Agriculture & Food

Reduces the holding period for proceeds from seized agricultural commodities from six to three months. Requires county commissioners to deposit unclaimed proceeds into the county general fund after three months. Maintains existing authority to sell, donate, or destroy seized agricultural commodities.

Requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to post its invasive pest list on its public website. Mandates tracking of invasive pests that could enter California and require state management action. Requires consideration of federally and state-identified invasive pests when developing the list.

Extends the state's vertebrate pest control research program from 2026 to 2035. Maintains funding for pest control research through fees collected from counties. Preserves the advisory committee that guides vertebrate pest control research priorities.

Expands childcare eligibility for migrant worker families by lowering the qualifying income threshold from 50% to 40%. Requires families to verify income through self-certification and tax returns when necessary. Prioritizes enrollment for families that frequently relocate for agricultural work. Extends eligibility to families who qualified within the past five years and remain in agricultural work.

Establishes a state cannabis task force to coordinate enforcement between state, local, and tribal authorities. Requires biannual meetings led by the Department of Cannabis Control to address illegal markets and regulations. Includes representatives from seven state agencies and participating local jurisdictions. Exempts task force meetings from public access laws to protect sensitive law enforcement information.

Authorizes production of hemp drinks containing up to 5mg THC per container starting January 2026. Requires independent laboratory testing and clear THC labeling on all hemp drink containers. Prohibits sales to anyone under 21 years of age. Imposes a 10% excise tax on retail sales of hemp drinks to fund regulatory oversight.

Guarantees CalFresh benefits will not fall below January 2025 levels even if federal funding decreases. Authorizes state funds to maintain CalFresh benefit levels when federal funding is insufficient. Requires a feasibility study on expanding CalFresh eligibility and benefits due by January 2027.

Requires animal shelters to list all adoptable animals on their websites to increase transparency. Tightens breeder regulations by requiring microchipping and health checks before dog sales. Mandates a state study on shelter overcrowding solutions due by January 2028. Expands breeder oversight by lowering the threshold to 2 litters or 10 dogs sold annually.

Extends California's pesticide worker safety program through January 1, 2029. Maintains requirements for medical supervision of workers who regularly handle pesticides. Requires laboratories to report monthly pesticide exposure test results to state regulators. Mandates medical supervisors to share test results with workers within 14 days.

Authorizes licensed microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis directly to patients within California. Requires age verification and signature from recipients 21 or older for all medical cannabis shipments. Prohibits local jurisdictions from banning or restricting medical cannabis delivery and shipping services. Allows retailers to provide free medical cannabis to qualified patients with proper documentation.

Expands agricultural workers' rights to place liens on harvested crops for unpaid wages regardless of employer type. Allows workers to claim liens up to two weeks of unpaid wages for harvesting or transporting crops. Maintains employers' option to avoid liens by providing a wage payment bond to the Labor Commissioner.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to promote recycling organic byproducts into livestock feed.

Bans harmful ultra-processed foods from California schools by 2032 to improve student nutrition. Requires state health officials to define harmful ultra-processed foods by July 2026. Mandates schools to begin phasing out harmful ultra-processed foods by January 2028. Requires food vendors to report detailed product information annually starting February 2027.

Expands agricultural commission powers to set quality standards and regulate product labeling for various crops. Requires handlers to deduct assessments up to 6.5% of gross sales value from producer payments. Establishes alternate members for agricultural commissions to ensure continuous representation. Defines toll processors as entities that process olives into oil for producers, subjecting them to regulations.

Expands foreign labor contractor regulations to protect agricultural workers from recruitment fraud and exploitation. Requires all foreign labor recruiters, including those in agriculture, to register with the state Labor Commissioner. Prohibits charging recruitment fees to any foreign workers entering California. Mandates written contracts disclosing all work terms during the recruitment process.

Exempts the New York Stakes horse races from California's daily limit on imported out-of-state racing broadcasts. Allows betting facilities to broadcast and accept wagers on more out-of-state races during live racing days. Requires consent from local racing associations for accepting wagers on races after 7 p.m. Pacific time.

Establishes a $15 million grant program for agricultural research farms focused on climate resiliency. Requires the State Department of Education to launch the grant program by January 1, 2026. Funds public colleges designated as Agricultural Experiment Stations to develop climate-focused research farms.

Allocates $400 million in bond funds to protect California rangelands through conservation easements. Requires land trusts to acquire and record conservation easements by June 2029 to receive grant funding. Distributes funding across nine California regions to protect privately owned grazing lands and wildlife habitat. Covers 100% of easement costs plus $75,000 in processing fees for accredited land trust organizations.

Establishes a new tax credit for agricultural employers based on overtime wages paid to farmworkers. Limits quarterly credit amounts to match employers' existing employee tax withholding obligations. Requires employers to claim credits through quarterly tax returns or electronic fund transfers. Maintains current tax withholding requirements and employee tax obligations without changes.

Requires cannabis retailers to provide lab test results to customers upon request and allow state testing. Mandates blind proficiency testing for cannabis labs to ensure consistent results across facilities. Establishes new quality control tracking requirements for cannabis distributors starting March 2026. Revises embargo procedures requiring separation of non-compliant cannabis products within one business day.

Makes technical changes to the Agricultural Protection Planning Grant Program's purpose statement.

Makes technical changes to definitions in the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act program.

Establishes a new state program to protect managed honeybee populations through grants and research initiatives. Creates a dedicated fund to support honeybee health interventions and demonstration projects. Forms a six-member advisory committee to guide program development and implementation. Prioritizes projects that benefit disadvantaged communities and socially disadvantaged beekeepers.

Removes federal income eligibility rules from the California Food Assistance Program for immigrants. Requires counties to develop new procedures for determining food assistance eligibility. Mandates state reimbursement to counties for costs of implementing the new eligibility rules.

Makes technical changes to existing provisions about misbranded livestock and poultry products.