Sign on to Sustainable California support letters:
NOTE: Please send in your responses by 5 pm Thursday September 11th to be included
Sustainable California is collecting support for the following bills that have been passed by the Assembly and the Senate and are headed to the Governor for signature or veto.
Please show your support for these bills. We have drafted support letters to Governor Schwarzenegger urging his signature of the bills into law. If you would like to see these letters and/or sign on to one or more of them, please send mailto:danielle@csgcalifornia.com
If you would like to sign on to the letter(s), please send your name, organization, electronic signature, and logo. We will collect names in support of each of the bills and submit a group support letter from Sustainable California for each bill.
Senate Bill 732: Strategic Growth Council/Urban Greening/Land Use and Planning Incentives. This bill is authored by Senator Steinberg and would establish the Strategic Growth Council, a secretarial-level Council that would serve as a forum to coordinate infrastructure spending to meet climate and sustainability goals. The Council will also oversee two Proposition 84 grant programs: Urban Greening ($70 million) and Land Use & Planning Incentives ($90 million).
Senate Bill 375: Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change. This bill is also authored by Senator Steinberg and would establish standards for regional transportation plans that include the development of sustainable community strategies and the encouragement of higher density development and reduced sprawl. The plans would specifically relate to regional requirements to reduce transportation related greenhouse gas emissions to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. The bill provides CEQA incentives for local agencies that adopt and implement sustainable community strategies.
Assembly Bill 2045: Urban Forestry Act of 1978. This bill is authored by Assemblymember De La Torre and would update and broaden the Urban Forestry Act of 1978 to highlight the role that urban forests play in reducing greenhouse gases, improving air and water quality, conserving energy and water, and providing recreation and other environmental benefits. The Act has language that directs the California Department of Forestry and Fire (Cal Fire) in administering its urban forestry program.
Assembly Bill 31: Local and Regional Parks. This bill is authored by Assemblymember de Leon and provides guidance to the Department of Parks and Recreation for the expenditure of $400 million from Proposition 84 for Local and Regional Parks. The bill provides criteria designed to target underserved and disadvantaged communities wherever they occur (i.e. urban, suburban, or rural areas).
Assembly Bill 2537: Prevailing Wage Volunteer Exemption. This bill is authored by Assemblymember Furutani and extends the volunteer and conservation corps exemption from California’s prevailing wage requirement. Without this exemption, projects funded by bonds and other state funds cannot use volunteers or conservation corps members. A variety of procedural and fiscal issues nearly stopped this bill in the Senate and only last minute rule waivers allowed it to be considered and passed. While removing the sunset clause (making the exemption permanent) is certainly desirable, it was not politically feasible this session; therefore, the bill includes a three year sunset clause.
