Assemblymember Skinner’s Climate Change Hearing

(Oakland) – Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), as Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, led an intensive discussion on climate change in Oakland on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. State officials, experts and business leaders discussed numerous subjects, including: implementation of California's groundbreaking climate change policies; the challenges and opportunities for businesses as California transitions to a low-carbon economy; how the growth in green jobs is helping California's economic recovery. The hearing coincided with significant developments in the implementation of AB 32 -California's Global Warming Solutions Act, the debate in Congress over federal climate change legislation, and the start of two weeks of talks between nearly 200 nations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Here’s more from Assemblymember Skinner in this Assembly Access video.

View More Videos from this Hearing

Hearing Summary

California Leading the Way on Climate Change

As Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee I will be holding a special hearing regarding climate change in Oakland on Tuesday, December 8.

A panel of key state officials, including Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, local experts and business leaders will discuss the following subjects: 

- Implementation of California's groundbreaking climate change policies.

- The challenges and opportunities for businesses as California transitions to a low-carbon economy.

- How California's fight against global warming provides a leadership example for the rest of the nation and the world.

- How the growth in green jobs is helping California's economic recovery.

Tuesday's hearing coincides with significant developments in the implementation of AB 32 -California's Global Warming Solutions Act, the debate in Congress over federal climate change legislation, and the start of two weeks of talks between nearly 200 nations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

The hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 8 at the Elihu Harris State Building Auditorium, 1515 Clay Street, Oakland from 1pm to 4pm.

View the agenda here.

Questions should be directed to the Natural Resources Committee at (916) 319-2092.

Caldecott Tunnel Construction Update

Dear Friend,

Construction on the long-awaited Caldecott Tunnel Extension project is expected to begin in late 2009/early 2010. I have asked Caltrans to co-host a community meeting with me on the Caldecott Tunnel Construction Project for those residents living east of the tunnel. Caltrans project officials will be on hand to answer questions from the community regarding construction plans, schedule, timeline, and community impacts.

Thursday, December 10, 2009
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Orinda Community Center
Founders Auditorium
28 Orinda Way
Orinda

The proposed project is to construct a 2-lane fourth bore tunnel north of the existing three bores. Federal, state, and local funding has been secured for this fully-funded project. This project is a partnership between Caltrans, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency. Project goals include: improve mobility for motorists and emergency crews along State Route 24 via the Caldecott Tunnels; reduce delays and improve travel times; eliminate the need for daily tunnel lane reversals and merges; and enhance safety for the traveling public and Caltrans maintenance workers.

I hope you will join me for this community discussion. I look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Assemblymember Nancy Skinner

Did you know TV's are responsible for 10% of your electricity bill?

The Energy Commission's proposed efficiency standards will bring more efficient models into the market and help lower your electricity bill.”
BBC interview with Assemblymember Skinner (mp3)

Update on Richmond Incident

Dear Friend,

Like you I am deeply distressed at the sexual assault and beating of a young woman that took place last weekend on the Richmond High School campus. My thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family.

I write to update you on what you can do to help, the steps that are being taken to increase safety at Richmond High, and to assure you that the Richmond Police Department has shown the utmost professionalism in their response and are diligently and thoroughly working to investigate the incident and to arrest all responsible parties.

Ways that residents of AD 14 can help:

• For information on ways to help the victim, please visit the WCCUSD website.
  
  
• A Community Healing Event, an event to come together as a community and take a stand against violence, will be held Tuesday, November 3, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., on the front steps of Richmond High School, 1250 23rd Street, in Richmond. Please wear white.

Upon hearing about the incident, my office reached out to the campus and school district. We learned that the school district was waiting for State approval to construct a fence at Richmond High. My office immediately made an inquiry and discovered that the timeline for approval was some weeks away. In response to our inquiry and in the interest of public safety, the State Architect's office prioritized Richmond High's fence project and completed the initial approval process late Friday.

On Saturday, I also attended the parent meeting at Richmond High along with many concerned parents, school officials and community members. I want to counter some of the news reports you may have heard. While it is shocking that there were individuals who observed the incident and did not report it, there were also students who when they learned what was occurring made the calls to the authorities. At Saturday's meeting parents, students and school officials were committed to work together to heal from this tragedy and help prevent such incidents in the future.

I know that in this time of crisis, we will come together and make our community stronger. I will continue to look for and support solutions that can prevent another senseless crime. Please contact my office if you have ideas. It is an honor to serve you in Sacramento.

Sincerely,

Assemblymember Nancy Skinner

Bay Bridge Open!

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today that repairs to the eyebar have been completed and as of 8:56 a.m. the Bay Bridge has reopened to traffic. 

Thank you for your patience as the repairs were made in the interest of safety, not time.  I would also like to thank all of the public transit agencies that stepped up on short notice to provide additional service. 

My office has been in communication all week with Caltrans, monitoring progress as the repairs were made.  My office will continue to be in contact with Caltrans to debrief and make improvements where needed to improve our ability to respond to any future emergency situation.

For more information on the repairs that were made, please visit http://baybridgeinfo.org

Into the end zone, AD 14 bills signed into law

Dear Friends,

On Sunday night a number of my bills were signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger. The successful bills included giving foster youth better access to college housing, making AC Transit buses more bike friendly, creating a "Center for Community Life" in the City of Emeryville, and landmark energy efficiency legislation that will produce over 100,000 green jobs in California.

Here's a snapshot of the bills I authored that the Governor signed into law:

Assembly Bill (AB) 758 - Energy Efficiency: Equity, Jobs and Green Buildings

Directs the California Energy Commission to implement a program to achieve efficiency in existing buildings across the state. California already has the pre-eminent energy efficiency building code for new construction, expanding this goal to our aging building stock AB 758 will move California's leadership from gold to platinum. Drawing on federal stimulus funds for energy efficiency retrofits and recently approved utility funds, AB 758 promises to create thousands of new jobs to aid California's economic recovery.

AB 1393 - Foster Youth Priority Housing in College

Mandates the University of California, California State Universities and California Community Colleges to give priority for on-campus housing to emancipated foster youth. A significant obstacle for foster youth to continue their education after high school is stability in housing, particularly when on-campus housing closes during holiday and campus breaks.

AB 652 - Bike Friendly Buses

Makes it easier for bicycle commuters to use buses by allowing the Alameda-Contra Costa (AC) Transit District to install bike racks that can accommodate more bicycles. Providing service to bicycle commuters is integral to the mobility and quality of life of thousands of people in our community. This increased capacity will make bicycle and bus commuting a more attractive option and helps reduce pollution associated with vehicle travel.

AB 1080 - City of Emeryville's Center for Community Life

Authorizes the partnership between Emery Unified School District (EUSD) and the City of Emeryville to construct a new school and community services facility - the Center for Community Life - on land owned by the school district. This new authorization will apply to school districts and local governments statewide.

The bills described above will become law on January 01, 2010.

Here are bills that will continue into the 2010 legislative session:

AB 560 - Renewable Energy Net Metering

Increases the current cap on net metering customers from 2.5% statewide to 5%, ensuring that homeowners and businesses that install solar or wind systems are credited on their energy bill for the energy their systems produce.

AB 999 - Opportunities for Success at the Department of Juvenile Justice

Motivates Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) wards to succeed by providing incentives for participation in education, rehab, anger management and other beneficial programs, as well as reducing the amount of time that can be added to their sentences.

All legislation begins as an idea, and the best ideas come from constituents just like you. If you have an idea that could make a good law, please call our office at (510) 286-1400 or e-mail me directly here.

It is an honor to serve you in Sacramento.

Sincerely,

Nancy Skinner
Assemblymember, 14th District

Existing housing and commercial buildings are the largest single contributor to global warming in the United States, accounting for 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions nationally.

Learn more about my efforts to meet our future goals for affordable, clean and reliable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through my Assembly Bill 758 FAQ | Factsheet

Nancy in the News

• September 10, 2009- Caps Loom Large for Solar Panels

“Assembly-woman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkley is determined to sponsor legislation for continuation of the credits against electric bills for the solar powers generated by residents of California.”

• September 09, 2009 Assembly delays vote on infant health safety measure

"Babies as we all know, are very little, very helpless and very dependent," Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) told the Assembly. "Their body weights cannot tolerate toxins at the rates adults can.”

• September 02, 2009 Online retailers challenge California sales tax legislation

”Assembly Bill 178, by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, proposes to make online retailers collect tax on California orders if the company also has affiliates in the state and those affiliates have generated $10,000 in annual sales from residents. A legislative analysis of the bill says that Amazon.com has "hundreds, if not thousands of affiliates in California who receive a commission on sales which they refer to Amazon.”

• August 31, 2009 Uncertain Fate for Prison Fix-Lite

“For those who wanted a quick fix to California's prison woes, some advice: don't hold your breath.”

For more articles visit our Newsroom

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California Budget Crisis - Resolved, For Now

Tuesday July 28, 2009
Last week, my Assembly colleagues and I passed a package of bills to resolve California's cash crisis and eliminate an unprecedented $24 billion deficit. For the moment California's cash crisis is resolved. I say for the moment because with the economy still in freefall California's revenues may continue to decline causing a deficit once again in just a few months.

The bills we passed made adjustments to the 2009-10 budget originally adopted in February. While we adopted the 09-10 budget on time, by May it was out of balance due to the precipitous drop in state revenues.

The budget revisions make many painful cuts to our schools, to needed human services and to state workers. Yet in the midst of this unprecedented crisis the agreement negotiated by legislative leaders preserved many programs, minimized some of the most harmful cuts, and reduced the takeaways to local governments. Our actions included:

• Safeguarding Proposition 98 and ensuring repayment of $11.2 billion to K-12 education
• Minimizing cuts to CalWORKS and In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) programs
• Saving Healthy Families Program and stopping eligibility reductions
• Preserving Cal Grants
• Preventing closure of state parks and the opening of oil drilling off our coastline
• Avoiding local government gas tax fund takeaway and ensuring local government reimbursement for Prop 1A suspension
• Retaining billions in federal funds at risk from Governor's proposed cuts that would have failed to meet federal requirements.

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