[Source: Los Angeles Times] The state Legislature has rejected a controversial measure that would have shifted the political balance of Southern California’s air-quality board by adding three state-appointed “environmental justice” members to represent low-income communities suffering from pollution. The legislation to expand the South Coast Air Quality Management District board from 13 to 16 members fell 11 votes short of passage in Read More…
Category: Legislative Issues
Bid to add more seats to AQMD board fails in Sacramento
[Source: 89.3KPCC] “This is a textbook example of institutional racism.” That was the reaction from Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León’s (D-Los Angeles) after his colleagues in the Assembly voted down a bill he wrote that would have added seats for low-income and minority representatives on the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management Read More…
For small business, one good bill, one bad
[Source: Fox & Hounds/Joel Fox] There are obviously more than two bills that the Legislature is considering which would affect small business in either a positive or negative way, but for this writing, two to focus on is a measure to help small business gain the resources necessary to thrive while also looking at one Read More…
California climate change laws: More electric cars, solar power expected under tough new rules
[Source: The Mercury News] California is already a world leader in developing environmental policies that address climate change. But under a landmark bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday requiring far steeper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than anything the state has ever attempted, the next 15 years will likely see big changes for Read More…
Manufacturers fear impact of new emissions target
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] The passage this week of Senate Bill 32 to implement stricter greenhouse gas emissions standards creates uncertainty for businesses and may lead to more businesses leaving California, said Dorothy Rothrock, president of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association. That organization, along with other business groups and the oil industry, has Read More…
Sacramento elites’ power play to hijack SCAQMD
[Source: Assemblyman Travis Allen, Op-Ed OC Register] The American people are increasingly convinced there are two sets of rules in this country: one for the elites, and another for the rest of us. This conviction cuts across partisan, ideological and demographic lines. It is fueled by innate distrust of the actions of powerful elites in Read More…
Don’t put AQMD under CARB’s thumb
[Source: Orange County Register] A 20-year study released last week by the USC Environmental Health Centers found “that millennial children in Southern California breathe easier than ones who came of age in the ’90s, for a reason as clear as the air in Los Angeles today,” in the school’s summary. It’s a major achievement for Read More…
Gov. Brown expected to sign minimum wage hike
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] The state Legislature on Thursday approved a minimum wage hike to $15 an hour for all employers in California by 2023, sending the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown for his expected signature on Monday. Both houses approved the wage-hike bill on largely partisan votes of 26-12 in the Senate and Read More…
California lawmakers weigh nation’s highest entry level wage
[Source: Associated Press] California state lawmakers are poised to enact the nation’s highest statewide minimum wage on Thursday, with gradual increases to $15 by 2022. Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders are promoting the boost as a matter of economic justice, and as an example to a nation struggling with a growing divide between Read More…