CA Congressmen Urge Gov. Newsom to Protect Wildfire Prevention Goat Herds

Mid-July, the Globe reported that a business-killing labor bill in the California Legislature is coming for the state’s goat herders.

As hard as that is to believe, the back story is important:

After many failed attempts to unionize more agricultural workers in California, Gov. Jerry Brown instead signed into law Assembly Bill 1066 in 2016 by then-Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), and sponsored by the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, to require overtime pay of time-and-a-half for farm and agriculture employees working more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, and double pay for those working more than 12 hours a day.

Gonzalez left the California Legislature in July 2023 to become the Chief Officer of the California Labor Federation, but not before gifting labor unions more members.

Assembly Bill 1066 included a gradual rollout—starting earlier for larger employers with more than 25 employees, and fully applying to smaller ones by 2025.

AB 1066 “Defines a full workday as 8 hours, and 40 hours as a workweek,” the bill arrogantly claims.

Not all “workdays” are 8 hours.

“Green Goat Landscapers in Gilroy, which uses about 1,000 goats to clear vegetation that can fuel wildfires, said the law could threaten the future of grazing operations that play a role in wildfire prevention across the state,” ABC7 reported in July.

Today California Congressmen James Gallagher (CA-01), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Vince Fong (CA-20), and David Valadao (CA-22) announced they sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón urging immediate action to address the expiration of California’s overtime exemption for commercial goat herders. The lawmakers warned that without relief, the policy change threatens an industry that plays a vital role in wildfire prevention and vegetation management across California.

Terrific!

Without legislative action, commercial goat herding operations could be forced to close, reducing one of California’s most effective tools for managing vegetation and lowering wildfire risk.

“Commercial goat herding is a simple and effective way to reduce dangerous fuel loads before wildfire season,” said Congressman Gallagher. “Sacramento shouldn’t be making it harder for these businesses to operate when they’re doing vital work to protect communities across California. State leaders should work fast to fix this before we lose this important industry.”

Green Goat Landscapers in Gilroy said its herders come from around the world and are compensated through a combination of salary, housing and other benefits. They live in trailers on-site with their herds while they are working.

However, effective July 1, 2026, the final change to California labor rules for goat herders is causing major issues for goat grazing businesses, which are widely used for wildfire prevention and vegetation management. A new state law requires goat herders to be paid on a 24-hour-per-day, seven-day-per-week hourly basis rather than through the current monthly salary system. Sheep herders are exempt from the requirement.

Goat herders were previously covered by a temporary exemption under Senate Bill 143, in the 2023 budget bill, allowing them the same alternative minimum monthly wage as sheep herders, roughly $64,000 per year with benefits.

Sheep herders exempt; Goat herders are not exempt. Go figure.

That exemption expired on July 1, 2026. Goat herders now fall under standard agricultural worker rules: hourly minimum wage of $16.90 for farmworkers plus overtime for hours over 8 hours a day or 40 per week.

The Congressmen’s letter urges Governor Newsom and legislative leaders to act quickly to preserve California’s commercial goat herding industry and maintain one of the state’s most effective wildfire prevention tools.

“Commercial goat herding businesses provide targeted grazing services that help reduce wildfire fuel loads across California while naturally controlling invasive vegetation. According to the letter, goat herders graze nearly 100,000 acres each year, providing an important tool for wildfire prevention and land management.”

Here is their letter: