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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-19</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Lee</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Lee</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 104670) to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>public health</ns0:RelatingClause>
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<ns0:Subject>California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Under existing law, it is the policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food. Existing law requires all relevant state agencies to consider that state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when those policies, regulations, or criteria are pertinent to the distribution of sufficient affordable food.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork in the department and requires the office, to the extent resources are available, to work with the agricultural industry, direct marketing organizations, food policy councils, public health groups, nonprofit and philanthropic
organizations, academic institutions, district agricultural associations, county, state, and federal agencies, and other organizations involved in promoting food access to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in this state.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council within the office of the Treasurer, comprising specified members, and would require the council to implement the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative to expand access to nutritious foods in underserved, urban, suburban, tribal, and rural communities and to eliminate food deserts and hunger in California. The bill would require the council to, among other things, develop financing options, using public, philanthropic, or private moneys and other resources, to support access to healthy foods for all Californians. The bill would require the secretary, on or before July 1, 2027, to prepare recommendations,
to be presented upon request to the Legislature, regarding actions that need to be taken to promote food access in the state, and would authorize the secretary to establish an advisory group to assist in complying with that requirement, as specified.</html:p>
<html:p>The bill would establish the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund in the State Treasury, consisting of federal, state, philanthropic, and private funds, for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in underserved communities. The bill would require moneys in the fund to be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to leverage other funding, as specified.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Article 4 (commencing with Section 104670) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the
<ns0:DocName>Health and Safety Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading type="ARTICLE" id="id_F8D60134-BEAE-48FC-9F40-251AAFD08994">
<ns0:Num>4.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>California Healthy Food Financing Initiative</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>104670.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_1450F1B5-8C29-4DF0-818D-4AADFB884D25">
<ns0:Num>104671.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For purposes of this article, all of the following definitions apply:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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“Council” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council created pursuant to Section 104672.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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“Fund” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund established pursuant to Section 104674.
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<html:p>
(c)
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“Initiative” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
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<ns0:Num>104672.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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There is hereby created the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council, within the office of the Treasurer, which shall comprise all of the following members:
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<html:p>
(1)
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The Treasurer or their designee.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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The Secretary of Food and Agriculture or their designee.
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<html:p>
(3)
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The Secretary of California Health and Human Services or their designee.
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<html:p>
(4)
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The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development or their designee.
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<html:p>
(b)
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(1)
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The council shall be chaired by the
Treasurer or their designee.
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<html:p>
(2)
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The council shall implement the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative to expand access to nutritious foods in underserved, urban, suburban, tribal, and rural communities and to eliminate food deserts and hunger in California.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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The council shall do all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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Develop financing options, using public, philanthropic, or private moneys and other resources, to support access to healthy foods for all Californians.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Develop parameters for the initiative, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
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Defining eligible entities for participation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Developing
minimum eligibility thresholds for participation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establishing minimum and maximum levels of financial assistance.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Identifying and prioritizing areas of the state for implementation of the initiative.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Partner with federal, state, or local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic entities, or other stakeholders to further the purposes of the initiative.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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Review the recommendations described in Section 104673.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
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Provide updates to the Legislature as requested.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
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The council shall adopt any rules or regulations necessary to implement the initiative.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The council shall establish, maintain, and periodically update an internet website. The council’s website shall, on or before March 31, 2027, include, but not be limited to, all of the following information:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Actions taken by the council.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Funding sources that are available to support access to healthy foods, including loans and grants from public, private, or philanthropic sources, and how to obtain these sources of funding.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Interagency activities among the Treasurer, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Health and Human Services Agency, and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency that focus on benefiting underserved communities and increasing access to healthy foods.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Resources and hyperlinks to other internet websites with information on food deserts and increasing access to healthy foods.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_2BEB70CB-8EE4-4515-84C0-693196402E66">
<ns0:Num>104673.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On or before July 1, 2027, the Secretary of Food and Agriculture shall prepare recommendations, to be presented upon request of the Legislature, regarding actions that need to be taken to promote food access in the state.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Secretary of Food and Agriculture may establish an advisory group, not to exceed 21 members, to assist the secretary in complying with the requirement of subdivision (a). If established, the advisory group shall consist of representatives from the Legislature, food policy advocates, representatives from the grocery industry, farmer’s markets, food cooperatives, food hubs, and financial institutions, food systems researchers, representatives from the agricultural industry, representatives from underserved
communities, representatives from nonprofit and philanthropic organizations with expertise in this area, representatives of health care providers, and others.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_66F7753C-1CA8-4BF4-9101-5E32FC9A64AF">
<ns0:Num>104674.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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There is hereby established in the State Treasury the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund, which shall consist of federal, state, philanthropic, and private funds, for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in underserved communities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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Moneys in the fund shall be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and to the extent practicable, to leverage other funding, including, but not limited to, new market tax credits, the California Organized Investment Network program established pursuant to Article 10.1 (commencing with Section 926) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 1 of the Insurance Code, federal and foundation grant programs, incentives available to federally designated opportunity zones, the federal
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, and funding from community development corporations and private sector financial institutions pursuant to the federal Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (12 U.S.C. Sec. 2901 et seq.).
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