Session 2, Day 2

After joining my fellow Dairy Leaders early Wednesday morning, we met Mr. Gary Conover for breakfast and discussed the day ahead of us.  First item on the agenda for the day was a tour of the State Capitol.  Kathy, our tour guide for the morning, was very knowledgeable about the various buildings, rooms and also the history of our state and its legislature.  Despite the fact that the pace of the tour was almost a jog (which in heels is not at all pleasant), it was a great start to the Dairy Leaders adventures at the State Capitol and also, a great way to really develop an appreciation for the State of California and all that it encompasses.  Following the tour, we met back with Mr. Gary Conover and attended the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.  This was interesting experience.  The pace at which each issue was presented and then decided upon and the way the people, both for and opposing the issue at hand, either presented their side or supported one or the other was incredibly quick and straight to the point.  If this was all a person knew about how business in the Capitol was conducted, they could easily come to the conclusion that it is an efficient body of government.  Lucky for the Dairy Leaders, we were able to observe the running of business in the Capitol outside of this room and quickly discover the chaos that occurs within.  During our visit there were demonstrations and protests occurring with thousands of participants in attendance.  Hundreds of them were swarming the interior of the Capitol; an interesting experience to say the least, especially when you are dressed in a manner that one might assume you to be an attorney or politician. 

Following a short break we began an afternoon of meeting with various Senators and Assemblypersons, all who have been supportive of Western United Dairymen and their agenda within the Capitol.  First up to meet for the Dairy Leaders was the lovely and very dynamic Assemblywoman Connie Conway.  Assemblywoman Conway, the Assembly Minority Leader, explained to us how she became involved in politics and also expressed her no nonsense methods of doing business in Sacramento.  She told us about her dealings with those on the other side of the aisle and also about her upcoming meeting with the California Air Resource Board.  Our meeting with her was very exciting and left quite an impression.  The Dairy Leaders then met with Senator Anthony Cannella, the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee, before making our way to the Assembly Agriculture Committee hearing, which lasted at most five minutes due to it being budget week.  Assemblyman David Valadao was our next meeting.  Assemblyman Valadao was a unique meeting due to his ties to the dairy industry.  His family has two dairies in the Hanford area and prior to becoming a politician, he was very involved in the running and success of these two dairies.  During our meeting he discussed the various roadblocks he has experienced in Sacramento and also his plans to be in Washington, D.C. if successful in the November elections.  Assemblyman Valadao discussed his family with us and how he makes being in Sacramento work with a wife and three young children still living on the dairy in Hanford.  Next up for the Dairy Leaders was Democrat of San Francisco, Fiona Ma, Assembly Speaker Pro Temp.  She was anything, but a disappointment. During our meeting she discussed her beginnings in the Capitol and how after numerous farm visits, an open mind and a desire to continue learning about agriculture in the State of California, she votes in a manner more so aligned with Assembly Republicans.  Assemblywoman Ma is definitely proof that knowledge is power and that the more a person becomes educated about what we as agriculturist do, the greater the chances are that they will understand why certain practices and protocols are in place and develop a respect for the industry.  Senator Tom Berryhill was our next meeting on the afternoon agenda who had words of hope and faith about a bright future laying ahead for California, followed by Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco.  Assemblyman Bill Berryhill shared with us his ideas to ensure the future success of agriculture in California through various water projects involving the Delta.  He also took the time to explain the issues that he has come up against and how his ideas differ from those presented by the Governor. The afternoon at the Capitol ended in Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani’s office, meeting with her staff.  Assemblywoman Galgiani, Chair of the Assembly Ag Committee, was able to meet with us briefly following the adjourning of the committee earlier in the day.

This day spent at the Capitol, with the opportunity to meet and converse with various Assemblypersons and Senators was definitely a different experience than what was expected.  The people we met with were very serious about their jobs and all had a common goal of putting California back on track for all the generations to come.  They were passionate about their jobs, and passionate about developing leaders to step into their roles once they have termed out.  

Session 2, Day 3  

On our last day, we met Mr. Gary Conover for breakfast once again before heading off to the Capitol.  This time rather than meeting with members of the Assembly and Senate we were introduced by Senator Anthony Cannella on the Senate Floor and then headed over to the Assembly Floor to be introduced by Assemblyman David Valadao.  After Assemblyman Valadao introduced us, we were able to sit through the remainder of the session and then step outside with the Assemblyman for a few moments and talk about an array of topics from high speed rail to the prison and jail systems in California to the protestors we had witnessed one day prior.  After a couple more photos on the Assembly Floor, we were on our way home and session 2 for the Class XI Dairy Leaders was complete.

A special thanks to Mr. Gary Conover, who made our session in the Capitol an all encompassing experience.  We were able to see firsthand the value of networking and building solid relationships with people and the places that these two things can take you if done well.  Thank you as well to the Assemblypersons and Senators that took the time out their schedules (during BUDGET week) to meet with us and talk about a number of different issues impacting not only our industry, but California as well.  You all definitely have lit a fire under the Dairy Leaders Class XI.

Lauren Reid

Fred Rau Dairy, Inc.