Western legislatures take on foreign land ownership (California portion)

HighCountryNews, GD post

The Bill: Senate Bill 224
What it proposes: Restricts all foreign government purchases, leases and controlling interests of agricultural land.

Background: Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, unexpectedly vetoed a previous version of this bill last year after it received unanimous support across both state chambers. Newsom objected to the bill's stringent record-keeping requirements for all foreign-owned plots of land, including water rights, a measure Ashwood believes is important for improving transparency and data collection. Newsom believed the record-keeping would be too arduous for the California Department of Farming and Agriculture. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D, reintroduced the bill in February, thinking it could clear the final hurdle this go around. Although the proposed law does not identify China by name, no other country conducts as much business with “state-controlled enterprises,” one of the categories outlined in the bill. Roughly 3% of California’s agricultural land is foreign-owned. Purchases made before January 2024 would be exempt from the restrictions.