“2022 has become a year for climate optimism! The California Air Resources Board just passed a game-changing rule that will go a long way in helping the state and the country meet our climate goals.”
How to Manage Smoky Air during Wildfire Season
We are hitting peak wildfire season in California. Wildfires are not just dangerous for people in the direct line of fire or whose homes reside outside of evacuation lines. Wildfires wreak havoc on our air quality, which threatens all of our livelihoods. Learn all about the Air Quality Index for measuring safe air quality in your area, and follow our tips for dealing with wildfire smoke and air pollution.
Climate Insider Staff Spotlight: Resa Barillas
As Inland Empire Regional Organizer, Resa Barillas grows power for environmental issues, especially clean energy, in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. “The climate crisis is already upon us, and I feel like it’s the most pressing, impactful issue of our time,” she said. “Being from a disinvested community, the impacts are highly visible.”
Groundbreaking Bill to Hold Corporations Accountable for Carbon Emissions Advances in the Assembly
Today, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 260, the Climate Corporate Accountability Act. SB 260 would be the nation’s first mandatory corporate greenhouse gas emissions disclosure requirement for the largest and most profitable U.S. corporations who have an outsized impact on climate change.
EnviroVoters Recommendations: Hidden Nature Gems in California
Up and down the state, California is full of natural beauty and wonder. So the EnviroVoters staff has recommended some of their favorite parks, beaches, and nature spots that are perhaps a little less famous and less crowded than Yosemite and Joshua Tree but no less majestic. Check out our staff suggestions for hidden outdoor gems in California to visit this summer:
Watch: SB 260 Will Hold Corporate Polluters Accountable
SB 260, the Climate Corporate Accountability Act, would provide necessary transparency and accountability by requiring big corporations to publicly disclose their full carbon footprint. The bill has already passed the State Senate and two key Assembly committees, but we need your help to get it over the finish line. Will you call your Assemblymember and urge them to support SB 260?
Watch: Public Lands Are a Potential Powerhouse
One big solution to solving the climate crisis is public lands. Nearly one quarter of the state is conserved public lands, including national and state public parks and wildlife reserves, and they are a potential powerhouse when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. Watch our video to learn more about the importance of public lands:
ENVIROVOTERS ON STATE BUDGET SIGNING
As climate budget negotiations continue into summer, California needs a bold multi-year plan backed by more funding to credibly ensure victory in the climate fight
Governor’s commitment to resolve concerns with the energy trailer bill brings relief since the bill deepens our dependency on fossil fuels and widens inequality
CONTACT: Veda Banerjee, (510) 844-0229
(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Mary Creasman, CEO at California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters), released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature of the state budget, which includes $21 billion for climate and energy, and the energy budget trailer bill. She expressed relief over the governor’s commitment to resolve key concerns about how the trailer bill increases California’s reliability on old, dirty power plants, eliminates environmental review of increased fossil fuel dependency, and scraps public opportunities to fight back.
“This climate budget outline signed today begins to get at the scale of investment needed to protect Californians from drought, extreme heat, wildfires, and pollution. But the devil is in the details, and voters deserve transparency and clarity on timing and details of this climate funding: what’s being counted, when the funding will be allocated, and what programs are being funded. The governor and legislature still have a chance to truly double down on the climate crisis as the legislature reconvenes in August. Our leaders need to increase these numbers and craft a multi-year commitment that will save our future. Today’s Supreme Court ruling limiting the federal government’s authority to fight climate change shows just how critical state leadership and action will be in the climate fight.
“In addition, we should all be watching and holding our leaders accountable to addressing the deeply troubling changes to California’s energy policy signed today; the Governor’s commitment to resolve our concerns before the end of August is promising. Various lawmakers cited this commitment as a condition for their votes, and we look forward to working with them and the administration to craft strong guardrails for how our power supply relies on more polluting power when under stress. California must clearly prioritize clean energy development first, ensure environmental review, and protect public engagement in the prolonged use of old fossil fuel plants that should otherwise be shuttered. Absent these changes, this bill jeopardizes our climate fight by deepening our dependency on fossil fuels and widening inequality by silencing frontline communities of color forced to endure even more pollution.”
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California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
EnviroVoters Statement: California Legislature Passes Groundbreaking Bill to Combat Plastic Pollution
CONTACT: Sarah Hersh-Walker, sarah@fcpcommunications.com, 510-759-2921
Sacramento, CA – California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) today issued the following statement in response to the California legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act.
Statement from Mary Creasman, Chief Executive Officer, EnviroVoters:
“This bill is a historic achievement. California is on the verge of systematically addressing the crisis of plastics pollution – the first state in the nation to do so.
Thanks to SB 54, producers will be required to reduce single-use plastics over time and pay billions of dollars in environmental mitigation funds. A significant amount of these funds will go to disadvantaged, low-income, and rural communities in the state. And at long last, all single-use plastic packaging and foodware must actually be recyclable or compostable by 2032. Overwhelming, California voters support these types of policies.
After decades of work to tackle plastics pollution, we are close to achieving groundbreaking change. California can lead the way for the rest of the country – and the world.”
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About California Environmental Voters California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
How to Keep Cool in the Heat
Extreme heat is one of the deadliest consequences of the climate crisis, and as the temperature creeps up so too does the risk it poses to us all. We need to do things on our own to mitigate the heat in our own homes and communities. Here are some tips for keeping cool this summer, so you can not just manage the heat but thrive this summer:
Eat a Peach! Head to your Local Farmers Market for Sustainable (and Tasty) Produce
It’s summer time, and you know what that means in California: the best seasonal produce, especially at Farmers Markets! Summer is the best time for fruits and vegetables, and there’s no better place to buy them than at Farmers Markets or through Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), which delivers produce directly from a farm to its subscribers on a weekly basis.
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California Environmental Voters Statement on June Primary Election Outcomes
California Environmental Voters released the following statement on the results of the June 2022 primary election from Chief Executive Officer Mary Creasman: “This primary had mixed results for climate champions up and down the state – largely because of historically low turnout and millions of dollars spent by corporate polluters.”
