CFFN members, representing the diversity of food & farming issues facing the state from hunger and nutrition to farmer livelihood and food chain worker protections, collectively identify policies important for the state’s food and farming system. Seven value-aligned pieces of legislation were then chosen by our Steering Council as priority legislation for the whole Network to focus more deeply on.
We ask Legislators to consider these pieces of legislation to ensure California’s policies contribute to the creation of an inclusive, equitable, and ecologically regenerative food and farming system that has recognized and repaired injustices to Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) workers, producers and communities, and which generates healthy, affordable, accessible, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and other agricultural products.
2022 Priority Food + Farm Legislation
AB 2153 (Arambula) CA Fruit and Veggie EBT Expansion Program – SUPPORT
Expands the availability and diversity of retail locations where CalFresh participants earn fruit and vegetable supplemental benefits. Includes a one-time two-year budget request totaling $245 million for the program.
SB 464 (Hurtado) – Food for All + Budget Item – SUPPORT
Expands the California Food Assistance Program eligibility to ALL ages of Californians who are shut out of CalFresh due to immigration status.
Food and Farming Resilience Budget Item – SUPPORT
Asks for $667.5 million across over 20 food & farm systems investments. Details can be found here.
Drought Relief for Small & BIPOC Farmers – Budget Item – SUPPORT
A package of budget investments for drought relief for small and BIPOC farmers, including:
- $50M for California Underserved and Small Producers Program (CUSP) to provide financial relief to farmers
- $10M to support small & BIPOC food-producing farmer engagement in State Groundwater Management Act’s (SGMA) Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs)
AB 2082 – (R. Rivas) Farmworker Indigenous Language Outreach Program – SUPPORT
Supports Indigenous farmworkers to get work and safety information in their native language and provide more targeted support to Indigenous farmworkers through community based organizations across the state.
AB 2243 (E. Garcia) – Ultra High Heat Illness bill – WATCH position as our CA Farmworker Advocacy Working Group works on amendments with the author
Requires CalOSHA to submit a rulemaking proposal to create an ultra-high heat standard for outdoor workers with additional paid breaks, accessible cool water, shade structures with cooling features, and increased monitoring for heat related illness when temperatures exceed 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It would also require employers to provide PPE when the Air Quality Index (AQI) rises above 200 instead of 300.
AB 2538 (R. Rivas) – Wildfire Smoke Notification bill – WATCH position as our CA Farmworker Advocacy Working Group works on amendments with the author
Creates a statewide notification system for wildfire smoke to alert residents and outdoor workers, such as farmworkers, about the health hazards of smoke. While the bill accounts for language accessibility, it does not account for the differing messaging that would be required in order for a notification system to be useful to farmworkers and the need for alternatives to text for those that do not read English or Spanish.
Support for Additional Food and Farming Issues
The following legislation was also chosen as important issues to support. Safety net programs, intersectional issues, building resilience for regional food systems, and supporting farmers to transition toward more agroecological practices are all necessary to achieve an equitable food and farming system.
AB 2499 (Maienschein) – Organic Transition Program
SB 364 (Skinner) – BOOST EBT
SB 907 (Pan) – EBT at Farmers Markets
SB 1481 (Becker) – Food With Care: Fair Pay for Child Care Providers. Free Meals for All Kids + Budget Item
Community Food System Organizing for Climate Resiliency – Budget Item
CalFresh pre-enrollment for people leaving prison and “gate money”- Budget item
CFFN’s positions on legislation do not necessarily represent the positions of all of our members.
