California lawmakers seek $32M in emergency USDA funds to fight glassy-winged sharpshooter pest

According to a post from U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a bipartisan group of California lawmakers is urging USDA to provide emergency funding to address a growing outbreak of the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), a pest that threatens the state’s winegrape and table grape industries.

Padilla and fellow Senator Adam Schiff, along with Representatives Mike Thompson and David Valadao, led a letter signed by 10 additional members of California’s congressional delegation requesting the immediate release of $32.2 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation.

The funding would support efforts to contain and eradicate GWSS, which spreads Pierce’s Disease (PD), an incurable bacterial disease that can kill grapevines by blocking their water-conducting tissues.

According to the lawmakers, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) officials and the Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office discovered GWSS-infested nursery stock on May 19 that had been distributed to Costco locations in 24 California counties. The affected grapevines were subsequently sold to consumers and are believed to have been transported to residential properties in at least 38 counties statewide.

“The movement of infested nursery stock into and near key grape-producing regions, including areas critical to California’s winegrape and fresh table grape production, significantly elevates the urgency of this response,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The congressional delegation emphasized the significant economic importance of California’s grape industries. The Wine Institute estimates the California wine industry supports 1.1 million jobs nationwide and generates $170.5 billion in economic activity. California also produces 99% of the nation’s table grapes, with an annual crop value estimated at $2.59 billion.

State officials estimate that if Pierce’s Disease and GWSS are not effectively contained, economic losses could exceed $104 million annually.

The requested federal funding would support immediate emergency operations, including tracing, surveying and trapping efforts, as well as long-term monitoring and eradication programs. Lawmakers outlined projected costs that include:

• $3.2 million for immediate emergency response activities through June 30;
• $15 million for a three-year trapping and survey program;
• $14 million for anticipated eradication efforts over four years if GWSS populations continue to expand.

Industry leaders have also contributed significant resources toward controlling the pest. Over the past 25 years, California winegrape growers have assessed themselves to fund research and mitigation programs, contributing more than $62 million toward state and federal efforts. Growers recently renewed a self-assessment fee that will remain in effect through 2030.

The lawmakers argue that the outbreak meets the criteria under federal law for emergency Commodity Credit Corporation funding and urged USDA to act quickly to prevent further spread of the pest.

The letter was signed by Senators Padilla and Schiff and Representatives Thompson, Valadao, Vince Fong, Jim Costa, Jimmy Panetta, Raul Ruiz, Jared Huffman, Julia Brownley, Salud Carbajal, John Garamendi, Doris Matsui and Mark DeSaulnier.