Last week was a big one for our campaign to elect an environmental champion as governor of California. We marked the 100 day countdown to the November 2 election, when Californians will elect a new governor, replacing termed-out governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Days later, the Public Policy Institute of California released a major poll on Californians’ environmental views, which showed strong support for the state’s climate law and powerful opposition to offshore oil drilling. It also revealed how environmental voters feel about the leading candidates for governor.

Yesterday, a report was released jointly by the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and Britain’s National Weather Service with stark facts about the planet’s climate. The report states unequivocally that our climate is warming , that 2010 is the hottest year yet measured and that the decade of the 2000’s is the hottest decade measured. The report reminds us that the decade of the 90’s was the previous record holder. Hope you’re seeing the trend here.

Dear Lieutenant Governor Maldonado: We noticed with great interest that you have announced a trip to Louisiana to tour the disastrous BP oil spill that has devastated the communities and local economies of the Gulf Coast. The California League of Conservation Voters remains deeply concerned about the oil spill and its aftermath. We are determined to elect environmental champions who will ensure that this tragedy is never repeated off the coast of California. We have a simple request: That you clarify your positions on several environmental issues important to California voters, and explain your record of support for the agenda of Big Oil.

Carly Fiorina’s epic, knee-jerk, and seemingly deliberate aversion to and ignorance on all things environmental may ultimately doom her candidacy. We’ve already discussed her eyebrow-raising comments that Senator Barbara Boxer’s work on climate change solutions is equal to “worrying about the weather” in a previous post. Now Fiorina is revealed to be taking money from out-of-state coal interests who are at the same time funding the Dirty Energy Proposition to repeal California’s landmark climate law.

In a tacit admission that the United States Senate is a dysfunctional mess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged that the Senate will not vote on climate change legislation this year. A disappointed Harry Reid said, “Many of us want to do a thorough comprehensive [climate and energy] bill that creates jobs, breaks our addiction to foreign oil, and curbs pollution. Unfortunately at this time we don’t have a single Republican to work with in achieving this goal.” Having successfully lobbied their Republican allies in Congress to kill the national climate bill, Big Oil is trying to kill California’s climate law with Prop. 23, the Dirty Energy Proposition on the November ballot.

This week, CLCV CEO Warner Chabot was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from new CLCV member Montana Casey describing an interaction with a CLCV field canvasser. As the canvasser explained how CLCV is working to elect environmental champions and pass strong environmental legislation, Montana was inspired not only to make a donation, but also to create a promotional video to help spread the word about CLCV’s campaign to “Build a Greener California.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is planning to mail her updated glossy booklet of policy positions to California voters in advance of the general election, as she did before the primary election. But as Capital Notes reporter John Myers recently pointed out, one of the most noticeable changes in the new version is the candidate’s description of her position on the Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32.