Two state assemblymembers on Tuesday announced a new $3 billion bond measure that aims to spur COVID-19 economic recovery while combating climate change and food insecurity.
Assemblymembers Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, announced Assembly Bill 125 — the Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms and Worker Protection Bond Act.
If passed by the state Legislature, the general obligation bond would go on the November 2022 ballot for voter approval.
“It is time for a better food system in our state — one that is more resilient, more sustainable, and more just,” said Rivas, who chairs the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
This is especially true now, Rivas said, as COVID-19 exposed the “vulnerabilities and inequities” in California’s food supply and infrastructure.
Since the start of the pandemic a year ago, the number of food insecure Californians increased by 2.1 million, bringing the total to 6.4 million residents.
Farmers have also suffered significantly as COVID-19 shutdowns closed the doors of many restaurants and subsequently impacted food supply chains and profits.
“Farmworkers, many of whom live in overcrowded conditions, have been especially vulnerable to contract and COVID-19,” Kalra said.
So Kalra and Rivas, who were joined by a broad coalition of agriculture, labor, food and environmental advocates, are pushing for major investments to transform the state’s food system by supporting farmworkers, providing more access to healthy food for state residents and promoting healthy, sustainable agricultural practices by farmers.
“We are now finally beginning to emerge from this crisis, but when it comes to our food system, we cannot go back to the way things were,” Rivas said. “We need to ensure that our food system stays healthy, especially healthy in a crisis.”
The bond seeks to change the state’s food system in four major ways.
First, it would invest millions of dollars in food processing, distribution and market infrastructure to increase capacity for emergency food distribution across California.
Second, it would invest millions to protect farm and food system workers. The bond would allocate $400 million for farmworker housing units, $100 million to ensure clean and safe drinking water access for farmworkers and their families and $25 million in personal protective equipment like N95 masks, among many other investments.
The Central California Environmental Justice Network was part of a coalition that surveyed more than 900 California farmworkers and found that most did not have any sort of personal protective equipment.
“Not even the N95 masks that are essential, especially to protect them from wildfires … that put our air quality at hazardous levels over 450 in the air quality index,” said Nayamin Martinez, director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network.
The third batch of investments would focus on combatting hunger and expanding healthy food access. The proposed bill would allocate $230 million for school meals, $150 million for emergency food assistance and $100 million for senior nutrition programs.
Lastly, the bond would invest millions into promoting sustainable agriculture by allocating $120 million to improve the sustainability of agricultural lands and $125 million to improve land access for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, among other investments.
“California is home to some of the most innovative farmers in the country, and they are very well positioned to help reduce climate-related pollution and Assembly Bill 125 will do just that,” said Jeanne Merrill, policy director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network.
She said the bond would invest in “a broad set of strategies” including efforts to reduce wildfire risks as well as fund compost infrastructure to divert organic waste from landfills and transform it into “valuable soil-building organic fertilizer.”
And if this ridiculous bond measure ever sees a vote it will pass with flying colors because the People of California never saw a bond measure they didn’t like. It appears we love public debt in this state more than good weather, In-N-Out and Asian Fusion cuisine.
If the special interests represented in this bond measure want funding, let them attempt to get it from the general fund. But to saddle taxpayers with 30 years of debt and interest payments to feed “farm workers” and fund “school lunches” is a joke.
And the fact the Communists who wrote this joke don’t even try to hide the fact it’s about wealth redistribution to illegal aliens — they use the word “Equitable” in the bill title even — tells you what California has become. We’re the laughing stock of the United States thanks to people like this.
1) Nothing on this list should be paid via a Bond. These ideas should be paid, if you want them, from the general fund. Why pay back $5billion for a $3billion bond for ongoing expenses. Appears $400 million in worker housing and $125 million for “land access for socially disadvantaged farmers” is only real target for bonds and CA is plenty big enough to pay as we go on these items.
2) If we are giving people $300 month for their children, shouldn’t they be providing their own school lunch.
3) CA voters will probably approve as they treat bonds as fairy dust.
+1
Politicians have a hard time telling things truthfully. Just call this the “Farm Workers Relief Bill” and get it over with. My opinion is each farm area should be supported by the farmers who use farm workers in their area. They should be responsible for decent housing and transportation for seasonal workers.
Paid for buy increase in property taxes. Won’t get my vote.
+1
Why do we need this bond measure when the Covid “Pork” Bill is giving BILLIONS of $$ to Kalifornia? Scratching my head.
And Gavin wonders why he’s being recalled.
I suggest we focus on the proper use of farmland and the appropriate development of water resources to support proper farming. Newsom and his State Water Resources Board is going to destroy the Delta by overpumping water to serve LA while they allow overdraws on surface and below ground water in the Valley but farms. Too many people, too much politics, too many dollars.
Why would we have to bail out the farm industry with a bond measure when they should be the place that workers get protective gear, water, housing either through direct employment or higher costs for supplied labor.
We need to stop this crap.It’s called get a job.There are so many places hiring.The jobs may not pay a hundred thousand a year but example In and Out Burger 17.00 an hour plus benefits.Even if you have to work two jobs to make ends meet.No it’s to easy to get it free.
$3 billion to pass a bond to fix a problem we don’t have. Unbelievable. It’ll probably pass too, with all the soft heads in this state.
Better yet, get the government out of the food business all together. First off, only a politician/bureaucrat could come up with an absurd term like food insecurity. Second, private organizations all over have a remarkable process in place for providing food to those who need it (St. Vincent DePaul, Second Harvest, etc.), and are much more efficient than any county organization. Volunteers are a plenty, through those evil corporations, fraternal groups, religious organizations.
Sick of these worthless politicians so free with money that is not theirs. They spend and spend without a care in the world. Perhaps if they want to spend, it should hurt their wallets first, and I mean hurt.
more democrat tax and spend, only with bonds.
endless “improvements” to things they said they were going to improve with the last tax/bond. depending on an electorate with no long term memory which explains why they legalized pot and now teach that thinking is white privilege.
It’s got all the current buzz words in the title so the legislature will certainly favor it.
Yields are so low in the high-tax states its hard to believe anyone would want to own a California bond. In a state that’s financially so poorly managed the Feds have to bail it out every couple of years, there are certainly much less risky fixed income opportunities elsewhere.
Expect a boatload of really far fetched legislation for November in anticipation Gavin may not stay in office.
If Democrats manage the “food system” in California the way they manage forests, the Golden State is going to look like Somalia! Good luck with that.
Wait a minute, think there’s an old kitchen sink out back they might want to include under the umbrella term “economic recovery”.
This state needs to stop wasting money.
Address the waste, fraud and abuse.
Ever met a DEM politician that wasn’t absolutely convinced they could solve any problem, by throwing YOUR tax dollars at it ? ? ?
Go to http://www.bsa.ca.gov/ and spend an hour exploring the YEARS of their reports.
Voting NO.
What an incredibly STUPID proposal by two morons with no financial common sense or logic…
Kleptofornica is at it again. When politicians say that they “rob the other guy and pass the money on to you” the other guy is you, or should I say ewe?
Bond measures are for things people do not want to pay for but want to make the next generation pay for. The only people who make out are the bond sellers and the politicians getting the kickbacks.
I’ve always voted no for any bond measure.
I don’t see any reason to change my mind about this measure.
If it loses, they’ll vote a measure through to fund it anyhow.
The people have no voice.
The people voted it away.
That’s why Newsome will win any recall.
The rig is solidly in place.
How about a Bond Measure on any Democrat that uses the following words to somehow continually increase our taxes. This Bond Measure will collect 10% from all Democrat’s paychecks and distribute it to all people in this state who have worked and paid taxes for 20+ years. The words are as follows:
Slave Reparations
Marginalized Community
Equity
Gun Control
White Supremacy
and Stimulus
i wonder if weiner was a part of this nonsense
he is the guy who got a law passed to protect pedophiles
#DefundTheCaliforniaCongress
#DefundDemocrats
This is the most outrageously stupid bill to waste taxpayer dollars that has come around in a long time . It just expands the welfare state . It will solve nothing, but liberals never solve anything do they . They create poverty and then maintain it with our tax dollars . If the people in this state are that dumb , stupid to pass garbage like this, then the future of this state is lost .
This money will be the Democrats slush fund!
Reading today about a windfall budget surplus San Francisco discovered recently of which it plans to commit $3 million for a “Nightlife Recovery Program.” Yep, hard to believe, but “nightlife” in San Francisco is struggling, apparently. The $3 million is coming out of $125 million recently “found” by the city controller.
Reading a little further, one discovers the windfall budget surplus is identified as funds from “unexpectedly high property taxes and transfer tax revenues.” Amazing. In San Francisco, property taxpayers are now providing aid to the city’s “nightlife.” Rather than return the unexpectedly high property tax revenues, or a portion of them, why not spend it on “nightlife?” Yeah, that makes sense. This sort of logic coming to a city near you … soon, very soon.