The results are in! Xavier Becerra has been elected the next governor of California.
From day one after taking office in January, he’ll have an incredibly important task ahead of him: putting California back on track to meet our climate goals while delivering on his promise to make the state a more affordable place to live.
I believe he can do it, but he’s going to need our help.
We didn’t hear much about climate from Becerra on the campaign trail. That’s not because Californians don’t care — 85 percent of voters, including a majority of both parties, say the environment is an important factor in determining their vote for governor. And recent polling shows that wildfires and climate change rank as the top two environmental issues within our state. But Becerra didn’t have to say much to separate himself from his opponent Steve Hilton, a climate denier who vowed to dismantle many of the state’s major climate policies.
With the election behind him, I’m hopeful that we’ll soon hear more from the governor-elect about his vision for climate action over the next four years.
Already, there’s reason for both optimism and concern. I’m excited by Becerra’s proposal for a “Power Hour:” a two-hour window of free electricity for low-income families during the day, when solar energy is cheap and abundant. That’s an incredible opportunity to invest in building the Grid for the Future and to lower monthly bills while making progress towards 100 percent clean electricity. But I am wary of the significant corporate money that’s flown to the Becerra campaign since May, especially from Chevron and PG&E. If our new governor is going to stand up to the corporate polluters responsible for the climate crisis, it will be up to our movement to hold him accountable.
It’s time to raise your voice! Join me in urging Governor-elect Becerra to make climate action a priority from day one in office.
By the way, we’re closely following the returns for Prop 45, which would fast-track permitting for polluting projects like data centers. This measure, opposed by The Climate Center and more than 500 other nonprofit organizations, looks likely to fail, but it could take several more days to count votes and determine an official result.
This article first appeared in The Climate Center’s bi-weekly newsletter. To keep up with the latest climate news and ways to take action for a climate-safe future, subscribe today!
