As we take stock of the outcomes from the election, California offers a number of bright spots and areas of ongoing food and farm systems policy innovation. Several food and farm system bills passed and were signed into law by Governor Newsom. Others did not pass but may return in the next legislative cycle. Now more than ever, we need innovations at the state policy level to address a host of food and farm system issues. 

Proposition 4: $10 billion Climate Bond

In November, California voters approved Proposition 4, authorizing the state to invest $10 billion in climate change-related infrastructure projects, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resilience to greater extreme weather events. 

Over $1 billion of Prop. 4 spending is dedicated to sustainable agriculture, local food systems, and healthy food access, including:

• $385 million for climate resilient agriculture, including the Healthy Soils Program, Multi-benefit Land Repurposing Program, and California Farmland Conservancy Program;
• $635 million for farmworker health and well-being, including improvements for access to clean drinking water, housing, and transportation for farmworkers; and
• $90 million for developing local food system infrastructure and expanding access to healthy foods, including programs on urban agriculture, year-round farmers markets, and farmer equipment-sharing. 
• For a complete list, click here.  

Food and farming advocates played a pivotal role in shaping California’s Climate Bond to include investments for building a healthy, just, and resilient food system. 

Leading this effort, the Food and Farmers Resilience Coalition worked closely with state policymakers for three years to ensure that California’s Climate Bond measure would include dedicated investments in the state’s food system. These multi-year efforts were championed by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), both of whom sponsored two bond proposals over the past four years – AB 125 (Rivas) and AB 408 (Wilson).

California 2024 Legislative Session 

In addition to highlighting Prop 4’s historic investments in California’s food and farm system, the California state legislature and Governor Newsome advanced food and farm system reforms, including the following: 

• AB 660 (Irwin) Food Expiration Date Reform: California became the first state to standardize food date labels, which are often confusing to consumers and lead to unnecessary food waste. It is estimated that approximately 38% of food is wasted in the United States. Starting July 1, 2026, manufacturers will be required to use either ‘BEST if Used by’ to communicate peak product quality, and “Use By” to communicate product safety. The passage of AB 660 could create a ripple effect. Requiring manufacturers to standardize date labels for products sold in California could encourage them to adopt standardized labels for products sold in other states. This could promote a more consistent and effective date labeling system across the country.
• SB 1105 (Padilla) Leave for Farmworkers During Climate Emergencies: The passage of this bill will allow agricultural employees to take paid sick leave during state or local emergency events relating to smoke, heat, or flood. The added flexibility in sick leave provided by this bill is critical in safeguarding agricultural workers from financial hardship when they need to stay home from work due to unsafe conditions. 
• SB 1254 (Becker) Thriving Transitions: Food for Re-Entry and Ensuring Stable Homes (FRESH) Act: This bill allows incarcerated individuals to pre-enroll for the CalFresh program 90 days efore their release from a state prison or county jail. CalFresh is the largest nutrition assistance program in California, and provides monthly food benefits to qualified low-income individuals and families. SB 1254 also requires the State Department of Social Services to establish a working group to develop recommendations for a state reentry process that incorporates resources for transition from incarceration to reentry into the community. 

Other food and farm system legislative proposals advanced but ultimately were vetoed by the Governor. They included the following:

• AB 1975 (Bonta) Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition: This bill sought to expand medically supportive food and nutrition interventions from pilot services to permanent MediCal benefits. Medically supportive food and nutrition interventions are commonly referred to as “food as medicine”, and describe food-based interventions provided through healthcare services which aim to prevent and treat medical conditions. Examples of food as medicine interventions include medically tailored meals, medically supportive meals, produce prescriptions, and medically supportive groceries. This bill was vetoed by the Governor. 
• AB 1961 (Wicks) Strategic Masterplan to End Hunger in CA : This bill sought to require the Department of Food and Agriculture to build a task force to develop strategies to end hunger in California. The “End Hunger in California Master Plan Task Force” would have worked in part to address barriers to access to existing food assistance programs. 2018 data from the United States Department of Agriculture shows that participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs in California is only about 70%. This bill was vetoed by the Governor. 
• AB 2734 (Connolly) Improvements to the Healthy Soils Program: This bill sought to remedy some of the challenges within the existing Healthy Soils Program (HSP), with a particular focus on improving HSP accessibility for farmers. AB 2734 would have allowed HSP grant recipients to request an advance on their payments. It would also have required the California Department of Food and Agriculture to provide grants of up to five years for on-farm demonstration projects. This bill was vetoed by the Governor. 

For more on the BFI policy program and our efforts to connect research to policymakers, please see https://food.berkeley.edu/mission/policy/.