From the Editor
Amidst the headlines regarding the Republican sweep of last week’s mid-term elections, an interesting vote in California went nearly unnoticed outside the state. I’m not talking about Proposition 19 – the measure to legalize marijuana. That one was hardly “unnoticed.” I’m talking about Proposition 23 – a measure to kill California’s landmark climate change legislation, AB32: The Global Warming Solutions Act.

AB32, which Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law in 2006, requires the state to lower its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Proposition 23 basically would have put the law on hiatus until California unemployment stays below 5.5 percent for one year; a condition that’s only been present a few times in the last 30 years. Proponents of the proposition – including two huge oil companies – argued that California’s economy is too tattered to worry about climate change at the moment.

However, Prop 23 went down in spectacular flames – 61 percent nay to 39 percent yea. The significance of the vote is that it marks the first time the electorate has voted on a climate change measure. And the results were resoundingly in favor of greenhouse-gas control legislation.

So while a Republican-controlled House doesn’t portend well for the comprehensive federal climate and energy legislation President Obama has hoped for since his election, at least proponents of greenhouse-gas reduction measure can take small solace in the California vote — even if they can’t legally light up a joint to celebrate.

Cheers,

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