| September 23, 2010 |  |
Californians Fight Oil Companies’ Deceptive, Dirty-Energy Proposition
BERKELEY (September 23, 2010) – From Arcata to Zenia, Californians are holding some 80 house parties this evening to urge friends and neighbors to vote no on Proposition 23 in the November general election. Why? Prop 23 would essentially repeal California’s landmark clean energy law, threatening the state’s environment and economy, according to the party hosts. So who would benefit? Out-of-state oil companies – Valero and Tesoro from Texas and Koch Industries from Kansas – which have spent millions to promote the measure. These companies are among the biggest polluters nationally and in California.
“We’re sending a simple message: Vote no on Proposition 23,” said Masada Disenhouse, a house party host in La Mesa in San Diego County. “These out-of-state oil companies have a lot of nerve trying to interfere with our clean energy law. They want to stamp out competition from renewable energy, like wind and solar, and continue to foul our air with their dirty fossil fuel emissions.”
Attendees at the parties, organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), will see a new mini-documentary about Prop 23, learn why defeating it is so important for California and the rest of the country, and share tools for increasing voter turn-out to defeat the proposition at the November polls. Most of the parties are scheduled for this evening. (California voters can locate and RSVP for one of the “No on 23” parties.)
“These house parties are a great way to educate Californians about Prop 23’s threat to our economy and environment, motivate them to vote no, and encourage them to tell their friends to vote no,” said Erin Rogers, manager of the UCS western climate and energy program. “We will provide attendees with checklists and other tools to hand out to their friends that suggest ways to get involved.”
Besides the house parties, larger, more public events are being held tonight at Tree People in Coldwater Canyon Park in Los Angeles, Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, and Davis Community Church in Davis. California State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) will be the featured speaker at the Coldwater Canyon Park event. Some other house parties are planned for later in the month.
If passed, Prop 23 would delay implementation of California’s clean energy law AB 32 until unemployment reaches 5.5 percent for a full year, something that has happened only three times in the last 40 years. Current law requires the state’s largest polluters to reduce heat-trapping emissions some 12 percent from current levels over the next decade. A broad coalition is working to defeat Prop 23 to protect California’s air quality, strengthen energy security, and ensure new job and business development in the state’s burgeoning clean-tech sector. (For more information, read the Prop 23 Backgrounder.)
“The race is on, and if California stumbles, plenty of other states and countries would be happy to leapfrog over us,” said Dan Kalb, UCS’s California policy manager. “The clean energy economy is one of the few bright spots in our economy. Last year California received $2.1 billion in clean tech investment. If Prop 23 passes, future investments will likely go to other states or even other countries, especially China.”
Reporters interested in covering “No on 23” parties in person should consider one of the following larger events:
Tree People
Coldwater Canyon Park
12601 N. Mulholland Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The event is free, but space is limited, and RSVP is required.
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619-2450
The event is free and includes delicious local and sustainable refreshments, but space is limited, and RSVP is required.
Davis Community Church
412 C Street
Davis, CA 95616
This is a free event, but space is limited. RSVP is required.
Reporters interested in covering smaller house parties in living rooms in Fresno, La Mesa, Los Angeles, Morgan Hill, Sacramento, San Francisco, Riverside or other locations, contact Craig Noble at 415-601-8235.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
