The Movement
Cooking at home should be legal everywhere in California.
In 2018 California became the first state to legalize home-kitchen businesses — but only in counties that opt in. This page is the living record: the history, the counties that said yes, the people who decide, and how to add your voice.
How we got here
A short, honest history — who wrote the laws, who carried them, who stood where.
Every claim links to its source: the official legislative record first, county records and reporting after that.
The map of yes
Terracotta means home cooks can get permitted today. Grey means five local supervisors haven't said yes yet — tap one to start the letter that changes it.
Plus city-run programs in Berkeley and Long Beach, where the city health department (not the county) runs the permits.
Roll of honor: the counties that said yes
In the order they opened their doors. If you cook in one of these counties, these are the neighbors who made it possible.
Contact the deciders
In each county, a five-member Board of Supervisors holds the keys. Thank the counties that said yes — and if yours hasn't, ask politely, by name. Ask Mehko drafts the email with you, then opens it in your own email app: your name on it, you press send.
Members as listed on each county's official site, October 2026. Seats change with elections — the official board page linked on every card always has the current roster.
Next: Sacramento
Sacramento County hasn't opted in yet — local cooks are organizing to change that. If you cook (or eat) in the capital, this is your invitation.
Where they stand
We publish positions from the public record only: real votes first, then official statements — always dated, always linked. Supporting or not, everyone gets described fairly and briefly. Where there's no record yet, we ask.
Running for office?
Cooks vote, and they read. Answer three short questions about home kitchens and we'll publish your words here, word for word, next to your opponents'.
Proof it works
Every morning we feature one permitted home kitchen — a neighbor, cooking legally, feeding their community. They're the reason this movement wins: real people, real plates.