PCL’s Capital Insider – July 30, 2026

PCL’s Capital Insider for July 30, 2026

Fixing What They Broke – SB 954

Just over a year ago on Friday, June 27th, 2025, SB 607, a broad-reaching CEQA reform bill that the environmental, public health, and environmental justice communities had worked all spring to oppose, was folded into SB 131, a must-pass, Governor-demanded budget trailer bill. SB 131 created an exemption for more than 75 categories of industrial and manufacturing facilities, such as chemical production, hazardous waste incineration, aerospace and defense manufacturing, and more, allowing them to bypass CEQA’s environmental review and public disclosure requirements. Our advocates, advisors, and allies read the nearly 12,000-word bill, analyzed the impacts, organized our members, and showed up in full force to oppose SB 131. With just over 72 hours before the vote, there was little we could do to stop the bill – but we were there to tell them this would not stand. In that short hearing, we were able to point out the worst flaws and get commitments from several key legislators to push for a fix to SB 131. What emerged from our engagement with legislators over the fall and winter is this year’s  SB 954 by Senator Blakespear.

PCL, along with our key allies, built a coalition of hundreds of organizations and worked with Senator Blakespear over the last several months to craft and improve SB 954 as it moved through the legislative process. PCL took the lead in organizing grassroots support for this measure statewide and engaged with tens of thousands of Californians to restore key protections for our communities and our environment.

SB 954 closes the toxic pollution loophole that put communities across California at risk under SB 131.  SB 954 restores basic protections so local residents can once again know and provide input on what’s proposed near their homes, schools, and water supply before it’s approved.

Taxpayers are already paying the price for weak environmental oversight, which SB 131’s approach only exacerbates, and it’s a preview of what’s ahead without reform. The cleanup of the Exide battery recycling plant in Los Angeles County has cost taxpayers more than $770 million, and in the City of Industry, Quemetco’s potential remediation liability is estimated at $50 million. When environmental review is skipped, and corporations aren’t held accountable for the pollution they cause, the public ends up footing the bill instead. SB 954 keeps that responsibility where it belongs.

With the tremendous support from hundreds of allies, the deep commitment of Senator Blakespear, and the engagement of thousands of Californians, the bill has real momentum, and the fight now is to get it across the finish line. SB 954 passed the Senate by a strong 23–9 vote. It now faces its toughest test in the Assembly, where committee leadership has the power to keep it from ever reaching a floor vote, making sustained public pressure essential in the weeks ahead.

A broad and growing coalition is standing behind this bill. More than 200 labor unions, conservation groups, and environmental justice organizations have supported the effort to clean up SB 131, alongside local governments and party organizations that have gone on record in support. That breadth reflects how widely felt the consequences of the SB 131 exemption have been.

Remember – key Assembly leaders can block SB 954; we can’t let them do that. We need your help to convince every member of the Assembly that SB 954 is a must-pass bill to protect our communities and our future.

Click the button below to TAKE ACTION – Tell Your Assemblymember to Vote YES on SB 954

Or visit: https://righttoknow-sb954.org/