2021 CEJA Action Legislative Agenda
When we envision a Just Recovery for California we imagine all of our communities breathing clean air with ease. We imagine sending our children to school without fearing for their health. When fire season and blackouts come, we’ll know where to go for water, energy, and life-saving medical devices.
Guided by this vision, CEJA Action has identified 2 top tier priority bills for the 2021 legislative session: an end to neighborhood oil drilling with SB 467 (Wiener, Limon), and critical investments in clean energy infrastructure with AB 1087 (Chiu).
This year, our alliance is supporting three other bills: SB 222 & SB 223 (Dodd), to strengthen clean water access for low-income residents, SB 342 (Gonzalez) to add two new EJ board members to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and AB 339 (Lee, C. Garcia) for Equitable Public Participation.
The losses of the past year make it painfully clear that we must invest in community wellbeing and resilience so we are prepared for climate and public health disasters. Historic redlining and exposure to air pollution, industrial chemicals, and pesticides have made communities of color and working communities the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
This year, we urge decision-makers to take action to address this legacy of environmental injustice. We call on all lawmakers to stand for climate and environmental justice by championing these key environmental justice priorities.
Join CEJA Action by writing, tweeting, or calling your lawmaker. Click here to take action for our 2021 EJ priority bills now!
OUR PRIORITY BILLS
SUPPORT: AB 1087 (Chiu) – Environmental Justice Resilience Hubs
The bill creates a streamlined grant program that coordinates with existing clean energy and health programs across the state to provide holistic whole building upgrades in affordable housing and critical community facilities. By enabling the transformation of trusted community spaces into resilience hubs, AB 1087 ensures those most impacted by climate change have access to critical services to cope with ongoing and future climate disasters in the immediate term while simultaneously stabilizing communities for the long haul.
SUPPORT: SB 467 (Wiener & Limón) – Health and Safety Buffer Zones: Oil & Gas
This bill will prohibit all new or renewed permits for oil and gas extraction within 2500 feet of homes, schools, healthcare facilities or long-term care institutions such as dormitories or prisons by January 1, 2023 if CalGEM does not promulgate such a rule by January 1, 2022.
SUPPORTING POSITIONS
SUPPORT: SB 222 & SB 223 (Dodd) – Water Affordability Package
This bill package establishes a long-needed framework for a statewide water affordability assistance program. SB 222 creates the Water Rate Assistance Fund to help provide water affordability assistance to low-income ratepayers and those experiencing economic hardship. SB 223 strengthens and extends inadequate existing water shutoff and bill repayment protocols and procedures to better protect all low-income California households that may face or have already experienced water service disconnections due to the water customer’s inability to pay their water bill.
SUPPORT: SB 342 (Gonzalez) SCAQMD Board Membership – Read the floor alert here.
Adds two necessary environmental justice seats to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Board membership and requires that those members reside in and work directly with the environmental justice communities in the South Coast Air Basin. Ensures that those who fill these two additional seats have strong experience advocating for the environmental justice rights of low-income communities of color.
SUPPORT: AB 339 (Lee, C. Garcia) – Equitable Public Participation
Expands public access to meetings of local agencies by requiring that telephonic and internet-based service options be available for all public meetings, that all meetings have a live opportunity for public comment (including an opportunity for those participating via telephone or internet), that interpretation and translation services be available upon request for any language, that agencies shall have a system in place for requesting interpretation and translation services, and that the system must be publicized to the agency’s constituents.
Take action to share CEJA Action’s 2021 Environmental Justice Priorities now!
For more information, please contact Civic Engagement Manager Mabel Tsang at mabel@caleja.org.