Assemblymember Hayashi, along with Hayward City Mayor Mike Sweeney, Hayward City Councilmember Barbara Halliday, Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker, Mr. Andy Wilson, representative for the California Pilots Association and Ms. Audrey LePell, representative for Citizens Against Pollution spoke on behalf of AB 1909: Local Government Power Plants in the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce on April 7 at the State Capitol. AB 1909 ensures that the California Energy Commission honors its process by fully considering the input of the local community.

AB 1909 would require the State Energy Resources and Development Committee, more commonly known as the California Energy Commission (CEC), to obtain the approval of the local governing body for the construction of additional thermal power plants and related facilities in a jurisdiction with a preexisting thermal power plant.  The bill’s intent is to prevent a city such as Hayward from shouldering the environmental and health burdens of producing our state’s energy. 

At the request of Alameda County Supervisors, AB 1909 was amended with an urgency clause.  The bill was held over for another hearing which is to be scheduled.