Auto emissions across California on the rise
California has laid out a series of ambitious goals to cut down on car exhaust, but according to a new state report, auto carbon emissions — and the miles cars are being driven here — have been increasing steadily.
The reasons for the upsurge in pollution appear to be threefold: more people, more cars and — thanks to the housing crisis — more miles being driven by commuters between home and work and elsewhere.
“We were expecting single-
occupancy car use to decline, but actually it’s going up,” said Nicole Dolney, co-author of a recently released California Air Resources Board report.
There was a drop in single car use starting in 2005 and continuing through the 2008 recession. But as the economy rebounded in 2012, so did the the overall amount of driving.
And while cars have become more fuel efficient, Dolney said, “the increases in fuel efficiency are being outpaced by the amount of driving.”
One big contributor is longer commutes.
“The supply of housing in many regions is a small fraction of the need, particularly homes affordable to low-income communities,” the report said. “And when people cannot afford to live near their jobs or a transit stop, they have to drive farther every single day.”
And while billions of dollars have been invested in mass transit, Californians still love their cars. Between 2005 and 2016, the state saw a 3.2 million increase in the number of cars on the roads.
“The portion of commuters driving alone to work instead of carpooling, taking transit, walking or cycling is rising in almost every region,” the report states.
One exception is the Bay Area, where use of mass transit has grown by 5 percent since 2005.
But on average, even in the Bay Area, people who commute by bus or train have longer commutes than those who drive.
Put it all together and the state has seen a 12 percent increase in the vehicle miles traveled per capita from 2005 to 2016. And while per capita greenhouse gas emissions are down 2 percent, in total they are up 7 percent.
California is still expected to hit its 2020 climate target ahead of schedule, but largely because of the growing use of green energy by the state’s big utilities — not because we’re getting out of our cars.
Play ball: Charles Johnson — the principal owner of the San Francisco Giants whose political donation to Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi set off calls for a boycott of the team — largely fell into his starring role with the ballclub and has limited involvement.
When the Giants’ biggest stakeholders, Harmon “Buzz” Burns and his wife, Sue Burns, died within three years of each other, the couple’s adult children were forced to sell part of the family’s interest to pay off the inheritance taxes.
That’s when the low-key billionaire Johnson — who was Burns’ longtime partner at Franklin Templeton Investments — grew his stake. Johnson later bought out shares of two of the team’s managing partners, Peter Magowan and Bill Neukom, bringing his ownership percentage to 26 percent.
But Johnson and his wife, Ann, have been a scant presence since moving to incometax-free Palm Beach, Fla. — it’s their daughter Jenny who represents them on the team’s executive board.
As for the boycott called by the Rev. Amos Brown, president of the local branch of the NAACP, and civil rights attorney John Burris?
It ended almost as soon as it began, when both men dropped their boycott threat after Charles Johnson promised to request the return of his contribution from the senator — the two sides then had a “gentlemanly” phone chat. A conversation that took place, we might add, after behind-the-scenes hints that Johnson, who is worth an estimated $5.2 billion, might be willing to smooth things over with a check to either the NAACP or a San Francisco charity.
“I think he will (make a donation),” Burris told us afterward. “He indicated he would, and maybe the NAACP will be the beneficiary, but that wasn’t directly discussed by Rev. Brown or me.”
We’re told Brown did go into some detail about the many needs of San Francisco’s African American community. Double cross: Supporters of East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s bid to become House Democratic Caucus chair are steaming mad over what they feel was a double cross.
Lee was bested by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in a 123-113 vote among fellow Democrats.
Going into the vote, Lee’s supporters say they had pledges from 125 members — a clear majority. However, when the members voted, 12 of those who supposedly said they would support Lee turned around and voted for Jeffries.
“I don’t think we should have secret votes like this,” said East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier. “You should tell members who you are voting for and why.”
Maybe. But as Willie Brown is fond of saying, “Whenever you go into a secret vote, you better make sure all of your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed — then crossed again, to cover the double-cross.”
Lee declined to comment on the outcome and instead referred us to her prepared statement in which she congratulated Jeffries on “a hardfought race.”
San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross