748.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:(1) “Corner store” means a small-scale store or grocery store, either an independent store or a chain store, that sells a limited selection of foods and other products, in rural, urban, and suburban settings. “Corner store” includes stores that are not located on a corner and stores commonly referred to as convenience stores or neighborhood stores.
(2) “Diet-related diseases” includes, but is not limited to, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
(3) “Food desert” means an area or community that lacks or is absent devoid of grocery stores or supermarkets that sell fresh produce and healthy food options.
(4) “Low-income or lower income” means households with annual incomes that are no greater than 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
(b) (1) Subject to the direction and approval of the commission, each electrical corporation and gas corporation shall develop and implement a program to provide incentives and assistance to owners, operators, or lessees of corner stores to reduce their electricity and gas bills through
conservation and energy efficiency improvements, including, but not limited to, the placement of, or replacement of less efficient equipment with, free or low-cost energy-efficient refrigeration in order to improve a community’s access to healthy and fresh food options.
(2) The program shall require participating corner stores to
agree to sell fresh produce and other healthy foods for a minimum of three years. The commission may impose other conditions to ensure the integrity of the program and to protect ratepayers. The three year three-year requirement shall not be enforceable if the individual or entity, or its successor, owning, operating, or leasing the corner store ceases all of its retail food sales operations.
(3) The program shall give priority to, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Low-income or lower income areas and communities.
(B) Areas
and communities with limited access to healthy food, including those that are considered to be food deserts.
(C) Communities with higher rates of diet-related diseases.
(4) The program shall encourage and include outreach to corner stores to promote participation.
(c) (1) Each In designing its program, each electrical corporation and gas corporation shall consult with store owners, product vendors, refrigeration manufacturers, and the Office of Farm to Fork in the Department of Food
and Agriculture. Each electrical corporation and gas corporation shall submit its proposal for the program to the commission by January 1, 2018.
(2) Each electrical corporation and gas corporation shall consult with the Office of Farm to Fork to determine which foods should be considered fresh and healthy and how much refrigerated space should be available under this program for healthy food options.
(2)
(3) The commission may approve the proposal,
modify and approve the proposal, or direct the utility to file a new proposal with elements specified by the commission by a date certain.
(3)
(4) The commission shall authorize or deny implementation of the program by July 1, 2018.
(d) The commission shall implement an equitable means to fund the program, which may include, but is not limited to, overcollections pursuant to the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, the Energy Savings Assistance Program established pursuant to Section 382, and other energy efficiency funds
or programs subject to the commission’s oversight.