HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-29-2022 AB1985 - Support
July 29, 2022
The Honorable Anthony Portantino
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
State Capitol, Room 412
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: AB 1985 (R. Rivas) Organic Waste. Recovered Organic Waste Product
Procurement Targets
Notice of SUPPORT (As Amended on June 30, 2022)
Dear Senator Portantino,
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 assist local governments in achieving their procurement targets by phasing in the
procurement requirements while markets and infrastructure continues to develop. This, along with
other adjustments in the bill, will offer local governments the flexibility they need to meet these
important requirements.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo SUPPORTS AB 1985 (R. Rivas).
Sincerely,
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)