Chop Wood, Carry CA 5/15 ☀️

Hi, all.

There is a LOT happening on the CA legislative front right now. I have a couple of calls for you to make. Trust me, they’re important for our climate, and our pocketbooks.

👉🏼 First, between now and Thursday morning, can you please call your state senator's office and let them know you support SB-1497?

Here's an example of a script:

Hello my name is ___ and I am a resident of ____. I am calling to urge [Senator ____] to vote yes on SB 1497. This bill will make the world’s biggest fossil fuel polluters pay their fair share for the climate damages they have caused in California. Californians shouldn’t be paying to clean up after these polluters. Please vote YES on SB-1497 and hold these fossil fuel companies accountable. Thank you.

👉🏼 Second, this week is make or break for AB 1999. Asm. Irwin (author of AB 1999) and Speaker Rivas made a compromise for a new version that caps the Utility Tax at $24 a month, limits increases to inflation, and sunsets the tax after three years. Yes, it’s higher than we wanted BUT AT LEAST IT IS CAPPED. That means it can only rise with the cost of inflation and cannot jump to $70 or $100 a month without legislation, and puts the whole process in the public eye.

It’s still a heavy lift for utility-supporting legislators. And the vote will be close, even at $24 a month. Utilities influence a lot of our legislators. So please help if you have any connection with these legislators, ask them to vote yes. Most of these listed are not with us. It will be a close vote.

1) Everyone please call Buffy Wicks, Chair of Asm Appropriations  (916) 319-2014 — she is the biggest decision maker  (script below)

2) If you are a constituent of the below legislators, call them right away, too. (Script below)

Assemblymember Jim Patterson 916-319-2008

Assemblymember Villapudua 916-319-2013

Assemblymember Grayson 916-319-2015

Assemblymember Haney 916-319-2017

Assemblymember Arambula 916-319-2031

Assemblymember Hart 916-319-2037

Assemblymember Mike Fong 916-319-2049

Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo 916-319-2052

Assemblymember Bryan 916-319-2055

Assemblymember Calderon 916-319-2056

Assemblymember Ta 916-319-2070

Assemblymember Sanchez 916-319-2071

Assemblymember Dixon 916-319-2072

Here is the script for both calls:

Hi my name is _____. I am a constituent from [zip].

I am asking the Assemblymember to vote YES on AB 1999 with amendments. This, for him/her, is a career defining moment. Is s/he helping utilities make bigger profits or is s/he for protecting our pocketbooks? The other side is not telling the truth about the utility tax. We have compromised at $24 a month. It’s still twice the national utility tax average and will still harm millions of ratepayers but we have accepted the compromise by Speaker Rivas.  Pass AB 1999, cap this utility tax and let’s move on. Thanks!

OK, all. More soon. Thanks for making these calls!

Jess