September, 12 2011, 10:11am EDT
Amid Budget and Jobs Concerns, Victories for Public Health, Sharks, Clean Water, Job Stimulus and Energy Efficiency in California's 2011 Legislative Session
Shark fin ban, drinking water & Native American sacred sites protection, children’s health protection, and enforcement of energy efficiency requirements approved by California Legislature
SACRAMENTO, CA
The 2011 California legislative session wrapped-up late Friday night with legislators handing victory to children's health, job stimulus and energy efficiency - all bills that will play a key role in the environmental health and economic recovery of the State, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"In a legislative session that continued to be dominated by the state budget, jobs and the economy, California's Legislature made headway in moving forward policies to protect public health, sharks, drinking water supplies and to stimulate the clean energy economy," said Ann Notthoff, NRDC's director of California advocacy. "Collectively, these bills promote a healthy environment and a healthy economy that are vital for the State's recovery."
The good news: The California legislature passed legislation that prohibits the sale, trade or possession of shark fins in California; voted to protect drinking water and Native American sacred sites by stopping the approval and construction of a new landfill at Gregory Canyon in San Diego County; and banned the use of the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups, making California the 11th state in the nation to ban BPA. The legislature also passed a bill to improve the enforcement of California's energy efficiency requirements for household appliances. The push to bring the NFL to Los Angeles resulted in a bill to expedite judicial review and retained full CEQA review with additional environmental requirements.
The bad news: The California legislature failed to pass a bill that would phase out Styrofoam food containers by 2016. Californians alone throw away 300,000 tons of Styrofoam annually - quite a sum for a product that is known for being super lightweight. Besides littering our communities and beaches, Styrofoam also releases toxic substances into the air and water during manufacturing and harms water quality when it makes its way to our waterways. The legislature also failed to pass the Infill Development & Sustainable Community Act, a bill that would have allowed builders more flexibility in the amount of parking spots needed for projects that are close to transit. Reducing the amount of parking that is required would have allowed for more affordable housing to be built in California, and jump start projects that are currently stalled. Reauthorization of the Public Goods Charge, which funds clean energy programs, also stalled.
NRDC's backgrounder below summarizes this year's California legislative session highlights. These bills now need only Governor Brown's signature to be enacted into law:
Sharks Protected
AB 376: Authored by Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-Mountain View) and Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), AB 376 helps to end the cruel practice of shark finning by prohibiting the sale, possession or trade of shark fins in California. The bill was sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance, and supported by thousands of individuals and a broad coalition of diverse groups, including NRDC. More on this here: https://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/lmonroe/
Gregory Canyon
SB 833: Authored by Senator Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) and co-author Assembly member Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), this bill would stop the approval of a new landfill at Gregory Canyon in San Diego County. The proposed landfill would threaten drinking water sources for tens of thousands of people and desecrate adjacent Native American sacred sites. In addition, increased recycling, new technologies and the expansion of existing landfills make the proposed landfill unnecessary.
Consumer and Business Protection
SB 454: Authored by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), this bill would improve enforcement of California's energy efficiency standards for appliances such as air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators and light bulbs. SB 454 helps level the playing field for builders, contractors and businesses who are complying with energy efficiency standards by improving enforcement against those who try to skirt the requirements. The bill also ensures that expected energy savings are more fully realized; thereby saving money and reducing pollution.
BPA Ban
AB 1319: Co-sponsored by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) and authored by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-El Segundo), this bill would ban the use of the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups, marking a victory for health and environmental advocates who've sought a similar measure since early 2009. If signed into law by Governor Brown, California would be the 11th state in the nation to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.
Farmers Field
SB 292: Authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-San Fernandino Valley), the bill would require developer AEG to achieve national green building, transportation and greenhouse gas reduction standards and meet existing environmental review requirements in return for a speedier schedule for judicial review of legal challenges of its proposal to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The final bill requires AEG to implement "best in nation" mode shift transportation that's permanent, and authorizes the City of Los Angeles to enforce it so long as the stadium exists. More on this here: https://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dpettit/
What's next?:
The 2011 California legislative session officially ended without an extension of the Public Goods Charge (PGC), which is set to expire in January 2012. Bills SB 870 and AB 724, sponsored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-San Fernandino Valley) and Assemblymember Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), respectively, would have reauthorized collection of the existing Public Goods Charge from California utility customer bills that support a range of investments in RD&D, renewables, and energy efficiency. Legislative options include another effort during a still ongoing special legislative session and a push for action as soon as the legislature reconvenes in January 2012; meanwhile, NRDC and coalition partners will be working with utilities and their regulators to ensure no interruption in a strong collective commitment to clean energy progress.
Bills that were held to next year, the second year of the two-year legislative session:
- AB 591: Oil and Gas Production: Hydraulic Fracturing
- AB 685: Californians' Right to Clean Drinking Water
- SB 535: California Communities Healthy Air Revitalization Trust
- SB 568: The Sustainable Take-Out Food Packaging Bill (phase out Styrofoam food containers)
- SB 791: Empower regions to develop traffic reduction plans & improve public transit
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
(212) 727-2700LATEST NEWS
Biden Commutes 1,500 Sentences and Issues 39 Pardons—But Leaves 40 People on Death Row
"State-sanctioned murder is not justice, and President Biden has an opportunity and an obligation to save lives," Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley said earlier this week.
Dec 12, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move the White House described as "the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history."
But the president's sweeping use of his clemency power as his term nears its conclusion did not appear to extend to any of the 40 men currently on death row—some of whom have been there for decades.
According to a White House fact sheet, those who received commutations "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the Covid-era CARES Act," a law that extended the amount of time in which people could be placed in home confinement to reduce the spread of the virus in prisons.
The White House did not name those who received pardons or commutations but said the list includes a "decorated military veteran," a "nurse who has led emergency response for several natural disasters," and "an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people find their purpose."
The Biden Justice Department paused federal executions in 2021, but President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail to expand the use of the death penalty and is expected to allow the executions of the 40 men on death row to take place if they're still there when he takes office next month.
In a statement on Thursday, Biden said that he has "the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses."
"That is why, today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer," the president said. "I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences—many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the Covid pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance."
Biden, who campaigned on ending the death penalty at the federal level, vowed to "take more steps in the weeks ahead" as his administration reviews clemency petitions, leaving open the possibility of commutations for death row prisoners.
But he's running out of time, human rights organizations, religious leaders, former federal judges, and progressive lawmakers have warned in recent days as they've ramped up pressure on Biden to act.
"State-sanctioned murder is not justice, and President Biden has an opportunity and an obligation to save lives and make good on his campaign promise to address the federal death penalty before leaving office," Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said at a press conference earlier this week. "With the incoming administration planning to execute the 40 individuals on death row, we're calling on the president to use his clemency authority to commute their death sentences and resentence them to a prison term."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Despite 100% Pentagon Audit Failure Rate, House Passes $883.7 Billion NDAA
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex," said Defense Spending Reduction Caucus co-chairs.
Dec 11, 2024
Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.
The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds," they continued. "After a seventh failed audit in a row, it's disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD's budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It's time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon."
"While we're glad many of the poison pill riders that were included in the House-passed version were ultimately removed from the final bill, the bill does include a ban on access to medically necessary healthcare for transgender children of service members, which will force service members to choose between serving their country and getting their children the care they need," the pair noted. "The final bill also failed to expand coverage for fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), for service members regardless of whether their infertility is service-connected."
Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
"Once again, Congress has passed a massive military authorization bill that prioritizes endless military spending over the critical needs of American families. This year's NDAA designates $900 billion for military spending," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), noting the audit failures. "While I recognize the long-overdue 14.5% raise for our lowest-ranking enlisted personnel is important, this bill remains flawed. The bloated military budget continues to take away crucial funding from programs that could help millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet."
Taking aim at the GOP's push to deny gender-affirming care through TRICARE, the congresswoman said that "I cannot support a bill that continues unnecessary military spending while also attacking the rights and healthcare of transgender youth, and for that reason, I voted NO."
As Omar, a leading critic of the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, also pointed out: "The NDAA includes a provision that blocks the Pentagon from using data on casualties and deaths from the Gaza Ministry of Health or any sources relying on those statistics. This is an alarming erasure of the suffering of the Palestinian people, ignoring the human toll of ongoing violence."
Israel—which receives billions of dollars in annual armed aid from the United States—faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court last month issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The NDAA includes over $627 million in provisions for Israel.
Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who voted against the NDAA, directed attention to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), set to be run by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
"How do we know that DOGE is not a good-faith effort to address wasted funding and unaccountable government? The NDAA passed today," Ramirez said. "Republicans overwhelmingly supported the $883.7 billion authorization bill even though the Pentagon just failed its seventh audit in a row."
"Billions of dollars go to make defense corporations and their investors, including Members of Congress, rich while Americans go hungry, families are crushed by debt, and bombs we fund kill children in Gaza," she added. "No one who voted for this bill can credibly suggest that they care about government waste."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who also opposed the NDAA, wrote in a Tuesday opinion piece for MSNBC that he looks forward to working with DOGE "to reduce waste and fraud at the Pentagon, while strongly opposing any cuts to programs likeSocial Security, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
"We should make defense contracting more competitive, helping small and medium-sized businesses to compete for Defense Department projects," Khanna argued. "The Defense Department also needs better acquisition oversight. Defense contractors have gotten away with overcharging the Pentagon and ripping off taxpayers for too long."
"Another area where we can work with DOGE is reducing the billions being spent to maintain excess military property and facilities domestically and abroad," he suggested. "Finally, DOGE can also cut the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile program."
The congressman, who is expected to run for president in 2028, concluded that "American taxpayers want and deserve the best return on their investment. Let's put politics aside and work with DOGE to reduce wasteful defense spending. And let's invest instead in domestic manufacturing, good-paying jobs, and a modern national security strategy."
Keep ReadingShow Less
After Another US Security Council Veto, UN General Assembly Votes for Gaza Cease-Fire
The General Assembly also voted 159-9 with 11 abstentions in favor of a resolution supporting UNRWA.
Dec 11, 2024
Following yet another United States veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, members of the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of an "immediate, unconditional, and permanent cease-fire" in the Palestinian enclave, where Israeli forces continued relentless attacks that killed dozens more Palestinians, including numerous children.
The veto by the United States, a permanent Security Council member, came during an emergency special session and was the lone dissenting vote on the 15-member body. It was the fourth time since October 2023 that the Biden administration vetoed a Security Council resolution on a Gaza cease-fire.
"At a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the cease-fire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a cease-fire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there's no need to negotiate or release the hostages," Robert Wood, the United States' deputy U.N. ambassador, said ahead of Wednesday's vote.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) subsequently voted 158-9, with 13 abstentions, for a resolution demanding "an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, to be respected by all parties," and calling for the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" held by Hamas.
The nine countries that opposed the measure are the United States, Israel, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.
In a separate vote Wednesday, 159 UNGA members voted in favor of a resolution affirming the body's "full support" for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA has been the target of diplomatic and financial attacks by Israel and its backers—who have baselessly accused the lifesaving organization of being a terrorist group—and literal attacks by Israeli forces, who have killed more than 250 of the agency's personnel.
Nine UNGA members opposed the measure, while 11 others abstained. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, while General Assembly resolutions are not, and are also not subject to vetoes.
Wednesday's U.N. votes took place amid sustained Israeli attacks on Gaza including a strike on a home sheltering forcibly displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah that killed at least 33 people, including children, local medical officials said. This followed earlier Israeli attacks, including the Monday night bombing of the al-Kahlout family home in Beit Hanoun that killed or wounded dozens of Palestinians and reportedly wiped the family from the civil registry.
"We are witnessing a massive loss of life," Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia,
toldThe Associated Press.
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, at least 162,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, maimed, or left missing by Israel's bombardment, invasion, and siege of the coastal enclave, according to officials there. More than 2 million others have been forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened by Israel's onslaught.
Israel's conduct in the war is the subject of a South Africa-led genocide case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The International Criminal Court has also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as one Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular