The California Legislature today approved Senate Bills 155 and 170, budget measures that will dedicate substantial funding for the state to address the climate crisis in meaningful ways that protect Californians, our environment, and our economy. Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Co-Chair of the Environmental Caucus issued the following statement:

“For years, several colleagues and I have sounded the alarm on the need for serious investment in climate resiliency. We long championed Senate Bill 45, which would have invested bond funding to reduce risk from climate impacts such as fire, drought, and sea level rise. Frequent record-breaking weather events tell us that we must act now. SB 170 and SB 155, combined with budget actions from earlier this year, braid together our prior efforts with more urgency to dedicate more than $10 billion over the next three years to address the impacts we are already seeing as a result of rising temperatures. These investments we make now will both mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change while ensuring that we are better prepared for the challenges to come.”

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Ben Allen represents the 26th State Senate District, which consists of the Hollywood, Westside, and South Bay communities of Los Angeles County, and serves as Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Joint Committee on the Arts.