BIZFED PRESS RELEASE: PROPOSED BILL IS BAD POLICY FOR CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES – Tuesday, May 31 – The Los Angeles County Business Federation announced today mounting opposition to SB 1387 as more groups voice strong criticisms of the proposed bill. Southern California businesses, consumers, taxpayers and local government representatives continue to unite against SB 1387. The proposed bill would add three more state-appointed, unelected regulators to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Board and essentially strip SCAQMD’s rulemaking authority, removing transparency and the public from the process.
Regional boards were designed to empower local elected officials to develop regulations that reflect the unique populations and conditions in their own regions. In that tradition, the existing SCAQMD structure continues to work. The district has delivered landmark programs that have brought about significant improvements in regional air quality. The majority of SCAQMD Board members must be duly elected by city or county voters as well as a County Board of Supervisors or a City Selection Committee, and the south coast region has an impressive pool of elected officials to choose from – 20 county supervisors and 848 city mayors and council members. On top of the fact that SB 1387 is bad policy, there is simply no need to overturn a transparent approach that effectively improves air quality.
SB 1387 would all but dismantle the SCAQMD. The bill proposes a rulemaking process that lacks transparency, removes SCAQMD’s decision-making authority, allows the state to overrule local programs and marginalizes the voting power of the very communities SB 1387 purports to protect.
“We strongly believe that SB 1387 overreaches and undermines local control. SB 1387 tips the scales of equity by giving state representatives almost 40 percent of the seats on a regional board that is meant to represent local interests and is currently represented by city and county officials from four counties,” said Carol Chen, president of the League of California Cities, Los Angeles County Division.
Overturning the existing structure of the SCAQMD Board would set a chilling precedent – if Sacramento doesn’t agree with California’s local regulators, then Sacramento will send its own regulators to do the job. If SB 1387 passes, the future leaders of our state could just as easily stack any of the local regulatory boards to their liking – or eliminate them altogether. Local water districts and boards, transportation authorities, and more, could all be at risk of becoming state-run. SB 1387 would undermine the effectiveness of our local agencies and California government as a whole.
For these reasons and more, dozens of unique groups and local government representatives firmly oppose SB 1387. Other SB 1387 opponents provided the following statements regarding the proposed legislation:
“SB 1387 bypasses public participation by adding more political appointments to the SCAQMD board,” said Sam Spagnolo, City of Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Pro Tem and president of the League of California Cities, Inland Empire Division.
“The Orange County Division supports transparency and good governance. There is zero evidence that the SCAQMD Board has violated any of our values. Further, the Orange County Division does not support the creation of State legislation to address one election of a regional board, and will always stand in strong opposition to a hostile State takeover of a locally elected, regional board,” said Laurie Davies, mayor of the City of Laguna Niguel and president of the League of California Cities, Orange County Division.
Read BizFed’s opposition letter here.
Read the coalition’s opposition letter here.
Read the League of California Cities, Los Angeles County Division’s opposition letter here.
Read the League of California Cities, Orange County Division’s opposition letter here.
Read the League of California Cities, Inland Empire Division’s opposition letter here.
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