2023 LEGISLATION AND BUDGET ROUND-UP
2023 LEGISLATION AND BUDGET ROUND-UP
SACRAMENTO, CA- In case you missed it, the CA State Legislature committed to prioritizing the climate and vulnerable communities, moving eleven bills authored by State Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) to the Assembly Appropriations Committee before heading to the Assembly floor.
Another win for SD27, Governor Newsom signed the 2023-2024 budget included major budget requests by Senator Stern to directly get people into housing and protect our kids from extreme heat.
Stern was pleased to end the last week before recess with the support from colleagues to advance his fight against climate change and help those in need:
“I believe we are doing good work in the Legislature and I am proud of Leadership's fight to make the budget process greener, but there’s a lot more work to be done this session if we are going to win the race to secure the federal funding to accelerate climate action here in California. This means we need to have more uncomfortable conversations, prioritize climate-related bills and get deals done so we do not miss out on an opportunity to help our planet. ”
Summary of Legislation:
Climate-Related Financial Risk Disclosures SB261: requires large financial institutions and corporations, some of which will not be covered by the pending Securities and Exchange regulation, to publicly disclose climate-related financial risks to their bottom line.
Methane Pollution. SB781: Requires California Air Resources Board to shine a light on fugitive emissions from the massive amount of methane gas California imports (more than twice the per capita gas consumption rates of eastern counterparts like New York) and, while California transitions to 100% clean energy, SB 781 would push utilities to procure methane gas from only the lowest emissions operations that certify their use of best practices being pushed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Grid Resilience from Extreme Weather. SB664: responds to the massive heat waves and cold snaps that have strained California’s grid in recent years, by requiring the California Energy Commission to include multi-day and atypical extreme weather events in its energy demand forecasting.
Extreme Heat and Buildings. SB795: would help Californians cool their homes cheaper, faster, and more efficiently by- building better tracking and permitting systems for the installation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Currently, the vast majority of HVAC's are installed without permits and incorrectly, resulting in higher energy bills and more overall pollution.
Compassionate Cannabis Access. SB302: gives equity and access to medicinal cannabis treatment to people over 65 with chronic illness in a care facility or in a home care program.
Aliso Canyon Recovery. SB305: expands the eligibility of settlement funds from the 2015 Aliso Canyon explosion by making vulnerable communities eligible for settlement funds.
Shade for Schools. SB515: streamlines and reduces costs for building school site shade structures.
Sepulveda Basin. SB539: requires nature-based climate solutions to be prioritized at the basin.
PUC Natural Gas Spike. SB572: requires the California Public Utilities Commission to provide an update on the natural gas price spikes investigation by 2024.
Mental Health 60-Day Service. SB717: would make county behavioral health departments offer mental health services and treatment to M.I.ST. defendants 60 days after the release.
Primary Care Clinics Data Collection. SB779: mandates labor, workforce demographics, quality, and equity reporting for clinics across the state.
Low-Methane Natural Gas Certificate. SB781: requires CARB to develop a certification standard at the facilities that produce natural gas in order to reduce gas leaks.
HVAC Database and Tracking. SB795: requires CA Energy Commission to create a repository of HVAC permit and compliance documentation with sales tracking for improved enforcement of local permits.
Budget Requests Fulfilled:
CITY OF LOS ANGELES $4.75 million to make safety enhancements and housing improvements across the San Fernando Valley.
COOLING LA SCHOOLS: $1.25 million in funding to “green” schools and create shade solutions through urban forestry.
PROTECTING SEPULVEDA BASIN: $2.5 million to further protect the “Central Park” of LA.
RENOVATING A UNIVERSITY: $1.5 million to renovate and modernize American Jewish University’s Brandeis-Bardin Campus (BBC).