EnviroVoters launches digital ad campaign + A busy day in the Legislature
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
ENVIROVOTERS LAUNCH CLIMATE COURAGE BUDGET CAMPAIGN
You might have noticed some new advertising urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to pass a budget that takes action against climate change.
California Environmental Voters, also known as EnviroVoters, has launched its ad campaign with a combination of digital ads and a billboard off I-5 near Sacramento International Airport “urging the governor and lawmakers to double down and think bigger to pass a state budget that ensures victory in the fight against climate change,” according to a statement from the group.
EnviroVoters is specifically calling on state leaders to dedicate at least $75 billion over the span of the next five years — a minimum of 5% of state spending — to pay for investments in clean energy, zero-emission transportation and transit, building decarbonization, water and wildfire resilience, jobs and justice, according to the statement.
“Climate spending must match the scale of the threat we face from unchecked climate change in order to be effective. Only a massive investment can overcome the destruction we face from record drought, record wildfires, and record heat waves,” said EnviroVoters’ Mike Young in a statement. “California has the know-how, and our huge budget surplus gives us the resources to unleash it. We just need leaders with the courage to stand up to corporate polluters profiting from the climate crisis.
A BUSY DAY FOR COMMITTEES
Tuesday was a busy day for legislative committees.
SB 894, a bill to create a new off-highway vehicle competition program for legitimate competitors, passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee.
“For the last few years, OHV stakeholders, government agencies, and many others have put in countless hours on this issue. We have worked with the environmental community to come up with a compromise that removed their previous opposition. Our hope is that this third time is truly a charm,” said bill author Sen. Brian Jones in a statement.
AB 2164, a bill to make sure small businesses have access to funds to make accessibility-related improvements for people with disabilities, passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
“Compliance can be particularly challenging for small business owners with limited English or access to financial resources,” said bill author Assemblyman Alex Lee in a statement. “Helping small businesses become compliant is critically important because barriers prevent Californians with disabilities from accessing important goods and services, while depriving our local businesses of much-needed patronage.”
SB 1036, a bill to create a conservation corps dedicated to restoring the California coastline and climate resiliency work, passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.
“As recent history has vividly demonstrated, our state’s coastal areas are extremely vulnerable and need to be safeguarded in every way possible,” said bill author Sen. Josh Newman in a statement. “In the face of accelerating climate change and the devastating impacts of recent oil spills, Californians up and down the state will be well served by a workforce development program deliberately designed to efficiently and comprehensively maintain, protect, and restore California’s beaches and other coastal ecosystems.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Ketanji Brown Jackson was in my law school class. Everyone thought she was a nice & brilliant person. Ted Cruz was a year ahead of us in law school. Everyone thought he was a major jackass, as he is demonstrating yet again today.”
- Sen Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
After Berkeley drama, Newsom eyes change to California environmental law. It won’t be easy, via Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow.
The looming strike at the Sacramento City Unified School District is only the latest in a series of teacher labor actions taking place in Northern California over the past month, via Andrew Sheeler.