County ag leader lobbies in Washington

Ermina Karim

A San Luis Obispo County vineyard manager is in Washington, D.C., this week as part of a national lobbying effort to push for immigration reform specific to U.S. agriculture.

Dana Merrill is one of nearly 100 growers, producers and farmworker leaders pressing their congressional representatives to revive and pass the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2007 this fall.

Key components of AgJobs include amendments to an existing seasonal worker program that make it more viable for agriculture and would provide a path for immigrants to stay here legally and possibly permanently if they keep working in farming.

The bill was part of the comprehensive immigration reform that failed in the U.S. Senate in summer 2006. Now, agriculturalists are hoping to bring the bill back, either on its own or as an amendment to another bill such as the new farm bill.

“A lot of critics of the previous immigration reform package felt it was too all-encompassing,” said Merrill, president of Mesa Vineyard Management in Templeton. “We are trying to take a bite-size approach and address undocumented workers in agriculture. We need to collectively work on a solution for agriculture.”

Farm labor leaders are in Washington, D.C., through Thursday while growers and producers, many of whom are in the middle of peak harvest seasons, were meeting with legislators Tuesday and today. The effort is uniting groups often on opposite sides of labor issues, such as the United Farm Workers of America and the Farm Bureau.

“It’s inspiring and refreshing to have sides that have fought each other come together,” said Craig Regelbrugge, cochairman of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, the Washington, D.C.- based lobbying group that is organizing the effort. “These historic adversaries are asking Congress to do their part.”

On Tuesday, Merrill met with Rep. Mike Thompson, DSt. Helena, whom he described as supportive of the wine industry, and Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield whose district includes Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande and other inland San Luis Obispo County areas. McCarthy “has been sitting on the sidelines with AgJOBS,” Merrill said.

Today, Merrill has meetings scheduled with Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara; Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel; Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Ventura; and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is the primary sponsor of the legislation, which has bipartisan support.

Merrill said the primary goal of this week’s lobbying effort is to garner as much widespread support of the bill as possible in order to invoke cloture, namely the ability for the Senate to place a time limit on consideration of a bill in order to avoid extended debate.A 60- vote supermajority is required to protect contested legislation from a filibuster.

“Our strategy is to get 60 votes in the Senate so that AgJOBS can be fairly debated,” Merrill said. “This is a polarized process. It’s far from a slam dunk.”