BAYLI State Policy Positions
We at BAYLI recognize that individual actions alone cannot solve the environmental crises we face today. For this reason, our team of student policy researchers in the BAYLI policy committee have compiled a set of 13 exciting pieces of state legislation that we strongly urge our state legislators to pass.
Question-asking Guide
This document contains information about Senator Dave Cortese and Josh Becker’s past record regarding the topics of climate change and urban policy. By reading through these notes, we hope that you can find any points of concern or confusion, and create a question that can later be asked during the forum on June 12th.
See issue area summaries below.
Climate Change
In simple terms, climate change is the variance of normal weather; Earth’s climate is warming due to the burning of unsustainable sources of energy which release greenhouse gases, trapping heat inside the atmosphere. California has long been a leader in combating climate change, with a number of programs and regulations having been put into place over the past 20 years to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, acting as a model for the country’s other states. The pinnacle of California’s climate policy is its cap-and-trade program, which was set into place by the passage of AB 32 (Nuñez) in 2006. The cap-and-trade program involves a set limit on greenhouse gas emissions and the buying and selling of greenhouse gas emission allowances between emitters.The state has also set emission reduction targets and targets to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2045 into law, the latter through 2018’s SB 100 (de León). Through these policies, California has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions over the past 20 years, even with increasing population and economic output.
While significant reductions have occurred, there is still further progress to be made as greenhouse gases are ingrained throughout various parts of the economy. The transportation sector contributes 41%--more than any other sector--of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, followed by industrial and electricity.
Some of the major climate bills introduced into the state legislature in 2021 include:
SB 582 (Stern), which would rapidly accelerate emissions reduction targets--inactive upon Senator Stern’s request
SBs 30, 31, and 32 (all Cortese), or the Building Decarbonization Package, which would put into place various measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of California buildings--all three bills have been stalled or will be two-year bills
SB 596 (Becker), which would initiate the creation of a plan to reduce greenhouse emissions from concrete and cement production--passed through the Senate and awaits hearing in the Assembly
SB 260 (Wiener), which would strengthen reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by large corporations--stalled after passing the Senate Appropriations Committee and will become a two-year bill
Urban Policy
Housing has been one of the most contentious issues in California state politics for years. While many people focus on rising rents and home prices throughout the state, a second important aspect to consider is the environmental impacts associated with urban versus suburban lifestyles. In addition to building decarbonization-related efforts (covered under climate change), policies that prioritize lower-impact lifestyles through denser homes and an emphasis on greener transportation over car-centric suburban sprawl are becoming an important part of reducing California’s carbon footprint. In recent years, much of the state’s housing debate has centered around SB 50 (Wiener), which would legalize the construction of multifamily housing in many areas zoned by cities for exclusively single-family homes. The bill failed in 2020, but efforts at the state level to allow the creation of more housing supply continue to be introduced. These include:
SB 9 (Atkins), which would allow duplexes and lot splits on most lots near transits--passed through the Senate and awaits hearing in the Assembly
SB 10 (Wiener), which would allow up to 10 housing units in urban infill and transit-rich areas--passed through the Senate and awaits hearing in the Assembly
Several other bills in the Building Opportunities for All housing package introduced by the Senate majority, including SB 6, SB 7, SB 8, SB 477, and SB 478
AB 1401 (Friedman), which would abolish parking minimums within ½ mile of high-quality transit--passed through the Assembly and awaits hearing in the Senate
The other major facet of urban policy is transportation, crucially linked to both climate and housing. An ongoing project right now is the California High-Speed Rail, set into place by AB 3034 (Galgiani) and Proposition 1A in 2008. This train will consist of two main paths: one from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles and the other from Central Valley to Sacramento. Originally planned to start operation in 2028, this project has been delayed due to the pandemic and many controversies, including government funding (an estimated cost of at most $22.8 billion), earthquake concerns, and disruption of the people (ex. noise and vibration). Though progress is slower than expected, the project is still in action, and phase 1 is planned for completion in 2033, working towards the goal of providing transportation with 100% renewable energy and eliminating rail crossings which create traffic and increase greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. But state funding for the project remains in jeopardy. Governor Newsom’s budget proposal for financial year 2021-2022 includes $11 billion for the high-speed rail project, which would fully fund the Central Valley portion, but the Assembly and Senate budget committees have voted to defer this funding.