BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California State Senator Melissa Hurtado has introduced a bill that has recently passed the Senate Agriculture Committee and will now advance to the Appropriations Committee.
According to Hurtado, SB 224 would put California in control of its food supply chain by preventing foreign governments from purchasing agricultural land in the state.
Fourth-generation Kern County farmer Jason Giannelli says he finds SB 224 to be critical for growers, as it would not only have an impact on farmland, but also on water usage in the area.
"What makes our country great is that we can feed ourselves, we energize ourselves, and we can protect ourselves. If one of those three fails, then we lose all power. If we're selling our ground to foreign entities who are not going to be good players, that's a problem we could run into," said Giannelli.
According to Giannelli, the majority of the farms in the state are family-owned.
"We want to keep our soil and our ground farming and operating, along with the water because water is valuable to us, and it's what keeps not just us employed, but it keeps our employees employed," said Giannelli. "We're in it for the long-term or else we wouldn't be doing what we are doing."
Existing federal law requires foreign governments that acquire agricultural land in the United States' territory to submit a report to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture containing the reason they want to acquire the land, their legal name, address, and citizenship status.
Hurtado says SB 224 would provide the state with a better understanding of the role that foreign-owned governments may play in our energy and water facilities and agricultural land.
"Really, a lot of it has to do with some of the concerns that farmers were addressing in the Central Valley. I think there is just going to be a lot more interest and concern about water rights and ownership in the State of California," said Hurtado.
Senator Hurtado says she's working to directly address the concerns of farmers. She says many struggle to make ends meet, and there's a lot of different regulations in the state that have made it very challenging for farmers to stay in business.
"The value of their property was significantly going down. Some sold, others continued to hold on, and increasingly there was a lot of concern about specifically foreign governments buying up agricultural land," said Hurtado.
Giannellis says he believes SB 224 is a step in the right direction, and that the long-term goal is to protect food and water security.
