought, one Central Valley Democrat is urging the governor to go one step further by making long-lasting investments to solve the state’s water crisis. 

Earlier this month, a group of bipartisan legislators wrote a letter to Newsom making their case for an emergency declaration.