our involvement in state Legislation
CAWG actively advocates in Sacramento as lawmakers consider key changes to state law. As the unified voice of California winegrape growers, CAWG works to ensure policymakers understand the real-world impacts, both intended and unintended, of proposed legislation.
CAWG champions policies that support the sustainability and success of the winegrape industry and vigorously opposes proposals that could harm growers, their employees, or their communities.
our legislative priorities
Legislation Sponsored (or co-sponsored) by CAWG:
AB 1585 (Connolly and Ransom)
Co-sponsored by CAWG and Family Winemakers of California, this bill would require that wine labeled as “American” be made from 100 percent American-grown winegrapes, aligning the designation with California’s long-standing 100 percent requirement for wines labeled as “California.” AB 1585 builds on long-established truth-in-labeling precedent in California law and ensures that wine labels accurately reflect grape origin, giving consumers confidence in the products they purchase.
SB 921 (Grove and Hurtado)
This bill would create a tax credit for agricultural employers to fully offset the costs of overtime wages paid by agricultural employers. This bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by CAWG and California Farm Bureau, aims to ensure farmworkers have access to overtime pay while providing critical relief to agricultural operations facing rising labor costs.
SB 917 (Laird)
Co-sponsored by CAWG and Family Winemakers of California, this bill would expand opportunities for small, non-estate wineries that purchase local grapes to sell wine and offer tastings at certified farmers’ markets, strengthening direct-to-consumer connections and supporting local supply chains.
SB 279 (McNerney)
This bill streamlines the permitting process for growers who want to use ag waste to create compost on ag land. CAWG co-sponsored this bill with Western Tree Nut Association, CA Alliance for Community Composting, Californians Against Waste, The Climate Center, and People Food & Land Foundation.
SB 628 (Grove)
This bill would have created a tax credit against payroll taxes paid to EDD to cover the costs of overtime wages paid by ag employers. CAWG co-sponsored this bill with California Farm Bureau. A report from the University of California shows that the existing overtime law has resulted in less take-home pay for ag employees.
AB 717 (Aguiar-Curry)
This bill would have made it easier for growers to divert water during heavy stream flows for storage in irrigation ponds. CAWG co-sponsored this bill with the Wine Institute. This is the fourth bill we have sponsored on this issue since 2017, and we were hopeful the legislation would be signed into law this year.
Legislation CAWG is Supporting:
AB 2336 (Macedo)
This bill would require the Air Resources Board (ARB) and CalFire to quantify the emissions from avoided emissions from not burning forestry and agricultural waste. The bill then requires ARB to develop a carbon credit or offset protocol for the utilization of biochar or “other beneficial carbon-removal products” that result in fire avoidance techniques. This would help growers recoup some of the costs associated with alternatives to open ag burn.
AB 457 (Soria), AB 736 (Wicks) & SB 417 (Cabaldon)
These bills are intended to support construction of new farmworker housing through “The Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026” and streamlined permitting in four counties.
AB 846 (Connolly)
Endangered Species: Incidental Take: wildfire preparedness activities. This bill would have made sure that when protecting against wildfires, there is no liability when a species is incidentally harmed.
SB 458 (Niello) and SCA 3 (Niello)
These measures would have taken politics out of how the title and summary of an initiative are written and presented to voters by moving this function from the Attorney General to the independent Office of Administrative Law.
SB 88 (Caballero)
This bill would have required the Air Resources Board (ARB) and CalFire to quantify the emissions from avoided emissions from not burning forestry and agricultural waste. The bill then requires ARB to develop a carbon credit or offset protocol for the utilization of biochar or “other beneficial carbon-removal products” that result in fire avoidance techniques. This would help growers recoup some of the costs associated with alternatives to open ag burn.
AB 1232 (Ávila Farías)
This bill would have required state agencies to evaluate pending regulations relative to what the regulation would do to the cost of living in California.
Legislation CAWG is Opposing:
AB 2227 (Connolly)
This bill would substantially increase the bond requirements for farm labor contractors (FLCs). This bill would change bond thresholds and would require a second bond for FLCs that are not also licensed as a foreign labor contractor.
AB 2646 (Krell)
AB 2646 (Krell) This bill would increase the minimum wage for ag workers to $19.75 per hour. The bill seems intended to apply only to the H-2A program. However, such a limited focus state law would be precluded under federal law and would likely be challenged in court.
AB 2447 (Bauer-Kaham)
AB 2447 (Bauer-Kahan) This bill would create new, expensive, and unnecessary monitoring requirements for monitoring nitrates in water and would require regional water boards and the State Water Board to adopt stringent reporting requirements for growers regardless of the actual potential benefit to water quality.
SB 310 (Weiner)
This bill would have reversed reforms to the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) that were achieved in 2024.
SB 601 (Allen)
This bill would have placed new water regulatory restrictions (for example) on storm water on an access road in a vineyard. The bill would do so by redefining Waters of the State to include such water as “navigable.”
SB 89 (Weber Pierson)
Prohibition on sale of Glyphosate. This bill creates a full ban.
AB 1336 (Addis)
An identical bill was vetoed last year. This bill would have required workers compensation for any heat-related illness by assuming the illness was because of work.
AB 1362 (Kalra)
A similar bill was vetoed three years ago because it creates a duplicative process for farm labor contractors.
AB 1243 (Addis), SB 222 (Wiener) & SB 684 (Menjivar)
These bills would substantially increase the costs of doing business in California. For growers, it would mean increased costs for fuel, fertilizer, and more. Households could lose up to $6,200 per year in disposable income. All three bills have run into substantial roadblocks. Nonetheless, it is expected that this issue will come up in other legislation later this year.
AB 1331 (Elhawary)
This bill has the unintended consequence of prohibiting a grower from surveilling an employee during a cool down period, even though the workplace safety regulations require such surveillance. Substantial amendments were taken in the Assembly to address some concerns.
SB 238 (Smallwood-Cuevas)
Requires public notice of workplace surveillance tools. This includes posting on the employer’s website of the location of security cameras in a workplace.
SB 470 (Laird)
This bill would have allowed board members to attend hearings remotely, while Newsom has ordered the employees back to their offices. It would be better to allow the public to participate remotely, while appointed officials should show up to do their jobs.