According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, implementing Prop 45 could cost cities, counties and state agencies $100 million or more per year. These direct taxpayer costs are just the tip of the iceberg.
When weighing the pros and cons of Prop 45, voters should ask themselves who benefits most if it passes. The answer is clear: investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison and PG&E, data center and warehouse developers, oil and gas corporations, and other polluting giants — all of which are spending heavily to convince voters that what benefits their bottom line also benefits the public.
Prop 45 would change California’s environmental review process for a long list of large-scale polluting projects in fundamental ways that go far beyond shortening timelines. These details are buried in the initiative’s full 41-page text, much of which is highly technical.
Prop 45 tips the scales in favor of developers, exposing public agencies to costly new lawsuits and making it much harder for the public to secure safeguards often identified through the environmental review process.
The measure ties the hands of cities and counties by giving developers the power to pick the standards by which their projects will be evaluated, and even prevents municipalities from directing developers to consider alternative locations that could have fewer impacts on public health or natural resources.
If Prop 45 passes, data center developers could push through project approvals with even less public oversight. That would make it far more difficult for affected communities to demand safeguards for their water, air quality, neighborhoods and electric bills.
At a time when our federal government can’t seem to roll back safeguards fast enough, losing public health and environmental protections under California law will have real impacts. Just ask yourself: Are you ready to see a data center built in your neighborhood?
We already have real-life examples showing what’s at stake when polluting projects run amok.
The former Exide Technologies battery recycling facility in East Los Angeles spread lead contamination over 1.7 miles, affecting 10,000 homes, parks, schools and day care centers.
California taxpayers have already spent more than $750 million to remediate that damage, and the work is still underway. With looser regulations under Prop 45, we could see many more Exide-style cleanups around the state, with taxpayers picking up the bill.
When protections for clean air and clean water weaken, health care costs also rise.
For families who live near freeways, warehouses and industrial sites that emit toxins, the environmental review process is often their only means of protecting their families from greater risk of asthma, higher cancer rates and other expensive medical impacts.
Prop 45 puts developer profits ahead of the health of everyday Californians.
There’s reason to be concerned about the state’s fiscal situation. The middle class is already paying too much.
When Californians sit down with their ballots in the coming weeks, they should make sure to read the fine print and not just the campaign slogans from Prop 45’s proponents.
This ballot measure does not require developers to lower rents or mortgages, cap utility bills or otherwise protect us from the skyrocketing cost of living.
Follow the money. This measure is a giveaway to corporate polluters that will cost taxpayers in the short term and long term.
We can’t afford it. Vote No on Prop 45.
John Valencia is chairman of the Middle Class Taxpayers Association.
Disclaimer: Opinions are those of the writer and do not reflect those of The Vanguard or its Editorial Staff. The Vanguard does not endorse political candidates and is committed to publishing all public opinions and maintaining an open forum subject to guidelines related to decency and tone, not content.
To comment please go to one of these social media platforms:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisVanguard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peoples-vanguard-of-davis-inc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davisvanguard/
X: https://x.com/davisvanguard
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vanguardnewsgroup.bsky.social
Subscribe to the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
