TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Tougher enforcement against abandoned farmland could soon have some growers facing big fines.<\/p>\n
A new state law, unanimously approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October, gives counties more authority to crack down on neglected land.<\/p>\n
Assembly Bill 732 will soon give county agricultural commissioners the authority to issue fines of up to $1,000 per acre for neglected land.<\/p>\n
The goal is to prevent properties from becoming infested with pests and creating more problems for nearby farms.<\/p>\n
“We don’t want to see farmland going out of production. We don’t want to see land abandoned, neglected and the point of this is not to fine people, it is just a mechanism to make sure that people come into compliance,” says Christopher Greer with the Tulare County Ag Commissioner’s Office.<\/p>\n
Local farmer Andres Avitua shares that decades ago, his farm was thriving, providing fresh citrus to local farmers’ markets; now, they are dealing with dead crops, dead trees, and even more fines.<\/p>\n
“The chips have been stacked against us; it seems like every time we turned around, there was another problem, so this was very difficult,” shares Andres.<\/p>\n
Andres and his sister inherited these two acres of citrus after their brother Joe died 13 years ago.<\/p>\n
The farm once did well, until water became scarce after a one-two punch: the orchard’s pump failed amid a drought.<\/p>\n
Repairs would have cost thousands, and the wait, Andres says, was over a year.<\/p>\n
“By that time the business had already gone down the drain and the trees had already suffered shock, so we were not able to continue,” recalls Andres,<\/p>\n
Despite the heartbreak and distress that dying orchards cause local farmers, there are real concerns over pests spreading from neglected land and hurting more farmers.<\/p>\n
That’s why county officials say they need this tool.<\/p>\n
They remain focused on solutions.<\/p>\n
“At the end of the day, we don’t want to go through the abatement process, we don’t want to fine you, we just want to mitigate the situation,” explains Greer.<\/p>\n
To learn more about AB 732: Agriculture: neglected or abandoned crops: public nuisances: pests, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For South Valley news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n