CA SB 18
in committeeFood Desert Elimination Grant Program.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
Quick answers
Did CA SB 18 pass?
Not yet. CA SB 18 is in committee as of 2025-08-29 and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2025-08-29): August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
What is CA SB 18 about?
Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, as prescribed, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office, among other things, to identify distribution barriers that affect limited food access and work to overcome those barriers through various actions and to coordinate with school districts and representatives to increase the nutritional profile of foods provided in schools. This bill would create the Food Desert Elimination Grant Program under the administration of the department for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in food deserts, as defined, in the state, and areas at risk of becoming food deserts, by providing grants to grocery store operators, as specified. The bill would create the Food Desert Elimination Fund in the General Fund and would authorize the fund to be expended by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the department to collect nonstate, federal, and private funds, require those funds to be deposited into the California Equitable Food Access Account within the Food Desert Elimination Fund, and continuously appropriate moneys in the account to the department for purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the department to award grants for specified purposes to grocery store operators seeking to locate grocery stores in food deserts or to existing grocery stores located in food deserts. The bill would authorize the department to adopt guidelines to implement these provisions. The bill would make the implementation of all of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would repeal its provisions on December 31, 2030.
Who sponsors CA SB 18?
Rubio is the primary sponsor of CA SB 18, joined by 4 cosponsors.
Description
Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, as prescribed, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office, among other things, to identify distribution barriers that affect limited food access and work to overcome those barriers through various actions and to coordinate with school districts and representatives to increase the nutritional profile of foods provided in schools. This bill would create the Food Desert Elimination Grant Program under the administration of the department for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in food deserts, as defined, in the state, and areas at risk of becoming food deserts, by providing grants to grocery store operators, as specified. The bill would create the Food Desert Elimination Fund in the General Fund and would authorize the fund to be expended by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the department to collect nonstate, federal, and private funds, require those funds to be deposited into the California Equitable Food Access Account within the Food Desert Elimination Fund, and continuously appropriate moneys in the account to the department for purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the department to award grants for specified purposes to grocery store operators seeking to locate grocery stores in food deserts or to existing grocery stores located in food deserts. The bill would authorize the department to adopt guidelines to implement these provisions. The bill would make the implementation of all of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would repeal its provisions on December 31, 2030.
- Introduced
- 2024-12-02
- Latest action
- 2025-08-29 — August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Rubioauthor
- Jeff Gonzalezprincipal coauthor
- Ashbycoauthor
- Hadwickcoauthor
- Rogerscoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2024-12-02
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
2024-12-03
From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 2.
2025-01-29
Referred to Com. on RLS.
referral-committee
2025-03-03
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-03-12
Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.
referral-committee
2025-03-28
Set for hearing April 29.
2025-05-01
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 932.) (April 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-05-05
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-05-08
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-05-09
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-19
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-20
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1187.) (May 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-27
Ordered to special consent calendar.
2025-05-29
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1322.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-29
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2025-06-05
Referred to Com. on AGRI.
referral-committee
2025-07-03
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-16
July 16 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29
August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 4-0
Member-level votes (5)
- McNerney: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Padilla: other
Placed on suspense file
2025-05-19 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cabaldon: other
- Dahle: other
Do pass
2025-05-23 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Dahle: other
Special Consent SB18 Rubio et al.
2025-05-29 · pass · 38-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Grove: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Jones: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Stern: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Pérez: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Laird: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Choi: yes
- Valladares: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Niello: yes
- Allen: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Becker: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Limón: other
- Reyes: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-07-02 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (8)
- Alanis: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Soria: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
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