New Marin County agricultural commissioner Stefan Parnay aims to better balance the scales of consumer pricing
Stefan Parnay didn’t care for weeds as a boy. Now an adult, he’s got the power over them, as Marin County’s agricultural commissioner.
The Sonoma County native grew up on the outskirts of Sebastopol where his father — a school official and avid gardener himself — taught Parnay, 56, the treasures of cultivating plants from the Earth. Today in Windsor, he grows peppers and greens in his own garden.
“He was pretty much the green thumb. I pulled weeds, although that was not as exciting as other things,” he said.
But despite his distaste for weeding, going into agriculture as a trade still appealed to Parnay.
After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in ornamental horticulture, Parnay took a job in 1994 with the Sonoma County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, where he worked for 16 years. He cut his teeth as a senior agricultural program assistant, then was promoted in 2004 through the ranks as a chief deputy agricultural commissioner.
In 2010, Parnay became an assistant agricultural commissioner for Marin County. In 2020, he replaced longtime commissioner, Stacy Carlsen, who retired after 25 years in the job.
In his new role, Parnay faces a variety of issues, including drought and climate change impacts. But the most controversial in his region centers on cattle ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore. The park has allowed the practice for decades, drawing heavy criticism from environmentalists.
“Ranching and agriculture have been around for hundreds of years,” he said in his support for the practice. “Cattle ranching accounts for 20% of our Marin County agriculture. That’s significant. If there was no ranching, it would be devastating.”
Livestock production, which includes cattle and dairy ranching, rakes in more than $20 million a year, the county’s crop report indicates.
Meanwhile, North Bay farmers face more regulations, drought problems and learning ways to become more sustainable.
“It’s gotten harder and harder,” he said. “But it’s great to see acceptance from most people.”
Stomping out price inequities
Parnay has goals for his new job. He plans to put more authority and oversight into the division’s Weights and Measures responsibilities.
Weights and Measures is tasked with running consumer protection-related inspections and handling complaints on unfair practices — right down to the price a shopper pays for groceries at the store.
The California Division of Measurement standards reported in 2019 that, of 1,891 items purchased in state tests, 423 transactions were overcharged at 223 stores. Many of the undercover transactions involved buyers who came from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds.
Beyond the “test” inspections, the department will also conduct reviews of price scans at stores. In the latest report, 245 scans out of 4,236 were overcharges — many of which involved buyers in disadvantaged households.
Reasons may include a language barrier, ignorance of a system set up to handle these types of complaints or a general reluctance to escalate matters.
“I think there may just be a lack of knowledge of what their rights are,” Parnay said.
As for weeds, part of his wish list for the county division, Parnay would also like to start an invasive weed program that teams up resources such as the UC Cooperative Extension with farmers trying to rid their land of plants that take over. He listed the purple star thistle as a particular problem in the county.
“Weeding work needs to be done,” he said.
Susan Wood covers law, cannabis, production, biotech, energy, transportation, agriculture as well as banking and finance. For 25 years, Susan has worked for a variety of publications including the North County Times, now a part of the Union Tribune in San Diego County, along with the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Lake Tahoe News. She graduated from Fullerton College. Reach her at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com
