Sen. Caballero praises Gov. Newsom for extreme heat bill

By Stepheny Price for Yahoo News

 

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – With a deadline looming to either approve or veto, Governor Gavin Newsom is signing bills into law at a rapid pace and gaining praise from a local Merced-area senator for his action.

Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced) released the following statement in response to Governor Newsom’s signature of her bill, SB 306: Climate Change: Equitable Building Decarbonization Program, Extreme Heat Action Plan.

"I would like to express my appreciation to Governor Newsom for his signature on my bill, SB 306 to prioritize communities that suffer from extreme heat. Senate Bill 306, establishes reporting guardrails on the newly funded Direct Install Program at the California Energy Commission, and codifies the state’s Extreme Heat Action Plan with required updates every three years to ensure strategies for heat mitigation impacts are successfully implemented." Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced)

Senator Caballero added that the district is ground zero for extreme heat and when the temperature rises above 100 degrees in places like Fresno County, where there are few trees and plenty of hot asphalt, and the houses are ill-equipped to conserve energy and cool the air, people suffer during heat waves.

“Extreme heat can be deadly and reduces the quality of life for those living in areas where battling the heat leads to health issues, hospitalization, and even death. That is why I introduced SB 306 to focus resources in areas that suffer from Extreme Heat, to allow Californians to modify their homes to be more energy efficient and to reduce their energy costs and consumption,” said Senator Caballero.

“Unfortunately, rising temperatures are baked into California’s future. I wish it weren’t so,” said Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Climate Resolve. “Thankfully, Senator Caballero’s SB 306 will accelerate the rollout of life-saving grant funds to protect our economy and public health network from extreme heat.”

The legislature passed over 1,000 bills this legislative session, the majority of which Newsom has already signed into law. The governor has also vetoed over 100 of the bills sent to his desk.

 

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