For Immediate Release: February 15, 2021

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) introduced SB 1029—One Health Framework Development Act)— that will require the California Department of Public Health, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to establish and develop a framework for interagency coordination, using a “One Health” approach in the administration of our shared state policies and goals. “One Health” is a multisector, transdisciplinary, collaborative approach that recognizes the intersection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment to achieve optimal health outcomes.

“The health of people is closely linked to our environment,” said Senator Hurtado. “Diseases from animals and pests threaten not only our human health, but can also impact the health of our food systems. Decreases in crop output, as well as disease and contaminants, threaten the stability of our food systems by decreasing the availability of food in the grocery store and increasing the price, oftentimes forcing consumers to make hard decisions about how to use the money they have. SB 1029 will require the state to utilize a One Health approach, taking into account the relationship that animals, humans, and plants have to ensure all remain healthy.”

As we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, humans and animals are intrinsically connected. In California, agricultural activity represents a $50 billion industry. This activity produces more than half of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts. The CDC has estimated that 3 out of 4 emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals, and that there are currently 1.6 million undiscovered viruses circulating in the animal population. At least half of those diseases have the potential to spread to humans, demonstrating the urgency and importance of utilizing a comprehensive approach recognizing the relationship of people, animals and plants to health outcomes.

The One Health Approach aims to prevent outbreaks of zoonotic disease in animals and people, improve food safety and security, and protect global health security overall. Communication, coordination, and collaboration among partners working in animal, human, and environmental health, as well as other relevant partners, are an essential part of the One Health approach. Working together allows for the greatest impact to improve health for people, animals, and our shared environment.

SB 1029 would require the State Department of Public Health and the Department of Food and Agriculture to jointly establish and administer the One Health Program for the purpose of developing a framework for interagency coordination in response to zoonotic diseases and to reduce hazards to human and animal health.

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders, as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and as a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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