Lawmakers Push for Emergency Funding to Stop Invasive Pest Threatening California Grapes

A bipartisan group of California lawmakers, led by Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), has formally requested the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release $32.2 million in emergency funding to address the growing threat from the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) in California. The pest spreads Pierce's Disease (PD), an incurable condition that kills grapevines by clogging their water-conducting vessels, posing a severe risk to the state's winegrape and table grape industries.

The request, detailed in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, comes after a significant infestation was discovered on May 19. Staff from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Fresno County agricultural commissioner's office identified nursery stock infested with GWSS that had been distributed to Costco locations in 23 counties, including Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Kings, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Yolo, and Yuba.

The infested vines were sold to customers across the state and are now believed to have been transported to residential homes in at least 38 counties, including areas critical to California's winegrape and fresh table grape production.

The lawmakers emphasized the economic stakes, noting that the California wine industry supports 1.1 million jobs nationwide and has an economic impact of $170.5 billion, according to the Wine Institute. Additionally, California produces 99% of the table grapes grown in the United States, with a crop value of $2.1 billion, as estimated by the California Table Grape Commission.

If left unchecked, CDFA estimates that losses associated with PD/GWSS could exceed $104 million annually.

The requested $32.2 million would support immediate emergency response efforts, including tracing, surveying, and trapping, as well as implement ongoing trapping and survey programs for the next three years. Specifically, there is an immediate need for $3.2 million by June 30 for emergency operations, followed by $5 million per year for three years for ongoing monitoring, and an additional $3.5 million per year for four years for eradication as the pest becomes more prevalent.

The lawmakers noted that the industry has contributed over $62 million over the past 25 years through grower assessments to support federal and state investments in research and mitigation.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Vince Fong (CA-20), Jim Costa (CA-21), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), David Valadao (CA-22), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Doris Matsui (CA-07), and Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10). The lawmakers urged the USDA to act swiftly, citing federal law (7 USC 7772) that authorizes the transfer of Commodity Credit Corporation funds in response to plant pest emergencies threatening agricultural production.