California Air Resources Board

Requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to oversee a sustainable agriculture program to provide research, technical assistance, and incentive grants to promote agricultural practices that support climate resilience for farms and ranches and the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and biodiversity. The bill also renames the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming to the Scientific Advisory Panel on Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture (Panel) for the purpose of providing advice to the CDFA Secretary on the implementation of research, incentive, and technical assistance grant programs for sustainable agriculture. This bill also expands the Panel from nine members to eleven members to add members of the public that represent scientific expertise in sustainable agriculture and members of state agencies that represent expertise in programs and policies related to agriculture.

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Would have required CARB to ensure the Clean Cars 4 All program (CC4A) is available in all areas of the State including areas the local air district has not elected to participate in the program and requires CARB to manage the distribution of incentives to eligible residents of those areas. Would have required the performance analysis of the clean mobility options component to include an evaluation of the funding and targeted outreach to areas with the highest number of vehicles manufactured before 2004 or that are at least 20 years old. Would have also required CARB to consider the total value of vouchers deployed and metrics for retired vehicles in funding allocations to local air districts and delete the requirement to consider population. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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