350 Bay Area Action Legislative Team

working for progressive climate legislation in California
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2020 Legislative Work Review

2020 was a truly year that highlighted the importance of climate action to build a sustainable future. 350BAA’s all-volunteer Legislative Team adapted to the circumstances to seize the opportunity to push for regulatory actions.  Against a backdrop of a global pandemic that upended the legislative session and the devastating wildfires that ravaged through California, 350BAA activists fought for climate action, experiencing some wins and losses along the way.

350 Bay Area Action team meets with State Senator Wieckowski.

RESULTS FOR OUR KEY CLIMATE BILLS

[SB = Senate bill / AB = Assembly bill, click on bill to see what happened]

AB 345 - Oil and Gas Well 2500ft Setback | Failed
AB345 was our top priority bill that protects at-risk communities from oil and gas drilling operations. The bill failed to pass the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee. We continue to work with CalGEM in the rule making process to ensure that protective setbacks are established in California.

Activists from Greenpeace US, California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) Action and Voices in Solidarity against Neighborhood Drilling (VISIÓN), demonstrated on the lawn of the state capitol building in downtown Sacramento. California Senators, who returned to session that week, had the opportunity to protect communities against the unjust and hazardous practice of oil drilling near communities by voting YES on Assembly Bill 345.

SB54/AB1080 – Ending Single Use Plastics by 2032 | Failed
SB54 and AB1080 were also our top priority bills that would phase out single use plastics by 2032. SB54 did not get enough votes in the Assembly; AB1080 made it to the final stretch and passed the Senate but was never sent back to the Assembly for the concurrence vote. Our fight against Big Plastic continues via the 2022 Ballot Initiative.
AB3214 –Oil Spills Fines and Penalties | Passed and Signed
AB3214 increases fines and penalties for oil companies that knowingly spill oil into the state’s pristine waters. The bill was passed and signed by Governor Newsom! Big win!
AB841– Expand Access to EV Charging Stations for Schools | Passed
AB841 expands electric vehicle charging infrastructure and energy efficiency improvements for schools. Passed and signed by the Governor!
SB1012– Hazardous and Idle Oil and Gas Wells | Opposed and Failed
350BAA opposed this bill as it would have made it harder for state regulators to recover costs from oil and gas companies responsible for remediating idle oil wells and, in turn, would have passed these costs to California taxpayers.  Big win – AB1012 did not pass the Assembly!
AB860– Mail-In Voting| Passed
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, AB860 supports mail-in voting for the 2020 presidential elections by requiring local elections officials to mail ballots to every registered voter and adopt a ballot tracking system. It passed! Make sure you vote – Oct 5 thru Nov 3 in California!

Other Climate Wins and Developments

A big shout-out to all our volunteers for pivoting on their feet to work on our climate campaigns including these powerful actions:

  • Legislative team volunteers arranged over a dozen (virtual) meetings with their local Assembly members and Senators to ensure they vote “yes” on our key bills and oppose rollbacks on climate regulations.
  • The adoption of the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, the country’s first zero-emission commercial truck requirement of which 350BAA garnered more than 600 signatures in support of the rule.
  • The partnerships and relationships built with a broad coalition of environmental justice organizations across the state such as the Green California Coalition, Last Chance Alliance and Plastics Coalition.
  • The new initiatives by our Communications Team including shareable action toolkits and a brand new Instagram account (Follow us at @350baaction!)
  • The new structure of the Legislative Committee, built on the three Action Teams and the Communications Team. Great work!

Thank You!

Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to all our volunteers who took climate action this year. Whether it was through virtual meetings, calling or writing to your local lawmakers, your work matters and together, we create the policies for a sustainable planet!