Editor’s Note: County Supervisor Don Saylor shared the following via email:

On October 12, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors held a meeting to discuss several items, including Senate Bill (SB) 1383 Edible Food Recovery funding, the Harm Reduction Diversion Pilot Program, and COVID-19. Summaries of these items are offered below and a recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

The Board of Supervisors considered three funding options for meeting the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 1383 to reduce organic waste disposal by 75% and rescue at least 20% of currently disposed of surplus food for people to eat, also known as “Edible Food Recovery,” by 2025.  The Board voted unanimously to approve the staff recommendation to fund Yolo County’s portion ($17,311) of SB 1383’s Year 1 costs, which total $761,698, as part of a regional collaborative approach.  The Board directed staff to finalize an agreement with the cities to fund a network of food recovery organizations to begin implementation.

Staff have been researching SB 1383 funding options for the last two years.  Tuesday’s actions are just the beginning of what will be a long process to address diverting waste from the landfill and easing community hunger issues. This is a step in the right direction.  I am appreciative of the collaborative efforts that have gone into this so far and I look forward to leveraging these partnerships as we continue to address these issues.  I believe we can and should push farther in our food waste diversion efforts, especially where they can help alleviate food security issues.

A recording of the presentation and discussion can be viewed here.

SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery: Presentation Slides

For more information, contact don.saylor@yolocounty.org.