News Room: Environment
June 2012
Friday, June 01, 2012
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The State Senate this week passed a bill by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to ensure that any liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals built in California are done in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
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May 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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A proposal by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and State Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) to keep open up to 50 state parks slated for closure will be up for a vote in a Senate budget subcommittee on Wednesday morning, May 23. The parks proposal will most likely start to be heard between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
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February 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who authored the California law prohibiting coastal dumping by cruise ships and other oceangoing vessels, praised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its announcement today that it is finalizing a rule to ban all sewage discharge from large ships in state waters along the California coast.
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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A federal rule banning ships from flushing their sewage into the sea within 3 miles of the California coast was approved Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The prohibition, which will go into effect next month, means cruise and cargo ships will no longer be able to discharge treated or untreated effluent or gray water anywhere along the coast, a practice that regulators blame for spreading bacteria and disease in marine mammals, fish and people.
The new rule will create the largest coastal no-sewage zone in the nation, covering the entire 1,624 mile coast from Mexico to Oregon 3 miles out into the ocean. It is expected to prevent the dumping of 22.5 million gallons annually of ship waste, a good portion of which has historically oozed into San Francisco Bay.
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January 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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The Power Association of Northern California (PANC), a nonprofit energy and utility association, has chosen State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) as their “Person of the Year.” Simitian is being recognized for his work authoring SB 2X, a bill which made California a national leader in its commitment to renewable energy. Simitian will be presented with the award on Thursday in San Francisco.
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December 2011
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
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SolarTech, a national renewable energy consortium, will present State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) with its annual “Solar Hero” award on Thursday in San Jose. As this year’s public sector honoree, Simitian is being recognized for his Senate Bill 2X, which made California a national leader in its commitment to renewable energy.
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October 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
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Legislation that will let California citizens continue making voluntary donations to two worthwhile causes when filing their personal income tax returns was signed by Governor Jerry Brown.
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Wednesday, October 05, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) bill to streamline regulatory and environmental reviews for infill development and renewable energy projects.
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September 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
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Next year, California’s population will surpass 40 million. That’s twice as many people as were here in 1970 when the state passed its landmark resource protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
CEQA, which governs the environmental review process for most construction and infrastructure projects, has been at the heart of some notable achievements, such as saving Mono Lake and looking at the cumulative impacts of proposed development. While the law has protected the environment by improving planning processes and stopping many ill-conceived projects, critics can fairly point to cases where competitors have used it to obstruct projects, even where the environmental benefits and job creation opportunities were obvious.
Forty years later, it’s time to make changes to CEQA to better align the law that governs most growth decisions in the state with 21st century challenges, like climate change and how to support a rapidly growing population.
One such reform is on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk now. He should sign it.
Senate Bill 226 by Senators Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, allows infill projects—that is, projects within already-developed areas—that meet state-of-the-art environmental standards to take advantage of a streamlined review process. The bill rewards applicants whose projects have the best environmental features with faster and lower cost approval, and it provides other projects with a meaningful incentive to improve. It also eliminates duplicative levels of review, eliminating waste and allowing sponsors of infill projects to take advantage of previous environmental analyses and rely on good local planning.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
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Legislation that would streamline regulatory and environmental reviews for infill development and renewable energy projects passed the Legislature on a bipartisan vote last week and now heads to Governor Jerry Brown for approval.
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June 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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The Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies (CEERT) named State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) a “Clean Power Champion” for 2011 at their annual awards benefit in Sacramento Tuesday night.
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May 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) was recognized as an Environmental Champion by Green California Tuesday night during its Advocacy Day reception in the capital. Green California is a network of more than 70 environmental, health and justice organizations who, with their more than 1 million memberships, support the state’s most pressing environmental issues.
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April 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 2X into law at the SunPower/Flextronics solar manufacturing plant in Milpitas on Tuesday, April 12. Governor Brown and Senator Simitian were joined by U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu for the signing ceremony and dedication of SunPower’s new facility.
More pictures are available at the link below.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed into law a requirement that California get 33% of its electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy, by the year 2020.
Brown’s signature raises the former renewable-energy mandate of 20%. Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), author of the legislation, said the 33% benchmark would reduce air pollution and U.S. dependence on unstable foreign sources of oil, while creating more than 100,000 jobs. That number is based on research by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, a trade group representing renewable energy companies, according to Simitian’s staff.
“The new law will stimulate the economy and improve the environment, while protecting ratepayers from excessive costs,” Simitian said.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill into law that requires the state’s public and private utilities to obtain at least 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. He talked about the challenges of environmental policy and even invoked his old nickname:
“You can’t be afraid to be called a moonbeam, weird, deviant, interesting, unexpected and let’s get it done. Senator will you come up here so we can sign this bill? Clapping fades.”
The bill was written by Democratic State Senator Joe Simitian, who’s been pushing the change for several years.
“When we have hit 33% by 2020 ,we will look back on this day and say ‘look what California has done.’”
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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Today Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 2X, putting California in the national forefront in its commitment to renewable energy. The bill authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) requires private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020, raising the target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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Monday, April 11, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), the author of legislation requiring California to obtain 33% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020, will be in attendance and available for interviews Tuesday when Governor Jerry Brown signs Senate Bill 2X into law at the SunPower/Flextronics solar manufacturing plant in Milpitas. The Governor and Simitian will be joined by U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu for the signing ceremony and dedication of SunPower’s new facility.
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March 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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The sun, the wind and other sources of renewable power would supply one-third of California’s electricity by the end of 2020 under a bill that finally cleared the Legislature on Tuesday after years of false starts.
The bill would give California one of the nation’s most aggressive policies for increasing the use of renewable power at a time when comprehensive federal energy legislation has been stalled in Washington. State Sen. Joe Simitian, who wrote the bill, cast it as a way of boosting California’s clean-energy industry, which has continued to grow in recent years despite the recession.
“If we send a clear signal to the market, the market will respond, and investment dollars and jobs and tax revenues will come to California,” said Simitian, D-Palo Alto. “If we don’t send a clear signal to the market, those dollars and jobs and tax revenues will go to some other state or country.”
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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Legislation authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) that would put California in the national forefront in its commitment to renewable energy is headed to Governor Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 2X would require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, raising the target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
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In an editorial, NBC Bay Area applauds Sen. Joe Simitian’s Senate Bill 2X, that would require the state to obtain 33% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020.
Suzanne Shaw, NBC Bay Area Editorial Director, says, “We can lead the nation away from foreign oil and build a greener future for this state. We need our legislators and our governor to pass Senate Bill 2X.”
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February 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
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The California Senate today passed legislation authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) that would require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. Senate Bill 2X would raise the renewable target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard. The measure passed on a vote of 26-11.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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An editorial in the Los Angeles Times calls on the Legislature to pass Sen. Joe Simitian’s bill, SB 2X, requiring that 33% of the electricity in the state come from renewable resources. Some excerpts:
“The state still doesn’t have a renewable energy standard even though a sensible bill to establish one has been taken up annually since 2007. ... We’re once again hoping the political establishment can overcome its legacy of failure and give California an early lead in the struggle to wean the nation off of fossil fuels, clean the state’s air, boost its fledgling green industries and set an example on responsible mitigation strategies for climate change.”
“It’s very important for the standard to take the form of legislation rather than a gubernatorial order, because the latter can be changed at whim by any new administration. Without the force of law, utilities and investors lack the certainty they need to proceed with new renewable projects.”
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January 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
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In an opinion article, Senator Joe Simitian explains the importance of increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable resources.
In 2006, the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ambitiously committed California to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by the end of 2010.
The utilities blanched and the skeptics snickered. But despite much naysaying, we’ll get pretty darned close. The California Public Utilities Commission said we’d reach 18 percent by the end of this month, and move past 20 percent some time in the new year.
That’s good, but we can do better. California’s commitment to green energy has invigorated the renewable-energy market. An explosion of investment in green technology has produced advances in solar and wind power and a smarter electric grid. Combined, they have brought within reach what once seemed an audacious goal: 33 percent renewables by 2020.
With our 2010 goals clearly in sight, I’ve again introduced legislation that calls for a commitment, in state law, to a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2020. That measure, Senate Bill 23, is now before the Senate.
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December 2010
Friday, December 31, 2010
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This opinion article by Senator Joe Simitian appeared in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
By Joe Simitian
One way to build the economy back up is to take that expression literally—build things. Constructing offices, research parks, houses, schools, roads, bridges, and transit lines puts people back to work and money back into circulation. And the sooner, the better.
Starting January 1, a new state law will remove potential obstacles to those projects. Legislation I authored in 2010 makes it harder to delay construction projects with endless appeals, abuse of the process or frivolous complaints, while at the same time ensuring that developments are studied and essential environmental protections are preserved.
In boosting the economy, timeliness matters. The federal stimulus program sought projects that were “shovel ready,” with plans drawn and environmental reviews completed. Some private developers, eager to turn the sluggish economy into an opportunity to hurry their projects through, or around, environmental assessments, promoted an approach more akin to “just shovel already.”
Not for the first time, pressure to set aside the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) grew as the economy shrank. The California State Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee, which I chair, received a number of proposals to simply brush aside environmental reviews to push projects along. I couldn’t support that.
But after saying “no” to such proposals, I thought I ought to figure out what I could responsibly say “yes” to. After all, the development community had a point about the potential for opponents of a worthy project to force costly delays even after project approval.
The bill that resulted, Senate Bill 1456, earned bipartisan support, and was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Provisions in the law encourage mediation. The bill makes it more likely that people will sit down and work out their differences before suing. If a challenge is taken to court, it will be resolved more quickly.
Johnny-come-lately-opponents will be out of luck. An organization formed to overturn approval of a project must have at least one member who raised the objections before the approval was granted. Government bodies will have more latitude to decide that certain issues do not need to be restudied as projects are modified: For example, parking need not be re-evaluated because a plant’s potential water consumption has changed.
And when a project’s opponents just can’t accept a legitimate defeat, and turn up yet again in court, a judge may impose a $10,000 penalty for a frivolous lawsuit.
Too often, the environment and the economy are presented as opposites in a zero-sum game in which advances for one come at the expense of the other. It’s a false dichotomy.
A healthy environment and a vibrant economy are not competing ideals, but complementary ones. California’s attractiveness as a business destination lies in part in the natural beauty – mountains, ocean, delta, deserts – that lie just beyond the cities that are the heart of its economy. And within its developed areas, business leaders and rank-and-file employees alike want to live in pleasant neighborhoods, breathe clean air, and commute to work as conveniently as possible.
Environmental regulations can protect that quality of life without holding builders and businesses hostage to anyone who dreams up a fanciful reason to file a CEQA appeal. Senate Bill 1456 is a commonsense way to expedite worthy projects and create jobs without compromising environmental quality.
This new law reflects what Californians want – a state that provides a place where we can find work and share in general prosperity, a place where we can live in comfort and good health, a place where we can savor the splendid natural environment around us.
Joe Simitian represents the 11th State Senate District, which includes portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
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Even before California’s power companies have met a year-end target of getting 20 percent of their energy from renewables, like wind or solar, state Sen. Joe Simitian is upping the ante.
A bill introduced this week by the senator would require utilities to generate 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, a standard Simitian says will go a long way to fighting global warming, spawning green investment and assuring California a local source of energy. The proposal, Senate Bill 23, failed in past years but Simitian, D-Palo Alto, hopes this time will be different.
“I’m optimistic,” he said Tuesday. “This is sound energy policy.”
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Monday, December 06, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) today introduced legislation to require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. The bill would raise the renewable target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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Saturday, December 04, 2010
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After years of frustration at having their ideas vetoed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic state lawmakers said Friday that they are reviving scores of old bills in hopes of having better luck with incoming Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat.
The proposals they plan to revisit would give illegal immigrants access to financial aid at colleges, prohibit the practice of “spiking” in public pensions, require utilities to provide more solar and wind power, ban cellphones from state prisons and require college booster groups to disclose their finances.
“We’re going back to look at every bill vetoed in the last eight years,” said state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). “I do think with a change it makes sense to look at bills this governor wasn’t inclined to sign and the new governor might.”
Next week Simitian plans to reintroduce, among others, a measure that would prohibit last-minute bonuses and raises from resulting in sharp increases in state workers’ pensions, and a requirement that 33% of energy produced by utilities by the year 2020 come from renewable sources.
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September 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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Legislation authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to streamline the state’s environmental review process without weakening essential protections has been signed into law, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved Senate Bill 1456 today.
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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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Legislation authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to streamline the state’s environmental review process without weakening essential protections has passed the Legislature. Senate Bill 1456 now moves to the Governor’s desk.
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August 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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As the final days of the 2010 legislative session wind down in Sacramento, a Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing to give California the most far-reaching mandate for renewable energy in the United States.
But there’s more to it than putting up some wind turbines and solar farms. The lofty goal is struggling through a complex tangle of utilities, labor unions, environmental groups and green energy companies—each concerned about everything from the price of your monthly PG&E bill to the number of jobs the measure might, or might not, create.
“It is an extraordinarily complex task,” said State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, “both in respect to the issue itself and the politics surrounding it.”
The showdown over Simitian’s bill, SB 722, could come to a vote early next week. The bill would require California’s utilities to produce 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who authored the California law prohibiting coastal dumping by cruise ships and other oceangoing vessels, praised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its announcement today that it has proposed to ban all sewage discharges from large ships in state waters the length of the California coast.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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Cruise ships and large commercial ships will be banned from dumping any kind of sewage—even highly filtered wastewater—along California’s coast out to three miles from shore, under new rules from the Obama administration.
The rules, which are scheduled to be announced Wednesday at a news conference in San Francisco, give California among the strictest laws in the nation limiting pollution from large ships.
“This is going to cover the entire California coastline,” said state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. “Oceangoing vessels should not consider our coastline a place for dumping sewage.”
In 2005, Simitian wrote a bill that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed banning sewage discharges in state waters from cruise ships and commercial ships larger than 300 gross tons.
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July 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
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Senate Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration are embroiled in an improbable fight over renewable energy. They need to resolve it fast, for the sake of the state’s environment and economy.
The battle has its roots in California’s energy crisis of a decade ago. In one of the more significant measures to emerge from the debacle, then-Sen. Byron Sher pushed legislation in 2002 requiring that California’s privately owned utilities rely on the sun, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources for 20 percent of the state’s energy usage by this year.
The legislation made sense, given that energy merchants had been manipulating the supply of natural gas that fires most California power plants, and gouging utilities and, by extension, consumers.
By turning to renewable energy sources, Californians would gain more control over the electric system while also reducing carbon emissions.
Utilities have been racing toward the goal. Southern California Edison is closest. Pacific Gas ad Electric Co. is second. San Diego Gas and Electric Co. is lagging.
In too many instances, the utilities have turned to energy producers outside California for renewable energy. Out-of-state facilities provide no tax benefits or jobs to California. That makes no sense. Californians are expected to pay for renewable energy. As much of that money as possible ought to remain in California.
This issue is especially relevant as voters prepare to decide Proposition 23, the initiative on the November ballot that would suspend the separate mandate that California reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is also more urgent now that Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., have dropped energy legislation that had contained provisions to reduce greenhouse gases and increase renewable energy requirements.
The jostling on renewables became mind-boggling last year when Schwarzenegger, the governor who champions the environment, vetoed legislation that might have resolved the dispute. Now, Sen. Joe Simitian, a Silicon Valley Democrat who replaced Sher, is pushing a new version of the measure, Senate Bill 722.
Like last year’s measure, SB 722 would increase the mandate that utilities rely on renewable sources for 33 percent of the energy by 2020. That is laudable. Importantly, the bill also urges that 75 percent of the renewable energy come from within California.
On that point, the administration is balking, as are lobbyists for manufacturing industries. There are questions of cost and doubts about whether the state could meet the goal. To meet it, the state may need to streamline permitting requirements and help resolve fights between environmentalists and energy providers on appropriate sites for new wind, solar and geothermal plants.
But there is no reason to bypass California entrepreneurs for energy producers from Montana and other states. California has its own sources of renewable power.
Approval of SB 722 would be a step toward energy independence, and a significant accomplishment for the governor who has tied his legacy to California’s environment. In the process, he and lawmakers would be helping to provide high-paying jobs in an area where they have said they want to direct the economy.
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Wednesday, July 07, 2010
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With less than three months to go in the Legislature’s two-year session, State Senator Joe Simtian (D-Palo Alto) has introduced legislation (Senate Bill 1456) to streamline the state’s environmental review process without weakening essential protections.
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June 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
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Over the past 10 years, California spent more than $3.5 billion on an agency that failed to solve the water crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Now, the state is trying again - with a newly formed agency.
Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, author of the bill that created the new agency - the Delta Stewardship Council - said there is no guarantee the council will succeed where the old agency, CalFed, failed. But something needs to be done. Decades of “benign neglect and ineffective governance have not served the state well,” Simitian said. “There’s always some risk with a new direction, but I think the old model was a proven failure.”
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
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An editorial in the Los Angeles Times called on the Legislature to pass SB 722
Since 2007, state Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto) has been introducing bills aimed at requiring California to get 33% of its power from renewable sources such as the sun and wind by 2020.
California cannot achieve its ambitious goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions without this standard, which is why the Legislature should pass Simitian’s bill and Schwarzenegger should sign it. SB 722 would clean the air, produce jobs and make the state a player in the global race to dominate the green-technology industry.
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
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Legislation authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020 passed the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee today. Senate Bill 722, passed 9-2, would raise the renewable target from 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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Friday, June 18, 2010
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Legislation aimed at requiring California electric utilities to meet the nation’s toughest renewable power quotas easily passed its first test Thursday, gaining support from a large number of usually conflicting interests.
The bill would require utilities to get 33% of their power from renewable sources by 2020, a boost from the current 20% standard. The bill, SB 722 by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), was approved by the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on a 9-2 vote and is expected to win final passage in late summer.
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March 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
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Renewable power such as wind and solar, Simitian maintains, is a way to reduce global warming, create green jobs and wean the energy industry from its dependence on oil.
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Thursday, March 04, 2010
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Today State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) reintroduced legislation that requires all energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean, renewable energy sources by 2020.
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February 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
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Op-Ed by Rosamond L. Naylor and George H. Leonard
If aquaculture is to play a responsible role in the future of seafood here at home, we must ensure that the “blue revolution” in ocean fish farming does not cause harm to the oceans and the marine life they support.
In December, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) introduced in the House the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act, a bill that addresses the potential threats of poorly regulated fish farming in U.S. ocean waters. Her bill shares many of the features of a California state law, the Sustainable Oceans Act, which was written by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. That legislation regulates fish farming in state waters, which extend three miles off the California coast. At present, all aquaculture operations in California and the U.S. are located just a few miles offshore. [...]
The Obama administration is currently developing a national policy to guide the development of U.S. aquaculture. The administration would do well to embrace the vision articulated by Capps and Simitian for a science-based and precautionary approach to help ensure a responsible future for U.S. ocean fish farming.
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010
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How veteran California legislator Joe Simitian ’77 waded in to play a leadership role in California’s water reform battle.
A few miles downstream from the confluence of California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, their combined waters—the bounteous runoff from the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada—funnel through the Strait of Carquinez, gap in the low hills of the Coast Range. This geological chokepoint creates a rare hydrological marvel: a vast, inverted river delta—one of only a few inverted deltas in the world. It’s an immense, wildlife-rich estuary once known as the “inland sea.”
Over the past 150 years, though, the Delta’s abundant and flood-prone waters have been corralled by levees and tapped by giant aqueducts. Now the linchpin of California’s water supply, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta provides water to 25 million California residents and irrigates 5 million acres of cropland. But even as demand for the Delta’s water has grown, the supply has shrunk: The Delta has been plagued by four consecutive years of drought.
The combined effects of drought and diversion have devastated the estuary’s wildlife, especially fish populations. The Pacific smelt is on the verge of extinction, and wild salmon runs have dropped by 98 percent: from 3 million per year to just 50,000 per year. “There is, indeed, a salmon crisis in California,” Professor Holly Doremus, a Boalt Hall expert on state environmental laws, told California legislators in March 2009. “This is very obvious to anyone paying attention.” Doremus added, “This is not new. It’s as if we’ve waited until we’ve had a heart attack to seek medical attention rather than take preventive action.”
But it isn’t just wildlife that is at risk: Experts warn that the Delta’s 1,600-mile maze of flood-control levees, some dating back 150 years—is extremely vulnerable to collapse, and some estimates of flood damage from a Katrina-like catastrophe put the potential cost at $25 billion or more.
In April 2009, water shortages, ecological damage, and vulnerable levees prompted the environmental group American Rivers to declare the Delta America’s most endangered waterway. Environmentalists have long sought a solution to the situation. But just as the Delta is a geologic and hydrologic chokepoint, it’s proven to be a political chokepoint, too, defying a quartercentury of legislative attempts at water reform. Finally, in November 2009, the California legislature passed an omnibus package of water-reform bills. Designed to protect the Delta’s fragile ecosystem and improve water-supply reliability, the package included four bills to address the issues of water supply, environmental protections, groundwater monitoring, and oversight and enforcement, as well as a bond issue to fund future
water projects.
Fiscally, the most contentious piece of the water-reform bill signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger on Nov. 9 is likely to be the $11-billion bond issue that would fund future water projects. But philosophically, the linchpin of the package is SBX7 1, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian, ’77. Simitian’s bill creates two “co-equal goals,” water-supply reliability and an improved ecosystem in the crucial and fragile Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta. SB-1 also abolishes the troubled Cal-Fed program and the Bay Delta Authority, creating a new seven-member governing council to oversee future water projects and the Delta’s environmental protection. Simitian—chairman of the Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee—spoke at length with Transcript about his labyrinthine four-year journey through California’s water world.
Click the following link to access a PDF of the interview:
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Monday, February 01, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) was recognized today with a 2009 distinguished leadership award by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). The organization recognized Simitian for his work in the legislature dating back to 2001, when he became one of the first legislators to pass design-build laws for public agencies, focusing on K-12 school districts.
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January 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
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The California Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would give the state a larger role in monitoring and assessing future applications to build liquefied natural gas terminals.
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December 2009
Thursday, December 31, 2009
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Simitian — well-known for his cell phone driving bills — has another motorist law on the books beginning Friday.
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian’s voting record received high marks from a state environmental group and a state group advocating for seniors...
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has received top marks from state environmental and senior groups for his voting record this year.
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November 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed legislation by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), which aims to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensure an adequate supply of water for California in the years ahead.
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
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California lawmakers on Wednesday passed an $11 billion overhaul of the state's antiquated water system in a bid to supply a soaring population while preserving a fragile environment.
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
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SACRAMENTO - The California State Legislature has approved a package of legislation which aims to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensure an adequate supply of water for California in the years ahead. A key element of the package is Senate Bill 1 (in the Seventh Extraordinary Session), authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto). Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D- Sacramento) is a joint author.
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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The California Senate on Monday approved major portions of a plan to overhaul the state's water system, putting the Legislature close to agreement after years of discussions about updating the aging infrastructure.
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October 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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The Land Trust is currently at the helm of two new and related initiatives, both aimed at preserving Santa Cruz’s natural resources for future generations.
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
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Statements of Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) on Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto of SB 14, Senator Simitian’s bill that would have required all electric utilities to generate a third of their power from renewable resources.
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Friday, October 09, 2009
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Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Senator Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, sent the Governor the following letter requesting continued productive conversations working toward adopting an enforceable renewable portfolio standard.
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September 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
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Shortly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will have the opportunity to sign Senate Bill 486 into law. The bill, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), gives pharmaceutical manufacturers the opportunity to develop plans for the safe disposal of sharps waste.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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It concerns and troubles me greatly that I don't have a safe place to dispose of the needles I use to self-inject medication prescribed by my doctors to help control MS.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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The California State Legislature approved Senate Bill 14, which requires energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean, renewable energy sources by 2020.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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The Legislature's plan is flexible enough to satisfy many utilities and energy producers. It should be enough for the governor, too.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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California is poised to push green, renewable power to a new level, a goal of 33 percent of its energy diet by 2020. But there's a holdup from a surprise source: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, usually a reliable green-tech ally.
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Monday, September 14, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and supporters of his legislation, Senate Bill 14, called on the Governor today to reconsider threats of a possible veto.
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Monday, September 14, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will hold a conference call with members of the media to discuss SB 14, his bill to require all electric utilities in California to generate one third of their power from renewable sources by 2020.
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Monday, September 14, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
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The Legislature was poised late Friday to approve two bills setting a course for California to ratchet up its already ambitious renewable energy targets.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
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While the Senate was scaling back the prison reform efforts and water was caught up in political maneuvers, late last night, the legislature did approve SB 14, which requires all energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean renewable energy sources by 2020 has been approved by the legislature.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
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California legislators approved measures to increase the amount of power utilities are required to get from renewable sources, such as the sun and the wind.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
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Sacramento – Senate Bill 14, which requires all energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean renewable energy sources by 2020 has been approved by the legislature. The bill, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) now heads to the Governor who has until October 11th to either sign the legislation or veto it.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
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Hoping to add "green" jobs to a beleaguered state economy, California lawmakers are poised to take up new rules dramatically increasing the amount of renewable power used in the state over the next 10 years.
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Sunday, September 06, 2009
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To bring common sense to any plan, the state must set up a better way to govern the system. Today 200 agencies hold some power over the delta. State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has proposed a seven-member board.
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Friday, September 04, 2009
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Legislators should make the passage of SB14 a priority in their final week of session. If California is serious about reducing greenhouse gases - and turning this environmental challenge into an economic opportunity - then it must mandate the conversion to renewable sources of energy.
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Tuesday, September 01, 2009
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It's crucial for the Assembly and Senate to pass SB 14 and AB 64 before the session ends Sept 11. The sooner the target is set, the sooner California will start seeing benefits.
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August 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
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Sacramento- Today the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a letter in strong support of SB 14 by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). The bill requires investor owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, and energy service providers to procure 33% of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal by 2020. SB 14 passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, and is currently on the Assembly floor awaiting a vote.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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Farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are trying to convince other Northern Californians that the Peripheral Canal would be bad. But the narrow interests of the farmers do not coincide with the interests of people who live in the South Bay.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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To get around Sacramento gridlock, legislators attempt to create an independent body to decide how to restore and upgrade the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem is busted. That view prevails on all sides of a raging fight over the delta’s coveted water supply.
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Monday, August 17, 2009
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In Sacramento, stakeholders are lining up in support of and in opposition to a series of bills that would change how fresh water moves through the California Delta.
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Thursday, August 06, 2009
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State Democratic leaders have unveiled another legislative fix for the state's ongoing water problems. It's a package of bills that would mandate new conservation goals and create a commission with unprecedented authority over water policy.
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May 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian is inviting constituents in the 11th State Senate District to participate in the Senate’s first ever live streaming town hall from the State Capitol. “E-Upd@te With State Senator Joe Simitian” will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13th. All topics will be open for discussion during the one hour event.
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Saturday, May 02, 2009
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Winners of state Sen. Joe Simitian's 2009 "There Oughta Be A Law" contest traveled to Sacramento this week to testify on the merits of their proposed legislation. Soquel resident Liz Levy was one of them.
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April 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Sacramento – Winners in State Senator Simitian’s 2009 “There Oughta Be A Law” contest traveled to Sacramento this week to testify in the State Senate – with good results. Advocates for all three bills persuaded Senate Committee members that each of their bills should become state law. Each of the bills now moves onto the next steps of the legislative process.
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Thursday, April 16, 2009
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Sacramento -- The State Senate Thursday voted to approve legislation to provide for creation of a regional park and open space district in Santa Cruz County. SB 211, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and co-authored by State Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Santa Cruz) is sponsored by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water today passed a bill that seeks to improve the condition of California’s San Joaquin River Delta. Senate Bill 12 by Palo Alto democrat Joe Simitian would enact [...] the overarching goal of restoring the Delta ecosystem, which the author says he believes is in critical danger.
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Sunday, April 12, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, with help from Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Monterey, has introduced legislation that would make it easier for Santa Cruz County to establish an open space district.
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March 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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Sacramento – Senate Bill 14, which requires all energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean renewable energy sources by 2020 has been approved by the Senate 21-16. The bill, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) now heads to the Assembly.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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Less than a year after California voters rejected a ballot measure to increase the mandate to 50% by 2025, Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has authored SB 14, which would require 33% by 2020. The standard mirrors the level set in an executive order issued by the governor in November.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian today announced that a Soquel woman, San Carlos woman and San Jose fire captain are the winners of his annual "There Oughta Be A Law" contest.
The contest, run for the past eight years by Simitian, D-Palo Alto, offers residents an opportunity to submit suggestions for new legislation.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
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Sacramento -- After reviewing 331 proposals from residents around the state, State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today the three winners of this year’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian’s annual contest invites Californians to submit suggestions for new legislation.
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Sunday, March 15, 2009
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As the warnings about global warming mount, so does the resolve of state Sen. Joe Simitian to take California's clean energy policy to the next level.
The Palo Alto Democrat, who represents parts of Santa Cruz County, is pushing legislation that would require power companies to get 33 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
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February 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
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California's environmental report card for electricity looks respectable. Hardly any dirty coal. Many new, efficient natural gas plants. Hydropower generated either in-state or imported. Solar popping up on rooftops and spreading across the desert. Wind farms on the ridges.
And yet, in 2007, only 12 percent of the electricity used in California came from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and small hydroelectric facilities. That's renewable as in sustainable — as in landing lightly on the environment.
California is pushing to do better. A 2006 law, authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, requires the state to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2010.
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January 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has been named to two legislative posts relating to environmental issues by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.
Simitian will be the chairman of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy & Transportation and will be the chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, with jurisdiction over environmental quality, air quality, toxics, water quality and hazardous wastes.
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Thursday, January 15, 2009
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Sacramento - Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) announced that he has appointed State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) as Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy & Transportation. Steinberg also reappointed Simitian as Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, with jurisdiction over environmental quality, air quality, toxics, water quality, and hazardous waste.
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Thursday, January 01, 2009
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The message is clear today: Put your cell phone down while driving.
Beginning today, text messaging while driving is against the law and carries with it a $20 to $50 fine. The new law, authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, closes the technology loophole left after the hands-free cell phone law went into effect last year.
The new law is just one of the 834 bills signed into law in 2008 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. New federal, state and local laws that take effect Jan. 1, 2009 range from the naming of Devil’s Slide tunnel to the second consecutive year of minimum wage increases.
A few of those laws were ideas suggested to state Simitian through his annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian passed 14 bills, including ones that regulate deceptive sweepstakes practices and expands the small business loan program.
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December 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
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Palo Alto – As Californians usher in the New Year, they will find new protections for many including victims of sexual abuse, veterans and seniors. The protections will come from laws that State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) authored and will take effect on January 1, 2009. The following are among the 14 bills that Simitian received signatures on this fall from the Governor.
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Tuesday, December 02, 2008
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he introduced Senate Bill 14, which requires the state to buy 33 percent of its energy from clean, environmentally friendly renewable energy resources by 2020. Simitian said he introduced the bill on the first day of session, “because of the urgency of this issue.”
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September 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
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Sacramento – Governor Schwarzenegger today signed legislation to ensure that first-responders are adequately trained and prepared to take action on marine oil spills. Senate Bill 1739, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), addresses a variety of key obstacles to ensure the environmental health of California’s coast and ocean.
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Monday, September 29, 2008
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Palo Alto – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that Governor Schwarzenegger signed his Senate Bill 509, which establishes the Toxics Information Clearinghouse to allow consumers, businesses, and workers to gain knowledge about chemicals. SB 509 helps form the foundations for the Governor's Initiative on Green Chemistry, the most comprehensive in the nation, as a means for establishing a scientific-based process to evaluate chemicals and alternatives.
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July 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
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... In vetoing SB 908, the governor put principle ahead of the facts. He made a political statement and ignored the details of the bill.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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In Silicon Valley's famous "trees vs. solar panels" battle, the trees have won.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law Tuesday that guarantees if California property owners plant a tree before a neighbor installs solar panels on their roof, then the neighbor can't require the tree to be cut or trimmed, even if it grows to cast shade on the panels.
State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, wrote the bill in response to a Sunnyvale case that made national news and threatened to touch off statewide backyard battles as residential solar power installations grow in popularity.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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Sacramento – The contentious issue of “trees versus solar power” –– that produced a criminal conviction and drew international attention –– has been put to rest. State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed his Senate Bill 1399.
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April 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that his Senate Bill 1399, which strikes a balance between trees and solar, and provides a clear exemption from the California Solar Shade Control Act law for pre-existing trees, passed the California State Senate on a unanimous 38-0 vote. The bill now moves to the State Assembly for a hearing in June or July.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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Cruise ships sailing to and from California ports would be required to have a law enforcement officer known as an ocean ranger onboard to protect passengers, if a bill now before the state's legislature is enacted.
The California Ocean Ranger measure cleared its first hurdle last week when the state Senate's Public Safety Committee gave it unanimous approval, pushing the bill to the next step in the legislative process.
State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) introduced the measure, asserting that the cruise industry was not adequately protecting passengers from crime nor complying with environmental laws.
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