EXAMPLES OF LOCAL POLICIES
Land Use/Community Gardens
Escondido, CA
Allows public use of private vacant lots for community purposes including: gardens,
recreational space, or temporary public art displays.
Allows use of vacant lots for use for community benefit.
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Potential use includes community gardens, passive recreational space, tot
lots, sandlot volleyball, temporary public art installations, commercial displays,
and youth recreation.
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Directs city staff to prepare zoning code amendments to allow for
implementation.
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Institutes an administrative process to develop a contract agreement
between landowner and user group and/or neighbors.
“Vacant lots, often filled with overgrown weeds and garbage, can discourage
walking by lowering people’s sense of safety. However, these open spaces can be
utilized to a communities benefit. When transformed into parks, playgrounds,
playing fields or community gardens, vacant lots can encourage active recreation,
play and even promote healthy eating. Improved access to physical activity settings
like parks and playgrounds can stimulate participation in physical activity and
community gardens can increase local access to fresh foods, encourage physical
activity and promote social cohesion. Further, reclaimed vacant lots can eliminate
blight, encourage walkability and reduce exposure to health hazards like broken
glass, trash and other contaminants.”
Neighborspace – Chicago, IL
An intergovernmental agreement creating a municipally funded nonprofit to help
community groups protect their community garden land from development.
Directs the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and the Forest Preserve District
to enter into an intergovernmental agreement and fund NeighborSpace at a level of
$100,000 annually per each organization.
 Establishes that NeighborSpace will enter into agreements with local groups
for the use and maintenance of open spaces.
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Obligates the City and the Park District to agree to donate, sell or lease small
parcels to NeighborSpace.
NeighborSpace leases the land from the city for $1 for 99 years.
“Availability of funds for land preservation is essential for preserving a community’s
natural habitat, open space and agricultural land. Nearness to open space and other
physical activity settings is linked to increased participation in physical activity.
Physical activity lowers the risk of numerous chronic diseases such as type II diabetes
and heart disease and is associated with a wide-range of positive physical and mental
health benefits. By establishing a municipal policy that commits the city of Chicago to
community open spaces and gardening, the program can also increase access to
fresh fruits and vegetables among underserved populations. When there is access to
fresh fruits and vegetables, individuals are more likely to make healthy food and drink
choices than when there are fewer available unhealthy options.”
Complete Streets
Pierce County,WA
Formally acknowledges that decisions about transportation systems contribute to
physical inactivity and obesity, unintentional injury, decreased air quality, decreased
water quality, and social inequities.
Acknowledges that a lack of side walks and bicycle lanes is a primary reason WA
residents do not walk or bike more frequently.
Urges decision makers in all Pierce County Municipalities to adopt complete streets
policies and practices that:
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Specifies that 'all users' includes pedestrians, bicyclists, transit vehicles and
users, and motorists of all ages and abilities.
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Create a comprehensive, integrated, connected transportation network;
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Apply to new and retrofit projects;
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Use the latest and best design standards; and
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Establish performance standards with measurable outcomes.
Menu-Labeling
San Francisco,CA
This ordinance amends the San Francisco Health Code to require chain restaurants to
display on menu boards the total number of calories in standard menu items, and to
display on menus the total amount of calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates and
sodium in standard menu items. The ordinance also authorized the Department of
Public Health to impose a fee on chain restaurants for failing to implement the
ordinance.
School Facility – Community Use
Pitt County, NC
Provides physical activity facilities to all County residents by opening school
recreation facilities to the public during after-school hours.
Calls for inter-agency cooperation to identify community activity needs and plan
programs to meet those needs.
 Enhances and develops existing recreation facilities.
 Increases the number of high-quality community-recreation programs held in
public school facilities.
 Specifies that county-wide recreation programs should be developed for all
age groups, from pre-school to senior citizens.
 Promotes partnerships with community agencies and organizations to
address childhood obesity.
San Carlos,CA
An agreement between the City of San Carlos and the San Carlos Elementary School
District to make school facilities open to city residents outside of school hours and to
make City facilities available to the District for recreation programs.
Brief Description Formally recognizes that community recreation promotes and
preserves health, cultivates good citizenship, and contributes to educational and
recreational goals for children and adults.
 Grants the City use of School District facilities during after-school and evening
hours, on weekends and non-school days.
 Grants the School District use of all City gymnasiums, multi-purpose rooms,
classrooms, athletic fields and playgrounds.
 Holds each entity responsible for its own public liability insurance of at least $2
million.
VENDING POLICIES
San Jose, CA
In March of 2006 San Jose is the first city to pass a policy requiring 100% healthier
options in vending machines, providing healthy food and beverage choices to both
library employees and visitors. Since that time other locales have followed suit,
passing policies that not only require healthy vending in libraries but in all
government owned and operated buildings.
Baldwin Park, CA
Authorizes that the food, beverages & snacks for sale in vending machines at the
youth-orientated facilities throughout the City of Baldwin Park, shall transition to
provide healthier options in accordance with SB 19.
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Resolves that all of the food, beverages & snacks authorized for sale in
vending machines at the youth-orientated facilities throughout the City of
Baldwin Park, shall transition to provide healthier options.
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Encourages that youth-orientated programs funded by the city comply with
the motion and ensure that the message of health is modeled for participating
youth.
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Appoints and authorizes staff, in collaboration with other health
organizations, to disseminate information on healthier food and beverage sale
options to all staff and facility participants.
Chula Vista, CA
All public vending machines at any City of Chula Vista facility shall contain 100%
healthy snack and beverage offerings.
 Establishes nutritional guidelines for foods and beverages sold in vending
machines in City of Chula Vista Facilities.
 Requires 100% of food and beverages sold in vending machines in city facilities
(including parks, libraries, community centers, office buildings and
gymnasiums) to meet the established nutrition standards.
FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
Dane County
The Dane County Food Council was created in October 2005 by a County Board
resolution and at the recommendation of a citizen advisory group that had been
appointed by the county a year earlier to study the local food system: the Local Food
Policy Advisory Subcommittee. Since then, the Dane County Food Council has been
an active and positive force in building the local food system.
There are twelve citizen members on the Dane County Food Council. They serve twoyear terms and represent a range of interests and backgrounds including: small and
large scale farmers, urban planners, nutrition and hunger prevention advocates, nonprofit representatives, university professors and farmers market managers. These
positions are appointed by the County Executive and two County Board Committees.
This was a natural fit in Dane County due to its long legacy of citizen and community
support for sustainable agriculture.
When it was approved in 2005, the Dane County Food Council was charged with
implementing many of the other recommendations the Local Food Policy Advisory
Subcommittee had made. In order to address these multiple recommendations and
support local citizen efforts, Food Council members divided themselves into four
subcommittees: the Farmers’ Market Network Subcommittee, Institutional Food
Purchasing Subcommittee, Market Basket Subcommittee and Education and
Outreach Subcommittee. The Food Council meets monthly, and members on the four
subcommittees meet with volunteers and partners more regularly. The monthly
meetings are open to the public, and often feature speakers who broaden the Food
Council’s understanding of Dane County’s food system and the factors affecting it.
Portland
In 2002, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution 02-093.
In conjunction with the City of Portland’s Resolution 36074, this established the
Portland/Multnomah County Food Policy Council.
The vision behind the council is that all Multnomah County and City of Portland
residents should have access to a wide variety of nutritious, affordable food that has
been grown locally and sustainably. Its mission is to bring together a diverse array of
stakeholders to integrate the aspects of the food system (production, distribution,
access, consumption, processing and recycling) in order to enhance the
environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of the community. Its four
goals are to:
1) educate and compile information about the local food system;
2) develop strategies to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional
health of the City of Portland and Multnomah County;
3) affect and develop food policy; and
4) advocate and advise on policy implementation. The Food Policy Council serves as a
sub-committee of the Portland/Multnomah County Sustainable Development
Commission.
Sante Fe
In February of 2008 the City and County of Santa Fe approved a resolution
establishing a food policy and creating the City and County of Santa Fe Advisory
Council on Food Policy. The resolution created a 13-member body - two from city
government, two from county government, nine from the community - to advise
both city and county governments on food and agriculture issues facing Santa Feans.
The Advisory Council on Food Policy will monitor the food system, collect data, issue
reports and other communications, and make policy recommendations to the City
and County of Santa Fe. The resolution states: “It is the policy of the City and County
of Santa Fe to improve the availability of food to persons in need within the City and
County and to reduce poverty as a barrier to obtaining a healthy diet for all
residents.” The resolution also states that the purpose of the Advisory Council on
Food Policy is to “integrate all departments of the City and County as well as nonprofit organizations and food and farming businesses in a common effort to improve
the availability of safe and nutritious food at reasonable prices for all residents,
particularly those in need.”
Local Food Purchase Policy
WoodBury, IA
Woodbury County’s ‘Local Food Purchase Policy’ states that the County shall
purchase, by or through its food service contractor, locally produced organic food
when a department of Woodbury County serves food in the usual course of business
(including the Woodbury County Jail, Work Release Center, and Juvenile Detention
facilities). Subject to the price and quality provisions contained within the policy, it is
mandatory that the available supply of locally produced organic (and transitional)
food be purchased. Locally grown food is defined in the policy as “‘food that is
grown and processed within a 100-mile radius of the Woodbury County courthouse,
Sioux City, Iowa. The source of a grown food item, or of processing services, may be
from beyond that 100-mile radius when sufficient supply, or service, is not available
within that radius.”