The Mercury News: California Senate Bill takes aim at saving farm lands

Amid a push by local leaders to conserve farmlands and open spaces in the Bay Area from future development, state senator David Cortese has introduced a bill that would shore up funding to preserve agricultural land throughout the state despite the measure’s uncertain financial outlook.

The bill, SB 462, would bolster an existing program called the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which supports agricultural conservation and sustainable land management. If enacted into law, the bill would offer an annual $20 million infusion of funds dedicated specifically to “conservation easements.” Under that  system, the land owner receives payment in exchange for permanently limiting their land to agricultural use – even if it changes owners.

Read the full article here.

This article was also published in SWOK News, Union Bulletin, Monterey Herald, Lancaster Farming and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.