Pushing the State to Buy Clean for the Climate
In-District Lobbying: Not as Hard as You Think
Legislature Defends Human Rights
Pushing the State to Buy Clean for the Climate
By Kathryn Phillips
One of Sierra Club California’s major campaigns for 2017 focuses on getting the state to use its purchasing power in a way that’s consistent with our goals to reduce climate-disrupting pollution.
The campaign, called “Buy Clean”, was conceived by Blue Green Alliance, which is a coalition of environmental organizations and labor unions. Sierra Club was among the original members of Blue Green Alliance when it was founded a decade ago, and Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune currently serves as its co-chair.
Sierra Club California has teamed up with Blue Green Alliance’s California team to incorporate the Buy Clean approach into California’s state procurement policies.
The Buy Clean approach got a big push when Assembly members Rob Bonta and Susan Eggman jointly introduced Assembly Bill 262 on February 1.
That bill would require that state agencies that contract for big infrastructure projects, plus the University of California, and the California State University system, take into consideration the greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain when they’re reviewing bids for those projects.
It combines information disclosure and purchasing requirements to recognize manufacturers who produce the least amount of climate pollution while making any of five products: cement, steel, glass, insulation and asphalt.
On launch day, the bill’s supporters represented labor, manufacturing, environmental, environmental justice, and health groups.
Over the next month, Sierra Club California staff and volunteers will be helping refine the bill and building the support list before it goes to its first committee hearing in March.
The Buy Clean bill will be one of the priority bills for in-district lobbying. You can learn more about the Buy Clean Campaign on the buycleancalifornia.org website.
If you’d like to get involved in helping your chapter or group learn more about the Buy Clean Campaign, or if you’d like to get involved in in-district lobbying for the Buy Clean bill, contact Meg Gunderson in our office at meg.gunderson@sierraclub.org.
In-District Lobbying: Not as Hard as You Think
By Meg Gunderson
California has been a leader in the fight against pollution—including climate pollution—and in clearing the path for renewable energy, energy efficiency, advanced auto technology and more.
That leadership is more important than ever now as the federal government’s agenda shifts toward enabling dirty energy. One way to help California stay in the lead is to encourage our state legislators to continue doing the right thing, over and over again, through activist lobbying in their home districts. They need to hear from their constituents at home that they should support legislation that advances our goals to preserve the environment and public health.
It’s not as hard as you might think.
Teaming up with Sierra Club California, you can be an activist lobbyist in your own backyard.
Sierra Club California has an “In-District Lobbying” effort that is a chance for Sierra Club California activists from around the state to have a positive impact on statewide environmental priorities without leaving the comfort of their home region.
It’s an opportunity to build confidence in your activist skills as well as grow relationships with other activists, legislators and their district staff.
We want Sierra Club volunteers from around the state to feel included, consulted and engaged in the legislative process. You don’t have to have prior knowledge of the legislative process; interest and willingness to learn are all that’s required. Sierra Club California will offer resources and direction.
This year, we’re starting our in-district lobbying efforts with a focus on a few key legislators during the legislative Spring Break, Apr 10-14. And now is the time to get involved.
If this sounds appealing to you, please contact me here: meg.gunderson@sierraclub.org.
We’ll make it easy and energizing for you to participate.
You can get a head start by visiting our website’s advocacy page.
Legislature Defends Human Rights
By Kyle Jones
The legislature’s resistance to the Trump administration’s efforts to intimidate immigrants and Muslims was firmly expressed recently with the introduction of Senate Bill 54, by Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, and Senate Bill 31, by Senator Ricardo Lara.
SB 54 would make California a sanctuary state. This means that California’s law enforcement would focus on protecting people, not doing the work of Federal immigration agents. This will help prevent any actions by the administration to separate families or force productive immigrants into the shadows.
Senate Bill 31, by Senator Ricardo Lara, would enact the California Religious Freedom Act. This law would prevent public employees from disclosing information about a person’s religious beliefs to the Federal government. The bill also prevents state agencies from using their resources to help the Federal government build a database that would register people based on religion.
Sierra Club California has taken a support position on both of these bills. In this political climate, we need everyone available to help stop the rolling back of crucial environmental laws, like the Endangered Species and Clean Water and Air Acts.
Our organization operates under the premise that all people deserve a healthy planet with clean air and water, a stable climate, and safe communities. Achieving this requires that everyone have equal protection under the law, and the freedom to speak out about environmental goals and problems, regardless of who they are.
The Sierra Club has long supported a pathway to citizenship for the millions who live in the shadows of U.S. society. These individuals contribute much to our society, while working in jobs with dangerous conditions and toxic chemicals, and often living in areas with disproportionate levels of pollution.
Polluters count on their ability to sway legislators to remove the voice of the public so that they can keep harming that public. Laws designed to restrict voting rights, limit the rights of immigrants, or ban classes of people from entering the country prevent people from speaking out when their rights—and environmental protections—are further impacted, leading to further environmental injustices.
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