BILL NUMBER: HR 15	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Eggman

                        APRIL 6, 2015

   Relative to California Thursday.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
             HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST



   WHEREAS, April 23, 2015, is the statewide rollout of "California
Thursdays"; and
   WHEREAS, "California Thursdays" is a collaboration between the
Center for Ecoliteracy, participating school districts, and allied
organizations to serve healthy, freshly prepared school meals made
from California-grown food; and
   WHEREAS, Forty-two innovative school districts that collectively
serve over 250 million meals a year, including large and small rural,
urban, and suburban school districts across California, have joined
the "California Thursdays" network; and
   WHEREAS, California agriculture leads the nation, its 80,500 farms
and ranches received $42.6 billion for their output in 2013, and its
agricultural abundance comprises more that 400 commodities,
including nearly one-half of United States-grown fruits, nuts, and
vegetables; and
   WHEREAS, "California Thursdays" will increase the procurement of
California-grown food, and every dollar spent in the agriculture
sector adds $2.56 to the state's economy, according to a study from
California State University, Fresno; and
   WHEREAS, Children in California face chronic diet-related public
health challenges, including food insecurity and childhood obesity,
and the California Endowment states that improvements to the school
food environment "are resulting in healthier behaviors among students"
; and
   WHEREAS, Growing evidence demonstrates an association between
nutrition and academic performance, and California children will
benefit from understanding where their food comes from and how it
reaches the table; and
   WHEREAS, Understanding where food comes from and how it gets to
the table encourages ecological knowledge and aligns with state and
national education standards; and
   WHEREAS, Research and local success stories indicate that
improving food quality increases meal program participation and
revenue; and
   WHEREAS, "California Thursdays" is a bite-sized implementation
program to improve school food systems in order to improve student
health and academic achievement, local and state economies, and the
environment, creating a "triple win"; and
   WHEREAS, "California Thursdays" has received grants from the
Department of Food and Agriculture, the United States Department of
Agriculture Farm to School Program, and the California Endowment,
along with major ongoing support from TomKat Charitable Trust; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Assembly proclaims April 23, 2015, as "California Thursday" in the
State of California; commends the Center for Ecoliteracy and
participating school districts for advancing student health and
academic achievement, investing in California agriculture and
California's economy, and benefiting the state's environment; and
urges all California schools to participate in "California Thursdays"
; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.