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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
According to Food and Agriculture Code 20469, the Livestock Identification Advisory Board, or LIAB, makes recommendations to the secretary relative to the administration and enforcement of hide and brand laws; procedures are followed by the Bureau of Livestock Identification; curbing of livestock thefts; the annual budget for the Bureau of Livestock Identification; and proposed legislation relative to the bureau.
The term of office for a member on the LIAB is four years. Members on the board receive no compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for mileage. The present board membership consists of two beef cattle producers, two dairy producers, two registered feedlot operators, and one livestock marketing business.
One board member position opens on Oct. 31, 2019. Any interested individual representing the dairy producer industry should apply.
Please send a brief resume by Oct. 31 to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Bureau of Livestock Identification, Attention: John Suther, 1220 N St., Sacramento, CA 95814.
The Bureau of Livestock Identification, or LID, is the sole state authority to register and inspect cattle operations.
LID maintains a brand registration and inspection program to protect cattle owners in California against loss of animals by theft, straying or misappropriation.
The bureau’s program consists of registration of livestock brands; inspection of cattle for lawful possession prior to transportation, sale or slaughter; recording of information obtained by such inspections; and assisting local law enforcement with investigations and prosecutions involving cattle theft.
Additional information is available on LID’s web page.
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
Each year, CDFA conducts a two-phase competitive solicitation process to award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops.
Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
Review the 2020 Request for Concept Proposals for detailed application instructions.
Phase I of the competitive process begins with the submission of concept proposals, which undergo both an administrative review and a technical review. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a detailed grant proposal in Phase II of the process.
Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $450,000 per project and projects may last for up to two years and six months. Non-profit and for-profit organizations; local, state, federal, and tribal government entities; and public and private colleges and universities are eligible to apply.
All applicants must register online with the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool, or FAAST, https://faast.waterboards.ca.gov, to apply. Concept proposals must be submitted electronically using FAAST by Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at 5 p.m. PST.
Prospective applicants may contact CDFA’s Office of Grants Administration at 916-657-3231 or
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
This committee reviews, evaluates, and makes recommendations to CDFA on proposals submitted for funding to California’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, or SCBGP.
The SCBGP is a competitive solicitation process designed to enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops.
Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $450,000 per project and projects may last for up to two years and six months.
The Technical Review Committee consists of representatives from government and non-government organizations.
Technical Review Committee members will attend one training webinar in October 2019 and two in-person reviews, one in December 2019 and one in March 2020, to make recommendations on concept and grant proposals.
All individuals interested in serving on the Technical Review Committee must submit a completed application form and a copy of their résumé to
Within the form, applicants must identify one primary and one alternate funding category related to their area of expertise. The SCBGP funding categories are as follows:
• Grown in California;
• Healthy Specialty Crops for All Californians;
• Equipping Current and Next Generation Specialty Crop Farmers;
• Environmental Stewardship and Conservation;
• Plant Health and Pest Management.
For a description of each funding category and more details about the program, please reference the 2020 SCBGP Request for Concept Proposals.
The application form and the 2020 SCBGP Request for Concept Proposals can be found on the SCBGP website.
Prospective applicants may contact CDFA’s Office of Grants Administration at 916-657-3231 or
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- Written by: Department of Insurance
The investigation illustrates that many affinity groups disproportionately and adversely affect drivers residing in ZIP codes with lower per capita incomes, lower levels of educational attainment, and larger communities of color.
Some insurers offer lower automobile premium pricing to certain “affinity groups” including white-collar occupations and highly skilled workers.
Department data shows that one-quarter of Californians receive an affinity group premium reduction ranging from 1.5 percent to 25.9 percent depending on the insurer and group.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called the new data “disturbing” after the first affinity group fact-finding hearing in the Department’s history last week in Los Angeles.
“This disturbing data confirms what we have heard for years, that auto group discounts do not apply equally across California,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “We are evaluating whether insurer affinity group discounts violate state laws, and I am prepared to act to ensure all Californians have access to affordable auto insurance regardless of their income, education, or ethnicity.”
Among the findings released by the Department of Insurance:
– Customers in surveyed affinity groups tend to be in higher income ZIP codes. Only 26 percent of Californians in the lowest-earning areas ($22,516 per capita and below) receive group discounts, compared to 55 percent in the highest-earning areas ($49,070 per capita and above).
– Those in affinity groups that were surveyed are more likely to reside in ZIP codes with a higher average educational attainment. Only 28 percent of those living in areas with the lowest number of college degrees receive discounts, compared to 56 percent for those where half or more have college degrees.
– Those in affinity groups are more likely to reside in ZIP codes with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population. 47% of persons living in ZIP codes with a large non-Hispanic white population (62 percent or greater) receive an affinity group discount. Only 29 percent of those in heavily minority areas (greater than 83 percent) receive discounts.
– Three-quarters of those in underserved communities were not in an affinity group, compared to 57 percent for the rest of the state.
The Department of Insurance is responsible for the review and approval of automobile insurance premiums in the state to ensure they are fair and based on objective factors.
The 1988 voter-enacted Proposition 103 established the mandatory factors to be a driver’s driving safety record, miles driven, and years of driving experience, followed by optional factors that the commissioner may permit for use in automobile insurance rating.
In January, the Department of Insurance prohibited the use of gender in private passenger automobile rate-setting in order to remove factors that are beyond a driver’s control.