Western Growers increasingly has been leaning into major statewide political action, providing strategic direction and substantial funding for several critical initiatives, which resulted in two significant victories in 2024. PAGA Reform On July 1, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) reform into law. The legislation, which was negotiated between our Fix PAGA coalition and labor lobbyists, is expected to significantly reduce both the number and severity of PAGA cases. Over the last 10 years, PAGA case settlements have cost agricultural employers nearly $160 million. PAGA reform was made possible by the 2024 ballot initiative our coalition qualified in 2022.* Western Growers was the second largest funder of the 2022 signature gathering campaign, with the association matching the $1.2 million contributed by our members. Western Growers contributed an additional $250,000 to the 2024 Fix PAGA public affairs campaign. *We removed our initiative from the 2024 ballot as part of the PAGA reform agreement. Prop. 32 In November, California voters narrowly rejected Prop. 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour. While California’s business community, including most agricultural associations, took formal positions opposing the measure, no one stepped up to spend any significant money against the initiative. Even after private polling data showed that Prop. 32 was barely registering majority support, funding to oppose the measure still did not materialize. For this reason, Western Growers came in with $250,000 to help fund a series of late slate cards with No on 32 messaging. Our partners at the Agricultural Council of California matched our contribution, enabling our mailed cards to reach more than 12 million voters in targeted demographic categories. In a vote that was decided by only several hundred thousand ballots, this small but strategic deployment of funds may well have made the difference.
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