Advocacy Special Update from Acterra |
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Rally for BART and Caltrain in San Mateo County
Bay Area transit faces dire cuts without San Mateo County's support for a regional funding measure. Join a rally at Millbrae Station (100 Serre Ave) from 5:30 - 6:30 PM on July 1. The transportation sector makes up the biggest share of the Bay Area's GHG emissions, and public transit is a critical climate solution. You can uplift the urgent message to local leaders to fund public transit and prevent service collapse. |
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AB 306 Placed in Budget Trailer Bill
Items in budget trailer bills receive a single up or down vote, letting lawmakers avoid the normal policy committee approval process. In an end-run maneuver, AB 306 (Schultz, Rivas) is now included in the budget trailer bill AB 130 (Gabriel) and is being heard by the Senate Budget Committee, with voting happening on Monday, June 30. The sprawling housing trailer bill includes a number of good things, including a total of $1.85B for Bay Area public transit as well as AB 609 (Wicks) speeding up the infill multifamily housing development process. However, Acterra and coalition partners like NRDC and Menlo Spark are asking that the AB 306 sections (29-31 and 37-42) be stricken from the trailer bill and instead go through careful consideration within the standard committee process (the Senate Housing and Local Government Committees, specifically). If passed, AB 306 would bar any changes to California’s building codes until 2031, depriving local governments of the ability to pass pro-electrification policies or energy-efficient standards that exceed state requirements. AB 306 might even interfere with cities’ abilities to implement the already-approved 2025 energy code.
Speak up about this problematic bill by contacting your State legislators before it’s too late — especially if your Senator is on the Budget Committee (Bay Area members include Scott Wiener, Chair (D11); Christopher Cabaldon (D3); John Laird (D17); Jerry McNerney (D5); and Aisha Wahab (D10). You can use the "lookup tool" to identify your California elected officials.
If you are in Sacramento, the hearing will be Monday, June 30 at 12:00 PM at 1021 O Street, Room 1200. (There is no virtual participation option.) |
Support for AB 1167, AB 524, and SB 332
AB 1167 (Berman and Addis) further restricts investor-owned utilities from using rate-payer funds for “political influence activities” and promotional advertising.” It will be heard in both Senate Judiciary and Energy.
AB 524 (Wilson), the Farmland Access and Conservation for Thriving Communities Act, passed the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee and heads to Senate Agriculture next. This bill is a first-of-its-kind leg up for beginning and underserved farmers who lack access to land.
SB 332 (Wahab), the Investor-Owned Utility Accountability Act, calls for a comparative analysis of transition from an IOU model to public benefit corporation, development of a best value infrastructure procurement model and executive compensation structure, perform triennial equipment audits and post-wildfire infrastructure analysis, and post data on consumer account terminations and disconnections. SB 332 is under consideration in the Assembly Energy Committee.
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Opposition to AB 737 and AB 942
AB 737 (Quirk-Silva) seeks to add gas utilities to the administration of statewide decarbonization programs, which would be similar to making foxes managers of hen house energy performance. It is currently before the Senate Energy Committee, which includes some Bay Area members. It is notable that AB 737 seeks to substantially rewrite Energy Chair Becker’s 2022 decarbonization law SB 1112 to favor gas utilities.
AB 942 (Calderon) attacks and imposes new costs to residential solar, ripping up existing 20-year Net Energy Meeting agreements and preventing new property owners from “inheriting” the existing property’s NEM agreement. The fact that the bill sponsor is a 25-year SoCal Edison employee is not a coincidence. AB 942 is in Senate Energy.
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Governor Newsom Responds to Proposed Cuts to SNAP-Ed
As this goes to press, the U.S. Senate plans to vote tonight (Sunday) on the domestic policy bill that will eliminate the entire budget of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). This vital program helps low-income families make healthy food choices and lead active lives by supporting households in finding, purchasing, and preparing fresh, healthy foods on a limited budget. It's cost-effective: for every $1 invested in SNAP-Ed, more than $9 can be saved in future healthcare costs. Here in California, SNAP-Ed is known as CalFresh Healthy Living.
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Newsom said, "Hundreds of thousands of Californians who need food assistance will be at risk of losing it, and it will punish working people by ending their eligibility." Read the press release from the Governor's office.
Read The next tragic—absurd—budget cut: SNAP-ED, by Marion Nestle, Food Politics blog, and the advocacy site Save SNAP-Ed, for more background on the issue
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July 10 — Join Acterra's Green@Home Sustainable Living Showcase: Tour the Bell-Brown Home. These monthly tours occur at 6:30 PM on the second Thursday of the month through August. View these electric upgrades: two-bedroom all-electric ADU (exterior only), induction cooktop, heat pump HVAC, heat pump water heater, EV charger, and extra water- and energy-saving features. You’ll have the chance to ask questions, hear firsthand how the family made their sustainable choices, and get tips on contractors, rebates, and more. Register for location.
July 12 — Food Insecurity: Update and Hunger at Home Presentation hosted by Valley Verde. 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 691 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95126. Register here. July 22 — Zoom Workshop: Draft Strategies for Regional Climate Action - Bay Area Regional Climate Action Plan Public Workshop #3, from 6:00 – 7:30 PM PT. Register here. |
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Your donation can help expand our impact on policy for decarbonization, sustainable food systems, and Bay Area climate action. Thank you for your support! |
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