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Agriculture Department recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign an amendment to contract 23-0529-007-SF-1 for additional funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 from the California Department of Food and Agriculture for Emergency Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) Delimitation for $500,000 for a new agreement amount not to exceed $567,234 with no change to the expiration date of June 30, 2025; and
2) Authorize the Chair to sign a budget transfer increasing revenue by $500,000 and appropriations for Salaries and Benefits by $98,778, Professional Services by $385,000, Fuel by $6,733, and Printing by $9,489 for the FY 2024-25 Budget for GWSS Delimitation Efforts. (4/5 votes required)
(Districts 1, 2 & 4)
FUNDING: 100% California Department of Food and Agriculture Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Program.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Between October 1, 2024 and October 15, 2024, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) confirmed the presence of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS), the invasive vector of the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease in grapes, in the area of El Dorado Hills, El Dorado County. Based on these detections and recommendations from CDFA GWSS staff entomologists, CDFA concludes that an infestation of GWSS exists in the area. This pest presents a significant, clear, and imminent threat to the natural environment, agriculture, economy, and private and public property. Unless emergency action is taken during these GWSS’s life cycles, there is high potential for sudden future detections in El Dorado County.
The GWSS is a dangerous, invasive, aggressive vector of Pierce’s disease (PD). PD is considered one of the most devastating diseases of grapevines in the world. The bacterium that causes the disease, Xylella fastidiosa, kills grapevines within two to five years of infection. There is no cure for Pierce’s disease. There are currently 274 properties of grape production within the County at risk from ...
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