The Vantage Point

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 


As you likely already know, Governor Newsom, in agreement with the state Legislature, announced full restoration of UC’s budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. For UC ANR, that means the 12.7% cut we sustained in FY 2020/21 will be restored, bringing our budget back to pre-COVID levels for FY 2021/22. This is wonderful news and means that we will be able to continue the impactful work that we do, but this isn’t a done deal – lawmakers won’t actually vote on this plan for several months. We still need your help in thanking the legislature for their support and asking them to continue to restore critical funding to UC ANR. 
 
There are two upcoming budget subcommittee hearings - March 1 and March 9 - where state lawmakers will specifically discuss UC’s FY2021-22 budget. These meetings will be open to public comment and this is our chance to set the tone during budget negotiations, and express support for UC. You can also make your voice heard through this easy access link. For more information regarding UC ANR advocacy, please reach out to Anne Megaro, our Government and Community Relations Director.
 
Throughout February, UC ANR celebrated Black History Month with online educational programs and activities organized by Black and Allied Staff and members of the UC ANR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Alliance. Employees and volunteers were inspired by speakers addressing Black history and the experience of being Black in the U.S., including the experiences of Black farmers. Sonia Lewis, founder of ASCRIBE Educational Consulting, spoke on "The Black lived experience is a matter of history. A “Lived Experience” session featured a virtual museum piece and discussion intro by UC ANR’s Mary Blackburn, health and nutrition advisor. Chanowk Yisrael, who founded Yisrael Family Urban Farm with his wife Judith, spoke about “The importance of food sovereignty.” Farmers Dennis Hutson, Donald Sherman and William Smith discussed “Priorities and experiences of Black farmers.”

These outstanding sessions were coordinated by a team of UC ANR staff and academics: Esther Mosase, community education specialist (San Diego), LeChe’ McGill, HR business partner (Davis), Keith Nathaniel, UCCE director for Los Angeles County and 4-H advisor, and Ron Walker, senior systems administrator (Davis).

This month’s newsletter is filled with safety-related information, highlights on how UC ANR benefits the California economy, and we’ve also launched a new story series on partnerships to improve urban lives. On the COVID front, we invite you to learn about vaccine myths and facts at ucanr.edu/covid19, and if you haven’t already taken our new online virtual UC ANR tour, we’ve reposted the link in the Events section below. 
 
As always, I thank you for your support and commitment to UC ANR and all that we accomplish together!