2023 CACASA Group

Our Programs

PETROLEUM

RESOLVE COMPLAINTS

We investigate complaints including price accuracy, short weight and measure, deceptive packaging, fuel contamination and more.

PESTICIDE USE ENFORCEMENT

We ensure the safe use of pesticides through training, outreach, inspections, and investigations.

CROP STATISTICS

Every county creates an annual crop report which details the quantity and value of crops, livestock and poultry production.

County Agricultural Commissioner

During California’s period of rapid expansion at the end of the nineteenth century, settlers brought not only their families but also brought with them trees and vines for planting, some of which were infested with insect and disease pests. This created so many problems for the state’s farmers that in 1881 the California Legislature provided counties with the authority to establish local Boards of Horticultural Commissioners in an effort to protect the state’s burgeoning tree and vine industries from these new pests. In 1920, with the development of the State Department of Agriculture, the legislature brought the several County Horticultural Commissioners and their deputies under the direction of the Director of Agriculture.

State law now requires every county to have an agricultural commissioner who is appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Each County Agricultural Commissioner (CAC) must manage a regulatory agency serving under the program direction of the California Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Since the inception of the horticultural commissioner system, not only the name has changed, but the duties and responsibilities have as well. During the course of the past 120 years, this system has become more complex, yet remains flexible enough to address local issues. Recognizing that working collaboratively with other county agricultural commissioners was critical in addressing regional problems, the Association of Agricultural Commissioners was established in 1922. In 1988 the association combined with the California Association of Weights and Measures Officials to establish the present California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association.

Responsibilities and Duties

Each agricultural commissioner is charged with the protection and promotion of California’s agriculture, the protection of the environment as well as protection of the public’s health and safety. These goals are accomplished through the management of programs designed to achieve our mission through public outreach and numerous enforcement tools.

County Sealer of Weights and Measures

California consumers have received protection from the use of false weights and measures since 1915 when the state’s legislature established that each county shall have a Sealer of Weights and Measures. In most counties since 1970, the functions of the County Sealer of Weights and Measures have been combined with those of the County Agricultural Commissioner. Under the general direction of the Secretary of Food and Agriculture through the Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), and in cooperation with various federal, state, and local jurisdictions, the County Sealer inspects, tests, and certifies to the accuracy of numerous devices, functions, and activities associated with commerce.

Functions and Activities

County weights and measures officials (Sealers) serve all consumers as the local regulatory agency authorized to enforce the California Business and Professions Code and the California Code of Regulations pertaining to issues of “Equity in the Marketplace”. This enforcement efficiently and effectively protects local commerce, thus encouraging stability in the State’s economy. Sealers annually perform thousands of inspections on various commercial devices, check packages for net content, review weighmaster records for accuracy, provide training and education to businesses and individuals, in addition to any number of other activities designed to assure “Equity in the Marketplace.” In virtually any transaction you may make, your weights and measures official serves as the “third party” protecting both business and the consumer.