Dear Friend,

The past few months have been a whirlwind as my wife and I welcomed our son into the world, and I began my second term as your state Senator.  I am grateful to everyone who has shared in our joy.  It was also a time of incredible sadness as we grappled with the senseless shooting rampage in Thousand Oaks, the wildfires that ravaged our state, and the loss of a beloved community member, Barbara Yaroslavsky.

In this newsletter, I'll recap highlights from 2018, and preview key issues I am working on in 2019.  I value your feedback so please feel free to email, call, or write any time.  My office is here to serve you.

Best,

BEN ALLEN
Senator, 26th District
   

Scenic overlook in the Santa Monica Mountains.

I recently was appointed Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, where I am responsible for policies addressing climate change, air quality, toxic substances, hazardous waste, recycling, and solid waste. This position enables me to continue my work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting energy consumption, ending single-use plastic packaging, protecting our coast and marine life and much more.  I've remained co-chair of the legislature's Environmental Caucus, which continues to be front and center on key environmental challenges facing the state. This year I'm also serving on several other policy committees, including Judiciary, Natural Resources and Water, and Governmental Organization.

• Marine Life Protection Act, SB 1017, phasing out the use of deadly, mile-long fishing nets that kill and maim sea turtles, whales, dolphins and other marine life.
   
• Sustainable Packaging for the State of California Act, SB 1335, which will prohibit single-use food packaging in  facilities, such as state parks, prisons, and state office buildings.
   
• Local neighborhoods and transit, SB 961, which provides an additional tool for communities to help reduce traffic congestion, and incentivize jobs and housing near public transit.
   
• Protecting pensions from climate risk, SB 964, directs our public pension funds to analyze the effects of climate change on their investments.

• Environmental principles in curriculum, SB 720, will help to educate young people about environmental responsibility and stewardship by including these principles in the K-12 curriculum.
   
• Electric vehicle ownership, SB 1016, will remove barriers to electric vehicle ownership by making it easier for condominium dwellers to install charging equipment.
   
• Redistricting reform, SB 1018, is a measure that will enable local governments to use independent redistricting commissions that will reduce partisanship and enhance public participation in government.

We've all been there – approached outside the grocery store by a friendly person holding a clipboard requesting a signature on an initiative petition.  It is hard to tell in those brief few moments what you are being asked to sign.  To increase transparency, I am authoring legislation (Senate Bill 47) that will require petition circulators to disclose the top three funders of their measure when they ask people to sign. I am working closely with the California Clean Money Campaign, an advocacy organization that has been fighting for greater disclosure in political campaigns. I was recently named the group's "Clean Money Champion" for the second year in a row, as the top scorer in the legislature on clean money issues.  Reducing the influence of money in our political system will continue to be one of my top priorities.

I joined with 18 of my colleagues to call on the state Attorney General to investigate the extraordinary high cost of gas we have all been paying since the 2015 explosion at the Torrance Refinery. The oil companies' original justification for the increase was the disruption in supply caused by the refinery shutdown. The refinery has long since come back online and is fully functioning, but they have kept gas prices inflated to an extra 20 to 30 cents per gallon. All signs point to some gouging here and my colleagues and I have requested the state Attorney General to get to the bottom of it and to hold the companies accountable for any collusion or anti-trust violations that are found. You can listen to a recent radio interview I did on this issue here.

We are deeply saddened to say goodbye to Barbara Yaroslavsky. She was so full of life, humanity, conversation, and so very kind. We are going to miss her tremendously.  This is an absolutely senseless, devastating, untimely loss for her family and our entire community.  Please take a moment to watch the tributes paid to her as the state Senate and the state Assembly adjourned in memory of this incredible woman.