Past Action Alerts
WIN: AB1276 passes to help eliminate single-use plastics from take-out and delivery orders #SkipTheStuff
Thank you for helping pass AB1276! We now have a policy in place that requires that restaurants and online food delivery platforms list the accessories they provide so that customers can choose only what they need. This will help eliminate millions of tons of single-use foodware from entering the waste stream. Local jurisdictions are creating their own implementation strategies and CEC is working with the City of Goleta in the hopes that they will include an EPS (Styrofoam) ban in their plan.
WIN: Help create a safer, more equitably accessible, and uninterrupted travel corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians
Santa Barbara’s Mayor and City Council members voted unanimously to uphold the appeal and support the Westside Community Paseos project. There were some conditions to their approval, mostly to ensure that the Historic Landmarks Commission members can support landscape design for the project and to improve the way that City staff bring these projects to their design review boards (including the Historic Landmarks Commission).
Approving the Westside Community Paseos project is a critical step for climate action, safer biking and walking, and clean transportation equity in Santa Barbara.
ÉXITO: Ayúdanos a crear una ruta de recorrido más segura, equitativamente accesible, e ininterrumpida para ciclistas y peatones
El alcalde de Santa Bárbara y los miembros del Consejo Municipal votaron unánimemente para defender la petición y apoyar el Proyecto Paseos de la Comunidad del Lado Oeste. Hubo algunas condiciones para su aprobación, principalmente para garantizar que los miembros de la Comisión de Monumentos Históricos puedan apoyar el diseño del paisaje para el proyecto y para mejorar la forma en que el personal de la Ciudad lleva estos proyectos a sus reuniones de revisión de diseño (incluida la Comisión de Monumentos Históricos).
Aprobar el Proyecto Paseos de la Comunidad del Lado Oeste es un paso crítico para la acción climática, andar en bicicleta y caminar de manera más segura y equidad en el transporte limpio en Santa Bárbara.
WIN: City of Santa Barbara sets bold goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2035
We did it! Join us in applauding the City of Santa Barbara for joining the City of San Luis Obispo in setting a goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2035. On the heels of Governor Newsom's executive order to advance key zero-emission climate goals to 2035, this decision represents a momentous step forward for our city, our region, and our state.
WIN: Help speed the transition to electric vehicles #driveclean
In 2019, CEC was able to have follow-up conversations with our Electric Drive 805 partners and work with them to streamline permitting for EV charging stations. This laid the groundwork for Electric Drive 805 to launch the South Central Coast CALeVIP program in 2021, providing $12 million in new state funding to build new EV charging stations in our region.
WIN: Go electric MTD #driveclean
Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District voted unanimously to set a goal of 100% all-electric buses by 2030, joining Los Angeles and seven other California Transit Agencies. Setting this goal will lead to cleaner air, cut climate pollution, improve the health of our region’s residents, and increase jobs.
WIN: Santa Barbara Unified goes solar
Thanks to advocacy efforts from CEC and others, and particularly CEC past board president and SBUSD board member Laura Capps, Santa Barbara Unified School District moved forward with a comprehensive solar and storage project. Fourteen sites will install solar and six will include battery energy storage, for a total of five megawatts of solar and five megawatt hours of energy storage. This is one of the largest solar+storage projects in Santa Barbara and a fantastic asset for our community.
WIN: Community Choice Energy takes a huge step forward
After over a decade of encouragement from the Community Environmental Council and other advocates, the County of Santa Barbara, and the Cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria all independently voted to move forward with launching a local Community Choice program.
WIN: City of Goleta votes unanimously for 100% renewable energy by 2030
We did it! Goleta Becomes 51st city in U.S. to Set 100% Renewable Energy Goal
In an unanimous vote, City of Goleta council members committed to moving the city's municipal facilities and community-wide electricity supply to 100% renewable power by 2030. They also resolved to have at least 50 percent of electricity use by municipal facilities come from renewable sources by 2025. To support these goals, the city authorized investigating the feasibility of a city-wide Community Choice Energy program that could encourage more local renewable generation.
WIN: City of Santa Barbara to go 100% renewable by 2030 #readyfor100
We did it! Santa Barbara Becomes 30th City in U.S. to set 100% Renewable Energy Goal.
Citizens turned out in record numbers to show support for renewable energy, filling the council chambers, overflow room, and even a balcony. In a 5-1 vote, City Council committed to setting a goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030. Learn more about the hearing and what's next in the articles below, and stay tuned to CEC for opportunities to further support this new citywide goal.
WIN: Improve safety of Santa Barbara’s roads and bike lanes
Over 130 community members showed up to the initial hearing for the latest Bicycle Master Plan, and 300 CEC followers signed our letter of support. After months of further meetings and public input, the Master Plan was approved thanks to community support.
WIN: No on AB 2145
On August 30, 195 people took action and spoke out against AB 2145. The bill is currently in committee. We will update this as new information becomes available.
MTD Transit Service Reduction
Original Alert: Teamsters Union Local 186, which represents MTD drivers, mechanics, and utility workers, has concerns about the impact of California’s Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) on bargaining rights. This has created a situation that may cause MTD to lose federal funding and would lead to a severe reduction in transit service in our area. Ask the DOL not to cut our service.
Result: 183 people took action.
WIN: SBCAG's Sustainable Communities Strategy
On Thursday, October 18, 2012, the SBCAG board voted unanimously to support Scenario 3+ for their SB 375 Sustainable Communities Strategy.
CEC supported Scenario 3+ as one of the two scenarios that achieved the greatest reductions in per capita greenhouse gas emissions of 5% by 2020 and 11% by 2035.