CLCV Releases 2004 California Environmental Scorecard

Decline in Legislature’s pro-environment votes in stark contrast to continued rise in public support for the environment

Senate and Assembly Republican Average Scores Hover Near Zero

SACRAMENTO – A new report card by the California League of Conservation Voters shows a decline in the environmental voting record of the Legislature, with Assembly Republicans voting against the environment 94% of the time, and Senate Republicans voting against the environment a stunning 98.5% of the time.

The 2004 California Environmental Scorecard, an annual guide that rates elected officials on the environment in order to help voters decide how to vote, scores environmental votes on key state measures that preserve, protect, restore and enhance the health of California’s environment. The California Environmental Scorecard can be found at http://www.ecovote.org/scorecards/2004/.

While some individual members of both houses maintained good voting records, the overall picture is not encouraging, said Susan Smartt, Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters. “How is it possible that in a state which leads the nation in environmental protection, 25% of our state legislators vote against the environment every single time? Californians overwhelmingly support strong safeguards for our air, water, the coast, and the health and safety of our communities, yet majorities in the Legislature increasingly vote for special interests and against the environment.”

In contrast to legislative Republicans, Governor Schwarzenegger scored 58%, signing numerous environmental bills—but just over half of the tough, contested measures that reached his desk. Among the bills he signed were SB 391 (Florez), which will make users of pesticides pay for emergency medical costs of people who get sick from pesticides that are sprayed in their communities, and AB 923 (Firebaugh), a landmark bill that provides the backbone of a funding source to reduce diesel pollution. But he vetoed a key environmental priority, AB 2042 (Lowenthal), that would have set a clean air goal for diesel-laden Los Angeles ports when they expand their facilities.

Schwarzenegger signed all 10 of the Chamber of Commerce’s priority attacks on environment, public health and consumer safeguards.

“In his campaign, Governor Schwarzenegger promised dramatic change through ‘action, action, action’ and he pledged to fight for the environment,” said Smartt. “Fighting for the environment means digging in on the toughest fights. We need a leader who will stand up to the pressure of polluters and corporate lobbyists to defend our kids and communities. We need a champion who will say ‘enough is enough.’”

Other California Environmental Scorecard Highlights:

Perfect 100s: Eight Senators (Alpert, Burton, Dunn, Figueroa, Kuehl, Romero, Sher and Soto) and sixteen Assembly Members (Chan, Chu, Goldberg, Hancock, Jackson, Koretz, Laird, Leno, Lieber, Mullin, Nation, Nuñez, Pavley, Simitian, Steinberg, Wiggins) voted for the environment 100% of the time.

Absolute Zeros: Ten Senators (Ackerman, Battin, Brulte, Denham, Hollingsworth, Johnson, Margett, McClintock, Morrow, Oller) and twenty-one Assembly Members (Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Bogh, Cogdill, Cox, Dutton, Haynes, Keene, LaMalfa, La Suer, Leslie, McCarthy, Mountjoy, Nakanishi, Pacheco, Plescia, Runner, Spitzer, Strickland, Wyland) voted for the environment 0% of the time.

Legislators more often “Taking a Walk”: The 2004 Scorecard includes a record number of committee votes where measures failed because legislators simply did not vote. Not voting on a good environmental bill is the same as voting “No” because the bill still fails. For this reason CLCV’s Scorecard counts abstentions as a “No” vote on pro-environmental legislation. For example, legislators walked away from AB 2012 (Chu) which would have required cosmetic manufacturers to identify chemicals in their products that cause cancer or birth defects. Two Democrats, Rudy Bermudez and Jerome Horton, both chose not to vote on seven out of 18 bills tracked by CLCV.

Priority environmental measures that failed to pass the Legislature included:

AB 1327 (Kuehl) Protected state parks from road-building and development
AB 1468 (Kehoe) Reduced on-road petroleum use by 15% below 2003 levels by 2020
AB 2012 (Chu) see above
SB 199 (Murray) Encouraged the building industry to incorporate solar energy technology in the building of new homes
SB 217 (Sher) Limited clear-cutting in ancient forests
SB 1477 (Sher) Protected California wetlands from Bush administration rollbacks

Smartt noted that the Scorecard is a key voter tool for the November election. Voters can find the scores of their local Senator and Assembly Member at CLCV’s website, www.ecovote.org. The environmental scores of the California Congressional delegation were released on Monday by CLCV’s sister organization, the national League of Conservation Voters, and can be found at http://www.lcv.org/.

“The vote that hasn’t yet been scored is that of environmental voters. In order to work toward healthy air, cleaner water and protecting our natural resources, we need to elect environmental candidates who have the courage of their convictions,” said Smartt. “We’ve done the research so voters will know who the real environmental choices are in this election. Now it is up to the voters to make their choice count by making it to the polls on election day.”

CLCV’s California Environmental Scorecard is compiled annually with contributions from leading environmental groups, including: American Lung Association of California, Defenders of Wildlife, Environment California, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, and Sierra Club California.

CLCV is the political action arm of California’s environmental movement. It campaigns for environmentally responsible candidates and, through its annual California Environmental Scorecard, holds them accountable for their votes on the environment.