ecovote.org > scorecard > 2007 California Environmental Scorecard
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rico Mastrodonato, CLCV – 415.572.3107
November 13, 2007
California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) Releases Annual California Environmental Scorecard
Ratings for Schwarzenegger & Legislature for 2007 Find Heroes, Villains, and Freshman Hopefuls
Schwarzenegger Scores Highest Rating of his Governorship — 63%
Oakland - The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) — the political arm of the environmental movement in America’s leading environmental state — announced the release of its annual California Environmental Scorecard today, revealing highlights of the 2007 legislative session. Governor Schwarzenegger’s 63% represents the highest score of his tenure, and Assembly Democrats led the pack with 29 members earning perfect 100% scores. In a year when global warming was on everyone’s mind, the legislature approved several alternative energy measures but left the two most important greenhouse gas emission bills — SB 375 and SB 974 — to be decided in 2008.
It was business as usual along party lines. Despite strong bi-partisan support for environmental protection by the voters, Republicans aren’t following suit. Senate Republicans’ average score was 9% while Senate Democrats averaged 89% and Assembly Democrats averaged 94% in stark contrast to Assembly Republicans at 5%.
Breaking from the pack, Senator Abel Maldonado (San Luis Obispo) distinguished himself by supporting nine of CLCV’s priority bills and earning the highest Republican score in the legislature at 43%, over four times the average for Republican Senators. “Senator Maldonado courageously split from his caucus to cast deciding votes to ban toxins in toys and support funding for alternative fuels,” said Susan Smartt, Executive Director of CLCV. “His decisive action made it possible for those bills to make it onto the Governor’s desk, and into law.”
Bolstered by an extraordinary freshman class of legislators, Assembly Democrats averaged an impressive 94%, the highest of any such group. Eleven of the 25 first-year Democrats scored a perfect 100%. Several carried impressive packages of environmental bills, notably Jared Huffman (San Rafael), Mark DeSaulnier (Martinez) and Mike Feuer (Los Angeles). “This is CLCV’s ‘Cycle of Accountability’ in action: We worked to elect these legislators last year, and they are already distinguishing themselves as environmental leaders this year,” said Smartt. “We believe California has every reason to expect great accomplishments from them in the years to come.”
A few Assembly Democrats distinguished themselves for their abysmal environmental record. Cathleen Galgiani (Stockton) and Nicole Parra (Bakersfield) had the two lowest scores of the Democrats, 30% and 35% respectively. Despite representing the Central Valley, including four of ten cities in the country with the worst air quality, neither of those legislators supported SB 719 — the top priority for clean air advocates from that region. “With childhood asthma an epidemic and thousands of premature deaths from respiratory illness annually, the Central Valley needs representatives in the legislature who will stand up for clean air,” stated Bonnie Holmes-Gen Assistant Vice President, Government Relations of American Lung Association California. “Central Valley residents deserve better.”
The two highest priority environmental bills from the session were held in the Assembly and won’t be heard until 2008. Neither SB 974 (Lowenthal), a bill to clean up pollution at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, nor SB 375 (Steinberg), global warming legislation designed to promote development that reduces the miles people drive, will be decided until next year.
California Environmental Scorecard Highlights:
| Governor: | 63% |
| Senate average: | 61% |
| Senate Democrats: | 89% |
| Senate Republicans: | 9% |
| Senators scoring 100%: | 11 |
| Senate Republicans 50% or better: | 0 |
| Senate Democrats 50% or lower: | 1 (Correa, Santa Ana, 38%) |
| Assembly average: | 58% |
| Assembly Democrats: | 94% |
| Assembly Republicans: | 5% |
| Assembly members scoring 100%: | 29 |
| Assembly Republicans 50% or better: | 0 |
| Assembly Democrats 50% or lower: | 2 (Parra, Bakersfield, 35%; Galgiani, Stockton, 30%) |
Perfect 100%: |
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About CLCV and the Scorecard
The 2007 California Environmental Scorecard, is an annual guide that rates elected officials on the environment in order to help voters decide how to vote, scoring 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 www.ecovote.org/scorecards/2007.
© 2010 California League of Conservation Voters. Contact us.
