For Immediate Release: February 3rd, 2026
Sacramento, CA – The California Food and Farming Network (CFFN) has released the 2025 Food and Farming Scorecard, tracking key food and farming legislation and revealing policy votes of California’s 120 elected state legislators.
This 13th iteration of the report builds upon the work of Roots of Change and the California Food Policy Council, who first initiated the food and farming scorecard. The purpose of the report is to encourage more transparency between state representatives and their constituents who care about food and farming issues.
The 2025 Food & Farm Scorecard tracks six key pieces of 2025 legislation that impact essential food system workers, conservation efforts, and healthy food access. Of the legislation tracked this year, four failed to cross the finish line, one food access bill became a two-year bill, and a bill that CFFN opposed died in the Assembly appropriations committee.
“Our food system is dynamic, and every legislative cycle we have an opportunity to move closer towards a repaired and thriving food system,” said Beth Smoker, Policy Director at the California Food and Farming Network, “2025 was a difficult year for food system bills; there was a lot of chaos and whiplash from the federal level, impacting what was able to get done in California. At the same time, as a coalition, we’ve emerged with a deepened clarity of what we’re fighting for.”
While most of CFFN’s 2025 priority bills did not pass, the majority of Assemblymembers and Senators earned passing scores. CFFN acknowledged two legislators in particular for their leadership on food and farming causes over the past year: Assemblymember Alex Lee and Senator Sasha Renée Pérez.
Over the course of his four years as Assemblymember, Lee has been a strong champion on farmworker, small farmer, and food access issues. In 2023, he authored AB 652, establishing an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee at the Department of Pesticide Regulation, where he unwaveringly pushed against heavy Big Ag industry opposition. For the last two years, he has been a champion for the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT program, securing $10M in FY24-25 and $36M in FY25-26. This past year, he demonstrated his thought leadership as he co-convened the 2025 Joint Informational Hearing on food insecurity and CA agriculture with the Assembly Human Services and Agriculture Committees. He has made commitments into 2026 on continuing to prioritize the important nexus of food access and small, community farmers.
Within her first year, Senator Sasha Renée Pérez quickly asserted herself as a leader in not only food systems but also environmental health and community wellness. She authored the Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025 (SB 411), which would have addressed the gap in access to school meals by ensuring California maximizes federal SUN Bucks and streamlines both families’ access and schools’ administrative processes through the implementation of a single statewide web application. She championed School Meals for All, providing supportive comments throughout the budget committee hearings. And, in a time when immigrant communities are under attack, she has authored and supported legislation that aims to protect immigrant communities.
The report evaluated Governor Gavin Newsom’s performance both on legislation that crossed his desk and budget items that were or were not included in any of his proposed or final budgets. Outside of Proposition 4 funding, he was not in alignment with the food movement this year, with a score that has decreased for the second year in a row.
As the 2026 legislative cycle ramps up with a continued budget deficit, heightened political uncertainty, and a growing call to protect immigrant communities, CFFN aims to hold the line and continue building toward an equitable and thriving food system.
A celebration to honor the Food & Farm Champions will be held this evening, 02/03/26, at 6:00 pm in Sacramento.
Contact: Beth Smoker, bsmoker@foodfarmnetwork.org
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