Dems say ‘no’ to (some) police $ + Climate change ad buy + No more factory farms?
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DEMOCRATS WON’T ACCEPT $ FROM (SOME) POLICE, FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES
Via Lara Korte...
After delaying a vote on the matter last fall, the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party on Sunday decided not to solicit or accept any contributions from a slate of special interests, including the fossil fuel industry, law enforcement supply industry, and any employer who is the target of a labor-sanctioned worker strike.
However, there are some caveats.
Under the newly adopted policies, the party will still consider contributions from law enforcement unions on a “case by case basis.” In 2020, the party accepted $1.2 million from those groups, including more than $500,000 from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, or CCPOA, according to state records.
The party also prohibited contributions from fossil fuel giants like Sempra and PG&E, but left a carve-out for contributions from Southern California Edison, because it doesn’t produce gas. SCE has faced multiple lawsuits from insurance companies and victims’ families for its role in recent wildfires. Last year, it agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle claims from the 2018 Woolsey fire after an investigation found Edison equipment sparked the blaze.
“They don’t own the gas lines, they simply sell electricity, and with that framing, they would not be on the banned contributor list,” said party Controller April Verrett in a video of the meeting shared by Progressive Caucus Chair Amar Shergill.
Party Chair Rusty Hicks called the vote an “important step forward” for Democrats in California, but the moves were decried by party activists as performative and milquetoast. Shergill said it may be time for progressives to reconsider their involvement in a party that doesn’t listen to its members.
“Anyone that says Edison is not a fossil fuel company is either ignorant or purposefully telling mistruths, ‘‘ he said.
Also among the prohibited contributions: tobacco, gun, for-profit prisons, for-profit colleges, for-profit health insurance and the payday loan industry.
Under the agreement passed Sunday, the party will review the list of prohibited contributions every two years.
GROUP SPENDS BIG ON ADS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
Potential Energy, a nonprofit and nonpartisan coalition of creative, analytic, and media agencies, is spending $1.2 million on a pair of 30-second spots that will run on California broadcast and cable television and also online.
The ads — “By the Time” and “Dr. Fischer World” — are aimed at Californians and carry a straightforward message: Climate change is here and immediate action is needed to address it.
“Later is simply too late,” said Potential Energy CEO John Marshall, in a statement. “The stakes are far too high, and every corner of the planet is already impacted by climate change. We cannot ignore the risks this poses to each one of us. California is on the forefront for the consequences of climate change and uniquely positioned to lead the country and the world in solving it. When it comes to climate, California has to show the world and lead the world. The time to start finding robust solutions is now.”
The group said it is focusing the ad buy on California because of the Golden State’s vulnerability to extreme heat, droughts and wildfires. Past efforts have been spent on Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
BILL PUTS A PAUSE ON ANY MORE LARGE FACTORY FARMS
A pair of California lawmakers have introduced a bill that would create a moratorium on so-called “factory farms,” preventing the construction of new, or the expansion of existing, commercial animal feeding operations or slaughterhouses.
AB 2764, authored by Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, D-Van Nuys, and co-authored by Assemblyman Alex Lee, D-San Jose, would create a penalty of $10,000 per violation per day for any operation caught violating the prohibition. Operations generating less than $100,000 in annual revenue would be exempt.
“These operations have a notorious track record of poor working conditions where health and safety are sacrificed for the maximum profit. Although we can’t and shouldn’t replace it overnight, we can cease its expansion to give room for more worker and consumer-friendly operations to develop. This bill is a step towards the solution,” Nazarian said in a statement.
The bill is sponsored by animal activist group Direct Action Everywhere, which is no stranger to using attention-grabbing stunts to bring awareness to conditions at California’s factory farms. The group has promised to actively mobilize in support of the bill, “including phone, email and social media campaigning, as well as in-person demonstrations,” according to a statement from the group.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Thank you to the voters of Assembly District 49 for your confidence and trust. I am deeply humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to serve our San Gabriel Valley communities in the State Assembly. From constituents who need help with state services, to challenges like rising homelessness, climate change, and keeping our neighborhoods and communities safe, I promise to work every day to deliver results for the San Gabriel Valley, and to be a relentless advocate for every person who lives here.”
- Newly elected Assemblyman Mike Fong, in a statement.
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