Governor Gavin Newsom
Years in office:
1
Governor Newsom’s first year in office started out with a focus on Safe and Affordable Drinking Water, a priority issue for CLCV. This action will improve the health and wellness of over one million Californians across the state. The Governor also championed some important pro-environment executive actions during his first year. Newsom’s score leaves room for improvement for visionary leadership on the role that government must place in this climate crisis. We need large scale change that is integrated across issue areas, and we are relying on our Governor and his team for this leadership. Significant disappointments in the Governor’s performance this year includes his decision to veto SB 1 and SB 127, and his score reflects California’s overall lack of bold action by including five percent of California’s overall score. The first year in a new job is always tough, building a team, learning the job and how to work with the legislature were big focuses in 2019, and we are eager to work with the Governor and Administration in 2020 to create a real vision for action by 2030.
Environmental Votes
vote key
 | PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION |  | ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION |  | No vote was taken |
Also included in Governor’s Score:
Water Resilience Portfolio
April 2019, Executive Order:
Governor Newsom directed overseeing agencies (the California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Food and Agriculture) to develop a comprehensive Water Resiliency Portfolio. As climate change intensifies, impacts to our water quality and access are as well. This comprehensive strategy seeks to ensure safe and climate resilient water supplies, flood protection and healthy waterways for all of California.
Investments in Climate Resilience
September 2019, Executive Order:
Requires that the state leverage its $700 billion investment portfolio, namely pensions, to advance climate leadership and double down on greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts. Also requires the state to look at how the $5 billion spent annually on transportation can help decrease fuel consumption as well as advance smart land use design with an eye toward reducing vehicle miles travelled.
Agreement to End Sale of Chlorpyrifos
May 2019, Executive Action:
The Administration, through the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) negotiated the end of sale of brain- harming and cancer inducing pesticide chlorpyrifos by February 6th of 2020 with requirement that no grower can use the pesticide after December 31, 2019.
This agreement was reached under the leadership of Jared Blumenfeld, California Secretary for Environmental Protection and Val Dolcini, Director of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, both of whom were appointed in 2019 by Governor Newsom.
New Oil & Gas Initiatives
November 2019, Executive Action:
The Administration cracked down on potentially dangerous, climate change inducing oil and gas operations by placing a moratorium on high pressure cyclic steam injection and require that all permit applications for fracking must be reviewed first by a scientist art Livermore National Lab in an effort to protect communities and our natural landscape suffering from impacts.
These actions were taken under the division's recently strenghtned mission, made possible with Governor Newsom's signing of AB 1057 (Limon).