BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2246
Author: John A. Pérez (D)
Amended: 4/23/12 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE : 6-2, 6/20/12
AYES: Hernandez, Harman, Alquist, De León, DeSaulnier,
Wolk
NOES: Anderson, Blakeslee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Rubio
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/25/12 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Public health: food access
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Healthy Food
Financing Initiative (CHFFI) Council to establish and
maintain a website that provides specified information by
March 31, 2013.
ANALYSIS : Existing law:
1.Establishes the CHFFI for the purpose of expanding access
to nutritious foods in underserved, urban, and rural
communities and eliminating food deserts in California.
Establishes the CHFFI Council under the office of the
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Treasurer to implement the CHFFI.
2.Requires, until January 1, 2013, the Department of Public
Health (DPH), in conjunction with the Department of Food
and Agriculture, to develop a Healthy Food Purchase pilot
program, as specified, to increase the sale and purchase
of fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income communities.
Requires DPH to develop a process for evaluating the
effectiveness of the pilot and contract with an
independent external evaluator to conduct the evaluation.
Specifies that DPH must apply for available federal
matching funds to support the pilot and that no General
Fund monies may be used to fund the pilot.
This bill requires the CHFFI to establish and maintain a
website. Requires, by March 31, 2013, the website to
include, but not be limited to:
1.Actions taken by the CHFFI;
2.Available funding sources to support access to healthy
foods;
3.Interagency activities among specified state entities
that focus on benefiting underserved communities and
increasing access to healthy foods; and
4.Resources and links to other Internet Web sites with
information on food deserts and increasing access to
healthy foods.
Background
Food deserts. A food desert is described as a geographic
area with limited access to affordable, quality, and
nutritious foods. Lack of healthy, affordable food options
can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related
diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, commonly known
as the Farm Bill, required the United States Department of
Agriculture to study food deserts. That study found that
of all U.S. households, 2.3 million (2.2 percent) live more
than a mile from a supermarket and do not have access to a
vehicle. An additional 3.4 million households (3.2
percent) live between one-half to one mile from a
supermarket and do not have access to a vehicle. The study
also found that 23.5 million people live in low-income
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areas (areas where more than 40 percent of the population
has an income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty
threshold) that are more than one mile from a supermarket
or large grocery store. Data on time-use and travel mode
show that people living in low-income areas with limited
access to healthy food spend significantly more time (19.5
minutes) traveling to a grocery store than the national
average (15 minutes).
A subset of food deserts are areas increasingly referred to
as "food swamps." A food swamp is a defined geographic
area where the overabundance of high-energy foods (for
example, high caloric snacks sold at convenience stores or
high fat, high caloric foods sold at fast food outlets)
overwhelms the healthy food options.
Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). In February of
2010, the Obama Administration released details of the
HFFI, which was intended to support projects that increase
access to healthy, affordable food in communities that
currently lack these options. These communities are often
found in economically distressed areas, and their residents
are primarily served by fast food restaurants and
convenience stores that offer little or no fresh produce.
The HFFI seeks to promote a range of interventions that
expand access to nutritious foods, including developing and
equipping grocery stores and other small businesses and
retailers selling healthy food in communities that
currently lack these options. The HFFI is a partnership
between the federal Departments of the Treasury,
Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. According to
the State Treasurer's Office, in his fiscal year 2012
budget proposal, President Obama called for a $345 million
investment in HFFI.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/8/12)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
American Planning Association, California Chapter
California Building Industry Association
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California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
California Physical Therapy Association
California Retailers Association
California State Association of Counties
County Health Executives Association of California
League of California Cities
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The California Pan-Ethnic Health
Network (CPEHN) writes in support of the bill, claiming
that thousands of Californians live in areas that lack
access to fresh, healthy, affordable food, especially in
low-income communities and communities of color.
Californians in areas without access to supermarkets have
rates of obesity and diabetes higher than 20 percent of
residents living in healthy food environments. By
establishing a website with information about the Council's
actions, funding sources, additional resources and
interagency activities, AB 2246 is a logical step to ensure
widespread knowledge of the CHFFI Fund and Council and
their efforts to increase access to healthy foods.
The California State Association of Counties and the County
Health Executives Association of California both support AB
2246, claiming that counties support efforts to increase
the number of fresh grocery stores, urban and rural farm
stands, farmer's markets and community gardens in
underserved communities. By providing information and
updates on the Council's progress toward this goal, the
website proposed in AB 2246 will serve as an important tool
in the state's effort to promote healthy food access.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/25/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Beall, Block,
Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan,
Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey,
Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Mansoor,
Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande,
Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
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Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Atkins, Bill Berryhill, Fletcher,
Fuentes, Grove, Hall, Knight, Ma, Perea, Silva
CTW:n 8/8/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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