Gov. Newsom Plans to Veto SB 1
Ag Council Commends Governor for Announcing this Impending Veto
Hours after SB 1 (Atkins) passed the State Legislature and legislators adjourned for the year, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Saturday that he will veto the measure.
Newsom said, “I fully support the principles behind Senate Bill 1: to defeat efforts by the president and Congress to undermine vital federal protections that protect clean air, clean water and endangered species. Senate Bill 1 does not, however, provide the state with any new authority to push back against the Trump Administration’s environmental policies and it limits the state’s ability to rely upon the best available science to protect our environment.”
Ag Council President Emily Rooney said, “We commend the governor for his position on SB 1 recognizing that the measure would interfere with California’s ability to utilize the best available science in our environmental protection efforts. By signaling a veto, Governor Newsom is acting to protect California’s water supply and reliability for all water users in the state and we thank him.”
SB 1 would have required adherence to policies in place prior to President Donald Trump taking office by mandating minimum federal environmental and labor standards in existence as of January 19, 2017 as baselines in California, regardless of actions taken at the federal level to change or repeal those standards.
Among the concerns in the measure, a provision applying the California Endangered Species Act to the management of the federal Central Valley Project remained in the bill, which would have led to years of litigation.
Ag Council and our members appreciate the governor announcing his intent to veto SB 1.
Packaging Legislation Stalls in Legislature
Sweeping legislation regarding single-use packaging stalled in the State Legislature during the waning hours before adjournment on Saturday morning. A push to move the legislation – SB 54 (Allen) – did not manifest enough support despite the fact the bill only needed a simple majority vote.
Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) said in a tweet, “We weren’t able to get the votes necessary this late hour for SB 54. But rest assured, we will be back in January working to get this bill to the governor’s desk.”
Many legislators remained skeptical of the extremely broad scope of the measure, as well as granting authority all at once to a state agency to both craft an implementation plan regarding single-use packaging and develop regulations without having to come back to the Legislature.
Ag Council supports the goals of the measure to reduce single-use packaging waste though source reduction (less packaging), recycling or composting by January 1, 2030. However, concerns remained regarding the lack of a shared responsibility in the legislation with local jurisdictions and waste haulers who are critical to the success of any waste management program.
Certainly, waste reduction is an important goal that Ag Council members agree with and are actively engaged in within the marketplace. Given this collective interest to reduce waste in California, we look forward to collaborating through the fall with legislators and the Administration to work toward passage of a bill next year.