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AgriculturalCouncil of CaliforniaEMILY ROONEY, PresidentCreating Our Nichein the Next Legislative SessionAGRICULTURAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIAAs we approach the holiday season, we can all be thankful for the postelectionpeace, free of political advertising and posturing. Reflectingon the recent election, there are some lessons the staff and membersof Agricultural Council of California (Ag Council) must keep in mind.In the national races, one has to wonder if we are facing post-election “fallout,”or really just more of the same? The close presidential election was proof thatas a nation, we have an almost equally divided populace when it comes to partyaffiliation. “Swing” states and independent voters were actively courted by bothcandidates. The results of the most expensive election on record helped validatethe approach Ag Council has taken in reaching out to California lawmakers. Partyaffiliation is a line we have to continue to bridge and cross in order to make sure allof California’s lawmakers know the value of agriculture to the state’s success.In the Legislature, Democrats now hold a two-thirds supermajority in the stateSenate. While a few close races remain undecided, it appears Democrats mayalso have a veto-proof majority in the Assembly. A supermajority gives onepolitical party the ability to override vetoes, avoid deadlines and more easily placeconstitutional changes on the ballot. This underscores the need to reach out tomoderate legislators to ensure that California’s position as the number-one ageconomy is secure.Even if both the state Senate and Assembly consist of a supermajority forthe next legislative session, it will be razor-thin. We are hopeful that throughcontinued advocacy, we will be able to influence the more reasonable lawmakersto vote with us on our key issues pertaining to labor, water, environmental andfiscal matters. This will not be an easy task, but perhaps the most-savvy legislatorswill be encouraged to employ more moderate behavior.»Screenshot from NoProp37.comAg Council’s Board ofDirectors voted to take anofficial position on two ballotmeasures. Proposition 32,which Ag Council was infavor of, unfortunately failedwith only 43.9 percent ofCalifornians voting in supportand 56.1 percent in opposition.Proposition 32 would have bannedcorporations and public andprivate sector unions from usingpayroll-deducted funds for politicalpurposes and prohibited unionsand corporations from directlycontributing to political candidates.Ag Council is pleased thecontroversial geneticallymodified organism (GMO)labeling measure, Proposition37, was voted down with 53.1percent opposing and 46.9percent supporting the measure.Proposition 37 would havemandated labeling of raw orprocessed food as geneticallyengineered under certainparameters.Ag Council opposed Proposition37 because it created a privateright of action against familyfarmers and food processors,increased the cost of food forconsumers, and prohibitedmarketing as “natural” anyproducts that are processedin any way, even if a cropis not genetically modified.Proposition 37 also containednumerous exemptions.36 Almond Facts NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2012