Numerous bills of interest presented to California’s Senators, Assembly members and staff

The California Alliance for Golf (CAG) made annual legislative visits to the California State Capitol in Sacramento on March 26. CAG is a consortium of associations, community groups and businesses organized to act as the unified voice of golf in California protecting and promoting the game at local, regional, state and federal levels.  

The group included representatives of the California GCSA, Latina Golfers Association, Moore Minister Consulting, Northern California PGA, San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, Southern California Golf Association, Southern California PGA as well as CAG Executive Director Craig Kessler and CAG Lobbyist Nicole Quinonez. 

The representatives discussed bills of opposition, support and watch with various Senators, Assembly members and staff from both sides of the aisle.

Bills of support

• AB 72: This bill would for the first time in California history set a water supply target that would add 9 million-acre-feet of additional supply by 2050 to replace the amount estimated to be lost to the state by aridification and would do so while protecting the integrity of the Sacramento Delta. The additional supply would come from storm water capture, aquifer replenishment, desalination, expanded reclaimed use and emerging technologies that assist with conservation 
• AB 310: Existing law, the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act, requires a youth sports organization to ensure, by January 1, 2027, that its athletes have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) during any practice or match.  This amendment would ensure it by requiring youth sports organizations to retain coaches certified to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and operate an AED. Replacing the “medical professional” requirement in the original Act with a trained coach requirement makes it possible for youth sports organizations to satisfy the ends of the original Act through means that sustain existing youth sports programs and encourage the creation of new ones.
  

  Bills of Opposition:

  • SB 51: This bill would repeal the permanent daylight saving time preference approved by 62% of the California electorate in 2018 and replace it with a permanent standard time preference. The bill would have negative economic impacts on the golf industry by shortening evening daylight hours during the spring, summer and fall that traditionally serve as key revenue drivers through twilight fees, golf leagues and junior programs.  It would also have potentially negative consequences on health as people would be less able to recreate in post-work hours. 

  Watch:

  • SB 601: The bill would have everything in California related to WOTUS discharge protocols revert to the protocols established by the 1972 Clean Water Act as most recently codified by the Biden administration.
  • SB 224: This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2027, to adopt a new water supply forecasting model and procedures that better address the effects of climate change and implement a formal policy and procedures for documenting the department’s operational plans and the department’s rationale for its operating procedures, including the department’s rationale for water releases from reservoirs.
  • SB 89: This bill would prohibit, on and after January 1, 2028, the sale of a product that contains glyphosate in this state, except to a person or business that holds a valid license or certificate issued by the Department of Pesticide Regulation. 
    

A big thank you to CAG Executive Director Craig Kessler and Lobbyist Nicole Quinonez for putting together over 20 visits to various key offices to discuss these bills of interest and protect golf’s best interests.  For more information on the California Alliance for Golf, visit their website.