Assembly BillIntroducedHealth and Safety
AB 2213: California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
What AB 2213 does, verified June 8, 2026
<p>The California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council is established within the office of the treasurer to expand access to nutritious foods in underserved areas and eliminate food deserts. The council will define eligibility for the initiative and develop financing options using public, philanthropic, or private resources. It requires the secretary of food and agriculture and the director of social services to prepare recommendations by July 1, 2027, on actions needed to promote food access and align healthy food financing projects with food assistance programs. The bill also establishes a fund in the state treasury for expanding access to healthy foods using federal, state, philanthropic, and private funds.</p>
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions9 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2026 | Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 5030.) |
| May. 13, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 20, 2026 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr. 16, 2026 | Read second time and amended. |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 16, 2026 · 1,663 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 16, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2213
| Introduced by Assembly Member Lee (Coauthor: Assembly Member Solache) |
February 19, 2026 |
An act to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 104670) to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2213, as amended, Lee. California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
Under existing law, it is the policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food. Existing law requires all relevant state agencies to consider that state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when those policies, regulations, or criteria are pertinent to the distribution of sufficient affordable food.
Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork in the department and requires the office, to the extent resources are available, to work with the agricultural industry, direct marketing organizations, food policy councils, public health groups, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, academic institutions, district agricultural associations, county, state, and federal agencies, and other organizations involved in promoting food access to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in this state.
Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services, headed by the Director of Social Services, implements the Supplemental Nutrition Benefit Program and the Transitional Nutrition Benefit Program.
This bill would create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council within the office of the Treasurer, comprising specified members, and would require the council to implement the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative to expand access to nutritious foods in underserved, urban, suburban, tribal, and rural communities communities, to support programs that connect agricultural products to food assistance systems, and to eliminate food deserts and hunger in California. The bill would require the council to, among other things, define eligibility for the initiative and develop financing options, using public, philanthropic, or private moneys and other resources, to support access to healthy foods for all Californians. The bill would require the secretary, in coordination with the director, on or before July 1, 2027, to prepare recommendations, to be presented upon request to the Legislature, regarding actions that need to be taken to promote food access in the state, state and to develop strategies to align healthy food financing projects with food assistance programs to improve food affordability and food availability among underserved communities in the state, and would authorize the secretary secretary, in coordination with the director, to establish an advisory group to assist in complying with that requirement, as specified.
The bill would establish the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund in the State Treasury, consisting of federal, state, philanthropic, and private funds, for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in underserved communities. The bill would require moneys in the fund to be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to leverage other funding, as specified.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article 4 (commencing with Section 104670) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:Article 4. California Healthy Food Financing Initiative
104670.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.104671.
For purposes of this article, all of the following definitions apply:(a) “Council” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council created pursuant to Section 104672.
(b) “Fund” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund established pursuant to Section 104674.
(c) “Initiative” means the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
104672.
(a) There is hereby created in the office of the Treasurer the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council,(1) The Treasurer Treasurer, or their designee. designee, who shall chair the council.
(2) The Secretary of Food and Agriculture or their designee.
(3) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services Director of Social Services or their designee.
(4) The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development or their designee.
(b)(1)The council shall be chaired by the Treasurer or their designee.
(2)
(b) The council shall implement the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative to expand access to nutritious foods in underserved, urban, suburban, tribal, and rural communities communities, to support programs that connect agricultural products to food assistance systems, and to eliminate food deserts and hunger in California.
(c) The To implement the initiative, the council shall do all of the following:
(1) Develop financing options, using public, philanthropic, or private moneys and other resources, to support access to healthy foods foods, and to support programs that connect agricultural products to food assistance systems, for all Californians.
(2) Develop parameters for the initiative, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Defining Define eligible entities for participation.
(B) Developing Develop minimum eligibility thresholds for participation.
(C) Establishing Establish minimum and maximum levels of financial assistance.
(D) Identifying Identify and prioritizing prioritize areas of the state for implementation of the initiative.
(E) Develop criteria for identifying and prioritizing communities with the greatest food access needs.
(F) Identify food assistance, nutrition incentive, and food access programs eligible for participation.
(G) Establish funding schedules and procedures for awarding grants from the fund to eligible entities and food assistance, nutrition incentive, and food access programs.
(3) Partner with federal, state, or local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic entities, or other stakeholders to further the purposes of the initiative.
(4) Review the recommendations described in prepared and strategies developed pursuant to Section 104673.
(5) Provide updates to the Legislature as requested.
(6) Prioritize financing to food assistance, nutrition incentive, and food access programs.
(7) Prioritize financing to eligible entities, defined pursuant to paragraph (2), based on, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Projects located in underserved communities with limited access to full-service grocery stores or healthy food retailers.
(B) Small and independent grocers, food cooperatives, and community-owned food retail projects.
(C) Projects serving a population area currently not being served by a food assistance, nutrition incentive, or food access program.
(D) The degree of the existence of demographic conditions and the character of the communities in which sales of California-grown fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables are made to the public by authorized vendors operating in conjunction with a qualified entity, including all of the following:
(i) The number of people who are eligible for, or are receiving, food assistance, nutrition incentive, and food access programs.
(ii) The prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and other diet-related illnesses.
(iii) The availability of access to fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
(d) The council shall adopt any rules or regulations necessary to implement the initiative.
(e) The council shall establish, maintain, and periodically update an internet website. The council’s internet website shall, on or before March 31, 2027, shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following information:
(1) On or before March 31, 2027, all of the following information:
(1)
(A)
Actions taken by the council.(2)
(B)
Funding sources that are available to support access to healthy(3)
(C)
Interagency activities among the Treasurer, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the(4)
(D)
Resources and hyperlinks to other internet websites with information on food(2) On or before January 1, 2028, all of the following information:
(A) The total amount of funds in the fund, including the total amount of funds received from each funding source.
(B) The total amount of funds expended to leverage other funding pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 104674, including the amount of funds expended from each funding source and the total amount of funds generated from those investments.
(C) The total amount of funds disbursed from the fund, including the entities and programs that received funding and the total amount of funds each eligible entity and program received.
(D) The geographic location of the projects that received funds from the fund.
104673.
(a) On or before July 1, 2027, the Secretary of Food and(b) (1) The Secretary of Food and Agriculture Agriculture, in coordination with the Director of Social Services, may establish an advisory group, not to exceed 21 members, to assist the secretary in complying with the requirement of subdivision (a). If established, the advisory group
(2) An advisory group established pursuant to this subdivision
shall consist of representatives from the Legislature, food policy advocates, representatives from the grocery industry,Text of AB 2213 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions