Leading locally on climate change. Now!
It’s been said that the best time to act on climate change was yesterday, and the next best time is today. I agree.
My work on climate change began in earnest in the California State Legislature. As a member of the State Assembly, I co-authored (with then-State Senator Byron Sher) the landmark 2002 Renewables Portfolio Standards bill, which required California electricity providers to acquire at least one fifth of their power from clean, renewable sources — like wind, solar, and geothermal — by 2017.
As a State Senator, I chaired the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality; in that role I helped guide the passage of (and co-authored) the California Global Warming Solutions Act, which established the state’s most aggressive effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To make sure we’d actually achieve those goals, I wrote legislation moving up the deadline for 20% renewable energy use to 2010, while also strengthening the program’s monitoring and economic efficiency.
I soon went even further, pushing more of the state’s electricity to come from clean renewables. In 2011, my “33% Renewable Energy by 2020” bill was approved and signed into law. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu called it a “groundbreaking piece of legislation.”
Today, California is demonstrating impressive outcomes from the implementation of those climate policies. Our economy is growing while carbon pollution is declining. And with innovative advancements in clean energy and energy efficiency, the state is poised to meet even more ambitious renewable energy goals. As we should.
People said it couldn’t be done. But we did it — in large part because we made the progress I was sure we could on renewable energy. Today, California has a deep climate and energy portfolio to draw from and expand upon.
When I returned to the County Board of Supervisors in 2013 I was determined that we take steps at the County level to do our part. Fortunately, our entire Board was committed to the cause. Some of these efforts include:
- The Creation of Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE)
I proposed the participation of our County, and was a founding Board member of SVCE, which provides clean energy (at a lower price than PG&E), and is now the local energy provider for Santa Clara County and most of the cities within the County.
- Solar and Renewable Energy
Since 2019, 100% of electrical power for County facilities is from renewable sources, making our county one of the top 10 local governments in the country in terms of renewable energy usage and among the top 20 of all public and private organizations for energy generation in the nation.
- Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Five years after our County committed to a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, we forged a pathway to get there sooner — by 2030. At the same time, we’ll be exploring the carbon sequestration potential of 52,000 acres of county parklands to offset any remaining emissions and provide other community and ecosystem benefits.
- All Electric Buildings
Our County now requires new buildings in unincorporated parts of the County to use electricity instead of natural gas, and to include infrastructure for solar and battery storage and electric vehicle charging.
- Agriculture Resilience Incentive Grants
This first-of-its-kind program provides grant funding to farmers for compost and mulch application, and 25 other pre-approved agricultural practices that improve soil health and help to hit the brakes on climate change by pulling carbon out of the air.
- Urban Forestry and Stewardship
Our Board approved a goal of planting and maintaining 1,000 trees each year in Santa Clara County, established a partnership with the County Office of Education to plant 1,000 trees on school campuses, and secured a grant from the CalFIRE Urban and Community Forestry program to help fund the effort.
Addressing the impacts of climate change is a job that truly requires a range of solutions and “all hands on deck.” The need for urgency is increasingly apparent, and the clock is ticking.
We have to do more, and we have to do it faster. Let’s go!
This article was originally published in Los Gatos Living in January 2024.