Board backs Office of Food Systems to coordinate countywide food-security efforts

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion to support and integrate the county Office of Food Systems into county operations as a structural response to food insecurity.

The office, which launched in January 2025, has worked with philanthropic partners including the Annenberg Foundation, the California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation to deliver immediate relief and build longer-term resilience, County staff said.

The motion, introduced by Supervisor Lindsay Horvath and seconded by Supervisor Janice Hahn, directs county offices to coordinate with the Office of Food Systems on procurement, nutrition programs and other departmental actions to ensure rapid, equitable food access. The motion passed on a 3-0 roll call (Horvath, Hahn, Barger voting aye).

Office of Food Systems staff told the board the office distributed grocery gift cards to more than 1,500 households after January wildfires and has convened hundreds of organizations to align emergency and longer-term food-security work. "We have a problem that goes well beyond food access — it's a problem in the system itself," an Office of Food Systems representative said, describing consolidation in the food supply chain and the need for local sourcing and coordinated public purchasing.

Supervisor Horvath said the office's creation followed disruptions in SNAP benefits and pandemic-era shortages and called the new structure an effort to build resilience that will help the county respond faster during disasters and reduce ongoing equity gaps. "This motion will help us to create a more coordinated, sustainable food system capable of responding quickly when emergencies disrupt access to food," Supervisor Hahn said.

Public commenters backed the motion. Brett Slagenhop of Streets Are For Everyone urged the board to adopt a county remembrance day for road-traffic victims tied to road-safety goals. Maria Garcia, director of impact and outcomes at the California Community Foundation, said CCF helped seed the office and supports integrating it into county infrastructure to reflect that food policy intersects with health, housing and economic development.

The motion requires the acting chief executive and relevant departments to continue integrating Office of Food Systems priorities into departmental plans and to report back on implementation as directed by the board. No ordinance or budget appropriation was adopted in the board vote on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, the Office of Food Systems will coordinate with county departments and philanthropic partners on procurement, urban agriculture and emergency distribution, and will report back to the board on progress and needs.