A MAN, A PLAN: Gov. Gavin Newsom is hatching a cold, hard plan to insulate the state from a second Trump administration.Spurred by former President Donald Trump’s recent threats to withhold disaster relief funding over disagreements on water policy, Newsom said he’s making plans to free up state funding in case of retaliation.“You could have multiple disasters stacking up just like they did with these two storms, and you’re going to have serious cash flow issues, even a state as large as California, even with budget reserves that are significant,” Newsom told Chris last week in an exclusive interview.Newsom’s administration has been preparing to defend California’s climate-mitigating policies against Trump: It’s been stress-testing its climate laws, looking to make deals with industry to circumvent lawsuits and calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to grant California permission to implement clean air regulations ahead of the election.But this is the first indication that Newsom’s also defending the state’s attempts to stem the effects of climate change.“This is serious,” Newsom said of Trump’s threats. “He’s serious about this.”Newsom didn’t say how much money he’d lay aside, but said he’d propose establishing an account the state can immediately draw on for emergencies if Trump refuses to provide federal dollars.“You have massive fires that cost billions and billions of dollars,” he said, “just for the debris removal, let alone the recovery.”Newsom’s comments also come after a report by POLITICO’s E&E News found Trump was flagrantly partisan at times in response to disasters and on at least three occasions hesitated to give disaster aid to areas he considered politically hostile.He described the money as working like a line of credit.“We have different scenario plans in the budget for many different issues,” Newsom said. “And one is this flexible account for cash flow purposes.”Speaking of Trump-proofing: Alex is going on “All Things Considered” today to talk about his and Blanca’s story last week on how a Supreme Court stacked with Trump appointees could undermine the state’s climate and clean air rules, even if he doesn’t win a second term. Tune in to catch the interview.Did someone forward you this newsletter?Sign up here!
CARBON CAPTURE, APPROVED: California’s first big carbon capture and storage project cleared a major checkpoint today when the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved it over objections from environmental groups.California’s climate plans count on carbon capture and storage to neutralize emissions by 2045. Transition plans anticipate California will still be relying on natural gas plants through at least 2039 to provide steady, reliable power to keep the lights on as the state expands use of more variable renewables such as wind and solar power.But opponents have called carbon capture and storage untested and potentially dangerous, particularly if an earthquake were to hit caverns storing carbon dioxide, releasing it into the air or water.“The primary concern is that the project will not be net-negative for emissions,” Center for Biological Diversity attorney Victoria Bogdan Tejeda said in an interview.Kern County is a hub for both California’s oil industry — the vast majority of the state’s wells are there — and for renewable energy. It hosted some of the first wind farms and large-scale solar installations.Lorelei Oviatt, the county’s planning and natural resources director, emphasized the direct economic benefits of the project — including about $60 million over 25 years from charges the county will impose on use of the underground space — at Monday’s meeting.“While these investments may result in new industries that need carbon capture storage, that is speculative,” Oviatt said. “What is not speculative is that Kern County’s future based on the state of California policies is in decline without innovative reuse by the oil industry for what will become stranded assets of land and facilities.”AND SO IT CONTINUES: Southern California’s main water agency decided today to extend the administrative leave of its general manager for a second time until an outside firm finishes its investigation into claims of misconduct.The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 38-member board first placed Adel Hagekhalil on a 90-day leave in June following Chief Financial Officer and Assistant General Manager Katano Kasaine’s accusations of harassment, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment and other complaints that have not been detailed publicly. The board then voted to extend the leave until Oct. 23 in August.The board did not set a timeline today for the additional extension but decided to reconvene once the investigation is completed.Hagekhalil denied wrong-doing to the board today and said investigators had only reached out to him a week ago to schedule an interview, but his attorney was not available at the proposed time.“I want to clearly state I have not committed any misconduct at Metropolitan and my attorney will continue to point out concerns with the investigative process,” Hagekhalil said. “I did everything at the board’s direction and with the best intentions and for the interest of MWD, its proud employees and the region.”The turmoil at the top of the agency, which supplies 19 million people in and around Los Angeles, has sapped staff morale and brought increasing scrutiny to complaints at the agency at a time when it is planning for the effects of climate change and weighing expensive projects to secure water supplies.ANOTHER BALK: We reported last week that Massachusetts and Oregon regulators are delaying enforcement of truck pollution rules developed by California. Now New Jersey lawmakers are on the fence about California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule.As Ry reports, the chairs of New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate transportation committees are sponsoring bills to delay implementation to “no earlier than Jan. 1, 2027,” according to a legislative summary of the bills. The targets, which are imposed on truck sellers, are scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 and require 40-75 percent of heavy-duty trucks sold to be zero emission vehicles by 2035, depending on their weight class.— We all love Big Sur — maybe too much.— You’ll need a lot of money to own an Ansel Adams original photograph after a record-setting Sotheby’s auction.— A rural neighborhood accustomed to power outages used solar panels to keep the energy flowing this summer. State policy changes are making it harder for more homes to get the technology.CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers,click here.Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Rebecca Haase to find out how:.
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CARBON CAPTURE, APPROVED: California’s first big carbon capture and storage project cleared a major checkpoint today when the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved it over objections from environmental groups.California’s climate plans count on carbon capture and storage to neutralize emissions by 2045. Transition plans anticipate California will still be relying on natural gas plants through at least 2039 to provide steady, reliable power to keep the lights on as the state expands use of more variable renewables such as wind and solar power.But opponents have called carbon capture and storage untested and potentially dangerous, particularly if an earthquake were to hit caverns storing carbon dioxide, releasing it into the air or water.“The primary concern is that the project will not be net-negative for emissions,” Center for Biological Diversity attorney Victoria Bogdan Tejeda said in an interview.Kern County is a hub for both California’s oil industry — the vast majority of the state’s wells are there — and for renewable energy. It hosted some of the first wind farms and large-scale solar installations.Lorelei Oviatt, the county’s planning and natural resources director, emphasized the direct economic benefits of the project — including about $60 million over 25 years from charges the county will impose on use of the underground space — at Monday’s meeting.“While these investments may result in new industries that need carbon capture storage, that is speculative,” Oviatt said. “What is not speculative is that Kern County’s future based on the state of California policies is in decline without innovative reuse by the oil industry for what will become stranded assets of land and facilities.”AND SO IT CONTINUES: Southern California’s main water agency decided today to extend the administrative leave of its general manager for a second time until an outside firm finishes its investigation into claims of misconduct.The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 38-member board first placed Adel Hagekhalil on a 90-day leave in June following Chief Financial Officer and Assistant General Manager Katano Kasaine’s accusations of harassment, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment and other complaints that have not been detailed publicly. The board then voted to extend the leave until Oct. 23 in August.The board did not set a timeline today for the additional extension but decided to reconvene once the investigation is completed.Hagekhalil denied wrong-doing to the board today and said investigators had only reached out to him a week ago to schedule an interview, but his attorney was not available at the proposed time.“I want to clearly state I have not committed any misconduct at Metropolitan and my attorney will continue to point out concerns with the investigative process,” Hagekhalil said. “I did everything at the board’s direction and with the best intentions and for the interest of MWD, its proud employees and the region.”The turmoil at the top of the agency, which supplies 19 million people in and around Los Angeles, has sapped staff morale and brought increasing scrutiny to complaints at the agency at a time when it is planning for the effects of climate change and weighing expensive projects to secure water supplies.ANOTHER BALK: We reported last week that Massachusetts and Oregon regulators are delaying enforcement of truck pollution rules developed by California. Now New Jersey lawmakers are on the fence about California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule.As Ry reports, the chairs of New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate transportation committees are sponsoring bills to delay implementation to “no earlier than Jan. 1, 2027,” according to a legislative summary of the bills. The targets, which are imposed on truck sellers, are scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 and require 40-75 percent of heavy-duty trucks sold to be zero emission vehicles by 2035, depending on their weight class.— We all love Big Sur — maybe too much.— You’ll need a lot of money to own an Ansel Adams original photograph after a record-setting Sotheby’s auction.— A rural neighborhood accustomed to power outages used solar panels to keep the energy flowing this summer. State policy changes are making it harder for more homes to get the technology.CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers,click here.Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Rebecca Haase to find out how:.
