Governor signs Sen. Cortese’s bill to protect citizens from environmental hazards
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has completed approval of Sen. Cortese’s Act of 2023 to protect the public from air pollution and other hazards. The bills, SB 69 and SB 642, increase the transparency of California’s environmental review process for new development projects and empower California counties to prosecute entities for hazardous waste violations.
“The Governor said climate change is leaving California facing sweltering heat, extreme wildfires, catastrophic flooding, rising sea levels, and unpredictable drinking water supplies, leaving California with an uncertain future. We recognize that further risks to the environment must be exposed and violators brought to justice.” Sen. Cortese (D-San Jose) said: “I am honored to continue the progress of my father, former Congressman Dominic Cortese, in identifying hazardous locations, mitigating harm to the public, and taking legal action against bad actors.”
The public relies on access to notices related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to learn about and provide input on the environmental impacts of particular development projects. SB 69 requires all his CEQA notices to be published on his website in the state clearinghouse, making them easily accessible to the public from a centralized location. The Governor announced today that he has signed SB 69.
“Labor values an open and transparent public participation process. SB 69 further strengthens this process and protects community groups and stakeholders seeking to provide input into local projects.” said Joseph Cruz, executive director of the California Labor Council. “We applaud the Governor for signing SB 69 into law.”
Counties with limited district attorney resources and high criminal caseloads may lack the resources to enforce hazardous waste violations. To help with this, SB 642 gives county attorneys full authority to enforce civil penalties for hazardous waste violations. SB 642 builds on Sen. Cortese’s 2021 bill, SB 461, which expanded the county attorney’s jurisdiction to address unfair competition cases.
The governor approved SB 642 in early September.
SB 642 builds on the work of Sen. Cortese’s father, Rep. Dominic Cortese, who in 1985 created the Cortese List, an inventory of hazardous locations across California. The Cortese List is an annually updated planning document used to inform the public of the location of hazardous material release sites.
Sen. Dave Cortese represents the 15th Senate District, which includes San Jose and much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Visit Sen. Cortese’s website: https://sd15.senate.ca.gov
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