AKILAH WEBER: WE MUST DO MORE TO PROMOTE ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES
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:
First, we should be
passing legislation backed by funding opportunities to help local governments fully implement their climate action plans. When I was on the City Council in La Mesa, we were in the initial steps of implementing our very robust climate action plan. One of the challenges that we faced, like all other cities in our state, was having the funding and resources needed.
Additionally, the state should work with regional partners to help expand renewable sources of energy. We should also increase grant opportunities for projects that are focused on improving infrastructure and accessibility for zero emission vehicles, improving our waste management and pollution prevention, especially in our coastal regions, studying how to improve our air quality, especially in communities of concern, and pursuing projects that focus on decarbonization efforts. Finally, we need to expand educational programs that focus on environmental science and technology. I was proud to support the creation of the California Center for Climate Change Education in the Higher Education Committee so that we can continue to produce the best and brightest students to help deal with the climate emergency in California and throughout the world.
Q:
The governor’s pleas
to reduce water use have been widely met with indifference. What, if anything, should state lawmakers be doing to address drought conditions?
A:
First, we should be
increasing our storage facilities so that we are capturing as much water as possible during times of heavy rains. We also need to continue funding projects that merge agriculture and technology to improve water utilization. I visited rice fields in the California Central Valley and was very impressed with the use of science and technology to prevent excess water usage and leakage. We should be working closely with our agriculture community to help fund and sustain more programs like that.
Additionally, we should be working more closely with regional water authorities to update regional
water plans, improve our dams and infrastructure, and create ways to become less dependent on imported water. Currently, I am working to secure funding from the state for a local advanced water purification program. Among other things, it will help create a new water supply in our region that will positively impact our environment and our residents.
Lastly, we must continue to work with local governments and nonprofits to engage and educate all communities on the shortterm and long-term benefits of water conservation and the different options to conserve water.
Q:
What would you do to address the surging gas prices in California?
A:
In addition to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy, I believe that the state should provide a rebate to registered drivers of vehicles that require gas. Our residents are already under extreme economic hardship, and high gas prices have only exacerbated the problems. Transitioning away from fossil fuels will, in the long run, make energy more affordable while also protecting our communities against pollution.
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:
There are many
things that the state is doing and can do to help. I support the governor’s budget proposal to fund projects that increase access to and infrastructure for zero emission vehicles. This includes increasing our supply of zero emission public transit buses, school buses and drayage trucks. It also includes additional resources to focus investment in low-income communities that bear the brunt of pollution from transportation. I also believe that we should support the expansion of community choice aggregation, such as our own San Diego Community Power. I am committed to investing more in clean energy expansion. Focusing on things such as industrial decarbonization, adoption of clean energy technologies at our food production facilities, advancing the use of green hydrogen and improving our long duration storage will not only reduce our reliance on fossil fuels but also create jobs, which can boost our local and state economy.
Q:
How would you bring
down the high cost of housing, both for homeowners and renters?
A:
The market costs of
housing are driven by supply and demand economics where costs skyrocket when supply is low and demand is high. Real estate investors notoriously purchase single-family homes, taking these homes off the market for a family to purchase, and use them for vacation rentals that sit empty for the greater part of the year. This issue of regulating vacation rentals and investor-owned properties in residential neighborhoods has been hotly debated. I would encourage local jurisdictions across the state to adopt ordinances that work for their communities and residents.
Further, state and local jurisdictions have not kept pace with building housing for the demand. I believe we have been so focused on helping residents meet the cost of housing through subsidies or down-payment assistance programs that the actual housing cost itself (a portion of which is factored into monthly rent or mortgage payments) has not been adequately addressed. It is expensive to build single-family homes and multi-family residences; the cost of land, construction materials, development and permitting fees, and meeting regulatory requirements add up. When and where possible, I support using excess state land to drive down the cost to build. We also need to work with the federal government on reeling in nationwide costs for construction materials and work with local governments on streamlining development processes.
Q:
Should taxes in California be increased? If so, which ones?
A:
No, our taxes should
not be increased. Our focus at this time should be on continuing to grow our economy and fully recover from this pandemic.