Yolo County Farm Bureau endorses Vann, Munn

Citing candidate Kim Vann’s background in agriculture and her commitment to rural voters, the Yolo County Farm Bureau board of directors has voted to endorse her for election in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District.

The board also has endorsed John Munn, a Republican from Davis, in his campaign against two-term incumbent Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada in the 4th District.

In making the endorsements, the county Farm Bureau board considered its responsibility to Yolo County farmers and ranchers to endorse candidates who value agriculture; who will seek its input on critical issues; who will support legislation that benefits farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses; and who will oppose legislation that would impose unnecessary costs on agriculture and impair its economic and operational viability.

The board said Vann, a Republican from Arbuckle who is a member of the Colusa County Board of Supervisors, will be proactive toward agriculture and business, and will oppose unnecessary and burdensome legislation and regulations that undermine a vibrant private-sector economy.

It also noted her endorsements by other agricultural and business groups, including the California Rice Industry Association, the National Cattlemen’s Association, Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, Glenn County Farm Bureau, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several local chambers of commerce.

The board assessed the voting record of Vann’s opponent, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove. The county Farm Bureau board expressed disappointment in Garamendi’s opposition to the Korea free trade agreement, which provides enhanced trade opportunities for many Yolo County crops, and his votes on a number of tax, environmental and regulatory issues.

In voting to endorse Vann, the board noted her knowledge of agriculture as a fourth-generation member of a farming and ranching family, her support of the Williamson Act farmland-protection program as a Colusa County supervisor, and her efforts in favor of additional water storage.

The board said Munn recognizes the stranglehold that unworkable regulations and legislation place on agriculture as well as other industries in the state. He has committed, if elected, to actively support efforts to reduce those burdens, the board said.

The board expressed disappointment in Yamada’s decision to support two bills this year that would be especially damaging to Yolo County agriculture: Assembly Bill 2346, which could make farmers the targets of bounty-hunter lawsuits on heat-illness prevention standards, and AB 1313, which would have changed overtime rules to the detriment of farmers and their employees.

Munn has a background in agriculture and forestry as a soil and watershed scientist, and as manager of a family ranch.