SB394 makes progress in the Assembly — decision by Appropriations Committee coming soon!
In May, we shared that our bill that will create a master plan for healthy, sustainable, and climate-resilient schools passed out of the California State Senate on a unanimous, bipartisan vote. Authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), SB 394 is co-sponsored by UndauntedK12, California Federation of Teachers, Generation Up, and California Labor for Climate Jobs, and backed by the more than 30 member organizations of our statewide, cross-sector coalition.
Tiffany Mok (CFT), Dr. Lisa Patel (Stanford Medicine), Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), Dr. Mary Ann Dewan (Santa Clara County Office of Education), Jonathan Klein (UndauntedK12) outside California Senate Hearing Room - May 2023.
This summer SB 394 advanced through the Assembly committees on Natural Resources and Education, and was referred to the committee on Appropriations. On Friday, September 1, Appropriations will announce which of the hundreds of bills in its purview are to be released “off suspense” for a vote on the Assembly floor in this legislative session. If SB 394 moves on, then we are ready to make our final push for approval. But, if the bill is held up, our advocacy will not relent. Whichever path points the way forward, we will keep you informed and let you know how you can support the bill’s ultimate passage.
While SB 394 has been “on suspense” in the Assembly, our coalition has stayed active and gained new allies.
We met with members of the Governor’s staff and mobilized letters signed by 1,000 key stakeholders, urging state leaders to allocate funding for the master planning process. Like his predecessors, Gov. Newsom has more often vetoed bills when their funding sources were not identified within the already-approved state budget. $10 million to support a planning process for California’s 10,000 public K-12 schools is a modest item in the context of a $311 billion budget – especially when a smart plan will position California schools to fully leverage massive new federal incentives for clean energy and green schools – yet the funding remains to be identified.
At an August 17 rally in Sacramento, our co-founder, Jonathan Klein, was honored to stand with allies and members of the Legislature under the banner of Upgrade California, a campaign to enact four complementary bills that lay the groundwork for the state to remake its infrastructure for a clean energy future. With the master plan for climate-ready schools, Upgrade California also urges bills to create a statewide strategy for climate-ready homes, establish performance standards for large buildings, and accelerate access to clean electricity. The rally drew attention in major broadcast and print media, continuing to expand our movement.
Our next Climate Ready Schools Coalition meeting is scheduled for September 21 at 10am via Zoom. Be in touch if you’d like to be added to the calendar invite or have ideas, questions, or input on our approach to SB 394 or the year ahead.
