Further to my post immediately below, Californians yesterday showed the world that they, living in the most-populous US state, and the eighth largest economy in the world, care enough about their public health, environment, jobs and the state of the world’s climate system to categorically reject the attempt to roll back their GHG regulations.
With most of the vote counted, the percentages were about 61.4 against Prop. 23 and 38.6 in favor. Among the important messages here was that liberal and moderate Republicans rejected the proposition. On a day when the Tea Party message of climate denialism was the standard for Republican candidates throughout the country, Californians from all along the political spectrum recognized the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of that position.
Jerry Brown’s convincing victory in the gubernatorial race and, not incidentally, the election of Gavin Newsom, the very green mayor of San Francisco as Lieutenant Governor, further underscores the fact that Californians embrace an environmental ethic and the promise of clean tech.
To round things out, Barbara Boxer, chair of the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and a leading proponent of strong action on climate, was sent back to work in Washington. (There was some inside baseball from the conference I attended yesterday that indicated she may not be returned as committee chair, but the fact of her not having been hurt in California for her staunch defense of progress on environmental issues remains.)
Brown and Newsom will be energetic, focused and efficient in further implementing the greenhouse gas regulations and in advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency and other clean tech. Bravissimo California and Californians.
