provides policy and fiscal advice to the Legislature. I stumbled upon a key passage in the report that needs to be shouted from every rooftop: “The Legislature can make California a more attractive place for business investment by ensuring that the system of taxation and regulation is not unduly burdensome.” That sentiment is powerful because it’s both true and comes from a trusted advisory agency to the Legislature. Arguably the current system of regulations is already burdensome. But the LAO’s encouragement is to refocus on this and try to find policy actions that are beneficial to business and other state policy goals. I’m encouraged to see this worded so directly in a strategic report. It does not mean that anything super meaningful will necessarily happen overnight to shift the immediate regulatory trajectory in California as regulations often take many months, if not years, to develop. However, the report signals to state officials that something needs to be done to provide greater relief for California’s business sector in order for them to really prosper. Businesses do matter. You’ve always known that. We’ve always known that. Most of the general public knows that. We can also now add the LAO to that list.
WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2024 Stuart Woolf, Chair Rob Yraceburu, Vice Chair Neill Callis,Treasurer Don Cameron, Executive Secretary Dave Puglia, President & CEO DIRECTORS – 2024 GEORGE ADAM Innovative Produce, Santa Maria, California CRAIG ALAMEDA Topflavor Farms Inc, Salinas, California ALEXANDRA ALLEN Main Street Produce, Santa Maria, California CHAD AMARAL D’Arrigo Bros Co of Calif., Salinas, Calif. KEVIN ANDREW Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, California ROBERT BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP, Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BARDIN BENGARD Bengard Ranch, Salinas, California BRIAN BERTELSEN Cove Ranch Management, Reedley, California GEORGE BOSKOVICH III Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, California RODNEY BRAGA Braga Ranch, Soledad, California NEILL CALLIS Turlock Fruit Company, Turlock, California DON CAMERON Terranova Ranch, Inc., Helm, California EDWIN CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LARRY COX Lawrence Cox Ranches, Brawley, California STEPHEN DANNA Danna Farms, Inc., Yuba City, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California TIMOTHY ESCAMILLA Bolthouse Fresh Foods, Bakersfield, California CATHERINE FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID GILL Rio Farms, King City, California
ROBERT GIRAGOSIAN Kern Ridge Growers, LLC, Arvin, California BRANDON GRIMM Grimmway Farms, Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC, Nipomo, California TRACY JONES Booth Ranches, Orange Cove, California A. G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC, Fullerton, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens, Thermal, California J.P. LABRUCHERIE LaBrucherie Produce, El Centro, California STEPHEN MARTORI III Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California DOMINIC MUZZI, JR. Muzzi Family Farms, LLC, Moss Landing, California THOMAS NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California STEPHEN PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California JOHN POWELL, JR. Peter Rabbit Farms, Coachella, California RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California ERIC REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard, California KYLE RICHARDSON Garry Richardson Farms, Bakersfield, California SONNY RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona BRUCE TALBOTT Talbott’s Mountain Gold, LLP, Palisade, Colorado RYAN TALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE TAYLOR Taylor Farms Calif., Salinas, California JACK VESSEY Vessey and Company Inc, Holtville, California MIKE WAY Prime Time International, Coachella, California STUART WOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing, Fresno, California ROB YRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards, Shafter, California
11 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com May | June 2024
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