Board introduces ordinance to dissolve agricultural grievance committee, clarifies nuisance enforcement

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Board of Supervisors introduced an ordinance May 7 to dissolve the county’s agricultural grievance committee and to clarify how agricultural nuisance complaints will be handled under the county public nuisance code.

Ed King, the county’s ag commissioner, told the board that section 2.2‑60 of the county code (the ag grievance provision) once provided a three‑member ad‑hoc grievance panel — drawn from the Farm Bureau, UC Cooperative Extension and the ag advisory committee — but that the advisory committee no longer exists and the grievance committee has effectively been unused. "We have one recorded use of the committee on record," King said, and the ordinance would modernize enforcement processes by directing ag nuisance matters into the county’s chapter 10 public nuisance abatement framework when appropriate.

Under the proposed change, the ag commissioner would continue to handle initial investigations and citations; where a commercial agricultural operation is determined to be following customary practices and thus protected under the county's right‑to‑farm policy, the grievance route would not be available. Where a nuisance is found, enforcement would proceed under the public nuisance chapter: warning letter, notice of violation and formal abatement procedures if necessary.

Supervisors asked clarifying questions about which department would issue notices depending on the nature of the violation (planning/resource management for zoning issues versus ag department for ag‑operation issues), and King and staff said responsibility would depend on the violation type. The board voted 5‑0 to introduce the ordinance and direct staff to return with any required follow‑up steps.

What this changes: the ordinance removes a rarely used, ad‑hoc appeals committee from the code and confirms that existing public‑nuisance abatement procedures will be the enforcement path for proven agricultural nuisances moving forward.

Next steps: the ordinance introduction was approved by the board; staff will finish the docket language and return with the formal adoption language as required by county ordinance procedures.