San Diego Democratic state legislators Toni Atkins and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher earned perfect marks for their voting records on environmental issues last year, according to a scorecard released Tuesday by the California Environmental Justice Alliance.
Former Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, also got perfect marks on the scorecard of legislators’ votes on 14 bills last year, 11 of which were signed into law.
Among other local legislators, Sen. Joel Anderson, R-El Cajon, and Sen. Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, received 8 percent each; Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, 92 percent; Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, 23 percent; former Assemblyman Brian Jones, R-Santee, 15 percent; Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, R-San Diego, 38 percent; and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, 92 percent.
While Bates is based in Orange County, her district extends down the northern San Diego County coast.
“There is still work to be done in order for the victories and strong voting records of 2016 to translate into on-the-ground health and quality-of- life improvements for communities of color,” said Amy Vanderwarker, co-director of CEJA.
“Since the release of our first scorecard, CEJA has spent several years cultivating environmental justice champions in the legislature, and now it is time we see a growth in leadership from our state agencies,” Vanderwarker said. “In 2017, we will be closely monitoring our new legislators, newly appointed commissioners, the Air Resources Board and Strategic Growth Council to ensure policies are equitably implemented.”
CEJA also took the California Public Utilities Commission and California Department of Toxic Substances Control to task for poor performances in protecting the public in low-income areas and minority communities.
The organization’s first study of state agencies found the agencies weren’t responsive to community concerns, didn’t engage residents and weren’t transparent.
— City News Service