Business News
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- Written by: California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate
“Small business is big business in the state of California and to that end, my department is meeting the needs of the more than four million small business owners by making resources easier to find, access, and use. Our new website can be thought of as a gateway to opportunity,” says Tara Lynn Gray, director of CalOSBA.
Highlighting programs that help historically underserved small business groups is an important component of the CalOSBA website.
“Small businesses make up 99.8% of businesses in California and it is part of our mission to meet all small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovative startups where they are and be the bridge to critical programs and resources available to meet their needs,” said Michelle Radmand, deputy director of CalOSBA.
Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and startups can access the following information:
— Small business technical assistance centers that offer specialized support for no-cost or at a low-cost;
— Financing information including state and federal capital programs and tax/credit incentive programs;
— Business Learning Center that helps business owners navigate the varying stages of the business development process;
— Permits, licenses, and regulations;
— Access to new markets, including e-commerce, international trade, and procurement and supply chain programs.
For more information, visit http://calosba.ca.gov.
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- Written by: Editor
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), establishes clear guidelines for how companies from the olive oil industry can use the term “California.”
AB 535 requires companies in their product labeling and marketing to disclose the minimum percentage of California olives on the front of the container in the same font and size as the term “California.”
This measure will protect consumers and farmers by providing clear information about the source of the olives and olive oils in the products they buy.
“California has the best agricultural products, and the highest environmental and labor standards, in the world. Consumers look for California-grown foods because they associate California with quality. Allowing companies to trick consumers into thinking they’re buying a California product because they slap ‘California’ on their package undercuts everything we’re trying to accomplish as a State,” said Aguiar-Curry.
“This bill will ensure that consumers know exactly what they are buying, and it will help to support our local farmers who are producing world class oils from olives grown here in our State. These folks may try to confuse my colleagues, but they’re making a profit off our state, and the price we ask for that is to actually disclose what they are producing,” she said.
California has had a thriving olive oil industry since the mid-19th century. The state produces approximately 4% of the world’s olive oil from over 75 varieties of olives.
Due to California’s well-established reputation for producing high-quality olive oils, the demand for California olive oil is steadily increasing.
Because of this spike in demand, there has been an increase in branding of olive oil with the term “California” or a California regional designation when the product on shelves is actually blended using oils sourced from other regions of the world, including Spain, North Africa, and Argentina. Such blends have been found to contain as little as 14% of Californian olive oil.
As a result, a bottle of olive oil may be advertised and branded as “California” or a specific California region, but actually come from other countries. This has led to consumer confusion, and places California olive farmers and oil producers at a competitive disadvantage.
“To us, it’s really quite simple,” said Peter and Debbie Hunter from Longview Ranch in Winters. “If a bottle is labeled as ‘California Oil’ it should be just that: 100% California produced olive oil. If a packer wants to blend non-California oils, then the bottle should not have the California moniker front-and-center. We adhere to strict regulations and labor practices in California, and consumers are beginning to recognize that. We must make sure that the trust in ‘California’ brands is not eroded.”
AB 535 builds upon previous legislation from Senator Wolk in 2014, who created the California Olive Oil Commission to distinguish the purity of California olive oil from imported alleged to contain counterfeit ingredients, and thereby penetrate the U.S. market.
The California Olive Oil Commission has found several brands of California olive oil who are currently misleadingly using a California-related name on their labels that deceptively imply only olive oil grown in California is contained within the product.
By establishing stronger guidelines for how olive oil producers follow in their branding, labeling, packaging, and advertising, AB 535 provides consumers with clear information about what they are purchasing.
AB 535 does not restrict blending oils from different sources and destinations, but it makes clear through establishing standards that when “California” is used, the disclosure label will tell the truth. This bill strengthens the integrity of the world-renowned California olive oil brand.
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma Counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Qualified Cultivator Funding Opportunity, Proposal Solicitation Notice is scheduled for release in fall of 2021 and will be open for applying until spring of 2023.
Applications will be approved on a scheduled basis.
“We expect our new qualified cultivator program will help with remediation projects that may be unaffordable for many smaller cultivators, and also promote environmentally sustainable practices,” said Jeremy Valverde, CDFW’s Cannabis Program director. “We hope this support will help cultivators progress from provisional to annual license status.”
While funding is not directly paid to cultivators, it can be secured through eligible applicants, which include nonprofits, government agencies or tribes.
There are three steps to the qualified cultivator program: consultation, pre-application and full application.
The consultation process is optional but will allow staff and the prospective applicants to discuss the proposed project’s applicability and eligibility.
Once the solicitation is released, applicants will be required to submit a pre-application before being considered for the full application.
“This is a great opportunity to assist our local small cannabis farms in overcoming the financial barriers that many face on the road to compliance,” said Peggy Murphy, economic development specialist, county of Humboldt. “I look forward to hearing more about this funding opportunity, participating in the solicitation process and helping members of our cannabis community access this valuable resource.”
More information about the concept consultation and funding priorities can be found in the Concept Consultation Request Overview.
Grants through the Cannabis Restoration Grant Program are funded through California’s Environmental Restoration and Protection Account pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 34019(f)(2), and may be used to fund the cleanup, remediation, and restoration of environmental damage in watersheds affected by cannabis cultivation and related activities, and to support local partnerships for this purpose.
For questions on CDFW’s CRGP, please email
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- Written by: County of Mendocino
A formal bidding process will be conducted in the near future.
The county is seeking proposals from certified water haulers (or pending certification) for a per gallon and per hour estimate to haul water.
Proposals should include your price and availability and the maximum number of per day you would be available to haul.
In order to perform this service you will have to be a certified water hauler with the state of California.
The estimates on the volumes are currently 47,500 gallons per day transferred for the months of September, October and November. This is assuming 20 working days in the month.
The pickup location is the city of Ukiah Water Treatment Plant 935 River Street, Ukiah to 19701 Summers Lane, Fort Bragg.
For more information, please visit https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/mendocino-county-water-agency/water-hauling.
General questions related to the drought emergency should be directed to
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