Victory in California: Prop 98 Defeated!

This post is by Derek Walker, deputy director of the State Climate Campaign and director of the California Climate Initiative at Environmental Defense Fund.

Two weeks ago I posted about California’s Dangerous "Proposition 98", with hidden provisions threatening the state’s environmental laws. The alternative, Proposition 99, achieves the stated goals of Proposition 98 (protecting homeowners from having their dwellings seized for development) without threatening environmental protections.

The vote took place on Tuesday, and I have good news to report.

Despite an aggressive and deceptive ad campaign financed by wealthy landlords, Californians were not fooled. Environmental Defense Fund and a large, diverse coalition of environmental groups, health advocacy groups, local governments, and low-income advocates spread the word about the dangers of Proposition 98 and the better alternative, Proposition 99.

In the end, California voters beat back Proposition 98, and approved Proposition 99 by an almost 2-to-1 margin. This victory sends a clear message that protecting the environment is important to Californians, and efforts to undermine environmental protections will not be tolerated.

Time will tell whether Tuesday’s vote ends the backdoor crusade against the environment in the name of eminent domain reform. But for now, California’s pioneering environmental laws, including the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32), are safe.