2019 Environmental Justice Legislative Agenda
The California Environmental Justice Alliance’s Environmental Justice Legislative Agenda for 2019 features 16 bills that will address energy, climate, air quality, transportation, and drinking water and infrastructure improvements. From anti-displacement protections in energy efficiency programs to increasing zero emissions vehicles, these bills keep equity at the center of California’s environmental policies by bringing much needed benefits directly to disadvantaged communities.
2019 Environmental Justice Legislative Agenda
PRIORITIES
SUPPORT: AB 423 (Gloria) San Diego Air District
Restructures the San Diego Air Pollution Control District Board so that it better reflects the diversity of San Diego County residents. The Board would include representation from additional San Diego cities and public members, including an environmental justice representative.
SUPPORT: AB 1232 (Gloria) Healthy Homes Act
Creates and expands anti-displacement protections for state energy efficiency programs serving low-income customers. The bill guides agencies in data collection to ensure enforceability and to better penetrate the unregulated affordable housing market. The bill would also increase coordination and collaboration between the Low Income Weatherization Program and public health programs addressing health issues in homes of vulnerable residents.
SUPPORT: Department of Toxic Substances Control Reform
Ensures lasting accountability and transparency within the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) by creating the California Toxic Substances Board which grants additional oversight of DTSC’s programmatic and fiscal functions.
SUPPORT: AB 1628 (R. Rivas) Bureau of Environmental Justice
Supports the Attorney General’s Bureau of Environmental Justice in its efforts to protect vulnerable communities from environmental hazards and adds “meaningful engagement” to the definition of environmental justice to ensure all voices are heard.
SUPPORT: SB 160 (Jackson) Cultural Competence in Emergency Planning
Requires counties to engage communities when updating emergency plans to ensure that local disaster preparedness and response activities (i.e. alerts, communications, evacuations, and sheltering) are culturally competent and meet diverse needs. This bill prioritizes reaching culturally diverse communities including immigrant and refugees and low-income communities of color among other groups.
DRINKING WATER | INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORT: AB 600 (Chu) Regional Planning
Ensures local governments provide basic water and wastewater services to disadvantaged communities in unincorporated areas by requiring that they develop plans, in collaboration with a Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). This bill would ensure that these communities get the improvements and upgrades they desperately need.
SUPPORT: AB 508 (Chu) Consolidation and Extension of Water Service
Improves the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) process for ordering mandatory extension of drinking water service to households reliant on domestic wells. It would also require the SWRCB to provide additional information about drinking water problems and potential solutions to renters, as well as prevent additional fees.
GREEN ZONES
SUPPORT: SB 351 (Hurtado) Transformative Climate Communities
Expands the authority of the Strategic Growth Council to award neighborhood-level Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) implementation Grants to projects located in both incorporated and unincorporated communities. This bill would improve access to these grants by broadening eligibility to historically underinvested unincorporated areas where a significant percentage of the residents are low-income and people of color.
SUPPORT: AB 1578 (L. Rivas) School Pavement to Parks Grant Program
Establishes the School Pavement to Parks Grant Program for purposes of providing grants to applicant school districts maintaining schools in disadvantaged and low income communities to convert portions of existing asphalt or trees less playgrounds at schools into green spaces.This will allow park-poor and underserved communities to provide green spaces where kids and students can play outside and enjoy nature of heat island effect in urban underserved communities. This program will also help the state improve regional air quality, while reducing the impacts of heat island effects in underserved communities.
TRANSPORTATION
SUPPORT: SB 210 (Leyva) Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspections and Maintenance Program
Authorizes the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop and implement a comprehensive heavy-duty vehicle inspection and maintenance program, including fees and penalties for noncompliance to be deposited into the new Truck Emission Check Fund.
OTHER
SUPPORT: AB 857 (Chiu) Public Banks
Will allow local governments to apply for a banking license from the Department of Business Oversight (DBO) to establish public banks. This important legislation will empower local governments in California with the ability to invest, lend and provide banking services to their local communities.
SUPPORT: AB 5 (Gonzalez) Dynamex Decision
Codify and clarify the Dynamex Decision, which was a unanimous ruling by the CA Supreme Court to distinguish a contract worker from an employee and can help reduce exploitation of workers. Misclassification has been a particular problem in the trucking industry, especially around ports, and has made it much harder to get old equipment updated to less polluting equipment.
For more information, please visit www.caleja.org or contact Diana Vazquez
diana@caleja.org, (916) 557-1673 ext. 17
