Should California enable people to install portable solar energy units without getting utility approval? Should the state make sure that data center electricity costs aren’t passed on to other customers? Is it okay to allow fossil fuel companies to circumvent insurance requirements for wells and production facilities?
These are some of the issues our 350 Contra Costa Action legislative team will bring up with state senators and assembly members in 2026. If you want to help shape California’s climate policies and develop advocacy, research, and communication skills, we invite you to join us. Take an active role in ending fossil fuel consumption, fostering clean energy, and building lasting relationships with fellow volunteers and policymakers. Your engagement can make a real difference.
Keep reading to see how you can get involved and what volunteering is like.
Partnering with 350 Bay Area Action Legislative Teams
Our 350 Contra Costa Action legislative team partners with our parent group, 350 Bay Area Action, to push for strong climate laws. We share their positions with local lawmakers.
Some of our team members also serve on 350 Bay Area Action Legislative teams. These teams research and track climate-related bills and their impacts on Californians. We encourage anyone interested in shaping California’s climate laws to join one of the 350 Bay Area Action legislative teams and see firsthand how the process works.
You’ll learn which bills need to be tracked, choose the ones you want to research, and work with a dynamic group of people who are fascinated, sometimes frustrated, and ever intrigued with the legislative process.
To get started, you can attend a meeting with one of the three policy teams.
Three Legislative Teams Pushing for Climate Justice
350 Bay Area Action supports three legislative teams, each focused on a different area of climate policy, plus a coordinating committee. If you want to join, pick a team that matches your interests or experience—whether you’re most interested in moving away from fossil fuels, supporting clean energy, or improving transportation and land use.
If you’re not sure where to start, think about what issues motivate you, your skills, and areas you’d like to learn more about. For example, if you like research or advocacy, are interested in renewable energy, or want to learn about housing and transportation, there’s a team for you.
New volunteers can attend a meeting with each group to see what they do before deciding. Team coordinators are happy to help you find the best fit. Here’s a quick overview of the three teams.
- End Fossil Fuels (EFF) Action Team: Meets Tuesdays at 5:00 pm, except the fourth Tuesday. EFF advocates for phasing out fossil fuels, connects with decision-makers and environmental partners, and rallies public support.
- Clean Energy Action Team: Meets Wednesdays at 4:00 pm. This team champions energy justice, 100% clean energy, and sustainable practices, and tracks bills while suggesting positions to the Legislative Committee. Team members meet with key legislators and their staff to discuss the bills and ask for their votes.
- Transportation/Land Use Action Team: Meets Tuesdays at 4:30 pm. This team promotes affordable housing near transit, zero-emission vehicles, and sustainable transportation laws.
Shaping California’s Climate Future
Helping 350 Bay Area Action decide which positions to take on bills that may have far-reaching effects on the climate is a vital and intriguing role in shaping California’s climate future.
In 2025, 350 Contra Costa Action supported nine bills that were researched and tracked by the 350 Bay Area Action legislative teams. One important bill stops investor-owned utilities like PG&E from passing lobbying costs on to customers. All nine bills passed and were signed by the governor.
These successes were made possible by the dedicated efforts of our volunteers, who researched complex policy details, crafted clear summaries for legislators, and spoke directly to their representatives about why these bills matter for our communities. Such local research helps decision-makers see how the legislation would benefit their own districts and influences the outcome.
A Sampling of Bills We’re Watching in 2026
350 Bay Area Action is looking at several new bills introduced this legislative session. Here are some of the areas being addressed so far, with more to come:
- Large-scale data centers: Making sure new data centers pay their share of electricity costs, report energy and water use, pay fair construction wages, and use clean backup generators to avoid pollution.
- Balcony solar: Exempting plug-in solar panels from PG&E installation permitting.
- Heat pumps: Standardizing permitting to speed up timelines and lower costs.
- Offshore oil: Tightening regulation of new offshore oil drilling to reduce environmental and safety risks.
- Environmental assessments: Several bills aim to close loopholes in a recent law that exempts many projects from CEQA environmental reviews.
- Oil and gas bonding—Competing bills would tighten or loosen bond requirements.
- Refinery closures: Setting rules for shutting down refineries, cleaning up soil and water, and supporting workers who lose their jobs.
- Transportation projects: Some bills require climate impacts to be considered in planning, while others reduce environmental requirements.
- Bidirectional electric vehicles: Requiring a certain percentage of vehicles to connect to the electric grid.
Help Shape California’s Climate Legislation
If you want to help shape California’s climate legislation, sign up to research and track bills with a 350 Bay Area Action legislative team. You don’t need previous experience. All new volunteers get training and support, including learning the basics of bill tracking, advocacy skills, and communicating effectively with legislators. Anyone can participate.
After you sign up, a team member will get in touch by email to welcome you, answer your questions, and help you get started. You will be invited to a team meeting and paired with an experienced volunteer to guide you through the process.
Most volunteers spend about 3 to 6 hours a month on meetings, bill research, and related tasks. Activities include joining virtual meetings, researching bills, sharing findings with the group, talking with legislators and their staff, tracking updates, and helping write letters or position statements. Some people spend more time during peak legislative periods. This flexibility lets you contribute in a way that fits your schedule.
Join Us to Track Bills with 350 Bay Area Action
Join our 350 Contra Costa Action Legislative team in partnering with 350 Bay Area Action legislative teams to shape climate policy, deepen your knowledge of the legislative process, and help secure a sustainable climate outlook for California. We welcome your participation—sign up today and make a difference.