District 12 Senator Jeff Denham (R-Merced) has been appointed
the new Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, marking the
first time in 30 years a minority party member has been appointed
chair of the committee.
”
I think it’s more important to make sure that somebody from my
industry is in this position (than to have a party
representative),
”
Denham said.
Sacramento – District 12 Senator Jeff Denham (R-Merced) has been appointed the new Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, marking the first time in 30 years a minority party member has been appointed chair of the committee.
“I think it’s more important to make sure that somebody from my industry is in this position (than to have a party representative),” Denham said.
Denham, who was elected to the Senate in 2002, said he grew up farming and has been involved with the industry all his life, now owning a produce-container business called Denham Plastics. It was his experience in the field that prompted Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata to appoint Denham chair of the committee, despite the fact that Perata is a Democrat and Denham a Republican, Denham said.
“Obviously Sen. Perata has looked to me because I have expertise in this area. But most importantly for me, it shows that I’ve been working in a bipartisan fashion. I think it sets a tone in the legislature between the far right and the far left.”
As Chair of the Ag Committee, Denham said he will set the tone for legislation on agricultural policy, and will be bringing issues facing San Benito County’s largest industry to the forefront of his agenda, he said.
“I think this is mightily important to San Benito County and all of the other counties I represent, because they’re all agricultural communities,” said Denham, who also represents Stanislaus, Merced, Monterey and Madera Counties. “Agriculture is the No.1 employer in the state, and also in all of the communities I represent, and I want to be much more proactive in getting the whole industry pulled together.”
Denham has already begun his new position and said he will be starting new bills at the beginning of the year. The bills will address ongoing agricultural issues such as air quality, Mad Cow disease and Newcastle disease, and will also push for better worker’s compensation, he said.
“I want to look toward the future on how do we improve the lives of all those who are involved in the industry,” Denham said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
