As always after an election, I’m wondering how the results will affect our work to protect the environment in the new year—specifically the results of the initiatives that were on the ballot.

From reducing our dependence on oil to leveling the playing field in elections, Californians had a lot of decisions to make on the 13 initiatives they were confronted with on the November ballot. Environment California took positions on three of the measures facing voters and the results were a mixed bag for environmental protection.

There was a significant victory for the environment when voters rejected Prop. 90, a deceptive initiative disguised as eminent domain reform. It contained hidden provisions that would have cost taxpayers billions and ended many environmental protections.

In a close battle that came down to the wire, Prop. 87, the Clean Alternative Energy Initiative, was defeated. Big Oil’s $100 million spent opposing it was ultimately too much for the grassroots efforts of Environment California and other organizations. The initiative would have set a goal to reduce consumption of gasoline in California by 25 percent over the next 10 years by creating a fund for clean, alternative energy development.

Prop. 89, the California Clean Money Initiative, was also defeated. While this was not strictly an environmental issue, we felt it was important to be involved in this campaign to create a level and fair playing field for California elections and reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests in our state. Had Prop. 89 passed, it would have made defeats on important environmental issues, such as Prop. 87, less likely in the future.

Despite the mixed results at the ballot box, I do see progress. The 2006 legislative session saw the passage of more environmentally friendly legislation than any year in my memory (see pg. 3 for more details). And California is now leading the country in efforts to cut global warming pollution (see pg. 1) and to increase solar power usage (see pg. 4). Most importantly, the victories and defeats only strengthen our determination to do even more to protect California’s air, water and open spaces in 2007.

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Legislative Director