Political Action & Education Committee
The Farm Bureau Political Action and Education Committee (PAEC) focuses on a variety of local, state and federal issues that affect agriculture. The educational component provides information to the public so that the story of agriculture can be heard and understood. The political component works on numerous topics that include: land use, water, local government, taxes, air quality, state policy and federal legislation. The issues are dynamic and new topics are never in short supply.
Political Action & Education Committee Report
Reported by Peter Bradford, Committee Chair – July 2025
The civil lawsuit by Mendocino County Auditor, Chamise Cubbison against the County of Mendocino, continues. Judge Moorman denied a bid by lawyers for the County of Mendocino in their attempt to move the trial for a change of venue, based on intense local news coverage that could prejudice the outcome, and has scheduled to resume legal briefings for August. Judge Moorman was reported to say in the June 21, 2025, Ukiah Daily Journal, there is a judicial canon of ethics that demands judges stay “immune from public influence” and that is the bedrock of her judicial practices.
As a “refresher” for some on how Mendocino County became at odds with Auditor, Chamise Cubbison, it began with the combination in Mendocino County by the 2024 Board of Supervisors, of the two elected positions, the Auditor-Controller’s office and the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office and was initially explained as a cost savings for the county. Four of the five supervisors voted to combine the two positions, Supervisor Haschak did not. Both the former Auditor-Controller and the Treasurer-Tax Collector spoke strongly against the move and nevertheless the four supervisors, without any in-depth review or risk assessment of such a move, voted to combine the two offices. None of us have seen the final costs associated with the costly criminal trial of Chamise Cubbison, or the continuing civil suit against the county brought about by the persecution of Cubbison. Any “cost savings” resulting from the combination of those two offices will never materialize, county taxpayers will be paying for an extended time to cover the costs of these two trials.
In the meantime, county taxpayers have lost financial oversight. It is in our best interests to maintain the integrity, transparency, and accountability of County finances so Mendocino County Farm Bureau, along with the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition and the Mendocino County Democratic Central Committee are petitioning the county to reinstate the two former elected positions. The online petition can be viewed at, and we encourage you to also sign, by visiting, https://www.change.org/p/restore-our-treasurer-tax-collector-and-auditor-controller-to-two-elected-offices?source_location=search
The effort by the City of Ukiah to vastly seize surrounding lands and force them into the city limits has been paused by the city who are also reported as saying they are now looking at alternative plans. Following that news, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors tabled a discussion on whether to cancel a master tax sharing agreement currently in place with
the cities of Ukiah, Willits, Fort Bragg and Point Arena. One valid point brought out by “No Ukiah Annexation” are that with the proposed annexation public safety will suffer. The city will be greatly understaffed, if they take on the increased public services, and the resulting loss of revenue to the county will impact Mendocino Countys financial ability to continue public services at the current level. Another factor, not widely announced by the city, will be the increased costs for the new district residents in the annexed zone. Those will be higher sales taxes and business fees, increased building permit and utility rates and a 30% increase in Ukiah Valley Sanitation District fees over the next 5 years.
The” Great Redwood Trail” has suffered a publicity disclosure that the Great Redwood Trail Agency, (GRTA) are trying to keep quiet. The proposed 300-mile $5 billion dollar trail that Senator Mike McGuire would like to have as his legacy has a problem. A 2023 report from the California Budget & Policy Center found that the state’s “Far North” — including Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties — has the highest per-capita homelessness rate in California. Between 2023 and 2024, point-in-time counts showed a 22.3% surge in Mendocino County’s homeless population, while Humboldt’s dropped by 5%. Following this report GRTA very quietly hired Lear Asset Management, a private security company most recently known for violently removing a protestor from an Idaho town hall. Lear was contracted to patrol the railroad from Cloverdale to Humboldt Bay, and instructed to “prevent trespass,” “remove all unpermitted entrants” and “perform lawful arrests.” After the public disclosure that Lear was maintaining security, GRTA, knowing of the criminal charges against Lear because of the Idaho incident, terminated the contract. This dream of a trail will be a nightmare for adjacent landowners and even those nowhere near the railroad. Increased trespass, fires, refuse left, and theft are certain to happen if the trail ever opens. As for the estimated $5 billion cost, didn’t they say the California High-Speed Rail was only going to cost $9.5 billion? As of July 2025, the cost of the high-speed rail is approximately $14.4 billion. $5 billion for the Great Redwood Trail, I don’t think so.
Farm Pac & Farm Team
Working to Protect Your Bottom Line
The biggest threat to farming is not an act of nature. The cumulative burden of increased taxes and regulations has a direct affect on your profitability.
No one person can face such obstacles alone. However, with Farm Bureau you have the tools to weather the storm.
Farm Bureau has two programs that directly impact your bottom line – the California Farm Bureau Fund to Protect the Family Farm (FARM PAC®) and the FARM TEAM.
These programs compliment each other and work to achieve one common goal – to protect people like you – California’s family farmers and ranchers.
FARM PAC is Farm Bureau’s political action committee, the muscle and voice representing farming interests in the political arena.
Farm Bureau does not utilize membership dues for making political contributions. This is why Farm Bureau created FARM PAC more than thirty years ago.
The voluntary contributions of members like you, allows Farm Bureau to make political contributions to candidates who are committed to working in the best interests of the state’s farmers and ranchers, regardless of their party affiliation.
When deciding whether or not to support a candidate’s re-election campaign, FARM PAC allows Farm Bureau to hold those lawmakers accountable for their actions while in office.
In addition to being able to make political contributions, Farm Bureau also saw the need for California’s family farmers and ranchers to tell their story, while weighing in on legislation and regulations.
FARM TEAM allows you to contact the lawmakers who make the decisions that impact your farming and ranching operations.
As a web-based program, you will receive email Action Alerts from FARM TEAM that enable you to send letters and participate in activities that influence public policy and the outcome of elections.
In a matter of minutes, from the comfort of your own home and at your own convenience – you can take part in the political process and ultimately work to protect California’s rich agricultural heritage.
There are many issues before lawmakers this year that will impact how you do business. A water bond intended to provide additional water storage and conveyance, eminent domain fixes, food safety regulations and legislation to reduce metal theft are all on the table.
Remember, Farm Bureau’s strength is in its numbers and you have the tools to contribute to that strength. Regardless of how you participate, it benefits agriculture, and ultimately, it benefits you.
Visit http://www.cfbf.com/ to learn more about FARM PAC and FARM TEAM. Or simply call the Mendocino County Farm Bureau office at 707-462-6664 for more information.
“If I were running a business that grossed $10,000,000 per year, I would probably have my own attorney on staff or maybe more than one. However, much to my dismay, I do not gross even a fraction of that. So why is this relevant your ask? Our team of state and federal law makers has nothing better to do than make new and exciting laws for us to try and follow. Then let’s add ballot measures that seek to force us to cut dead trees down. Many of these laws and measures are thousands of pages of drivel and technical jargon. I run a one man freak show (some would call it a business) and it’s all I can do to get the work done that needs doing on a day to day basis. So when there is measure X on the ballot that is a 1400 page measure that might affect my business, how do I make an informed decision? I look to Farm Bureau. CFBF has a legal department whose job is to look out for the well being of agriculture. They read all 1400 pages of drivel and boil it down to something I can understand with a minimal amount of research.”Member since 2003
“Being a Farm Bureau member is important for many reasons, but to me the most important reason for being a member is that the people who often times are making decisions about what happens on my farm, elected officials, have no basis for those decisions other than preconceived ideas or what they are being told by individuals who don’t have my best interest in mind. Farm Bureau provides a strong, focused voice on my behalf to educate and influence these elected leaders so that I can continue to operate my business and support my family.”Former President and member since 2006
“Living in a state where the political power is concentrated in a few big cities, we need political clout, there is no stronger more supportive ally than Farm Bureau. Whether the issue is local, statewide or national, no one represents rural interests like Farm Bureau.”Former President and member since 1992
