HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-10-2022 AB 1985 - SupportOffice of the City Council
990 Palm Street. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
805.781.7114
slocity org
May 10, 2022
The Honorable Robert Rivas
California State Assembly
1021 0 Street, Suite 5110
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: AB 1985 (R. Rivas) Organic Waste. List. Available Products.
Notice of SUPPORT (As Introduced)
Dear Assemblymember Robert Rivas,
The City of San Luis Obispo supports AB 1985, which would create an online database of
organic waste products on the market to enable local governments to connect with local farmers
and community members seeking their products.
Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what
Californians dump in landfills and emit 20% of the state's methane. In a critical effort to reduce
methane and other short-lived climate pollutant emissions, California set organic waste diversion
targets of 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025 (SB 1383, Lara, 2016). To drive infrastructure
investment and create demand for organic waste products, the SB 1383 regulations required
cities and counties by January 1, 2022, to procure a specific quantity of organic waste products
based on their population.
Jurisdictions can fulfill these annual procurement targets by procuring any combination
of organic waste products such as compost, mulch, or renewable energy. These organic waste
products offer benefits to local communities by improving soil and air quality, creating green jobs
to help the economy, and support local climate initiatives (i.e., Climate Action Plans).
As jurisdictions ramp up their organic waste collection programs, many cities and counties are
struggling to meet their procurement targets due to a limited amount of organic waste
infrastructure across the state. In many cases, local governments also struggle to connect with
end markets for the organic waste they do process. Jurisdictions are seeking unique and creative
pathways to help them achieve these targets while simultaneously vitalize a growing organic
waste recycling market.
In the City of San Luis Obispo, an already constructed anaerobic digestion facility processes
curbside food and yard waste. Regardless, finding enough end-market demand to meet the
targets established by CalRecycle has proven to be challenging. While the spirit of the law is
fulfilled through processing of food and yard waste into a viable product, the State's emphasis on
procurement volume of the materials does not align with any current practices. The volumes of
procured organic materials established as the City's target by 2025 far exceed any existing
demand for that material.
AB 1985 will help the City of San Luis Obispo identify viable products in order to meet the
procurement targets of SB 1383. It may also help stimulate creative problem solving by including
products that have not yet been considered. Additionally, the database will be instrumental in
connecting the City of San Luis Obispo with end-market users seeking procurement of organic
materials, thus aiding the City in reaching procurement targets.
AB 1985 will assist local governments in achieving their procurement targets by creating an online
database of organic waste products on the market across the state. This online database will
enable local governments to connect directly with local farmers and community members seeking
their products. With cities and counties required to procure large amounts of compost and mulch
per year, this bill will help facilitate these products going somewhere they are needed, while also
maximizing the benefits to local communities.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo SUPPORTS AB 1985 (R. Rivas).
Sincerely,
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Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
c: San Luis Obispo City Council
Senator John Laird, Fax: (916) 651-4017
Assembly Member Jordan Cunningham, Fax (916) 319-2135
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmullinax@cacities.org
League of California Cities (via email: cityletters@calcities.org)