SACRAMENTO – As the Sacramento region celebrates “Farm-to-Fork Week,”
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed three bills to expand access
to fresh, locally-grown food in communities across California.
“This farm to fork legislation expands access to fresh, local produce
and will help make our communities healthier,” said Governor Brown.
The Governor signed the following bills today:
• AB 224 by Assemblymember Richard S. Gordon (D-Menlo Park): Establishes
health and safety standards for “community-supported agriculture” to
ensure that Californians can continue to access local food directly from
farmers.
• AB 551 by Assemblymember Philip Y. Ting (D-San Francisco): Allows
cities and counties to establish Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones, to
help encourage owners of undeveloped properties to use their land for
urban farming, providing communities with urban green space and a local
food source.
• AB 654 by Assemblymember Isadore Hall III (D-Compton): Extends the
sunset date to January 1, 2018 for the California Department of Food and
Agriculture’s certified farmers’ market program.
Governor Brown paved the way for farmers markets in California by
signing the Direct Marketing Act in 1978, which allowed farmers to sell
their produce directly to consumers.
Sacramento’s inaugural “Farm-to-Fork Week” features a number of public events that highlight the region’s local and sustainable restaurants and food production.
