Farm Bureau endorses Nicole Parra for assembly re-election

» September 28, 2004 «

The California Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors has endorsed Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) for re-election in the 30th Assembly District.

"Nicole Parra has proven to be an independent voice for California farmers and ranchers," said California Farm Bureau Federation President Bill Pauli. "As a native of the Central Valley whose district includes some of the nation's top agricultural counties, she understands that all of us benefit by keeping farming strong."

The 30th Assembly District includes key agricultural regions in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. The four counties produce nearly $11 billion worth of agricultural commodities each year.

Pauli noted that Assemblywoman Parra also fought to preserve the Williamson Act, a key farmland-protection tool, which faced loss of its funding during the Davis administration budget crisis.

"Even when members of the Democratic caucus sought to reduce Williamson Act support, Assemblywoman Parra won full funding for a program that is critical in protecting California farms," he said. "She is willing to fight for farmers and ranchers in a Legislature that is often indifferent to agriculture."

"When urban legislators wanted to increase taxes on farm equipment and fuel in order to fill a budget hole, Assemblywoman Parra did not support this tax on family farmers," Pauli said. "She recognized that, because other states did not assess such taxes, the plan would have hurt our farmers' ability to compete in both domestic and international markets."

Assemblywoman Parra was first elected to the Assembly in 2002. She serves on the Assembly Agriculture and Water committees, as well as several subcommittees that oversee agricultural and natural-resources issues.

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, will mobilize nearly 90,000 members statewide to influence the outcome of the November election.

Contact: Kiran Black
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.