Spring has brought a wave of climate, clean energy, and environmental justice legislation to Sacramento, along with important local races and ballot measures here in Contra Costa County that will shape our communities for decades to come.
In this month’s newsletter, we’re highlighting:
This legislative session continues to be one of the most consequential in years for climate action, energy affordability, environmental justice, and the clean energy transition. 350 Bay Area Action has already endorsed a number of priority bills aligned with our mission.
To help community members better understand what is moving through Sacramento and how these decisions impact our communities locally, we invite you to join our June 17th Community Climate Forum:
This forum will explore several of the major climate and clean energy bills currently moving through Sacramento, including legislation focused on electricity affordability, utility accountability, clean energy adoption, and data center energy use. Our Community Climate Forums are designed to help break down complex issues into accessible community conversations and create opportunities for residents to engage in the policy process.
Climate action doesn’t only happen in Sacramento or Washington. Local elected officials make critical decisions about transportation, housing, land use, clean energy, public health, and environmental justice right here in our communities. That’s why 350 Contra Costa Action has endorsed candidates in the primary who understand the urgency of the climate crisis and are committed to sustainable, equitable leadership.
At this stage in the election cycle, 350 Contra Costa Action has focused endorsements on primary races where voters are making immediate decisions that will shape the November ballot. For local city races, Richmond is currently the primary jurisdiction with candidates appearing in the primary election, which is why city-level endorsements are limited at this time.
As additional local races move closer to the general election, we expect to evaluate and consider further endorsements based on candidates’ records, climate priorities, environmental justice commitments, and alignment with our values.
Read all of our endorsed candidate profiles and endorsements here:
In Contra Costa primary races, we endorsed:
One of the most important local environmental issues on the ballot this year is Measure A. Measure A would renew Contra Costa County’s Urban Limit Line through 2051, helping protect open space, agricultural land, and communities from sprawling development into wildfire-prone areas.
Learn more here:
350 Bay Area Action – Yes on Measure A
Why Measure A Matters
Measure A helps protect open space and agricultural lands, reduce wildfire risk from sprawling development, limit traffic and transportation emissions, preserve habitat and biodiversity, and encourage smarter, more sustainable long-term growth near existing transit and services. At a time when climate change is increasing wildfire threats, heat impacts, and infrastructure strain, smart land use policy is climate policy. This measure gives voters a direct voice in protecting the future shape of Contra Costa County.
This month we are also honored to feature creative work from a local high school student, Suhani Goyal. Suhani is a member of the City of San Ramon’s Teen Council and a student at Dougherty Valley High School. This is a reminder that younger generations are already thinking deeply about climate, community, and the future they will inherit.
we never lit the match
and yet somehow
we’re breathing in the ash
it curls beneath our doorframes
seeps into our skin
settles in the silence
between dinner conversations
finds its home
in the gap between heartbeats
dad says the summers feel angry now
like a cruel mirage bestowed upon us
by the very light that once held warmth
mom counts hurricanes instead of birthdays
my cousin stopped jogging by the bay
the water climbed too high
the air too thick to hold
and me?
i scroll past statistics
with a guilt i can’t name
i write poetry till my hands fall apart
while the planet falls into chasms
a silent departure; felt more than seen
like a secret we all knew
but dared not say aloud
the sky doesn’t blush anymore
it bruises
our cities are tired
our lungs borrowed
farmers bury their hopes next to dry roots
while billionaires build bunkers
with money that still won’t buy
a second earth
they say it’s political
i say it’s personal
because climate change isn’t a headline
it’s my friend’s medication costs rising
it’s my uncle’s job lost to a dried-out field
it’s the fear that the future
won’t know green
the way we did
but still
i believe in healing
in hands planting more
than they destroy
in change that comes
not in silence
but in song
we are the generation
that inhales smoke
and exhales resistance
The climate movement is powered by people willing to show up, whether that means volunteering, helping track legislation, attending local meetings, supporting endorsed candidates, or simply staying informed and sharing information with others.
Thank you for being part of this community and for continuing to fight for a healthier, more sustainable, and more just future for Contra Costa County and beyond.
Thank you—
350 Contra Costa Action
©350 Contra Costa Action
This message has not been expressly authorized, requested, or approved by any federal, state, or local candidate, candidate’s committee or their agents, or by any ballot issue committee.
Created with NationBuilder, software for leaders.
