This is the week our state legislators will be voting on several key climate bills, so it’s time for you to make two quick phone calls to your senator and assemblymember. Elected officials pay more attention to constituents’ phone calls than to emails. When you call their Sacramento office, the staffer who answers the phone will be happy to take your message.
We don’t know exactly when each bill will be voted on, so please call today!
Not sure who represents you? You can use this tool to find the names of your senator and assemblymember.
Call your senator
These three Senate bills really need your senator’s YES vote:
- SB 252 – Divestment prohibits California’s biggest pension funds, for Public Employees (CalPERS) and Teachers (CalSTRS), from investing in fossil fuel companies, and requires that they divest any current investments by 2030.
Update 6/29: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 5/25: Passed! In Assembly. - SB 233 – EV Bidirectional Capability addresses the use of electric vehicles as a source of power for grid reliability and emergency backups. It requires the Energy Commission to establish goals to accelerate the use of vehicle-to-home, vehicle-to-building, and vehicle-to-grid technology. It also makes funds available to provide higher incentive levels for such bidirectional-capable EVs.
Update 6/29: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 5/31: Passed 5/30; In Assembly. - SB 674– Refinery Air Pollution Transparency and Reduction creates a statewide standard for the refinery fence-line monitoring program, ensuring that noxious pollutants are measured and best practices deployed to protect the wellbeing of surrounding communities.
Update 6/29: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 6/1: Passed 5/22; In Assembly 5/23; Referred to Coms. on Nat. Res. and Jud 5/26.
You can really make a difference by calling your senator and leaving a message like this:
“My name is _________, and I live in __________. As a constituent, I’m urging the senator to vote YES on three very important climate bills:
- SB 252 to stop public investment in the fossil fuel industry
- SB 233 to improve the grid’s reliability, and
- SB 674 to protect the health of people living near refineries.”
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District 3 |
916-651-4003 | |
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District 7 |
916-651-4007 | |
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District 9 |
916-651-4009 |
Call your assemblymember
On the Assembly side, please call about these three key bills. Make sure your assemblymember knows you’re looking for their YES vote on:
- AB 421 – Referendum Accountability brings real reforms to the state ballot initiative process, which the oil and gas, tobacco, and other industries have used to block good laws.
Update 6/1: In Senate, read 1st time; to Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Update 6/29: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 5/31: Passed! On to the Senate. - AB 579 – Zero-Emission Schoolbuses requires all new schoolbus purchases and contracts to be ZEVs by 2035.
Update 6/29: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 5/31: Passed! On to the Senate. - AB 1167 – Orphan Well Prevention requires companies that buy oil wells to post a bond covering cleanup costs after the well stops producing. Read why this is important here.
Update 6/21: Check here for updates as the bill works it way through committees and to the floor.
Update 6/1: Passed 5/25! In Senate 5/26; to Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Here’s a suggested message for your assemblymember:
“My name is _________, and I live in __________. As a constituent, I’m urging the assemblymember to vote YES on three very important climate bills:
- AB 421 to stop powerful industries from overturning good laws
- AB 579 to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and
- AB 1167 to make sure the public doesn’t get stuck with the cost of cleaning up oil wells.”
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District 11 |
916-319-2011 | |
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District 14 |
916-319-2014 | |
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District 15 |
916-319-2015 | |
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District 16 |
916-319-2016 |
That’s it! We’ve got the power—let’s use it!
Photo by Bibhash Banerjee on Pexels
This article appeared first in our May 2023 newsletter
