While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer kept the federal government shut down, the radical Left was hard at work in California crusading against the patriots who feed and clothe our country.
The latest episode in Governor Gavin Newsom’s war against agriculture comes in the form of redistributing agricultural land in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force is thinking up clever ways to steal land from hardworking farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers to pay reparations to tribes and other minorities in the form of land. Even more troubling, they doubtless plan to use this scheme as a template for future use at the national level.
We won’t allow it.
That’s why on December 11, I sent a letter to Governor Newsom outlining the substantial constitutional issues with the Task Force’s draft report.
In that letter, I note that “the right to own private property and our nation’s agricultural heritage are an inseparable cornerstone of the American dream and ingrained in the very fabric of our nation. The pursuit of a noble lifestyle in agriculture should transcend the pernicious identity-based politics that only serves to drive division.”
I am demanding that Governor Newsom reject and abandon any attempt to pursue the illegal recommendations in the Task Force’s report. It is unconscionable that hardworking farmers are being demeaned and shut out of opportunities simply because they don’t meet the state’s definition of “equity.”
No matter your family history, culture, or skin color, you should have equal access to government programs that can help you pursue the most American way of life: agriculture.
In the report, California proposes incentivizing the transfer of both public and private agricultural lands exclusively to tribal nations, African Americans who are the descendants of slaves, and certain other minorities.
But the blatant disregard for justice doesn’t stop there.
The report also recommends the development of local ordinances to restrict citizens from purchasing land unless they are part of a certain minority group.
This policy would encourage the state and nonprofits to outbid legacy farms at auction and then only offer agricultural leases back to minority farmers after the purchase. Tax credits, debt forgiveness, special funding, and even priority in important farm conservation programs would only be allowed to benefit a few select minority demographics.
In a move we’ve come to expect from the radical left, the report even encourages the adoption of laws requiring “climate”-related agricultural practices for the new minority landowners.
Some might be tempted to dismiss this report as a pipe dream. That would be a mistake.
Newsom and his cronies are reckless fools, but they mean business. This report is thought out and comprehensive.
California agriculture is an economic powerhouse. On its own, it ranks as the world’s fifth-largest supplier of food. That’s why what happens to agriculture in California is vitally important for the rest of the country.
Make no mistake, the proposal being discussed right now would not only hurt farmers in California, but every American.
While the Trump administration is working hard to reduce the price of food across the nation, Gavin Newsom is concocting new ways to drive up food inflation.
This radical DEI agenda needs to be stopped in its tracks, immediately. We are committed to fighting for all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers — no matter their ZIP code.
Brooke Rollins is the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
