Food and agriculture: omnibus bill.

(1) Existing law authorizes the use of carbon monoxide for the control of burrowing rodent pests subject to specified conditions, including that the carbon monoxide delivery device is permanently affixed with a special warning label. Existing law repeals those provisions on January 1, 2023. This bill would instead repeal those provisions on January 1, 2026. (2) Existing law authorizes the Director of Pesticide Regulation to adopt regulations to establish the minimum requirements of education, continuing education, training, experience, and examination for applicants for certain licenses and certificates, or renewal of certain licenses and certificates, issued by the director and related to pest control. Existing law requires that those regulations pertaining to continuing education requirements establish minimum course requirements related to pesticides and pest management, and requires the director to approve courses that include plant health, organic and sustainable practices, water and air monitoring and residue mitigation, maximum residue levels, quarantine practices, and the on-farm storage of fumigants, all in the context of pesticides and pest management. This bill would additionally require the director to approve courses that include integrated pest management. (3) Existing law establishes fruit, nut, and vegetable standards and requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture and county agricultural commissioners to enforce those provisions. Existing law provides that the secretary and specified other agents of the Department of Food and Agriculture are authorized to enforce and make inspections of grade, standards of quality, and other provisions of any raw unprocessed fruit, nut, or vegetable marketing, food safety, or enforcement program adopted under state or federal authority. This bill would provide that proprietary information obtained in connection with the department's produce safety program is confidential and would prohibit that information from being disclosed, except when required by court order in a judicial proceeding. The bill would also prohibit information contained in individual reports of produce safety program inspections from being made public by the secretary except pursuant to a court order or when prepared in combined form, as specified. (4) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.