Latest news with #AlexNieves
Politico
4 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
The fishermen allying with farmers in California's water wars
Presented by the Stop the Oil Shakedown Coalition. With help from Alex Nieves, Debra Kahn, Jennifer Yachnin and Jordan Wolman AT THE DINNER TABLE: In California's water wars, fishermen and farmers have long been enemies. But now that federal and state regulators have closed the salmon commercial fishing season for an unprecedented third year in a row to protect declining populations, at least one major commercial fishing group is shifting its alliances. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations teamed up with farmers for a first-ever joint Washington, D.C., lobbying trip in early May. They met with members of Congress and federal officials to ask for more money for salmon hatcheries, which breed, raise and release young fish. For the farmers — mostly irrigation districts in the northern Central Valley known as the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors — the goal is to stop fish populations from declining so much that they trigger reductions in water deliveries that are called for under endangered species laws. For the Fishermen's Associations, which have sued for decades to keep water in California's rivers for fish instead of being diverted to farmers, the trip is part of a larger pivot amid growing desperation as high temperatures and low water levels kill their business. 'We've been in water wars for 50 years, and we're on our third year of salmon closure, so obviously we're not winning,' said Lisa Damrosch, who joined PCFFA as executive director a year and half ago. The realignment is also coming at a time when President Donald Trump is promising more water to farmers and slashing both environmental funds and rules — which Damrosch sees as a potential opening. She spoke with POLITICO about her 'America First' pitch, her group's already-tenuous relationship with some environmental groups and the future of commercial fishing in California. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How did this trip come together and why did you all feel like now was the right time? Everyone is scrambling for what their place is for their industry in a new and changing political climate. We really have been focusing at PCFFA on meaningful change, which we believe is increased hatchery production. We've been working for about a year and a half with the Bridge Group, which is this informal gathering of water users, farmers and fishing industry organizations, basically just to talk about salmon and to come up with some plans. A lot of it's been around hatchery operations. George Bradshaw, who's the president of PCFFA, made a decision that was a little scary, because I think typically, the perception has been that our farming water users and our fishermen are at odds, and I think we've known deep down that that may not be true, because we come from the same kind of place and the same results-based business and hard work and all of the things of food production, but also, we've been pinned against each other in water wars. A conversation was born, and relationships have been built. You're getting closer with farmers. How much is this also a break with environmental groups who want to protect flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta? PCFFA, as the representative of commercial fishermen along the entire California coast, is working to stand on our own. Commercial fishing has been hurt by bad environmental groups doing bad things in our crab fishery, for example, and in other fisheries, wanting to shut down commercial fishing. But there's also some great groups doing great work that want to solve problems. We're just trying to make sure that we aren't assumed to have any locked in positions that 'This is what's good for salmon.' Trump, with his obsession with California water, has clearly positioned himself on the side of Central Valley farmers. Are you just trying to appeal to Trump? Well, his executive order on American seafood, seeing those words was very encouraging. I think it's about trying to make sure that there's an understanding that these things are interconnected, that if we're going to move water around, we have to figure out how to mitigate the effects on our fish, because otherwise we can't improve our seafood production. We're looking for the middle. There is a real problem in the Central Valley in that there's not enough water [in rivers] for the natural production of salmon required for healthy harvest and enough water for all of the other uses. So what do you do? We think in this particular case, there's hatcheries. What happened is, over the years, the hatcheries became just about conservation and only just making sure that things didn't go extinct, but not producing enough fish to make sure there was food production. We're trying to shift that back. And I think that's something for the Trump administration. It seems like that is something that is in line with 'America First.' Setting aside water flows and hatcheries, a lot of fish have been dying and will continue to die just because of hot temperatures. What makes you believe in this project despite the continued bad climate outlook? I think that salmon are one of the most amazing species in the world. They're so incredibly resilient and will swim up a puddle of water to try and complete their cycle. We're pretty smart humans, and salmon are pretty resilient, and between us, we should be able to make things work. That may be naive, but I don't believe in the doom and gloom. For commercial fishing fleets, it's as bad as it can be. We're closed. It doesn't really get worse. Businesses won't survive. Salmon is a huge economic driver in the state of California, so I can't give up hope on that. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! OUT OF GAS: SoCal air regulators' proposals to phase out gas space and water heaters are dead — for now. The South Coast Air Quality Management District board voted 7-5 to nix two draft rules Friday that would have set zero-emission sales targets for heater manufacturers and imposed fees on new gas appliances. The rules aren't officially defeated, but are unlikely to come back up this year. Those proposals were less stringent than rules approved by the agency last year to eventually ban sales of gas pool heaters and tankless water heaters, but ran into a well-funded opposition led by SoCalGas that framed them as cost-prohibitive for homeowners. Board members echoed affordability concerns, arguing that many of the region's roughly 17 million residents can't afford increased electrical bills or electrical home upgrades to accommodate heat pumps. 'We have a homelessness crisis in this state, and it's because we don't have enough houses, we don't have enough residences,' said board member and Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, who was expected to be a swing vote on the issue, 'And it's difficult to add one more cost onto and pass it on to renters and homeowners, and that's what we're doing here.' The decision could offer the fossil industry a playbook for defeating climate and pollution policies that pose an existential threat to their business models. The campaign, which launched last fall, generated significant media attention and vocal opposition from state and local officials, including former Los Angeles mayor and gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, who wrote an op-ed this week opposing the rules. — AN THE CARBON TIGHTROPE: Carbon capture has plenty of enemies on the left, where it's often viewed as an expensive distraction from the fight to reduce emissions quickly, writes this newsletter's editor Debra Kahn in her column this week. But in the nation's capitol it's the right that wields influence over the huge pots of money that are the Biden administration's biggest climate legacy — and as Republicans prepare to decimate incentives for renewable resources like solar, wind and geothermal energy, carbon capture has managed to weather the storm better than many other climate technologies. Read more about how one carbon capture company — Heirloom Carbon — is navigating today's politics in Debra's column, Currents. RIVER TALKS: Negotiations between seven Western states to cut water use from the dwindling Colorado River after a short-term deal expires in October 2026 are at a standstill — and both former and current negotiators are looking at the federal government to step in. The comments, reported by Jennifer Yachnin of POLITICO's E&E News, came during the annual 45th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources at the University of Colorado. Negotiators have ramped up their meetings since the start of the year but remain split between the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada, who generally hold more senior water rights, and the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, who want their downstream counterparts to give up more water. 'People want to make a deal, people want to compromise, people want to collaborate,' said Bill Hasencamp, the manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 'A good facilitator might help break the deadlock.' — JY, CvK FIRE JOBS: The Trump administration is making another u-turn on jobs as fire season bears down on an understaffed West. Forest Service employees who accepted the federal government's offer to resign will still be allowed to take on wildfire assignments this summer, according to a new agency memo reported by POLITICO's Jordan Wolman. The option to return to firefighting assignments is targeted at employees who hold wildland firefighting qualifications known as 'red cards.' Interested workers can register for work through Sept. 30, the expiration date for their administrative leave under the deferred resignation program, according to the memo. The Forest Service has lost at least 10 percent of its staff as a result of layoffs and resignations. It's aiming to hire 11,300 seasonal firefighters by mid-July, though its hiring pace started to slip behind last year's based on the latest numbers posted online. — JW, CvK — Transit advocates warn that San Diego's buses and trolleys face a fiscal cliff if California cuts state funding. — Trump is threatening to sell the red Tesla he bought to support Elon Musk. — Ventura County officials plan to endure rising sea levels by elevating homes.
Politico
6 days ago
- Business
- Politico
All noisy on the Western solar panel front
Presented by the Stop the Oil Shakedown Coalition. With help from Alex Nieves and Timothy Cama SOLAR WARS: There's enough heat behind California's long-simmering rooftop solar fight that it's boiling over on two fronts this week. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments from both sides on whether regulators broke the law when they slashed rooftop solar credits for new customers in 2022. At the same time, assemblymembers have a Friday deadline to pass (or not) a controversial legislative proposal to reduce the payments for legacy rooftop solar customers. The multipronged fight shows just how entrenched the two camps are — with rooftop solar advocates allying with builders and real estate agents on one side and utilities with labor unions and ratepayer advocates on the other — and just how willing they are to take their arguments to as many venues as possible. It's a fight that's likely to continue, given that the Supreme Court appears poised to rule narrowly — and perhaps not even on the policy debate itself. Instead, the Supreme Court's clerk and executive officer, Jorge Navarrete, asked lawyers last month to focus on how much the judicial branch should give deference to the California Public Utilities Commission when reviewing its various decisions. A lower court had previously cited deference to the CPUC — one of the rare state agencies created by the California Constitution itself — to reject a lawsuit by environmental groups that sought to restore the rooftop solar subsidies. For the environmental groups, the focus on deference is now an opportunity to take their fight to the agency itself, which some see as too cozy with the investor-owned utilities it regulates. 'Already, there's a gap in checks and balances on the commission,' said Roger Lin, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which is bringing the lawsuit against the CPUC. 'The implications of this case stretch beyond rooftop solar.' The investor-owned utilities, who otherwise argued in support of the CPUC's decision, declined to weigh in on how much the court should defer to the agency in a filing earlier this year. But Attorney General Rob Bonta's office is defending the agency, arguing in a brief that the CPUC deserves deference because of precedent, because of the agency's expertise and because the Legislature has 'repeatedly tasked the Commission with studying the effects of the NEM tariff and revising it as appropriate.' It's timely, then, to point out that the Legislature is currently considering doing part of the commission's work itself. Assemblymember Lisa Calderon's AB 942 would slash the payments to longstanding rooftop solar customers who got spared by the CPUC's 2022 decision to reduce payments solely for new customers. Calderon agreed this week to exempt farms and schools, which is eliminating opposition from farming groups close to some moderate Democrats. She also picked up support from the CPUC's Public Advocates Office, which said the measure could reduce costs for ratepayers without rooftop solar. But it'll come down to the wire: Some progressive Democrats have already peeled off from the bill in committee votes, citing concerns from their constituents with rooftop solar that the bill would break existing contracts. The Supreme Court will start hearing arguments at 9 a.m. on Wednesday (and it will be livestreamed if you want to follow along). AB 942 has until Friday to pass off the Assembly floor. — CvK Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! MUSK MANIA: Elon Musk has finally returned to his roots — and Democrats are loving it. Musk's departure from the White House, where he was once among Trump's top advisers, took an explosive turn Tuesday as the Tesla CEO ripped Republicans' budget megabill on X, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' that will raise the national debt. As we've noted, Musk's company never stopped stumping for California policies like the low-carbon fuel standard, even as Trump promised to unravel the state's regulations and Republicans blamed state officials for high gas prices. The eccentric billionaire was always expected to eventually butt heads with an administration poised to throttle the electric vehicle transition and eliminate clean energy incentives his company has profited greatly from. While the episode shocked Republicans and drew pushback from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democrats could barely hide their excitement, Timothy Cama reports for POLITICO's E&E News. 'I haven't spoke to Elon Musk, I'm not sure what the reasons are for this extraordinary statement, but we're in complete agreement,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. — AN WE HAVE A BEE PROBLEM: California lawmakers are coming to the rescue of one of nature's most important insects: honeybees. The Assembly unanimously approved Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom's bill today to launch a program within the California Department of Food and Agriculture to monitor the health of honeybee populations. AB 1042 would allow the department, when extra funding is available, to provide incentives and grants for health intervention projects to support the state's managed honeybee population. The critical species is responsible for pollinating crops like fruits and tree nuts that underpin the state's agriculture sector and maintaining natural ecosystems, but are dying in large numbers due to climate change, habitat loss, pesticides and other factors. Commercial beekeepers reported an average loss of 62 percent of their bee colonies between June 2024 and February of this year, according to a national survey by Project Apis m. (honeybees' Latin name). — AN RECYCLE THE REDO: Gov. Gavin Newsom told CalRecycle to redo its plastic waste reduction rules in the name of affordability. Now, the lawmakers that passed the law behind the rules say the redo goes against their intent — and that they were the ones who wanted to make recycling affordable to begin with. Twenty-two lawmakers joined Sen. Ben Allen, the author of 2022's SB 54, in a letter to Newsom, CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia and CalRecycle Director Zoe Heller last week. Their goal all along, they write, was to lower costs to cities and ratepayers by making manufacturers responsible for recycling their products. The new rules, they argue, stray from their intent by exempting too much food and medication packaging and not preventing hazardous recycling technologies. A coalition of environmental groups including Oceana and Californians Against Waste also blasted the new rules Monday. 'Getting this right is about more than checking a legislative box,' the letter reads. 'California has an opportunity to lead in the global effort to tackle plastic pollution, but not if vague, watered-down language subverts that very goal.' Who is happy: the California Chamber of Commerce, which is arguing that the new rules are more achievable. Spokesperson John Myers shared a takeaway: 'By fostering a regulatory environment that balances ecological responsibility with economic viability, the state sets a precedent for sustainable innovation of a circular economy.' — CvK TWO STRIKES: It's been a bad week for Sable Offshore Corp.'s oil drilling ambitions. Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Donna Geck issued an order Tuesday blocking a waiver granted by the state fire marshal that would allow the Texas-based oil company to restart a crude pipeline off Santa Barbara. That decision comes just days after a different Santa Barbara judge sided with the California Coastal Commission and stopped repairs on the 124-mile pipeline that leaked over 100,000 gallons in 2015. Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, which sued the fire marshal and Sable, cheered the rulings and used the moment to call out Newsom, who has stayed relatively quiet on the issue. 'At the very least, Governor Newsom should demand that his agencies follow the law and do everything possible to prevent another ecological and economic disaster in our state,' she said. — AN — Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for climate activists worried about the White House: roll up your sleeves and "stop whining.' — Southern California is being hit with a triple whammy of thunderstorms, dry lightning and rip tides. — Underground water supplies in the Colorado River basin are depleting even faster than the river itself, according to a new study based on NASA satellite data.
Politico
28-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
A Trump-era twist to Newsom's oil fight
With help from Alex Nieves CRUDE SHOWDOWN: A Texas-based oil company is putting Gov. Gavin Newsom's fight with Big Oil to the test in the Trump era. Sable Offshore Corp. started pumping oil last week out of wells in federal waters off the Santa Barbara coast, almost exactly 10 years after an oil spill from a connected pipeline leaked over 100,000 gallons of crude and shut down production. And while some state agencies are putting up a fight, Newsom isn't. 'Under Gov. Newsom's leadership, California has strengthened its position as a national leader in protecting the coastline and public health,' said Newsom spokesperson Daniel Villaseñor in an email. 'While some offshore drilling continues in federal waters under longstanding federal leases, the governor remains unwavering in his commitment: no new offshore drilling — period.' Some of Sable's restart is out of Newsom's control: Sable is avoiding some hoops by restarting a dormant operation instead of building a new one (thus technically abiding by Newsom's 'no new drilling' dictum), and President Donald Trump is providing some tailwinds with the declaration of an 'energy emergency' and reversal of a Biden-era ban on new drilling. But some of it is under Newsom's control, at least sort of. Eight state agencies have piecemeal oversight over the onshore pipeline that ruptured 10 years ago and that Sable bought from Exxon to shuttle the newly flowing crude to refineries — and have made at times contradictory moves towards a full restart. Sen. Monique Limón, a Democrat who represents the Santa Barbara coast, sees some of those permits as a change in tone from Newsom's two special sessions on gas prices in the last two years, which resulted in measures enabling the state to cap refiners' profits and regulate their gasoline inventories. Newsom's also sought climate damages from the world's largest oil companies and signed a law requiring them to situate new wells far away from homes and schools. 'We really got a lot of messaging about how important it was to keep our community safe, to think about the future and the energy transition,' she said. 'This is a reversal, of course, from even just last fall. … The word I would use is 'disconnect.'' Environmental groups sued the Office of the State Fire Marshal last month over its December conditional permit, or 'waiver,' to Sable for its alternative to corrosion prevention on the pipeline and called for a full environmental analysis. They're also concerned about State Parks' move in early May to waive environmental review for a right-of-entry permit for Sable to make repairs within Gaviota State Beach. Only one agency has come out swinging against Sable: The California Coastal Commission, which fined the company $18 million for continuing its repairs despite three cease-and-desist orders. (Sable, in turn, sued the Coastal Commission in February, arguing it already has the agency's authorization from decades ago.) State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said his office has more stringent safety requirements than the federal government and that it is still waiting for Sable to do a final pressure test on the pipeline before it allows crude oil to flow. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis wrote to Sable on Friday urging it to resolve its issues with other agencies before fully restarting operations or the State Lands Commission, which she chairs, may not approve future leases with the company. She also wrote that Sable failed to meet a requirement to notify the commission before starting up any oil flow, which 'undermines trust of Sable's motives.' In the meantime, state lawmakers are trying to throw up roadblocks with legislation. Limón's SB 542 would require thorough hydrostatic testing before an oil pipeline that's been dormant five years or more can be restarted. And AB 1448, from fellow Central Coast representative Assemblymember Gregg Hart, would add requirements for State Lands Commission leases for coastal oil and gas infrastructure. Western States Petroleum Association opposes both bills. Sable has been moving quickly in the past few months and is eyeing July for sales of its crude, which is currently being stored in tanks onshore. 'Sable will continue to aggressively defend our vested rights to pursue low-carbon native California oil and natural gas sorely needed to stabilize supply and lower consumer gasoline prices,' said spokesperson Alice Walton. — CvK Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! GAO COW: Republicans' bucking of the Government Accountability Office on California's vehicle emissions waivers is just the tip of their crusade. The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting a slew of attacks against its independence, as Jennifer Scholtes, Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus report. From the Office of Management and Budget's criticism of GAO for finding the Trump administration improperly withheld funding for electric vehicle infrastructure to the Department of Government Efficiency's attempts to assign the agency a downsizing team, the office has found itself in the middle of the partisan fray — despite its attempts to stay out of it. 'We're just responding to help Congress,' GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro said at a recent hearing. 'We're not trying to influence things one way or the other. We're nonpartisan. We're asked a question; we give an answer. It doesn't matter who it is.' FORKLIFT IN THE ROAD: Amid all the federal rule rollbacks, state regulators issued an advisory Tuesday confirming that they won't enforce a zero-emission forklift rule they never got federal approval for. The California Air Resources Board, in an email, encouraged companies to voluntarily report their progress at phasing out fossil fuel forklifts but clarified that it wouldn't retroactively hold them responsible if the rule is enforced in the future. CARB last June approved the proposal to ban the sale of new combustion engine forklifts by 2026 and phase out older models by 2038. But state officials never submitted the rule for an EPA waiver, anticipating that the Trump administration would not approve it. The Western Propane Gas Association sued in August, arguing that CARB failed to analyze the environmental impacts of new infrastructure needed to operate larger fleets of electric forklifts. — AN MORE SUSPENSE: We're back with another tranche of bills that either hit a wall or got through Friday's appropriations committee deadline with significant amendments: Inmate firefighter pay: Assemblymember Isaac Bryan's bid to boost pay for incarcerated firefighters survived appropriations, but only after he agreed to significantly reduce how much they'd earn while responding to an active fire. Bryan lowered his proposal in AB 247 from $19 per hour to $7.25 per hour, equal to the federal minimum wage. Inmate firefighters are currently paid $30 per day for a 24-hour emergency shift. Child labor: The Senate Appropriations Committee killed a bill from Sen. Shannon Grove that would have required California to certify that vehicles purchased for state-owned fleets were manufactured with metal and minerals mined at operations without child labor. SB 77 cleared its only policy committee hearing with unanimous support, but the Department of General Services warned that the costs associated with analyzing complex supply chains and working with potentially unwilling vehicle manufacturers would be high. Leno's Law: Grove also made amendments to her bill championed by comedian Jay Leno that would exempt classic collector cars from smog checks. The Republican added language to SB 712 that would require qualifying cars to have collector's insurance and be required as historical vehicles, which restricts their use to events like historical exhibitions, parades, or club activities. The amendments mirror language originally in the bill that Grove removed in March. Fuel prices: Assembly Appropriations nixed a bill from Assemblymember Corey Jackson, AB 555, that would have required CARB to submit quarterly reports on the impacts of regulations on transportation fuel prices. CARB argued the proposal could create significant new costs by forcing it to develop new models for calculating the 'cause-and-effect relationships' between its regulations and consumer prices. The issue isn't going away. Speaker Robert Rivas last month named Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Lori Wilson co-chairs of a new committee to study the state's low-carbon fuel standard and transportation affordability. — AN SUMMER SPLASH: The federal government gave San Joaquin Valley farmers a 'welcome to summer' gift Tuesday by increasing its expected water deliveries from 50 percent of requested supplies to 55 percent. The Bureau of Reclamation adjusted its forecast because of 'greater certainty about water availability' now that the state's wet season is over, according to a statement by acting Regional Director Adam Nickels. Reservoirs are currently brimming at or nearly at capacity across California following the third year in a row with average to above average winter precipitation. The Bureau of Reclamation also cited Trump's January executive order to 'maximize' California water supplies for its new allocation. The state government's summer allocations, meanwhile, remain at 50 percent for now, though Department of Water Resources spokesperson Ryan Endean said state officials are continuing to analyze snowmelt runoff and current water supply and could still adjust allocations later. — CvK FROG FIGHT: California water agencies, farmers and utility companies got a temporary reprieve in their fight against expansive habitat protections for the endangered foothill yellow-legged frog. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service extended its review period from May 17 to July 28 for a proposal to designate 760,071 acres as critical habitat for the 3-inch-long frog that historically ranged from Oregon to Baja California, Michael Doyle reports for POLITICO's E&E News. The potential habitat designation, published during the waning days of former President Joe Biden's term, has set off alarms across the political spectrum. Groups like the Association of California Water Districts and California Farm Bureau warn that the proposal could hinder efforts to manage water resources on public and private land. And the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission that a proposed buffer zone for transmission lines and other infrastructure is too large and includes habit unsuitable for the frog. — AN — Former Los Angeles mayor and gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa is defending refineries and accepting campaign donations from oil companies and executives. — Groundwater losses exceed above-ground losses of water in the Colorado River Basin. — PG&E has seen requests for power from data center developers jump over 40 percent this year.
Politico
18-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Sacramento's gas fight flares up again
With help from Alex Nieves, Camille von Kaenel, Ry Rivard and Blanca Begert FOOT ON THE GAS: Gas appliances may be going from a culture-war topic to a player in California's affordability debate. Appliance makers who have been fighting local bans on natural gas stoves, water heaters and other devices are now thinking about taking that fight to the ballot. The Japanese manufacturer Rinnai, which makes gas devices including tankless water heaters, and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, of which Rinnai is a member, commissioned a poll in late January to gauge public sentiment and found that cost-of-living arguments particularly resonated. Asked about a measure to 'protect Californians' option to use natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking,' 67 percent of likely voters in the new poll said they would definitely or probably support it, compared with 18 percent who would definitely or probably oppose it. The poll comes after a number of skirmishes on the state and federal levels. Berkeley repealed its ban on natural gas hookups in new homes last year after a suit from the California Restaurant Association and other groups. Assemblymember Gail Pellerin proposed a bill last year that would have required labels on gas stoves warning of the potential health risks they pose, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it. Bans and efforts to discourage the use of natural gas have drawn criticism from unexpected corners. A proposed tax on natural gas in Berkeley that ultimately failed at the ballot last November drew vocal opposition from local mainstays in the food and dining industry, like Berkeley Bowl and Boichik Bagels. But now appliance manufacturers are merging the issue with the cost-of-living arguments that are sweeping Sacramento in the wake of President Donald Trump's victory. The poll also tested a set of arguments for a potential measure, the strongest of which was about the cost to consumers: that it would be too expensive for many people to replace gas appliances. Eighty-six percent said they agreed with that statement. The issue is a live one: Of those surveyed, 88 percent said they own or regularly use gas-powered appliances, and 71 percent said bans on these appliances would have a very or somewhat significant impact on them. The Legislature has the power to ban local-level restrictions on gas-powered appliances, but companies don't see a bill that would address their concerns. One, AB 1238 from Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, would prevent restrictions on gas stoves specifically, but doesn't speak to other gas-powered appliances. Beyond the ballot question, the polling could be a potent tool to convince lawmakers to get on board. The polling, and the potential look at the ballot, comes as leaders in the Legislature say their focus this year is on keeping Californians' cost of living from ballooning. California should 'evaluate alternative paths that balance environmental objectives with economic realities,' Rinnai wrote in a letter to the California Air Resources Board last year over new proposed emissions standards for space and water heaters, 'aiming for a more inclusive and practical approach to reducing emissions.' — ES Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! FACT SHEET FRACAS: California air regulators and car dealers are in a war of fact sheets. The California New Car Dealers Association, which is spearheading a campaign to freeze the state's electric vehicle sales mandate, released a four-page rebuttal on Friday to a California Air Resources Board fact sheet that called industry arguments 'misleading' and a false narrative. Car dealers say CARB is the one being misleading. 'CARB's fact sheet cherry-picks data, ignores real-world market dynamics, and relies on overly optimistic projections,' the rebuttal reads. The tit-for-tat started last month after CNCDA launched the campaign, which has picked up support from groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and Western Propane Gas Association. Car dealers warn that the state's EV sales mandate is too aggressive and that manufacturers could reduce supplies of gas cars — increasing prices — to stay in compliance. CARB Chair Liane Randolph called that possibility an unrealistic 'doomsday scenario' in an exclusive interview with POLITICO, saying that the Advanced Clean Cars II rule includes flexibilities to help car companies hit their goals. 'This campaign continues to mislead by ignoring California's longstanding relationship with automakers, the ample flexibility built into our regulations and the economic reality of the global vehicle market which is accelerating toward a zero-emission future,' she said in a statement Friday. — AN CHUCK AND WALLOW: The White House sowed confusion over Trump's plans for two newly created national monuments in California over the weekend. Former President Joe Biden designated the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands national monuments in January, protecting nearly a million acres in California's southeastern desert and northeastern forests, respectively, from energy and housing development. A White House fact sheet accompanying Trump's order on Friday to roll back some of Biden's executive actions included a line about rescinding unnamed national monuments — only for the line to be removed a day later. The New York Times and the Washington Post reported over the weekend that Trump would seek to roll back Chuckwalla and Sáttítla, citing a White House source. Targeting the two monuments, whether by shrinking them or explicitly reversing their designations, would likely lead to a drawn-out court battle, as Heather Richards, Scott Streater and Jennifer Yachnin report for POLITICO's E&E News. And while removing environmental protections from public lands has fans among Congressional Republicans, it's already upsetting at least one California Republican: Assemblymember Greg Wallis, whose San Bernardino and Riverside County district includes parts of Chuckwalla. 'I hope the Trump Administration doesn't alter Chuckwalla National Monument,' Wallis said in a statement Saturday. 'Chuckwalla is extremely popular across the political spectrum and was advocated for by a large, bipartisan coalition. Our local communities know that safeguarding our desert is good for the economy and is smart for the well-being of generations to come.' — CvK A NEW MOU: Newsom's administration signed an agreement today to cooperate on clean energy and trade with the Mexican state of Sonora, casting it as a contrast to Trump's tariff policies. While the details are still murky, Newsom and Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo Montaño agreed to strengthen economic ties between the two states and work to develop renewable energy, resilient supply chains, and clean transportation. 'The conversation, Mr. Governor, we just had, I think, illuminated that contrast, the relationship to Sonora, the relationship to California, our relationship to this moment, and our relationship to the moments that are being advanced in Washington, D.C.,' Newsom said. 'There couldn't be a greater contrast.' — BB NEW NJ BILL: New Jersey lawmakers are working on a corporate emissions-disclosure bill in the style of California's SB 253. S-4117 would require businesses in New Jersey with more than $1 billion in annual revenue to eventually disclose all of their emissions — Scopes 1, 2 and 3. It passed the state's Senate Environment and Energy Committee today. — RR TOGETHER AROUND THE FIRE: Fire techies are claiming a win after the launch and connection of their first prototype satellite to detect wildfires this weekend aboard one of Elon Musk's SpaceX's missions. The effort is creating rare political alignment, bringing together as partners Google, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and satellite manufacturer Muon Space. The ultimate goal is a constellation of satellites providing real-time data on wildfires from space, called FireSat. The launch got praise from Cal Fire chief Joe Tyler, who called it 'a significant step forward in protecting both first responders and the public during critical situations' in a press release. The partnership expects its first operational FireSats in 2026. — CvK TESLA TURMOIL: Alex was back on LAist today to discuss Trump's extraordinary bid to support Elon Musk by turning the White House into a Tesla showroom. Listen to the interview on today's All Things Considered to hear why that move will likely backfire. — The Trump administration is seeking to end leases for NOAA offices in Arcata and Eureka. — Florida surpassed California last year in new utility-scale solar. — Firefighters had to rescue 300 climate conference attendees near Big Bear last week after they became stranded due to heavy snowfall.
Politico
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Politico
Yana Valachovic is trying to soften the blow
With help from Alex Nieves and Jeremy B. White FIGHTING FIRE WITH LANDSCAPING: Yana Valachovic is at the forefront of trying to get Californians to adapt to fire. Valachovic, a University of California fire researcher and adviser to two fire-prone Northern California counties, turns into a detective when she visits the aftermath of a wildfire-turned-urban-conflagration, looking for clues on how the fire spread and the ripple effects of small actions people took to protect their property, from new vents to paved entryways. She's now pushing for tighter landscaping rules within the first five feet of a home as part of a working group at the state Board of Forestry, which is picking the previously paused rules back up after a directive from Gov. Gavin Newsom last month. She toured the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fire footprints in January and wasn't particularly heartened by what she saw. POLITICO caught up with her to talk about her observations and the heavy task of climate adaptation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Were these fires any different than past fires? Eaton and Palisades had a lot of wind driving the fire behavior, and that's similar to the Tubbs Fire, the Camp Fire, the Marshall Fire, all of which took in its path a lot of homes. I didn't anticipate that there would be as many [firefighting] resources already pre-staged in advance of the weather event. I saw many details that indicate that people had been at the home at some point and tried to do something to prevent fire spread to the structure, or did some amount of suppression, and there was way more of that than I've seen in other fires. What did you see exactly? The clues are pretty prominent. I would see evidence that someone had moved a doormat that might have showed signs of ignition away from the structure. I saw dozens of gates that had been cut, kicked, lifted off their hinges and then the gate thrown off and away from the property. You can also see signs of community members and residents trying to do things, so buckets left in the yard, or a hose reel from a pump that someone may have had and they were pumping water out of their pool. It shows that set of desperate actions and choices that people were having to make before they left. Did you see any examples of home hardening that made a difference? I'm trying to put it in a positive light. I think people did things for other reasons that have co-benefits associated with fire. Having your roof up-to-date and well-maintained is really important. I saw examples where people replaced their windows [with] tempered glass that has three times the heat resistant properties. I did see a few examples where folks had done some retrofitting to their vents. A new best practice is to upgrade to some vents that meet standards related to both flame and heat resistance, or as an interim step to add an additional layer of smaller metal mesh screening. The zone zero rules, which would ban flammable material within five feet of a structure in fire-prone areas, are back on the agenda. Will they go through this time, and why? I think the time is right. I think there's a lot of interest broadly in changing fire vulnerabilities and trying to help Californians navigate through this new reality of the much higher likelihood of a fire exposure than we've experienced historically, and to help in the insurance space, because if we can reduce some of the hazard, then that will lower the risk and increase the likelihood of a better outcome. California's politicians have been under political heat for overregulation, not underregulation, in light of the fires. Is adding requirements a smart move? I think the biggest thing is you can't unknow something. And we have very strong evidence that what's in the first five feet really impacts whether a building's going to survive or not when you have a wildfire with wind behind it. We can't unknow that, and if politicians do nothing in regard to that, I think that's untenable for them. How do you address concerns about costs? There's a lot that's in the DIY space that's possible. I think the question really is, how do you refinish around the house to meet your aesthetic standards? And that is, to me, where the cost mostly lies. What I think homeowners want to see is that when they come home, there's some beauty, there's some color. Maybe you don't want to see your foundations, but that is this kind of softening between the street and the structure. And I think that can be still done visually by pulling those plants a little farther away from the house. These retrofits and new landscaping are some of California's most prominent physical examples of climate adaptation. How do you bring people along? I think we need to lead with an empathetic heart, but also be honest about communicating what's at risk and what the possibilities are and how we can make a difference to adapt to the fire environment that we're in. Smokey Bear is for forest fires. Do you have a nomination for a new mascot for this era of wildfire education? Maybe a red-tailed hawk? They have exceptional eyesight — maybe we could say visionary — and they are adaptable and thrive in many habitats. In this moment we need to think and live differently. — CvK NEW NEWSLETTER: Are you a transportation nerd curious about the future of autonomous vehicles? A fire techie monitoring Silicon Valley's influence in Washington, D.C.? Or just a friendly POLITICO fan? You'll love our new sister newsletter, POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded. You can subscribe here. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! SPEAKING OF FIRE: Katie Porter immediately staked some ground on the property insurance problem in her first campaign event after she announced her candidacy for California governor in 2026. Speaking at a big Democratic club in Orange County on Thursday, Porter said 'the next governor is going to have to head-on tackle the home insurance problem.' One of her big ideas: getting the state involved as a backstop. 'I do think that the state may have a role in thinking about wildfire risk,' Porter said in response to a moderator's question. 'Reinsurance, insuring the insurer, that is a way that California could come into some of this.' She added a word of caution about 'learning lessons' from other government backstops, noting that the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program isn't solvent. She also mentioned incentivizing home hardening and recruiting more firefighters to make California a more enticing place for insurance companies. 'We also need to think about bigger umbrella ways to bring in private insurers and keep them here at a rate that makes homeowners insurance affordable,' she said. — CvK, JBW AND DON'T FORGET THE CURRENT COMMISSIONER: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara provisionally approved a 22 percent emergency rate hike for State Farm today. The state's largest insurer, with 16 percent of the market, had asked for the emergency hike to stave off a credit downgrade after the Los Angeles fires, which it called the costliest disaster in its history. The company has been in deep financial trouble for years, fueling its 2023 decision to stop writing new policies in California. State Farm executives have said that the emergency rate hike wouldn't be enough for the company to start writing new policies again, but that it was probably enough to avoid non-renewals through 2025. Lara scheduled a full rate hearing for April 8, at which State Farm will have to justify its request with more data or else issue refunds. — CvK BUYER'S REMORSE: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is ditching his Tesla. The Democrat announced the move today in a post on X, just days after Trump turned the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom to support Elon Musk as the company's stock plummets. Kelly in a one-minute video said he couldn't drive the car without thinking about the damage Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — tasked with slashing federal spending — has done to the government, including the firing of veterans. Kelly is a retired U.S. Navy captain. 'Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an asshole, and I don't want to drive a car built and designed by an asshole,' Kelly said. Trump and his conservative allies like Sean Hannity are trying to boost Tesla, which faces international protests amid Musk's involvement in right-wing politics. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she's opening an investigation into cases of vandalism at Tesla dealerships. Democrats want their own investigation. Four senators, including California's Adam Schiff, sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Thursday asking it to probe the White House lawn episode. — AN — California snowpack is still below average, despite this week's storm. — KCRW's Good Food podcast dives into how climate change is upending California's iconic Dungeness crab fishery. — Assemblymember Tasha Boerner wants to go to the ballot to refocus the California Public Utilities Commission on affordability.
