The PCL Insider: News From The Capitol

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: CARD CARRYING LEGISLATORS LAY IT ON THE TABLE

Ever notice in your late night poker games how the mood shifts when the cards finally hit the table? There’s usually a grin, perhaps a smirk, and often a few sighs of relief.

Politics is a lot like poker, which explains the mood in Sacramento last Friday when state lawmakers ran up against the deadline to introduce new bills for the 2007 session.

A palpable giddiness ran through the hallowed halls of the Capitol as if to say, “let the real games begin.”

It’s true, many of the bills that were introduced before the Friday deadline aren’t fully developed and lawmakers can always “gut and amend” their proposed laws later in the year, using the same bill to address entirely new subjects. 
 
Despite these uncertainties, every lobbying organization in Sacramento now has at least a preliminary lay of the land and can begin making plans for the next seven months when the Governor’s veto deadline finally stops the game until next year.

Based on the aces, deuces and jokers on the table, here’s the Planning and Conservation League’s strategy for 2007. We plan to focus on three major priorities: gases, liquids, and solids.

The Gases: climate change and air quality

The Liquids: sustainable water management and flood control

The Solids: land use, smart growth, and green building

We’ll be sponsoring or co-sponsoring several bills in each of these categories. Here’s just a few:

AB 5 (Wolk) would require reasonable levels of flood protection before new developments are approved in deep flood plains.

AB 224 (Wolk) would incorporate CO2 emission reductions and climate change adaptation strategies into California’s water supply planning.

AB 609 (Eng) would help ensure state buildings have the opportunity to “Go Green” and up grade to environmentally friendly technologies.  

We’re also partnering with our allies on several other high profile bills, including the Central Valley Air Quality coalition in their effort to reduce the use of toxic pesticides that pollute our air and Senator Lowenthal’s fight to clean up the air at our state’s seaports.

In addition to new legislation, we’ll invest significant time helping shape how funding is doled out for the infrastructure bonds approved by voters in November.

As the Legislature decides how to spend the first phase of more than $40 billion, California’s largest quasi-loan in state history, we’ll be collaborating with our many affiliate organizations to ensure each dollar is spent wisely. 

Will the funds contribute to our pressing needs for air quality improvements, smart growth planning, affordable housing, accessible and effective transit, parks and open space, floodplain protection, and sustainable water management?

And most importantly, will this new infusion of infrastructure capital take us further down the road to ruin, climatically speaking, or help limit the effects we’re already experiencing due to our warming world?

We’ll keep our noses to the grindstone and our faces full of poker game solemnity as we make sure California doesn’t spend itself deeper into a crisis of its own design.

Stay tuned as we review the full list of environmental and anti-environmental legislation introduced last Friday!

LOCAL ACTIVISTS LEARN TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE MEDIA

If you have trouble playing well with others - or you’re not Robert Murdoch - you’ve probably wondered who shapes the news and how they do it.

If that's the case, get ready for PCL's "How to Make Friends with the Media" workshop at this year's PCL Environmental Legislative Symposium.

This workshop covers ten common techniques to garner press coverage and ensure that your issue is covered in the best way possible.

Topics include, telling human-interest stories, harnessing the internet, tapping popular culture, cultivating unusual allies, and successful media interview tactics.

Adapted from a Fenton Communications guide and presented by green media guru Michelle Mulkey of Fenton Communications, the workshop provides real-life case studies of successful communications campaigns, and insights into successful strategies.
 
See the full Symposium program, including all ten "How To..." workshops, five policy panels and keynote presentations.

Registration for the April 14th event is now available. Reserve your seat today!

THE BOARDS THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’: SHAKE UP IN MAKE UP SENDS WAKE UP

What do the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Air Resources Board, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District have in common - other than their thrillingly zestful names?

Like the famous Bob Dylan anthem so nasally declared, they are indeed “a-changin’.”

Though the wheel is still in spin, it has named several individuals who will bring a reasonable, judicious environmental ethic to their new roles and will probably liven up the place a bit while they’re at it.

That’s exactly what we need if we’re going to meet our ambitious goal of a state where everyone has a stable climate, healthy air, clean water, a non-toxic environment, protected natural areas to enjoy, and productive food sources nearby.
 
Last Friday, nationally renowned environmental advocate and former PCL Board member, Fran Spivy-Weber was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the State Water Resources Control Board, the state’s top office for enforcement and establishment of water quality standards and water rights. Spivy-Weber was most recently the Executive Director of Policy for the Mono Lake Committee. She’s an eminently level-headed and soft spoken leader with a touch of Texas lilt left in her language. Kudos to Fran and to the Governor for his sound decision!  

Also, earlier this month, the Governor appointed two of the environmental community’s top picks to the all-important Air Resources Board.  With the ARB’s mandate to implement California’s landmark climate change policies, the appointments of Jerry Hill from San Mateo and Dan Sperling from Davis are incredibly important. Both of these new board members have demonstrated a commitment to cleaning up our state’s air and finding innovative ways to improve public health. Well met Jerry, Dan, and Arnold!

Last Wednesday, Fresno City Councilman Henry T. Perea and Arvin City Councilwoman Raji Brar were elected to the governing board of the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.  These clean air advocates plan to stress health issues and alternative energy and to continue to oppose the proposed deferment of the San Joaquin Valley smog cleanup deadline. (District staff and the current governing board have advocated for pushing back the 2013 deadline by more than ten years.)

The city of Fresno, the largest in the Valley, has not been represented on the District board since 1993. The city of Arvin, with the most polluted air in the nation, has never had a seat on the board.

The Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition and other environmental and health activists lobbied hard to elect Perea and Brar. Congratulations to them and to the League of Cities for supporting the Coalition.