"Rewrite, not renew Childhood Nutrition Act" - Farr at "Eat-in"

Addressing a very friendly Labor Day "eat-in" in San Lorenzo Park, Rep Sam Farr (D-Carmel) and Assembly Bill Monning (D-27)  spoke forcefully about the need to provide healthy, local food and teach children good nutrition habits.

The "eat-in" drew more than 100, many teachers, students, parents, members of advocacy groups as well as local politicians.   The sponsors were the Santa Cruz Education Foundation and Slow Food Santa Cruz.

The current Childhood Nutrition Act, up for renewal in Congress, is the basis for federally subsidized school hot lunch program for eligible students, which includes just under 48% of  Santa Cruz County students. (Other students may purchase these meals.)   However, the program only provides $2.57 per student per meal to cover costs, including salaries and administration, leaving about $1 for actual food.  Advocates are calling for another $1 be added to the federal program, at a cost of an extra $5 billion nationwide.

Compared to the annual federal cost for diabetes of $120 billion, Michelle Obama has argued $5 billion for children is a bargain.

At the event, Farr explained the federal law was an attempt to serve two audiences, low-income children and the agricultural industry who need to dispose of excess commodities (sugar, peanuts, wheat, corn, milk, etc.).  This has led to a few puzzles.  For example, milk and dairy are considered two separate programs to appeal to the dairy industry.    Since most school districts can not handle a freight car full of wheat,  all foods are sent to food processors who deliver the highly processed foods to schools.

Farr called for simplified system, with more local control, more local food and an expansion of the program to cover employees working "in jails and on the fire lines."  He called for a "salad bar in every school" and vowed to "Rewrite, not renew the Childhood Nutrition Act" upon return to Washington.

Monning spoke of the people who harvest our foods and  that even on Labor Day many agricultural workers do not have the day off.   He stressed the need for nutrition education, the crisis in Pajaro Valley schools and that forecasts show "almost 1 out of 3 Hispanic adults will develop diabetes."  He urged more farm-to-school programs and more science fair projects involving agriculture.

Santa Cruz Mayor Mathews also spoke and several local politicians were announced.

Before the event, one parent said, "It's all about convenience and we are a packaged food nation."  Another said, "Part of the problem is, unfortunately, many parents do not know healthy choices, but we can not preach."

[Other undiscussed alternatives might be: tightening nutrition labeling laws, restricting or banning advertising or sales of unhealthy food to minors, as we have done with tobaaco.]

We need to follow Farr's legislation in Washington.

More on the Labor Day Event:  SJ Mercury



Background:


Santa Cruz Weekly  (food nutrition in Santa Cruz schools)

Child Nutrition Law (New York Times
 (background on legislation and proposals)

Recommendations (Center for Science in the Public Interest)
"Good nutrition should begin in childhood when eating habits are formed and chronic diseases begin to develop.  Yet over the last two decades, rates of obesity have tripled in  children and adolescents.  Only 2% of children eat a healthy diet ...

Prior Green Watch blog post

Preserving Undeveloped Santa Cruz County Land

Santa Cruz County Land Trust is a non-profit which buys and then protects undeveloped local land.

Other counties, such as Santa Clara County, have a conservation district to acquire lands, but Santa Cruz County does not. California Senate bill SB 211, co-written by Assemblyman Bill Monning and State Senator Joe Simitia (Santa Clara), is an attempt to reduce the effort create such a Open Space district in SCC. Any new district still will require voter approval.

Here is an article in Mid-County Post (Capitola, Aptos) about SB 211.

Here is a Santa Cruz Sentinel article from April 12, 2009. And an FAQ from the Land Trust.

Green Curmudgeon will have more to say on this in the future

Community TV of Santa Cruz County to air Monning Town Hall Mtg

If you missed the Town Hall meeting on Santa Cruz Metro Buses + related Tax Reform issues (July 30, 2009) Community Television of Santa Cruz County has graciously arranged to broadcast it.
(Thank you!)

The following is the preliminary schedule for airtimes.
Town Hall Meeting with Bill Monning (ID# 8280)
1 hour 23 minutes

Comcast 25/Charter 71

8/26/2009 at 7:00 AM
8/28/2009 at 12:00 AM
8/29/2009 at 7:00 AM
8/31/2009 at 2:00 PM
9/2/2009 at 10:00 AM
9/2/2009 at 9:00 PM
9/3/2009 at 7:30 PM
9/4/2009 at 4:30 PM
9/6/2009 at 11:30 AM

The July 30, 2009 event was organized by the Campaign for Sensible Transportation.

The Glorious Gas Tax

Jessica Lussenhop's "The Glorious Gas Tax" (santacruz.com, August 12, 2009) should have beeen required reading for July 30, 2009 Metro Town Hall with Assemblyman Bill Monning.

After Rick Longinotti's presentation on Santa Cruz Metro bus funding, the remainder of the evening focused on tax reform. Keeley seemed to argue that the commission he heads to advise the governor would propose at least 3 features:

• state income tax would become more regressive then it is now
  
• state sales tax will be eliminated
  
• new "pollution tax" on gasoline tax would be added, to create a floor price in California of $3.50 per gallon regardless of market price

Ms. Lussenhop's article points out that a "pollution" tax would also be regressive because lower income people pay a disproprotionate percentage of income on transportation. She also provides a bit background on the ideas beyond this tax.

(The Green Curmudgeon wonders why this can't be a very progressive tax, beginning at zero for cyclists, bus riders, and walkers and rise rapidly based on green house emissions or fuel efficiency - still regressive, see why?

After all, if at checkout register stores can identify homeowner with 2 cats, surely the state can identify your carbon footprint at the gas pump.)

We hope Ms. Lussenhop will arm us for painful future town hall meetings to come.

Methyl Iodide Hearings

Speaking at a transit Town Hall meeting on July 30 in Santa Cruz, Assemblyman Bill Monning mentioned his concern about Methyl Iodide, a proposed fumigant for Strawberry fields, that California is fast-tracking for approval. He chairs the Assembly's Labor and Employment Committee and has scheduled an August 19th hearing.

The state's Department of Pesticide Regulation has reversed itself and now plans to use peer review process for deciding approval or not.

More information in this LATimes article or Beyond Pesticides Daily Blog.