2018 Environmental Justice Legislative Agenda
CEJA PRIORITIES
SUPPORT (CEJA PRIORITY): AB 2447 (Reyes) – Disadvantaged Communities Protection Act
Ensures that residents of disadvantaged communities receive notice of and have meaningful opportunities to provide input on proposals to site and expand land uses in their neighborhoods that may result in adverse public health effects, could negatively impact neighborhood quality, or undermine housing opportunities.
SUPPORT (CEJA PRIORITY): SB 623 (Monning) – Safe and Affordable Drinking Water
Increases access to safe and affordable drinking water by establishing a state fund, which would make short- and long-term drinking water solutions available to low-income Californians who lack safe and affordable drinking water.
SUPPORT (CEJA PRIORITY): SB 774 (Leyva) – Hazardous Waste Management Council
Ensures lasting accountability and transparency within the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) by creating the California Toxic Substances Board. This board will provide oversight to the current DTSC and shall consist of five members appointed by the Governor, which will require the board to appoint the Director of Toxics Substances Control to exercise the adjudicatory and regulatory functions of the state in the field of hazardous substances.
SUPPORT (CEJA PRIORITY): SB 64 (Wieckowski) – Improve Air Quality in EJ Communities
Protects disadvantaged communities impacted by poor air quality as California increases the penetration of renewable energy in the state. The cycling of the natural gas fleet is likely to increase as natural gas units are increasingly relied upon to backup renewable energy. These increases in air emissions can, in turn, significantly impact local ambient air quality. As California transitions to a low carbon grid, protections are needed to ensure that air quality in EJ communities and communities breathing unhealthy air does not get worse.
SUPPORT (CEJA PRIORITY): SB 100 (De León)- 100% Clean Energy
Sets California on a path to 100% clean energy by the year 2045. It is a critical step in achieving the energy paradigm shift we need to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction target set by Senate Bill 32. SB 100 accomplishes this by accelerating the state’s current 50% Renewable Portfolio (RPS) requirements by 2026, raising the RPS to 60% in 2030.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
SUPPORT: AB 2636 (E. Garcia) – Environmental Justice Fund
Creates a fund which would allow the Attorney General to provide additional support for investigations and litigation intended to protect communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution. This fund would dedicate resources to address their environmental concerns and improve their health.
SUPPORT: SB 1072 (Leyva) – Building Capacity and Delivering Opportunity
Establishes the Regional Climate Collaborative program to build the capacity of local municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses to integrate planning and development efforts to maximize sustainability, resilience and equity. This will increase capacity and leadership of impacted communities to equitably compete for climate investments and other related state grants.
DRINKING WATER | INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORT: AB 2501 (Chu) – Expanding Access to Municipal Drinking Water Service
Improves an important law that secures safe drinking water by allowing the state to require drinking water systems to extend services to domestic wells and state smallr systems that are unable to provide safe drinking water.
SUPPORT: SB 1215 (Hertzberg) – Securing Access to Reliable Wastewater Service
Secures reliable wastewater service to communities throughout the state by giving the state authority to require larger wastewater systems to extend services to communities without adequate access. This will help hundreds of thousands of communities that lack access to reliable wastewater service and rely on failing septic systems and other onsite wastewater treatment systems.
OIL & GAS
SUPPORT: SB 834 (Jackson & Lara) & AB 1775 (Muratsuchi & Limon) – Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing
Prohibits the State Lands Commission from approving any new leases, or any lease renewals, extensions, or modifications, that would result in the increase of oil or gas production from federal waters. This bill is necessary to protect the California coast from the risks and impacts of new offshore oil and gas development, including development in federal waters that threatens our coastal communities, environment, and economy.
OPPOSE: SB 1440 (Hueso)- Biomethane Procurement Mandate
Limits meaningful consideration of strategies that can reduce methane at a lower cost and with fewer environmental impacts; and instead it establishes a premature biomethane procurement requirement without taken any environmental and health impacts in consideration.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH | TOXICS
SUPPORT: AB 2094 (Kalra) – Hazardous Waste Facility Inspections
Establishes a minimum number of inspections for all hazardous waste facilities in California with enhanced inspection requirements near disadvantaged communities to ensure these facilities are following proper protocol.
OPPOSE: AB 2606 (Fong) – Hazardous Waste Renewal Permits
Proposes to remove the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) role in reviewing hazardous waste permit renewals and to unfairly pass the costs of permit renewal onto taxpayers. This bill paves the way for hazardous waste facilities to receive operation permits without any review of their facility management practices.
TRANSPORTATION
SUPPORT: AB 2853 (Medina) – Disclosure of Job Conditions for Distribution Centers that Receive Local Subsidies
Supports transportation accountability and transparency by requiring warehouse and distribution companies that receive public subsidies from local government to report the number of jobs created, wages, benefits, and other job quality measures. Requires an annual report in a public meeting on the actual number and quality of jobs created.
SUPPORT: SB 957 (Lara) – Zero Emission Vehicle Equity Act
Expands equitable access to clean vehicles in low-income communities by establishing a pathway for low-income drivers to be eligible for the clean sticker program when purchasing a used zero emission vehicle, even if the vehicle has had a high- occupancy vehicle (HOV) sticker. It will provide an incentive for low-income communities to purchase zero emission vehicles.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
SUPPORT: AB 1870 (Gomez-Reyes) – Employment Discrimination: Unlawful Employment Practices
Ensures victims of harassment and discrimination claims increased time to bring claims forward by extending the current time limit for which claims be filed from one to three years.
For more information, please visit www.caleja.org or contact Diana Vazquez
diana@caleja.org, (916) 557-1673 ext. 17
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