AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 21, 2026
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 17, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
96
Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Garcia and Quirk-Silva)
January 16, 2026
An act to amend Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to disadvantaged communities.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law defines “disadvantaged communities” and requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities for investment opportunities from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and for other purposes.
This bill would expand the definition of “disadvantaged communities” by explicitly authorizing the inclusion of farmworker communities that meet certain requirements.o require the agency to do specified things regarding farmworker communities for purposes of identifying disadvantaged communities including, among other things, assessing whether designating farmworker communities as disadvantaged communities would increase those communities’
access to investment opportunities and identifying potential barriers faced by low-income farmworker communities in accessing investment opportunities, as specified. The bill would require the agency to make its findings publicly available on its internet website and consider those findings when identifying disadvantaged communities. The bill would require the agency and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to develop and implement a strategy for engaging with farmworker communities on environmental, health, and socioeconomic burdens, as provided.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
39711.
(a) (1) The California Environmental Protection Agency shall identify disadvantaged communities for investment opportunities related to this chapter. These communities shall be identified based on geographic, socioeconomic, public health, and environmental hazard criteria, and may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
(A) Areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative public health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation.
(B) Areas with concentrations of people that are of low income, high unemployment, low levels of homeownership,
home ownership, high rent burden, sensitive populations, or low levels of educational attainment.
(i) The communities are located in geographic areas with a significant presence of agricultural workers, particularly those engaged in seasonal or migrant labor.
(ii) Residents in the communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollutants related to agricultural or industrial operations.
(2) The California Environmental Protection Agency may use data that the Department of Community Services and Development collects regarding farmworker communities to support identifying all relevant communities as shall additionally consider the findings described in subdivision (c) for purposes of identifying disadvantaged communities.
(b) The California Environmental Protection Agency shall hold at least one public workshop before the identification of disadvantaged communities pursuant to this section.
(c) The California Environmental Protection Agency shall do all of the following, in accordance with subdivision (d):
(1) Assess whether designating farmworker communities as disadvantaged communities would increase those communities’ access to investment opportunities related to this chapter.
(2) Determine, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, whether there exists public statewide data of sufficient quality and spatial granularity to determine areas with a significant presence of farmworker communities, particularly those engaged in seasonal or migrant labor, for purposes of subdivision (a).
(3) Identify potential barriers faced by low-income farmworker communities in accessing investment opportunities related to this chapter, including, but not limited to, potential barriers based on eligibility criteria or lack of technical support in accessing funding for which those communities are eligible.
(4) Make its findings from paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subdivision publicly available on its internet website and consider those findings for purposes of implementing subdivision (a).
(d) (1) The California Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall develop and implement a strategy for engaging with farmworker communities on environmental, health, and socioeconomic burdens for purposes of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) and subdivision (c).
(2) The strategy developed and implemented pursuant to paragraph (1) may include conducting outreach and engagement with farmworker communities and with entities that serve or conduct research on farmworker communities, including, but not limited to, community-based organizations, academic or public research institutions, and governmental entities.
(e) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of the Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to the identification of disadvantaged communities pursuant to this section.