CITING TRUMP ATTACKS ON CALIFORNIA’S ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, STATE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS URGE VOTERS...

... TO REJECT PROPOSITION 45

Reps. Jared Huffman, Ro Khanna, Judy Chu Say Prop 45 Puts State Protections At Risk, as New Poll Finds the Measure Continues to Nosedive

SACRAMENTO – Leaders of California’s congressional delegation today announced their opposition to Proposition 45, the California Chamber of Commerce’s 41-page ballot initiative that would roll back state environmental protections and weaken the state’s defense against federal attacks on state clean air, water, and public health laws.

Rep. Jared Huffman, the Ranking Member of the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, was joined by Reps. Ro Khanna and Judy Chu in saying the state needs to protect its bedrock environmental law that would be weakened under Proposition 45 in the wake of attacks from the Trump Administration on California’s air quality regulations, water supplies, and endangered species protections.

"Trump is doing everything in his power to let his billionaire, big industry buddies ravage and obliterate California's environment to turn a quick buck,” said Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). “Proposition 45––being bankrolled by data center developers, corporate groups and other polluters––would undermine California's bedrock environmental protections at the worst possible time. Prop 45 doubles down on Trump's moves to push species to the brink of extinction and hurt the surrounding communities that depend on thriving ecosystems for their businesses, healthy air and water, and way of life."

“Proposition 45 is a handout to allow more data centers to be built, to allow for more pollution,” said Representative Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) in a video released Monday. “PG&E is behind it. They’re calling it an affordable housing bill, but that’s just not true. Firefighters, nurses and so many working families and environmentalists are standing up against Proposition 45. We can’t just give a green light to allow data centers to be built across the state and to give corporate polluters free reign. Vote no on Proposition 45.”

“Prop 45 is right out of the Trump playbook,” said Representative Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park). “It shreds state protections for our clean air and water, silences community concerns about pollution and leaves us all to pick up the bill. Utilities that have already raised our rates sky high are putting millions into this measure, hoping to fast-track massive new projects like data centers that could raise them even higher. Vote no.”

The three members of Congress join a broad bipartisan coalition of more than 550 organizations opposing the ballot measure. The latest PPIC poll shows the measure has dropped by more than 27 points in polling, and a majority of likely voters oppose the measure by four points (46% yes, 50% no).

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