Assemblymember Gray’s Bill to Prevent MID Rate Hike Clears Assembly

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Created on Friday, 24 May 2013 13:42

Sacramento—Assemblymember Adam C. Gray (D-Merced) announced that his bill to prevent a 20% increase in electricity for Merced Irrigation District (MID) passed the Assembly with support from both Democrats and Republicans. AB 793 received a vote of 65-3.

“I am happy to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle appreciate the unique set of circumstances MID faces,” said Assemblymember Gray. “It is not appropriate to force rate hikes on an economically challenged community of just 8,000 customers.”

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California bill to establish task force to tackle metal thefts

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Created on Thursday, 23 May 2013 13:41

SACRAMENTO -- State lawmakers want to crack down on the chronic problem of metal theft by setting up a task force to help local law enforcement and district attorneys catch and prosecute thieves.

Under a California Farm Bureau Federation-sponsored bill carried by Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, the panel created as part of the Board of State and Community Corrections would eventually provide grants to local agencies to focus on metal theft and recycling crimes.

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Assemblymember Gray’s Reaction to the May Revision

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Created on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 09:33

SACRAMENTO –Assemblymember Adam C. Gray (D-Merced) issued the following statement on Governor Brown’s May Revision to the 2013-14 budget:

“I want to thank the Governor for his prudent spending decisions contained within his budget revision.  I find it refreshing that the Governor is taking a long-term view of our budget and reducing debt.  Not assuming that the multibillion dollar increases the state has received will continue indefinitely is a budgeting approach long overdue in Sacramento.”

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Lone Democrat Against Non-Citizen Jury Service “ I Will Vote My District”

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Created on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 13:36

SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly passed AB 1401 by a vote of 45-26 last week. The bill would make California the first state to allow non-citizen jury service by immigrants residing in the country legally. The bill was passed largely on a party-line vote, with only one Democrat voting against the measure. The lone Democrat is freshman Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-AD21), representing California’s Central Valley, which includes Merced, Patterson, and Newman; a region known for its agriculture and its independent politics.

Although AB 1401 passed without serious opposition, Gray’s lone “No” vote should not go unnoticed. There were 8 members of the assembly that did not vote on the bill — all Democrats. These members include Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova), Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), Steve Fox (D-Los Angeles), Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), Adrin Nazarian (D-Van Nuys), Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), and Rudy Salas Jr. (D-Bakersfield).

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Bill would let MID count Exchequer Dam power as 'green'

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Created on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 08:41

MERCED -- Under newly proposed legislation, the Merced Irrigation District could see an easing of green-energy requirements, a move officials say would benefit local ratepayers' pocketbooks.

Under California law, power utilities have to provide 33 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the end of 2020. Power providers also must hit benchmarks of 20 percent renewable energy by 2014 and 25 percent by 2017.

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Calif. bill would let non-citizens serve on juries

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Created on Thursday, 25 April 2013 09:31

SACRAMENTO, California -- The California Assembly passed a bill on Thursday that would make the state the first in the nation to allow non-citizens who are in the country legally to serve on jury duty.

Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski said his bill would help California widen the pool of prospective jurors and help integrate immigrants into the community.

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Statement on the High Speed Rail and Farm Bureau Agreement

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Created on Thursday, 18 April 2013 16:27

SACRAMENTO –Assemblymember Adam C. Gray (D-Merced) today praised the settlement agreement between the California High Speed Rail Authority and the Merced County Farm Bureau and the Madera County Farm Bureau.

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Assemblymember Gray’s Metal Theft Bill Clears First Hurdle With Dem. And Rep. Support

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Created on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 15:33

Sacramento—Assemblymember Adam C. Gray (D-Merced) announced today that his anti-metal theft bill was passed by the Assembly Committee on Public Safety with unanimous, bipartisan support.  AB 909 creates a Metal Theft Task Force to ensure law enforcement has the necessary resources to combat and prevent metal recycling crimes.

“Our community farmers and ranchers have been victimized by scrap metal thieves for years,” said Assemblymember Gray. “Now even utility providers and municipalities are being robbed. I am grateful my colleagues on both sides of the aisle recognize the need to arm law enforcement with the tools they need to stop these crimes.”

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Water debate in Sacramento draws valley growers

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Created on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 16:12

SACRAMENTO -- Champions of competing fish and farming interests gave state water leaders plenty to think about Wednesday in a long and colorful hearing attended by hundreds of worried people from Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties.

Most attendees from the region argued stridently against the concept of restoring fish runs at the expense of agriculture, the valley's strongest economic engine. Modesto and Turlock irrigation customers could lose a third of their water in dry years under a proposal to be voted on later this year

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River runoff proposal gets valley's thumbs-down

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Created on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 11:12

SACRAMENTO -- Politicians, farmers and irrigation district officials on Wednesday warned of severe economic damage to the valley from the state's proposal to send more water down the San Joaquin River and its salmon-bearing tributaries.

At the same time, environmental regulators joined the commercial-fishing industry at the public hearing to criticize the plan for not going nearly far enough in helping the salmon fishery.

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