by Katy Grimes, Senior Media Fellow and California Globe Editor
As appearing in the California Globe
‘Because issues are too complex for the public to understand’
The Omnibus Resources Trailer Bill for 2019-20, contains various statutory changes “necessary to implement the Budget Act of 2019.” Yet it contains language exempting a commission of the California Air Resources Board and CalEPA from the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, essentially proposed “because issues are too complex for the public to understand,” and “the citizens of this state will get in their way,” according to a source close to the agencies who asked to remain anonymous.
Many are very worried that Gov. Gavin Newsom is rubber stamping everything Democrats want – and it certainly appears to be the case with the 2019-20 budget deal.
“The Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee analyzes the environmental and economic performance of the state’s cap-and-trade program and other relevant climate policies, then reports its findings to the California Air Resources Board and the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change. It was established by Assembly Bill 398 in 2017 and held its first meeting on June 20, 2018,” according to CalEPA.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown established a “Climate Action Team,” who “work to coordinate statewide efforts to implement global warming emission reduction programs and the state’s Climate Adaptation Strategy. The CAT members are state agency secretaries and the heads of agency, boards and departments, led by the Secretary of Cal/EPA.”
