SB 462 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California Farmland Conservancy Program: conservation easements: funding.

Summary

Existing law establishes the California Farmland Conservancy Program in the Department of Conservation and authorizes the program to offer financial assistance, including grants or contracts, for projects and activities on agricultural lands that support agricultural conservation and sustainable land management. Existing law creates the California Farmland Conservancy Program Fund and requires moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to be used for purposes of the program. Notwithstanding that provision, existing law continuously appropriates moneys in the fund from federal grants and gifts and donations to the department for purposes of the program. This bill would require the Controller to transfer $20,000,000 on July 1 of each fiscal year, commencing with the 2025–26 fiscal year, from the General Fund to the California Farmland Conservancy Program Funding Account, which the bill would create within the California Farmland Conservancy Program Fund. The bill would continuously appropriate moneys in the account to the department for expenditure as provided. The bill would require that the funding only be awarded for agricultural conservation easements on agricultural land, as defined.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 19, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

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What changed between versions

03/27/25 - Amended Senate → 04/10/25 - Amended Senate · 6 edits · Apr 10, 2025

MODERATE

The April 10 amendment to SB 462 significantly simplifies the funding allocation mechanism for the California Farmland Conservancy Program. It removes a detailed multi-criteria eligibility system that required entities to meet at least two of five specific criteria (population thresholds, agricultural land planning elements, gross agricultural production value, wildlife corridors, and cobenefits) and replaces it with a simpler restriction limiting funds to agricultural conservation easements on agricultural land as defined in Section 10213, excluding grazing land. This broadens which entities can potentially receive funding while narrowing the types of projects that qualify.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the five-criteria eligibility system that required recipient entities to meet at least two of: (1) being a city with 250,000+ population or county with 1,500,000+ population (or an entity within/overlapping one), (2) having an agricultural land element in its open-space plan, (3) being in a county with $350 million+ gross agricultural production value, (4) preserving irreplaceable wildlife corridors, or (5) achieving cobenefits like wildlife crossings, carbon sequestration, or water conservation systems.

Added a simpler restriction: funding shall only be awarded for agricultural conservation easements on agricultural land as defined in Section 10213, except for grazing land. This shifts the focus from qualifying entities to qualifying projects and land types.

DEFINITION

Removed the bill's own definition of 'agricultural land' as 'land that is flat and produces crops' and the definition of 'tribe' referencing Section 815.3 of the Civil Code.

Added a definition of 'agricultural conservation easement' as any easement as defined in Section 10211.

SCOPE

The bill's summary was revised to reflect the simplified approach: instead of describing allocation to entities meeting specified criteria, it now states the department will expend funds as provided and that funding is limited to agricultural conservation easements on agricultural land.

TECHNICAL

Senator Laird added as principal coauthor.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

upper

Apr 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 707.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Mar 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors