Agenda Item   

AGENDA STAFF REPORT

 

                                                                                                                        ASR Control  25-000424

 

MEETING DATE:

06/24/25

legal entity taking action:

Board of Supervisors

board of supervisors district(s):

All Districts

SUBMITTING Agency/Department:

OC Public Works   (Approved)

Department contact person(s):

Kevin Onuma (714) 647-3939 

 

 

Jose Arriaga (714) 955-0101

 

 

Subject:  Approve Re-Appointment of Orange County Agricultural Commissioner

 

      ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

          Concur

No Legal Objection

Consent Calendar

 

 

3 Votes Board Majority

 

 

 

    Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost:   N/A

Annual Cost: N/A

 

 

 

    Staffing Impact:

No

# of Positions:            

Sole Source:   N/A

    Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

   Funding Source:     N/A

County Audit in last 3 years: No

   Levine Act Review Completed: N/A

 

    Prior Board Action:         8/24/2021 #S33F, 3/24/2020 #37, 4/12/2016 #32

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

 

Re-appoint Jose A. Arriaga to a four-year term as Orange County Agricultural Commissioner and Orange County Sealer of Weights and Measures effective September 24, 2025, through September 23, 2029.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Re-appointment of Jose A. Arriaga as the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner and Orange County Sealer of Weights and Measures will fulfill the State of California regulatory requirements.

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

The consolidated offices of the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner and the Orange County Sealer of Weights and Measures are state-mandated positions that serve a four-year term upon the appointment by the Board of Supervisors (Board). California Food and Agriculture (FAC) Code, Section 2001 establishes the Orange County Department of Agriculture and FAC Section 2121, requires the Board to appoint the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner. California Business and Professions Code, Section 12200, establishes the county office of the Sealer of Weights and Measures and requires the Board to appoint a County Sealer of Weights and Measures. Codified Ordinance, Section 1-2-18, consolidated the offices of the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner and the County Sealer of Weights and Measures as the County Agricultural Commissioner (Commissioner), as authorized by Government Code, Section 24300.

 

Prior Board actions related to appointment of the Commissioner are summarized in the table below.

 

Board Date

Action

Effective Dates

4/12/2016

Appointed Jeffrey R. Croy as Commissioner

4/12/2016 – 4/11/2020

3/24/2020

Re-Appointed Jeffrey R. Croy as Commissioner (retired on 3/24/2021)

4/12/2020 – 4/11/2024

8/24/2021

Appointed Jose A. Arriaga as Commissioner

9/24/2021 – 9/23/2025

 

Although the office of the Agricultural Commissioner is not subject to any residency requirement (FAC, Section 2104), appointment to the office of County Sealer of Weights and Measures is subject to the standard county officer requirement to be a registered voter in the county of appointment (Government Code, 24001). Mr. Arriaga is presently a resident and registered voter in Orange County.

 

The Commissioner manages programs which promote environmental quality, certify consumer weights and measures and sustain business competitiveness through education and regulation programs. Mr. Arriaga has over 17 years of experience in the field of agriculture, pesticide and weights & measures with vast experience administering pesticide use enforcement programs, agricultural regulation programs, weights and measures programs and fire hazard reduction weed abatement programs.

 

Mr. Arriaga is an active member of the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association where he provides regional leadership to benefit Orange County residents, businesses and the local agricultural industry. Mr. Arriaga is also an active member of the National Council on Weights and Measures where he collaborates with stakeholders to ensure uniform and equitable standards for weights & measures and fostering fair commerce and consumer confidence. Before his appointment as Commissioner, Mr. Arriaga served as the Assistant Agricultural Commissioner for Contra Costa County (July 2019 – September 2021) and Solano County (May 2018 – July 2019) and in various roles, including Deputy Agricultural Commissioner for San Diego County (September 2007 – May 2018).

 

Mr. Arriaga earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and is a licensed Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures by the State of California. Due to his extensive statewide experience, proven expertise and knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures, OC Public Works is confident in his ability to continue to lead in this role.

 

Compliance with CEQA: This action is not a project within the meaning of CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 and is therefore not subject to CEQA, since it does not have the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The approval of this agenda item does not commit the County to a definite course of action in regard to a project since it is an action to re-appointment Jose A. Arriaga as the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner and Orange County Sealer of Weights and Measures. This proposed activity is therefore not subject to CEQA. Any future action connected to this approval that constitutes a project will be reviewed for compliance with CEQA.

 

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

STAFFING IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

ATTACHMENT(S):

 

Attachment A - Government Codes and Ordinances