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	The California State Legislature reconvened on January 3, 2024. California is in its second year of a 2-year bill cycle. The deadline to hear a two-year bill is January 31, and the final day to introduce new legislation is February 20. After February 20, APG will present its 2024 Multi-State Legislative Package.
	Last week, Governor Newsom presented his proposed $291.5 billion Budget, which includes $223.6 billion from the General Fund. The Budget anticipates a $37.9 billion budget shortfall, for which the Governor points to a decline in stock market returns in 2022 and a delay in income tax collections following an IRS extension (impacting the May revision from the current year budget,) as the primary causes. Additionally, the volatility in the financial markets has had a significant impact. The reductions in these "Big Three" revenue sources for California are expected to reduce the General Fund revenue by $42.9 billion compared to the 2023-24 budget year.
	Highlights:
	Water: The Governor proposes $7.3 billion (a reduction of $1.4 billion) to fund drought resilience and response programs. The Budget includes $93.9 million in one-time funds for various flood safety efforts, including $31.1 to support flood risk reduction projects in the Central Valley.
	NOTE: The Governor's Budget provides $22.1 million in General Fund in 2023-24 (current budget year) to respond to exotic fruit fly infestation and destruction and $22.7 million in General Fund resources in 2023-24 (current budget year) to repair flood damage to the CAFS laboratory in Tulare County.
	American Pistachio Growers has been monitoring dialogue in Congress regarding specific actions taken by China that warrant a response. We ask that you recall some recent history when a similar Congressional dialogue led to actions taken by the U.S. that triggered a reaction from the Chinese government in the form of significant tariff increases on U.S. products or commodities.
	Attention: County Agricultural Commissioners
	The regulations around applying fumigants were updated on January 1, 2024. However, the Department of Pesticide Regulations issued a discretion letter to allow County Ag Commissioners flexibility in enforcement for applicators in the process (but caught in a backlog of testing/applications) to ensure compliance by March 30, 2024.
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	Monday, February 26, 2024 - Wednesday, February 28, 2024
	Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, California
	Vince Fong was elected to represent the 32nd Assembly District, which encompasses most of Kern County including Bakersfield, Bear Valley Springs, Frazier Park, Glennville, Kernville, Lake Isabella, Maricopa, Oildale, Ridgecrest, Taft, and Tehachapi as well as parts of Tulare County including Exeter, Kaweah, Springville, Three Rivers and Visalia.   From a young age, Vince knew that he wanted to positively affect the region that he has always called home, and he recognized that policy provided him with the opportunity to achieve this goal.   Vince is a lifelong resident of Kern County. He earned a bachelor's degree from UCLA and master's from Princeton University. He serves on the boards of the Jim Burke Education Foundation and Honor Flight Kern County where he works to send WWII, Korean War and Vietnam Veterans to Washington, DC to see their memorials.
	Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) was born and raised in rural southwestern Virginia, the daughter of a miner and a seamstress, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Emory & Henry College in Virginia.   Throughout her career, Atkins has been a champion for affordable housing, the environment, healthcare, veterans, women, the LGBTQ community, and mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change. She has authored landmark legislation on housing, including SB 2, which created a permanent source of funding for affordable housing, a signature piece of legislation she worked on for several years, and SB 9, which streamlined the process for homeowners to create a duplex or subdivide an existing lot in single-family zones. In 2022, Pro Tem Atkins introduced the 'California Dream for All Program,' an innovative new way for the state to help first-time homebuyers dramatically lower or eliminate their down-payment requirements and lower monthly mortgage payments. That same year, she authored several critical pieces of legislation, including SB 1375, which allows qualified nurse practitioners to provide abortions without the supervision of a physician, and SCA 10, a constitutional amendment to make explicit the fundamental right to abortion and contraceptives.
	PISTACHIO INDUSTRY 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
	For more information: Email: info@americanpistachios.org Call: (559) 475-0435
	Admission to the World Ag Expo is necessary to attend the reception.
	Kindly reply to: Wes Wilson at wwilson@americanpistachios.org or Hannah Doyle at hdoyle@americanpistachios.org Or call to register: (559) 475-0435
	April 8, 2024 • Mulvaney's B&L 5:30 PM   Signature Pistachio Cocktail Hour 1215 19th Street, Sacramento,   CA 95811 Cross Streets: 6:00 PM 19th between L and Capitol Cooking with Pistachios & Dinner
CALIFORNIA   In-person course | Tulare, CA, USA: 3/19/2024 Location: 4999 E. Bardsley Avenue, Tulare, CA 93274, USA Contact Information: Edward Fifield, Phone: 559-737-8124 Cost: $399; Course #: CA-240319-GR - Registration Information Training Language: English   Remote delivery course | CA, USA: 5/30/2024 - 5/31/2024 Contact Information: Edward Fifield, Phone: 559-737-8124 Cost: $399; Course #: CA-240530-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   ARIZONA   Remote delivery course | AZ, USA: 2/27/2024 - 2/28/2024 Contact Information: Norman Barnett, Phone: 602-542-0978 Cost: $71; Course #: AZ-240227-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   Remote delivery course | AZ, USA: 3/12/2024 - 3/13/2024 Contact Information: Norman Barnett, Phone: 602-542-0978 Cost: $71; Course #: AZ-240312-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   Remote delivery course | AZ, USA: 4/16/2024 - 4/17/2024 Contact Information: Norman Barnett, Phone: 602-542-0978 Cost: $71; Course #: AZ-240416-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   Remote delivery course | AZ, USA: 5/21/2024 - 5/22/2024 Contact Information: Norman Barnett, Phone: 602-542-0978 Cost: $71; Course #: AZ-240521-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   Remote delivery course | AZ, USA: 6/25/2024 - 6/26/2024 Contact Information: Norman Barnett, Phone: 602-542-0978 Cost: $71; Course #: AZ-240625-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   NEW MEXICO   Remote delivery course | NM, USA: 1/30/2024 - 1/31/2024 Contact Information: Robert Silver, Phone: 575-642-5865 Cost: $45 - New Mexico residents verified, $135 - out of state residents; Course #: NM-240130-GRRD - Registration Information Training Language: English   In-person course | Albuquerque, NM, USA: 3/1/2024 Location: 1501 Menual Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA Contact Information: Robert Silver, Phone: 575-642-5865 Cost: $50 - New Mexico residents verified, $135 - out-of-State residents Course #: NM-240301-GR - Registration Information Training Language: English
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