On Wednesday, April 30, the Neighborhood Food Act passed out of the Assembly Local Government Committee by a narrow margin. Assemblymember Bradford worked with the Committee to make some tough decisions to address concerns raised by opponents and some members of the Committee. Assemblymember Bradford agreed to remove the city zoning component of the bill and make some further adjustments to the tenants’ rights section, limiting the growing space to the backyard. We do not believe the bill would have passed out of the Committee without these agreements.

While we left the Committee hearing with mixed emotions, we are grateful to Assemblymember Bradford who ensured this bill would continue forward to protect the rights of tenants and of people living under the governance of homeowners’ associations.  Assemblymember Bradford and his staff displayed incredible courage by taking up this bill which we all knew would encounter some significant opposition from a few powerful interest groups. We plan to carry on the fight with our partners throughout the state and advocate for the right to grow food in future zoning legislation.

Thank you for calling, tweeting, and writing about AB 2561. We would not have made it this far without your support. We'll be counting on you again in coming weeks and months to get this bill through the next steps in the legislative process. We will need to keep building pressure on the legislature to support Californians’ rights to grow food!

Neighborhood Food Act main page.