The 2023-2024 California state budget is nearly final! After an initial draft budget that included $6 billion in cuts to climate investments, action from people like you convinced Governor Newsom and state lawmakers to restore funding for several key climate and energy programs. Thank you to everyone who took action!
While we appreciate the reinstatement of key climate budget priorities, we are disappointed that environmental justice priorities were largely cut from the final budget. These include community resilience centers, additional funding for the Transformative Climate Communities program, and support for community solar and storage. In addition, some climate-smart agriculture programs had funds rescinded from past allocations. California’s leaders must prioritize frontline communities who have been overburdened by pollution and continue to bear the brunt of climate impacts. As we all face increasing, off-the-chart extremes around the world, The Climate Center and our partners will continue working to ensure California cements its global climate leadership by supporting these vital programs and others at the funding levels required for accelerated, equitable climate action.