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Launched in 1965, when the environmental movement was just starting to focus on the Capitol, PCL and PCL Foundation have a rich history that has seen these organizations at the forefront of many of California’s leading environmental laws and policies, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Coastal Act, and providing billions of dollars from bond initiatives for parks, open space and transit.
Some of the most noteworthy accomplishments in which we’ve been involved include:
- Passage of the California Environmental Quality Act (1970);
- Passage of the Coastal Conservation Initiative and Coastal Zone and Management Act (Proposition 20) (1972);
- Passage of the Wild Rivers Bill (SB 107) (1973);
- Passage if Proposition 70, which included $776 million for the acquisition and development of parks, open space, and coastal areas (1988);
- Passage of the Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939) (1989);
- Passage of Proposition 117, which permanently banned trophy hunting of mountain lions (1989);
- Passage of the Rail Bond Act (Proposition 116) (1990);
- Passage of the Parks Bond (Proposition 12) (2000)
- Prevailing in lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources’ secretly negotiated Monterey Amendments that would have given away the largest water storage facility in the state (the Kern Water Bank) (2000)
- Compiling, along with the California League of Conservation Voters, the “Everyday Heroes” report documenting 35 years of stories of successful citizen use of CEQA (2005);
- Protecting 90% (240,000 acres) of the historic Tejon Ranch through a Conservation and Land Use Agreement (2008);
- Publishing “8 Affordable Water Solutions” and working with Senator Pavley on SB 918 to supporting recycled water use (2010).
Today, PCL and PCL Foundation continue to work on the leading environmental challenges facing our state, such as advocating for:
- Statewide water policies that are economically and environmentally sustainable;
- A sensible High Speed Rail project that will achieve greenhouse gas emissions and promote smarter growth without unduly impacting our natural resources, key agricultural lands or local communities;
- Land-use planning focused on our urban cores that will transform neighborhoods into thriving, livable and healthy communities;
- The integrity of CEQA to ensure it remains a vibrant tool to empower the public to participate in decisions that impact their communities and environment.
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