Latest News

Four Senate Republicans detail California budget demands

June 14, 2011

Source: Sacramento Bee

A group of Senate Republicans who have been involved in budget negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown today released specific demands they want included in any deal that garners their support for a special election on taxes.

Gov. Brown Signs $8M Cleantech & Renewable Energy Job Legislation

April 21, 2011

Source: Behind the Green Scene Blog

Governor Brown has signed a bill that will fund cleantech and renewable energy job training to the tune of $8M. The bill is SBX1 1 (Steinberg), aka Senate Bill No. 1. Partnership academies: Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Job Training, Career Technical Education, and Dropout Prevention Program.

That’s great news for Californians looking for the ‘Green Economy’ to take off. So where is the money coming from and who will dole it out?

California governor to get chance to "mark" climate law

April 18, 2011

Source: Peter Henderson/Reuters

California Governor Jerry Brown could still make changes to the state's ambitious plan for a greenhouse gases market, the state's climate change regulator said, even as she battles a lawsuit that could delay the program's start next year.

The lawsuit, as well as complex technical issues and the distraction of a political fight over the state budget, are all obstacles for the most populous state to get its greenhouse gases market off the ground.

Republican legislators use CEQA as ransom in budget negotiations

March 22, 2011

Source: Rebecca Saltzman, CLCV Groundswell Blog

Five Senate Republicans are holding the state budget hostage and the ransom they are asking for is the gutting of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), our state’s flagship environmental law.

Their proposal would sharply limit the rights of California citizens and local government agencies to enforce critical environmental protections. (See a CLCV analysis of the proposal here).

Jerry Brown's tough choice: green energy in hard economic times

February 25, 2011

Source: Daniel B. Wood/Christian Science Monitor


Instability in the Middle East has put America’s dependence on foreign oil back on front pages. It’s also added another ball to California Gov. Jerry Brown’s juggling act over this state’s renewable energy sector in tough economic times.


Democrats are resurrecting an idea vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would require utilities to buy at least 33 percent of state electricity from renewable sources by 2020, hoping Mr. Brown will be more amenable. On Thursday, the bill passed in the state Senate.

OPINION: Nothing small about Brown's Delta plans

February 16, 2011

Source: Stuart Leavenworth/Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown is known for popularizing the phrase, "small is beautiful." Apparently that philosophy doesn't apply to his plans for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Brown and his main Delta lieutenant, Jerry Meral, seem intent on achieving a breakthrough in a water impasse that dragged out for decades. One focus of their attention is a gigantic replumbing of this beleaguered estuary to change how water is delivered to cities and farms to the south.

Jerry Brown: a new direction on eco-issues?

January 14, 2011

Source: Margot Roosevelt/Los Angeles Times

With all the budget cutting and tax talk coming out of Sacramento, newly elected California Gov. Jerry Brown's eco-agenda might seem to be on the back burner. But UCLA Law School's environmental policy activists are aiming to nudge it to the fore.

California budget: Parks and environment

January 11, 2011

Source: Paul Rogers/San Jose Mercury News

From closing state parks to reducing the number of state firefighters, Jerry Brown's proposed budget contains significant changes to California's environment.

Picking up where former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger left off, Brown's budget calls for reducing the hours of some of California's 278 state parks and closing others entirely -- particularly those with low attendance. The proposal would cut $11 million this year, and $22 million next year, from the state parks budget, which totaled $406 million last year.

California Budget: On Balance, Not Bad for Transportation

January 11, 2011

Source: TransportationNation

Governor Jerry Brown’s budget proposal is devastating to many services across the state. But it would bring funding for transportation back to about what it was last year – and on balance, transportation advocates say that’s all they could ask for.

“We don’t love it, but it sets a baseline,” said Randy Rentschler, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “Bringing stability to transportation is a very good thing.”

John Laird's appointment to state's top environmental post draws praise, ire

January 5, 2011

Source: Kurtis Alexander/MediaNews Group

Former Santa Cruz legislator John Laird on Wednesday was officially appointed California Secretary for Natural Resources, a widely expected announcement that is evoking joy in environmental circles and striking fear in many Republicans.