California League of Conservation Voters E-newsletter

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Up-to-the-minute legislative update

Budget negotiations; wins and losses so far

Though a few key environmental bills died in tough committees like the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee this year, the majority of legislation that CLCV supports now is in the Appropriations Committee of the non-originating house.

Wind farms, which provide clean and renewable energy, could spring up all over California if SB 1478 passes.

Senator Byron Sher authored Senate Bill (SB) 1478 to speed California's adoption of renewable power, in part because Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to do so in his campaign platform. The bill passed through the Senate and is now in the Assembly Appropriations committee. Urge your Assembly Member to support this bill in committee and on the floor—see our Action Alert for details.

The failure of AB 1327, a bill to prevent inappropriate uses of State Park land, was a loss for CLCV. The bill came up one vote short in the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee when Democrat Rudy Bermudez did not vote, citing his lack of knowledge of the contents of the bill.

CLCV took an active role in moving AB 2042 (Lowenthal) off the Assembly floor. AB 2042 will require the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—the fastest growing ports in the country—to achieve a “no net increase” in air pollutant emissions. Assembly Moderate Caucus members targeted this bill for defeat, as they did with AB 1940; however, CLCV’s advocacy and generation of constituent calls were ultimately successful in moving the bill to the more environmentally sympathetic Senate.

A bill to reduce pollution from trains in southern California is also making progress through the legislature. SB 1397 (Escutia), which would direct the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to require train operators to reduce pollution and pay reasonable fees to mitigate the impact of their emissions. (See our Action Alert for more details.)

Find out more about these bills using the Assembly web site—click on "Legislation" and search by bill number.