Agriculture: neglected or abandoned crops: public nuisances: pests.

Assembly Member Macedo's agricultural nuisance enforcement legislation establishes a new system of civil penalties for property owners who maintain pest-related public nuisances that threaten nearby agricultural operations. The measure authorizes county agricultural commissioners to levy fines of up to $500 per acre on properties where neglected or abandoned crops harbor harmful pests, offering an alternative to the existing property lien process.

The bill creates a structured enforcement framework requiring commissioners to provide property owners with 30 days' notice before imposing penalties, including information about the violation and opportunities to contest the findings. Property owners who take good faith actions to address violations within the notice period face no penalties. However, those who fail to remediate issues within 45 days may incur increased fines of up to $1,000 per acre. The legislation explicitly excludes beneficial organisms used for biological control and recognized conservation practices from being classified as pests.

Under the measure, penalty revenues would flow to county general funds earmarked for agricultural enforcement activities. The bill includes multilingual notice requirements and referrals to University of California Cooperative Extension offices for technical assistance. These provisions would remain in effect until January 1, 2035, allowing for evaluation of the program's effectiveness.