Los Angeles, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution in support of the Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act (AB 1243 / SB 684) — a landmark bill that would make Big Oil pay a portion of their fair share of the skyrocketing costs of climate disasters like wildfires, floods, and extreme heat.
The California Natural Resources Agency estimates that climate disasters will cost California at least $113 billion annually by 2050, excluding critical costs like illness, death, and loss of property from wildfires and ecological impacts. Recent climate disasters like the historic wildfires that devastated L.A. earlier this year and caused $250 billion in damages show this number is only growing. The council voted unanimously to hold the oil industry accountable for peddling products they knew would cause the catastrophic climate damages now driving up the cost of living in the state and straining household, tribal, and local city and county budgets.
“The LA Fires are just one of countless examples of the devastating consequences of the climate crisis,” said Emma Silber, Climate Justice Associate at Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles. “From extreme heat to polluted air, frontline communities are paying the price for the climate crisis with their health. Angelenos and countless communities across the State are tired of being held responsible for the actions of Big Oil companies. It’s time to hold them accountable. It’s time to Make Polluters Pay.“
At a press conference today at L.A. City Hall just before the council voted on the resolution authored by Councilwoman Yaroslavsky and seconded by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, climate and social justice advocates joined Yaroslavsky local leaders in calling on the State Legislature to reject fossil fuel industry misinformation and support working families already struggling with rising utility bills, insurance premiums, and medical bills due to climate change.
“Californians’ budget problems will only get worse with more costly climate disasters like the L.A. fires, so lawmakers need to look for real solutions,” said Maya Golden-Krasner, deputy director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, and who also fled the Eaton Fire. “Big Oil’s already poised to get surging federal subsidies. Instead of taking aim at California’s environmental protections, state leaders should hold the largest fossil fuel polluters accountable for the costs of their climate damage to the state. Passing the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act would raise billions of dollars to bolster public services, fortify against future climate catastrophes, and invest in our communities. That’s why a broad coalition of health, environmental justice, worker rights, youth, and climate groups are demanding lawmakers pass this bill.”
L.A. City Council is responding to a burgeoning statewide grassroots movement of ordinary people, who, along with an expanding list of local elected officials, are expressing strong support for the Climate Superfund Act. 90 elected officials from 23 counties across California have signed onto a letter urging Governor Newsom, Senate Pro Tem McGuire, and Assembly Speaker Rivas to support this common-sense legislation, which can serve as a revenue-generator when California needs it most.
“At a time where Angelenos are experiencing some of the worst impacts of climate change, we desperately need common-sense climate laws that actually hold polluters accountable for their role in our current climate crisis,” said Andrea Vega, Southern California Senior Organizer with Food & Water Watch. “From extreme heat to massive, destructive wildfires, our city needs resources and action now to address the impacts of climate change – and passing this resolution to hold polluters accountable is a vital first step. Angelenos should not have to bear the financial burden of a crisis driven by the fossil fuel industry’s greed. We now need our state representatives to follow the lead of their colleagues in Los Angeles and the growing calls from the hundreds of thousands of Californians across the state and pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act.”
Similar resolutions are cropping up across the state, already passing in the cities of Albany and Berkeley, and the county of San Francisco. In San Diego, a resolution supporting the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act was introduced by City Council President LaCava, approved by the Council Rules Committee on June 12th, and will be heard by the full council on July 15th. Spurred on by a groundswell of grassroots energy driven by San Diego youth, San Diego’s resolution is expected to pass.
Authored by Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) and Asm. Dawn Addis (D-San Luis Obispo), the Climate Superfund Act would establish a statewide program under California’s Environmental Protection Agency to assess fees on the largest historical emitters of climate pollution. The Climate Superfund could generate $150 billion or more in revenue over the next two decades and should not lead to new fees, costs, or taxes on other companies, individual taxpayers or consumers. The money generated would be used to fund community resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and investments in workers, training, and opportunities in green infrastructure projects to accelerate the transition away from climate-harming fossil fuel pollution.
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LCA LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that Los Angeles County is the traditional home of the Tongva, Chumash, and Tataviam people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.
