October 27, 2019
Finally, the legislative session is done for the year. The bills have been signed or vetoed by the governor.
And, significantly, we’ve completed the annual report card that evaluates how the year’s legislative session panned out for the environment.
As of the close of the session this year, we tracked more than 600 bills. Of those, about 110 made it to the governor’s desk.
When we prepare our report card, we select just a sample that we think represents the most important bills of the year. So in total, we scored 13 bills. Of those, 10 made it to the governor’s desk. He signed 8 and vetoed 2.
The legislature recorded a higher-than-usual number of 100% scores on our report card—34 in the Assembly and 9 in the Senate.
Notably, an overwhelming majority of legislators voted for one of the most important environmental bills of the year, Senate Bill 1, the so-called Trump Insurance Bill whose endangered species provisions would have protected California’s water system from Trumpian mischief.
Unfortunately, the governor vetoed that bill, siding instead with mega-millionaire agriculture interests and water contractors. He also vetoed Assembly Bill 1086 which would have helped resolve a twenty-year dispute about how to protect sensitive parkland, siding instead with dirtbike and all-terrain vehicle manufacturers.
There were others we cared about that didn’t make our scorecard that the governor vetoed with explanations that didn’t adequately justify the action. For instance, he vetoed Senate Bill 127, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill, which would have made bike and pedestrian safety a priority when Caltrans repaves or repairs a street.
Personally, I’m not just disappointed, I’m worried. And here’s why.
I was relieved and proud in 2018 when, while running for governor, Newsom outshone the other candidates enough to persuade our volunteers responsible for endorsements to back the front runner for governor.
He said the right things about the environment, then. It sounded like he was willing to be bold. He appeared to understand the moment in which we live—on the brink of destructive climate change with little time to shift the trajectory. It sounded like he would listen and learn from environmental and environmental justice advocates, engage with us directly.
He’s done some of that. But not nearly at the level anticipated by his promises and certainly not with the decisive boldness he claimed during his campaign.
He is performing so poorly in so many ways—on water policy, on parks, on endangered species, on new and strengthened pathways for climate action, on key appointments, on important legislation. Where there are opportunities to lead, he has been lagging or postponing. Bold statements are followed by, well, not much.
The worst part is that we are hearing similar complaints from allies in other sectors. There’s an erratic quality to his decision-making that catches all of us off guard. Is he getting bad advice? Or is he not listening?
Add to this the wildfire situation and the recent impacts of the public safety power shutoffs on so many Californians. They were poorly managed, especially by PG&E. The public is rightfully angry, and some of that anger is directed at Newsom, reminding Capitol watchers of the fate of Gray Davis after the 2001 electricity crisis.
So far, voters appear to be giving Newsom a chance to grow into the job. His overall approval rating in September remained stable at 47% according to a Public Policy Institute of California survey.
But will the planet give him a chance?
The urgency for smart action is more intense than ever in human history. Just look at the constant battering of this state over the last three years—including this week—by climate-change induced wind-driven fires, preceded by one of the longest droughts in modern history
Just good enough isn’t good enough anymore.
It’s time for the governor to get his act together. There’s no value in fearing the state’s top polluters (oil and gas) and aligning with Trump allies (state water contractors). There’s no value in delay.
It’s time for Newsom to focus, outline some clear, consistent and bold environmental goals, and start performing like the environmental problem solver he promised to be.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Phillips
Director
Sierra Club California is the Sacramento-based legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of the 13 California chapters of the Sierra Club.
Please consider making a monthly donation.
