The California State Floral Association (CSFA) and the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC) are pleased to announce Legislative Action Day 2012.  The breakfast program will feature keynote speakers from the California Legislature.  Kasey Cronquist, Executive Director/Ambassador, California Cut Flower Commission, Chris Zanobini, AAMSI President, and Kent Woodward, ARM, State Compensation Insurance Fund will also speak at our breakfast.  CSFA legislative advocates, Dennis Albiani and Debbie Murdock, will present the Governmental Relations Primer:  Issues and Orientation.  This year's event Co-Chaired by Allan Nishita and Marty Espe, Flora Fresh, Inc. will be held in conjunction with California Agriculture Day.  Over 2500 people are expected to stroll the Capitol grounds and participate in an array of activities, including food sampling and educational exhibits.

Members will have an opportunity to meet with their respective Legislators to voice concerns and talk about important issues facing the floral industry.  Come and share in the excitement at the Capitol.  The day will include a legislative breakfast at the Sutter Club.  Floral bouquets will be delivered to every legislative office along with our information packet outlining critical issues of concern to our industry.  For more information and to register call the CSFA office at 916-448-5266.

• Schedule of Events
• LAD Sponsor Form
• LAD Registration Form  

Forget good to great. Here's what makes a great employee remarkable.

Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers... they possess a wide range of easily-defined-but hard to find-qualities.

A few hit the next level. Some employees are remarkable, possessing qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless make a major impact on performance.

• Read more.....  

CALIFORNIA STATE FLORAL ASSOCIATION TOGETHER WITH ROP CAMARILLO   

Present a Floral Design Workshop

New Date ~ April 28th 

Floral Architectonics: the Art of Incorporating Architectural Elements into Dynamic Floral Designs

Instruction by:  

Tony Alvarez AIFD, CCF & Debbie Alvarez AIFD, CCF

Place: ROP Camarillo, 465 Horizon Circle, Camarillo, CA 93010

Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

In this class we will explore a number of architectural elements developed since man first began building shelters right up to the modern age of towering steel structures and modern conceptual theories in architecture. We will integrate these architectural elements in our design constructions using assorted building materials, plant materials, flowers and branches as well as decorative wire and glassware.  

Come spend a day with friends and learn new ways to add interest, value, drama and innovation to everyday designs!

Class fee: $125.00

• Click here for full details   

Public Comment Period Announcement:  

The public comment period is now open for the DRAFT Report to Legislature for "Communities that Rely on Contaminated Groundwater (AB 2222)."  Comment period closes April 2.

For more information please visit:   (click here)   

Public Release of UC Davis Nitrate Report - March 13:   

The UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences will publicly release its independent study of nitrate in groundwater for the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley on Tuesday, March 13th.  A public event will coincide with the report release at 2:00 PM at the Cal/EPA Building Byron Sher Auditorium in Sacramento. 

The comprehensive UC Davis Report examines sources of nitrate contamination, impacts and costs, as well as promising funding and policy options.  The release will include presentations of the main report and supporting technical reports, as well as a panel discussion with time for public comment and discussion.  

UC Davis is under contract with the State Water Board to conduct its independent investigation and report on the findings and potential solutions for nitrate in groundwater in these areas.  The findings and promising options in the UC Davis report will be used to inform the State Water Board in its development of recommendations as required in its Report to the Legislature to be submitted later in 2012.

More details will be posted in the near future at

Information on the Salinas Valley/Tulare Lake Basin Nitrate Pilot Studies can be found at:  (click here) 

 
By Ira Silverglei

Valentine's Day 2012 reversed a two-year decline in the number of adults purchasing floral gifts for the holiday: 27 percent of adults bought flowers or plants this past Valentine's Day, according to an SAF-funded national poll of consumers. That's an increase from 23 percent a year ago, 25 percent in 2010 and 29 percent in 2009.

SAF commissioned the poll of 1,000 adults, which was conducted by Ipsos, a research think tank.

Consumers spent an average of $47.80 on floral gifts, up from the $40.20 average spent last year. The average spent at a retail florist was $79.10, up from $58.10 a year ago. Supermarkets' floral departments saw an increase from $35.60 to $42.30.  

 Source: The eNation consumer poll was funded by SAF and conducted online by Ipsos Feb. 16-23, 2012 among 1,000 adults. The results are balanced to match key demographic characteristics in the U.S.   

Who's buying? Thirty-five percent of males bought floral products, vs. 19 percent of females. Households with kids were more likely to buy than those without (34 percent vs. 25 percent), as were college graduates (31 percent vs. 24 percent of non-college grads) and those in the higher income categories: 30 percent of households bringing in more than $50,000 a year bought floral products for Valentine's Day, compared to 22 percent of those making less than $50,000 a year. Among age categories, 18- to 34-year-olds had the highest percentage of buyers: 31 percent, vs. 26 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds and 23 percent of those age 55 and up.

Where are they buying? Supermarkets or grocery stores were the most common venues for Valentine's Day flower purchases (53 percent), as they had been in 2011, when they attracted 46 percent of purchasers. Retail florists came in second, with 28 percent of consumers buying there, just about even with the previous two years (27 percent). Rounding out consumers' flower sources were: mass merchandisers, which dropped 8 percentage points (to 11 percent); national Internet flower services (8 percent, compared to 6 percent in 2011), street vendors (8 percent), national toll-free floral services (4 percent), and convenience stores (3 percent).  

Who's the lucky recipient? About half of all Valentine's Day flower customers bought for a spouse (46 percent) and one-quarter (25 percent) gave the gifts to a significant other. Men outnumbered the percentage of women who gave a floral gift to a spouse (55 percent versus 30 percent) or significant other (33 percent versus 12 percent). Other common recipients included mothers (21 percent), children (10 percent), friends (9 percent) or oneself (6 percent). Women were more likely than men to be the gift giver in these non-amorous instances. Relatives rounded out the list of recipients: sisters (4 percent), grandparents (2 percent), fathers (2 percent), other relatives (4 percent).   

Red, Red Rose? The percentage of consumers who bought red roses this year increased (51 percent, up from 42 percent in 2011). Mixed flowers ranked second (36 percent), followed by non-red roses (27 percent), a single type of flower (24 percent) and plants (25 percent).  

What color roses do consumers fancy? As in 2011, red roses were favored, with one-third (36 percent) of total respondents preferring red roses as a gift for themselves. Nearly one in four (23 percent) named "mixed colors" as their top pick, followed by yellow (10 percent), pink (8 percent), white (6 percent), purple (6 percent) and peach (5 percent).

 

(Source:  SAF Wednesday E-Brief Newsletter) 

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, accelerated her panel's hearing schedule and said this week her committee may begin marking up the 2012 Farm Bill by the end of March. She said the Senate bill will be a new five-year package, not an extension of current law, a rewrite of last December's deficit reduction package or a short-term bill. Stabenow stressed her March markup target is only a possibility, and House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R, OK), is not making predictions. However, Lucas did announce his first field hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill this week, to be held in March and April. The House Agriculture Committee last summer held 11 "audit hearings," to examine the operation of existing USDA programs and how they can be made more cost-effective. The first hearing will be held March 9, in Saranac Lake, NY, followed by a March 23 hearing in Galesburg, IL, a March 30 hearing in State University, AR, and ending with an April 20 hearing in Dodge City, KS. At the 2012 Commodity Classic this week, the leaders of the national groups representing corn, soybeans, sorghum and wheat growers, affirmed their desire for a bill this year, but admitted they share no consensus on how to rewrite farm payment programs.  

Lucas and Stabenow are awaiting Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline spending numbers, expected in mid to late-March, and Lucas is awaiting the final House Budget Committee numbers that will indicate what can be spent on reinventing farm programs. These numbers reflect the CBO formula of how much money is needed for a new Farm Bill based on how much was spent over the life of the 2008 bill. While the Obama Administration budget request included a $32-billion cut in spending over 10 years, and the deficit reduction package crafted last December by Lucas and Stabenow found $23 billion in cuts, a draft of the House budget resolution currently circulating for reaction would slash ag spending $40 billion over the next decade. And if the House ag spending baseline is too far out of sync with what the Senate contemplates, it may be impossible to reconcile the two bills for final passage, both chairs warned this week. Complicating the House effort is GOP leadership's commitment to going after the mandatory spending portions of USDA's budget, including a continued push to convert the existing food stamp program into a state block grant program.

Cal/OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting

The California Division of Occupational Health (Cal/OSHA) requires recordkeeping and reporting about safety in the workplace. Required records include the OSHA 300 Log and documents about safety hazard analysis, inspections, and accident investigations. Hazard-specific regulations such as asbestos, diving, mining, etc. also have additional recordkeeping requirements. Keeping track of recordkeeping requirements is a challenge.

The OSHA 300 log is probably the most familiar to workers and employers. It records all work-related deaths along with injuries and illnesses that require more than first aid treatment. An annual summary of injuries and illnesses is required to be posted in the workplace. Some small businesses (less than 10 employees) and certain industries may have limited exemptions from this recordkeeping requirement. All Employers must report to Cal/OSHA any serious injury, illness or death of an employee immediately, but no longer than 8 hours after the employer knows or with diligent inquiry would have known.  If the employer can demonstrate that exigent circumstances exist, the time frame for the report may be made no longer than 24 hours after the incident. For instructions on keeping the 300 Log, see the State Fund Loss Control Bulletin Required Recordkeeping Procedures at   http://www.scif.com/safety/losscontrol/Article.asp?ArticleID=311.  For instructions on reporting illnesses and injuries that require treatment beyond first aid, see First Aid Reporting Requirements at

 http://www.scif.com/safety/losscontrol/Article.asp?ArticleID=301. 

Cal/OSHA also requires employers to keep records on hazard evaluations and the corrective actions taken to reduce or control safety risks in the workplace. Job hazard analysis (JHA) evaluates a worker's job tasks, tools, equipment, and procedures to determine the level of safety risk and how to control it. Also examine and plan for hazards associated with new tools, equipment, chemicals, tasks, and work environments. Keeping records of these hazard evaluations and risk reduction efforts can document that a business has diligently worked to protect workers. Communicate with employees about these evaluations to make them aware of job hazards and help them work safer.

Periodic workplace safety inspections identify hazards in the workplace. Keep records of the identified hazards and the actions that were taken to correct them. Investigate all employee accidents and near misses to determine the root cause of the accident. Document any corrective actions taken to reduce the risk of further accidents. Take the same steps when investigating employee complaints by recording the investigation process and any necessary corrective actions. Communicate the results of inspections, accident investigations, and complaint response to employees.

Safety training is a key component in making employees aware of the risks and hazards involved with their work tasks along with the appropriate work practices and personal protective equipment that keeps them safe. General safety training may include ergonomics, first aid, CPR, and injury and illness prevention. Specific work task and hazards safety training can target chemical use, fall protection, lockout/tagout, etc. Keep records of all employee safety training.

With all of this recordkeeping, it may be confusing about how long to keep safety records. Storage time requirements range between 1, 3, and 5 years. Check the specific regulations that apply to your industry, but as a best practice, store safety and training records for 5 years. Note that some regulations have separate recordkeeping requirements and timelines. For example, asbestos training records are required to be kept one year past the last date of employment of a worker. Employee medical records need to be kept for the length of employment plus 30 years.

Cal/OSHA posting requirements ensure that you communicate about safety and hazards in the workplace. Every place of employment should have the Job Safety and Health Protection poster placed in a prominent area. Copies of all Cal/OSHA citations must be posted for 3 days or until the violations are corrected. Finally, post notices of Cal/OSHA investigations, complaints, and the required employer response for 3 days.

Employers must provide their employees access to safety records within a reasonable timeframe (usually 7 days) and must notify employees when monitoring indicates that they have been exposed to a hazard. Employees have a right to information and records about hazardous chemicals in the workplace (Material Safety Data Sheets), hazard exposure monitoring, and their own safety, personnel, and medical records. Employees also have the responsibility to report all workplace hazards, illnesses, injuries, accidents, and near misses so they can be evaluated and prevented in the future.

• Comply with the law; go on record and document your safety efforts and statistics.

The above evaluations and/or recommendations are for general guidance only and should not be relied upon for legal compliance purposes. They are based solely on the information provided to us and relate only to those conditions specifically discussed. We do not make any warranty, expressed or implied, that your workplace is safe or healthful or that it complies with all laws, regulations or standards.  
(Source:  State Compensation Insurance Fund) 

Under executive order this week, President Obama moved to create a new federal trade enforcement agency which will investigate and "respond" to other countries' violations of U.S. and global trade rules. The move is an extension of a proposal he made last January that several federal trade functions, including the Office of the Special Trade Representative, should be consolidated within the Department of Commerce (DOC.) The new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (IETC) is an example of what the President called "a whole-of-government" approach to getting tougher on foreign trade violations that disadvantage U.S. products in international markets. The new center will monitor and enforce U.S. rights under international and domestic trade rules and "counter" unfair trade subsidies. The White House announcement said the new center will bring together litigators, language-proficient researchers, analysts and overseas representatives, and will coordinate with companies, industries and the intelligence community to exchange information on alleged trade rule violations. Ambassador Ron Kirk, Special Trade Representatives will name the director of the new agency, with the Secretary of Commerce naming the deputy director, along with providing some personnel. Additional support will come from USDA, DHS, the Departments of Justice and State.