Personal Enforcement of Public Health and Environmental Laws: A Right of Last Resort

Urge your Assemblymember this week to support AB 528!

A dangerous gap exists in California's world-class environmental laws. Budget cuts and political decisions increasingly reduce environmental enforcement in the state. Unfortunately, when the government fails to act, individual Californians do not have the ability to sue private polluters to prevent injury or illness to themselves or harm to the environment from violations of our major environmental laws.

Sixteen states and the federal government have laws that allow "personal enforcement" of violations of public health and environmental laws; Assembly Bill 528 would give Californians this important right.

Assembly Bill 528 is scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations committee this week and is expected to reach the Assembly floor as early as Friday. Please contact your Assemblymember urging support for this essential bill! Your letter, fax, or phone call may make the difference in getting the right to act against polluters for all Californians.

Please see our Action Alert for more details and a sample letter.

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CLCV events:

CLCV's 23rd Annual Environmental Leadership Awards Dinner will be held Saturday, June 4, 2005 at W Hotel San Francisco.

We will be presenting the 2005 Byron Sher Environmental Leadership Award to Bob Balgenorth (California Unions for Reliable Energy), Carla Din (United Steelworkers of America, Apollo Alliance), and Assemblymember John Laird. US Congress Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will be the keynote speaker. Find out more.

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