Agricultural lands: livestock producers: managerial employees: livestock pass program: disaster access to ranch lands.

Existing law requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to examine persons who desire to become county agricultural commissioners or deputy county agricultural commissioners. Existing law requires the county agricultural commissioner to be responsible for local administration of enforcement and requires the secretary to be responsible for overall statewide enforcement, as provided. Existing law requires the secretary to furnish assistance in planning and otherwise developing an adequate county enforcement program, including uniformity, coordination, training, special services, special equipment, and forms, statewide publicity, statewide planning, and emergency assistance. This bill would authorize, upon the approval of a county board of supervisors, a county agricultural commissioner, or other designated agency, to establish within the county a livestock pass program for the purpose of issuing identification documents granting any qualifying livestock producer, as defined, or a managerial employee, as defined, of the qualifying livestock producer, access to the qualifying livestock producer's ranch property, or to the ranch property owned by another holder of a livestock pass with permission, during or following a flood, storm, fire, earthquake, or other disaster, as provided. To the extent this bill would impose a new duty on a county board of supervisors in approving the livestock pass program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that access to specified areas may only be granted by the incident commander, a law enforcement official having jurisdiction, or their designee and that when access is granted by emergency response personnel other than the incident commander, the emergency response personnel shall notify incident command when they grant the livestock passholder access to the ranch property during a disaster. To the extent this bill would impose new notification duties on local officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2023, the State Fire Marshal, with the involvement of the Statewide Training and Education Advisory Committee, to develop a curriculum for livestock producers eligible for this livestock pass program. Existing law authorizes specified law enforcement and public safety officers and professionals to close an area where a menace to the public health or safety is created by a calamity, including flood, storm, fire, earthquake, explosion, accident, or other disaster, as provided. This bill would provide that the above provision does not apply to an individual who holds a valid livestock pass identification document, except as provided. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.