SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) announced today that Assembly Bill 312 (AB 312) passed the Senate Agriculture Committee on a unanimous 5-0 bipartisan vote and now advances to the Senate Floor.
“Agricultural theft continues to impact farmers and ranchers throughout California, particularly in the Central Valley,” said Assemblymember Juan Alanis. “AB 312 updates the existing administrative process without changing the protections afforded to lawful owners. If ownership can be established, it is typically established early in the investigation. This bill simply reflects the realities of how these cases are handled today.”
AB 312 modernizes a decades-old administrative process by shortening the required holding period for proceeds from the sale of seized agricultural commodities from six months to three months. The bill preserves every existing protection for lawful owners while reflecting how agricultural theft investigations are conducted today.
County agricultural commissioners work closely with growers, processors, packing houses, industry representatives, and local law enforcement to identify lawful owners of seized commodities. Larger agricultural theft cases are commonly investigated as criminal matters, where identifying victims and establishing ownership is already a central component of the investigation.
“Good government means periodically reviewing our statutes to ensure they continue to make sense,” Alanis added. “This bill makes a modest administrative adjustment that reflects current practices while maintaining protections for California’s agricultural community.”
AB 312 preserves all existing safeguards for lawful owners while allowing counties to resolve the small number of cases involving unclaimed sale proceeds more efficiently.
The bill now moves to the Floor for consideration by the full Senate.
Assemblymember Juan Alanis represents the 22nd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Denair, Patterson, Gustine, Newman, Hilmar, Ballico, Snelling, Keyes, Grayson, Crows Landing, Diablo Grande, Stevinson, & Empire.
