Agricultural development.

Existing law imposes an annual assessment of 1% on the gross sales of all deciduous pome and stone fruit trees, nut trees, and grapevines, including seeds, seedlings, rootstocks, and topstock, including ornamental varieties of apple, apricot, crabapple, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear, and plum, produced and sold within the state or produced within and shipped from the state by any licensed nursery dealer, and provides that for packaged or containerized stock, the assessment shall be levied on the producer's bareroot price of the plants, and specifies the purposes for which the assessment may be used. Existing law provides that the assessment shall be paid into the State Treasury and shall be credited to the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, a continuously appropriated fund for these purposes. This bill would include olive trees within the plants that are subject to the assessment. By depositing additional money into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. Existing law authorizes the Department of Food and Agriculture to enter into agreements with the University of California, any commissioner, and any qualified research agency, to assist in the development of planting material for pome and stone fruit, nut tree, and grapevine production. Existing law requires the agreements to provide for payment for services rendered from fees collected pursuant to the provisions described above. This bill would additionally authorize the department to enter into agreements to assist in the development of planting material for olive tree production. Because the bill would expand the scope of the services for which payment may be made for services rendered from the fees described above, the bill would deposit additional moneys into, and would expand the scope of the authorization to spend moneys from, a continuously appropriated fund, thereby making an appropriation. Existing law authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture, upon consultation with the pome and stone fruit tree, nut tree, and grapevine nursery industry, to appoint a board to assist and advise him or her concerning the implementation of the assessment and other related provisions of law. Existing law requires board members to represent all areas of the state involved in the production of pome and stone fruit trees, nut trees, and grapevines. This bill would extend membership on the board to include representatives of licensed olive nursery stock producers, as specified, and require the secretary to additionally consult with the olive industry in appointing the board. The bill would include olive trees among those items of production that are required to be represented by board members.