What will happen to gas jobs? + CalChamber for affirmative action + Support for Prop 17

Good morning and welcome to October!

OIL JOBS TODAY, GREEN JOBS TOMORROW?

For tens of thousands of Californians, a job in the oil and gas industry has been a ticket to a middle-class life.

The work can be dangerous. It can be unhealthy. Still, the industry has been among the few willing to employ Californians without a college degree and pay them well above average.

But as the state seeks to wind down its gas and oil industry — made even clearer last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call to scale back fracking and ban the sale of gas-powered cars in the state by 2035 — those jobs are at risk.

“Can we immediately start talking about jobs? We can hate on oil, but the truth is our refinery jobs are really good middle class jobs,” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, tweeted Sept. 24 after Newsom’s announcement. “Jobs can’t be an afterthought to any climate change legislation.”

Even as the number of clean energy jobs rises in California, the quality of those positions vary wildly, from rooftop solar installers making just above minimum wage to those working in utilities making $50 an hour. Environmental and labor advocates say it’s up to the state to ensure those clean energy jobs are as good as the jobs in the oil and gas industry they will replace.

The oil and gas industry directly employs 152,000 people in California, said Cathy Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, which represents the industry in six western states, including California.

And, unless workers in the gas and oil industry see a future for themselves in a low-carbon economy, their first priority is to “save their own livelihoods,” said Carol Zabin, director of Green Energy Program at UC Berkeley Labor Center. For the state to truly achieve its goals fighting climate change, Zabin said, it needs to invest in helping its gas and oil workforce transition.

“Union members are fed this line that there are more jobs in the clean energy economy, and you can get a job as a solar installer,” Zabin said. “And they are going, ‘We know those are pretty crappy jobs.’”

In her report released earlier this year, Zabin said the state should go beyond offering workers a few thousand dollars and having them navigate through a complex job market. The state should offer apprenticeship and training programs through institutions such as community colleges and secure commitment from employers that the programs’ graduates will be placed in a good job, she said.

The Sacramento Bee’s Jeong Park has more on the tradeoffs in this story today.

CALCHAMBER ISSUES BALLOT MEASURE ENDORSEMENTS

The California Chamber of Commerce has weighed in on two more ballot measures, lending its endorsement of Proposition 16 and showing opposition to Proposition 23.

Proposition 16 would repeal the 90s era ban on affirmative action. CalChamber did not support, or oppose, that original ban.

“The CalChamber Board of Directors based its decision to support Proposition 16 on the need to improve diversity and opportunity in California’s public workforce and educational institutions,” according to a statement from the group.

As for Proposition 23, which would mandate that California’s dialysis clinics have a physician on premieses during operating hours, in a non-caregiving role, CalChamber is opposed.

“The CalChamber Board of Directors based its decision to oppose the measure based on the fact that, if passed, Proposition 23 would drive up the cost of health care and reduce care options for sick patients,” according to the statement.

The has previously registered its support for Proposition 20, a “tough on crime” ballot measure, and Proposition 22, which would allow app-based drivers to remain independent contractors, and its opposition to Proposition 15, the “split roll initiative,” and Proposition 21, which would allow for expanded rent control.

HOW DIVERSE IS YOUR GOVERNMENT?

The Sacramento Bee is hosting a roundtable discussion looking at diversity in California government, from school board to the governor’s office.

Reporter Kim Bojórquez and columnist Marcos Bretón will moderate the conversation about voting rights and elected power, a discussion featuring Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, political consultant Luis Alvarado, Mindy Romero of USC’s Center for Inclusive Democracy, Laura Gomez of UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Initiative, and Robert Rubin, a civil rights attorney for over 40 years.

We’ll look at how term limits, district elections and other policies have changed the makeup of who holds power in California.

The event takes place at noon on Oct. 6. Don’t miss it! You can RSVP to attend by clicking here.

SUPPORT FOR RESTORING VOTING RIGHTS

A majority of Californians support restoring voting rights to people who have finished their prison term, according to a new survey released by the Yes on Proposition 17 campaign.

The poll found that 63% of likely voters support the ballot measure, with 86% of Democrats and 68% of independents showing support.

The poll was conducted by David Binder Research, which surveyed 800 likely voters online in both English and Spanish between Aug. 13 and Aug. 17.

“Proposition 17 is about justice, and Californians understand that,” Taina Vargas-Edmond, executive chair of Yes On Prop 17 and co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re seeing such high poll numbers and such a wide range of support for this ballot initiative. People who have completed their prison terms should be able to vote. Period. Denying nearly 50,000 Californians of their voice does nothing good for our communities. In fact, it makes reentering society after prison even more difficult than it already is.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think Chris Wallace did a very good job considering the unruly situation. Next time, I’m available to help straighten it out.”

- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Wednesday that opens the door to the state paying reparations of some kind to Black Californians, especially those who are descendants of slaves, via Jeong Park.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Wednesday that will compel public corporations headquartered in California to appoint minority or LGBTQ directors to their boards of directors, via Kim Bojórquez.

• A man and woman residing in a Northern California 55-plus community believe that a swastika spraypainted on their garage door was due to their Joe Biden yard sign, via Sam Stanton.