POLITICO California Playbook PM: A setback for oil in California

Presented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers West: Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Aug 25, 2022 View in browser   By Camille von Kaenel and Lara Korte Presented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers West SETBACKS MOVE FORWARD — State lawmakers behind the latest proposal to ban oil and gas drilling from California neighborhoods are hoping this one will stick. A new bill introduced today, at Gov. Gavin Newsom's last-minute request, would require a 3,200 buffer between new wells and sensitive areas like hospitals and schools. The proposal from State Sens. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) would also require strict emissions control on existing oil and gas operations in the setback zone. The legislation is already facing opposition, with the Western States Petroleum Association, the California Chamber of Commerce, and other business and energy groups circulating a letter urging lawmakers to vote no on the bill, saying it could cost the state billions and undermine the legislative and regulatory process. Its passage would be significant, as two previous attempts to pass the ban, by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Limón, respectively, have fizzled in the state Senate in recent years without Newsom's explicit support. Once, the proposal died in the Senate after passing the Assembly. Another time, it died in a Senate committee, with "no" votes from more moderate Democrats such as Sens. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) and Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys). Now, those Democrats and others are facing a pressure campaign from the left: The California Environmental Justice Alliance ran full-page ads worth $30,685 in the Los Angeles Daily News and the San Diego Union-Tribune today targeting Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, along with Hueso and Hertzberg, urging them to support the ban. What makes this effort different is Newsom's backing, as Limón noted in an interview. If this story sounds familiar, that's because last fall — shortly after he declined to go to bat for the last setbacks bill — the governor announced that the state's oil and gas agency would set a buffer zone through a new regulation. But the rule remains unfinished. Alex Stack, a Newsom spokesperson, said establishing setbacks in state law would make it stronger against the threat of lawsuits from the oil and gas industry. The legislation is a big deal for community advocates in Kern County and elsewhere who have long fought for it over concerns about health dangers from well leaks. Environmentalists have characterized the lack of setbacks in California as a stain on the notoriously green state: Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania all have some sort of buffer zone between oil and gas drilling and neighborhoods. "I feel like the communities that I work in have been screaming into the void for a long time," Cesar Aguirre, a community organizer with the Central California Environmental Justice Network in Bakersfield, said last month in an interview. The fate of the legislation will likely ultimately be tied up with the rest of Newsom's climate and energy package, which lawmakers are rushing to hash out before the end of session on Wednesday. HAPPY THURSDAY AFTERNOON! Welcome to California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to cvonkaenel@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open!   A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West: Healthcare workers have been through hell during the pandemic. Before the vaccines, as COVID-19 infection and death rates soared, healthcare workers continued to go to work–sometimes without the proper equipment to keep them safe. They put their lives on the line for as little as $15 an hour. They were there for us. Now, it's time we are there for them. Tell lawmakers to increase the minimum wage to $25 for healthcare workers.   ALL ABOARD THE HOUSING TRAIN — After months of contentious debate, labor groups and lawmakers have finally come together on a housing plan they say will streamline new home construction to augment California's critically-low housing supply. Atkins, the Senate president Pro tem, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) announced the news just this afternoon. The agreement centers on Senate Bill 6, the Middle-Class Housing Act, by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and AB 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland). Caballero's bill would spur the creation of housing in existing commercial and retail space, and Wicks' bill would "accelerate production of millions of affordable and mixed-income housing along transit-friendly commercial corridors," according to a joint statement. Efforts to pass meaningful housing legislation have languished in the Legislature this session, due, in large part, to disagreements and opposition from labor groups. This compromise is co-signed by the NorCal Carpenters Union, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and the formidable State Building and Construction Trades Council of California — although the Trades still do not support Wicks' bill. ON THE BEATS NOT SAFE AT WORK — Your boss won't be able to make you come to work — or stay there — during an emergency if Newsom signs a labor bill into law in the coming weeks. SB 1044 would come into play for workers when they are in immediate risk of physical harm, or if an evacuation order is issued at work, home or at their child's school. The bill would also make it illegal for bosses to stop workers from using mobile devices or other forms of communication for emergency assistance. The legislation's chances of becoming law are much improved now that the California Chamber of Commerce has removed its opposition. — Alexander Nieves STUDENT HOUSING CRUNCH — It's now up to Newsom to decide whether to exempt colleges and universities from some environmental review requirements when they build campus housing — a proposal meant to stem an increasingly visible and contentious crisis in college affordability. Senator Wiener's SB 886, now headed for Newsom's desk, was born out of a high-profile case at UC Berkeley in which the university warned it would have to reject thousands of qualified applicants after a judge capped enrollment at 2020-21 levels after finding the university didn't adequately review the environmental impact of expanding enrollment. A legislative fix to Berkeley's enrollment calamity was inked into law in March, but Wiener and others have continued to push for more broadly reducing constraints on university housing. After clearing a final vote in the Legislature this week, the bill will now test Newsom's willingness to intervene in local housing issues as students and campus neighbors alike face skyrocketing rents. One optimistic sign for backers: The governor already sided with Berkeley in its legal fight, filing a brief with the California Supreme Court in favor of Cal. — Blake Jones   A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West:   AROUND CALIFORNIA SOUND THE ALARM — "Most Californians view state's water shortage as extremely serious, poll finds," by the Los Angeles Times' Ian James: "The survey of more than 9,000 voters statewide found that 71% said the state's water shortage is "extremely serious," while 23% described it as somewhat serious." "Far fewer of those voters indicated they are directly feeling the effects of the drought, according to the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Just 9% said they and their families have been affected "a great deal" by the current water shortage, and 32% said they've been affected somewhat, while 57% said they have been affected "only a little" or not at all." — "California has a higher life expectancy than much of the US, report says. Here's how long," by the Sacramento Bee's Hanh Truong: "For life expectancy calculated from birth, California ranked at four with a total life expectancy of 79 years, male life expectancy at 76 and female life expectancy at 82. The study found that western states, such as Hawaii, Idaho and Oregon, and northeastern states, such as Connecticut and Massachusetts, have the highest life expectancy at birth." "Mostly southern states — Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky — had the lowest life expectancy at birth. Mississippi ranked last on the list at 51 with a total life expectancy of about 72 years, male life expectancy at about 69 and female life expectancy at 75." Compiled by Sakura Cannestra. MIXTAPE SLIPPERY — "Amplify Energy reaches tentative settlement deal in O.C. oil spill lawsuits," by the Los Angeles Times' Laura J. Nelson and Hannah Fry. — "She went missing 31 years ago in California desert. Sister's DNA helps identify her," by the Los Angeles Times' Summer Lin. — " The window to protect Big Bear from wildfire is shrinking," by KCRW's Caleigh Wells and the California Newsroom's George LeVines.   A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West: During the height of the pandemic, with COVID-19 infections and deaths on the rise, schools and businesses across California were closing. But healthcare workers continued to go to work, risking their lives to care for their patients. Even when protective equipment was scarce and there were no vaccines to slow the spread, they showed up for us and our communities. For many healthcare workers, they put their lives on the line for as little as $15 an hour. These heroes deserve better. Together, we can make a difference. Contact your state lawmakers. Tell them to increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour for California's healthcare workers.     Follow us on Twitter Katy Murphy @katymurphy POLITICO California @politicoca   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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