News release from Governor’s Office

As California weathers the twelfth atmospheric river since late December, the state’s all-of-government emergency response (including CDFA) continues to deploy personnel and resources to protect communities and support recovery efforts across the state.

“We’re continuing to mobilize an all-hands-on-deck response to protect Californians during this latest round of devastating storms,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “With communities from San Diego to Siskiyou County reeling from recent storms, the state is working closely with federal and local partners to provide immediate relief and support the ongoing recovery.”

Since the start of severe winter storms in late February, Governor Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in 43 counties. At Governor Newsom’s request, President Biden issued a Presidential Emergency Declaration authorizing federal assistance to support storm response and recovery efforts. 

The Administration is working to maximize federal aid to storm-impacted communities as state and county officials conduct preliminary damage assessments and tally totals for financial losses to determine if California meets the criteria for a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government. Earlier this year, California secured a Major Disaster Declaration in response to severe storms that began in late December.  

All-In State Response 
California’s emergency response to the widespread storm impacts has involved nearly every part of the state government. Assistance on the ground includes:

Caltrans and CHP

• More than 4,000 crew members mobilized by Caltrans statewide, working 24/7 in shifts to keep roads open and quickly respond to emergencies.
• Caltrans has accelerated repairs on storm-damaged roads in nearly 200 locations statewide and prepositioned equipment at critical locations to prepare for flooding, slides and heavy snow.
• CHP has stepped up patrols statewide and is augmenting local government law enforcement to assist with road closures and evacuations.

CAL FIRE

• 33 crews active statewide (including personnel from CAL FIRE, California National Guard, California Conservation Corps, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.)
• Five Damage Inspection Teams statewide.
• Two Incident Management Teams deployed to assist Inyo, Mono and Tulare counties.
• Two engines, one helicopter and one mobile communications center.
• CAL FIRE storm response video and photos can be found here.

California National Guard

• 125 Cal Guard soldiers and 48 High-Water Vehicles deployed across seven counties to support flood and rescue operations.
• One Blackhawk and one Pave Hawk helicopter deployed and on standby for search and rescue operations across Northern California.
• One Chinook helicopter deployed in standby support of heavy lift operations related to the Pajaro River levee breach.  
• 58 Guardsmen from Task Force Rattlesnake deployed in Tulare, Mono and Placer counties assisting with debris and snow removal.

Cal OES and Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA)

• Cal OES has pre-positioned Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Resources in communities vulnerable to flooding, including:
  • 8 Swiftwater Rescue Teams
  • 10 local government fire strike teams
• EMSA has pre-positioned ambulance strike teams as well as a California Medical Assistance Team (CAL-MAT) to aid in evacuations and support medical needs in communities impacted by flooding.

Department of Water Resources (DWR)

• 40 deployments of Flood Fight Specialists to rapidly respond to levee breaches and localized flooding.
• 470,000 sandbags and 488,000 square feet of plastic sheeting distributed to local government partners. That’s enough plastic to cover eight and a half football fields.

Department of General Services (DGS) 

• DGS is providing 24-hour support procuring goods and services to assist in the response to storms and flooding, including: 95,000 sandbags; heavy machinery; security guard services; accessible and functional needs showers; fuel; firewood, janitorial services; road materials; and additional shelter support services. 
• DGS has procured more than 70 pallets of water, various food items, diapers, and 2,400 cans of baby formula for Monterey County.  

California Department of Social Services (CDSS)

CDSS is working with local officials to help coordinate food, water, and other supplies such as cots and blankets to ensure that people impacted by the storms have what they need.

• 22 open shelters across 11 counties with approximately 664 people currently sheltered.
• Distributing the state’s Guide to Disaster Assistance Services for Immigrant Californians, regardless of immigration status, within impacted communities. The guide is available in Spanish here.

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)

• Field staff in Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Stanislaus counties working with dairies to help evaluate animal evacuation needs. CDFA’s CARES program – which coordinates and protects animal safety – stands ready to coordinate resources as needed.
• 11 fairgrounds overseen by CDFA are open for shelter or staging needs. 

Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA)

LWDA is coordinating with local partners and nonprofits to identify unmet needs and provide resources to residents in Monterey and Merced counties, including distributing information on disaster assistance for immigrants, facilitating interpreter services for outreach to Indigenous communities, and ongoing efforts to drive resources through community organizations that are mobilizing to provide assistance.

• In Monterey, LWDA is working with California Rural Legal Assistance, Center for Farmworker Families, Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño, and Raíces y Cariño to identify support needed for those impacted in the town of Pajaro.
• In Merced, LWDA is working with Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño and the UC Merced Community and Labor Center to identify support needed for those impacted in the town of Planada.
• Distributing information and resources on storm recovery, unemployment insurance, food distribution and more through the COVID-19 Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP) and Statewide Agriculture and Farmworker Education (SAFE) program.

Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and State Water Board

• DTSC personnel are on the ground in Monterey County to clean up household hazardous waste resulting from recent flooding. 
• DTSC and State Water Board staff are coordinating with local officials in Monterey County and other flood-impacted areas to provide expertise related to wastewater spills and water system impacts.

Staying Safe During the Storms

All Californians have an important role in keeping themselves and their communities safe during ongoing severe weather.

• Visit CalAlerts.org to sign up for local wireless emergency alerts.
• Pack a go-bag with important items for each member of your household, including pets, in case you’re evacuated.
• In the instance that it’s safer to shelter in place, add items to a stay box to prepare for at least 3 days without electricity. 
• Please stay off roads and out of mountain areas to allow for first responders to clear roads and get communities back open.
• If told to evacuate, do so immediately

California’s trade mission to Japan has not only highlighted agricultural trade and climate collaboration, but has also laid the foundation for connections on ag tech. 

From enhanced microbial flora in biochar to new opportunities in soil amendments to address drought and extreme heat, Japan is a strong partner in helping to accelerate climate solutions.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and the California ag delegation visited with AgVenture Lab and Tongali, two accelerator programs focused on developing proof of concepts for startup business within the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

Featured companies included Towing and Ac-Planta, along with other businesses focusing on robotics, new alternative chemical solutions, and polymer developed from waste streams. Japan’s ag start-up sector is dedicated to finding sustainable, equitable and climate smart solutions to assist farmers and ranchers in enhancing on-farm practices for food production.

This week’s visit to Japan has built upon long-standing trade partnerships in the fresh fruit, tree nut and dried fruit sectors and has provided business and climate connections for the rice sector and organics.

The annual California Agricultural Statistics Review has been released and is available on the following webpage: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/.  

This publication provides comprehensive data and information on California’s diverse agricultural economy for the 2021 crop year, including agricultural exports and organic production.

In 2021, California’s farms, ranches and plant nurseries received $51.1 billion in cash receipts for their output. This represents a 3.6 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California.  California’s top-10 valued commodities for the 2021 crop year were:

1. Milk and Cream $7.75 billion
2. Grapes $5.23 billion
3. Almonds $5.03 billion
4. Cattle and Calves $3.1 billion
5. Strawberries $3 billion
6. Pistachios $2.9 billion
7. Lettuce $2 billion
8. Tomatoes $1.18 billion
9. Walnuts $1.02 billion
10. Rice $1 billion

California organic product sales totaled $14 billion in 2021, an increase of 16.4 percent from the prior year. Organic production encompasses over 2.13 million acres in the state. California is the only state in the U.S. with a NOP authorized state organic program.

California agricultural exports totaled $22.5 billion in 2021, an increase of 7 percent from 2020. Top commodities for export included almonds, dairy and dairy products, pistachios, wine and walnuts.

Note: A comprehensive report for the 2022 crop year will be assembled in late 2023.

See this Link for more information.

As California’s trade mission to Japan kicked off this week, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross participated in a series of meeting and events underscoring the deep cooperation between California and Japan.

One of first stops was a meeting with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Here, Secretary Ross was able to recognize Japan’s strong trade partnership and collaboration on market access for agricultural products, as well as focusing on organic certification. Discussions also covered California’s Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap.

Following the meeting with the MAFF, California hosted a California-Japan Climate Summit which highlighted climate opportunities related to renewable energy, hydrogen, port infrastructure and agriculture. As part of the Summit, CDFA hosted a Climate Smart Agriculture and Working Lands panel discussion with speakers from Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), the Agricultural Department of Yamanashi Prefecture, California representatives from the University of California’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the California Rice Commission.  The panel underscored research, on-farm practices and technical assistance as key approaches in helping farmers and ranchers address climate change.

The schedule this week has also included visits to key agricultural customers, featuring California Grown supermarket promotions and a tour of the Toyosu Central Wholesale Market for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Secretary Ross is in Japan as part of a California Trade Mission led by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Japan is California’s fourth largest agricultural export market, valued at more than $1.6 billion.  It is the leading destination for California raisins, the second largest destination for walnuts and prunes, the fourth for figs, and the fifth leading market for almonds.

News release from Governor Newsom’s office

Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to enable local water agencies and other water users to capture water from the latest round of storms to recharge state groundwater supplies. 

The order suspends regulations and restrictions on permitting and use to enable water agencies and water users to divert flood stage water for the purpose of boosting groundwater recharge. The order includes wildlife and habitat protections, ensuring that any diversions would not harm water quality or habitat or take away from environmental needs.
 
WHAT GOV. NEWSOM SAID: “California is seeing extreme rain and snow, so we’re making it simple to redirect water to recharge groundwater basins. This order helps us take advantage of expected intense storms and increases state support for local stormwater capture efforts.”
 
A copy of the executive order can be found here.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE: 

• This executive order follows Governor Newsom’s order in February to protect the state’s water supplies from the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather.
  • Allowed the State Water Project to conserve 237,000 acre-feet of water while providing protections for Delta smelt.
  • Allowed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to divert over 600,000 acre-feet of floodwaters for wildlife refuges, underground storage, and recharge. 
• California has bolstered supply and storage, including a combined 1.1 million acre-feet of water – enough for 2.2 million households’ yearly usage:
  • The State Water Board has authorized nearly 790,000 acre-feet in diversions for groundwater recharge and other purposes since late December 2022.
  • The State Water Board streamlined the permitting process for temporary groundwater storage permits to fast-track efforts to capture floodwater to recharge groundwater basins. So far this winter it has authorized 186,153 acre-feet for recharge under those processes.
  • DWR has awarded $68 million to 42 groundwater recharge projects that provide nearly 117,000 acre-feet of potential recharge capacity. Ongoing applications include 52 groundwater recharge projects worth $211 million.
  • Since 2020, the State Water Board has provided $1 billion for 13 projects to bring 88,000 acre-feet per year to the state’s water supplies.
• In August, the Administration released “California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” calling for investing in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing how the state manages water through new technology.
• Leveraging the more than $8.6 billion committed by Governor Newsom and the Legislature in the last two budget cycles to build water resilience, the state is continuing to take aggressive action to prepare for the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather on the state’s water supplies. In the 2023-24 state budget, the Governor is proposing an additional $202 million for flood protection and $125 million for drought related actions.

FACT SHEET: Learn more about what the state is doing to reduce flood risks and recharge groundwater basins.

Today is International Women’s Day, a day celebrated to specifically recognize the achievements of women. This day was officially designated by the United Nations in 1977.

In California and throughout the world, women play a pivotal role in shaping policy decisions in agriculture, running farming operations, and comprising a considerable number of California’s farmworkers. In this video, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross takes a moment to recognize the contributions of women in agriculture—around the world and here in the Golden State.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9NV-pSLZ6Y

“On average, groundwater provides roughly half the water we use as Californians, so implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is crucial to achieving future water resilience. The Groundwater Sustainability Plan determinations released today demonstrate the extremely complex issues within critically overdrafted basins and the importance of collaboration to secure a future of reliable groundwater supplies. Though more work is needed to address difficult conditions in some of the subbasins, important progress is being made in a part of the state facing the biggest challenges of balancing water availability and demand. Agriculture, communities, and local economies will all benefit from California’s commitment to sustainable groundwater management as we face a hotter, drier future in a changed climate.“

– Secretary Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture

See the California Department of Water Resources news release for more information: California Advances Groundwater Sustainability with Release of Decisions for Management Plans in Critically Overdrafted Basins