DAN DOWNEY: I WON’T ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE WITH MORE SACRIFICES
Q: From wildfires to sea level rise, the climate emergency is increasingly affecting California. What immediate steps should California lawmakers be taking to address it?
A: Whatever your beliefs about climate change, it's hard to argue that anyone has done more than Californians to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Sadly, other countries have failed to follow our lead, and as a result, many scientists believe that we will fail to prevent a 2 degrees Celsius increase in global temperatures (the main goal of the Paris Accords). Countries like China, India and others must participate in emissions reduction for our actions to have a global impact. It is simply false to say that the solution to climate change is for Californians to sacrifice more. However, given our status as the largest U.S. state economy ($3.4 trillion GDP in 2021), California has economic power on par with many nations. Therefore, I challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom to use his clout and connections with the Chinese Communist Party to influence their behavior. Before agreeing to any additional trade deals with Chinese firms, Gov. Newsom (or his successor) should insist that China significantly reduce its use of fossil fuels.
Q: What would you do to address the surging gas prices in California?
A: California has long had some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. Many people know that the California state gas tax is a major culprit. At a staggering 51 cents per gallon (soon to increase to 53 cents), the gas tax costs Californians $8.8 billion per year. This is a highly regressive tax that hits working families much harder than everyone else. Fewer people realize that our high gas prices are also driven by the lack of a gasoline pipeline coming into California from large oil-producing states in the middle of the country. Now, rising inflation has further compounded the problem, resulting in $6 per gallon gas at some stations.
Gov. Newsom's proposal to send each driver a $400 debit card is a nice gesture, but it fails to address the larger issue of the punitive gas tax and the lack of a pipeline. He has also proposed a “gas tax holiday” which would essentially delay the 2 cent per gallon increase.
These measures are positive but insufficient. Now is the time to repeal the gas tax for good, putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Californians.
Additionally, the Legislature should begin a longerterm study of the feasibility of a gasoline pipeline to supply Californians with the gasoline they need from domestic U.S. producers.
Q: How do you strike a balance between reducing the state's dependency on fossil fuels and addressing energy affordability issues, including the high cost of gasoline?
A: Californians have been among the most enthusiastic adopters of electric vehicles, regardless of the price of gasoline. The free market has done an excellent job of producing competitive alternatives to gasoline-powered engines, and I expect this trend to continue. While vehicles are the biggest source of fossil fuel emissions, electricity generation is also to blame. Here, we should consider increasing the use of nuclear plants in our energy mix, along with wind, solar, hydro and legacy plants that use natural gas. Nuclear is still considered one of the safest, cleanest, cheapest and most productive sources of power. And new generation IV plants will represent another huge leap in the safety of nuclear power generation, with a reactor meltdown becoming nearly impossible. France is an example of a country that has successfully used nuclear in its energy mix and stands in stark contrast to Germany, which shut down its nuclear plants following the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Much like California, Germany has since experienced electricity disruptions related to the intermittency of wind and solar power generation. France's use of nuclear, which is not intermittent, provides it with an inexpensive, safe and reliable source of energy. California should follow France's lead.
Q: How would you bring down the high cost of housing, both for homeowners and renters?
A: The affordability of housing was already at crisis levels before recent inflation drove prices up even further in many markets, including San Diego. This is an issue which affects everyone, young and old. Many families see less of each other because their children and grandchildren have moved out of state to find affordable housing. Our current leadership has utterly failed to address this crisis. Their preferred solutions include rent control, which tends to create winners and losers, without reducing the overall cost of housing for most people. Similarly, subsidized housing has not made real estate more affordable for the vast majority of Californians. I find it interesting that Canadian officials have proposed a two-year ban on foreign home buyers to take some of the speculative pressure out of the housing market. This is not a particularly conservative idea, but it is an example of creative policymaking, something which has been severely lacking in Sacramento when it comes to the housing crisis.