SB 1448: Farm to Community Food Hub Program: California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force.

(1)Existing law establishes the Farm to Community Food Hub Program, which is administered by the Office of Farm to Fork in the Department of Food and Agriculture, which is under the control of the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. Existing law requires the secretary to establish the Farm to Community Food Hub Advisory Committee for the purpose of advising the secretary with respect to their responsibilities regarding the program. Existing law requires the advisory committee to comprise 10 members from specified regions, including 4 members who are executives or managers of a food supply chain business headquartered in California, 4 members who are executives or directors of a civil society organization or representatives of academic institution with certain expertise, and one member who is a farmer or rancher meets specified qualifications. Existing law requires the program to be administered in 2 phases, and requires the office, for the first phase, to solicit and select proposals throughout the state to create farm to community food hubs and award planning grants to selected proposals and, for the second phase, to select at least 3 of the proposals that were awarded planning grants during the first phase and award to those proposals development grants for capital and operating expenses of the farm to community food hub for a 5-year period. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2028.

This bill would eliminate the advisory committee and instead require the office to develop and consult with a working group comprising at least 7 individuals who possess expertise in the operation of food hubs and other specified areas, as provided. The bill would exempt the working group from the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. The bill would require that the program prioritize the creation of new farm to community food hubs and would authorize, instead of require, the program to be administered in the 2 above-described phases. The bill would extend the operation of the program until January 1, 2034.

(2)Existing law appropriated $1,000,000 to the Strategic Growth Council to establish the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force to develop recommendations on how to equitably increase access to agricultural land for food production and traditional tribal agricultural uses. Existing law requires the task force, on or before January 1, 2026, to submit a report to the Legislature and Governor that includes a set of policy recommendations on how to address the agricultural land equity crisis.

This bill would authorize the council, using existing or private funds, to provide public task force members a reasonable per diem allowance, as specified, or at a higher rate authorized by the task force, for each days attendance at a noticed meeting of the task force. The bill would require the report to be posted on the councils internet website.

(3)Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

(4)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.