An illustration of the unknown road ahead. (Image: Pro-Studio, via Shutterstock)California faces many challenges now. One is the climate emergency. Another is economic recovery. Add COVID-19 positivity. That is a partial list. You get the picture. Why imagine scenarios for the Golden State over the next decade or century? We turn to Marina Gorbis.
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a San Francisco event. (Photo: Jana Asenbrennerova, via Shutterstock)Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a multi-billion-dollar package of monetary goodies for Californians, but how much of it will become reality is now up to legislators. The clock ticks: Lawmakers have less than a month to approve the 2022-23 budget, an unprecedented, nearly $300 billion document, and send it to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Solar panels clustered in an urban environment to provide energy to surrounding buildings, homes. (Photo: Gengwit Wattakawigran. via Shutterstock)OPINION: All Californians have the right to access affordable clean energy. However, the majority of Californians are unable to take advantage of solar energy generated at their home because they are renters or homeowners without a suitable roof. These significant barriers are not adequately addressed through California’s existing clean energy programs.
An eerie orange sky over San Francisco, caused by smoke from wildfires linked to climate change. (Photo: Benny Marty, via Shutterstock)OPINION: For decades, I helped shape the state’s policy priorities as a senior member of the Assembly Speaker’s Office – including being the lead Assembly staffer on the historic passage of AB 32, which made California the first state in the nation to place caps on greenhouse gas emissions. So trust me when I say, California’s elected leaders have a huge opportunity to stave off the worst impacts of climate change by enacting the governor’s current Climate Budget.
An array of offshore wind turbines at sunset. (Photo: TebNad, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Offshore wind energy in California would create quality jobs. Legislators should put the state on a path to development. In California, we know that building a clean energy economy means high-quality blue-collar jobs.
Vertical-axis wind turbines in California. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)Officials with jurisdiction over about 80 percent of California’s power grid say the state faces a grim outlook as summer heat, wildfires and a severe drought intensify. Hoping to reduce strain on the power grid, experts are looking at alternative energy generation, distribution and storage. Some of these systems, inspired in part by the meltdown of California’s electricity market two decades ago, already are in place across the state.
An industrial power plant festooned with smokestacks. (Photo: J.D.S., via Shutterstock)OPINION: Every summer California fires up dirty fossil-fuel “peaker” power plants across the state to try to keep the lights on. Want to guess where these plants are usually located? That’s right, overwhelmingly in underserved neighborhoods and communities of color.
An image illustrating research into public-private partnerships. (Photo: Ada Ghazali, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The pandemic caused devastating economic damage to our communities. While the job market may never return to what it was before 2020, it’s undeniable that government action, combined with the ingenuity of small businesses and corporations, staved off what could have been even further socioeconomic harms.
Solar energy units atop houses in Vista, in northern San Diego County. (Photo: Simone Hgan, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Over the past few weeks, we have seen an increase in activity and misinformation from opponents of AB 1139, California Solar Equity and Ratepayer Relief legislation, authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego).
California Latinos celebrate the 3election results at a Nov. 7 rally in downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: Matt Gush)OPINION: The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris has left Harris’ Senate seat open. In appointing someone to fill this seat, Governor Newsom has the opportunity to secure another historic first by selecting our state’s first Latino or Latina U.S. Senator.