Monthly Archives: April 2023

Youth Action Alert: Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance 5/9

Date & Time: TOMORROW May 9, 2023 06:00 PM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Location: via Zoom, register here

Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD) is a coalition of social justice organizations, neighborhood associations, labor groups, residents, and community partners organized to support building healthy communities and affordable housing, preserving cultural traditions, and the stability of neighborhoods impacted by big developments. You’re invited to a youth action alert session to learn how to make your voice heard on behalf of your community. We will share more about the CBAO background, SIWD’s process, and why the youth voice is so important. We’ll also do a letter-writing workshop to help you submit your thoughts to the City by the May 16th Deadline.

The first 10 youth registrants will receive $20 Door Dash gift cards to support with dinner for the evening**. ** must be a youth (age 13-24), must be in attendance, and must live in the City of Sacramento to qualify.

You can learn more about our stance here: https://bit.ly/3nlLlEd.

Get a head start and download the letter template here: bit.ly/3AQ4Jwb

Big Oil Resistance Tour in Sacramento 5/13

Big Oil bullies are ripping off Californians, polluting our air and water, poisoning our communities, and setting us on a path toward climate destruction.

Oil and gas companies just spent over $20 million to put a lifesaving environmental justice law on hold, and that’s on top of the millions they funnel into lobbying here in Sacramento every year to block climate progress.

It’s time for the Big Oil Resistance to fight back. Get your tickets today!

Governor Newsom is talking tough on Big Oil and trying to stop them from fleecing us at the gas pump. But, we need him to truly move California beyond fossil fuels once and for all – by ending neighborhood drilling and halting all new fossil fuel permits.

To get the Governor to act, we need to build our movement’s power.

That’s why the Last Chance Alliance – representing 900+ community, environmental, and public health organizations worldwide – is hitting the road for a 7-stop statewide tour through Los Angeles (Apr 28), Ventura (Apr 29), Santa Barbara (Apr 30), San Diego (May 6), Kern County (May 7), Oakland (May 12), and Sacramento (May 13)!

Our Sacramento event will feature…

  • Community leader Cesar Aguirre (CCEJN) from the frontlines of oil & gas extraction and refining in Kern County
  • Sacramento area climate leaders, including Tanda Bluebear (Women With Bows), Supriya Patel (Fridays for Future), and Katie Valenzuela (City Council, District 4)
  • Urgent local organizing opportunities
  • And, longtime activist, author, and co-founder of organizations like 350.org and Third Act…Bill McKibben!

Where: The Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento
When: Saturday, May 13th, 2023
Doors Open: 5pm | Event: 6-8pm
Tickets: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/big-oil-resistance-tour-sacramento

Local Water Issues: Sustainability of the North American Groundwater Subbasin 5/24

The ECOS Water Committee invites you to join us on May 24 from 6:00 until 7:00pm to take part in a presentation/discussion of the sustainability of the North American groundwater subbasin. This subbasin is the source of groundwater providing a significant amount of the water used by the urban areas north of the American River. Jim Peifer Executive Director of the Sacramento Groundwater Authority (SGA), the agency that coordinates and manages a major portion of the subbasin, will be presenting the latest condition of the subbasin as reflected in the annual subbasin sustainability report recently submitted to the state. He will also describe efforts to protect Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems, shallow wells, and improve the subbasin’s monitoring and modeling programs. All of these actions are important given the plan by the Regional Water Authority to operate a water bank in the area overseen by SGA. Bring your questions and be prepared for a thoughtful presentation and discussion.

For more information on areas of interest regarding the North American Subbasin please see the Water Committee’s letter of invitation to SGA.

Click here to view the agenda for the May 24 meeting of the ECOS Water Committee.

Historic Climate Bills That Benefit You

By Edith Thacher, Lead, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Sacramento

In August 2022, $584 billion dollars for the climate passed in the 117th Congress. This comes from three pieces of legislation: the CHIPS and Science Act, the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, plus the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  These are the most significant investments in climate action the US has ever taken.

Taken together, the bills will reduce US greenhouse gas emissions, by 2030, to 40% compared to our emission levels in 2005.  President Biden’s goal is to achieve a 50% reduction in that time frame.

The IRA provides a range of incentives to consumers to electrify their homes and vehicles. The incentives are in the form of both tax credits and rebates and will be available for ten years.  It also provides funding for other climate actions such as paying utilities to go green, paying to reduce methane leakage, and grants for states, metropolitan areas and non-profits. 

There are also funds to help individuals. Learn about the IRA incentives to electrify your home, by using the calculator created by Rewiring America.  To learn about incentives for electric vehicles see Plug Star.