Weekly Green: November 3, 2014

Good evening, California, on the eve of Election Day. This past week in news and opinion:

• CLCV releases California Environmental Scorecard;
• Scientists sound alarm in climate change report;
• Polls find support for Gov. Brown and his ballot measures;
• Drought, transportation, and more election news... and much, much more.

» Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Green, your no-frills news roundup provided free of charge by the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, sign up today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg

California Election and Environmental News

CA Environmental Groups Grade Legislators
It’s scorecard season in California. Advocacy groups are giving grades to legislators based on how they voted on bills in the last year’s sessions, and releasing the scores just in time to influence next week’s election.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/10/31/ca-environmental-groups-grade-legislators/

[ Read the 2015 California Environmental Scorecard ]

CLCV Blog: Voting tips on Election Eve
Election Day is tomorrow! We're excited, of course, but as in many midterm elections, turnout is expected to be low. That's why it's critical that every environmental voter gets out to vote. Here are a few helpful voting tips.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/voting-tips-election-eve

Scientists sound the alarm in climate change report
Climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels is already affecting life on every continent and in the oceans, and the window is closing rapidly for governments to avert the worst damage expected to occur later this century, scientists warned in one of the loudest alarms yet sounded by the international scientific community.
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-climate-change-20141102-story.html

Unusual warm ocean conditions off California, West Coast bringing odd species
From dolphins to jellyfish, unusual species are turning up off the West Coast as the ocean warms to its hottest temperatures in 30 years due to rare shifts in wind patterns.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26851300/unusual-warm-ocean-conditions-off-california-west-coast

Poll finds support for Gov. Brown and his ballot measures
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown is coasting to a historic fourth term with record-high approval ratings, and the ballot measures that he has made the centerpiece of his reelection bid — a water bond and a rainy-day fund — are also supported by a majority of likely voters, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-poll-election-20141102-story.html

Jerry Brown pushes water bond, makes no promises about Salton Sea
Backed by politicians from both parties, California Gov. Jerry Brown brought his whirlwind campaign to San Diego on Wednesday to urge passage of Proposition 1, the $7.5-billion water bond.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-san-diego-20141029-story.html

Prop. 1 aims to relieve drought — but not this one
California's stubborn drought helped push a $7.5-billion water bond through the Legislature and onto the November ballot. But even if voters approve Proposition 1, it won't provide relief any time soon.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-water-bond-20141029-story.html

Statewide ban on plastic grocery bags has broad support, poll shows
A statewide ban on plastic grocery bags has broad support among voters, presenting a challenge for industry groups that hope to overturn the law, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-poll-plastic-bags-20141101-story.html

To fight fracking bans, oil firms heavily outspend environmentalists
With a population of just 55,000 scattered among its hills, San Benito County seems an unlikely threat to California’s oil industry.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/To-fight-fracking-bans-oil-firms-heavily-5864369.php

Half of California voters getting mail ballots
More than one-half of California’s 17.6 million registered voters have requested vote-by-mail ballots for Tuesday’s election. The question now is: Will they use them?
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article3441781.html

Quinn: Election Day – By The Numbers
Thanks to Political Data’s fine analysis, we can now trace the early vote by day, party and district. There are more than 2.5 million ballots at the county registrars and from a partisan perspective the results are fairly promising for Republicans – if there is a national tide GOP tide it may not stop at the Sierras as it did in 2010.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2014/11/election-day-numbers/

Hiltzik: Voters are left in the dark on campaign spending by corporations
Voters are usually inclined to vote their pocketbooks. But that's become more difficult with every election, as the pocketbooks that carry the most weight aren't those of the individual voter, but corporations and plutocrats.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-20141102-column.html

40% of voters unaware Jerry Brown is seeking another term
Here’s an eye-opener: With the election Tuesday, a whopping 4 out of 10 voters don’t even know Gov. Jerry Brown is running for another term.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/40-of-voters-unaware-Jerry-Brown-is-seeking-5865196.php

Expecting low turnout, California Democrats sharpen the focus
Four years ago, Republican then-Rep. Dan Lungren bested Democrat Ami Bera by 75 votes in a precinct covering the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento County. Two years later, Bera won the precinct by 66 votes on his way to unseating the veteran politician.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/election/article3531389.html

Mailed ballots suggest low turnout in California
California appears on track for another low-turnout election as elections clerks and analysts report that the number of voters mailing in their absentee ballots has declined compared with previous election cycles.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/voters-640493-election-ballots.html

Parties Shrink, Races Tighten in Final 2014 California Voter Data
Political parties continue to shrink in California, with voters who state no party preference edging ever closer to being the second-largest subset of the state’s overall electorate.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/11/01/parties-shrink-races-tighten-in-final-2014-california-registration/

Engaged voters offer antidote to apathy
Defying every pollster, pundit and commentator who insists that Americans have lost interest in this year’s elections, the ultimate nonconformists of 2014 may be that increasingly rare but proud breed: the “voting obsessed.”
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Engaged-voters-offer-antidote-to-apathy-5864025.php

New California Department of Toxic Substances Control head appointed
Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a new head of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, whose previous leader departed amid criticism that the agency was falling short in its mission to police polluters.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article3501371.html

Outside spending dwarfs candidates’ efforts in some California races
Campaign spending by outside groups exceeds candidates’ own efforts in a dozen state contests on Tuesday’s ballot, the latest state filings show.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article3474295.html

Chevron spends $3 million in attempt to sway Richmond voters
Chevron has spent $72 per registered voter in Richmond to push its slate of candidates for City Council and mayor in Tuesday’s election — more than a minimum wage worker brings home after a full day’s work in this blue-collar city.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-spends-3-million-in-attempt-to-sway-5863605.php

Chevron problems (letter to the editor from CLCV CEO Sarah Rose)
In response to “The power of love: In spite of it all, we heart Chevron”: Dear Chevron, I’m going to quit you.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/letterstoeditor/article/Letters-to-the-editor-Nov-2-5862007.php

Hard-Nosed Advice From Veteran Lobbyist: ‘Win Ugly or Lose Pretty’
“That you have to play dirty to win,” said the executive, who provided a copy of the recording and the meeting agenda to The New York Times under the condition that his identity not be revealed. “It just left a bad taste in my mouth.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html

Why California’s Largest Estuary No Longer Works for Wildlife
California’s historic drought has put the state’s water problems in the forefront this year and those problems aren’t likely to be solved when the clouds open up again. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the water system’s central hub — the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/10/30/why-californias-largest-estuary-no-longer-works-for-wildlife/

Carmakers prepare to shift to hydrogen fuel cells
Concerned about slow sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, automakers are increasingly betting the future of green cars on hydrogen fuel cell technology.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fuel-cell-cars-20141026-story.html

State rail agency seeks to avoid bullet-train injunction battles
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is facing seven lawsuits over its approval of the Fresno-Bakersfield segment of its statewide bullet-train line.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/10/29/4205579_state-rail-agency-seeks-to-avoid.html

Hurry up and wait for high-speed rail in San Diego
Six years after voters green-lighted California’s high-speed rail network, San Diego remains firmly at the end of the project’s line, lacking any money to build track in the region and even an estimated date for when bullet trains could zip through.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/nov/02/high-speed-rail-bullet-train-san-diego/

L.A. area has many freeways that stayed on the drawing board
When suburbs began spreading out across Southern California after World War II, officials envisioned a sprawling freeway system to get people around.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-aa2-snapshot-failed-freeways-20141029-story.html

Morrison: A brief history of drought in California
Sure, it's an easy phrase to bandy about — "historic drought." But what, exactly, does it mean? Historic, like the Dodgers 1988 World Series win? Or historic, like the drought that up-ended California's economy in the midst of the Civil War?
http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2014/10/31/40127/patt-morrison-a-brief-history-of-drought-in-califo/

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