Wed 5/15: Urgent! Now is the time to prepare our electrical grid for climate change. Go and comment at the CA Public Utilities Commission meetings tomorrow, Thurs, May 16th.

(This is a guest action from Jan Dietrick, Coordinating Team Member, 350 VC Climate Hub) FB event page

Action – Public Comment to the California Public Utilities Commission Thurs, May 16, at 9:30 am Oxnard City Council Chamber & at 7 pm at OPAC.

Atmospheric CO2 Just Exceeded 415 ppm For The First Time in Human History!

Ventura County residents have two rare opportunities to speak for 2-3 minutes in front of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) about the type of energy we want to use in our homes and how we want to increase the safety and resiliency of our power grid. The damage from the Thomas fire and the ever-increasing menace of climate change make it clear that new solutions are necessary. These appointed officials are not influenced by letters or phone calls, but speaking to them can be very impactful. They can be moved when we show up and demonstrate our interest in how they regulate our utilities.

The CPUC doesn’t normally come to Oxnard, but because we are a wildfire-prone area, they are holding a Public Participatory Hearing at 7-8 pm on Thursday, May 16 (tomorrow!) on how SoCal Edison will prevent future wildfires. While they are here, they are holding their regular 9:30 business meeting in the morning at the Oxnard City Council Chamber. Public comments are welcome at both meetings! Get there early to sign in to make comments and read this for more info.

CPUC Morning business meeting: May 16, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM, Oxnard City Council Chambers, 305 W. Third St., Oxnard, CA 93030; also available via listen-only phone line at 1-800-857-1917, passcode 92105.
CPUC Evening presentation: May 16, 7 p.m.: Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Ventura Room, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, CA 93030

Here are some talking points… Choose what makes sense to you.

Continue reading “Wed 5/15: Urgent! Now is the time to prepare our electrical grid for climate change. Go and comment at the CA Public Utilities Commission meetings tomorrow, Thurs, May 16th.” →

Tues – 1/29: How has climate change affected you?

(Photo – Thomas Fire burns near Meiners Oaks in the Ojai Valley.)

This is our chance to let Congress know how climate change is affecting our lives.

(From Jim Hines, Los Padres Sierra Club)

Greetings Climate Activists:

Our good friend congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources will be holding a month long series of hearings on the climate change crisis.

And he wants to hear from YOU. How has climate change impacted YOU.

Please share your thoughts with Chair Grijalva here.

Chair Grijalva will be using your comments and testimony from the hearings to develop far reaching climate change legislation this year

Jim

This is a nation-wide appeal. Share are far as you can.

Wed 10/31: This is scarier than anything that will come to your door tonight. Last day to comment on this environmental travesty.

On Tuesday, we asked people to comment on a proposed rollback of CA’s Clean Car Standards (Due 10/26), reminding us that even during the distractions of this election season, the Trump administrations’ efforts to push all of our environmental protections through a regulatory shredding machine, continues without pause. We need to gather our wits, our computers and smartphones, and keep fighting on this moving battle line.

Action – Comment on Trumps’ proposal to replace the “Clean Power Plan” (CPP) with his criminally inferior “Affordable Clean Energy” (ACE) plan. – DEADLINE OCT. 31st. 11:59 EST

skull pollution Continue reading “Wed 10/31: This is scarier than anything that will come to your door tonight. Last day to comment on this environmental travesty.” →

Thurs 10/25: All Trump’s “Affordable” power plan will cost us are the lives of 1400 of our most vulnerable. Every year.

Action – Comment on Trumps’ proposal to replace the “Clean Power Plan” (CPP) with his criminally inferior “Affordable Clean Energy” (ACE) plan. – DEADLINE OCT. 31st. 11:59 EST

skull pollution Continue reading “Thurs 10/25: All Trump’s “Affordable” power plan will cost us are the lives of 1400 of our most vulnerable. Every year.” →

Fri 9/7: Get ready for the Climate March tomorrow. Dress like fire.

Facebook link. RSVP link. Host’s website link.

Please join RISE VENTURA at the beach near the parking garage and pier at 2:00. Here, we will spell out VOTE for a photo op before we march up to City Hall. The march will end behind City Hall in the parking lot, where we will spell out RISE and send up a drone to capture the image with the Botanical Gardens behind us.

Bring your signs and your spirit! Also, bring hats, sunscreen, and water. (Free refills will be available at the end of the march.)

We will have several extra signs as well as some sign-making materials for those who need them.

Participants are encouraged to wear yellow, orange, or red to the event.

PLEASE RSVP so that we know how many people are coming AND invite your friends and family! Hope to see you there! Remember, to change everything, it takes everyone!

Fri – 7/27: The fight over liability for tragedies like the Thomas Fire is almost over…join in now!

(Photo of site of Hawaiian Village Apartments, Ventura, CA)

Make this call immediately!

California investor-owned utilities, including Southern California Edison, are working at the State Capitol to change California’s liability laws to shield themselves from financial liability if they are found responsible for the devastating recent fires in the State, including the Thomas Fire and the mudslides it caused. Their proposed legislation, AB 33, has already passed the CA Assembly and is heading into its final state Senate votes.

How are they doing this?

Along with Governor Brown, PG&E and SCE are lobbying Sacramento to change California’s application of inverse condemnation law to investor-owned utilities (IOUs) like themselves. They are also trying to have California pass a bond measure that would require ratepayers to reimburse the bonds used to finance wildfire settlements.

What is “inverse condemnation”?

First, let’s start with a term most of us already know – “Eminent Domain”, where the government has the power to force the sale of private property for a public project or use provided that the owner is paid just conpensation. Governments with eminent domain power can sue defendants to force “direct condemnation“.”Inverse condemnation” switches the parties around, with the property owner suing the government for a taking of private property without eminent domain procedures and without payment of compensation. This can included temporary taking/occupation such as flooding.

Is inverse condemnation a new thing?

Continue reading “Fri – 7/27: The fight over liability for tragedies like the Thomas Fire is almost over…join in now!” →

Tues 5/22: Make large retirement funds acknowledge the risks of climate change. Due 5/24!

(Shared from Indivisible Berkeley)

SB-964 Public Employees’ Retirement Fund and Teachers’ Retirement Fund: investments: climate-related financial risk.

Minimal Script:

“Hi, my name is (name) and I live at (street,city and zip). I am very worried about climate change and the harm it is causing. I am calling to urge the Committee to move SB 964 to a vote in May, so it can proceed to the full Senate. By requiring CALPERS and CALSTRS to consider climate-related financial risk for all their investments, this bill should prod all companies to calculate their financial risk from climate change. Because SB 964 requires that CALPERS and CALSTRS publicly report on the climate related financial risk of all the companies in its portfolios this bill will also focus public attention on the economic damage fossil fuels are creating and the importance of transitioning away from fossil fuels as fast as is feasible.”

Send your comment to Committee Analyst:
Robert Ingenito
robert.ingenito@sen.ca.gov

Background

CALPERS is the largest public pension plan in the country and CALSTRS is the second largest. Together their portfolios are worth $560 billion. Their size gives them tremendous influence. More and more data is becoming available making it possible to link fossil fuel companies to their share of climate change. Several lawsuits, Continue reading “Tues 5/22: Make large retirement funds acknowledge the risks of climate change. Due 5/24!” →

LAST DAY to combat climate change deniers & fossil-fuel-industry shills trying to get on the EPA Science Advisory board! -9/28

You may think it doesn’t matter if climate deniers take over our scientific review committees.

“Under Pruitt, the agency has already removed a Web page devoted to climate change science that presented the scientific consensus view that it is largely caused by humans, and Pruitt has endorsed the idea of a “Red Team”/“Blue Team” exercise, in which a group of outside critics would interrogate the validity of mainstream scientific conclusions. The agency also has begun taking steps to roll back Obama-era climate regulations, while President Trump has proposed deep cuts to climate research.” (wapo)

You may think that no one in their right mind would write in to defend these people…so you can just relax…

Continue reading “LAST DAY to combat climate change deniers & fossil-fuel-industry shills trying to get on the EPA Science Advisory board! -9/28” →

Release the OFFICIAL National Climate Assessment Report/Reinstate the National Climate Advisory Committee because…duh! 9/15

Minimal Script: I am calling Sen.[Feinstein/Harris] and Rep. [Brownley,Carbajal] to demand the official release of the National Climate Special Report, a comprehensive scientific assessment of climate change impacts, and to urge the reinstatement of the National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee which develops policy based on the Report’s findings.

More script if you want it: The committee already leaked their draft because they were afraid it would be suppressed. We taxpayers have already paid for it, now we want the government to act on it.

Call Senator Feinstein: DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430

AND Senator Harris: DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884

Other Senator Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

More Info:

Continue reading “Release the OFFICIAL National Climate Assessment Report/Reinstate the National Climate Advisory Committee because…duh! 9/15” →

NO on Sam Clovis – yet another climate change denier – and worse! Where does Trump find these people?

Script: I’m calling Senator [Feinstein/Harris] to oppose Sam Clovis to serve as the Department of Agriculture’s top scientist. He is neither a scientist, nor does he accept that climate change is real. He has accused progressives of “enslaving” minorities, and called black leaders “race traders.” He is a purely political appointment with no real qualifications to serve.

Senator Feinstein: DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430

Senator Harris: DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884

Not in California? Other Senator Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

More Info:

Continue reading “NO on Sam Clovis – yet another climate change denier – and worse! Where does Trump find these people?” →