California
Milestones in State Climate Policy
The first efforts to clean up the grid date back forty years, but state climate policy really got moving at the turn of the century.
The federal government’s interventions in climate policy have been erratic, driven by political polarization and alternating control of the White House. In contrast, state governments have engaged in steady campaigns to reduce carbon emissions. Some people seem to think this has been a recent innovation, but it has now been ongoing for a generation. Here are some the key milestone along the way, closing with Trump’s pledge to bulldoze state policies that don’t fall in line with his priorities.
CONTINUE READINGAlejandro Camacho Joins UCLA Law Faculty
Camacho will be a core faculty member of the UCLA Emmett Institute and a contributor to Legal Planet.
At this critical moment in environmental law, the Emmett Institute at UCLA School of Law keeps growing stronger. We are pleased to welcome Alejandro Camacho, a renowned regulatory scholar, as a professor of law. Camacho will be a core faculty member of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and a faculty associate of UCLA’s Chicano …
Continue reading “Alejandro Camacho Joins UCLA Law Faculty”
CONTINUE READINGUCLA Report Offers Framework for Resolving Coastal Conflicts
Shutterstock
Guest contributors Maeve Anderson and Mackay Peltzer write that regulatory updates are needed to ensure California’s coastal planning remains consistent with the intent of the Coastal Act.
California’s iconic coastline is simultaneously a source of pride and tension for the state. As increasingly severe storms, intensified by climate change, accelerate the erosion of beaches and bluffs, the conflict around land use at the coast has also intensified. Nowhere exemplifies this reality better than the City of Pacifica, a popular surfing destination located …
Continue reading “UCLA Report Offers Framework for Resolving Coastal Conflicts “
CONTINUE READING“Smog and Sunshine” Has a Release Date
And this “Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air” is now available for preorder.
My book, “Smog and Sunshine: the Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air,” will be released on April 7! It’s been a long time coming. My author page is here And you can find links to preorder my book by clicking here or here Here’s how UC Press describes the book: Los …
Continue reading ““Smog and Sunshine” Has a Release Date”
CONTINUE READINGCrafting a Roadmap for Zonal Decarbonization in California
A new series of briefs from the UCLA Emmett Institute offers legal insights for the gas transition. First up: SB 1221.
California has a $43 billion problem: that is the estimated cost of maintaining the state’s gas network over the next twenty years. That is an astronomical amount to spend on what state policy dictates will eventually become stranded assets: California won’t be able to meet its ambitious climate goals unless it moves away from natural gas altogether, so retirement of these assets is …
Continue reading “Crafting a Roadmap for Zonal Decarbonization in California”
CONTINUE READINGBig Decisions to Come in 2026
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
I spent much of 2024 warning about the nihilistic goals of Project 2025 and then spent 2025 watching a lot of it come true. Our collective project for 2026 is to settle on solid alternatives to MAGA and decide on candidates. Luckily, last year also brought a growing resistance movement, lots of litigation, and unpopularity …
Continue reading “Big Decisions to Come in 2026”
CONTINUE READING2026: The Year Ahead
Here are six big things to watch.
What to watch for environmentally in 2026: court tests of Trump’s power, midterms, China, grid issues, and state energy moves. In 2025, Trump rolled out new initiatives at a dizzying rate. That story, in one form or another, dominated the news. This year, much of the news will again be about Trump, but he will have less control of the narrative. Legal and political responses to Trump will play a greater role, as will economic developments. Trump’s anti-environmental crusade could run into strong headwinds.
CONTINUE READINGUsing Maps to Make Housing Politics Easier
Setting clear borders as to where upzoning to advance housing would apply may help ease the politics of housing policy
A recent article in the SF Chronicle highlighted how it has been easier for housing advocates to get upzoning reforms that facilitate housing production in Oregon – with the upzoning provisions in Oregon having significantly fewer exceptions and carveouts than comparable provisions in California. The result is that Portland has seen more movement in housing …
Continue reading “Using Maps to Make Housing Politics Easier”
CONTINUE READINGA Year After the LA Fires, Who’s Accountable for a Resilient Recovery?
Altadena and the Palisades are moving forward but outcomes depend on survivors’ access to resources. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Last week, on a warm December evening in Los Angeles, my husband and I were tidying our backyard after hosting a holiday lunch when our street’s palm trees began listing in a strong wind. I felt a chill run down my spine then, the same chill I felt the next day when I smelled smoke …
Continue reading “A Year After the LA Fires, Who’s Accountable for a Resilient Recovery?”
CONTINUE READINGOne Big Energy Idea for the Next Governor
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
If the candidates running to be California’s next governor want a prepackaged idea for how to reduce pollution while making energy more affordable in 2026, here’s one that has been hiding in plain sight. Make a modernization plan to direct money for electrification that is currently being diverted unnecessarily into aging gas infrastructure. But don’t …
Continue reading “One Big Energy Idea for the Next Governor”
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
