From our friends at  Food & Water Watch:

Big CA legislative victories against fake climate solutions

We took on some of the biggest fights in the legislature and in the end, we were able to overcome massive spending from our corporate opponents.

We couldn’t have done this without people power and we thank you for your continued support! Check out four of our big victories this legislative year:

1 — In our biggest victory, we defeated A.B. 813, a bill that would have given up California’s control over our energy grid to other states and to the Trump administration.¹

This terrible plan would have derailed our efforts to move California to 100{5fc40a96f14c4a6aa4c2a32569b0a57dcc67c0b31eb04c341474283f11b6cdd2} clean, renewable energy, and would have kept us hooked on dirty coal and gas energy from other states for years to come.

With your support, we sent thousands of messages and made hundreds of calls to decision makers. Because we won, California remains in control of its energy sources.

2 — We stalled a backdoor effort by Governor Brown to make Californians pay higher water bills and property taxes for the $17 billion corporate tunnels.

At the hearing to extend a key water contract on September 11, decision makers verbally committed that amendments before the legislature that day would not be used to finance bonds for the Delta tunnels, and that any future amendments to the water contracts related to the tunnels would go back to the legislature for proper review.²

This political shift is a direct result of years of organizing and education on water issues in California. With the help of our partners and supporters like YOU, these offices were getting calls once every 3 minutes the day before the final hearing!

We must continue to hold Senator Holly Mitchell, Senate President Toni Atkins, Speaker Anthony Rendon and other members of the legislature accountable to the these commitments moving forward.

3 — We worked to stop a bad bill that would have made Californians pay for dirty new pipelines to bring dairy gas to our cities. Though this bill — S.B. 1440 — passed, with our efforts, the worst parts of the bill were taken out.

The fracked gas companies were hoping to pass a version of this bill that would keep us hooked on their gas by including biogas from very polluting mega dairies in the central valley as part of California’s clean energy portfolio. Burning more methane is not clean renewable energy!

4 — We weren’t only on the defensive this year. We also worked proactively with partners to pass a bill — S.B. 998 — that will help protect seniors and low-income residents from getting their water shut off!4 We believe we all have a right to safe drinking water and this bill will help get us one step closer. Celebrate Our Wins: Make a Gift Today! We’re up against big corporations that are giving big dollars to politicians. We will never take money from the same corporations that are waging war against our climate and health. And even when big corporations outspend us significantly, we’re able to beat the odds and come out on top! We count on the support of folks like you to remain uncompromised in our goals for safe, affordable drinking water for all, and a 100{5fc40a96f14c4a6aa4c2a32569b0a57dcc67c0b31eb04c341474283f11b6cdd2} CLEAN, renewable energy revolution! Onward together, Adam Scow California Director Food & Water Watch 1. Legislative effort to reorganize California’s electricity grid dies, San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 31, 2018. 2. THIS JUST IN … Statements from Restore the Delta and Food and Water Watch, Delta Counties Coalition in response to Joint Legislative Budget Committee Hearing, Maven’s Notebook, September 11, 2018. 3. Watchdogs Sue Metropolitan Water District Over Delta Tunnel Financing, Food & Water Watch, September 10, 2018 4. Legislature approves Dodd’s water bill, goes to governor, Vallejo Times-Herald, Aug 30, 2018.

We’ll never take money from the corporations that got us into this mess. Not one cent.  Food & Water Action is powered by people like YOU. Donate