Legislative Session Ends with Environmental Gains
Landmark Groundwater Law Passes
Join Us in October to Learn Winning Skills
Take the Pledge
Happy 50th Birthday to The Wilderness Act!
Legislative Session Ends with Environmental Gains
By Kathryn Phillips
The legislature left behind a strong list of good environmental bills for the governor to consider signing when the Assembly and Senate adjourned August 30.
Does this mean the legislature passed every environmental bill? Not by a long shot. We had some unhappy loses, especially early in the year when the fracking moratorium bill (SB 1132) and a bill to label genetically engineered food (SB 1381) failed to pass in the Senate in May. But even within those losses, we managed to help advance the cause of protecting the environment for now and for future generations.
Club members’ support and activism helped push the legislature this year to bring California closer to being the kind of state we all believe is possible: one where everyone--including wildlife--has clean air, clean water and wild outdoor spaces in which to replenish the soul.
Also, this year there were no successful last-minute attacks on the California Environmental Quality Act or other existing environmental laws. This is partly a reflection of the impact of new leadership in the Assembly. For example, when one late-hour resolution supporting dams passed the Senate, its progress was quickly halted in the Assembly.
Between now and September 30, the governor will review and sign or veto bills that have made it to his desk. You can see a list of our priority bills, including those that have passed and failed, here, with instructions on where to fax a letter of support to the governor for the Club-backed bills that passed.
The legislature returns to work briefly in December, and then the 2015-16 legislative session begins in full force in January.
Landmark Groundwater Law Passes
By Annie Pham
California will soon manage groundwater after decades of neglect.
Last Friday, the legislature passed a bill package by Senator Fran Pavley and Assemblymember Roger Dickinson that will create a framework for groundwater management in California. With help from many diverse groups including Sierra Club California and other environmental organizations, progressive farmers, environmental justice organizations and water agencies, the bills prevailed even with aggressive opposition from big agricultural interests.
The bills are expected to be signed by the governor, whose office was involved in drafting the legislation. They will go into effect January 1, 2015 and California will be the last Western state to regulate groundwater statewide.
Collectively, the bills require local groundwater management entities in basins stressed by years of over-pumping to create plans that will bring the basins back to sustainable condition. If the locals fail to come up with a plan or the plan is not enforced, the state has the option to intervene.
According to the Department of Water Resources, current groundwater levels are the lowest they have been in a century. The impacts are seen throughout the state. Some communities are without water, and obvious signs of land subsidence are prevalent.
Improper management and depletion of groundwater strips local communities and the environment of a reliable water source and impacts any surface water bodies that rely on groundwater flow. Keeping an eye on groundwater levels will protect both underground and surface water supply that are essential for public and environmental health.
By Kathryn Phillips
When Sierra Club California activists work to protect the environment, they need a bagful of skills that persuade and draw public attention.
To help create that bag of skills, this year’s Sierra Club California convention will focus on tactics for making the most of media—both conventional and social.
Our keynote speakers for the event will be the team of Sev Williams and Nina Erlich-Williams, the duo who have helped California environmental groups and coalitions over the years make effective use of the media to counter the claims of polluters. Most recently, their firm, Public Good PR, helped stave off dramatic changes in the California Environmental Quality Act, and helped draw national attention to the fight against fracking here in California.
In addition to their keynote, during which they’ll share examples of ways media can help win battles, Sev and Nina will offer at least one workshop at the convention to give Club members more detailed instruction about employing the elements of a winning media campaign.
The two-day convention runs from Saturday morning, October 11, through midday on Sunday, October 12. It takes place in San Luis Obispo County at the Rancho El Chorro park and public meeting facility. If you haven’t signed up already, click here to register online.
The convention is actually a joint meeting of the policy arm of Sierra Club California (called the California-Nevada Regional Conservation Committee or CNRCC) and Sierra Club California. The agenda is still being finalized, but Saturday is packed with interesting activities and information, from early morning through the evening. Sunday is usually reserved for elections and other business until adjournment at noon. Sev and Nina will be making their presentations on Saturday.
Every Sierra Club member is welcome to attend, and admission is low: Attending the entire weekend, including rustic lodging in a bunkhouse-style cabin, from Friday evening through Sunday morning, costs just $55. Lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday are included. Even then, nobody is turned away from the meetings due to lack of funds, and some scholarships are available. There are also reasonably priced motels in neighboring communities (Morro Bay, Los Osos, San Luis Obispo, etc.) within a 15-minute drive of the park. If you attend for a single day, the fee is $30 per day.
Some members attend as voting delegates. But you don’t have to be a voting delegate to attend. If you’ve been looking for a way to get more involved in Sierra Club California and the work we do to advance environmental protection around the state, or you want to learn or hone skills to be effective, the convention should be in your sights.
This election year you have a great opportunity to build Sierra Club's influence and power in Sacramento without leaving the comfort of your home county. Simplytake the pledge and join your fellow Club members to volunteer at least 10 hours between now and November 4 for a candidate the Club has endorsed.
Volunteering in campaigns is fun. You’ll meet great people and learn more about your community and the issues that move it.
So take the pledge, and then go to our endorsements page for links to candidates’ websites and information about volunteering for each campaign. Ten hours over the next four months: A small investment with a big payoff.
Happy 50th Birthday to The Wilderness Act!
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