June 3, 2025
SB 341 update: help shape what comes next
SB 341 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee. What happened, and how to help decide the next step.
The newsletter
Thank you for being part of this growing movement for garden-based education!
Although SB 341 will not advance in the 2025–26 legislative cycle, our work is not over. We're energized by the momentum we’ve built and are already moving forward with next steps to revive California’s unused, unfunded Instructional School Garden Program.
What Happened
On May 23, SB 341 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s suspense file and won’t move forward in the legislative process. Despite strong support, the bill faced challenges common in a tough budget year, especially with limits on new programs and competing priorities like fire recovery. We are pleased that the relationships we’ve built with legislators and agencies put us in a strong position to explore new paths forward.
What We Accomplished Together
This year showed just how powerful this coalition is:
- 135+ organizations signed on in support
- 5 bipartisan co-authors championed the bill
- 600+ advocates and educators joined our contact list
- Unanimous, bipartisan approval in Senate Education and Agriculture Committees
- Advocacy Day 2025 brought students, educators, and community members to the Capitol for 35+ meetings and a powerful press event with Senators Sasha Renée Pérez & Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
- SB 341 was acknowledged as the Delaine Eastin Instructional School Garden Bill in honor of the former State Superintendent who championed "A Garden in Every School" initiative
- The bill recommended that community-based organizations should be able to apply for funds independent of Local Education Agencies in the future program
What’s Next
We’re currently exploring alternative paths forward, both legislative and agency-based strategies, that seek to revive the unused, unfunded California Instructional School Garden Program. We invite you to get involved by joining the 2026 Advocacy Day Planning Committee. Planning kicks off in September, and we’d love your voice at the table.
The California School Garden Coalition advocates for every California public school to have the resources, including long-term funding, to provide on-site garden-based instruction as an equitable and cost-effective way to instill environmental literacy across all grade levels.
Visit caschoolgardens.org to learn more and get involved!
Thank you for being part of this movement!
All the best,
Linda Livers
On behalf of the California School Garden Coalition Leadership Team