California's Urgent Beesness

Matt Welch | July 14, 2009

Speaking of California, this Sacramento Bee story invites us to feel the pain of a Merced County beekeeper, who just doesn't understand why the governor is making fun of the Democratic legislature for considering a bill that punishes his competitors:

Gene Brandi Apiaries in Los Banos, which once produced 400 drums of honey a year, has turned out just 20 drums so far this year as a searing drought has deprived wildland plants of the nectar that bees turn into honey.

And Brandi says he is facing competition from food processing companies that market sugar-added honey products as the real thing. "We've got people who take advantage of the good name of honey to try to sell their product," he says.

Now some agricultural producers and Democratic lawmakers say Schwarzenegger and his aides are unfairly exploiting the good names of honey, blueberries, pomegranate juice – and cow tails – to bash legislators for fiddling while California burns. [...]

"We face a $26 billion deficit and I ask, over and over and over, the legislators upstairs to just focus on the budget," Schwarzenegger said. "And here they are, they're debating over the definition of honey. And a week ago, they debated over cow tails and, a few weeks before that, they debated over should we have a blueberry commission."

But to Brandi, the so-called "honey definition" bill is a critical matter that affects his livelihood and a significant sector of California agriculture.

Senate Bill 1216 by Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, would ban products with added ingredients from being labeled as honey.

"I hope the budget is fixed," Brandi said. "Lord knows, we need it. But that doesn't mean that all other business needs to stop."

The, uh, Bee's headline? "Many stung by lack of action on California's non-budget bills."

Link via Rough & Tumble.

Comments

Hugh Akston|7.14.09 @ 2:52PM|#

It's really not clear which is preferable, a California legislature that ignores the budget in favor of time-wasting nuisance bills like honey definition and cow tails, or one that wastes its time on a budget it cannot fix while letting the people of California get back to business without them.

Jeff P|7.14.09 @ 2:55PM|#

Weren't killer bees supposed to overrun North America by 1995? Whatever happened with that?

|7.14.09 @ 3:00PM|#

They all were sucked into the vastness of Elliot Gould's afro.

|7.14.09 @ 3:04PM|#

"Weren't killer bees supposed to overrun North America by 1995? Whatever happened with that?"

They peaked with global warming....

|7.14.09 @ 3:09PM|#

Senate Bill 1216 by Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, would ban products with added ingredients from being labeled as honey.

Noreen Evans is quite a honey herself.

|7.14.09 @ 3:12PM|#

1. Does the FDA really not have a legal rule barring sellers from calling something honey if it isn't?

2. Does CA not have a lawyer with the free time to file a class action suit against fraudulent sellers of stepped on honey?

3. Is there any conceivable form of genuine harm that a private entity can inflict that doesn't have a half dozen legal remedies already in effect?

|7.14.09 @ 3:13PM|#

Noreen Evans is quite a honey herself.

She looks like Willem Dafoe in Wild At Heart.

|7.14.09 @ 3:24PM|#

The Governator shoved his head up his ass right before he was sworn into office. Once again he's being fiscally stupid. Arguing over honey and cow tails is probably the least destructive thing the legislators could be doing. The last thing you want them to do in an economic crisis is focus on the budget.

|7.14.09 @ 3:25PM|#

"Noreen Evans is quite a honey herself."

Well, yeah, I guess. If you're into gums.

|7.14.09 @ 3:30PM|#

Don't let down your guard on E-Verify?

We settle more new immigrants annually, than any other country in the world.

It's our phone calls that can derail any thoughts of another AMNESTY? Fill their eardrums with public rage not to undermine E-Verify. WE WANT A PERMANENT FOR EVERYONE WHO COLLECTS A PAY CHECK! Today! As never before they are reacting and listening to millions of patriotic Americans and pro-sovereignty groups, in which E-Verify have become a solid foundation to identify and remove foreign labor. Taxpayers money should be spent on infrastructure, our own weak and sick, our veterans who are homeless, our unemployed and those who real immigrants who respect our laws. Until the inception of the Internet, Americans and legal residents had no way of communicating between ourselves. Now we can? Now we should use every means possible to elaborate, that we are well and truly seething, because they are siding with the globalists, money people, open border subversives.

We are not bigots because we love our country and don't want to turn into a third world society. We do not want to live in an OVERPOPULATED, congested land. We have been paying for years--illegal immigrant's support, instead of the procurers--the businesses that employ them. Our charged voices have set-off a chain reaction amongst the Washington political masses, because we actually turned the tables on the anti-sovereignty, pro-illegal immigration organizations. They are building the original border fence as originally planned, not faulty short-cuts? But we have enemies who have ignored their oath of office and plan to weaken any amendments. As with the 1986 immigration AMNESTY law that was never broken, but disrupted and never enforced. Now they want another AMNESTY or immigration reform package.

It was the politicians who caused the problem of between 13 to 20 million settling here and unable to support themselves. Lawmakers can now stew in their own juices, because we refuse--absolutely refuse, to be sold on another path to citizenship, as it will be yet another higher tax burden on taxpayers. California being just one of many Sanctuary States--that has produced massive budget deficit problems, cause by the huge influx of illegal poor living on state and federal welfare.

Senators and Representatives aides are unhappy with the constant bombardment from millions of Americans, but they are the bridge that must be crossed everyday? No respite, no retreat? Keep up the pressure, till their ears bleed? Keep up the invaluable rumblings in the beltway at 202-224-3121 THAT THE POPULATION IS MAD AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! Learn who your enemy is and who your friends at NUMBERSUSA, JUDICIALWATCH, CAPSWEB, HERITAGE FOUNDATION & AMERICANPATROL

ATTENTION! Because of the massive payments to illegal immigrants in California, their is a petition. Google--TAXPAYER REVOLUTION. Very few newspapers will mention this activist petition. When is the American flag going to fly again in the once Golden state?

|7.14.09 @ 3:31PM|#

Who just farted?

Tomcat1066|7.14.09 @ 3:35PM|#

Noreen Evans is quite a honey herself.

She looks like Willem Dafoe in Wild At Heart.


She looks just like Willem Dafoe in Boondock Saints actually...at least in one scene.

|7.14.09 @ 3:50PM|#

Tomcat,

I was mostly focusing on the gums. But I don't disagree with you substantially.

|7.14.09 @ 4:53PM|#

Brittanicus -
I love the way you use ALL CAPS to emphazize earnestness. You should know that ITALICIZED BOLDED ALL CAPS works even better.

|7.14.09 @ 4:58PM|#

Too bad we can't use the BLINK tag here.

db|7.14.09 @ 6:24PM|#

BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK

db|7.14.09 @ 6:24PM|#

I think that might have been just as annoying. Sorry guys.

|7.14.09 @ 6:30PM|#

Blink simulation test:

BLINK
BLINK
BLINK
BLINK
BLINK
BLINK
BLINK
BLINK

Nah, that doesn't work.

|7.14.09 @ 10:23PM|#

This is what passes for hard hitting reporting from the Sacramento Bee-otch?

|7.15.09 @ 12:13AM|#

Don't worry about a few more rules. They only enforce the ones that protect the system.

Indeed there is already enough rules in place to hang the king even, but no one to police them.

Buy your honey from someone you can trust (if you are lucky enough to find such a person!).

Unfortunately, if we ban all poor grade foods, like imitation maple syrup, sugar free sugars and imitation vanilla flavouring, the worlds masses will starve to death. There simply isn't enough food to go around if we only want quality stuff.

So stock up on that good honey when you do find a good source!

Cheers,

JohnS