Senate Rules Committee advances Victoria Hassid nomination to chair California Agricultural Labor Relations Board amid debate over card-check and past elections

The Senate Rules Committee voted to send Victoria Hassid’s nomination to the full Senate for confirmation as chair of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) after members debated the agency’s role in recent union elections and protections for temporary guest workers.

Hassid, appearing before the committee on May 7, told senators she was honored to be reappointed and outlined priorities for the ALRB: to adjudicate disputes fairly and quickly, to provide education and outreach to agricultural and cannabis workers and employers, and to run the agency as “an employer of choice” that fosters collaboration and inclusivity. “My primary role is to adjudicate disputes before us fairly and swiftly and to ensure the protections of the act are fully realized and accessible for all farm workers,” Hassid said.

The exchange shifted into detailed questions about the board’s handling of elections and its outreach to workers with H‑2A visas. Hassid said the ALRB has held informational panels and visited housing and worksites in the Salinas‑Monterey area to learn how the H‑2A guest worker program operates. She said the program is federally administered and that many H‑2A workers are isolated and “not always familiar with their labor rights here in California,” so the ALRB has pursued education and coordination with federal Wage and Hour forums when possible.

A committee member sharply criticized the ALRB’s past handling of a decertification and recertification sequence, alleging that ballots were “locked up” for years and that the agency had shown the appearance of bias in interactions with the United Farm Workers (UFW). That senator recounted that ballots were held for “3 years, 4 years. I don't remember the total number of years. I believe it was 5 years,” and said farm workers ultimately prevailed in court. Hassid responded that the matters raised involved ongoing administrative and civil litigation, that different legal processes (including majority‑support certification procedures sometimes called “card check”) apply in different situations, and that the ALRB’s statutory charge is to protect farm workers’ rights and let the facts guide adjudication.

Hassid also described the ALRB’s jurisdiction over cannabis cultivation workers and recent authority added by the Legislature and described as arising in 2022 under a budget bill she identified as AB 195. She said the ALRB has issued two decisions under a business‑and‑professions provision tied to labor peace agreements and has begun elections and charges in cannabis matters, but enforcement there raises additional challenges because of federal illegality and immigration concerns.

Two labor organizations — the California Federation of Labor and UFCW Western States Council — provided public comment in support of Hassid’s reappointment, calling her thoughtful and fair in prior dealings with unions and stakeholders.

The committee initially put the nomination on call pending an absent member, then completed a final roll call after reconvening; the committee reported the nomination to the Senate floor on a 3‑2 final vote.

Background and context: the ALRB enforces the Agricultural Labor Relations Act and has exclusive state authority over collective‑bargaining processes for agricultural employees. In the hearing, Hassid referenced recent statutory changes she said expanded ALRB authority and noted that majority‑support certification procedures have been used in several recent matters. The committee discussion made clear that elections and certification at the ALRB can trigger both administrative hearings before the board and parallel civil litigation in state court.

What’s next: the committee forwarded Hassid’s nomination to the Senate floor for full confirmation. The hearing record shows substantial continuing disagreement among lawmakers about the ALRB’s past handling of contested elections and about how to ensure that temporary and hard‑to‑reach agricultural workers understand their rights under state law.