with government worker unions as the Great Recession forced cuts to public payrolls. He also publicly scolded the state’s teachers union for its role in protecting bad teachers. Newsom is quite vocal about the iconic value of California agriculture. As a business owner himself, he has acknowledged the regulatory challenges facing California farmers, stating that “we could do a lot better to make a point that agriculture matters and we care.” As lieutenant governor—a position with few official duties and little influence— Newsom hasn’t had much of a chance to influence the state’s policies. As he campaigns for governor, however, Newsom has embraced key positions of the progressive (or liberal) wing of his party, such as supporting a single- payer health care system. Chiang also supports the single-payer system, although he talks about it with caution, noting the need for a realistic scheme to pay for it; this financial acuity permeates his campaign as Chiang stresses his record as both state controller and treasurer. In his meeting with the WG Board of Directors, Chiang focused on fiscal management and mostly bypassed discussion about labor, water, regulatory demands and other major issues, leaving a great deal of uncertainty about the impact he would have on our industry if elected governor. Then there is the matter of the Republican candidates for governor. Many in our industry affiliate with the Republican Party, myself included, so it pains me to say that there is almost no chance a Republican can be elected here. California is a heavily Democratic state; indeed, by the November election, it is possible that registered Republican voters will have fallen from second place to third, as independent voters (deemed “No Party
Preference,” or NPP) increase their ranks. Nearly 45 percent of registered voters are in the Democratic column. Republican registration has fallen to 26 percent (from 34 percent just 10 years ago); independent/NPP registration now counts for 24.5 percent of the state’s voters and is increasing. Nearly twice as many California voters chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. California has not voted for the Republican nominee in a presidential contest since 1988. Not a single Republican holds statewide office, the state’s 53-member delegation to the House of Representatives includes just 14 Republicans, and the state Legislature is controlled by Democratic supermajorities. As advocates for the best interests of our members and our industry, these are the realities we must confront as we prepare for a new governor. We can hope for, and will work toward, a rebalancing of California’s politics, but those efforts are probably best made within the realm of the Democratic majority. It is a near certainty that for the foreseeable future, California will be governed by that party. All of this is to say that we have engaged, and will continue to engage, these candidates in an effort to determine their vision for California, to educate them on the role the state must play in protecting and promoting our industry, and to lay the foundation for future access and influence regardless of who wins in November. California is already a challenging place for agriculture, and times seem to be getting tougher, but we are redoubling our resolve to fight the fight, and these early and sustained exchanges with Villaraigosa, Chiang, Newsom and others will give us our best chance of developing a meaningful and, hopefully, productive relationship with the next governor.
WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2018
CRAIG A. READE, Chairman RONALD RATTO, Senior Vice Chair RYAN TALLEY, Vice Chair STEPHEN F. DANNA, Treasurer CAROL CHANDLER, Executive Secretary THOMAS A. NASSIF, President DIRECTORS – 2018 GEORGE J. ADAM Innovative Produce, Santa Maria, California JOSEPH E. AIELLO Uesugi Farms, Inc., Gilroy, California KEVIN S. ANDREW Vanguard International, Bakersfield, California MIKE ANTLE Tanimura and Antle, Salinas, California ROBERT K. BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP,Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN J. BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BRIAN BERTELSEN Cove Ranch Management, Reedley, California GEORGE BOSKOVICH III Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, California DON CAMERON Terranova Ranch, Helm, California EDWIN A. CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LAWRENCEW. COX Lawrence Cox Ranches, Brawley, California STEPHEN F. DANNA Danna Farms, Inc.,Yuba City, California JOHN C. D’ARRIGO D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California, Salinas, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California SAMUEL D. DUDA Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., Salinas, California CATHERINE A. FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID L. GILL Rio Farms, King City, California A. G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC, Irvine, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens,Thermal, California LORRI KOSTER Mann Packing Company, Inc., Salinas, California FRED P. LOBUE, JR. LoBue Bros., Inc., Lindsay, California FRANK MACONACHY Ramsay Highlander, Inc., Gonzales, California JOHN S. MANFRE Frank Capurro and Son, Moss Landing, California STEPHEN MARTORI III Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California JOHN MCPIKE California Giant, Inc., Santa Maria, California TOMMULHOLLAND Mulholland Citrus, Orange Cove, California KEVIN MURPHY Driscoll’s Inc.,Watsonville, California MARK NICKERSON PrimeTime International, Coachella, California THOMAS M. NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California KEVIN E. PASCOE Grimmway Enterprises Inc., Bakersfield, California GARY J. PASQUINELLI Pasquinelli Produce Company,Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN F. PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California RONALD A. RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG A. READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California JOSEPH A. RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona WILL ROUSSEAU Rousseau Farming Company,Tolleson, Arizona VICTOR SMITH JV Smith Companies,Yuma, Arizona RYANTALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE C.TAYLOR Taylor Farms California, Salinas, California JACKVESSEY Vessey and Company Inc., Holtville, California STUARTWOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing, Fresno, California ROBYRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards, Shafter, California
6 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2018
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