California Senate Chamber desks

PCL Capital Insider – June 2024

Successes and Challenges on the Legislative Front: HCF Protected and Chaos in Wildfire Policy
First, a big win!

Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) is saved, and its previous funding is restored! Last week, the administration’s proposed budget trailer bill suggested eliminating the HCF and taking back $45 million already committed to the fund in previous fiscal years. PCL, our legal advisors and allies, and you, our members, quickly responded; we let legislators and the Governor know that the citizen-created HCF is needed to support wildlife in the face of climate change and that the will of the voters stands with California’s critical habitats. Proposition 117, passed by the electorate in 1990 and sponsored by PCL, created the fund that has since disbursed almost one billion dollars for wild habitat conservation across our state. Thank you again for helping protect the legacy of Prop 117!

PCL continues to advance many of the bills we support, and we have seen wins in defending against lousy legislation and poor policy. Plenty of challenges remain, however, and we will certainly have our hands full of good work! Below are the highlights of some of the critical environmental bills this session—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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TAKE ACTION: Don’t let them gut the Habitat Conservation Fund!

As you read this, the California State Legislature and Governor Newsom are moving to defy the will of voters who passed Proposition 117 in 1990 and wipe out funding for the wildly successful Habitat Conservation Fund. As lawmakers and the governor move to finalize the budget by the end of June, your voice is essential to send a clear message that they need to reverse course and protect the fund. Please take action today! Read more »