BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1897
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Date of Hearing: May 16, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1897 (Campos) - As Amended: May 2, 2012
Policy Committee: Local
GovernmentVote:6-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the Governor's Office of Planning and
Research (OPR), in consultation with the California Department
of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), to prepare and amend the
guidelines for the preparation of and the content of the
mandatory elements required in city and county general plans to
contain guidance for improving the health of Californians by
increasing access to healthy affordable food. The local
government is granted the discretion to use the information
contained in the guidelines.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor absorbable costs
COMMENTS
1) Purpose. According to the author, there are about 100 food
deserts in California alone, based on information from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The author argues that
increasing access to healthy food provides several community
benefits, including improved health and decreased health care
costs for chronic illnesses. The author notes surveys of
residents in food deserts or areas with high food needs
demonstrate a clear desire for access to fresh, healthy
produce. This desire for food is also linked to actual
increased consumption of produce--one study found that
locating a grocery store in a community increased consumption
of fruits and vegetables by 32%. The author concludes that
because proper nutrition is closely linked to health outcomes,
it is imperative to pass this legislation to ensure that
AB 1897
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everyone has access to fresh, healthy, affordable produce.
2)Background . A general plan is a local government's long-term
blueprint for development. OPR is responsible for updating
the general plan guidelines. OPR also monitors general plan
implementation with annual progress reports from cities and
counties, and grants general plan extensions for qualified
cities and counties. OPR last issued comprehensive general
plan guidelines in 2003, with several supplements on specific
topics released more recently. According to OPR, they are
currently working on a plan to move forward on the next
revision of the general plan guidelines.
3)Food Deserts . There is no question that some people live in
neighborhoods with limited access to large grocery stores and
that some of those individuals do not have access to adequate
transportation. For example, there are 10,000 households in
Los Angeles County that are over one mile from a grocery store
and do not have a car. Many studies find a correlation
between limited food access and lower intake of nutritious
foods. According to the USDA, data and methods used in these
studies, however, are not sufficiently robust to establish a
causal link between access and nutritional outcomes.
Recent studies have challenged the popular and long held
belief that people living in poor urban areas have less access
to grocery stores and healthy foods than people in wealthier
areas. A March 2012 Public Policy Institute of California
(PPIC) study found that poor neighborhoods had nearly twice as
many fast food restaurants and convenience stores as wealthier
ones, and more than three times as many corner stores per
square mile. But they also had nearly twice as many
supermarkets and large-scale grocers per square mile. In
addition, a Rand study found that within several miles of any
location within an urban area a person can find any type of
food.
In addition to the PPIC study, a February 2012 study published
by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and financed
by the National Institutes of Health, found among middle
school and high school students that there is no consistent
relationship between what the students ate and the type of
food nearby. Living close to supermarkets or grocers did not
make students thin and living close to fast food outlets did
not make them fat.
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4)Support. Supporters, including the California Farm Bureau and
the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME), argue AB 1897 would benefit local
communities economically as well as by encouraging the siting
of new food outlets that can act as anchors for other retail
outlets.
5)Opposition. The California Grocers Association contends this
bill circumvents the ongoing multi-stakeholder CDFA process
already established by AB 581 (Perez) Chapter 505, Statutes of
2011.
A coalition of organizations involved in local land use and
development issues, argues this bill links land use planning
to a completely unrelated policy issue which would cause
significant conflicts with land use planning goals already
adopted by the Legislature.
6)Related Legislation . AB 581 created the California Health
Food Financing Initiative for the purpose of expanding access
to healthy foods in underserved communities. Requires CDFA,
by July 1, 2012, to prepare recommended actions to promote
food access within California.
Analysis Prepared by : Roger Dunstan / APPR. / (916) 319-2081