[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6577248,"mediaKeyId","3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18","parentId",3161320,"title","Subcommittee OKs bill to enshrine Farm to School program in state law","audioSeconds",564,"startMs",5316000,"endMs",5880000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18&start=5316&end=5880","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18/thumbnail_5316000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577248/California/Subcommittee-OKs-bill-to-enshrine-Farm-to-School-program-in-state-law","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577248-ab72fdf8abd15493af07330b947e3c1a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770627487&Signature=oofgN1SkCQg~oQ~M9ZEE9lxqFPc~9iKh86DXKeFZt~PndLJHYfVQB9M8hmh0ax2TjKGmceK3-7sBaHP2xxjnlO6g-Y0FK~4ABi~Erbee0xqEYJnReMvrN4Et82x9sQxgVGAk6-y2kF~YqW4ZQ8tHBxsAp1PXMbvqIYlxRSo3qL4C01iO8Ett1jFoKpWEOs11bHIebK~f6T9MQDWHF3bgDxi18s1P0E2s7s~T1zxqKFoOkEqxZw~cjchBr9sea20BE0~wnxHtPou5Uxm4p~8TLp8gRsy9IyV--qbKVXEEPtvf~y86A9v8ixp1jBrqv7W~h-OCpQEN5Iw8j2kjSWgs3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Assembly","date","2025-04-30T00:00:00Z","article","AB 675, a bill to codify and secure California’s Farm to School program in state statute, passed the Assembly Agriculture subcommittee and was ordered to the Appropriations Committee by unanimous vote.

Majority Leader Agier Curry, the bill’s author, said AB 675 would put the Farm to School program into statute to provide stability beyond annual budget allocations and to help sustain long-term relationships between schools and local farmers. Curry said the program reaches nearly half of California students and helps funnel state and federal meal funds to local producers.

Witnesses described program benefits. Abby Halperin of the Center for Ecoliteracy said farm-to-school efforts reach high-need schools and support farmers pursuing climate-smart practices. Claire Talbert of Community Alliance with Family Farmers noted that the state program and local networks bridge logistical gaps between school food-service procurement and small-scale producers.

Supporters including NextGen California, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and American Farmland Trust registered on the record; no committee opposition was recorded. Committee members praised the program’s educational and economic benefits for students and small farmers.

The roll call recorded eight votes in favor and none opposed; the bill now goes to Appropriations. The author said codifying the program will protect existing investments and help sustain markets for local farms supplying school meals.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Assembly Agriculture Committee","oneSentenceSummary","AB 675 would codify California's Farm to School program at the state level to provide continuity and help schools buy locally produced food. The Assembly Agriculture subcommittee advanced the bill unanimously to Appropriations (8-0).","taxTitle","California State Assembly, House, Legislative, California","taxId",17099,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6577253,"Assembly subcommittee advances farmland access program for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers",1768,3479000,5247000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18&start=3479&end=5247","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18/thumbnail_3479000.jpg","/articles/6577253/California/Assembly-subcommittee-advances-farmland-access-program-for-beginning-and-socially-disadvantaged-farmers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577253-ef4ab74fbbc4fb63b05c46a7049881f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770627487&Signature=SgwkDRd7qfXrdj7HIIZllzBdau78s1p1fSQ-lHr2NJyqbe5Ifgf6DxTb-BsRgPTDwR3ov~il2vdIgkzcfcEV6Cb9aMfEGlYEP2GRTQt35SWaU6da-pScMnQohZB~rdlFLeKyIKZHuGNcS-WkaAXqiya5qRvujIaVurNN6PQgfZV-lNhFIZbitNQSH~1bqvn4V3xHpLl33iBFzBOqlL6ZUKv2CQfjh4P~HZlalmn~N9XQHfEnWhjfJN41u4rgCKO4o~WgGaxjZw-bE6xOVcZk5squiXL0ylLfereQ5i0jFyoJR23wNC1Ft1YDd8e8oDtjRDTqlHriV~I1DfZ5PhLC~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","AB 524, the Farmland Access and Conservation for Thriving Communities Act, passed the Assembly Agriculture subcommittee and was ordered to the Appropriations Committee by unanimous recorded vote.

Assemblymember Wilson, the bill’s author, told the committee the measure would establish a statewide land-access program at the Department of Conservation to provide financial and technical assistance for land acquisition, protection or long-term leases targeted to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Wilson said the program builds on prior work, including the Farmer Equity Act of 2017, and uses funding from Proposition 4 to create a permanent state program addressing land tenure barriers.

Supporters described steep land-price concentration and the loss of farmland: Jamie Fannous of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers said the top 5% of cropland owners hold over half of California’s agricultural land, and that nearly 4 small farms are lost daily. Testimony from Darlene Ruiz, who farms Products from Paradise in Stanislaus County, illustrated the practical effects: repeated lease nonrenewals, near sales that made buying unaffordable, and difficulty securing ten-year agreements required for many grants and loans.

A broad coalition of farm and land-trust groups testified in favor, including Community Alliance with Family Farmers, American Farmland Trust, the California Food and Farming Network and the California Community Land Trust Network. Several county supervisors and local officials also registered support during the hearing.

Committee members praised the bill’s focus on equity and practical assistance for small and beginning farmers. Majority Leader Agier Curry and other members said they would join as coauthors. The committee clerk recorded an 8-0 vote advancing the bill to Appropriations.

If enacted, AB 524 would create the first statewide program specifically aimed at improving land tenure for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, supporting conservation practices and stabilizing local food economies.

","AB 524 would create a land-access program at the Department of Conservation to help beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers acquire or secure long-term leases for farmland. The subcommittee voted to pass the bill to Appropriations with unanimous support in committee (8-0).",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6577258,"Assembly committee advances bill to allow suspension of Williamson Act contracts for solar use easements",3596,2314000,5910000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18&start=2314&end=5910","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3161320-07c2b61920202cf7525f2e5d1635cd18/thumbnail_2314000.jpg","/articles/6577258/California/Assembly-committee-advances-bill-to-allow-suspension-of-Williamson-Act-contracts-for-solar-use-easements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577258-d45211281e7cb83c3af6e94b95ac6b9a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770627487&Signature=aPHQF-DPA47vmVMoFLKMrCOAAySMaASlV81GskGbw0M9Cn88kNWoN7TGO691Kve6RpJIV40tfRTUgBz3zXXM-vF46K2h5qwFemLh4GhWGrr6Ay6ToHsVyuMBbadiOV553~TkqlDA1y-q1thftbXaix~Ghng-qKJgXYX8YUfz9B3er6Pfr8m6EX9LrIU7PbYkm0HtC--ptE9b~Cz1hhMPbn-tWJFgmxXsDNElxjnvOcVeFRN5kLKUDUG0pED6ugEVcGd-r6deuNC9KVw4THvYO8wLYbx8fnPrHIrW7SbGv6WOK64doeGjHVBA5mhIgJT9Mmz9ZzgwfKpcR9yVdwLMlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","AB 1156, a bill that would allow landowners to suspend Williamson Act contracts and place solar projects on lands with insufficient water, passed the Assembly Agriculture subcommittee as amended and was referred to the Appropriations Committee by a 6-1 vote.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Diane Wicks, described AB 1156 as an update to California’s solar use easement statute intended to allow “suitable lands with significant water constraints to transition from a Williamson Act contract to a solar use easement for the development of renewable energy projects.” Wicks said the suspension would be temporary and that land could return to agricultural production if water conditions improve.

Wicks said the current program has produced few projects—state data cited in committee shows three projects permitted since 2011—and argued changes were needed so that landowners facing water loss have an additional, voluntary option. “This will provide an economic benefit to the community and to farmers that otherwise have very limited options,” Wicks said.

Supporters said the bill targets irrigated farmland becoming uneconomical because of water scarcity and could generate property tax revenue that would otherwise be lost. Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large-Scale Solar Association, told the committee the measure provides “surgical fixes” enabling farmers to pause a Williamson Act contract, establish a solar use easement with local government approval, install a solar project and return the land to production if conditions permit. John Norwood, representing the Almond Alliance, said the bill “empowers landowners” to suspend rather than permanently forfeit agricultural protections.

Opponents, including Peter Ansell of the California Farm Bureau, warned the bill would remove a cancellation fee that currently applies when land exits Williamson Act protections early. Ansell said those fees “are not penalties” but repay a public investment in farmland preservation and that removing them could encourage speculative early withdrawals and weaken the Williamson Act’s incentives. John Kennedy of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) said his organization has moved from opposition to support pending amendments that preserve local mitigation authority.

Several speakers urged stronger definitions and guardrails. Public commenters and some committee members pressed for clearer definitions of “commercially viable” and “insufficient water,” and raised concerns about expanding eligibility to prime farmland and lands of statewide importance. Assemblymember Jeff Gonzales voted against the motion, citing concerns; other members said they would continue working with the author on amendments to impose mandatory community benefits and to narrow definitions.

The committee’s action was recorded as “do pass as amended to appropriations.” Roll-call votes captured in the hearing record showed Soria, Alanis, Connolly, Hadwick, Ransom and Erwin voting yes; Jeff Gonzales voting no; one member recorded as not voting. The author committed to additional amendments addressing local mitigation authority, community benefits, and clearer definitions before the bill reaches appropriations.

The subcommittee hearing record shows extensive stakeholder negotiation among renewable-energy trade groups, agricultural organizations and rural counties; several organizations signaled conditional support pending the author’s amendments, while farm-conservation groups remain cautious.

AB 1156 will now go to the Appropriations Committee with the committee’s amendments and the author’s commitment to further changes.

","The Assembly Agriculture subcommittee voted to pass AB 1156 as amended to the Appropriations Committee, advancing a proposal that would let landowners suspend—not rescind—Williamson Act contracts to place solar projects on agriculturally constrained land, amid debate over cancellation fees, prime farmland protections and local control.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Subcommittee OKs bill to enshrine Farm to School program in state law

Assembly subcommittee advances farmland access program for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers

Assembly committee advances bill to allow suspension of Williamson Act contracts for solar use easements