IRVINE, CA - California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced his official endorsement of Proposition 15. In response, Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia issued a statement pertaining to how the association foresees this initiative will impact the fresh produce industry.

“California farms and businesses are withering under a hostile and worsening legal and regulatory climate that has been compounded by the COVID-19 economic shutdowns. It is therefore very regrettable that Governor Newsom endorsed a ballot initiative that promises to hike the property taxes of business and farms by $11.5 billion,” Puglia stated. “We need relief from the massive weight of California regulatory and tax policies that are increasingly motivating business owners to escape to friendlier states and countries. Prop 15, if passed, will add even more fuel to the motivation to quit California. As a business owner himself, the Governor certainly understands this and should have started a badly needed realignment of the state’s policies toward business enterprises by opposing Prop 15. Despite this setback, we are confident that the voices of the people who drive California’s economy will persuade the voters to reject Prop 15.”

As one of California’s largest industries, propositions such as this pose the possibility of significant changes to our operations.

For more information on how our industry is navigating legislation such as this, keep following along with us at AndNowUKnow.

Western Growers