Thank You CA Assemblymembers for Climate Action!

In 2024, environmental leaders in the Assembly took bold action by authoring, championing or supporting laws that will reduce global warming pollution and protect the environment. Learn more about the contributions of key assemblymembers in securing this important climate action!

Assemblymember Robert Rivas

Asm. Rivas speaking at a climate policy summitPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Rivas led the charge to ensure that climate bills passed out of the Assembly. Thanks to his leadership, bills to hold the oil industry accountable and accelerate clean energy growth passed the finish line and will soon start benefiting Californians.

Assemblymember Dawn Addis

Environment California staff at a “Make Polluters Pay” rallyPhoto by Last Chance Alliance | Used by permission

Asm. Addis led on AB 3233, which empowers local communities to restrict oil and gas operations in their jurisdictions. This is important because a recent court decision threw out Los Angeles and Ventura county laws to ban oil and gas drilling. Now that Gov. Newsom signed the law, communities have the clear authority to block destructive activities like this. She also authored AB 2537, which would have helped more local communities get involved with and informed about California’s offshore wind development process and AB 80 build to set up a science hub to ensure wind doesn’t harm marine life. 

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan speaks at California Ocean DayPhoto by Marc Olivier LeBlanc | Used by permission

Asm. Bauer-Kahan authored AB 2236, which will reduce unnecessary plastic waste by banning the distribution of plastic bags at grocery store checkout counters. Reducing plastic pollution is essential for our climate and our environment: besides being made of fossil fuels, plastic causes significant pollution of our ocean and waterways.

Assemblymember Steve Bennett

Asm.Bennett meets with constituents at California Ocean DayPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Bennett played a leading role in defending California’s climate and clean air budget as chair of the Assembly’s climate budget subcommittee. He authored a suite of bills to protect the ocean, to reduce plastic pollution by banning single-use plastic bottles in state buildings, ban the use of gill-nets that catch sea lions, sharks and dolphins and leading the way on a ACR 210, a resolution calling on state agencies to prioritize creating new highly and fully protected marine protected areas in California to get to our 30 x 30 goals.

Assemblymember Marc Berman

Environment California with Asm. Friedman and Asm. Berman introducing solar legislationPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Berman led the effort to decarbonize California’s manufacturing sector by passing AB 2083 though the Assembly. The bill would have created a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions of California’s industrial sector, which still emits large quantities of air pollution and global warming pollution.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta

Asm. Mia BontaPhoto by Public Domain | Public Domain

Asm. Bonta led the charge on increasing investments for clean transportation solutions including electric vehicle charging infrastructure with AB 2535, rather than spending more money on unnecessary, traffic-inducing and polluting highway expansion projects.

Assemblymember Issac Bryan

Asm. Issac Bryan speaking at a Make Polluters Pay rallyPhoto by Last Chance Alliance | Used by permission

Asm. Bryan led efforts to protect Californians from oil and gas pollution by authoring AB 2716 to shut down more oil wells in the Inglewood Oil Field, one of the largest urban oil fields in the United States. 

Assemblymember Damon Connolly

Photo by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Connolly was a driving force in fighting for a state budget that prioritizes clean air and climate investments while eliminating wasteful subsidies and tax benefits for oil and gas companies. He also stood up for residential solar and authored a bill that was signed into law to expand the right-to-know for parents when pesticides are sprayed near schools. 

Assemblymember Laura Friedman

Press conference introducing AB 2256Photo by Laura Deehan | TPIN

Asm. Friedman was a climate champion in multiple areas, leading on promoting rooftop solar energy with AB 2256 and on holding oil drillers financially liable for the harm caused by their drilling with AB 3155.

Assemblymember Gregg Hart

Environment California’s Dan Jacobson celebrates AB 1866 passing with Asm. HartPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Hart led the charge on addressing California’s dangerous idle well crisis by authoring AB 1866 to plug and clean them up faster. This bill will help ensure that well operators are held responsible for cleaning up their messes, leading to less pollution and healthier communities.

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi

Photo by Marc Olivier LeBlanc | Used by permission

Asm. Muratsuchi was the sole state legislator to stand up for clean air by voting no on four bills that were ultimately vetoed by Gov. Newsom. These four bills would have led to more pollution from trucks and boats.

Assemblymember Diane Papan

Asm. Papan supporting Prop 4Photo by Public domain | Public Domain

Asm. Papan was a key player in shaping and passing environmental legislation this year as the chair of the Water, Parks, & Wildlife committee. She helped pass important efforts to protect California’s oceans and coastlines such as a resolution calling on state agencies to prioritize creating new highly and fully protected marine protected areas.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin

Asm. Pellerin with Environment California staffPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Asm. Pellerin led on a bill to require warning labels on gas stoves and ranges, which would have helped educate Californians about the health and environmental threats of pollution from gas powered cooking. She also stood up for coasts and ocean protection by endorsing a proposal to expand marine protected areas.

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris

Asm. Petrie-Norris with Environment California’s Laura Deehan and Dan JacobsonPhoto by Staff | TPIN

As the Assembly’s utilities and energy committee chair, Asm. Petrie-Norris helped advance clean energy and climate action passed through the Assembly.  She authored an important bill, AB 2779, to speed up the deployment of renewable energy sources using grid enhancing technologies.

Assemblymember Anthony Rendon

Asm. Anthony Rendon in committeePhoto by Public Domain | Public Domain

Asm. Rendon, as an outgoing Speaker of the Assembly, helped lead several key environmental bills through the assembly and to the finish line. He supported and helped pass legislation this year to keep clean energy growing, protect Californians from oil and gas pollution, and protect our iconic natural spaces.

Assemblymember Luz Rivas

Asm Luz Rivas with Environment California staff and offshore wind advocatesPhoto by Andy Smith | Used by permission

Asm. Rivas has been a strong defender of the environment and public health in her time in the California state legislature. She has led efforts to protect California’s ocean from deep sea mining, stand up to plastic polluters, and support renewable energy such as rooftop solar and offshore wind. Thank you for your environmental leadership, Asm. Rivas!

Assemblymember Rick Zbur

State Director Laura Deehan presents Offshore Wind Champion award to Asm. Rick ZburPhoto by Jean Marie Biele | Used by permission

Asm. Zbur helped promote clean, renewable offshore wind energy in California by leading the effort to include nearly half a billion in funding for offshore wind infrastructure in the state’s $10 billion climate bond, Proposition 4.

Learn more about the legislation passed in 2024.