It is the current heat wave that has us in front of the computers with the swamp cooler blowing on our backsides as we play a good game of catch up with all of the SeThInk Media sponsored networks. Our last TCA network updates and broadcasts were in April so a great deal of things have happened for everyone and we hope to hear some news from you via blog post or simple sharing of media. 
Mandatory Labeling of GMO's
California is poised to become a GMO Free Zone and the rest of the country and even the world has their eyes on this November's vote. Everyone has a right to know what is in their food and if you are as passionate as most people are about this issue then now is the time to help make sure this new law passes.
Informing and educating people who do not know about GMO's is the best way to make sure the public is not fooled by any of the 'It's perfectly safe and feeding the world" propaganda coming from opposition interests. Here is a blog that has great videos that can be easily shared via email.
Clean Air Cities
What does Berkeley, Santa Monica, Arcata, Oxnard, Santa Cruz, Richmond, Los Angeles, and 26 other major cities across the United States have in common? They have all passed Clean Air Cities resolutions.
"The Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute has launched “Clean Air Cities,” a nationwide campaign urging
cities around the United States to call on the Obama administration and
the EPA to use the Clean Air Act to make significant reductions in
greenhouse gas pollution.
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It’s clear that climate change is here now
and already having a profound effect on the places we live, the natural
resources we depend on and the species that provide rich biodiversity
around the planet. We need to take significant steps now to curb
greenhouse gas pollution and avoid the worst effects of runaway global
climate change.
Cities across the country can be a powerful voice for
prompting action in Washington. That’s why the Center is calling on
volunteers from coast to coast to urge their local elected officials to
pass resolutions in support of the EPA using the Clean Air Act to
reduce carbon in our atmosphere to no more than 350 parts per million — the level scientists say is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change."
The Center is providing all the materials needed, including a sample city resolution and supporting documents. There’s also an online community through their Facebook page,
where you can provide updates, ask questions and get support from other
volunteers. They can connect you with others in your community and
support you every step of the way.
Urban Farming Guys
This past spring we found the "Urban Farming Guys" and we knew we had found a story and media resource that was not only the perfect example of what 'Transition' means but an inspiration that is spreading like 'green fire' across the country. Check out this video and be sure to visit their website!
CALIFORNIA HOMEMADE FOOD ACT
Currently in California if you were to make some jam or bake a cake and sell it to the public - like at a farmers market or bake sale - you are breaking the law if it is not prepared in a commercial kitchen. Setting up a commercial kitchen is a huge investment and without some working capital pretty much prohibits the ambitious baker/cook from making a living selling their home made recipes and goods.
That will change if AB1616, proposed by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) becomes law. 32 other States have 'Cottage Food' laws that allow small-scale food sales from private kitchens. This law does not include potentially hazardous food (PHF) like cheeses or meats but is meant to cover foods that are safely held and eaten at room temperature.
Cottage food makers would still be subject to regulations like labeling and they would have to register within their local county. They would also have to allow their kitchens to be inspected if a consumer complaint warrants it but inspection is not a prerequisite for registration.
This has already passed the State Assembly and is currently in the Senate with its next hearing set for August 16th.
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Small
businesses have played an important role in helping slow economies
recover and prosper as an engine of job creation. During the 1990s,
small businesses created the majority of new jobs and now account for 65
percent of United States employment.
(b) California, and the United States as a whole, are facing growing obesity and obesity-related disease epidemics.
(1) Two-thirds
of American adults and nearly one-third of children and teens are obese
or overweight, placing them at risk for developing chronic diseases
such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
(2) One
in every nine California children, one in three teens, and over half of
adults are already overweight or obese. This epidemic affects virtually
all Californians.
(3) These
health conditions are preventable and curable through lifestyle choices
that include consumption of healthy fresh foods.
(c) For
decades, low-income and rural communities have faced limited
opportunities to purchase healthy foods. Often, without cars or
convenient public transportation options, low-income residents in these
areas must rely for much of their shopping on expensive, fatty,
processed foods sold at convenience and corner stores.
(d) There
is a growing movement in California to support community-based food
production, sometimes referred to as “cottage food,” “artisanal food,”
“slow food,” “locally based food,” or “urban agriculture” movements.
These movements seek to connect food to local communities, small
businesses, and environmental sustainability.
(e) Increased
opportunities for entrepreneur development through microenterprises can
help to supplement household incomes, prevent poverty and hunger, and
strengthen local economies.
(f) At
least 32 other states have passed laws that allow small business
entrepreneurs to use their home kitchens to prepare, for sale, foods
that are not potentially hazardous.
(g) Even some bake sales are currently illegal in California.
(h) It
is the intent of the Legislature to enact a homemade food act
specifically designed to help address these challenges and
opportunities.
Click here to read the full text and contact your Assemblyman in your district to find out how you can lend your support to the successful passage of this bill.
