This year, APEN, CBE, CEJA, CRPE, PSR-LA lead the coalition to deliver a resounding defeat of the fossil fuel industry’s attempt to fight health and safety buffer zones from oil and gas at the ballot box. Today, Senator Lena Gonzalez led the California legislature to allocate $14.8 million dollars to state regulatory agencies to implement oil and gas setbacks across the state within the next three years. This landmark policy will finally provide the means to put SB 1137 into action, providing the the strongestest protections for communities living near oil and gas drilling in the country. After decades of advocacy from frontline environmental justice communities, this represents a tangible, solid step towards a clean energy future and away from the deadly health impacts of fossil fuels. a clean energy future and away from the deadly health impacts of fossil fuels. Currently, there are nearly 30,000 oil wells within a 3200 feet of of homes, schools, and other sensitive areas. This exposes 2.7 million Californians to toxic pollution, nearly 70% communities of color,resulting in devastating health impacts. Over half a million of those residents are children. The public demand for healthy communities is clear. CEJA is glad to see Governor
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Oppose AB 3121 (Petrie-Norris) – Utility bill breaks for the rich should not come at the expense of environmental justice and tribal communities
The Governor and Legislature are scrambling in the final hours of the legislative session to pass AB 3121 (Petrie-Norris) in an attempt to provide consumers and businesses negligible relief from rapidly escalating utility bills. In their haste, they’re planning to cut equity programs that provide greater utility bill relief to the very people who need it the most, low-income Californians including our state’s environmental justice and tribal communities. In response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s recent approvals of multiple utility tariff increases, legislators are proposing a one-time $30 bill credit (which is probably a small fraction of your ongoing bill increases). Where are they getting the money? By raiding funds from the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) Program, Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), and California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Efficiency (CalSHAPE) Program. Both SOMAH and SGIP help low-income housing residents, families, and small businesses in disadvantaged communities generate and store their own energy and lower their energy bills, while providing workforce development and climate resilience. CalSHAPE funds critical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning improvements in schools as temperatures keep hitting record highs. All three programs are supported by a coalition of environmental justice, environmental, equity, solar, and industry groups.
Read more2023 CEJA Legislative Priorities
After a busy policy committee season, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) Action is excited to share our 2023 legislative priorities. As always when looking at policy to support, we focused on bills that would materially advance environmental justice for our frontline community members – the people who most often bear the toxic consequences of California’s extractive economy. These interests represents the diverse work of our alliance, and the bills we are closely watching ahead of the Appropriations hearings. Current Environmental Justice Watch Bills Two-Year Environmental Justice Watch Bills
Read morePress Release: 19 Candidates Earn Environmental Justice Support Ahead of November Election
CEJA Action endorses 2022 “Environmental Justice Crew” September 13, 2022 | Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Environmental Justice Alliance Action (CEJA Action), announced their legislative endorsements ahead of a hotly contested November election cycle. CEJA Action has endorsed the most progressive candidates who will appear on the ballot this fall. These candidates will advance policy for frontline Californians and our climate future. The environmental justice slate includes the following leaders: Dave Jones (SD-8), Aisha Wahab (SD-10), Steve Padilla (SD-18), Caroline Menjivar (SD- 20), Lola Smallwood Cuevas (SD -28), Sara Aminzadeh (AD-12), Liz Ortega (AD-20), Gail Pellerin (AD-28),Gregg Hart (AD-3), Assemblymember Steve Bennett (AD-38), Pilar Schiavo (AD-40), Christy Holstege (AD-47), Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (AD-50), Rick Zbur (AD-51), Tina McKinnor (AD- 61), Fauzia Rizvi (AD-63), Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (AD-65), Assemblymember Chris Ward (AD-78), and Georgette Gómez (AD-80). As the largest environmental justice alliance in California, CEJA Action vets and endorses candidates for statewide office on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to environmental health and climate progress. “The oil and gas industry has strong-armed the California legislature for far too long. Voters have the chance to wrest critical legislative seats back from Big Oil this November. Our slate of candidates have
Read morePress Release: EJ Voter Guide 2022
CEJA Action announces support for the 13 most exciting California progressive candidates ahead of the June primary.
Read moreRecall Victory Shows Power of EJ, Progressive Organizing Force in CA
The defeat of the recall shows the potential for transformative action when Democratic leaders unite with the powerful organizing force of California’s electorate.
Read moreIn Two Weeks Join us to Vote NO on the Right-Wing Recall
As wildfires burn up and down Northern California and our families struggle to recover in the second wave of COVID-19, luxury real estate, the law enforcement and venture capitalists are trying to capture the Office of the Governor. Join us to use your vote and your power to vote No on the Recall.
Read moreLegislature Passes Bill to Create Oversight Board at Broken Toxics Regulator
Last night, the California Legislature passed SB 158 to create structural changes at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).
Read moreAssembly, Senate Budget Falls Short on Key Environmental Justice Priorities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June “Placeholder Budget” Requires Deeper Investments in Low-Income, Communities of Color Sacramento, CA — On June 14th, the California State Legislature narrowly passed a placeholder budget before the June 15 budget deadline with substantially different allocations than those proposed in Governor Newsom’s May Revision. Negotiations on the June budget are anticipated to continue into July. This week, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) continues to urge lawmakers to pass an equitable 2021–2022 Budget through a letter to the Governor and Senate and Assembly Leadership. In the letter, CEJA requested that State leaders incorporate key environmental justice priorities into the final budget. In response to the passing of a June placeholder budget, CEJA Policy Manager Raquel Mason issued the following statement: As California residents brace for yet another year of severe drought and record-setting wildfires, CEJA calls upon Governor Newsom and the Legislature to eliminate funding for costly and dangerous false solutions that derail our state’s efforts for a just recovery; and, instead, invest deeply in programs that strengthen community well-being and address environmental and climate-related crises. With a record budget surplus, now is the time to prioritize life-sustaining programs and infrastructure such as community resilience centers, and make
Read moreCA Environmental Justice Alliance Action Announces 2021 Legislative Agenda
Oil and gas safety buffer zones and community resilience investments lead the 2021 EJ agenda FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Contact: Isa Flores-Jones | isa@caleja.org Sacramento, California | April 20, 2021 – On Tuesday, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) Action announced its priority bills for the 2021 Legislative session. As the state enters the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEJA Action is prioritizing a health and safety buffer zone between homes and to neighborhood oil drilling in California with SB 467 (Wiener and Limon), and critical investments in clean energy infrastructure with AB 1087 (Chiu). CEJA Action is adopting supporting positions on SB 222 and 223 (Dodd),to ensure access to clean and affordable drinking water to low-income Californians; SB 342 (González), to add two environmental justice board members to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD); and AB 339 (Lee), to ensure that all local agency meetings are accessible to frontline residents. Read more about our priority bills here at ceja-action.org. “California cannot claim to be a climate leader while it continues the dangerous practice of oil drilling next to where people live, work, learn, and play,” said Martha Dina Arguello, Executive Director with Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
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